Engines Tomorrow: What Types of Engines Will You Be Selling Parts for in the Future?
By Tom Berg, Senior Editor, Jim Park & Rolf Lockwood, Contributing Editors
The next step in engine emissions is targeting greenhouse gas emissions in heavy trucks.

Because burning less fossil fuel means lower GHG emissions, truck makers soon must meet North America's first fuel economy standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last August.

The first round of emissions reduction targets kicks in for the 2014 model year, which means trucks hitting the street in calendar year 2013 will have to comply.

Fuel economy attributed directly to the engine will have to improve by 6% over a MY 2010 baseline by MY 2018 (3% by MY 2014 and another 3% by MY 2018).

Compliance with the rule will be up to the truck and engine makers. They can meet standards literally or comply using credits. Credits can be earned across the full range of trucks, so those that are more efficient than required make up for some that don't. Thus individual models' mpg numbers might or might not be compliant.....

Engines Today: How Are the EPA-Spec Engines From the Past Decade Performing?
By Tom Berg, Senior Editor & Deborah Lockridge, Editor in Chief
A lot of truck owners aren't particularly happy with some of their EPA-emissions-spec engines from the past decade, and that could spell aftermarket opportunities as those engines come out of warranty.

That was evident when listening to truck maintenance professionals at the American Trucking Associations' Technology & Maintenance Council Fall Meeting. In the Fleet Talk session, managers griped openly about engines and the trucks they're in.

To encourage participants to speak freely, Fleet Talk is closed to suppliers, and trade-press people in the room are expected to protect identities of managers and products, so we won't name names.

One well-known medium-duty engine, which was once the best one out there, has been failing early and often, a manager said. Its maker suggests repairs that will carry an engine past its warranty, and it breaks down again. Then the owner is on his own for costs. ....

Nine Ways to Help Customers Beat the Fuel Bill
Fuel. Diesel or gasoline, it's one of your customers' biggest costs. Worldwide energy consumption will grow by 53% between 2008 and 2035, according to a report by the Energy Information Administration.

The agency also projects the price of light sweet crude oil will remain high, reaching $125 per barrel (in 2009 dollars) in 2035.

Fleets are looking for ways to cut their fuel costs. Here are some ideas for how you can help.

1) Learn about testing

When the price of fuel goes up....

New CSA Federal Safety Program a Game-Changer for Aftermarket Service Shops
By Oliver B. Patton, Washington Editor
There's an alarm going off for businesses that repair and maintain heavy-duty trucks. Those who hear it are working hard to prepare themselves for the game-changing new federal truck safety regime that is going to reshape not just the trucking industry, but also the service shops that take care of those trucks.

CSA, as the regulation is called, started to take effect last year and already is beginning to reshape the trucking landscape. Some in the aftermarket believe it will have a similar impact on their businesses.

"If you don't know CSA, you can't help your customers," says Gordon Botts, president of Botts Welding and Truck Service, Chicago. "CSA services are more than a way of differentiating yourself from the competition. They are about survival."....

Extended Trade Cycles: Examining the Value of a Savvy Parts and Service Provider
By Jim Park, Contributing Editor
Nobody likes surprises. Nevertheless, in the depths of the recent recession, fleets believing they could save a few dollars by holding onto equipment for another year or so got their share of surprises. The extra maintenance and repair costs incurred by keeping a truck in service a year or two longer were foreseeable, but many of those fleets came to realize maintenance costs are just a small part of the trade-cycle cost equation.

It's more than parts and labor: it's depreciation, it's breakdowns, it's customer satisfaction, it's bottom-line performance. In recent years, it's been about survival.

Fleets deciding to extend trade cycles didn't do so lightly, because the decision affects all aspects of the business - not just the maintenance department. Many ended up robbing Peter to pay Paul. But they are still here and that's the important thing. Still, the ripple effect from decisions made two years ago will be felt for a couple of years to come.....

Parts & Service in the New Safety Environment
By Steve Sturgess, Executive Editor
Trucks are probably the most complex vehicles on the highways today. They fairly bristle with electronic controllers, multiplexed wiring, and sensors. The proliferation of these components makes troubleshooting ever more a case of obtaining the right tools and software, the suppliers' manuals, fault-trees and repair procedures to sort out fault codes and malfunctions when things go awry.

The latest crop of complexity to come down the pike includes fully integrated safety systems that combine electronic controls for antilock braking systems with controllers that look for vehicle instability, then initiate a response that stabilizes the vehicle and avoids potential accident situations.

Nice when it works, but often a severe pain to troubleshoot when it doesn't.....

Rude Awakening
Commentary by Deborah Lockridge, Editor
A lot of your customers are going to find the new CSA 2010 enforcement regime painful. Helping them avoid that pain is good business.

Maintenance issues will likely result in one out of every four small fleets getting an "intervention" from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration under its new CSA 2010 enforcement regime. This is a huge opportunity for aftermarket parts and service suppliers.

Things that were previously relatively minor enforcement issues - a missing mudflap, a burned-out lamp - are suddenly taking on a much larger importance in the eyes of fleets who are paying attention to this issue. And you need to be paying attention to it, as well.....

Reman Today: Remanufacturing Faces New Pressures in a Changing World
By Jim Park, Contributing Editor
Why use new parts when used parts are half the price? Why use used parts when good-as-new parts cost just a little more, but come with warranty? You could use new parts that are as cheap as good-as-new parts, but some aren't as good as they are cheap. Some good parts are cheap, and some cheap parts are good, but it's hard to find good cheap parts that are as good as new parts and come with warranty.

If only it was that simple.

Once upon a time, fleets could depend on pricing based on the history of a component. If it was new, you get the part for, say, $100. A remanufactured part would cost $80, and a rebuilt part might cost $60. But the emergence of products manufactured in "low-cost countries," such as China, India, and Mexico, has blurred the pricing structure to where brand-new parts can be had for less than the cost of a reman part. This has had an impact on North American remanufacturers - especially those handling low-cost, commodity-type parts. ....