Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1004801
24 commercial carrier journal | july 2018 INBRIEF • Kenworth now offers Dana's SPL 250 Lite driveline for its T680 and T880 trucks in linehaul and regional-haul applica- tions. Dana said the SPL 250 Lite sheds 25 pounds compared to its SPL 250 XL driveline series, has fewer moving parts and reduces noise, vibration and harshness while supporting powertrain downspeed- ing. The SPL 250 Lite is designed to support 18,400-plus lb.-ft. of driveline torque. • Kenworth announced the availability of three Dana Spicer axle series for its K270 and K370 medium-duty cabovers: the S140 series of single-reduction single-drive axles ranging from 16,000- to 21,000-lb. gross axle weight ratings; the S21-172 and S21-172E single-reduction single-drive axles, both with 21,000-lb. ratings; and the 10-000-lb.-rated E1002IL steer axle with a steel-forged beam design that helps reduce weight and enhance strength and torsional stiffness. • Xtra Lease, a trailer equipment rental and leasing provider, and SAF-Holland, a manufacturer of axle/braking systems, suspensions, fifth wheels and landing gear products, announced that Xtra Lease is installing SAF's P89 air disc brakes on more than 6,000 of its over-the-road dry vans and reefers purchased in 2018. • Meritor Inc. opened its fourth North American aftermarket distribution facility − the Eastern Canada Regional Distribution Center in Mississauga, Ontario – to fulfill Meritor Aftermarket orders from warehouse distributors and dealers in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Quebec. • Meritor Inc. announced that its Meritor Tire Inflation System with ThermAlert now is a standard/preferred option on Van- guard dry van and CIMC reefer trailers. • Shell Lubricants launched Shell Lube- Chat, a chatbox designed to provide real-time product support, technical ser- vices and lubricants data to its customers. Available on smartphones and desktops, the chatbot helps customers find the right products for their equipment, provides access to technical and safety sheets for Shell products, finds nearby authorized dealers and more. It is powered by artificial intelligence and is available online 24/7 in the United States, Canada and India, with service planned for the United Kingdom. Daimler expands PDC network D aimler Trucks North America took another key step forward in maximizing the efficiency of its Aermarket and dealer channel operations with the opening of a 245,000-square-foot parts distribution center in Grimes, Iowa. e new location, the ninth in Daimler's PDC network, will allow the company to deliver parts to 80 percent of its dealer locations in 12 hours or less. Another PDC is set to open later this year, and the company hopes to push its 12-hour delivery window to more than 90 percent. Stefan Kurschner, DTNA's senior vice president, said that aer shooting for 72-hour service turnarounds in 2013, the company hopes to average less than 12 hours for service events in the coming years. "We started with the 72-hour goal [in 2013], and at the time, it was useful, because it got our entire network signed up for one goal," he said. "But quickly we knew 72 hours was not good enough — 72 hours is an eternity." DTNA also now is delivering nearly three quarters of its orders via dedicated delivery service routes, which the company introduced earlier this decade to facilitate a more reliable parts delivery network. Jay Johnson, DTNA's general manager of Aermarket Supply Chain, said these routes now allow DTNA dealers to submit stock orders as late as 4 p.m. in some regions of North America and have those parts packed on a truck by 10:30 p.m. and at the dealer's facility before the sun comes up. – Lucas Deal Kenworth, UPS team for SuperTruck II K enworth announced a collaboration with UPS (CCJ Top 250, No. 1) to develop advance- ments in Class 8 truck aerodynamic, engine and powertrain efficiencies under the $8 million SuperTruck II program, which is funded by the Vehicle Technologies Office of the U.S. Depart- ment of Energy. e project will use Kenworth's flagship on-highway T680 tractor powered by a Pac- car MX engine. Goals include the demonstration of a 100-percent-plus improvement in freight efficiency over a 2009 equivalent product and a 55-percent increase in the engine's brake thermal efficiency performance. UPS will provide guidance on its drive and duty cycles, said Mike Dozier, Kenworth general manager and Paccar vice president. Paccar joins four other SuperTruck II teams working to develop innovative technol- ogies designed to more than double the freight efficiency of Class 8 trucks. Up to $12 million in additional funding could be awarded for the project over the next three years, subject to annual appropriations by Congress. – Jason Cannon DTNA opened a 245,000-square- foot parts distribution center in Grimes, Iowa. The new location is the ninth in Daimler's PDC network. UPS will provide guidance on its drive and duty cycles for Ken- worth's SuperTruck II project truck, a T680 tractor equipped with a Paccar MX engine.