NAVISTAR SUES THE EPA

June 4, 2009 Vol. 5, No. 11

Best laid plans and all that… last time out I promised you reports on two recent jaunts, one with the FPInnovations/FERIC people during their EnergoTest week at the Transport Canada test track in Blainville, Quebec, the other at Green Fleet Expo IV organized by Chris Hill of the City of Hamilton. I was looking forward to the latter, a mini Work Truck Show with a green focus, but a rather serious family drama got in the way. I had to bow out.

As a result, I’ve also had no time to write a report on the Blainville day, but I’ll tease you a little with this note: FPI testing shows that not all trailer side skirts have the desired effect on aerodynamics or fuel economy. Some have none at all, it seems. I’ll soon have the results of this year’s testing and will dutifully report on them ASAP.

The testing these guys do is solid and very scientific, and they pack a lot into the week they have the track. It started privately, by the way, with Claude Robert of Groupe Robert renting the facility to do his own tests. It grew to include Cascades and then a couple of other fleets and then grew again when the effort was handed over to the FERIC folks. It now involves many Quebec fleets but also others from further afield – like the Yanke Group and Bison Transport from Saskatoon and Winnipeg respectively, both of whom were represented at the track this year.

It seems to me that this unique member-driven enterprise can only grow and its influence expand. Where else can an individual fleet take part in research with a direct impact on its bottom line?