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.

Articles•by Jim Park•August 15, 2011

Uneven Wear on Wide-Base Single Tires

The wear demons don't discriminate between standard and wide-base single tires. With a few exceptions, the kinds of irregular wear that standard tires exhibit will appear on wide-base singles, too

Articles•by Jim Park•August 15, 2011

Test Drive: MaxxForce 15 for the Big Hills

When Navistar execs turned the key on one of the first MaxxForce 15 engines at the 2009 Mid-America Trucking Show, there were more than a few doubting Thomases in the audience

Articles•by Jim Park•July 10, 2011

Wheel Balance From the Inside Out

The next time you're driving alongside a truck at highway speed, have a look at the wheels. They should be running straight and true without any wobble or vibration

Articles•by Jim Park•July 6, 2011

Is There a Glider Kit in Your Future?

Remember the glider kit? You buy a brand-new cab with a steer axle and frame rails, and install your own drivetrain - usually pulled from a wrecked truck or an older truck that has seen better days. Well, it seems they are making a bit of a comeback

Articles•by Jim Park•July 6, 2011

Pushing Out Trade Cycles Can Save Money, But It Isn't for the Ill Informed

Many fleets have discovered in recent months that you can't put 10 pounds of rocks into a 5-pound bag. Pushing trade cycles for highway trucks to squeeze a few more months or a year out of an asset may seem feasible, but the unplanned costs can eat you alive

Articles•by Jim Park•July 6, 2011

Pushing Out Trade Cycles Can Save Money, But It Isn't for the Ill Informed

Articles•by Jim Park•July 6, 2011

Under-inflated Tires Are No Longer Just an Efficiency Issue: They Can Affect Your Safety Profile

Need another reason to sweat your tire pressure? How about CSA? It would be hell explaining to your grandkids that you used to run a trucking company until the DOT put you out of business because of poor tire maintenance

Articles•by Jim Park•June 28, 2011

CSA's Cargo BASIC Demands More from Flatbed and Open Deck Carriers

Open-deck carriers will have a lot on their minds going forward

Articles•by Jim Park•May 26, 2011

Synthetic-Web Strapping Under Scrutiny

What do you know about the synthetic web strapping you use to secure cargo? What you need to know is that it has a label, tag or stencil showing the manufacturer's name and/or trademark, and the working load limit of the strap in pounds or kilograms. You've got all that? The label even says the strap is DOT approved. You're good to go, right? Guess what? There are no DOT standards for cargo strapping

Articles•by Jim Park•May 3, 2011

Ready for Reman

The average age of a truck in the U.S. fleet is now about 6.7 years. That's about 11 months older than the historical average and the oldest it has ever been, according to ACT data going back to 1979

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