Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/949884
24 commercial carrier journal | march 2018 INBRIEF • Cummins Filtration announced Fleet- guardFit, a real-time filtration monitoring system designed to provide custom- ers full visibility of filter and oil life through the use of sensors, a control module and existing telematics services, allowing them to detect problems proactively. A subscrip- tion portal and a mobile app are available for equipment condition data reports. • Fontaine Fifth Wheel announced a mo- bile app designed to provide customers with the information they need quickly and easily. Customers can access a parts guide, search for parts, track orders, submit photos to Fontaine staff, search for specs and find parts and service locations. • Mitchell 1 enhanced its TruckSeries truck repair software with the addition of a new vehicle selector feature designed to provide precise vehicle descriptions while eliminating the labor involved with manual Vehicle Identification Number entry and verification. The Plate-to-VIN feature allows a technician to enter the license plate number, and TruckSeries automatically converts that to the VIN registered to that plate, providing quick access to the truck's repair information, including color wiring diagrams, descriptions, specifications, testing steps and labor estimates. • Love's Travel Stops expanded the tire brand offerings at most of its Speedco lo- cations. In addition to all 52 Speedco stores nationwide offering Bridgestone and Firestone tires, 46 of those locations now also offer Aeolus, Goodyear, Yokohama and Love's Retread tires. Those tire brands also continue to be available at Love's Truck Tire Care locations. • Dayton Parts launched a new line of trail- er accessories to complement its current offering that includes components for air supply management, antilock braking sys- tems, tire inflation systems, hub caps and brass fittings. The new offerings include air coils, power cables, pogo sticks, gladhands and tire inflation components. • Federal-Mogul Motorparts launched Garage Gurus HD, a training program for technicians who perform medium- and heavy-duty truck repairs and perform diag- nostics checks. Now available online, onsite and on-the-go, the program initially will be available across three modules, including nine classes pertaining to foundation brakes, air disc brakes and bearings and seals, with additional classes planned. Nikola to build hydrogen-electric trucks in Arizona N ikola Motor Co. in late January announced that Buckeye, Ariz., will serve as the production headquarters for its hydrogen-electric semi-truck. Select- ed following a yearlong process that spanned nine states and 30 site locations, the 500-acre site on the west side of Phoenix will be home to a 1-million-square-foot facility. Trevor Milton, Nikola chief executive officer, said his truck manufacturing company already has more than 8,000 of its tractors on pre-order and that he plans to begin transferring the company's research and development division and headquarters from Utah to Arizona immediately, hoping to have the transition complete by October. "We have already begun planning the construction for our new zero-emissions manufacturing facility in Buckeye, which we expect to have underway by the end of 2019," Milton said. e site will be located at Sun Valley Parkway and the future Wintersburg Parkway, where a new planned community also is being developed. – Jason Cannon Volvo eyes 2019 for electric truck sales V olvo Trucks said it expects to begin selling electric trucks in Europe in 2019, with the first units put into operation with select customers later this year. Göran Nyberg, president of Volvo Trucks North America, said electric trucks dras- tically reduce noise and exhaust emissions and create new opportunities to manage logistics. More freight can be moved at night, resulting in fewer trucks competing for road space during peak traffic times. "By using electrically powered and quieter trucks for goods transport in urban areas, we meet several challenges simultaneously," Nyberg said. "Without disturbing noise and exhaust gases, it will be possible to operate in more sensitive city centers." Nyberg said urban distribution and other pickup-and-delivery applications are a starting point for battery-powered electric trucks, but he envisions broader deploy- ment of electric trucks for freight movement in North America as technologies and the market mature. "Volvo's technology and deep understanding of electromobility are based on proven commercial solutions already used in Volvo's electric buses and solutions introduced in Volvo's hybrid trucks as far back as 2010," said Keith Brandis, VTNA's vice president for product planning. "Electric vehicles will be part of our future, but the vehicles them- selves are only one part of what is needed for large-scale electrification to succeed." Brandis said enabling long-term sustainable transport is a complex issue that requires a holistic and wide range of measures. "We are working closely with customers, cities, suppliers of batteries and charging infrastructure and other key stakeholders to create the necessary framework for battery-powered electric trucks," he said. – Jason Cannon The Nikola One hydrogen-electric semi- truck was unveiled in December 2016.