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Jim Park

Former HDT Equipment Editor

Jim Park served as Heavy Duty Trucking's equipment editor from 2006-2024. Specializing in technical and equipment content, Park is an award-winning journalist who has been covering the trucking industry since 1998.

Before joining HDT, Park was a truck driver and owner-operator for 20 years and served as an editor for HighwayStar magazine, which ceased production in 2011. He maintained his commercial driver’s license to bring a real-world perspective to Test Drives, as well as to features, videos and podcasts about equipment spec’ing and trends, emissions regulations and developments, maintenance and drivers.

He is the recipient of 16 Jesse H. Neal honors (both finalist and Neal awards), including “Best Range of Work by a Single Author” in 2020.

Articlesby Jim ParkJune 26, 2012

Driving Fuel Efficiency

What's in it for me? That's what drivers want to know when you try to get them to save fuel. There are few stronger motivators than a good return on an investment. Building driver buy-in to your fuel economy program requires enough incentiv

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Articlesby Jim ParkJune 1, 2012

Top 5 Vehicle Maintenance Violations

Vehicle maintenance violations are a huge threat to a carrier's safety record. There are close to 200 separate violations on FMCSA's list of point-carrying infractions, and many carry ratings of 5 points or higher

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Articlesby Jim ParkJune 1, 2012

Aftermarket Service Providers Can Help Customers Over CSA Hurdles

With 514,000 carriers running 9 million trucks and buses to contend with, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has had to develop a more effective way of tracking safety violations. It's called CSA, short for "Compliance, Safety, Accountability.

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Articlesby Jim ParkMay 31, 2012

Near-Term Aftermarket Outlook a Double-Edged Sword

The recession has been good for some aftermarket parts and service providers, but others took a bit of a thrashing between 2008 and 2011. Many cash-strapped fleets decided to keep trucks in service longer, which meant an increase in parts sales and service opportunities

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Articlesby Jim ParkMay 17, 2012

Keeping An Eye on 
Axles and Suspensions

Although the maintenance-free tractor-trailer is still a few years off, there are really only two big maintenance items left when it comes to axles and suspensions: the shock absorbers and the air springs. Some historically large maintenance items today are designed to almost outlive the trucks

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Articlesby Jim ParkMay 17, 2012

MPG for Mediums

The medium-duty world is dominated by the rental and leasing sectors and the pickup and delivery sector, at least in terms of the Class 5-7 trucks using 17.5- and 19.5-inch tires. What they want dictates what the tire makers deliver

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Articlesby Jim ParkMay 17, 2012

MPG for Mediums

The medium-duty world is dominated by the rental and leasing sectors and the pickup and delivery sector, at least in terms of the Class 5-7 trucks using 17.5- and 19.5-inch tires. What they want dictates what the tire makers deliver

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Articlesby Jim ParkMay 16, 2012

Test Drive: Kenworth T680

When I first heard that Kenworth's new T680 was unveiled at the Mid-America Trucking Show, I wondered why Kenworth was already upgrading the two-year-old T700

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Articlesby Jim ParkMay 2, 2012

Regular Tire Pressure Checks are Worthwhile

Weekly tire pressure checks might seem unrealistically ambitious, but given what's at stake in terms of tread wear and tire life, it's a worthwhile goal. Regular tire inspections should, obviously, include pressure checks

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Articlesby Jim ParkMay 2, 2012

Protecting Your Investment With Proper Tire Inspections

There's more to a proper tire inspection than kicking it with a cold boot

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