Volume • 12/ Issue • 4 BrakingBraking New New Ground Ground Air Disc Brakes Offer Performance, Maintenance Pluses InIn For For the the Longer, Longer, Heavier Heavier Haul Haul Why More Productive Trucks May Soon Be Reality FeelingFeeling the the Heat Heat Reefer Fleets Face Industry, Environmental Regulations CALENDAR March March 8-11 TRALA – Trailer Rental and Leasing Association Annual Conference Westin Mission Hills Resort and Spa Palm Springs, California March 13-16 TCA – Truckload Carriers Association Value and Quality Annual Convention Hilton Bayfront Hotel & Engineered for the Long Haul Convention Center San Diego, California March 31 – April 2 Dear Customer, Mid-America Trucking Show Kentucky Fair and Expo Center At Great Dane trailers, we’re here to help you get the most value for Louisville, Kentucky your investment, and with our superior quality products, you can. Great Dane trailers are widely renowned for their unmatched durability and reliable performance. Some of these products include our SSL dry van with its patented sin- gle-sided laminate interior lining that provides exceptional durability for one hauler in the Midwest. Another customer’s time-sensitive freight relies on Great Dane’s refrigerated trailer technology to go the distance to keep its loads fresh. Additional topics of interest in this issue of Evolving Trailer Technology include the advantages of air disc brakes, proposed regula- tions that could affect refrigerated trailer fleets, and the push for trucks to pull longer and heavier loads. Now more than ever, getting value, quality and dependability for your money is of chief concern for our customers. Not only will our sales staff assist you in helping you select the best options for your business, but also our parts and service support will be there to get the greatest return on your investment for the life of your trailer. Visit us at www.myettnews.com Regards, • Update your reader profile Jim Pines • Send comments to the editor Executive Vice President • Request product literature Great Dane Trailers • Locate your Great Dane branch or dealer • Link to the Great Dane home page 2 Volume • 12/ Issue • 4 Florida 8 Beauty Flora Table of Great Dane Super Seal Reefers Go the Distance to Keep Precious Cargo Fresh Contents Volume • 12/ Issue • 4 News and Trends 44 FMCSA’s Hours-of-Service revisions Met with Resistance Inside Track: • • 55 • Air Disc Brakes Longer/Heavier Trucks? Regulations on Reefer Fleets Florida Beauty Flora 88 Custom-Designed Great Dane Super Seal Reefers Keep Specialized Hauler’s Loads Freash Vendor View: • 1010 Hendrickson TIREMAXX PRO Did You Know? • New Driver Monitoring THERMO KING 14 Technologies Help Fight deBoer Transportation, Inc. Distracted and Fatigued Driving 1212 Great Dane’s The Composite and SSL Dry Freight Vans Provide Exceptional Service for Truckload Carrie’s High Cube, Heavy Loads Did You Know? 1414 New Driver Monitoring Technologies Aimed at Improving Safety MyETTNews.com 1515 Tap into an Industry News Network with MyETTNews.com Great Dane’s Dynamic online presence. Comments for the editor? E-mail: [email protected] deBoer Or write to: Evolving Trailer Technology Transportation Great Dane Trailers 12 P.O. Box 67 Truckload Carrier Relies on Great Dane's The Composites and SSLs Savannah, GA 31402 to Deliver Superior Service Evolving Trailer Technology is published by Great Dane Trailers. Changing the Rules FMCSA’s Hours-of-Service Revisions Met With Resistance n what some in the industry would call while operating under current HOS rules. greater crash risks. With respect to the an unwanted gift, just before the Calling that record “remarkable,” ATA 34-hour restart, FMCSA has found in the Christmas holiday the Federal Motor President and CEO Bill Graves cited that past that requiring two nights of sleep Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) crash-related fatalities are down 33 per- would disrupt drivers’ circadian cycle and delivered its much anticipated proposed cent from 2003, and that fatality and add to more daytime driving in congested changes to Hours of Service (HOS) rules injury crash rates are at their lowest level periods, again increasing crash risk. for truck drivers. The Dec. 23, 2010 pro- since the U.S. Department of The changes proposed today “will be posal by FMCSA would change the HOS Transportation began keeping records. enormously expensive for trucking and regulations that have been in place since the economy” Graves said. “FMCSA 2004 in three ways. “Trucking’s never been safer,” Graves estimated, just two years ago, costs of stated. “The proposal is overly complex, over $2.2 billion if the daily drive time FMCSA has proposed that the HOS rules chock full of unnecessary restrictions was reduced by one hour and the restart be amended to reduce the maximum daily on professional truck drivers and, at its provision was significantly changed. In driving time by one hour to 10 hours, core, would substantially reduce fact, FMCSA concluded that, “eliminat- reduce the maximum daily working time trucking’s productivity.” ing the 11th hour is unlikely to be window by an additional hour, and abol- cost effective under any reasonable set As ATA sees it, FMCSA has consistently ish the 34-hour restart as it exists today. of circumstances.” gone on record over the last five years, Leading the charge against these changes with supporting information and data, The FMCSA proposal includes a number is the American Trucking Associations, stating the current rules are having no of changes to HOS rules. For its part, which has issued a white paper and negative effect on driver health. ATA promises to fully evaluate the pro- launched an accompanying Web site For example, the agency previously found posal and to identify costs and benefits of highlighting the successes of the current that the 11th hour of driving time does the changes. Interested parties may also HOS regulations. The association is call- not increase driver weekly hours; is used comment publicly on the rule changes ing for retention of current rules with the for flexibility purposes; does not increase through the end of February 2011. For exception of greater flexibility in the driver-fatigue risks, and that eliminating details and to submit a comment, visit sleeper berth rule. it would promote more aggressive driving www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ (to meet time constraints) and lead to rules-regulations/topics/hos-proposed/ At the core of ATA’s message is the placing tens of thousands of less experi- hos-proposed.aspx. trucking industry’s safety performance enced drivers on the road who could pose 4 VolumeVolume• •912/ Issue/ Issue• 1• 4 Advantages of Air Disc Brakes Shorter Stopping Distance, Durability Make for Worthwhile Investment ssued in July 2009 by the National Highway Traffic Safety • Greater stability during stops can be expected. This is due to a Administration (NHTSA), new stopping distance standards are set negligible difference between left and right side brake perform- to take effect for three-axle tractors with a Gross Vehicle Weight ance because pressure is being applied constantly to all wheels. Rating (GVWR) of 59,600 lbs or less built after Aug. 1, 2011. The • Exceptional brake fade performance, proven in testing on a 7 per- new regulations are going to be phased in over four years. Two-axle cent grade that revealed the virtual elimination of brake fade and tractors and power units with a GVWR above 59,600 lbs must meet no degradation in stopping power. the new requirements by Aug. 1, 2013. • Disc and drum wear balance is not an issue as field test data sug- gests that an air disc brake-equipped tractor and drum brake- The reduced stopping distance requirements specified by NHTSA equipped trailer experiences no degradation in tractor disc pad mandate that a three-axle tractor-trailer traveling 60 MPH must wear or in trailer brake lining wear. come to a complete stop in 250 ft, a reduction of about 30 percent • For fleets with experience with air disc brakes, it is also apparent over the previous standard of 355 ft. For some severe service tractor- that servicing times are considerably shorter and service intervals trailer combinations, the new stopping distance requirement will be are generally longer. A rule of thumb in most applications is a fac- 310 ft. tor of two to one. Today’s air disc brakes are dramatically improved over earlier ver- To meet more stringent stopping distance requirements, braking sys- sions when brake balance, brake fade and service replacement cost tem suppliers have been working closely with vehicle manufacturers issues limited their acceptance. In light of the new stopping distance to develop solutions. According to those companies, there requirements, major brake system manufacturers are quick to point will most likely be an increase in the cost of out the benefits of air disc brakes for tractors as well as trailers: tractors built after Aug. 1, 2011 to cover the enhanced brakes that will be • Along with proven stopping capability in terms of faster response required to meet the new regu- times and shorter stopping distances, air disc brakes generally offer lations. That, in turn, could improved responsiveness. The stopping distance advantage is make air disc brakes a poten- even more apparent at high speeds, an important consideration in tially worthwhile investment. the 10 states that allow trucks to travel at 75 MPH. www.greatdanetrailers.com 5 Why Longer, Heavier Trucks May be Closer Than Ever to Reality Stronger Environmental Concerns, Shifting Political Attitudes May Bring Change aking trucks more productive by engineering them to According to several speakers at the conference, political atti- haul more freight is not a new idea. Driven by growing environ- tudes are shifting in favor of such changes. The biggest hurdle, mental concerns, the ongoing desire to lower fuel costs by they said, is not technology.