Euro Zone: New and future truck tech at IAA show

HANNOVER, Germany -- The scope and scale of the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hannover, Germany, is like no other. Daimler and Traton – the recently rebranded Volkswagen Truck and Bus -- stake their claims to entire buildings rather than individual exhibit halls. Some of the aisles in the halls are as wide as streets. The individual buildings are divided by actual streets. And did we mention the Ferris wheel?

Daimler displays safety-first philosophy in launch

HANNOVER, Germany – Safety is the name of the game, and Daimler has clearly raised that game with an array of new features unveiled during the IAA truck show. The latest generation of Europe's cabover Actros tractor includes no fewer than 60 new features, four of which have made world premiers. But in a launch event branded as “transforming transportation”, the focuses on visibility, pedestrian detection, and automated braking took center stage.

Motoring Along: Understanding the role of motors in electric trucks

TORONTO, Ont. -- Do you know who makes the motor in your washing machine? Do you care? Do you know who will make the motor on your first electric truck? Will you need to care? That's just one of the many paradigm shifts we'll be dealing with as electric drivetrains emerge in the trucking industry.

Unimog’s Utility: Meet Daimler’s beast of burden

OTIGHEIM, Germany — The deliberate motions of Daimler’s Unimog are more like that of a farm animal than truck, a modern-day beast of burden. You could say it’s in…

Truck orders: They’re magnificent and they’re real

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Truck orders have been strong all year, but just how strong have they been? “Four of the top five order months ever have occurred this year,” said…

Rugged Comfort: Reviewing a Canadian-spec’d T880S

Kenworth’s T880S was engineered to American bridge laws, but here it is with highway trim and some Canadian spec’s.

Galvanized Into Action: Galvanized metal re-emerges in war against trailer corrosion

Galvanized trailer components won’t win a beauty contest, but they will keep your trailers in service longer. TORONTO, Ont. — We’re at war, it seems, with the chemical compounds used…

Multi-purpose trucks deliver the energy

For some work trucks, carrying equipment is just part of the job. MONTREAL, Que. – Every truck consumes energy when traveling from one destination to the next. But when work…

Brake violations dominate Roadcheck results

GREENBELT, Md. – Enforcement teams placed 21.6% of commercial vehicles out of service during Level 1 inspections completed for this year’s Roadcheck inspection blitz run from June 5-7. The annual…

Safety, driver comfort driving spec’ing decisions

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Safety and driver comfort are driving the way fleets spec’ trucks today, even at the expense of payload. That was the consensus from three fleet managers who participated in a panel at the FTR Transportation Conference.

The case for and against electric trucks

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – In studying the viability of electric trucks, Rick Mihelic has learned one thing for certain. “Electric trucks are polarizing,” the director of future technology studies for…

Ritchie Bros.’ Edmonton auction breaks $78 million in sales

EDMONTON, Alta. – Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers held another successful auction in Edmonton this week, selling more than $78 million of equipment. “We continued to see strong pricing for equipment and…

Pride Truck Sales opens new locations in Calif.

Left to Right: Senior Vice President Vik Gupta, President and CEO Sulakhan Johal & Branch Manager Dildeep Johal FONTANA, Calif. – Canadian pre-owned retailer Pride Truck Sales is expanding again.

Want to spot brake defects? ‘Bend at the waist’

Brakes are a focus of roadside enforcement officers every day of the year, but the focus will intensify later this month during Brake Safety Week. Scheduled for Sept. 16-22, the week coordinated by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) combines education initiatives and inspections alike, depending on the jurisdiction. It has traditionally allowed enforcement teams to shine a light on a variety of systems and issues.

Stop and Think: Strategies to avoid brake violations

Despite steady enforcement initiatives such as Brake Safety Day, a part of the CVSA’s Operation Airbrake Program, brake-related defects continue to be a leading cause of out-of-service violations. But fleet maintenance departments have a direct impact on a fleet’s violation rate, since routine maintenance can prevent many of the defects found at roadside.