The Fleet Business Authority
Issue link: http://heavydutytrucking.epubxp.com/i/236631
uyers of new uyers of new trucks need trucks need not sharpen their not sharpen their spec'ing skills to meet spec'ing skills to meet p i the new regs. w regs. B Freightliner has plugged gaps between ps forward-facing body panels on its Cascadia Evolution model, which was moothly already designed to move smoothly na, through the air. The antenna, for instance, has disappeared, built into the body of the truck. Volvo's streamlined VN highway models have gotten mirror heads with aerodynamic shrouds and arms, redelso signed hood mirrors that also increase ound visibility, and additional gro ground bu umper effect features below the bumper and side fairings. Kenworth and Peterbilt have introduced new highway and vocational stream ed as mlined models that are more streamlined as om rtable. m able b well as more roomy and comfortable. comfortable. mer m a e Idle shutdown timers eliminate timers eliminate mes, d etting n tin fuel burn and fume and setting one fumes, and setting one s r less gets positive s gets si ive at five minutes or less gets a positive A Kenworth ngie w score from the EPA, Kenworth engithe EPA, Kenw r engih Sla on says. n neer Zach Slaton says. Slaton ays Lowe ing truck's top road speed wering ruck's p oad p e Lowering a truck's top road speed r effective fective avin ing d is very effective at saving fuel and very effe tiv at saving fuel nd reducing emissions, the OEMs a ducing missions i ssions, h M are reducing emissions, so the OEMs are encouraging customer to simply slow n our ging customers urag stome impl ply l encouraging customers to simply slow down. Th y'll try to get customers w They'll ustome e down. They'll try to get customers Other tools include lower vehicle tare weight, often by using smaller en by u using engines and more aluminum compoo m more aluminum nents; and low-rol ng-resistance tires, rolling low-rolling-resistance which might appear on vocational trucks as well as highway tractors. Special equipment such as bunk heaters and auxiliary power units will avoid engine idling during driver ngine ing during engine idling during break breaks and overnight sle p periods g leep ds. breaks overnight sleep periods. These con p These concepts are not new, but t new, but These concepts but they've beco more importan they've become more important and ey' r port n they've become ore important you might hear more abou t m as you might hear more about them as ore about them bout might y you o truck shopping. you go truck shopping. ruck hopping. hoppin ping What's next What's next The next phase of t reg ation The next phase of the regulations ex h the regulations egu goes into eff goes into effe in 2017. Landon oe nto effect 2017. Lan ffe fect 0 7 Landon Sproull, chief engineer at Peterbilt, says proull, oull, f ginee e eterb lt, et bilt says Sproull, chief engineer t Peterbilt, sa we'l we'll see "another step change in 2017 l h e change 2017 nge we'll "another step chan e in 2017 wi the engine s de" of the regulations. with the engine side" of the regulations. ine side" he egu ations. ions with h The ne stage also prompt d h next a lso prompted The next stage also prompted "F or fuel efficiency, improvement efforts or fuel efficiency, improvement effor t s are always ongoing – they aren't are always ongoing they aren't 'light-switch' events." 'light-switch' event s." " – Elissa Maurer, Navistar E iss Maurer, Navistar Elissa au er,Navis a sa aure vis to agree to set the electronic roado agree to set t elec onic roadge ec n d the electronic oadspeed limiter o lower number for pee l mite ter w umbe b o speed limiter to a lower number – for inst n e instance, from 70 mph 65, or m p 5 instance, from 70 mph to 65, or 65 mph mph 62. Once set, this paramn e , h a ammph to 62. Once set, this parameter is not supposed to b changed t supp d ppo hang nged eter is not supposed to be changed upward, a d aler are like y to pward and dealers rd d, ers kely upward, and dealers are likely to likely discourage customer requests for cou a st mer requests or qu discourage customer requests for a rese This brings up the question of set. his rings gs h question us reset. Thi brings up the question of w the ne GHG regula i n wi l h new egul ulati how the new GHG regulations will regulations will forced, hich tself. se be enfor d which is a story in itself. enforced, which is sto in itself. story ba a (See sidebar on page 36.) sidebar n page 34 HDT • JANUARY 2014 the industry to as the Americ n the industry to ask the American h industry ask h American dust y u ic can Petro eum Institute to develop new Petroleum Institute to develop a new trol evelo w Petroleum nstitute engi oil classification, currently ngine l sificat on, u ent y catio engine il classification, currently know know as PC-11, setting standards own C-11 setting standards 1, d known PC-11, settin standards for th lower-visco t oils the engines for the lower-viscosity oils the engines the lower-viscosity oils he ngin o er-vi ines will need to meet the regs It's due to i ee eed e egs s. u will need o meet the regs. It's due to be ready by January 2016. e ready by Jan ar 2016. ea y January 016 ady La t umm r, resident ba Last summer, President Obama mer, de Last summer, President Obama announced that the EPA will develop nnounced that he A il develop nou unce o announced that the EPA will develop new fuel economy and greenhouse new fuel economy and greenhouse conom o n new el conomy nd reen ouse g standards for post 2018 model gas standards fo post-2018 model e gas tandards post-2018 year trucks While it's too early to trucks. spell out de details, EPA and truck and engine makers who have been working with the agency say the next wi generation of regs will likely consider trailers as w as new engine and well transmissio technologies. transmission "In term of 2019 regulations, terms the vehicle portion will likely drive increased p proliferation of low rolling resistance t tires and aerodynamic features, like fairings," says Wade Long, f Volvo Trucks' director of product Trucks' marketing. Expect truck and engine makers t to find new ways to reduce parasitic w losse energy losses – ene used by parts such as ergy losses f fans and pumps, for instance. DTNA u fans nd pumps, recen introduced recently introduced a variable speed ec recently tro wate pump that water pump that does just that, using ater te water pump hat l ss energy wh he less energy when the engine needs less erg less ner when coo n f w Waste heat coolant flow. Waste hea recovery is ast coolant flow. Waste also being explored. also being explored lso i plore ored. Much of the low-hang ng fruit has uch low h ngin wMuch of low-hanging already been picked, said Bill Kahn, led en ke a k l already been picked, said Bill Kahn, manager of advanced concepts for nage ger dv nce concepts manager f advanced con p for Peterbilt, during a panel discus ion e e b lt, ur g a discussion rin Peterbilt, during panel dis ussio last fall. "It's pretty funny that we're last fall. "It's pretty funny that we're t ll. It rett u tty ha 'r si t n here talking about the efficiensitting he e talking about the efficienlki o he fi e sitting cy of water pumps." y of wate pumps." ter water u ps." Peterbilt's Sproull believes the e bilt' Sproull t ll e es h Peterbilt's Sp oul believes the focus in the next round of GHG regs s n the next rou o GHG regs x round HG e will be "heavily powertrain, not just ill "heavily o ertra , t t eavily will be "heavily powertrain, not just engi e b inc uding tran m ssio engine, but including transmission n i engine, but including transmission an axle And of course they will and axles. And of course they will les. e e e and axles. course he i a so make s p change terms of also make a step change in terms of erm ms also k step hange aerodynamics." To do that, he says, erodynam cs." ami hat, says, , aerodynamics." To that, he sa the reg will need to take into accou t the regs will need to take into account h regs ill e k n account c the tractor-trailer as a unit. h tractor-trailer rc ler nit the tractor t aile a unit. "It's going to be difficult to squeeze It's go n oin d fficu ficul c u ze "It's going be difficult to squeeze o more aerodynamics specific to th out more aerodynamics specific to the e r dy am c spe ific out tractor itself. I think as you look out racto itself. thin acto tor u oo tractor i se f think s you look ou five five to 0 years there's some wa five to 10 years there's some way the a h es m traile ha o be i tegrated." trailer has to be integrated aile i gra trailer has integrated." Editor in Chie Debo h Lockridge Editor in Chief Deborah Lockridge and itor Chief ief Editor Chie Deborah Washin Washington Edi Oliver B. Patton hing ditor er Washington Editor cont uted this article. contribute to this articl contributed article. www.truckinginfo.com