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•May 2, 2011

The Coming Driver Shortage, Part 2: Who Will Be Driving Your Trucks?

That trucking is about to experience its worst labor shortage ever should as come no surprise. Our fate was cast years ago, though a few cruel twists have conspired to make it worse than it otherwise would have been.

Articles•by Jim Park•April 8, 2011

Tire Report: Suspensions & Tire Wear

The knee-bone connects to the leg-bone. The leg-bone connects to the ankle-bone. The axle-bone connects to the wheel-bone, and the wheel-bone connects to the tire-bone … so the song goes, sort of.

On the Road•by Jim Park•March 18, 2011

Whoa! That was Close

Not really, but it sure felt that way. With electronic collision avoidance technology working along side a driver's good judgment, the potential for truck-into-car rear-end crashes could be greatly minimized. This technology will reduce crashes and prevent all sorts of calamity on our highways

Articles•by Jim Park•February 10, 2011

Hino Offers Sneak Peek of New Class 4/5 Diesel and Hybrid COE

While it has not yet been introduced to American and Canadian customers, North American truck writers got a sneak peek and a test drive of Hino's all-new light-duty COE at the company's Hamura truck plant near Tokyo last week. The official launch takes place at the NTEA Work Truck Show Indianapolis on March 8, 2011

Articles•by Jim Park•December 29, 2010

Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems: No One-Trick Pony

Okay, we know that optimized tire pressure improves tread and casing life (and value too) and can contribute to improved fuel economy.

Articles•by Jim Park•November 30, 2010

Test Drive: Peterbilt Model 587 with Paccar MX Make Dynamic Duo

You can't argue with the design, engineering, and manufacturing synergies of improving on an existing product

Articles•by Jim Park•November 29, 2010

Reman Today: Remanufacturing Faces New Pressures in a Changing World

Why use new parts when used parts are half the price

Articles•by Jim Park•November 2, 2010

Wheel-Ends: Torque Your Nuts

Attaching wheels to a truck hub is serious business. Yet it's not uncommon to see some big bruiser of a mechanic, one foot against the bottom of the tire, whaling away with a 1-inch-drive impact gun driving the wheel nuts home. That's not the right way to do it.

Articles•by Jim Park•October 12, 2010

All Pressured Up: Automatic Tire Inflation Systems Offer Protection from Underinflation Woes

As I write each month on the latest advancements in tire development and improvements in technology to prolong tire life and reduce operating costs, one single theme remains front and center: the need to keep tires properly inflated

Articles•by Jim Park•September 29, 2010

Analyst: The State of the Heavy-Duty Aftermarket

We've just been through a brutal couple of years; 2008 and 2009 weren't kind to trucking or its suppliers. Trucking activity was down an estimated 15 percent during that period, and that took a lot of industry-related activity down with it. Fewer trucks ran fewer miles, so they required fewer repairs. The aging schedule of existing equipment changed too, and that will have some downstream implications. Where does that leave heavy-duty aftermarket parts and service suppliers

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