MONTREAL, QC- FPInnovations’ Performance Innovation Transport (PIT) group, an independent,  not-for-profit engineering and research group for the North American trucking industry, is offering a 20-percent discount to fleets that join PIT before the end of June 2014.

“Our proven controlled test-track fuel efficiency evaluation procedures include the most stringent testing protocols and guarantee independent verification of a technology’s fuel efficiency performance. The result is a fuel savings projection that is highly representative of what a fleet can expect to realize in actual service,” said Yves Provencher, director of PIT. “By providing our fleet members with accurate results on the return on investment they can expect from green technologies and practices, they can make more effective capital investments.”

Right now, PIT’s membership includes more than 50 North American for-hire and private fleets raging in size from 25 to over 1,700 trucks. And over 200 technologies and operational practices have been evaluated during PIT’s Energotest events since 2007. Among them are vehicles, including hybrid trucks, tractor and trailer aerodynamic devices, tires and wheel balancing systems, tarp systems for dump trailers, and fuel, oil and gear lube additives, and alignment and tire pressure settings.

Benefits of membership include: 

•     the ability to choose which new technologies and operational practices are submitted for fuel efficiency testing
•     access to past test results of fuel-efficient claims of different technologies
•     access to the group’s engineering resources and implementation services
•     peer networking opportunities for fleet owners and managers

“Leveraging the disciplined PIT testing protocols allows member carriers to focus our efforts on core competencies, including managing our fleet operations,” said Chris Trajkovski, VP of fleet maintenance at Bison Transport. “Without internal engineering expertise, fleets cannot effectively determine the merits or quantify the net impact of fuel efficiency technology claims on fleet performance.”