New Technologies Target Trailer Efficiency
Class 8 power units may get all the attention, but trailers are coming into their own in terms of aerodynamic innovations that enhance fuel efficiency.
April 24, 2020Electric Trucks to Change How Equipment Is Spec’d
The brave new world of electric Class 8 trucks dawned in North America with the delivery of two battery-electric Freightliner eCascadia tractors to customers this past August. Penske Truck Leasing and NFI are placing the vehicles into revenue service. With electric-powered trucks, however, comes a fundamental shift in how tomorrow’s freight-hauling equipment will be specified.
October 25, 2019Electric Trucks Will Demand New Expertise
Some industry representatives suggest that electric-powered vehicles will not only reduce diesel pollutants, but also attract a new generation of recruits to the field of heavy truck maintenance.
July 19, 2019Extreme Temps Affect Electric Truck Batteries
All major truck builders and several startups are preparing to develop, test and market either battery-electric vehicles or fuel-cell/battery models in the very near term. Replacing diesel-powered Class 8 trucks, though, will present numerous challenges to an industry accustomed to proven and reliable diesel-engine technology.
April 26, 2019The Savings of Truck Safety Technology
The rising cost of maintenance for Class 8 trucks needs to be weighed against safety and operational benefits, according to a recent study by the American Transportation Research Institute.
January 25, 2019Here Comes the Sun
As truck makers prepare to test and introduce Class 8 battery-electric and hydrogen-electric trucks in the next 12 to 24 months, one must wonder why only a very small number of truck operators have adopted clean solar technology.
November 9, 2018The Case for Natural Gas Engines
I’ve speculated in the past that fleets would tire of natural gas engines, particularly as legislators or regulators began taxing the alternative fuel on the same basis as diesel.
September 21, 2018Class 8 Commercial Rigs Should Do Away With Mirrors
It’s time that Class 8 commercial trucks deployed high-tech cameras instead of the assortment of mirrors — rearview, down view and blind spot — found on today’s tractors.
July 20, 2018Electric Trucks Need Infrastracture
Development of electric-powered commercial trucks in the 21st century takes the industry full circle to the infancy of the automotive revolution that began in the late 1800s, when battery-powered cars pioneered modern society’s fascination with mobility. Early on, at least, battery-powered cars were preferred because they were easy to operate — no cranking the engine to start them.
May 18, 2017Trailer Makers’ Brave New World
In less than 12 months, motor carriers are scheduled to encounter their first experiences with trailers designed to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and increase fuel efficiency. The latest federal government mandate to clean the air imposes standards for the first time on semi-trailers, creating what many consider to be a brave new world for trailer makers and suppliers of aerodynamic devices.
January 27, 2017