Opinion: Page 2

Clean diesel should turn out strong at ACT Expo

The Advanced Clean Transportation Expo is a haven for all-electric, fuel cell, natural gas and propane--so why not clean diesel?

April 20, 2022

Achates F-150 with engine

Do you have a training problem?

Balancing online, classroom, yard practice and on-road coaching can be tricky, but getting it right can have a huge impact on safety and driver efficiency.

February 21, 2022

Student driver semi-truck on a training course

Adjust existing regs to improve driver pay and supply chain crisis

The author doesn't advocate for making more laws and regulations—just tweaking some that could make driver pay more appealing and help alleviate the supply chain crisis.

January 19, 2022

Rivian R1T takes a hit on range

Rivian's first EV, the all-electric R1T pickup, proved to be a media darling and a heck of a stock pumper before anyone really got to know the truck. Is the honeymoon over?

January 12, 2022

Rivian Trucks Lined Up

More thorough remote diagnostics needed

Greater performance monitoring is needed beyond remote engine diagnostics according to a longtime industry expert.

December 1, 2021

Nuclear power may be the answer for energy hungry EVs

As the push for commercial electric vehicles continues to grow, nuclear power may be the answer for increased power demands.

November 24, 2021

Lion electric cabover ACT Expo 2019

Can't blame fleets for hesitating on EVs when real-world data is scarce

Ford Pro is concerned about a lack of fleet interest in commercial EVs. The cure for that? Get these vehicles out to trade journalists who can load them down and put them to work to see how they hold up.

November 10, 2021

Ford Lightning F-150 Pro

The heavy-haul case for electric trucks

Intermodal work is one of the strongest business cases for electric since it's low-mileage and consistently near a terminal. But over 100 feet long and 140,000 pounds? Can't say I saw that coming.

October 31, 2021

Scania intermodal

Strike two for Florida man's toll dismissal

I got another toll invoice for a truck I do not own that blew past a toll booth I've never seen.

October 19, 2021

One month later and I'm still trying to clear a false toll charge with the State of Florida.

Working around supply chain constraints

The shortage of microchips is all over the news, but there are also issues with steel, lumber, tires and other components that have made it increasingly difficult for vehicle manufactures to complete building both trucks and trailers.

October 4, 2021

line of semi trucks in traffic

Internet aghast as Tundra loses V8 roar—sound about right?

Will Toyota be piping in the sounds of a roaring V8 when you stomp the pedal in their new V6-equipped 2022 Tundra? Does anyone really care--yet?

September 22, 2021

2022 Tundra Trd Pro 16

Toll road blunder demonstrates fallibility of unchecked computer systems

The picture on the toll invoice looked like my truck and there was no mistaking the license plate but a closer look showed Florida got it wrong--way wrong.

September 15, 2021

There's apparently no confirmation process in place at the Florida Department of Transportation to ensure the validity of auto-generated toll invoices. As a result, you may end up with an erroneous bill like me. The license plate in this photo FDOT sent me isn't exactly legible but that didn't stop them from sending me a bill for passing through their toll on State Road 91 in Central Florida.

Adding FM to CB may be too little, too late

The FCC recently approved of adding FM to CB radios but I'm not so sure it'll mean a return to CB's glory days of the 1970s.

September 8, 2021

My Uniden Pro 810e base station from the 1980s will be compatible with new CBs equipped with FM mode--until those users actually switch to FM mode. And yes, FM sounds better, but I'd really be more appreciative if the FCC raised transmission power above a measly four watts.

Beyond headlines

NACFE has estimated that if every Class 8 vehicle produced today was magically a ZEV, it would still take 15 to 20 years to migrate them into 100% replacement of the existing vehicles.

September 7, 2021

OEMs want government to "build consumer demand" for an onslaught of electric vehicles

Lopsided laissez-faire. Automakers have pledged to have half of their vehicles all-electric by 2030 and now they want government to create demand.

August 11, 2021

Ford-F-150-Lightning

Lack of tire inflation education is alarming

A recent survey revealed that 48% of drivers don’t know how often to check tire pressure and that 53% don’t know how to check tread wear to determine if tires show signs of damage.

July 4, 2021

truck with a flat tire

Ford points out 'battery friendly' AC charging

DC fast-charging sounds good, but it costs much more than AC charging, takes up more space and leads to faster battery degradation.

June 9, 2021

Charging port on the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning

Camera liability?

While it's fine if you're the one pointing the camera, what happens when someone else is doing the pointing from 100 feet up buzzing around like a paparazzi mosquito?

June 2, 2021

Drones have plenty of uses, including this UPS drone being used to deliver small packages. Other uses, like spying, create concern.

Page 2 of 26

Rebuilt 2000 F-350

Construction fleet beats supply chain woes, inflation with rebuilt trucks

Doud BTS in Golden, Colorado is choosing to have their pickups rebuilt which saves them 30 to 40% over buying new and keeps them from having to deal with long delivery delays at dealers.

2020 Ram heavy duty

Over 250,000 Ram diesel pickups recalled over fire concerns

2023 Ram EcoDiesel

2023 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel scores 'Green Truck of the Year'

2023 Ford Super F-350 Limited

2023 Ford Super Duty hits historic 40K max towing

Purple International dump truck

Selecting the right wet kit for a heavy truck