CCJ

May 2018

Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal

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20 commercial carrier journal | may 2018 • Nikola Motor Co. announced it was returning the $1,500 deposit the company initially required to hold a reservation slot for its hydrogen-electric Nikola One tractor and that future reserva- tions for its Nikola One or Nikola Two will not require deposits. • Volvo Trucks completed the transition from production of its legacy VNL 670 model to full production of its new VNL 760 that comes standard with the company's 13-liter D13 engine and I-Shift 12-speed automated manual transmission. Other available engines are Cummins' X15 and Volvo's waste heat recov- ery-based D13 TC. • Per Carlsson, global senior vice president of strategy and trans- formation for Volvo Trucks, was named acting president of Volvo Trucks North America, filling in on an interim basis for former VTNA chief Göran Nyberg, who accept- ed a position as executive board member of sales and marketing for Man Truck & Bus AG. Carlsson has been with the Volvo Group for 33 years and previously served as VTNA president from 2008 to 2009. Nyberg had served as VTNA president since September 2012. • Kenworth's T680 on-highway tractor can be ordered with the combination of Paccar's MX-11 engine and 12-speed Automated Transmission designed for line- haul and regional haul applica- tions up to 110,000 pounds gross vehicle weight. The 10.8-liter MX-11 engine offers up to 430 hp and 1,650 lb.-ft. of torque. • Kenworth's Class 8 vocational models now are available with a standard track option for its 20,000- and 22,800-pound Paccar front-axle lineup. The standard track is engineered to optimize the truck's axle/wheel/tire combi- nation to achieve a 20,000-pound rating with 425-series tires while also offering added wheel cut and maneuverability. • Kenworth launched Kenworth- Certified.com, a dedicated website for its Kenworth Certified Pre-Owned program that features a listing of preowned certified trucks from participating Kenworth dealers. The website also contains program infor- mation, benefits and eligibility requirements, as well as specific information related to warranty coverage for preowned Paccar engines. • Continental announced that its ContiConnect digital tire monitoring platform is using Vodafone's Internet of Things SIM technology to collect tire pressure data for fleets and display it in a mobile-friendly web portal. Tires can be monitored every time a truck returns to the terminal. • Xtra Lease is adding cargo sensors to its SkyBitz-powered trailer-tracking system and portal, allowing fleets to know when their rental trailers are loaded and unloaded, improve dispatch and turn time and track detention data. This year, the company is adding 9,000 new dry vans and 600 new flatbeds and chassis throughout its branch network. • Eco Flaps, a manufacturer of splash guards, announced a partnership with RealWheels Corp. and IMI to allow RWC's wheel covers, IMI's Equal Flexx adaptive internal wheel-end balancer and Eco Flaps products to be purchased or specified together to help optimize tractor fuel consumption. • Hendrickson Trailer Commer- cial Vehicle Systems added more air disc brake maintenance training videos to its online train- ing portal, Hendrickson-Acade- my.com, a free online resource that features quick, convenient training videos for a variety of truck and trailer products. • Atro Engineered Systems relaunched its AtroBushing.com website with an advanced search function with expanded cross-ref- erences, "Quick Order" and "Repeat Express Order" options, a digital product catalog, "The Torque Finder" to help customers find the right torque rod, a video library and a value calculator. INBRIEF TWITTER TERMINATIONS AND FACEBOOK FIRINGS W hen social media issues come before the courts or the National Labor Relations Board, the courts must rely on law developed long ago that may not consider how the technology is used and operates. Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act states that "[e]mployees shall have the right to self-organize, to form, join, or assist labor organiza- tions, to bargain collectively, through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other concert- ed activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection." These Section 7 rights allow employees to discuss the terms and conditions of their employment, even when those communications are disruptive or disparaging. The law that was devel- oped to analyze these protected "water-cooler-con- versations" of the past has been forcibly applied to communications by employees in the new social media era; and the results have been pretty startling. The National Labor Relations Board hears cases relating to the "mutual aid and protection" language of Section 7. In these cases the NLRB is often asked to consider the extent to which an employee's social media posts criticizing management or other em- ployees are protected. The NLRB often ignores what most people would consider completely unacceptable behavior, concluding that wildly inappropriate behavior is protected. While comments related to "mutual aid or protec- tion" should be protected, I think the way information is communicated in social media is far different than the traditional scenarios. As a result, I think the com- pany's legitimate business interests in protecting its image, brand and confidential information should be strongly considered in social medial posts that extend far beyond co-workers. Employers should remember three things. First, the NLRB reviews employer actions regardless of whether the employees are in a union or not. Second, before terminating an employee for social media is- sues you should have the matter reviewed by counsel. Finally, you should have a social media policy in place that complies with the NLRA. SPONSORED INFORMATION DLP.indd 1 4/9/18 2:28 PM

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