Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
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roadside attractions CHANNEL 19 Will low viscosity engine oils provide benefits for my engine and my bottom line? By Dan Arcy Shell Lubricants has competition from lower viscosity grade oils that promote better fuel economy and other benefits. A number of diesel engine manufacturers recommend lower viscosity lubricants in their newest engines, and the move to lower viscosity lubricants is reinforced by the recent announcement that one of the focus areas for the next generation of heavy-duty diesel engine oils will be fuel economy savings, which lower viscosity oils have demonstrated the ability to provide. This is particularly important as the first-ever fuel economy regulations for heavy trucks will begin in 2014. Less energy is consumed when starting a cold engine when it is lubricated by a synthetic SAE 5W-40 than is consumed with a conventional SAE 15W-40. Lower viscosity oils also help reduce friction in an engine, which can result in fuel savings. Anti-idling laws mean the days of 40 percent idle time are over. Idle times of 10 percent or less are now common, meaning more start-ups. The better cold temperature flow of a lower viscosity oil such as SAE 5W-40 full synthetic or SAE 10W-30 synthetic blend versus SAE 15W-40 will provide easier starting and faster lubrication in colder weather. 10W-30 have been shown to deliver fuel-economy savings, extended- drain capability, enhanced engine cleanliness, and excellent wear protection. Low viscosity oils, Shell Rotella® T5 Synthetic Blend SAE Full Synthetic SAE 5W-40 or Shell Rotella® This monthly column is brought to you by Shell Lubricants. Got a question? Visit ROTELLA.com, call 1-800-231-6950 or write to The ANSWER COLUMN, 1001 Fannin, Ste. 500, Houston, TX 77002. The term "Shell Lubricants" refers to the various Shell Group companies engaged in the lubricants business. T6 Former ATHS Music City Chapter President Corey Price, left, and Music City Chapter founding member David Qualls at Jan. 14 auction. The reasons to switch to using lower viscosity, full synthetic or synthetic blend motor oils continue to build. The tried and true SAE 15W-40 conventional motor oils that many use Heads up! Atlanta-based hauler Danny Lower was rolling smoothly on I-75 when an unidentified falling object was thrown from an overpass and cracked his windshield, he told a WRCB reporter. Lower was able to maintain control, get off the roadway and call the authorities, but the culprit fled before anyone arrived. See the Jan. 12 post to the Channel 19 blog for a link to a video interview with the driver and news of another overhead threat. Word is some jurisdictions are going out of their way – think Bear on over- pass, taking pictures – to nab violators of the handheld cell ban. If you haven't gotten yourself a hands-free headset, it might be time to. Beauty and brawn What does the owner-operator winner of the 2011 Rush Truck Centers Nashville Chrome & Class truck beauty competition have in common with the Southern Invitational tractor pull? It turns out the winner, 1986 Peterbilt 359 owner David Holbrook, is also the pull's organizer. We gleaned that bit of trivia at the American Truck Historical Society Music City Chapter's meeting and auction Jan. 14 near Nashville, Tenn. The event raised $3,000 to help fund 2012 show activities. ATHS chapters will stage the Southeast Regional Truck Show in Knoxville, Tenn., April 13-14. For more about that event, and to meet owner-operators who attended the auc- tion, check out the Jan. 17 entry on the blog. Even the Guv sometimes needs divine intervention What happens when a loaded straight dump loses its brakes on a downhill run, almost hits a car containing a governor, then collides head-on with a tanker truck loaded with jet fuel? According to Guam Governor Eddie Calvo, God smiled down and saved him and the truck drivers from certain incineration after this collision on the island in January, reported the Pacific Daily News. "The good Lord served me up a reminder to live each day as though it might be my last," Calvo wrote in his column for the newspaper. Find links to the story and the column in the Jan. 23 blog post. For more of the interesting and odd parts of trucking, visit Senior Editor Todd Dills' CHANNEL 19 BLOG at OverdriveOnline.com/channel19. 10 OVERDRIVE MARCH 2012 Circle 170 on Reader Service Card or visit overdrive.hotims.com