Cummins said that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has certified Cummins’ medium- and heavy-duty truck engines for 2007.
Isuzu’s engines have received certification by the EPA and the California Air Resources Board for meeting the new government-mandated emissions standards.
Dana Corp. and its subsidiary, Dana Canada, have completed the sale of their trailer axle manufacturing assets to Hendrickson.
Freightliner LLC announced the construction of a new truck manufacturing plant in Saltillo, Mexico. The $300 million facility will produce up to 30,000 Freightliner and Sterling trucks annually. Start of production is planned for early 2009.
Roadranger Marketing has announced the availability of the 2007-08 Roadranger Drivetrain Specification Guide, a tool for customers to use when specifying products from Dana, Eaton and other partners. Visit this site.
Bridgestone Corp. will construct a plant in Japan to produce large and ultralarge radial tires for mining and construction vehicles.
International Truck has added Double Coin Tires to its list of primary tire suppliers.
IdleAire Technologies opened its 100th Advanced Truckstop Electrification location at the Bloomington, Ill., Travel-Centers of America.
Biofuel Industries Group recently began construction of Michigan’s largest biodiesel manufacturing plant in Adrian.
The American Council of Frame and Alignment Specialists is reminding shops and technicians that the deadline for registration for the latest Technician Training Clinic is March 7. For more information, contact Dick Lorntson at 866-473-2632 or [email protected].
Carlislebrake.com is a new website that details Carlisle’s complete product line from hydraulic controls to brakes and friction materials.
A few years ago, Bob Deal, a good friend and veteran fleet manager and past recipient of CCJ’s Career Leadership Award noted that there’s no reason for an engine to run too hot, even under the most severe circumstances. “Why don’t they just add an auxiliary radiator?” he asked.
It could be mounted in a remote location, behind the cab or aft of the battery box, instead of at the front of the vehicle.
Somehow, the folks at Engineered Machined Products must have heard him, because the company recently has introduced its remote-mountable series of Thermal Kits that include a housing, radiator, reversible electric fans, electric water pump, controller, temperature sensor and wiring harness. The kits, which use standard 1-inch hoses, also can be used to cool A/C
condensers and hybrid electronics. They’re CAN-capable and can use PC-based diagnostic tools.
So, low-emissions or not, there’s no need for any engine to run hotter than it needs to. Visit this site for more information.
I can see corrosion clearly now
If someone already has thought of this, I’m not aware of it. But it’s a great idea. Phillips Industries has introduced Clear-Vu battery jumpers, which allow early detection of costly corrosion buildup. With standard black and red battery cables, corrosion is hidden, silently robbing power from a truck’s electrical system. The transparent jumpers are water- and contaminant-resistant, and available from any authorized Phillips dealer, in smoke and translucent red, and in 2- and 3-lug configurations.
No rush to buy ’07 engines
Responses to the Q4 2006 CK Commercial Vehicle Research Fleet Sentiment survey show that a little over half of the 48 for-hire, private and government fleet respondents (51 percent) plan to place orders for power units with ’07 EPA engines before the end of the 2007 calendar year.
About one-third of those who plan to place orders for these units indicated they expect to do so prior to the end of March ’07; and 41 percent say they likely will place orders between July and September ’07. The rest plan to place orders either in the second or fourth quarters of the year. Still, 49 percent of total respondents indicated that they had no plans to buy ’07 EPA units until 2008 or later.
The Fleet Sentiment questionnaire is distributed quarterly by CK
Commercial Vehicle Research. For more details, contact [email protected] or visit this site.
Harness the power
Truck-Lite has released its Harness User’s Guide, designed to help educate users on: The Basics of Electricity, Harness Fundamentals, Troubleshooting, Diagnosing Harness Failure, and Harness Repair Methods.
Call Truck-Lite at 800-562-5012 or e-mail [email protected] to
request a copy.
EquipmentPuzzler
Back in December, we asked: What is the approximate unloaded radius of a 295/75R22.5 tire in inches?
First, convert the section width, which is 295 millimeters, to inches. Since there are about 25.4 millimeters in an inch, divide 295 by 25.4 to get 11.6. Then, since the aspect ratio is 75, the sidewall height would be 75 percent of the 11.6-inch section width, or 8.7. Add that to half the 22.5-inch wheel diameter, or 11.25, and you have about 20 inches.
Ed Boes, terminal manager for D&D Sexton, based in Carthage, Mo., was first on the draw, and as the first two-time Puzzler winner, he’ll receive another elegant CCJ pen and Air Brake Book. You can, too, if you’re the first to e-mail [email protected] with the correct answer, or if you send in a Puzzler and we use it.
This month’s Puzzler:
Why is the term ‘accelerator’ appropriate for the go-pedal on a diesel-engined vehicle, while ‘throttle’ is more correct for gasoline-powered vehicles?
