Clevite

MAHLE Clevite has been involved in the Heavy Duty aftermarket now for over 50 years and offers a wide range of replacement parts for Heavy Duty engines found in Agriculture, Construction, Trucking, Marine and Oil Field operations.

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Continental truck tires

Continental truck tires saved our winner an average of 0.4 MPG in the 2009 Beat the Best fuel saving contest. Help your customers choose the new tires that can increase their fuel economy and reduce their driving costs! Visit www.continental-truck.com and click on the Beat the Best promotion for details.

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GM is, in essence, still in the medium-duty truck business. That’s the message according to Mark Karney, marketing director for General Motors’ medium-duty trucks. Although GM ceased production of its medium-duty Kodiak and TopKick models in July as a response to the company’s recession-spurred bankruptcy proceedings and subsequent restructuring efforts, Karney stresses that both GMC Truck and Chevrolet will remain dedicated to servicing and supporting its medium-duty products for the foreseeable future.

“We have a strong dealer network that has been selling and servicing medium-duty trucks for years, and that network is still intact,” Karney notes. “Our customers have the peace of mind of knowing those dealers are there through our wind-down period that goes through mid-October 2010, and we are in the early stages of developing a service agreement that will provide further peace of mind for our customers beyond that date. And even though we’re not manufacturing medium-duty vehicles currently, we still have over 6,000 trucks in stock that are fully backed by General Motors and our warranty provisions and fully supported by our strong dealer network that is out there. Our customers need to understand that they have our assurance that they will be able to get parts, service and support for the trucks they purchase for the life of that vehicle.”

Although General Motors won’t offer indefinite parts and service support, Karney says the company typically provides parts availability for up to 10 years on parts even for models and products that are exiting a given market.

“That’s kind of our unwritten policy,” he adds. “And we’ve communicated that intention to our dealers. We will do our best to secure parts for our trucks for as long as we possibly can, while acknowledging that some of those parts come from outside vendors and suppliers. But we are preparing ourselves to stand behind the vehicles and stand behind our dealers who will be needed to service the trucks that are still being sold now and for the next year-and-a-half, through October 2010.”

As to the future of the Kodiak and TopKick brands and whether or not they will reappear in the medium-duty market in the future, Karney isn’t sure.

“I haven’t been involved in any negotiations that have been going on,” he says. “I do know there are outside parties that have expressed interest in the assets of the plants and the intellectual property behind the trucks themselves. We have a lot of brand equity built up in those two models, and we’re going to try and preserve and protect that to the best of our ability going forward. It all depends on the level of interest from the outside stakeholders that are interested in the assets. Our medium-duty line was a good fit for our business and rounded out our portfolio and gave a broader range of trucks to our customers who wanted to purchase from GM. But unfortunately, because of business conditions and our volumes and upcoming regulations, the business case for staying in the medium-duty market just didn’t hold water for GM anymore. We just couldn’t make it work.”

Asked if a revamped financially secure GM one day might return to manufacturing medium-duty vocational trucks, Karney noted that although such a scenario currently was not possible, anything could happen in the future.

“Again,” he says, “there are still possibilities in the future for our manufacturing facilities and the expertise we have in this market that others may want to tap into. So there is always the potential that some type of relationship could pop up down the road that leverages GM’s expertise in this market.”

Karney also notes he is beginning to see sounds that the economy is beginning to rebound. “We are seeing quite a bit of light at the end of the tunnel now, not just because of the CARS – ‘Cash for Clunkers’ – program, but we’re starting to see some effects of the stimulus spending and an uptick in sales volumes for pickups and medium-duty trucks,” he says. “And we’re getting some anecdotal comments from our customers and our dealers that the light at the end of the tunnel is getting stronger and everybody seems to think that we’re through the worst of the downturn. Our sales have been at a fairly constant level for the past couple of months versus the downward trend they had been on. So we’re all optimistic and feeling things are turning around.”

Officials from heavy-duty engine manufacturers gave an audience of drivers and fleet representatives at last week’s The Great American Trucking Show in Dallas the latest details concerning cost and performance of their technologies for meeting 2010 emissions regulations.

With the exception of Navistar, which is using advanced exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), the engine manufacturers are introducing selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s mandate to reduce NOx emissions to 0.2 grams in 2010.

SCR requires the use of diesel exhaust fluid. Navistar plans to meet the requirements in the engine cylinder without an additive.

The 2010 Cummins ISX engines will yield better fuel economy than current engines, said Jason Owens, customer performance technical manager at Cummins. “Our new engines will have a larger ‘sweet spot,’ resulting in better drivability,” he said.

David Siler, director of marketing for Detroit Diesel, also touted improved fuel economy as a big advantage for truck owners with the company’s BlueTec technology. “The DD15 will provide fuel economy not seen since the pre-2002 engines,” Siler said.

In addition to improved mileage claims by the engine manufacturers using SCR, David McKenna, director of powertrain sales and marketing for Mack, reported there would be no change in engine hardware under the hood, making the engines “service friendly.”

Volvo’s engines will show higher horsepower and the bonus of no active regeneration with the 2010 power units, said James Fancher, marketing product manager.

Navistar said its 2010 MaxxForce engines offer truck owners greater simplicity because no new agent will have to be added, as with the use of DEF. “We have a turn-key strategy,” said Steve Perkins, senior sales specialist for the Navistar engines. “We take the burden off the customers and put it on us as the manufacturer.”

VIPAR Heavy Duty and the VHD Equipment Network, A VIPAR subsidiary, announced they have added a new supplier program with Hyva USA, a manufacturer of hydraulic loading and unloading parts and systems, including telescopic (multi-stage) front cylinders for dump trucks and semi-dump trucks.

“We are always looking to provide greater depth to our product lines,” said Chris Baer, vice president, VIPAR Heavy Duty. “With the addition of Hyva USA’s high-value components to our portfolio of premium brands, VIPAR Heavy Duty and VHD Equipment Network members have additional competitive products to sell to their customers.”

“We are excited to partner with both the VIPAR Heavy Duty and VHD Equipment Networks, because they represent the leading parts and equipment networks in North America,” said Guy A. Vachon, managing director, Hyva USA. “Our products are engineered, manufactured, and distributed to exceed customer expectations in terms of availability, performance, durability and after sales service.”

Registration is open and materials are available online for the first annual Aftermarket Distribution Summit which integrates the annual CVSN meeting, the Truck Parts Seminar and the HDX Technology Conference.

Information and registration materials for both distributors and suppliers are now available at www.AftermarketDistributionSummit.org, the official CVSN site for the new meeting, which is themed “Readying for the Rebound.”

The Aftermarket Distribution Summit is expected to draw hundreds of truck industry aftermarket professionals to its debut Sept. 12-16 on Amelia Island, Fla. The new event combines the annual Commercial Vehicle Solutions Network meeting, Truck Parts & Service magazine’s Truck Parts Seminar and the HDX Technology Conference.

For additional sponsorship and participation information, contact CVSN Director Angelo Volpe, 904/737-2900.

The national average retail price of a gallon of diesel increased for the fifth consecutive week, climbing 1.6 cents to $2.668 for the week ending Monday, Aug. 24. The price – which has climbed 17.2 cents since July 20 – is the highest recorded this year, but is still $1.477 less than the same week last year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

All regions tracked by the DOE saw price increases. The largest increase by region, 4.1 cents, was found on the West Coast, where week-over-week prices climbed to $2.785, the nation’s most expensive diesel by region. The smallest increase by region, 0.2 cents, was found in New England, where week-over-week prices climbed to $2.741. The nation’s least expensive diesel by region, $2.622, was found on the Gulf Coast, where prices climbed 1.5 cents.

California, which the DOE tracks separately for its weekly update, saw a price increase of 0.8 cents to $2.880; still, that price is $1.479 cheaper than last year.

Kenworth Truck Co. announced that it achieved the highest ranking in customer satisfaction among Class 8 truck owners in the Over the Road, Pickup and Delivery (P&D) and Dealer Service segments, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Heavy Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study.

The annual study ranks customer satisfaction by evaluating manufacturer performance in the areas of vehicle performance, quality, cost of ownership, warranty and dealer service. The study is based on interviews with primary maintainers of 2007 model year Class 8 trucks.

Kenworth has earned the Over the Road honor five consecutive years, as well as receiving all five Pickup and Delivery awards presented, and three Dealer Service awards. The Kirkland, Wash.-based company has received 16 heavy-duty truck customer satisfaction awards since J.D. Power and Associates initiated the studies in 2003. In the J.D. Power and Associates Heavy Duty Truck Dealer Service segment, Kenworth was ranked the highest for Dealer Facility, Service Quality, Service Delivery, Service Initiation and Service Advisor categories.

“It is a great honor for Kenworth to receive three prestigious 2009 awards from J.D. Power and Associates,” said Bill Kozek, Kenworth general manager and Paccar vice president. “Kenworth employees are committed to delivering the highest-quality products and service to our customers. Our dealers provide excellent customer support by delivering industry-leading product quality, service performance and low-cost-of-ownership vehicles.”

Cummins Filtration, a division of Cummins Inc., announced that it is consolidating a significant portion of its North American filter assembly operations into its facility in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, over the next several months in order to keep the business competitive in this region.

Under the consolidation, filter assembly operations at the Cummins Filtration plant in Lake Mills, Iowa, will be moved to San Luis Potosi, beginning in November. The company also is considering moving additional assembly work from its filtration plant in Cookeville, Tenn., but a final decision has not yet been made.

As a result of the consolidation, the Cummins work force in Lake Mills will be reduced by about 400 workers between November and March 2010. Other operations, which employ about 110 people, will remain at the Lake Mills plant.

The consolidation, which involves assembly of oil and fuel filters, is expected to result in significant annual savings to Cummins Filtration after the costs associated with the action are recouped. The company says the move will be seamless to Cummins Filtration customers.

“The filtration industry has become increasingly price-sensitive in the past several years, and the recent reduction in demand has heightened the need for us to take decisive action to make our business more cost-competitive, both for the present and well into the future,” says Rich Freeland, president of the Components business, which includes Cummins Filtration.

“We have a number of under-used filtration plants in North America, and after considering a full range of factors, it was determined that consolidating much of our filter assembly in San Luis Potosi, which is our most modern and cost-effective facility, offers the business the best chance for long-term success,” Freeland says.

Cummins Filtration currently employs about 330 people in San Luis Potosi and assembles the same type of products as those that will be moved to the plant in this consolidation. The Cummins Filtration operation is part of a larger Cummins Inc. manufacturing campus in San Luis Potosi that also includes engine and power generation equipment production.

Cummins has had a wholly owned manufacturing presence in San Luis Potosi since the early 1980s and employs about 2,000 people in the city. Cummins Filtration expects to add additional jobs in San Luis Potosi over the next 10 months as a result of the consolidation.

Cummins Filtration is the largest of four businesses that comprise the Cummins Components group. Cummins says the Components group has been among the hardest hit of its business segments in recent months, as the recession has resulted in a sharp drop in global demand for diesel engines and related components over the last three quarters.

Components sales were down 41 percent in the second quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2008, and the segment reported a $10 million loss before interest and taxes during the quarter. Cummins Filtration sales declined 37 percent from the same period in 2008.

“The current recession has led to the steepest drop in sales in the 52-year history of Cummins Filtration,” says Cummins Filtration President Joseph Saoud. “Sales have fallen more than 30 percent since November 2008, and we do not expect any meaningful recovery in demand until 2011.”

“This was an extremely difficult decision, and we realize the job reductions in Lake Mills will have a significant impact on our employees and the community,” Saoud says. “We had hoped to avoid this kind of job loss, but after exhausting all our initial options for reducing costs, it is clear that further significant action is necessary to remain competitive.”

Cummins says it is committed to assisting the Lake Mills community during the transition. In addition to offering severance and outplacement services, the company says it will help affected workers in receiving Trade Adjustment Assistance from the federal government and will continue to support a number of community organizations in the Lake Mills area.

This year marks 50 years since Volvo introduced the three-point safety belt – an invention that has saved more lives in traffic than any other technical feature.

“We immediately gave free use of our patent to all manufacturers, and today the safety belt is a natural feature in virtually all trucks and cars,” says Carl Johan Almqvist, Volvo Trucks’ traffic and product safety director. “That is why we can say that there is a bit of Volvo in every vehicle on the road – irrespective of make and model.”

However, although the three-point belt has been around for half a century, its use remains worryingly low among truck drivers in some countries. On Swedish roads, only four out of 10 truck drivers use the belt, while France, owing to tough legislation, has boosted safety belt use to 80 percent. The consequences of not using the belt are well documented in Volvo Trucks’ own accident research; of 15 truck driver fatalities on Swedish roads over the past three years, only one was wearing a safety belt.

“The human being does not have a built-in speedometer, so we do not perceive speed as dangerous, especially not when we sit high up in a large vehicle,” Almqvist says. “In a global perspective, every year a large number of drivers die while not wearing a safety belt, and their lives might have been saved by the truck’s most obvious safety feature. This is something we must rectify, a challenge that is as big as the development of new technologies for accident avoidance.”

The world’s first vehicle with a three-point safety belt as standard – a Volvo PV544 – was delivered in Karlstad, Sweden, on Aug. 13, 1959. “We have safety belt reminders in our trucks, but ultimately it is the drivers themselves who must realize the risks they are taking when they drive without wearing the safety belt,” Almqvist says. “Virtually our entire systematic safety approach is bypassed if the belt is not given the chance to hold the seat occupant securely in place during an accident. This applies equally if the driver is thrown around inside the cab or is thrown out of the cab if the truck rolls over.”

Mohawk Lifts says its proprietary USL-6000, a portable 6-foot-tall scissor lift, offers full under-vehicle access for all under-car work, as well as tire and brake service at mid-height, or body shop estimates at full height.

Featuring all-position mechanical and hydraulic safety locks, the 110-volt operated lift is designed to be moved easily by one person. According to the company, the USL-6000 is suited for narrow bays, shops with inadequate concrete floors, portability and full under-car access, including transmission removal.