Jim Park was a CDL driver and owner-operator from 1978 until 1998, when he began his second career as a trucking journalist. During that career transition, he hosted an overnight radio show on a Hamilton, Ontario radio station and later went on to anchor the trucking news in SiriusXM's Road Dog Trucking channel. Jim is a regular contributor to Today's Trucking and Trucknews.com, and produces Focus On and On the Spot test drive videos.
Deep Thinking: Eaton-Cummins tech right for the times
JAMESTOWN, N.Y. -- Cummins and Eaton have been integrating components for years. They announced an engagement of sorts with the launch of the SmartAdvantage powertrain. Last year, by launching the Endurant transmission through the Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies joint venture, they figuratively tied the knot.
Brake Check: We put modern brakes to the test
TORONTO, Ont. -- Jim Park considers brakes the single most important system on a truck, yet few drivers or fleet maintenance personnel ever have the opportunity to see what brakes can really do. He had such an opportunity and came away with huge respect for a system many of us take for granted.
Productive tech has transformed trucking
TORONTO, Ont. -- Imagine today, with the breakneck pace of our lives, having to wait until a driver arrived at a truck stop, parked, and waited to use the payphone before you knew the truck was empty. Imagine, too, the driver's frustration at hearing dispatch say, “Call me back in half an hour.” Life was different in days gone by.
Pushing 10: Mack test drive shows role of tech in fuel economy
ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Equipment editor Jim Park has developed a new appreciation for drivers who post consistently high fuel economy numbers, especially those who push every day to crack 10 mpg (23.5 L/100km). But the trucks also deserve a good chunk of the credit.
Hyliion axle breathes new life into hybrids
TORONTO, Ont. -- Hybrid is no longer a four-letter word. It may still leave a sour taste in the mouths of those who invested heavily in the hybrid concept a decade or so ago, but Hyliion’s 6-by-4 Hybrid Electric (6x4HE) propulsion system will put money in fleets’ pockets without the help of tenuous government subsidies. Come to think of it, Hyliion might even sweeten the industry’s feelings on 6x2 axles.
Motoring Along: Understanding the role of motors in electric trucks
TORONTO, Ont. -- Do you know who makes the motor in your washing machine? Do you care? Do you know who will make the motor on your first electric truck? Will you need to care? That's just one of the many paradigm shifts we'll be dealing with as electric drivetrains emerge in the trucking industry.
Photo gallery: Classics come to life in Athens
ATHENS, Ont. -- For the third year in a row, the truck show that just might be the best kept secret in Canada, brought the eastern Ontario town of Athens to life. The local fair grounds was crammed with trucks, new and old, with some dating back the earliest years of the 20th century.