TMC Transportation will spec Dana Spicer Pro-40 tandem axles on a new order of 1,500 Peterbilt 579 on-highway trucks. The tractors will be placed into service over the next two years.
The Spicer Pro-40 family of heavy-duty 40,000-lb. tandem drive axles supplies a reliable, lightweight option for line haul, bulk, regional, and city delivery fleets, Dana said. Its light weight and improved power density enables customers to increase payload and improve fuel economy. The axle is nearly 100 lbs. lighter than the nearest competitive axle, with a new high-strength-steel thin-wall housing on select applications, Dana added.
“We need to be able to haul as much as possible in order to stay competitive in today’s marketplace, and the Spicer Pro-40 axle brings major weight savings to our trucks, which matters most to us.” said Rod Simon, executive vice president of maintenance at TMC Transportation. “As a highly data driven company, we’re not just looking at performance; we evaluate cost-to-weight ratios and resale values of our equipment.
“We have a great track record with Spicer drive axles and front-end systems from Dana,” Simon added. “From a durability standpoint, they’ve held up extremely well since they’re built with longevity in mind.”
The company has also specified SPL 250 driveshafts and SPL 170 inter-axle shafts and LMS hubs on their trucks for the past 10n years, which have significantly reduced maintenance. TMC Transportation is also road-testing Dana’s new all-aluminum Spicer Diamond Series driveshaft.
“With a driveshaft, you don’t want to think about it all the time, you just want to maintain and inspect it at regular service intervals,” Simon said. “Since we switched to Spicer Life Series driveshafts, we’re able to spend less time on repairs and more time on the road.”
“We designed the Spicer Pro-40 axle for astute fleet owners who fully appreciate how the weight savings we provide will reduce their fuel costs without sacrificing performance and reliability,” said Pat D’Eramo, president of Dana Commercial Vehicle Driveline Technologies. “TMC Transportation is one of the top carriers in North America, and their commitment to the Spicer Pro-40 axle provides strong validation for our approach.”
