Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/252139
18 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | FEBRUARY 2014 r Paccar – owner of Peterbilt and Kenworth and man- ufacturer of Paccar engines – announced Mark Pigott will step away as chief executive officer on April 27, when the position will be assumed by Ronald Arm- strong, who also will become a board member. Pigott, who has been CEO since 1997, will remain executive chairman of the board, which also elected Robert Christensen as president and chief financial officer. r Peterbilt's vocational Model 567 is now in full produc - tion. The truck or tractor can be configured to meet a wide range of heavy- and severe-duty applications, including dump, mixer, heavy haul and refuse. r Kenworth 5SVDL$P enhanced its 52-inch mid-roof sleeper offering with the addition of an optional upper bunk and aerodynamic roof fairing for the T680, which is suited for regional haul applications. r 4"')PMMBOEnow offers a lifetime warranty on its Holland Atlas 55, Atlas 65 and Mark V landing gear. r 5IF(PPEZFBS5JSF3VCCFS$Popened a new Com - mercial Tire & Service Center in Tulsa, Okla., and added Richmond, Va.-based Colonial Tire Distributors to its retread network. r 7JQBS)FBWZ%VUZ acquired Pearland, Texas-based Power Heavy Duty, which will become part of the Vipar family of companies and continue to serve the market - place as a separate brand. r %POBMETPO announced that more than 50 sizes of its Endurance air filters now are available for off-road applications. r 5SVDL-JUF$P announced that U.S. Xpress Enterprises will make its custom LED headlight factory-standard for forward lighting on nearly 2,000 new 2014 Freight - liner Cascadia trucks. r Freightliner Trucks announced that Chattanooga, Tenn.-based truckload carrier Covenant Transport ordered the Freightliner In-Cab Training (FIT) System for its fleet. r 3FQVCMJD 4FSWJDFT replaced older diesel-powered trucks with 79 new compressed natural gas solid waste and recycling trucks serving Indianapolis and surrounding areas. r 8BCBTI/BUJPOBM$PSQT $PNNFSDJBM5SBJMFS1SPE - ucts group produced its 500,000th DuraPlate van trailer. The milestone trailer was built for Lincoln, Neb.- based Crete Carrier Corp. r +BTPO4XBOOPG3VTI5SVDL$FOUFS%BMMBT was named Overall Grand Champion at the 2013 Rush Tech Rodeo. Swann, who took home $15,500 in cash and prizes, also took top honors in the heavy-duty Eaton category and also was named Heavy-Duty Grand Champion. */BRIEF I t's a scene played out countless times a day: A truck driver climbs into his cab and cranks his rig. While the big diesel is warming up, he reaches down behind the seat or into the storage space in the door and pulls out a heavy wooden club. He climbs out and walks around his rig, thumping each of the tires along the way to ensure they have the proper air pressure. According to industry experts, he's wasting his time. "When I see a truck driver walking around thumping their tires, I always go over and talk to them," says Harvey Brodsky, managing director of the Retread Tire Associa- tion. "I tell them that if they think they can tell the pres- sure in those tires by thumping them, they might as well take that stick and whack the hood of their truck to see if it needs oil. That's how accurate a tire thumper is." William Estupinan, vice president of technical service for Giti Tire USA – which markets and sells GT Radial commercial tires in North America – is somewhat more generous discussing tire thumpers, but just as dubious as Brodsky. "If you think you have a 'well-calibrated' ear, thumping the tires could possibly give you an idea of the difference in pressure between one tire and the other, but it will never tell you the actual air pressure," he says. Estupinan says a tire underinflated by 10 percent will see its fuel economy reduced by 1 percent. "That might in focus: TIRES For tire pressure checks, nothing beats a good gauge, experts say BY JACK ROBERTS DUMP THE THUMP "UJSFSVOOJOHXJUIQFSDFOUPG UIFQTJTQFDJñFEGPSUIFDBSSZJOH MPBEJTDPOTJEFSFEóBU