Trucks

Mack Granite, mRide get updates

Along with a reduction in driver steering efforts at low speed, Command Steer suppresses uneven terrain and reacts to surface irregularities by countering the steer force.

March 8, 2021

Command Steer combines an electric motor with the Granite’s existing hydraulic steering.

Pete's refreshed 579 all-in on aero, tech

The new 579, boasting a 7% fuel economy improvement over prior generation models, is the most aerodynamic and fuel-efficient Peterbilt model built to-date.

March 4, 2021

Airflow is continuously handed down the tractor and trailer until it reaches the end, making a systematic approach to aerodynamics important.

Don't get left out in the cold in a hot used truck market

In the Class 8 market, the number of available advertised trucks has gone from 40,000 last June to 16,000 today.

March 2, 2021

A tractor that eight months ago sold for $30,000 can sell for up to $55,000 today.

Alternative power

Daimler, Volvo fuel-cell joint venture underway

March 1, 2021

A key goal of Daimler Truck AG and the Volvo Group is to start with customer tests of trucks with fuel-cells in about three years and to commence series production during the second half of this decade.

Alternative power

DTNA putting millions into BEV powertrain

The company expects to invest upwards of $20 million in its Detroit, Michigan, manufacturing facility, which will serve as the source of Detroit ePowertrain components in North America when initial production begins later this year.

February 9, 2021

The Detroit ePowertrain will be mated to one of three battery offerings for the eCascadia and eM2, including a 210 kilowatt hour (kWh) version, a 315 kWh version, and a 475 kWh version.

Two Peterbilt work trucks get a refresh

The Model 567 got several new updates, both inside and out.

February 24, 2021

Outside, the Model 567 gets a cab-mounted side mirror, bright air intake bezel option and increased DEF tank volume.

Isuzu adds more power to Class 6 FTR, new FVR model

The company believes the Cummins B6.7 will appeal more broadly to fleets that need more power.

February 12, 2021

Availability of the B6.7 – the most popular diesel engine ever built by Cummins – marks the first time Isuzu has ever offered any engine other than its own on any of its models.

Daimler, Cummins partnership puts writing on the wall for DD5, DD8 engines

DTNA will wind down production of its DD5, DD8 engines through medium-duty partnership with Cummins.

February 23, 2021

With serial production of its electric eCascadia and eM2 set for next year, DTNA earlier this month unveiled Detroit electric ePowertrain.

Mack makes driver-activated OTA updates standard on select models

The driver download activation feature is factory-equipped on models built beginning Nov. 30, 2020 at Lehigh Valley Operations, in Macungie, Pennsylvania.

January 14, 2021

Mack-OTA-update-2021-01-14-08-13

Alternative power

Kenworth testing Gen2 range-extended electrics

Kenworth recently delivered two prototype Kenworth T680 tractors, each equipped with a series hybrid-electric propulsion system, to Southern California drayage, warehouse and transportation company Total Transportation Systems Inc. (TTSI).

February 17, 2021

The two Kenworth T680 hybrid-electric vehicles use the Cummins Westport L9N Near Zero (NZ) emission engine fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG) driving a generator to extend the truck’s battery range.

Alternative power

Navistar partners with GM, J.B. Hunt on hydrogen-powered RH

Under the partnership agreement, OneH2 will supply its hydrogen fueling solution, which includes hydrogen production, storage, delivery and safety and Navistar is taking a minority stake in OneH2.

January 29, 2021

General Motors Fuel Cell Controls and Process Engineer Joe Truchan operates a coating machine in the fuel cell laboratory at the GM Global Propulsion Systems Pontiac Engineering Center in Pontiac, Michigan.

Cylinder deactivation saves fuel, improves emissions

ROI comes in about a year for cylinder deactivation which saves fuel while meeting tough upcoming 2024 and 2027 emissions regs

February 15, 2021

Semiconductor shortage 'not even the biggest problem' for truck makers

About 217,000 Class 8 trucks were ordered in 2020, and forecasts call for between 250,000 to 280,000 orders this year.

February 12, 2021

Semiconductor chips require assembly lead times as long as several weeks – if not months – and the demand for new vehicles was not expected to be so strong coming out of a pandemic-depressed economy.

Kenworth gives T680 an aero, tech makeover

Visually, the truck is striking and it’s a very un-Kenworth-like update in that there are very few little tweaks.

February 11, 2021

The T680 got its first significant update Thursday since it first rolled down the Chillicothe, Ohio, assembly line.

Economic trends

Fleets locking in trailer build slots on 2021 optimism

The challenge currently facing trailer OEMs in the near-term is a raw material and component shortage.

February 11, 2021

January trailer order activity met expectations, as most of the large fleets had already placed their 2021 requirements orders previously.

Equipment controls

Afraid of autonomous trucking? Here's why you should embrace it

Richard Stocking, principal and founder at DPX Consulting and former CEO of Swift Transportation, envisions a greener, leaner autonomous future for the industry and for society.

February 10, 2021

'These are exciting times for trucking. I’m excited for the benefits autonomous trucking will provide for both our industry and the society we serve,' writes Richard Stocking, CEO and principal at DPX Consulting. Below, he details the changes he envisions looming for the industry and society when autonomous trucks become commercialized.

Production underway on Isuzu gas NQR, NRR

The engine is matched to a six-speed Allison 1000 RDS transmission with power takeoff, marking the first time Isuzu has offered PTO in a gas-powered truck.

February 9, 2021

Isuzu Commercial Truck of America and Isuzu Commercial Truck of Canada President Shaun C. Skinner, president said his company has seen increasing demand for gasoline engines throughout Classes 3, 4 and 5.

Test drive: Western Star’s all-new 49X

Western Star's all-new 49X heavy-duty durability with added driver comfort and ergonomics. Check out all the vocational truck has to offer right here.

November 12, 2020

The 49X was engineered to be a bruiser. Its heavy-duty vocational frame was designed for severe service applications, but weighs in about 350 pounds lighter than the current 4900.

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The so-called ABC test institutes a three-point criteria for determining whether a worker can be classified as an independent contractor. For trucking, that relates to loads that motor carriers can contract to independent contractor drivers, such as leased owner-operators. The B portion of the ABC test is widely interpreted as prohibiting motor carriers from contracting with such owner-operators. The PRO Act, introduced in Congress last month in both chambers of Congress, would institute a national ABC test criteria for determining worker classification.

Nationalized ABC test would ice trucking’s independent contractor model

A bill making its way through the U.S. House would follow in the footsteps of California’s A.B. 5 law passed in late 2019 by severely curtailing the ability of owner-operators to haul freight for larger motor carriers.

This Freightliner Cascadia is one of more than 50 that Zeller Transportation uses in its East Coast and midwest runs hauling refrigerated loads.

50-truck fleet owner, and still driver, recounts a strange, tough year

Fleets are using new online platforms to collaborate, even with competitors, to find new markets for unused trailer space and equipment.

New tech creates 'sharing economy' for fleets

Efficient document management and digitization are becoming vital to the survival strategy of motor carriers.

Digitizing paper for trucking success

Goodyear and ConMet to Offer Fleets the Commercial Tire Industry's First

Goodyear and ConMet to Offer Fleets the Commercial Tire Industry's First

Get all the info on the top 250 trucking companies in America

View, sort and download the trucking industry’s most comprehensive ranking of for-hire carriers in North America, based on a blend of metrics including fleet size, annual revenue and number of drivers.

Take Control of Toll: How Violations Work and How to Minimize Fleet Impact

With the rapid adoption of cashless tolling across the country and the associated benefit in transponder deployment for operations and the company’s bottom line, it is now more important than ever for fleets to develop an informed toll management strategy