THE LOCKWOOD REPORT

December 21, 2011 Vol. 7, No. 30

Well, here we are, almost at the end of what has been a pretty eventful year. In my last newsletter of 2010 I wrote about the latest round of emission controls, not surprisingly. At that point there weren't many 2010 engines in service, and very, very few from Navistar. They'd finally be hitting the street in numbers in 2011, racking up enough miles so that we could judge them. Would they be worth having?

Is it just me being a jaded journalist and moving on to the next story or have we settled into selective catalytic reduction and advanced exhaust gas recirculation without a lot of actual fuss and frenzy? I haven't reviewed the engine scene in a serious way for a few months now so I can't write anything fresh and insightful (as if...), but it seems to me that things have gone pretty well overall.

That said, I do still hear the odd tale of DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) being hard to find, especially in anything but little jugs, and the roll-out of DEF pumps at truckstops may have been a mite slow. It simply mirrors the relatively slow appearance of SCR-equipped trucks, I suppose, but all this can be a little frustrating for those who switched to '010 engines early. Still, it hasn't been a big deal.

I did learn of a strange one the other day, namely a 2012-model tractor that had gone 6000 miles without using a drop of DEF. A programming glitch, I suspect.

Anyway, what else went on this past year? Lots, of course. So I'm going to be brave and single out a few product introductions that, in my tiny mind at least, moved us forward in some significant way. Call it Lockwood's Personal Top 10, the bits and pieces of truck technology that caught my eye this past year.

Bravery is required here because I'll necessarily be excluding a whole raft of companies and their latest offspring, and some of them might be ticked off. Then again, who the heck cares what this old motor noter thinks? So, once more into the breach...

CATERPILLAR'S CT660 VOCATIONAL truck has to top the list, even if I'm not doing this in any particular order. After a ton of speculation as to what we might actually see, the end result was pretty cool. I finally got the chance to drive one, albeit in a limited way, this past fall.

I wrote in September that the truck appears to live up to its ‘premium’ billing. Fit and finish seemed impeccable, and the aluminum-alloy cab, derived from the International Paystar but not really bearing much resemblance to it at all inside, is a comfortable place.

Cat says everything above the frame is new, but even some chassis components were re-designed and replaced. The pitman arms, for instance, are unique to the CT660, and the steering system at large is new.

Driving the CT660, albeit briefly, showed an excellent ride over gravel and dirt roads. That’s thanks in part to a modified rear cab air suspension with the air bags outside the frame rails.

What impressed me most overall was attention to detail in design terms.

PETERBILT MADE AIR-DISC BRAKES standard fare on all its class 8 models. It was a first, a bold move, and I figure somebody had to start this. Air discs offer the shortest stopping distances possible today and they also trim weight Drivers uniformly love the extra stopping power discs provide, not to mention their fade resistance. As I wrote last April, I really do believe that this is a path we have to follow, as our European counterparts have done so comprehensively.

VOLVO CHOPS FUEL USE with the new I-Shift powertrain package that I wrote about in September. The company claims improved fuel consumption up to 3%. The new XE13 – denoting 'exceptional efficiency' – powertrain package lowers engine rpm at a given road speed, a concept the company calls “downspeeding”. It combines the I-Shift automated manual transmission and a Volvo engine with modified software, allowing the engine to cruise at just 1150 rpm at 65 mph, which is about 200 rpm less than the industry norm.
 
The XE13 package is rated for a GCWR up to 80,000 lb and includes, as well as the proprietary software, a Volvo D13 engine with 425 hp and 1750 lb ft of torque; Volvo I-Shift overdrive transmission with a 0.78:1 ratio; and axle ratios of 2.64 to 2.69.

HINO'S CABOVER IS BACK by way of two new class 4 and 5 trucks, which will also be available in hybrid diesel/electric versions, designated 155h and 195h respectively. Hino suggests a remarkable payback period of under five years for these hybrid models in typical P&D applications.
 

There's been a lot of activity on the medium-duty front this past year, but I mention this one because it's Hino's first foray into hybrids on this continent and because 60% of that gizmology comes directly from the Toyota Prius. That keeps the price down, the company says, and thus makes for an easier sale. To go beyond class 5 would require more expensive powertrain bits and batteries, which explains why the company is currently leaving things at class 4 and 5.

In fact, only the larger 195h will be available in Canada. That truck is said to be the first class 5 hybrid in North America.

THE BENDIX WINGMAN Advanced collision mitigation technology, building on the company’s ESP stability system, uses a radar sensor mounted to the front of the vehicle. It delivers both warnings and active interventions to help drivers avoid rear-end collisions or at least help reduce their severity. The system provides following-distance and stationary-object alerts which are always available – whether or not cruise control is engaged. When drivers use the adaptive cruise control with braking feature, the system will also actively intervene to help them maintain a safe following distance behind a forward vehicle by reducing throttle, engaging the engine retarder, or if necessary applying the foundation brakes.

The collision mitigation feature provides additional interventions, whether or not cruise control is active, by alerting the driver and automatically applying the brakes to help slow the truck when the system senses an imminent rear-end collision. About two-thirds of the available braking power of the vehicle can be delivered this way, compared to one-third through adaptive cruise control with braking.

DTNA'S VIRTUAL TECHNICIAN is a remote engine diagnostic system, developed in concert with Zonar, that's now standard on 2011 Freightliners and Western Stars equipped with Detroit Diesel engines.

It's unique, delivering real-time vehicle system analysis through remote tracking. We're getting close to 'prognostics' here  because the program develops what Daimler Trucks North America calls "insights" as to the truck's condition. The system gathers data based on engine diagnostic codes from all manner of existing sensors, then analyzes them and creates a series of reports and recommended remedial actions.

The advantages are obvious in terms of maintenance planning and service scheduling, with attendant gains in uptime. Diagnostic time in the shop can also be radically reduced, among other benefits. All this is possible because of all the paraphernalia required to meet EPA 2010 emissions mandates.

ANCRA'S TRAILER DECKING system, called 'Lift-A-Deck II' is said to boost load averages by as much as 30% while cutting cargo-damage claims by nearly half. That performance claim is said to be based on real-world results. The company developed the estimates from proprietary studies and analysis of carriers that have installed the Lift-A-Deck II system. It's said to make any standard van trailer more productive by enabling it to carry 10 to 30% more cargo while keeping it more stable and secure.

CARRIER'S APX REEFER CONTROL offers a bigger, brighter display, simplified user interface, and an expanded range of applications. It's claimed to be the first in the industry to use distributed electronics. The new display module with an illuminated information dashboard is said to be easy to read at a distance while offering push-button simplicity with fewer keystrokes. It displays five lines of information instead of the usual one. The APX control system's newest app, Virtual Tech, is diagnostic software that runs continuously in the background, monitoring the TRU to help to avert system problems.
 
APX takes what was formerly housed in a single large metal control box and, with increased efficiency claimed, splits it into compact, sealed sub-components including the display module, the main microprocessor module, and a power-control module, among others.

SIMPLE HUB-HEAT SENSORS from Spectra Products offer an easy and inexpensive early warning system that will alert you to above-normal wheel-end operating temperatures. The Hub Alert thermo-sensitive area, hermetically sealed against moisture, oil, grease, fuels, solvents, water and steam, is a sensor decal  that will turn black when the hub/hubcap surface has reached the critical temperature. Maintenance staff and drivers are thus alerted to the need for inspection. A new heat-sensing label is applied once the issue has been resolved.

AERODYNAMIC GAINS UNDERNEATH the trailer are offered by SmartTruck. There's been a ton of activity surrounding trailer aerodynamics this past year, with new side skirts from new players coming out of the woodwork. Some of them are especially noteworthy, but this second generation of SmartTruck's UT-6 trailer undertray system seems especially so to me. It's said to be more durable, more  versatile, and faster to install while still delivering a claimed fuel-efficiency gain of more than 10%.

SmartTruck's new Canadian distributor is Winnipeg-based Northern Aerodynamic Solutions.

AND WITH THAT, I'M WISHING you a terrific Christmas or whatever else you may celebrate. Relax, enjoy a little downtime, and maybe re-connect with the people in your life who really matter.

Thanks for reading!

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 Product Watch, or maybe you've tried a gizmo I should know about, please contact me at rolf@newcom.ca.