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Consolidation, more proprietary parts and increased competition are squeezing margins for those who sell heavy-duty truck parts. Industry experts are on the record saying that in the future, aftermarket parts distributors need to have service as part of their business if they want to remain profitable.
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As one of the two biggest non-labor expenses that trucking fleets have, tires require careful maintenance. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program further underscores the importance of good tire maintenance practices.
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Whether you want to sell your company in a year, five years, even 10 years and beyond, there are five steps you need to take right now that will maximize your company’s value. Proper preparation will enhance the value of your company, make the transaction flow more smoothly, and avoid pitfalls that often terminate transactions midstream.
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DataQs, the online system for correcting CSA scoring, has the reputation of being cumbersome and unpredictable, but there’s a way for safety managers to get what they need from it. Call it the ABCs of DataQs.
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The Affordable Care Act (ACA), which requires individuals to have health insurance, could change the way trucking companies handle their healthcare coverage policies for employees. The Truckload Carriers Association held a webinar on May 23 to discuss its analysis of the ACA and the impact it will have on the trucking industry.
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Leasing owner-operators is one of the quickest ways a company can increase the fleet’s capacity. However, there are several pitfalls with using leased owner-operators, for both the company and the owner-operator.
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If you know what to look for, and are sensitive to the symptoms, you can spot many potential brake problems before they become real liabilities. And having concluded there's a problem, you can report it to the shop in a way that might prompt more than a readjustment of the slack adjusters.
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You probably have a pretty good idea what a telematics system is, even if you don't know it by that name. You may know it as a fleet management system or GPS fleet management system or GPS vehicle tracking system.
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It takes special people to be flatbedders. Tarping, however, is usually not on their list of favorite activities. A single tarpaulin can weigh 65 to 100 pounds or more. It must be half thrown and half dragged over the load, spread evenly with corners properly folded and tucked in, and the whole piece of slippery fabric secured with straps and bungies.
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Want to get a handle on alternative fuels? Talk with someone who uses them. One person is Melvin Rose, fleet manager for Monroe County in western New York, which surrounds Rochester. The county has 700 vehicles, from compact cars to Class 8 trucks. All run on ethanol-gasoline blends, biodiesel, compressed natural gas or propane, and Rose loves to talk about them.
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