Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/858523
26 commercial carrier journal | august 2017 DTNA opens new PDC, targets supply chain improvements D aimler Trucks North America opened its latest parts distribu- tion center in Whitestown, Ind., to serve dealers and service locations in the region with next-day parts deliv- ery. DTNA also announced breaking ground on a second PDC in Grimes, Iowa, to serve customers in the Mid- west region. e Whitestown PDC opened last month, and the Grimes location is ex- pected to begin operation in late 2017 or early 2018. When both are fully operational, the two facilities will stock more than $15 million of inventory and 20,000 product SKUs. As part of DTNA's strategy to optimize its PDC footprint, it will shutter its Chicago PDC in the near future. e completion of the 275,000- square-foot Whitestown PDC is DTNA's latest investment in its 2013 promise to improve customer service by creating a supply chain network that provides next-day parts delivery. DTNA's goal for its aermarket group is to supply next-day parts delivery to 90 percent of its dealer and service location network. At present, DTNA provides next-day parts to 60 percent of its network. With the two new locations, as well as the Dallas PDC facility that opened last year, that number will increase to better than 75 percent by yearend, the company said. – Jeff Crissey The completion of the 275,000-square-foot Whitestown PDC is DTNA's latest investment in its 2013 promise to improve customer service. Daimler seeks lower window placement for camera D aimler Trucks North America is petitioning the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to allow it to mount its attention assist and lane departure warning system camera lower on the windshield than is permitted by federal regulations. e camera Daimler wants to mount on its trucks is about 7 inches tall, but regu- lations require vehicle safety technologies to be mounted no more than 4 inches below the upper edge of the area swept by windshield wipers. DTNA says it wants to mount the camera in the center of the top of the windshield, outside of driver sight lines. During testing in which 50 commercial driver's license holders drove more than 900,000 miles with prototype cam- era housings mounted, drivers said "there was no noticeable obstruction to the normal sight lines to the road ahead, highway signs, signals or any mirrors," according to DTNA's exemption request. To view public comments on DTNA's exemption request, go to Regulations.gov and search Docket No. FMCSA-2017-0176. – Matt Cole UPS commits to more renewable power by 2025 U PS announced new sustainability goals to add more alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles to its fleet while increasing its reliance on renewable energy sources. e company said the tighter goals support its commitment to reduce its absolute greenhouse gas emissions from global ground operations by 12 percent by 2025. UPS has a goal that 25 percent of the electricity it consumes will come from renewable energy sources by 2025, an increase from 0.2 percent in 2016. By 2020, UPS plans that one in four new vehicles purchased annually will be an alternative fuel or advanced technology vehicle, up from 16 percent in 2016. e company also set a new goal that by 2025, 40 percent of all ground fuel will be from sources other than conventional gasoline and diesel, an increase from 19.6 percent in 2016. UPS already uses millions of gallons of lower-carbon-foot- print renewable diesel and renewable natural gas in its fleet each year. ese initiatives reinforce the company's commitment to reducing its environmen- tal impact despite growth in e-commerce deliveries, which are driving up energy used to operate facilities and power its vehicle fleet. – Jason Cannon DTNA is asking FMCSA to allow it to mount an attention assist and lane departure warning system camera lower than currently permitted. UPS operates more than 8,300 alternative fuel and advanced technology ve- hicles worldwide, includ- ing compressed natural gas-powered tractors.