Fleet Future

One of the worst pieces of news you can hear as a fleet manager is that one of your trucks has been in a crash. First and foremost, there’s the driver’s safety to be concerned about, and even if they’re all right, there’s the high cost of repairs. But it doesn’t end there--now you have the growing possibility of false claims, nuclear verdicts and even staged crashes.

In this episode of Fleet Future I talked with Chris Orban, vice president of data science at Trimble Transportation, about video telematics systems and their role in protecting your fleet from some of these things.

The guest on this episode of Fleet Future is Chad Stepanian of Mahle, who talks about what fleets who extend their oil drain intervals need to know, and later addresses some filtration tips and important things for fleets to keep on mind.

This week was Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week, an annual event that is usually held in Las Vegas but, this year, took place virtually. And while the show was absent from its usual backdrop of the sights and sounds of Vegas, the heavy-duty aftermarket insight was as strong as ever. Here are four of the biggest takeaways from the show this year.

Let's talk DPF maintenance. If you’re like most fleets, its one of your least favorite words in your vocabulary. DPFs have been known to be a maintenance headache basically since they arrived on the scene.

In today’s episode I talk with Tom Choate of Ceramex, a company with a unique method for cleaning the DPF. Tom tells us about that method, and gives more DPF maintenance tips, in the episode.

We are smack in the middle of winter, and for fleets, that means it’s time to get those winter maintenance checklists updated. If your trucks run in areas of extreme cold and snow it is a crucial month for maintenance on all components of the vehicle. Let’s zero in on one specific component today: coolant.

One of the major trends of the last few years in the trucking industry has been the growth of the regional haul segment. To talk more about this trend, my guest on today’s podcast is Chris Stadler, product marketing manager for Volvo Trucks North America.

Mike Roeth of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency joins the podcast to talk about the growth of regional haul and how regional haul fleets can spec the right equipment to maximize fuel efficiency.

All month on Fleet Future we’ve been talking engines. But this week, we’re going to talk about an engine company that is branching out to other energy sources. Listen to hear directly from Cummins leadership on their hydrogen development plans for the next decade and beyond.

FE's David Sickels joins the podcast to talk about over-the-air updates. Listen to hear why OTA is growing in popularity in 2020, what capabilities might be coming next, and the unlikely connection between OTA and Seinfeld.

Vocational fleets work in a wide variety of tough applications, and they need a powertrain to match. In this episode, Mike Stricker of Daimler Trucks North America joins us to talk about the engine and transmission the OEM chose for the new vocational Western Star 49X truck.