Roger McKnight Author Gravatar Image Transportation Attention fossil fuel fighters — they are not a luxury in the winter months, they’re a life and death necessity by Roger McKnight I’ve got this thing about time lately. Yes, the accidental pun master strikes again! “They,” whoever they are, say that, “Timing is everything.” For politicians, this is…
John G Smith Author Gravatar Image Fuel for the Fire: Tax change fails to recognize how diesel is used by John G Smith A house is not a home -- and in the eyes of the taxman it appears your sleeper is no longer a house on wheels. How else can we explain the end of Federal Excise Tax (FET) exemptions that have long been applied to the diesel that pumps through Auxiliary Power Units and bunk heaters? The heating oil used to warm a house is exempt. Add a few working axles underneath that house and it's a different story.
Ray Haight Author Gravatar Image Transportation Look at your cards by Ray Haight It’s funny how age effects your decision making. I recall being advised when I was a young lad that to further invest in the trucking industry by applying for operating authorities…
Roger McKnight Author Gravatar Image Transportation You can build a fence but everything still permeates it by Roger McKnight I am sure you will all be pleased and interested to know that I have added another pastime to my morning ritual. In addition to retrieving two newspapers from…
Lou Smyrlis Author Gravatar Image Business Management Make way for the quiet leader who listens by Lou Smyrlis The leaders that shaped the trucking industry of today were forged in the cauldron of deregulation in the late 1980s. At a time of regulatory upheaval which saw once…
Harry Rudolfs Author Gravatar Image New CEO at Purolator–and he’s a trucker! by Harry Rudolfs I’m reluctant to write about Purolator since I waxed poetic about the board unceremoniously dumping Tom Schmitt back in 2012. At the time I was (and still am) wearing the…
Roger McKnight Author Gravatar Image Transportation No normal in the abnormal world of energy by Roger McKnight Unlike the rest of the normal world where there is winter, spring, summer, and fall, as I have mentioned previously, with stuttering regularity I might add (now there’s an oxymoron…
John G Smith Author Gravatar Image Everything Sells: The Ritchie Bros. auction begins by John G Smith EDMONTON, AB - Everything sells. It's a firm rule at Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, and there is plenty on hand for the highest bidder. About 10,600 pieces of equipment will move through the company's sprawling Edmonton complex this week, easily setting a sales record and eclipsing last April's numbers by about 35%. Trucks dominated most of the sales on Tuesday, when close to 10,000 bidders had already registered for a piece of the action. Equipment such as cranes, rock catchers, and trailers will follow.
John G Smith Author Gravatar Image Cocooning: In conversation with WABCO’s Jon Morrison by John G Smith LOUISVILLE, KY -- We're approaching an era when trucks act more like trusted co-drivers than equipment alone. Optional Collision Warning Systems and Lane Departure Systems use things like radar and cameras to watch the road and sound the alarm if a driver fails to notice a hazard or drifts into danger. Collision Mitigation Systems - or adaptive cruise controls -- go a step further and actually begin to slow a vehicle before a driver reacts. And the technologies all come together in prototypes for "semi-autonomous" and "platooning" vehicles that promise at times to drive themselves. "The vision is about providing that 360-degree cocoon around the truck, to enable the truck and the driver to operate as safely as they can," says WABCO Americas president Jon Morrison.
John G Smith Author Gravatar Image Quite Wright: Tesla co-founder sets his sights on trucks by John G Smith Ian Wright co-founded Tesla Motors and developed the fastest street-legal electric car in the world. But these days he has set his sights on something bigger - an electric powertrain for commercial vehicles. Wrightspeed's range-extended electric powertrain known as the Route enters production in a matter of months, and the company CEO boldly predicts that electric waste trucks will overtake the sale of diesel models in as little as five years. There have been other attempts to electrify trucks in the past. One thing that sets the Route apart, however, is its Fulcrum turbine.
John G Smith Author Gravatar Image Gas Attacks: The challenges of environmental mandates by John G Smith Ear worms are funny things. You know them. They're the songs that invade your thoughts. The one ringing through my head right now is crooned by none other than Kermit the Frog. Yep. The Muppet. The one who taught us, "It's not easy being green, having to spend each day the color of the leaves." If you want to know how tough it is to be green, look no further than the environmental rules and regulations affecting today's trucking industry.
Ray Haight Author Gravatar Image Transportation When it comes to insurance are you a victim or victor? by Ray Haight Let’s talk insurance, it’s not a well kept secret that I have had my share of dust ups with many an insurance executive. During my tenure at a couple carriers…
Harry Rudolfs Author Gravatar Image Legalized pot: Let’s call the whole thing off by Harry Rudolfs This is the new politics of our era–say the opposite of what people expect, they will elect you because they think you are a fresh and contrary voice. Lie if…
John G Smith Author Gravatar Image I-Crawl: A first look at Volvo’s I-Shift with crawler gears by John G Smith SHIPPENSBURG, PA -- It's strange to hear a truck maker bragging about how slow a truck can go, but that's exactly what Volvo recently showcased with a first look at the I-Shift's new crawler gears.
Lou Smyrlis Author Gravatar Image Transportation Include our Summit in your future plans by Lou Smyrlis In a couple of months the sweet distraction of warm and lazy summer days spent relaxing at the cottage will all too quickly fade to the sobering fall…
