Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/630225
10 www.studentdriverplacement.com February '16 ing on the results of a recent project. Fueling decisions with data When Modern began using natural gas in 2013, the company's data was housed in nine separate data- bases. Recently, it deployed a data warehouse to unite its disparate sources of data and create new re- porting and analytical capabilities. The data warehouse combines fuel data from three different sourc- es, allowing executives and manag- ers to identify variances and root causes for performance issues. This helps to quickly assess which strate- gies for improving fuel effi ciency are working and which are not, Cozzens says. If the fuel economy of tractors is less than expected, the root cause can be isolated to driving behaviors, mechanical issues, route character- istics or other factors. Besides using the data to maximize fuel effi ciency, the company also can hold vendors accountable and collaborate with them to improve performance. Bob Smith, director of equipment and maintenance, currently is work- ing on a project to test a fuel-effi cient tractor spec. The company's terminal in Sanford, N.C., is the test bed for this project to compare diesel-powered tractors with CNG- and LNG-powered units. The fi rst truck to be tested, nicknamed "Su- per Diesel," was put into operation in November. It uses a 15-liter diesel engine with a 12-speed fully automated manual transmission mated to a 6×2 single drive axle. The forward nondriven axle in this 6×2 confi gu- ration is a tag axle that automati- cally raises and lowers according to real-time operating conditions. The truck also is spec'd with a number of aerodynamic features. Smith also is testing both CNG and LNG tractors with a 6×2 tag axle and a Cummins Westport 12-liter Tools Trucking Modern Transportation has created managerial dashboards that compile data from various sources