Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/815349
24 commercial carrier journal | april 2017 • Michelin Americas Truck Tires is adding radio frequency identification technology to its commercial truck tire and retread lineup to help fleets manage tire main- tenance and assets. The company also announced that its Tire Care maintenance program now has more features designed to provide fleets with greater visibility. • Rush Enterprises is integrating its Rush- Care Service Connect communications and process management platform with both Cummins and Peterbilt SmartLinq. RushCare Service Connect provides customers with an online on-demand 360-degree view of the service process for vehicles in Rush service departments. • Noregon, a provider of vehicle data solutions, and PeopleNet, a provider of fleet mobility technology, announced an extension of their relationship to deliver a real-time health and safety monitoring solution for all heavy-duty truck makes and models. The initial focus will be to deliver a fault intelligence solution with integrated predictive analytics. • Velvac Inc. and Phillips Industries announced a collaboration to offer TrailerLink, a connected vehicle solution designed to support robust and high-per- formance trailer-to-tractor video and data communications and connectivity. Trailer- Link augments the traditional tractor-trail- er 7-pin electrical connection with an additional ISO 15-pin cable connection. • Aperia Technologies and FlowBelow Aero announced a partnership that allows a FlowBelow Tractor AeroKit wheel cover to attach over Aperia's Halo tire in- flation system, helping a wheel end earn the fuel savings of both products. • TruckLite Co., a provider of heavy-duty lighting and visibility systems, announced a partnership with NanoMech Industries, a provider of nanotechnology that helps facilitate corrosion resistance in materials. The companies will collaborate on a line of products designed for increased resist- ance to electrical malfunction, corrosion and oxidation. • Hendrickson launched Hendrickson Academy, an interactive online education portal designed to provide fleet and service technicians with video-based maintenance and repair procedures for the company's suspensions and components. For more information, go to Hendrickson-Academy.com. INBRIEF Cummins launches connectivity features C ummins announced several new features in its effort to optimize maintenance procedures and lower cost of ownership for its fleet customers. Cummins OilGuard, first mentioned at the launch of the company's new X15 heavy-duty engine last summer, now is available. e engine oil analysis program is free to custom- ers who sign up for and receive oil sample kits to send back to the company's laboratory for analysis. Cummins person- nel make recommendations on oil drain intervals. e company also introduced its Connected Advisor, a program that provides support in interpreting engine issues and improving operational efficiency with time-to-service recommendations for both critical and noncritical issues. Cummins also introduced Connected Soware Updates, allowing over-the-air programming of X15 engines to help improve fleet management and enhance engine performance. Cummins said it is working to allow OTA program- ming of previous-generation engines with onboard memory. e company debuted Cummins Guidanz, a mobile app for iOS and Android devices that leverages cloud computing technology and allows customers with in-house service centers to read fault codes for 2007 and newer engines. e solution uses a nine-pin Inline mini Bluetooth adapter that plugs into the SAE J1939 interface and provides information for operations managers or service providers. – Jeff Crissey The Cummins Guidanz app provides engine fault code information and other diagnostic data on iOS and Android mobile devices. Volvo, Mack go OTA for new trucks, engines V olvo Trucks North America in- troduced Remote Programming, an expansion of its Remote Diagnostics platform that allows over-the-air pow- ertrain soware and vehicle parameter updates across North America anywhere a cellular network is available. e sys- tem will be available this summer for all Volvo trucks equipped with Volvo-pow- ered 2017 GHG-compliant engines. Likewise, Mack Trucks announced Mack Over e Air soware updates for upcoming 2018 model-year trucks equipped with GuardDog Connect telematics hardware and 2017 Mack engines. Volvo's engine soware updates can be done during a driver's rest break. Fleet-speci- fied vehicle parameter updates, such as speed limit settings, can take five to 10 minutes. Mack's OTA programming enhances its GuardDog Connect platform that provides proactive monitoring and repair planning, enabling real-time diagnosis of issues, sched- uling of repairs and confirmation that parts are in stock. – Jeff Crissey Executives acknowledge the possibility of OTA capabilities for cer- tain earlier-model tractors equipped with Volvo power. Mack's service will allow OTA programming for powertrain components and certain vehicle parameters as duty cycles change.