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The base design of commercial vehicle wheel end systems has changed very little over the past 50 years. Current bearings for R-drive and trailer wheel end systems were designed between the 1920's and the 1960's and designs have essentially remained the same. Over the same period of time, considerable gains have been made in bearing design, manufacturing capabilities and materials science. These gains allow for the opportunity to significantly increase bearing load capacity and improve efficiency. Government emissions regulations and the need for fuel efficiency improvements in truck fleets are driving the opportunity for redesigned wheel end systems. The EPA and NHTSA standard requires up to 23% reduction in emissions and fuel consumption by 2017 relative to the 2010 baseline for heavy-duty tractor combinations.

Accurately predicting the fuel savings that can be achieved with the implementation of various technologies developed for fuel efficiency can be very challenging, particularly when considering combinations of technologies. Differences in the usage of highway vehicles can strongly influence the benefits realized with any given technology, which makes generalizations about fuel savings inappropriate for different vehicle applications. A model has been developed to estimate the potential for reducing fuel consumption when advanced efficiency technologies, or combinations of these technologies, are employed on highway vehicles, particularly medium- and heavy-duty trucks. The approach is based on a tractive energy analysis applied to drive cycles representative of the vehicle usage, and the analysis specifically accounts for individual energy loss factors that characterize the technologies of interest.

High tech is permeating the trucking industry, which is now entering the electronics and information age. The trucks of today are becoming increasingly sophisticated with technical innovations occurring in many areas. Electronic engines, electronic service tools, onboard computers, real time communication utilities and computerized operations represent a few key technical solutions that are finding increasing penetration in the market. These technical solutions complement and/or compete with one another as they strive to meet the needs of the trucking fleets. The extent to which they complement and/or compete with one another is not readily or widely understood. It will take skill and knowledge on the part of the customer and the supplier to know the difference. A quick glance at these solutions makes one simple fact clear: electronics is the technology that is common to all these solutions and is capable of weaving them together.

This paper will first take a look at what kind of services onboard diagnostics and monitoring offer. This is done by briefly looking at both the automotive and the aviation industry. Following this, a closer look is taken at the potentials of such systems. Particular attention is given to potential benefits of onboard diagnostics and monitoring in connection with other backend systems. Again, the paper takes examples from related industries (namely aviation and truck fleet management) to generate ideas. Finally, a look is taken at the impact that the realization of the full potential of onboard diagnostics and monitoring might have on the enterprise IT infrastructure, particularly related to enterprise IT systems such as data warehouses or data marts for vehicle data.

Many trucking fleets and organizations are extensively using truck onboard computers (OBC) to gather fuel consumption data from truck engines' Electronic Control Modules (ECM). This study aimed to assess the accuracy and the precision of truck engine control module concerning the fuel consumption data. The testing methodology evaluated the fuel consumption data provided by the ECM using test track and road fuel consumption tests, short-term operational observation, long-term operational observation and engine dynamometer tests. ECM data were retrieved using either onboard computers (OBC) or engine scan tools. Test track and road tests were mainly intended to evaluate the precision of ECM data for short distances, between 60 and 100 km. More than 220 test runs totalizing 22,000 km were conducted using 23 test vehicles.

For transmission suppliers tooled primarily for producing manual transmissions, retrofitting a manual transmission with actuators and a controller is business viable. It offers a low cost convenience for the consumer without losing fuel economy when compared to torque converter type automatics. For heavy duty truck fleets even the estimated 3% gain in fuel economy that the Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) offers over the manual transmission can result in lower operational costs. This paper provides a case study using a light duty transmission retrofitted with electric actuation for gears and the clutch. A high level description of the control algorithms and hardware is included. Clutch control is the most significant component of the AMT controller and it is addressed in detail during operations such as vehicle launch from rest, launch from coast and launch on grades.

Among on-road motor vehicles, diesel-fueled heavy-duty trucks emit disproportionately high amounts of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). The trucking industry has taken an active interest in the use of engines powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) to reduce NOx and PM emissions. However, major barriers exist to widespread use of LNG in trucking applications, including reduced performance and higher initial capital costs compared to diesel-fueled vehicles, as well as a limited fueling infrastructure. To help address these barriers, the California Energy Commission (Commission) joined with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (DOE/NREL) in cost sharing a program led by the West Coast Transportation Technology Group of Arthur D. Little, Inc. (ADLittle).

Fuel is the single largest operating expense for a diesel truck fleet. This paper presents data on the many factors which affect consumption, and on the ways in which fuels and additives can contribute to minimizing it. Fuel density is the key fuel parameter affecting consumption, since higher density fuels deliver more energy per litre than those of lower density. Diesel cold flow improver additives can play an important role in the economic production of diesel fuel. In addition, they allow the production of higher density fuels while maintaining good low temperature performance. Dynamometer test data are presented to show the effects of ambient temperature, vehicle speed and fuel density on consumption. The performance of flow improver additives in improving low temperature operability while maximizing density is demonstrated.

About 360,000 commercial trucks are involved in traffic accidents in the United States per year. Approximately 20,000 truck drivers are injured in those crashes. This study examines traffic crashes of the commercial truck fleet for model years 2000 to 2008 contained in the Trucks Involved in Fatal Accidents (TIFA) and General Estimates System (GES) databases. Specifically, driver injuries, using the KABCO scale (injury severity), were analyzed to determine the association with crash type as well as with the truck configuration. A crash typology was developed to identify crash types, including the type of other vehicle or object struck as well as the impact point on the truck, associated with the most serious injuries. This research focuses on the frequency of commercial vehicle accidents and driver injury levels rather than the cause of the vehicle crash. Based on these findings, example cases from LTCCS were selected. These examples typify the most frequent crashes and injuries.

Stringent emission regulations have forced drastic technological improvements in diesel after treatment systems, particularly in reducing Particulate Matter (PM) emissions. Those improvements generally regard the use of Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC), Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) and lately also the use of Selective Catalyst Reduction (SCR) systems along with improved engine control strategies for reduction of NOx emissions from these engines. Studies that have led to these technological advancements were made in controlled laboratory environment and are not representative of real world emissions from these engines or vehicles. In addition, formation and evolution of PM from these engines are extremely sensitive to overall changes in the dilution process.

Effective control of lube oil contaminants is rapidly becoming of critical concern to diesel engine manufacturers. The key force creating this concern is engine design changes resulting from more restrictive diesel emissions regulations. As a result of these changes, more contaminants from combustion as well as those from component wear are being retained in the crankcase, severely challenging oil additive and engine durability. In this study, two identical 2.0 liter direct-injection turbocharged diesel engines were repetitively loaded through a 120 minute maximum-torque, maximum-power, maximum-speed cycle, and wear was accelerated by a forced injection of Air Cleaner Fine Test Dust (AC Spark Plug Division, GMC) into the lubrication circuit. The baseline design engine used the standard factory-equipped lube filter while the other was equipped with a block-mounted bypass oil cleaning centrifuge in addition to the standard full-flow filter.

Reports of disabling diesel engine seal failures which accompanied the introduction of low sulfur diesel fuel in October '93 prompted an in-depth survey of diesel fuel chemical and physical properties. The purpose of the survey was to anticipate other possible problems which might arise with the newly introduced low sulfur fuels. The survey will produce a database containing over 1000 number 2 diesel fuels from various parts of the US. About 75% of the samples tested were on-highway low sulfur diesel fuels. Samples analyzed were from the D-A Lubricant Company, Cummins customers failures (truck fleets of various sizes), and a number of retail fueling stations. Properties under investigation are % Sulfur, Cloud/Pour Points, Viscosity, API Gravity, TAN/TBN, Boiling Range, Aromatics content, Heat Content, Lubricity, and Peroxide number.

An improved electric mobile oil refiner which, can be mounted on any engine or hydraulic equipment has been developed to eliminate oil changes and extend the useful life of equipment. The author plans to show how the use of the refiner, a filter crusher and a batch refiner which recycles the oil extracted from the crushed filters, starts a cycle that can eliminate waste oil. If the use of this type of equipment is implemented on a large scale, it will result in a positive impact on the environment which can help alleviate the pollution problems created by the indiscriminate disposal of waste oil. Use of these devices should appeal to all segments of Government, private industry, environmental groups and private individuals, because it could save substantial amounts of money in maintenance and equipment, protect the environment, and conserve a precious natural resource, oil.

The use of biofuels in Europe is justified by the common agricultural policy decisions, by the need to improve environment protection and by the search of alternative fossil energy sources. In such a context, France decided to conduct a national experiment to demonstrate that a diesel fuel containing, up to 5%, rapeseed methyl ester (RME) could be handled as common diesel fuel by the distributors. Refiners (Elf, TOTAL), car and truck manufacturers (PSA, RENAULT SA RENAULT TRUCKS). French civil services (industry and agricultural departments ADEME) and an organization working on vegetable oils (ONIDOL) joined this program implemented and coordinated by IFP.

The cost of fuel for commercial trucks is second only to labor in the total vehicle operating costs. Therefore, technologies that reduce fuel consumption can have a significant impact on the bottom line for both trucking fleets and owner/operators. Quantifying the fuel savings associated with different technologies, however, is complicated by many factors, and short-term testing often cannot adequately quantify small changes in fuel consumption that, over time, can add up to substantial cost savings on a vehicle. For example, fuel economy gains of less than one percent may not be reliably measurable using fuel tests, and variable environmental and use factors can cast some doubt on the appropriateness of short-term testing.

This paper establishes a methodology for evaluation of the useful life of radial tires used in fleet vehicles, using removed product failure classification and removal time obtained after scrap tire analysis. In the evaluation of the reliability of products, non-parametric and parametric analyses using Weibull distributions are carried out in order to identify and characterize which failures cause higher financial loss in fleets. Comparing the losses due to early failures it's possible to prioritize countermeasures for scrap reduction that present more efficient results.

RECENT active interest in the use of commercial butane gas as a fuel for highway-transportation equipment, particularly on the Pacific Coast, indicated to Mr. Barnard the advisability of resurveying the field of possible substitutes for gasoline, especially as regards butane. Since rapid developments in the conversion of truck fleets to use butane as fuel took place in the West, Mr. Barnard considers the possibility of the general use of butane in this class of service. After going into detail regarding the chemical properties and performances of butane and gasoline, as well as their economic aspects, Mr. Barnard concludes that an attempt to supply butane under the conditions necessary for highway units eventually would result in a final cost to the operator-on a gallonage basis-higher than that prevailing for regular gasoline. He states that no very widespread use of butane as a fuel could occur without increasing the demand to a status at which the cost would be prohibitive.

The fuel economy potential of diesel and spark ignition engines is surveyed, recognizing that these engines will be the primary power sources for the passenger car and light truck fleets during the 1980s. These surveys treat 1979 production engines, and emphasis is given to state-of-the-art technologies; engine control strategies and special combustion system configurations are given special emphasis. Summaries are presented in terms of miles per gallon for engines installed in typical vehicles. The findings presented are an attempt to quantify fuel economy improvements that could be accomplished; they are not intended to predict any actual plans.

The “Fleet Administrator” or “Director of Maintenance” of the light and medium duty truck fleet in the United States is being subjected to many changes to his historical methods of doing business and to the vehicles he purchases. Federal legislation, which has had such profound effects upon the passenger car industry in the past, is now being directed toward the light and medium truck. The carry over effects of the passenger car regulations are compounded by the direct effects of light truck fuel economy and emissions standards. This paper attempts to address the changes in the Automotive Industries brought on by federal legislation and the effects upon the commercial fleet user.