Fleet Maintenance magazine

Kenworth Truck Co. is saying goodbye to its W900 trucks with the fanfare it deserves. The company is debuting its W900 Legacy Edition trucks, with final builds to be released in 2026. Only 1,000 of these trucks will be completed, and will feature unique design elements including a serialized glove box badge and a hood badge featuring the truck's design from 1966. “There has been a long love affair between drivers and the W900,” said Kevin Haygood, Kenworth’s assistant general manager for sales and marketing. “It’s The Driver’s Truck with its bold, long hood and stately appearance. The W900 also occupies a special place in popular culture. It dodged Smokey and aided Mr. Bond, all while becoming an iconic piece of automotive history.” For more information on the limited-edition trucks (plus pictures), see below. #truckingindustry #kenworth #equipment https://lnkd.in/gEv7aa6K

Nikola Corporation may be dead, but the drama will live forever. In the latest chapter of the saga, President Trump has pardoned Nikola founder Trevor Milton. There are so many crazy rabbit holes to go down with this story, but why not pick the one I frantically wrote instead of proofing our magazine: https://lnkd.in/eB8yk6Vf And as always, Erin Brown hits a home run with the art!

While the latest tariffs from the Trump Administration are largely directed toward light trucks and vans, there are tariffs on key parts including engines, transmissions, powertrain parts, and electrical components. Reportedly, the vehicle tariff will begin April 3 and the parts tariff no later than May 3. The administration stated the goal of the tariffs is to fix trade imbalances in the U.S.: “This is the beginning of liberation day in America,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “We’re going to charge countries for doing business in our country for taking our jobs and taking our wealth.” For more details on the tariffs and their exemptions, see John Hitch's piece below. #truckingindustry #economics #tariffs #parts https://lnkd.in/grzG9Tvw

Sponsored by 3M Are you maximizing revenue from body repair materials on medium- and heavy-duty trucks? In this "Ask the Experts" guide, discover how tracking and documenting repair materials can help shops recover costs and increase profitability. Learn the best practices for materials documentation, how to effectively communicate costs to insurance carriers, and the importance of digital inventory management. Strong communication with insurance adjusters is key to ensuring full reimbursement for essential repair materials. Start capturing the value of every material today to boost your shop’s bottom line! #truckingindustry #bodyrepair #sponsored https://lnkd.in/gSKC33GJ

With fire hazards abounding in the shop, it's critical for fleet managers and technicians to know what they can do every day to help keep their coworkers and customer vehicles safe. An easy option is to make sure that shops are properly disposing of cleaners, solvents, and aerosol sprays. Even rags soaked in these solutions can cause fires, sometimes without any external source. “Unfortunately, these rags do create heat from chemical reactions between different chemicals, and that’s how fire starts,” said SeaRay Beltran, safety oversight consultant with PIRM Group International. “Ensuring hazardous chemicals are segregated, stored in appropriate containers within designated areas, and accessible only to trained personnel” are all best practices. To learn more about fire-proofing your shop, see part two of Lucas Roberto's story below. #fire #shopsafety #truckingindustry https://lnkd.in/gi3dZk3x

Every shop wants to believe that when it comes to natural disasters, the worst will never happen to them. But especially in the case of shop fires, "the worst" might be more likely than you think, especially when a shop is full of so many flammable hazards. After all, shops have “electrical hazards like faulty wiring or overloaded circuits, flammable liquids like oils and solvents, built-up grease and oil residue, improper storage of combustible materials, and more, all of which can easily ignite when exposed to a heat source,” said SeaRay Beltran, safety oversight consultant with PIRM Group International. And according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), fires caused over $450 million of industrial property loss between 2018 and 2022. For tips on how shops can work to mitigate their fire risk, see Lucas Roberto's story below. #truckingindustry #safety #fire

Trimble Inc. has integrated its Trimble Road Call within the Trimble TMT Fleet Maintenance platform along with Daimler Truck North America's Freightliner Service Tracker to simplify repair processes for fleets. The user interface offers real-time service tracking for vehicles as they're repaired within DTNA's service network, and allow manufacturers to create repair orders for fleets when they get an alert on a component. “There are engine manufacturers that have predictive failures, and they will send the customer an email with an Excel spreadsheet,” said Brian Mulshine, sr. director of maintenance and TMT product management for Trimble. “So we're going to actually work with some of the engine manufacturers on ‘How do you create the pending work order directly into TMT?’ And that's just me putting the data in the right spot, instead of sending an email to somebody that could be on vacation this week.” To learn more about the integration, see below. #truckingindustry #equipment #data

Of all the fleet leaders I've spoken to over the years, it possible Michael Scherkenbach has the coolest job. He founded an entertainment logistics company that hauls staging and other equipment for clientele ranging from Metallica and Guns N' Roses to Taylor Swift and the WWE. And he formed his fleet Shomotion LLC, now owned by Dreamliner Transportation Services, Inc., by going to truck auctions. His fleet has plenty of new trucks now, but he's always on the lookout for diamonds in the rough found at auctions. And with his in-house maintenance crew and network of body shops and vendors, he gets them looking like new, but at a fraction of the cost. He proves smaller businesses can compete with anyone if they leverage resources the right way. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e7dxk6ey

Renewable diesel can offer fleets several benefits, including helping to reduce 67.3% of CO2 emissions over per truck lifecycle in comparison to a diesel truck, and 30% for a BEV truck with a range of 568 miles. “Generally speaking, we can say particulate matter (PM) is reduced fairly significantly when burning RD as compared to petroleum diesel,” said Jeff Klopfenstein, materials science — corporate fuel SME — technical advisor at Cummins Inc. “NOx emissions, depending on the duty cycle and how the engine is running, typically run about even, although some tests show RD to be slightly better. The other engine emissions are also pretty well in line.” But that's not all that RD can offer. As a drop-in fuel, it lets fleets keep their maintenance practices the same, although fleets should be aware of their fuel's cold-flow properties, as Klopfenstein noted he'd seen some fleets have issues if a truck fills up with RD in a warm-weather area and then travel to somewhere colder. For more on what RD can offer your fleet, see Gregg Wartgow's story below. #truckingindustry #renewablediesel #equipment

With spring officially beginning today, it's a good time to consider how fleets can renew and fresh themselves along with the weather. If you're especially passionate about cutting emissions and maintenance costs, renewable diesel can be a good way to start! Peter Zonneveld, president of Neste US, said that RD can help a fleet cut their GHG emissions by 60-70% over the fuel's lifecycle, and is even easier to use as a "drop-in" fuel than switching to a BEV or hydrogen fuel-cell truck. For more, check out John Hitch's story below on what to consider before switching to RD. #truckingindustry #fuel #diesel #renewablediesel