THE LOCKWOOD REPORT

DIGITAL THIS & DIGITAL THAT

August 15 2012 Vol. 8, No. 17

Let me start with some just plain old happy analog stuff, namely the fact this is Freightliner’s 70th anniversary year. In 1942, led by founder & CEO Leland James, Freightways Manufacturing became Freightliner Corporation. You can read more about that heritage here.

It was in 1950 that Freightliner sold the first transcontinental cab-over-engine sleeper that could haul a 35-ft trailer, and three years later the WF-5844 "flat face" model was introduced. That beauty is pictured here. It was designed to pull two trailers in the mountainous terrain of the west. The 58-in. cab length allowed two 25-ft trailers for an overall length of 60 ft.

Almost all of us love such old trucks – not to mention our industry’s rich history – but I’d bet none of would relish driving one of these rigs for more than a mile or two. My only time spent driving a vintage truck came when I was asked a few years ago to move an early B-model Mack a couple of blocks up in Grimshaw, Alberta. Once I got in the thing and figured out the 23-stick transmission – not sure I’m kidding there – I realized that was clearance between my gut and the steering wheel of about an inch. That’s not much of an exaggeration, and I’m not that big a guy. Two blocks was enough.

Anyway, not for the first time, I raise my hat to the people who hauled freight in the days before the machinery of trucking was as civilized as it is now.
 

CIVILIZED, YES, BUT ALSO COMPLICATED, as a new study about roll-stability systems makes all too clear. I'm going to borrow a bit from my colleague Jason Rhyno's story here.

Turns out Rollover Stability Control (RSC) technology may be more effective at reducing rollover and jackknife crashes, while also being less expensive, than Electronic Stability Control (ESC). That’s according to a study just released by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), an industry group allied to the American Trucking Associations. It’s comprised of various industry sorts, including both carriers and suppliers. Its chairman is Steve Williams, who is also chairman and CEO of Maverick USA.

In May, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed a new federal motor vehicle standard that would require all new truck tractors with a GVW over 26,000 lb to install ESCs.

This latest study contradicts many previous findings on the two stability technologies, including NHTSA's own (get it here). ATRI says it’s the first comparative analysis on Roll Stability Systems (RSS) to be based on actual truck crash data from carriers. The study sample included a total of 135,712 trucks, 68,647 of them equipped with RSC, 39,529 with ESC, and 27,536 with no RSS technology. More than 80% of trucks in the study were run by truckload carriers.

Trucks equipped with RSC had a lower average crash rate than trucks equipped with ESC, says ATRI. Compared to trucks with no stability systems, RSC had a 60% lower rollover crash rate while ESC showed a 47% lower rate per 100 million miles. The two had similar results for jackknife crashes.

ATRI calculated the average cost that carriers are paying per mile for each crash type on RSC, ESC and no-RSS equipped trucks:
 
                               Rollover       Jackknife
________________________________________
RSC                         $3.77           $0.54
________________________________________
ESC                         $4.58           $0.45
________________________________________
No RSS                    $9.58           $2.67

In terms of the costs of the systems, ATRI reported that ESC technology was 152.8% higher than RSC. On average, ESC system cost was $1180.88 and RSC was $467.18.

Taken altogether (crash cost, crash rate, and system cost), RSC systems generate a quicker return on investment (ROI), the study says. A truck with RSC would see payback after 58,842 miles while a truck with ESC would need to run 169,101 miles.

If the calculations derived from the sample are consistent with the industry as a whole, the report says, then industry-wide installation of RSC would result in fewer rollover, jackknife and tow/stuck crashes compared to an industry-wide installation of ESC.
 

The report says that to fully understand the impact of RSS systems on the industry, further research using operational truck data is recommended.

The finding that RSC-equipped trucks experienced less crashes than ESC warrants further exploration, the report said, noting that ESC provides additional safety deceleration functionality.

"Likely, additional variables, beyond the type of RSS utilized, account for a portion of the difference in safety performance between fleets," the report explains. "For instance, early adopters of anti-rollover technology had only RSC as an option."

Those fleets that adopted the technology early on could be well be using  additional proactive safety procedures, including stronger safety cultures, more sophisticated management oversight, better training, and more stringent driver selection.

The earlier report was conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute under a co-operative agreement between NHTSA and Meritor WABCO. You can download it here.

OWNER-OPERATORS AND SMALL FLEETS AREN’T PLEASED by the prospect of mandatory roll-stability systems. There are those who hate the government intervention, those that claim to be able to drive perfectly well without such aids, thankyou very much, and then there are quite a few who simply object to the cost.

One of my correspondents on the issue is Wyatt Knafelc, an owner-operator from Alberta who says he and many others like him have suffered enough and can’t take another expense, either upfront at purchase time or in ongoing maintenance. He offers compelling evidence that the last few years have been awful in dollar terms. And if he has one more electronic sensor go south on him, it won’t be pretty in the immediate vicinity.

“I understand and even support the benefits of ESC but I still can’t help but worry about the costs to truck owners. I am a one truck O/O and EGR [exhaust-gas recirculation] has almost killed me financially,” he says.

I won’t mention brands here but his truck is a premium 2009 model, thus with an EPA-2007-spec engine.

“I just got my truck out of the shop a couple of weeks ago to the tune of $9000. DPF, DOC, EGR valve, etc. I managed to make it 16 months from the last $12,000 visit. Did I mention that this was my share after the extended full engine and turbo warranty picked up the rest? This truck has cost me over $50,000 in four years with downtime figured in.

“And believe me when I say there are a lot more guys out there like me. I have sat in the shop with them waiting. Sure is hard to make a profit with these numbers. I have seen lots of guys lose a week's worth of work waiting to get into a shop because their truck shut down and all that was wrong was a $100 sensor.”

I’m not offering comment here, but Wyatt’s point is a strong one and I’ve heard it many times from other small operators. Well, I’ll say this: the folks at NHTSA and the EPA, and their Ottawa equivalents, haven’t the slightest idea what happens down on the pavement where truck and mortgage payments are made. And don’t seem to care.

STICKING WITH MODERN TECHNOLOGY, here’s an observation. You people out there in reader land probably won’t see this quite the way I do, but there’s an unending bombardment of my inbox by news about digital this and digital that. A virtual waterfall of little ‘apps’ for all manner of things, a smaller but still substantial flow of mobile communications gear that will manage hours-of-service no matter what the final rules and tell you when your left shoelace is in need of tying if you ask. It’s mind-boggling.

The applications are always for Apple and/or Android devices, phones and tablets and such, but almost never – sad to say – for the Blackberry that I use. And will continue to use.

Moaning aside, these apps range from simple ones like this from Inland Kenworth for drivers and others who need to find a dealership. For iPhone/iPad users, it gives the user options to search by location or a GPS function to just find the nearest location. From there all useful locations and dealer-specific info are displayed. There can be a Google map giving directions to the dealership or just the location’s phone number.

Get the Inland Kenworth app here.

Here’s a somewhat more ambitious iPad app, the Yokohama Commercial Tire Navigator now available for free on iTunes (go here).

Based on a similar app launched last year, the new commercial version features quite a lot of product information in an interactive format, 360-degree tire photography, Yokohama’s fuel-savings calculator, and of course a dealer locator.

The app also allows the user to compare Yokohama’s fuel-efficient tires against competing rubber. The calculator conveniently returns results in terms of annual gallons of fuel saved, annual dollars saved, and – not sure how many will use this one – the resulting carbon footprint reduction.

And that’s all she wrote this time.

NOW, THE SHOW REMINDERS... The TMC 2012 Fall Meeting & SuperTech12 runs from Sunday September 9 through Thursday the 13th at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh, PA. Call 703-838-1763, e-mail tmc@trucking.org, or register online at www.trucking.org/abs/Pages/2012TMCFALL.aspx

At the same time, namely September 10-12, you may want to attend the fifth International Environmentally Friendly Vehicles Conference in Baltimore, MD. Hosted in the U.S. for the first time, this one is about shaping the market for clean and fuel-efficient vehicles, sponsored by EPA, the U.S. Department of Energy, and Environment Canada, and supported by the Truck & Engine Manufacturers Association, Society of Automotive Engineers, the International Council on Clean Transportation and others. Sponsorship opportunities and exhibit space are available. Visit www.efv2012.com

Running concurrently with the first two events listed here is NTEA’s New Model Truck Product Conference, a chance to get an early preview of next year’s truck and chassis product offerings from 11 leading chassis manufacturers. It's scheduled for September 11-13 at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn in Dearborn, MI.  NTEA members can register on or before Aug. 24, 2012 to get the early bird conference fee of $99, rising to $119 afterwards. Call 1-800-441-6832 or visit www.ntea.com.

HTUF 2012 will run September 18-20 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, NC. The Hybrid, Electric and Advanced Truck Users Forum has been aggressively promoting the medium- and heavy-duty hybrid option in an attempt to speed the commercialization process. This year's gathering includes 16 technical sessions and a ride-and-drive on a professional speedway track. HTUF is operated by CALSTART in partnership with and under contract to the US Army TARDEC National Automotive Center. See www.htuf2012.org or call 954-404-8252.

And if you want a trip to Europe, note that this is a Hannover year. The 64th IAA Commercial Vehicles show, a giant among exhibitions, will be held from September 20 to 27, 2012 in Hannover, Germany. See www.iaa.de/en/

Then, on November 28-30, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) will host “the first-ever national summit” about the growing use of natural gas in the trucking industry, in Arlington, VA. T. Boone Pickens is the featured speaker. ATA members can register at a cost of US$199, while the non-member cost is $499. Call 703-838-1935 or ship an e-mail to natgas@trucking.org. See http://www.truckline.com

THIS NEWSLETTER IS PUBLISHED every two weeks. It's a heads-up notice about what's going on with trucking technology. I also write here about interesting products that may not have had the 'air play' they deserved within the last few months.

I should remind you that I don’t endorse any of the products I write about in this e-newsletter, nor do I have the resources to test them. What you’re getting is reasonably well educated opinion based on more than three decades in trucking.

If you have comments of whatever sort about the Lockwood Report, or maybe you've tried a gizmo I should know about, please contact me at rolf@newcom.ca
 

TRAILER TEMP CONTROL

(August 15, 2012) -- Thermo King launches Precedent, new from the ground up

BRAKE DRUM TRAINING

(August 15, 2012) -- Webb Wheel releases online training and tech certification video

XATA’S GOING MOBILE

(August 15, 2012) -- Changes name to XRS, gets set to launch all-mobile platform

MOBILE APP FOR MANAGERS

(August 15, 2012) -- From GreenRoad, driver performance mobile app for Apple and Android devices

DETROIT'S DT12

(August 08, 2012) -- Detroit Diesel unveils the Detroit DT12 automated manual transmission