Rollins Opens Ohio Branch
Rollins Leasing Corp has opened a new branch in Gahanna OH, adding to its network of more than 275 branches in the United States and Canada.
The branch near Columbus is situated on seven acres and features 3 11/42 bays and two fuel lanes. Services include automated drive-through truck washing, full-service fueling, and computer-monitored preventive maintenance. The branch also provides transportation leasing-related services, including licensing, substitute vehicles, and emergency road service.
Ontario Truckers End Strike After Agreement Striking Ontario truckers are back on the road after the province agreed to prohibit carriers from keeping fuel surcharges from the independent truckers that actually purchase that fuel.
According to the Toronto Sun, National Truckers Association of Canada (NTA) Vice-President Keith Swayne asked the group's members in the province to halt protests Sunday after the government approved a deal October 20 that will give owner-operators 14- to 30-cents-a-mile extra in diesel fuel surcharges.
Carriers will not only be stopped from taking existing fuel surcharges paid by shippers, but will also have to ensure the extra cash goes straight to truckers' wallets. The government will monitor the situation to make sure trucking companies are paying up. Swayne said all 2,000 NTA drivers have gone back to work - and that truckers who are blocking public roads are not NTA members.
TMC Hears Electronic Disc Brake Presentation A new brake system is in the works - one that promises to change the nature and feel of truck braking in the not-so-distant future. The components involved are electronic controlled braking systems (ECBS) and air disc brakes. Combined, they may bring the curtain down on the S-cam brake in the North American truck market.
During a one-day session arranged by The Maintenance Council of the American Trucking Associations, leading proponents of ECBS and air disc brake technology talked about the advantages - and limitations - of this approach.
Dick Radlinski, a former engineer for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and president of consulting firm Radlinski & Associates, said the primary advantage of ECBS is faster brake actuation. "With ECBS, electronic controls replace pneumatic or air controls," Radlinski said. "That's critical because pneumatic signals travel at the speed of sound, while electronic signals travel at the speed of light."
However, truckers won't experience significantly faster brake times unless ECBS and air disc brakes are used on both the tractor and trailer. Meritor WABCO illustrated this by publishing results of stopping distance tests it has conducted. At 60 miles per hour, fully loaded, an all-drum-brake-equipped tractor-trailer needed 3,330 feet to stop completely. With air disc brakes on just the tractor, the vehicle stopped in 234 feet.
However, with ECBS and air disc brakes on both tractor and trailer, the vehicle stopped in 189 feet - a shorter distance than the average passenger car.
Potential economic advantages to ECBS exist as well, according to Radlinski. Electronic control would allow the brakes to conduct self-diagnostics making maintenance easier. Electronic controls may also balance the brakes better, allowing for more even wear and longer brake life. ECBS could also help truck drivers get a better "feel" for the brake pedal, so there would be no need to use the brakes differently when pulling loaded and unloaded trailers, Radlinski said.
