Peterson Manufacturing Co. has announced the promotion of Kristen Goodson from product manager to director of product management. She will be working closely with Peterson’s design engineering and sales departments to prioritize and develop new products for all the markets the company serves.

A major part of Goodson’s position will be filtering information from those markets to support Peterson’s engineers in designing the right products, and also coordinating the planning of inventory levels with the company’s production control staff.

A Peterson associate for the past 15 years, Goodson brings a wealth of product knowledge, experience and management skills to the new position. She joined Peterson as a customer service representative immediately following her 1995 graduation from the University of Kansas with a degree in business administration, and she since has worked in or with every department within the company, steadily advancing through a series of sales and management roles.

“Kristen has been a great asset to our company,” says Mark Assenmacher, director of marketing. “Her contributions are even more important as we work through these tough economic times. And in addition to her company responsibilities, she also represents Peterson within several industry organizations –– one of which she’ll lead as president in 2012.”

Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions’ Bandag-brand B197 trailer tread is patterned after the Bridgestone brand R197 trailer radial for fleet customers seeking a seamless choice of new tires and retread designs.

The B197 tread, built for long life, combines innovative compounding and a classic straight-rib tread design, Bandag’s longest-wearing 11/32-inch-depth product, facilitating added cost per mile.

The Bandag B197 is available in sizes that fit most trailer tire casings: 210mm, 220mm and 230mm.

The Petroleum Equipment Institute has announced that online testing for Recommended Practices for the Storage and Dispensing of Diesel Exhaust Fluid (PEI/RP1100) now is available.     The test, developed by the PEI DEF Committee, contains 70 questions and can be accessed through www.pei.org/RP1100.

RP1100 describes how to install DEF storage and dispensing equipment at motor-fuel dispensing facilities and repair and maintenance garages. The Recommended Practice is published in response to the national rollout of DEF dispensing infrastructure at travel centers and fleet refueling sites. PEI says the RP1100 online test covers the document in its entirety.

Two purchase options are available, including $25 for single tests and $299 for unlimited one-year use of all PEI-produced recommended practice tests. Online tests are available for each PEI recommended practice document.

Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement partners Canada and Mexico was 39.5 percent higher in May 2010 than in May 2009, reaching $66.8 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The 39.5 percent increase was the largest-percentage year-over-year increase in total U.S.-NAFTA trade by surface modes on record back to April 1994. May was the third month in the last four with a record percentage year-over-year increase.

BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that the value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico in May 2010 remained 9.9 percent below the May 2008 level despite the 2009-2010 increase. North American surface freight value rose 1.5 percent in May 2010 from April 2010; month-to-month changes can be affected by seasonal variations and other factors. The value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico in May was up 15.4 percent compared to May 2005, and up 36.2 percent compared to May 2000. Imports in May were up 31.8 percent compared to May 2000, while exports were up 41.8 percent.

U.S.-Canada surface transportation trade totaled $40.2 billion in May, up 37.5 percent compared to May 2009. The value of imports carried by truck was 32.0 percent higher in May 2010 compared to May 2009, while the value of exports carried by truck was 34.5 percent higher. Michigan led all states in surface trade with Canada in May with $5.5 billion.

U.S.-Mexico surface transportation trade totaled $26.6 billion in May, up 42.7 percent compared to May 2009. The value of imports carried by truck was 36.1 percent higher in May 2010 compared to May 2009, while the value of exports carried by truck was 43.2 percent higher. Texas led all states in surface trade with Mexico in May with $9.4 billion.

The TransBorder Freight Data are a unique subset of official U.S. foreign trade statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau. New data are tabulated monthly, and historical data are not adjusted for inflation. Surface transportation consists largely of freight movements by truck, rail and pipeline. In May, 86.2 percent of U.S. trade by value with Canada and Mexico moved on land.

National Roadside Service announced it will purchase a listing in the Truck Repair Yellow Pages for Mitchell 1 Repair-Connect customers in order to provide them with an additional marketing tool. NRS, a corporate partner with Mitchell 1, is a roadside repair and fleet management company that facilitates repairs for fleets and owner-operators throughout the United States and Canada.

NRS is also a corporate partner of TRYP, an informational Web-based tool for owner-operators that can be accessed from a smartphone or computer. When a truck is broken down on the side of the road and they are not a current NRS member, they can access the TRYP site and find contact information for needed services.

Mitchell 1 customers must have purchased Repair-Connect in order to qualify for a one-year listing on TRYP. NRS says the listing, which specifically targets truck drivers, will provide customers with a source of extra revenue and give them the opportunity to be in front of thousands of owner-operators. NRS also says this offering will aid Mitchell 1 in selling the Repair-Connect product to its customers.

Haldex Commercial Vehicle Systems introduced a new family of Pressure Protection Valves suited for the North American market. The new design standardizes three of the most popular pressure settings for both a base Pressure Protection Valve and a Pressure Protection Valve with a One-Way Check, the company said.

According to Haldex, its Pressure Protection Valves feature:

• E-coated zinc die-cast bodies for exceptional corrosion resistance;
• Premium Nitrile diaphragms for long life and reliability;
• Durable designs to increases life and reduce replacement costs; and
• Designs for use in air suspensions, air seats and cab isolation systems.

The pressure protection with one-way check valve prevents reverse air flow and has exceptional corrosion resistance, the company added.

For additional information please call Haldex at 1-800-643-2374 or visit www.haldex.com.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board have presented preliminary proposals aimed at the alleged compliance loopholes found in current 2010 liquid-based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems on diesel engines.

SCR technology doses hot diesel fuel with a urea-based diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). The resulting chemical reaction reduces emissions of nitrous oxide (NOx) pollutants to levels mandated by EPA’s 2010 diesel emissions regulations.

Concerns about SCR’s environmental compliance were brought to CARB’s and EPA’s attention by truck and engine manufacturer Navistar International, which uses a competitive technology, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), to meet EPA 2010 regulations.
At an air resources workshop in El Monte, Calif., Navistar representatives contended that independent test findings show new commercial vehicles that must contain liquid urea to meet federal NOx emissions standards continue to operate effectively when urea is not present. At such times, Navistar said, the vehicles throw off levels of NOx as much as 10 times higher or more than when urea is present.

The research cited by Navistar was conducted by EnSight, an independent environmental consulting firm, using two long-haul vehicles and one heavy-duty pickup, all of which used SCR.   According to Navistar, EnSight’s research showed that when liquid urea was not present, there was little or no effect on the vehicles’ operations; this included long periods of time when the vehicles’ urea tanks were empty or were refilled with water instead of urea. Navistar said one truck tested appeared to operate indefinitely with water and as a result without any functioning SCR NOx control; that truck has accumulated more than 13,000 miles with its SCR NOx emissions control turned off.

“Navistar first identified these loopholes to the agencies and also presented our concerns at the workshop,” said Jack Allen, president of Navistar’s North American truck group. “We will be working with the EPA and CARB to ensure full environmental compliance.”

“While others are saying there are ‘loopholes’ in the current 2010 regulations, we don’t agree with that terminology at all,” said Annette Hebert, chief of CARB’s mobile source operations division. “What we are doing is looking at tightening up SCR certification requirements and clarifying the guidelines so that manufacturers know exactly how to meet them.”

Hebert said CARB’s initial focus is on the time, speeds and mileage SCR trucks can operate once the DEF tank is empty. “We also want to make certain the trucks cannot operate when they are out of spec – if water has been placed in the DEF tank or the SCR system has been tampered with in any way,” she says. “Our goal is to minimize the time and speed a truck can operate and create driver inducements that are stringent enough to encourage them to keep DEF in the system and avoid any performance penalties.

“We’re looking at the information they (Navistar) have given us, and we need to add to that information,” Hebert said. “There are details missing, and CARB will certainly have to look into those issues for ourselves. For example, are drivers or fleets tampering with SCR systems? And if they are, at what level is this alleged tampering taking place? We simply don’t know the answer to those questions right now.”

John Mies, vice president of corporate communications for Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks North America, responded strongly to Navistar’s claims. “Thanks to billions of dollars in investment, and millions of engineering hours around the world, SCR manufacturers have successfully introduced into the North American market the cleanest diesel engines in the world,” Mies said. “Despite all the technical challenges, the introduction is probably the smoothest the industry has ever seen. And every single thing we’ve done – including the DEF inducement strategy – was done with the full cooperation, knowledge and approval of both the EPA and the California ARB.

“In the midst of all this good news for our industry and the environment, we learned a few weeks ago – not even six months after the implementation date for the new technology – that the regulations we followed in good faith were to be reconsidered,” Mies said. “And why? In large part because of concerns being raised by a single competitor. A competitor that says it is concerned about the environment, but whose US10 engines will emit two-and-a-half times the 2010 NOx standard and are only certifiable with emissions credits.”

Mies openly questioned Navistar’s motivation in raising SCR compliance issues with EPA and CARB, noting that the “competitor” challenging current SCR standards:

• Said it was ready for the new standards, yet lobbied for a delay in implementation, and when that failed, resorted to lawsuits against the regulators;
• Apparently believes that most of its customers, and the trucking industry as a whole, are “hell-bent” on illegal circumvention of emissions controls; and
• Has only been able to compete in the market this year by selling thousands of pre-2010 engines.

“The fact is that a Mack or Volvo truck running at 0.2 grams is and will continue to be much better for the environment than a Navistar truck running at 0.5 grams – and no amount of changes to the inducement strategies will change that,” Mies said. “As we have always done, Volvo will cooperate fully with the EPA and CARB as you consider this issue. But let’s make sure that what we do is truly in the interest of the environment and the public. And let’s not penalize those who have worked with you in good faith, and reward those who are trying to manipulate the system for their own competitive advantage.”

Allen countered that truck owners are paying a substantial price to comply with 2010 NOx requirements. “They, and the public, deserve to know that the new equipment they are purchasing actually works as promised to curb pollution,” he said. “It’s obvious, however, that these trucks can operate effectively without liquid urea, and that under these and other conditions, SCR NOx emission control is turned off. We’re calling on the EPA and CARB to assure that all vehicles, not just ours, work when they are supposed to be working.”

The Commercial Vehicle Solutions Network announced it added Bett’s Truck Parts and TransAxle to its membership and the heads of both companies will attend the Afterrmarket Distribution Summit, which includes the group’s annual fall meeting.

Both companies were recently approved for membership by CVSN’s board of directors.

Bett’s Truck Parts is headquartered in Fresno, Calif., and has eight distribution and service locations in the West Coast region. The company is run by President Mike Betts, a former Truck Parts and Service Distributor of the Year winner.

TransAxle is headquartered in Cinnaminson, New Jersey, and has 15 locations throughout the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions. It is run by President and CEO Dave Olsen.

“We are extremely delighted to have both Bett’s and TransAxle as part of our growing list of quality independent aftermarket distributor member companies,” said CVSN Executive Vice President Angelo Volpe.

The Aftermarket Distribution Summit, Sept. 12-15, is expected to draw hundreds of truck industry aftermarket professionals to The Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, Wis. The event combines the Commercial Vehicle Solutions Network’s annual fall meeting and Truck Parts & Service magazine’s Truck Parts Seminar. Additional details for distributors and suppliers, including registration information, is available at either www.AftermarketDistributionSummit.org or www.cvsn.org.

ISG’s Nitrogen Tire Inflation System includes a nitrogen generator, receivers, automatic digital inflators, a nitrogen purity analyzer and tools for deflation and inflation.

For each fleet that orders the system, ISG will provide a site evaluation and recommend the most efficient system to match a fleet’s tractor and trailers to nitrogen. ISG also will provide onsite training and review, as well as ongoing inflation hardware and maintenance offerings.

Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions (BBTS), a division of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, introduced the new Bandag-brand BDR-HG tread specially designed for regional and over-the-road fleets operating tandem-axle tractors.

According to the company, when used in the drive-axle position, the new BDR-HG (Bandag Drive Regional – High Grip) tread promotes best-in-class traction both new and as the tread wears.

“Bandag BDR-HG is a problem solver for fleet customers who operate in a variety of weather conditions,” said Chris Hoffman, manager, TBR & Retread Product Marketing, BBTS. “A year-round tread, BDR-HG offers excellent performance for fleets who operate in snow, as well as those who move between wet and dry climates.”

The BDR-HG features an open-shoulder, and full-depth voids and sipes, which maintain a true lug throughout the life of the tread, the company said.

“Typically, when most treads wear, block edges become worn, sipes disappear and the lugs begin to turn into ribs, all which contribute to reduced traction. The new BDR-HG is designed to maintain its traction as it wears; keeping its grip on snow-covered routes and slushy terminals throughout its life, giving drivers the confidence to meet delivery schedules,”  said Hoffman.

For more information on Bandag BDR-HG, contact your Bandag dealer, contact your BBTS sales representative or visit www.bandag.com.