April 13, 2012 by Henry Albert
Rick Ash, Bob Caffee, Jeff Clark, Timothy Weber, Linda Caffee, Scott Grenerth, Henry Albert.
Hello,
I happened to be reading “Fleet Owner” magazine and came across an article regarding fuel efficiency. I found the article interesting as it included information on a major benchmarking study on fuel efficiency using data from Werner Enterprises, Frito-Lay, C.R. England , Challenger Motor freight, Schneider National, Con-Way Truckload, GTI and Ryder has been re-leased by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE), a nonprofit organization created to foster major improvements in the efficiency of freight movements.
I’m fortunate to be involved with a group of “owner operators”. We meet weekly by conference call to discuss the many issues in transportation. Such as, best practices, fuel efficient devices, driver health issues, regulatory affairs and more. Our group is called The Trucking Solutions Group and we have eight members. We are each from diverse segments of the industry and are not in direct competition with one another. Our members operate a Conestoga Flatbed, Covered Wagon Flatbed, a Bulk Tank Hauler, Refrigerated Trailer, Two Dry Vans and One Expediter Straight Truck. There is extensive knowledge among us as a group and we pull from each others experience. Our operations are so different, however we are able to find many practices that apply to all of us. Also, with varying operations, we gain information from many different angles. For example, the subject may be on flatbeds and load securement which gets everyone thinking of their particular operation and their securement needs.
On our conference calls, we often invite various speakers within the transportation industry. These people add even more knowledge base to the group discussion.
Each member in our group is very fuel mileage conscious. Needless to say, this subject is the area that I enjoy the most. You can check out The Trucking Solutions Group at www.truckingsolutionsgroup.org
Till next time… be safe,
Henry
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April 11, 2012 by Henry Albert
Hello,
On Monday evening, I had just finished eating dinner at the Kangaroo Travel Center in Hattiesburg, MS. I decided to walk over to the store and purchase a few items when a lady came up to me and asked if I knew how far a drive it would be to “Hammond, LA”. I told her it would be approximately 100 miles. She explained to me that she and her travel companion (son), were having problems with their car overheating and she wasn’t sure if she could make it to her destination. I offered to take a look at the car for her and see if I could be of any assistance.
After inspecting her car, it appeared she had a heater hose rupture earlier in the day. They plugged off the heater hose and filled up the radiator with coolant. Normally, this should have fixed the problem, however on their system the thermostat housing sits at a high point on the engine. There was a venting valve on top of the thermostat housing, which needed to be opened to let the air out as the system as it was filled with coolant.
I walked over to my truck to retrieve some tools and I was able to open up the vent and fill the cooling system properly. After this was completed, I noticed a large amount of bugs and debris which was clogging the radiator. The lady drove her car over to the fuel island and we were able to use the hose to clean out the radiator. Finally, we were finished and she was able to drive off in confidence knowing her car had been fixed. I was glad to be of assistance to them and having my tools readily available in the truck sure helped the situation.
I walked back to my truck and reflected on the many times I’ve been able to help someone out here on the road. Having the proper tools along has definitely been an added convenience in many circumstances. One tool that has surely been the most helpful is the air hose. I can’t even count how many times I’ve helped motorists change a flat tire, only to then discover their spare tire didn’t have sufficient air pressure to safely carry them down the highway. I’m always happy to help someone in need and hopefully these events will promote a good image of the trucking industry to the motoring public.
Till next time… be safe,
Henry
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April 9, 2012 by Henry Albert
I am starting to get quite a collection of DDEC engine reports. This picture kind of reminded me of the script at the beginning of a Star Wars episode.
Hello,
I’ll begin this post by saying, I don’t consider myself the most patient person when it comes to making advances. When the results begin to show on any given project, I’m ready to move to the next performance improvement. This mostly likely comes from my racing background. In racing, you’re always aggressively searching to gain advantage over the competition. For me… there are two ways in which to win a championship. The first is to be consistent and the second is to go after victories and let the points take care of themselves. My character lends itself to the second method.
My test of 60 M.P.H verses 65 M.P.H. was done over a 30-day period. This was a difficult task for me and throughout the month, I made a couple of changes, which in turn threw things off, a bit. Two weeks into the test, I replaced the Nose Cone on the trailer with a different model for added fuel efficiency. Also, I got a new fuel discount card which requires me to stop at designated fueling locations in order to obtain the fuel discount. These fuel stops are different than where I was getting fuel prior to becoming a member. When I fueled at the same location constantly, I used the same pump, which made my fill up numbers very consistent. As I’ve reported in the past, this is .2 to .5 M.P.G. less than what my engine report would indicate. With the new fuel card, my fuel locations are different and the angle of the truck when fueling (pavement angles) has varied, therefore this made the results from my engine report and my calculated figures from the pump swing to a greater margin. In looking at the test results, I’ll be using my engine report for consistency.
In comparing last year to this year, on the same route with all the same variables, at 65 M.P.H the result was 9.15 M.P.G. At 60 M.P.H. my average for the month ended up to be 9.145 M.P.G. If I only compared the first two weeks, without changing the Nose Cone, it would be 9.09.
After analyzing my numerous engine reports, I found that if I didn’t know which ones were conducted at 60 or 65 M.P.H. it would be nearly impossible to distinguish between the two. I’m driving one of the most aerodynamic trucks on the market today combined with an extremely aerodynamic trailer. This combination makes it so air drag is minimized to the point of having the engine at its optimum rpm , becoming the more important of the two factors. In comparing this to a totally non-aerodynamic tractor-trailer combination, slowing down typically will result in dramatic increases in fuel mileage. Why? because the aerodynamic drag is a bigger factor than the engine being at its perfect rpm. Aerodynamic drag works on a bell curve. Each 5 mph causes a dramatic increase in drag compared to the 5 mph before it. This is why aerodynamic changes at these higher speeds can yield great results.
In my case, I followed the recommendations inside the “DD15 catalog” which stated for on highway tractor-trailer applications of 80,000 lbs. or less.
*For maximum fuel economy at 65 mph, gear for an engine speed of 1375 rpm.
*when you need extra performance, gear for an engine speed of 1475 rpm at 65 mph.
For my combination, I chose a 342 gear with a 13 speed Eaton Ultra Shift for maximum efficiency. This combination enables me to cruise along at 65 mph at approx. 1385 rpm. When I get into any serious pulls and downshift to 12th gear, it brings my rpm’s to approx. 1485. The only thing I would have changed if given the opportunity, would be to have a direct drive transmission. I didn’t select a direct drive transmission because the gear sets were not available to a 23,000 lb. drive axle, which is employed when outfitting a truck as a 6×2.
This power train combined along with an aerodynamic package offers me a wide range of operation at maximum efficiency. Till next time… be safe,
Henry
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April 7, 2012 by Henry Albert
This is a picture of a drawing one of my Trucker Buddy students sent me last year.
Hello,
I want to wish all of you a Happy Easter celebration. I’ll take my family to church on Sunday morning and from there we’ll enjoy a nice lunch at my inlaws home. The weather here is great this Easter weekend…sunny with temperatures around 70′. This is perfect for springtime in the Carolinas. I hope you enjoy some time with family and friends while celebrating the Easter holiday.
Be sure to tune in on Monday for the conclusion of the 60 verses 65 mph test.
Henry
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April 4, 2012 by Henry Albert
Hello,
I was sorry to hear about all the devastation that occurred yesterday in the Dallas, TX area. During the time the tornadoes hit, I was traveling on I-10 through Houston. My phone rang non stop in the afternoon with family and friends calling to voice their concern for my driving location. Luckily, I was not anywhere in the area to experience the horror which took place. Many people lost their homes, equipment and businesses to the tornadoes wrath. In the evening, I was able to watch the news and catch up on what happened with the storms. I watched in amazement at the pictures and video of a Schneider Truck Terminal where the trailers and equipment were shuffled and tossed in the air several hundred feet like toys. I made a call to my friends at Freightliner in Dallas as I knew they were located close to the Schneider terminal. I spoke with Brian and he discussed with me that everyone was doing fine and the tornado missed their facility. However, the Flying J Travel Center located just across the highway experienced a bad hit from the storm as many tractor trailers had damage done to them from the extremely high winds.
As of last night’s news report, there were no deaths related to the storm. This is amazing when looking at all the devastation. It’s a good thing we now have cell phones and can readily contact those we love during such a situation. My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of the Dallas and Ft. Worth area. I want to thank my friends and family for contacting me yesterday… I appreciate their thoughts and concern.
Till next time… be safe,
Henry
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April 2, 2012 by Henry Albert
Hello,
This year’s MATS was bigger than ever! I’ve located some figures from the show and it appears that this year was a huge success. Many said “this was the best show ever”. There were 1,070 Exhibiting companies from 47 states and 8 countries. The total attendee count was 80,972 from 50 states and 77 countries. There were 211 media correspondents. All this took place on 1,200.000 square foot of convention floor space.
Apparently… word is out that this year’s show was a “record breaker”. It’s great to see the economy slowly coming back and companies coming out to participate and show off their latest items and equipment. This is quite a change from just a few years ago when everyone seemed to be cutting back. I remember when many big companies didn’t show up for the event. It was good to see many companies participate this year and great to know that the show was a huge success. I had many people who spoke with me and said they were in the market for a new truck. This is also quite a change from the last few years.
This week, I’ll be back on my regular run to Laredo, TX. I’ll be wrapping up my final week of 60 vs. 65 M.P.H test. Stay tuned and we’ll learn about the final test results. Till next time… be safe,
Henry
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March 30, 2012 by Henry Albert
Hello,
Today I am posting some of the many great Freightliner classic trucks that converged in Louisville, KY to celebrate Freightliner 70th birthay. Lets take a trip down memory lane as freightliner celebrates 70 years of innovation.
Can anyone guess what year this Freightliner is??? Till next time be safe, Henry
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March 28, 2012 by Henry Albert
There sure was a lot of interest in the new Detoit Axle which combines the best of a 6x2 and a 6x4 into one offering.
Hello,
While I was at the Mid-America Truck Show, Detroit unveiled a new axle on the Revolution Innovation Truck. As many of you know, I’m a big fan of the 6×2 axle configuration which is currently on my 2011 Cascadia. By only powering one of the axle’s on my tandem, I’m able to eliminate many of the parasitic frictional losses from the power divider, two u-joints and the rear axle differential. However, the disadvantage is that if your in a low traction situation, it’s much easier to get stuck. Detroit is about to combine all the advantages of the 6×2 and the 6×4 with the introduction of the long haul tandem rear axle which was unveiled at MATS.
The new Detroit long haul tandem rear axle delivers the fuel sipping economy of a 6×2 with the safety and stability of a 6×4. By de-clutching the rear axle from the drive line at highway speeds, it acts as a tag axle, reducing friction and saving fuel. If a loss of traction is sensed, it immediately re-engages the rear axle to a standard 6×4 drive configuration.
I am thrilled at this new offering by Detroit. Now…I no longer need to choose between fuel economy or available traction. When specing a truck for maximum fuel mileage, this gives a driver peace of mind.
Detroit’s slogan “Demand it All” sure holds true when looking at the new innovation embodied in the design of the long haul tandem. Till next time… be safe,
Henry
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March 26, 2012 by Henry Albert
The Revolution Innovation Concept Truck and some of the designers who made it possible
Hello,
The week has ended for the 2012 Mid America Truck Show. It was another great event and I hope many you were able to attend.
The highlight for this year was Freightliner’s celebration of their 70 th anniversary. The kick off began with the unveiling of the Revolution Innovation Truck. My opinion is that Leland James, the founder of Freightliner would be proud of this accomplishment. When I saw the new truck for myself, it made me think back to 1942 when Leland James first introduced an all aluminum cab-over. The history behind the cab-over, started in the late 1930′s. Leland James, president of Portland, Oregon - based trucking company Consolidated Freightways (CF) sought a lighter, more durable truck that could haul more payload and bring in more revenue for his company. When he approached truck manufacturers with his idea of building truck components with lightweight aluminum instead of steel, he was met with resistance and skepticism. At the time, aluminum was not widely used in industrial applications, so James decided to hire a group of engineers and build vehicles himself.
Featuring a cab-over-engine design, James’ trucks were not only lighter, but more durable and easier to handle than other trucks of the era. These trucks quickly became popular with CF’s drivers and in 1940 James helped establish Freightways Manufacturing Company in Salt Lake City to produce the vehicles. In 1942, the manufacturing changed its name for Freightliner Corporation, thus giving birth to a company that would become North America’s leading heavy duty vehicle manufacturer.
The Revolution Innovation Truck continues Freightliners legacy of ongoing innovation. This truck marks the first full size crossover cab design and was revealed at the 2012 Mid-America Trucking show. The new concept model includes some of the most advanced revolutionary elements in efficient design for optimal performance. The truck’s focus on aerodynamics has led to a striking, all new look for day cabs, which has never been seen before in the trucking industry. Some new features include, a tightly packaged sloping hood, a low-mounted grille and integrated raised rood. The Revolution features the unique, asymmetric crossover cab design, marking the first time a day cab-sized truck has included a sleek, integrated raised roof. The new features offer more space inside the cab and removes air gaps which improves airflow between the tractor and trailer reducing drag and providing better fuel mileage.The truck’s purposely positioned hood vents, wrap -around windshield, radically sloped hood and low mounted front grille are stylish, but also offer improved performance.
From what I can see, no area has been left untouched on the exterior of this truck in regards to efficiency. There is so much to this truck including, driver information center, built in coffee maker, work station, LED lighting, Smart Navigation device (which includes, mapping, navigation tools and Internet searches). The truck also offers a diagnostic system to provide automatic maintenance alerts and can direct the driver to the closest Freightlier dealer. These are just some of the revolutionary features that are part of this unique truck. Once again, it shows me Freightliner isn’t afraid to “Go First”… when it comes to new innovation. In fact, from talking with their engineers, their quote to me was “Bring it On”!!!
For more information on the Revolution Innovation Truck, you can go to the following link…
Revolution Innovation I think you will be amazed at this new technology. Make sure to scroll across the page to see all the features of this break through concept truck. I’ll be anxious to hear your thoughts.
Stay tuned, I’ll bring you more highlights from my visit to the Mid-America Truck Show. Till next time.. be safe,
Henry
Leland James would be proud of where the Revolution Innovation truck design team went on this mission.
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March 21, 2012 by Henry Albert
Hello everyone,
With so many companies “unveiling” new products and ideas at the Mid-America Trucking Show this year, I decided this is an perfect time to add another energy-saving device to my rig. Thus, last week I had a different Nose Cone installed on my trailer. Innovative Transportation Services in Charlotte, NC did a really professional job of installing my new Nose Cone.
This Nosecone replaced the Nosecone model I have used for a few years and allowed me to improve my fuel mileage by .02 to .03 mpg. My previous Nosecone design was the upper section with “side-burns”. I also noticed the impact of this model kept the back of my cab much cleaner when running during rainy weather.
I chose to replace my original Nose cone with a design used by hauler of golf carts because it allows them to increase their inside trailer cube. When I saw the way this Nose Cone design fit the profile of the tractor that was pulling it, this immediately caught my eye. I asked the driver of that rig if I could check some measurements and pulled out my tape measure. After measuring, I decided this would provide what I wanted without having something “custom-made”.
Next week I will return to my usual weekly run and get back to my fuel mileage study. I am anxious to see the impact my new Nose Cone will have on my bottom line!
Meanwhile, if you are attending MATS this week, stop over and take a look at my truck. It is parked on the Papa John’s parking lot near the Detroit Diesel tent and display. While there, you can see the Detroit Diesel presentation.
If you come, remember to check out the Freightliner Concept Truck in their booth in the South Hall of the Kentucky Exposition Center. If you are not fortunate enough to see this in-person, you can view it at… http://www.freightlinertrucks.com/70years
Till next time, be safe.
Henry
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