Jim Park

Athens Antique Truck Show Photo Gallery

ATHENS, ON -- The Upper Canada Chapter of the Antique Truck Club of America shifted the location of this year's show from upstate New York to the hamlet of Athens, Ontario. Athens is about 40 miles north of the Canada/U.S. border at Prescott, Ontario, and it's home to the Tackaberry Collection, one of North America's largest private collections of antique and vintage trucks. Collection owner and vintage truck aficionado, Charlie Tackaberry hosted the show at the Athens Fairgrounds.

Athens show offers a glimpse into the past

ATHENS, ON -- The Upper Canada Chapter of the Antique Truck Club of America shifted the location of this year's show from upstate New York to the hamlet of Athens, Ontario. Athens is about 40 miles north of the Canada/U.S. border at Prescott, Ontario, and it's home to the Tackaberry Collection, one of North America's largest private collections of antique and vintage trucks. Collection owner and vintage truck aficionado, Charlie Tackaberry hosted the show at the Athens Fairgrounds.

IN PRINT — ELDs Part 3: Inside the Black Boxes

If you're prone to anxiety when facing a wide variety of choice, such as when you're buying a pair of shoes or a candy bar, consider asking someone else in the fleet to spec' an Electronic Logging Device (ELD). There are more than 25 suppliers in the space now; by this time next year that number is expected to swell fourfold.

IN PRINT: Tick, Tock. Are you ready for ELDs?

TORONTO, ON -- The problem with implementing Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) is confronting the sins of your past. Electronic logs don't allow the flexibility of paper logs. That may mean some routes will have to be changed; some customers may receive freight a day later than they have become used to; and some salespeople, trip planners, and dispatchers will have to rethink what they promise. And some drivers may see three-day trips turn into four-day trips, or find themselves stranded by the clock just an hour from home.

IN PRINT — ELDs Part 2: The Learning Curve

TORONTO, ON -- When I replaced my typewriter with a laptop some years ago, everyone told me it would be an easy transition. It's the same thing, they told me. The keyboard, at least, was more or less the same. I soon discovered I'd have a few other things to deal with, like software and operating systems and crashes and batteries and floppy disks and updates and the dreaded Blue Screen of Death - moments before a deadline. The move to electronic logs from paper won't be any different.

Cummins’ New Little Brother: X12

With ratings up to 475 horsepower and 1,700 lb-ft of torque, the X12 will be running with the big boys. The X12 is also nearly 1,000 lb lighter than the X15, so weight sensitive fleets will be looking very closely at this engine.

IN PRINT: Urban Renewal — The latest in MD trucks

TORONTO, ON -- We who normally dwell in the realm of the heavy Class 8 trucks are used to long spec' sheets, often drilling down to the type of fasteners used to attach components to the truck. The medium-duty crowd prefer to a buy an almost off-the-shelf truck and then get to work with it, satisfied that the OEM -engineers have designed it for their application.

Roadcheck Begins: Don’t be sidelined by your tires

Roadcheck 2016 begins at 12:01 am Eastern time on Tuesday, June 7. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance announced in April that inspectors will be paying close attention to tires. They will be measuring tire tread depth, checking tire pressure, checking to make sure that no items are lodged between dual tires, and examining the overall condition of the tire to make sure that no deep cuts or bulges exist in the sidewalls of the tire.

Automatic Decisions — what are you waiting for?

There's one question all fleets need to ask before spec'ing their first Automated Manual Transmission (AMT): Why did we wait so long? If you're considering a new truck today, the debate shouldn't be about whether or not the drivers will accept them; it's about how much you're giving up by limiting yourself to a manual.

FlowBelow’s Aerokit comes to Canada

TORONTO - FlowBelow Aero Inc. is bringing its line of tractor-mounted aerodynamic products to Canada, with the signing of Groupe Trans-West as it's first major international customer. FlowBelow Aero announced the deal here at Canada's largest trucking trade show, Truck World.

Suspended Animation

Suspensions don't need anywhere near the amount of maintenance they once did, but it's time to get moving on a few maintenance practices.

The Productive Shop

Downtime costs money. Nobody wants to keep a truck in the shop any longer than necessary. So here's a question to consider: is your shop as productive and efficient as it could be? Some things you just can't change; for example, you can't suck oil out of an engine any faster than it wants to flow, but could you be doing something else to the truck while it's in the oil change bay, like topping up its tire inflation pressure or checking its alignment? So much of what used to require manual hands-on labour can now be automated, and many tasks that once had designated areas in a shop or even needed dedicated personnel can now be done simultaneously, thus reducing the time the truck is unavailable. Here's a look at a few technologies that can help refine the service process and save some real time on basic maintenance procedures.

VIDEO: Detroit Assurance

MIAMI - Detroit Assurance, Daimler Trucks North America's new active vehicle safety suite, made its real-world debut on Friday. The company hosted a ride-and-drive event in Miami after first announcing the system last month during the American Trucking Association's October Management Conference in San Diego.

VIDEO: Detroit Assurance

MIAMI - Detroit Assurance, Daimler Trucks North America's new active vehicle safety suite, made its real-world debut on Friday. The company hosted a ride-and-drive event in Miami after first announcing the system last month during the American Trucking Association's October Management Conference in San Diego.

VIDEO: Detroit Assurance

MIAMI - Detroit Assurance, Daimler Trucks North America's new active vehicle safety suite, made its real-world debut on Friday. The company hosted a ride-and-drive event in Miami after first announcing the system last month during the American Trucking Association's October Management Conference in San Diego.