Trucking news & briefs for November 4, 2020:
The all-electric Peterbilt 579EV is now available for order.Customer orders open for all-electric Peterbilt 579EV
The new Peterbilt 579EV, which features an all-electric powertrain, is now available for customer orders, the company announced Tuesday. Production of the trucks is expected to start by the second quarter of 2021.
Customers can spec a 579EV using Peterbilt’s SmartSpec sales tool at any Peterbilt location across North America.
The all-electric powertrain uses thermally-controlled Lithium Iron Phosphate battery packs to provide a range of up to 150 miles. When used with a recommended DC fast charger, the packs recharge in 3-4 hours.
The 579EV is available in a tandem drive configuration with Meritor 14Xe e-axle motors providing power through the drive inverters. Regenerative braking captures energy from stop-and-go operations to help recharge the batteries and maximize the truck’s range.
In conjunction with the announcement of the 579EV being available for customer orders, Peterbilt also announced that the truck is eligible for the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) program by the California Air Resources Board. All 579EVs sold to customers in California are eligible for a $150,000 HVIP voucher. Vehicle purchasers and participating dealers must meet all applicable project requirements identified in the HVIP Implementation Manual to receive the voucher.
Washington state-based small fleet settles with EPA over Clean Water Act violation
A 23-truck carrier based in Washington state has reached a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice for federal Clean Water Act violations.
The government alleges that Bobby Wolford Trucking & Salvage and Karl Frederick Klock Pacific Bison discharged fill material into wetlands without obtaining the required permits.
Under the terms of the settlement, the trucking company will pay $300,000 in civil penalties and will perform “signification restoration work, including removing approximately 40,000 cubic yards of unauthorized fill from the oxbow of the Skykomish River and nearby wetlands, regarding the site, and paying for native plants for revegetation efforts,” EPA says. Klock is being required to execute an environmental covenant to place restrictions on approximately 188 acres of the property, and when the restoration is completed, Klock will transfer title of the 188 acres to the Tulalip Tribes to maintain conservation.
According to the settlement, over a three-year period beginning in 2008, Wolford Trucking delivered fill material to the Klock property, located approximately three miles east of Monroe, Washington. The government alleges that the trucking company used heavy equipment to dump – and charged others to dump – more than 54,000 cubic yards of fill material, including construction debris. The fill was then dumped into an oxbow of the Skykomish River, nearby wetlands, and a perennial stream flowing through the Klock property, EPA adds.
The agencies further alleged that neither company obtained the required Clean Water Act permits before undertaking the work.
MACK TRUCKS PREMIUM SEATING, INFOTAINMENT OPTIONS | Pictured is the Mack Premium Comfort 2.0 seat available for Anthem, Pinnacle and Granite models, now available as an option with order. The seat includes revisions designed to maximize driver comfort, including resculpted and recontoured seatbacks for additional back and shoulder support. The 2.0 version maintains current seat features, including air lumbar adjustments and available heat. Additionally, the seat armrest can now be fine-tuned via a tuning wheel under the front of the armrest to quickly and easily adjust the armrest to the appropriate position. Also newly available is the Apple CarPlay infotainment system, providing what Mack says is a safer, easier way to use an Apple iPhone and its capabilities while driving. Once connected, CarPlay displays key functions like navigation, phone controls and music on the Mack infotainment system. Spec’d for infotainment, a truck is upgraded to CarPlay with a simple software update at the dealership.Tailwind adds Trucker Tools load tracking functionality for TMS users
Trucker Tools, which provides load tracking, partially automated load booking with predictive matching and more, now includes the Tailwind Transportation Software transportation management system software package among those that can accommodate TT’s load tracking in its platform.
Tailwind provides brokers and small-mid-size fleets with a web-based TMS. Tailwind is integrating the load tracking features into all of its TMS subscription tiers, adding to its inclusion of TT’s Smart Capacity prediction engines for freight managers aimed at reducing the time it takes to effectively match a load to an operator and truck.
Trucker Tools’ load tracking feature is built on the Trucker Tools Mobile Driver App, which in addition to load matching, partially automates booking and load tracking and provides truckers with 17 of the most sought-after features and resources for managing their business while on the road. It’s been downloaded by more a million independent truckers over its time in existence. It’s actively used by 140,000 small fleets today.
