Fleet Maintenance magazine

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

Equipment acquisition is never an easy process, but auctions can help fleets get what they need from near or far, especially since a lot of auctions have moved online. This can be helpful for fleet managers who don't have the time to travel, with auction sites incrementally upping a placed bid for users once they register and enter a credit card number. “It is the best of both worlds,” said Steve Oliver, VP of business development at Taylor & Martin. “If a potential buyer wants to inspect equipment, they don’t have to chase all over the country—it’s all in one place. They don’t have to stay around and wait for the auction; they can join in from wherever they are and buy what they want.” Of course, it's still important to inspect the equipment in person or to send someone else to do so, with some auction sites happy to pass along any information they have. For more tips on handling virtual auctions and assessing vehicles before you buy them, see John Hitch's piece below. #truckingindustry #equipment #auction #trucks

Kenworth Truck Co. is officially sunsetting its W900 trucks, the company reported, largely due to tighter emissions regulations and "component constraints as the industry moves forward with new, more efficient, and better integrated technologies and products." However, not everyone is happy about the transition. “This is devasting news to me," said Chace Barber, founder and CEO of Edison Motors Ltd, on Instagram. “We have already lost the Peterbilt 389, now we're losing the W900 and C500. We're losing 60 years of history and we're moving from metal tough trucks into the more plastic highway trucks. I don’t like it." Additionally, Kenworth is stopping production of the T800 and C500, too, introduced in 1986 and 1972, respectively. For more details on these trucks, see John Hitch's piece below. #equipment #truckingindustry

The father of the diesel engine, Rudolf Diesel, always envisioned his engines using bio sources. Even though this fuel source wasn't fully developed until 24 years after Diesel's death, today it still represents an opportunity for fleets due to its ability to reduce carbon emissions and provide some maintenance benefits. As an example, Pilot Flying J is now dispensing B99 biodiesel (which is manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled grease) at three of its locations in Illinois, Iowa, and Texas. "We know how important sustainability is to our customers and strive to help meet these growing needs for more sustainable fuel options for commercial fleets," said Eric Fobes, head of renewables at Pilot. "Introducing B99 at our travel centers is another way we support fleets committed to reducing carbon emissions." For more, see John Hitch's piece below. #truckingindustry #biodiesel #diesel #fuel

For fleets looking to purchase more equipment but who don't want to break the bank, auctions can be a great option. As long as they know how to assess their offerings and have a crack maintenance team, that is. “When you look at the cost of a new vehicle today and the interest rates, it’s a major component of your total cost of ownership,” noted Todd Knutsen, VP of remarketing, pricing, and asset management for Penske Truck Leasing. "The trade-off as you’re running that vehicle through the back half of its life is the maintenance generally will be higher, but [used trucks] offset those higher truck payments and the interest costs." But if you have the technicians to handle a used vehicle's upkeep, fleets can receive some tax benefits or can take less of a loss when re-selling trucks bought through auction. For more tips on some of the current auction sites available and what they offer, see John Hitch's piece below. #truckingindustry #equipment #auction #usedequipment

Fleetio and the ASE - National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence are partnering on the Fleetio Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Scholarship for students and current technicians. The scholarship will award one recipient $3,000 to cover registration and testing fees for up to three ASE Professional-level Certification tests and tool upgrades, and five runner-up awards of $1,000 to assist with certification testing costs, tools, and other supplies. By helping technicians earn their certifications, this can increase retention in young technicians and help more experience ones earn more, said George Arrants, VP of the ASE Education Foundation. “If a young technician can't do brakes or PMs because they have to have a year under their belt, that means they're sweeping floors, they're doing other things, and that discourages them,” he noted. For more details on the scholarship and how to nominate a technician or student, see Alex Keenan's piece below. #truckingindustry #technician #recruitment #certification

For shops looking to earn a little extra cash and environmental goodwill, recycling vehicle components and fluids may be a good way to achieve both. As an example, even smaller parts like aluminum wheels, batteries, and wiring can generate a return, as can oil, antifreeze, seat belt tension devices, DPFs, and pressure gauges. The key is for fleets to understand which parts are best to remanufacture and which should be scrapped for metal value. “A good example would be a brake shoe,” said Tripp Heller, VP of business development & marketing at Red Fox Resources. “Those parts can fetch a nice price on the scrap metal market but may not be worth it to remanufacture.” For more tips on how earn a return on a shop's scrap metal, see Seth Skydel's piece below from our latest print issue. #truckingindustry #recycle #equipment

Calling all fleet and shop owners: How do you use social media and technology to hire technicians? Or if you have any thoughts on industry hiring trends in general, we'd love to hear from you in the comments below or in an email to Alex@fleetmaintenance.com .