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 Trouble: Repairing trucks and trailers after a flood
TORONTO, Ont. -- Water isn't kind to electronics or brakes or air systems or engines. The last thing short of a fire you could want to happen to your truck is to have it submerged in flood. Actually, a fire might be preferable -- the damage is obvious, and you'll get less argument from the insurance company about replacing it.
Quick Spin: Reviewing the Mack LR
TORONTO, Ont. --When I was just four years old, my mother liked to remind me, I once told a kids' TV show host that when I grew up I hoped to become either an astronaut or a garbageman. Talk about hedging your bets. I'll likely never make it onto orbit, but I did finally get a drive in a garbage truck. Mack's new LR model, actually, and it was worth the wait.
Carry That Weight: 5 secrets to spec’ing better liftgates
TORONTO, Ont. -- Much rides on your liftgate spec'ing decision: your cargo, your customers' satisfaction, and literally, your drivers. Short-spec’ your liftgate and you put all that and more at risk. You can buy a liftgate for any vehicle from a pickup truck to a tractor-trailer, and units that can handle weights ranging from 600 to 3,000 kg. They come in various configurations. Some with fold-away platforms and some with sliding platforms...
Bosch unveils emerging safety, self-driving tech
FLAT ROCK, Mich. -- With technology about to transform transportation as we know it, global automotive technology supplier Bosch is right in the thick of things. The company has an extensive list of partnerships with new and established "mobility" manufacturers extending across automation, connectivity and electrification ...
Bosch slashes NOx, without adding components
Flat Rock, Mich. – Bosch says it has pioneered an emissions reduction technology that can cut NOx emissions to 10% of levels seen with current diesel-powered cars, and without adding components. Not only that, the company says the technology can be scaled up for use in medium- and heavy-duty diesel engines. The supplier based in Stuttgart, Germany, unveiled the technology in April and offered further details during a North American press event this week. Alex Freitag, director of engineering with Bosch’s powertrain solutions group, said the new approach to NOx emissions will keep diesel engines in the game for years to come without adding significant costs to the vehicle. "The value proposition of the diesel engine is maintained with a minimal impact on fuel economy," he said.
Duty Calls: Bodies and equipment key to medium-duty spec’s
TORONTO, Ont. -- There's no such thing as one-size-fits-all in the medium-duty truck domain. You can install a body of any description on just about any chassis, provided it is compatible and engineered for the purpose. Users of the equipment range from landscapers with dump boxes to mobile heavy-duty service technicians with service bodies, and tow truck operators with the flatbeds or cradle snatcher bodies, or utility companies with cranes and booms. We probably missed a few hundred applications in there, too. It's a busy sector.
Mandatory training won’t fix everything, but it will help
The chorus calling for improved and mandatory training for truck drivers is growing louder as the days pass following the Humboldt, Sask. truck/bus crash. We still don't know the official cause of that crash, or what role driver training -- or the lack thereof -- played in the incident. I'm not inclined to believe it was a primary factor. I think what is playing in most peoples' minds is the driver's reported lack of experience.
Autocar to get first Cummins X12 engines
JAMESTOWN, N.Y. -- Autocar Trucks will be the first North American truck manufacturer to offer the new Cummins X12 engine. The 11.8-liter X12 diesel engine will be offered in ACX refuse trucks beginning in October, when Cummins starts full production of the X12 at its Jamestown, N.Y. facility. Autocar will begin accepting orders for X12-powered trucks in June. According to Autocar, the X12 will net customers an additional 733 pounds of payload compared to the previous engine, the ISX12. The weight saving is achieved through an innovative sculpted block design, as well as weight reduction in the after-treatment system, power take-off, and other components. The X12 also offers improved low-speed torque, even with similar horsepower ratings. At 2,050 pounds dry weight, the X12 is the lightest engine in the market compared to existing 11-, 13-, and 15-liter engines.
