Tire Care: A Safety Bulletin from Idealease

Looking to decrease your operating costs? Damaged, worn, or improperly inflated tires aren’t just unsafe: they’re expensive! Two of the most significant costs associated with operating a vehicle are fuel and tire replacement. Ensuring that your tires are in good condition both improves your fuel economy and extends tire longevity.

Poor tire care can also cost you on the road and during inspections. Improperly inflated tires cause an alarming number of accidents, and accidents aren’t cheap! Damaged tires or tires with insufficient tread depth (below 4/32” for steer axle tires and below 2/32” for all other tires) are a leading cause of trucks being pulled out of service or cited during roadside inspections.

To improve your bottom line, you should encourage your drivers to check for tire damage and wear during pre and post trip inspections. Also, tire gauges (the only accurate method of checking for proper inflation) should be part of your drivers’ uniforms.

To read more, visit:

http://www.idealease.com/safetycompliance/02_17_2012.pdf

Peterson's Dutch Auction Starts February 27, 2012!

Beginning on February 27, Peterson will be auctioning off over 50 pieces of heavy equipment. The selection will include an assortment of new and used tractors, generators, air compressors, pumps and trucks from our various lines of equipment. Customers will have the opportunity to bid on available items between February 27 and March 23.

Click here to read more. 

Award Driver Excellence with a Recognition Program

Good drivers are an integral part of maintaining the profitability of your fleet. Safe, responsible driving means greater fuel efficiency, fewer accidents, and minimal fines from violations. Driver Recognition Awards encourage your drivers to strive for excellence and help keep your fleet in the black.

This is why Idealease recommends using February to review and update your Driver Recognition programs. State and federal programs are available to help streamline this process. You can contact the American Trucking Association or the California Trucking Association for details.

For helpful guidelines on setting up a driver recognition award program for your business, visit:

http://www.idealease.com/safetycompliance/02_10_2012.pdf

Navistar and Clean Energy Announce Partnership to Provide Natural Gas Trucks to Consumers

Navistar prides itself on its dedication to provide the trucking industry with the cutting-edge technology that can reduce operational costs while cutting emissions. As part of this vision, Navistar announced last week that it will partner with Clean Energy Fuels Corp. to provide customers with natural-gas powered vehicles at the same cost as equivalent diesel trucks.

While natural-gas vehicles would generally cost consumers up to $35,000 more than their diesel counterparts, Navistar has committed to developing and selling these models at diesel-vehicle prices. Clean Energy will contribute to this plan by providing the fuel and infrastructure necessary to power Navistar’s trucks.

Fleet owners who opt to take advantage of this program must agree to purchase the fuel for their natural gas trucks exclusively from Clean Energy, but the company guarantees that their fuel will remain 50 to 60 cents/gallon lower than diesel fuel. Clean Energy has also pledged to grow their infrastructure, unveiling a plan to open 70 natural gas fueling stations across 33 states by the year’s end.

Medium-duty trucks for this program will be available to fleets soon, and there are plans to provide heavy-duty natural gas trucks by next year.

For more information, read Navistar’s press release at:

http://lmtruck.com/articles/lmtbase.aspx?storyid=1708&utm_source=alert&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=newsletter

or call a Peterson Trucks representative at 510.618.5550.

Idealease 2012 Safety Seminars

Idealease has released the dates and information for its Safety Seminars in 2012.

Click here for details, locations, and dates!

Idealease Safety Bulletin: Mirror Safety

For professional drivers, mirrors are integral to maximizing visibility and preventing accidents. But, unfortunately, some fleet managers overlook checking their vehicles’ mirrors routinely, allowing their drivers to hit the road with damaged or poorly-adjusted mirrors. Not only is this a serious safety hazard; it can mean heavy fines during roadside inspections or FMCSA audits!

In order to assure that their vehicles are in safe operating condition, managers should inspect mirrors at least once a week to ensure proper adjustment and tightness.

Drivers and fleet managers should also keep these Idealease safety tips in mind:

1. A professional driver watches his mirrors nearly as much as he watches the road ahead.

2. Vision is restricted when using mirrors.

3. As a precaution, you should always check for traffic with and without mirrors.

4. Proper adjustment of mirrors is essential in safe driving.

5. To adjust mirrors accurately on a combination unit, the vehicle must be in a straight line. The driver must

be in a normal position behind the steering wheel while making adjustments

6. Mirrors should be clean and without cracks

7. Mirror heads and support brackets should be properly tightened to reduce vibration at the mirror head.

8. Keep your eyes moving while you are driving! Do not stare at any one object for more than two seconds.

To read more, visit:

http://www.idealease.com/safetycompliance/02_03_2012.pdf

Potential Defect with Bendix ATR 6 Valves

Please see the Navistar release below:


Bendix has determined that a potential defect related to motor vehicle safety exists with Bendix ATR 6 valves. The link below describes the current situation and actions underway.


Units affected were built January through December 2011 and equipped with either traction control and/or ESP (exact date codes of affected valves are specified in the FAQ) . International will begin directly notifying affected customers shortly.
Under cold conditions (0 F or colder ) internal leakage can potentially develop, resulting in pressure being delivered to the affected delivery circuit.
If you your fleet operates in severe cold conditions please review the link to the FAQ that provides details for a temporary remedy that disables the solenoid and minimizes the risk of service brake apply when operating in cold weather.


Bendix will begin shipping the permanent remedy kit to affected OEM's Feb 3.

http://www.bendix.com/media/documents/recallcenter/atr_6/ATR-6_Issue_Overview__UPDATED.pdf

Navistar Continues to Lead the Trucking Industry in Emissions Solutions

Meeting California’s emission standards is a daunting task for fleets of all sizes; however, Navistar is dedicating to providing its customers with cutting-edge emissions solutions that continue to set the bar for the trucking industry. Below are facts released by Navistar to its dealer network yesterday:

·         All trucks sold in CY 2012 will be certified to operate in all 50 states and Canada.

·         Navistar will submit a 0.2g NOx in-cylinder Big Bore engine for production certification in the coming weeks.  We have been working with the EPA for several months in anticipation of our submission and expect production of the engine to begin later this year.

·         While the EPA is processing this submission, Navistar will continue to build engines with credits we’ve earned by producing and selling cleaner engines in advance of the regulation requirements.  In the event this process takes longer, the EPA has recently published a rule, as was always contemplated in the Clean Air Act, that provides multiple paths for companies to continue producing engines.

·         When submissions and certification is complete: Navistar will be the only manufacturer in the world who has achieved a 0.2g NOx solution without SCR and our products will continue to represent the best solution for our customers. 

·         We believe the burden of emissions requirements is an OEM’s responsibility and thus, our compliance strategies remain focused on providing solutions without the complexity and operating hassles associated with SCR.

·         The true mark of a leader is to continue to move ahead of the competition by understanding and anticipating where the market is going.  Watch for our announcement on Natural Gas next week to see where Navistar is headed next.