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The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's annual Roadcheck inspection blitz this year focused on tires, and an analysis of inspection data shows that tread depth was by far the most common violation cited.

This year, RoadCheck was conducted June 7-9. Vigillo, which offers big data analysis through its Athena platform, analyzed inspection results from RoadCheck for a blog by Steve Bryan, founder and CEO.

The analysis showed there were 57,404 inspections conducted during RoadCheck in the 50 states. "The previous week Tuesday-Thursday recorded 36,030 inspections and the week after Roadcheck fell right back into a normal pattern with 35,159 inspections," Bryan says, showing a definite increase in inspection activity during the event.

According to Vigillo, a total of 5,203 tire violations were written up during RoadCheck 2016, and 2,222 of those were tread depth violations (less than 2/32 inch), almost 43%. If you add the additional 246 citations for front tires that were less than the minimum 4/32, that takes it up to 47%, or nearly half.

In addition, 743 were sited for a flat tire and/or audible air leak, 641 for flat tire or fabric exposed, and 518 for tread and/or sidewall separation.

Bryan also looked at the number of inspections with tire violations by state. "Sometimes, we see inspection activity at higher levels in some states than in others," he writes. "We call those states Texas. RoadCheck 2016 continues to show heavier enforcement activity in Texas. Much of that heightened activity takes place at the southern border crossings."

California was the second-highest and New Mexico the third highest.

Source of article click here: Truckinginfo

LOWELL, Mass. —A tractor-trailer slammed into a railroad bridge in Lowell Tuesday night.

The truck hauling potatoes slammed into the bridge on Lawrence Street and partially tore the roof off.

The Lowell Sun reports the truck was heading outbound on Lawrence Street, toward Woburn Street, when the roof of its trailer struck the bridge.

Lowell police and MBTA transit police were at the scene according the Lowell Sun.

No injuries were reported.

Source of article click here:WCVB 5

Wabash National Corp., has again been named a “50 Best U.S. Manufacturer” by IndustryWeek magazine in its July/August 2016 issue, making the second largest jump of any company on the list — from No. 46 to No. 24. This is the fourth time Wabash National has been so honored.

“When being compared to the largest and best performing publicly traded manufacturers in the United States, four consecutive record years doesn’t guarantee a spot on IndustryWeek’s ranking,” said Dick Giromini, president and chief executive officer. “We’ve made a significant transformation from primarily a van trailer producer to a diversified industrial manufacturer, which continues to be a key driver of our growth and performance.”

“We’re proud and honored to receive this recognition,” Giromini said, “and I give tremendous credit to our associates for their commitment to safety, innovation and continuous improvement; to our customers for their trust in us as together we strive to drive change in our industry; and to our suppliers for their collaboration and continued pursuit of excellence.”

The IndustryWeek 50 Best U.S. Manufacturers is the magazine’s annual ranking of America’s top-performing public manufacturers. To select the top 50 manufacturing companies, the magazine evaluated members of its IW U.S. 500, a list of the largest U.S. public manufacturers, based on financial performance in six key areas from 2013 to 2015: revenue growth, profit margin, return on assets, return on equity, sales turnover and inventory turnover. Performance for the most recent year was weighted more heavily in the analysis.

“The team’s execution of our strategic plan to grow and diversify has been integral to the company’s continued success,” Giromini added. “We expect to make 2016 our fifth consecutive year of record performance.”

Wabash National Corp., is a diversified industrial manufacturer and North America’s leading producer of semi-trailers and liquid transportation systems. Established in 1985 in Lafayette, Ind., the company manufactures a diverse range of products, including: dry freight and refrigerated trailers, platform trailers, bulk tank trailers, dry and refrigerated truck bodies, truck-mounted tanks, intermodal equipment, aircraft refueling equipment, structural composite panels and products, trailer aerodynamic solutions, and specialty food grade and pharmaceutical equipment.

Source of article click here: Trucking News

COLUMBUS, Ind. — U.S. and Canadian natural gas Class 8 truck retail sales improved in May after getting off to a slow start earlier in the year, according to a recent report from ACT Research.

The “Natural Gas Quarterly” attributes this to a high number of natural gas vehicle repeat sales, as well as purchases by transit bus and refuse truck operators.

However, the continuing low cost of diesel is making the return on investment for adopting natural gas less lucrative for fleets not yet invested in NG-fueled vehicles.

“With the fuel price differential continuing to narrow, the ROI to convert from diesel to natural gas is moving in the wrong direction: payback periods remain lengthy,” said Ken Vieth, ACT’s senior partner and general manager. “This doesn’t mean the adoption of NG fuel has stopped or that there are no new developments supporting a future uptick in NG truck orders.”

Vieth said despite 48 percent month-over-month uptick in May, year-to-date volumes are 24 percent below 2015’s level and year-over-year sales are down 21 percent.

“NG infrastructure continues to be built, albeit at targeted locations and at a slowing pace,” Vieth said. “Existing NG equipment users remain committed to its long-term viability and emission benefits.”

Additionally, the report provides examples of how equipment research and development efforts are continuing to advance the market.

ACT Research sees only modest, single-digit growth for the adoption of natural gas as a transportation fuel in the U.S. the next few years, barring legislative changes.

The “Natural Gas Quarterly” provides information on the current and projected status of those factors that impact a decision to adopt natural gas. It includes a “dashboard gauge” that looks at fuel price spread, public heavy duty NG fueling infrastructure, NG equipment, and actual NG heavy duty truck sales.

ACT has a quick reference calculator for fleets considering moving from diesel to natural gas; it’s free, Vieth said.

Go to NG FUEL PAYBACK CALCULATORS (http://calc.actresearch.net/).

Source of article click here: The Trucker

DETROIT  — The U.S. government says the nation's cars and trucks are well on their way to meeting fuel economy and emissions standards set for 2025.

But if gas prices stay low and consumers keep buying less-efficient vehicles like SUVs, the government could lower those standards. Automakers argue that meeting the requirements is difficult.

A report on the standards was issued Monday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the California Air Resources Board. The report kicks off a two-year review that will determine whether to keep the 2025 fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions targets in place or change them.

Under standards set in 2012, automakers' fleets were expected to get an average of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. That's not the real-world mileage vehicles will get; it includes credits for things like more efficient air conditioning systems. The real-world mileage is closer to 40 miles per gallon.

The government calculates an automakers' average based on the vehicles it sells. A company could fail to meet standards on pickup trucks but exceed them with fuel-efficient cars and still meet the requirements, said Alan Baum, a consultant in Detroit who advises automakers on fuel-economy regulations. But if it fails to sell those cars and only sells the pickup trucks, it could wind up being fined.

As gas prices have fallen, truck and SUV sales have risen. That means the 54.5 mpg standard may no longer be realistic, since automakers are selling more trucks and SUVs and fewer cars than the government anticipated in 2012. The government now forecasts average fuel economy between 50 mpg and 52.6 mpg in 2025, depending on the price of gas. But EPA officials said that the numbers could continue to change.

The report noted that in October 2012, when the fuel economy standards were finalized, U.S. average gas prices were $3.87 per gallon. They ended 2015 at $2.15 per gallon.

So far this year, sales of the Toyota Prius hybrid are down 25 percent while sales of SUVs and other light trucks are up 9 percent, according to Autodata Corp.

But gas prices alone aren't likely to convince the government to weaken the standards adopted in 2012. The report says automakers can meet the original 2012 targets by continuing to make more advanced gasoline engines; the EPA says only about 2 percent of vehicles would need to be hybrids or electric vehicles to meet the standards.

"Today's draft report shows that automakers are developing far more technologies to improve fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, at similar or lower costs, than we thought possible just a few years ago," said Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation.

The government says 100 car, SUV, and pick-up truck versions on the market today already meet fuel economy standards targeted for 2020 or later. Automakers also have been making more use of lightweight materials, like aluminum, and improving vehicles' aerodynamics. They're also adding features like stop-start technology, which automatically shut down the engine and save fuel while a vehicle is stopped in traffic.

Those advances come at a cost. The EPA estimates the fuel economy standards will cost $1,017 per vehicle between 2021 and 2025, while NHTSA estimates they will cost up to $1,245 per vehicle. The agencies differ on how much consumers would save in gas, but they estimate it's between $680 and $1,620 per vehicle.

Those costs, and consumers' reluctance to buy the smallest, most fuel-efficient vehicles, mean the auto industry will likely argue that the standards should be relaxed. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a lobbying group that represents 12 automakers, including BMW, Toyota and General Motors, says meeting the standards is "a daunting challenge."

"Absent a vigorous commitment to focus on marketplace realities, excessive regulatory costs could impact both consumers and the employees who produce these vehicles," the alliance said in a statement.

But environmental groups will urge the government to strengthen the standards. In a statement, Sierra Club President Andrew Linhardt said the report proves that the standards are working.

"Due to technological innovation, our cars are cleaner and more efficient than ever before," he said.

Source of article click here: The Trucker

More than 40% of all medium- and heavy-duty diesel commercial trucks in operation in the U.S. – 4 million of 9.5 million diesel trucks – are now equipped with newer technology clean diesel engines, according to new Diesel Technology Forum (DTF) analysis of IHS Automotive vehicles in operation statistics.

The new analysis includes IHS Automotive vehicles in operation representing Class 3-8 diesel trucks from model-year 2007 through 2015 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Beginning in 2007, all heavy-duty diesel trucks that were sold had to meet particulate emissions levels near zero – specifically, levels of no more than 0.01 grams per brake horsepower hour.

“The U.S. trucking fleet is transitioning to newer clean diesel technology, which means immediate fuel savings, lower greenhouse-gas emissions and cleaner air,” says Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the DTF. “This newest generation of clean diesel trucks have nitrogen oxides emissions that are 99 percent lower than previous generations, along with 98 percent fewer emissions of particulate matter, resulting in significant clean air benefits throughout the U.S.

“Because diesel overwhelmingly dominates the heavy-duty truck sector and is also the number one power source for medium-duty vehicles, the transition to newer generations of clean diesel technology is significant. Beyond the clean air benefits, model-year 2010 and newer trucks also achieve three to five percent improvements in fuel economy and lower emissions of greenhouse gases.

“There are now four states – Indiana, Utah, Oklahoma and Texas – where more than 50 percent of the registered diesel trucks are the newer cleaner trucks. And in 2015, Oregon had the largest increase in the nation of newer diesel truck registrations, with a 35 percent increase over 2014. California has the largest fleet of commercial truck registrations on an absolute number basis; however, it ranks near the bottom for adoption of newer trucks on a percentage basis, based on our analysis.”

In December 2000, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency promulgated a rule that established stringent standards designed to reduce emissions from on-road heavy-duty trucks and buses by up to 95% and to cut the allowable levels of sulfur in diesel fuel by 97% by 2010.

To achieve these new standards, the new clean diesel system relies on an efficient engine and combustion system utilizing advanced fuel-injection, turbocharging and engine management strategies coupled with advanced emissions controls and after-treatment technologies, all running on ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel.

Source of article click here: NGT News