Top 10 FleetOwner IdeaXchange columns of 2022

FleetOwner launched its IdeaXchange initiative back in 2014 as a platform for industry thought leaders to share their ideas on a wide range of topics.

This year, our IdeaXchange contributors provided unique insights on topics such as freight efficiency improvements, fuel economy, how fleets can find creative ways to implement alternative fuels, electric vehicles and the path to decarbonizing trucking, business intelligence and KPIs, and, of course, driver appreciation and retention.

For this year's roundup, FleetOwner editors turned to data analytics to select our readers' picks for the top 10 IdeaXchange columns of 2022. Thank you, all, for making this initiative such a success on FleetOwner.com. We wish you all a safe, happy, and healthy new year!

10. Five questions fleets should ask to reinforce safe driving

Regardless of who is behind the wheel, safety should be a top concern for all drivers. Those of us in the trucking industry must do our part to reinforce the safe driving message. Now is a good time to review the safety policies throughout your organization and ensure safety is a core value for everyone.

Drivers can see if you are really committed to road safety based on how you address it in areas like your shop, administrative offices, yard, etc. Five key questions are important to ask. Read more

9. Making correct asset replacement decisions is vital

It has become increasingly important that fleet managers have complete information on how each asset in their fleet is performing. Each year, most fleets have a set number of trucks they trade in for new vehicles from their chosen manufacturer. Typically, age and given all the choices or miles are the determining factors in which assets to replace.

However, the current truck market is anything but typical. Patrick Gaskins, SVP of Corcentric Fleet Solutions, has more.

8. What it takes to keep drivers happy

Professional Truck Driver 141998115 Welcomia Dreamstime

Now seems like a good time for each of us to look inward at our own businesses and focus on things we can control, explains Gino Fontana, COO and EVP at Transervice Logistics. “When it comes to drivers, we know we must pay them competitive wages—or we run the risk of losing them to other opportunities that pay better. However, I believe drivers stay or leave based on reasons that have to do with more than just money.”

In this column, Fontana also points out how the equipment fleets have available for their drivers and the way that equipment is spec’d plays a role in attracting and retaining drivers. Read more

7. One ICE strategy to transition to the electric future

Internal Combustion Engine 8535701 Shuttlecock Dreamstime

While unveiling its fuel-agnostic internal combustion engine strategy, Cummins said it is “designing the products from the outset to accommodate all fuel needs that we’ll need in the future.”

All platforms will be capable of operating on diesel, natural gas, gasoline, and in some cases hydrogen fuels. While the platforms will feature a series of engine versions that are derived from a base engine, each version will operate on a single fuel. The company will start rolling out the engines but said they won’t all be available until 2024. Read more

6. Roadcheck 2022 concentrates on truck wheel ends

Stroke Measurement Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems

What is so special about wheel ends? Wheel-end components include the wheels, rims, hubs, and tires on commercial motor vehicles. Historically, violations involving those components account for about one-quarter of the vehicle out-of-service violations discovered during Roadcheck.

Think of it this way: You wouldn’t run a race in flip-flops, and you wouldn’t enter a field goal kicking contest with a broken big toe. The wheel ends are, literally, where the rubber meets the road. Read more

5. A salute to truck drivers

From NACFE’s Michael Roeth: “I wish every driver of a passenger car could spend some time behind the wheel of Class 8 truck, or even a motor home, just to get some idea of the skill it takes to navigate highways, roads, and bridges smoothly and safely. It takes more to time and distance to stop these big rigs than those little cars. I bet if they did that, they would think twice before cutting in front of a truck without leaving much space.” Read more

4. The right information leads to better inventory management

Having the proper parts in inventory when a truck needs maintenance service or a repair has always been important. However, in the past when you needed part overnight or in a matter of hours, proper inventory management was not as critical.

Now with parts deliveries stretching out to days or weeks, not having the right parts in your inventory could spell disaster, especially when you consider that a day of downtime costs a fleet $800 to $1,000, and that does not factor in the loss of goodwill from both customers and drivers.

David Seewack, founder and CEO of FinditParts, discusses how proper inventory management starts with having information about the maintenance and repair history of each asset in your fleet. Read more

3. The connection between maintenance and fuel economy

Today fleets are hyper focused on maintenance in order to keep aging assets in top operating condition. Since all signs point to more allocations in 2023, it is likely that fleet assets will continue to age, and maintenance will continue to be a priority.

Jane Clark, VP of member services for NationaLease, explores the connection between a well-maintained truck and better fuel economy. Read more

2. Truck driver to officer: ‘Why did you stop me?’

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Steve Vaughn, VP of field operations at PrePass Safety Alliance, explains that it’s not uncommon to pull a trucker over and hear him ask, “Why did you stop me?” Sometimes there is an easy answer. Other times it’s more complicated. Either way, it’s not uncommon for the driver to think the officer is picking on them. Often people don’t accept that their actions caught the officer’s eye, not the fact that they were driving a truck, a red car, or a sports car. However, enforcement notices the actions of professional truck drivers more than those of other drivers. Read more

1. With Tesla Semi, the 500-mile run is a new benchmark

In December, Tesla delivered its first battery-electric heavy-duty vehicle, the Semi, to PepsiCo. The long-awaited delivery (Tesla CEO Elon Musk initially promised delivery in 2019) provided a fair amount of information while at the same time leaving lots of unanswered questions.

In this column, Michael Roeth, executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency, shares his takeaways from an event at the Tesla Gigafactory in Nevada. Read more