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A few years back, the “Muscles from Brussels” Jean Claude Van Damme (a famous action movie star) partnered with Volvo to prove exactly how stable and precise the Volvo Dynamic Steering system is. Let’s say they found a creative way to more than prove the point. We’ll start by explaining what Volvo Dynamic Steering is and the benefits it offers to heavy truck drivers, and then we’ll discuss the video.

Volvo Dynamic Steering is a revolutionary steering system only available in the Volvo heavy truck lineup. The technology receives input two thousand times per second from sensors that monitor everything from the yaw rate, the steering angle, wheel speed and drivers actions. And what is the benefit/goal that is derived from all of this you may be wondering?While there are many ancillary benefits, primarily there are two key things [...]

There is probably no group of people that appreciate when something actually (rarely?) lives up to the term “home away from home” more than truck drivers do.
Like it or not, your rig really needs to be just that. The further your truck falls short of delivering the comfort and convenience of home, the more stressful, difficult and hard a truck drivers life becomes. There is little argument that is applies no where as much as it does to your sleeping areas. Aside from the drivers cockpit the next important area of comfort is the sleeping quarters. Without proper rest and relaxation, the hard job of hauling becomes infinitely harder.

So with this in mind, Volvo set forth with the plan of creating the ultimate sleep conditions and amenities available in the trucking industry.

Of all the variable costs that truckers face, fuel is all but guaranteed to be the most severe one of the batch.

It is said that at one point, fuel was “cheap”.

Well, if fuel really ever was “cheap”, it certainly hasn’t been in recent memory… which brings us to the topic of this article.

How can heavy truck/ rig drivers reduce fuel costs?

Well we have a surprising way we are going to share with you that will reduce the merciless fuel costs that wreak havoc on your pocket book.

Here it is… reduce unnecessary idling.

Sounds too simple? Too basic?

Many (most) drivers never think of the fuel costs involved in unnecessary idling.

Studies have shown that just ten seconds of idling actually burns MORE fuel than the act of ignition, and that’s even when you allow for the fact that you’re not moving your rig.

Now while this is a simple concept [...]

If you’re a trucker you are undoubtedly painfully aware that heavy rig oil changes an add up rather quickly.

Of course the alternative, which is to neglect your oil changes really isn’t a great option though because replacing heavy truck engines adds up much quicker!

So the question truckers want to know is how frequently should they actually change the oil in their rigs?

(And after we answer this, as an added bonus we are going to give you three tips that can help extend the life of your oil.)

First, we will start by saying you should always follow any OEM advice/ recommendations, but beyond that we suggest, depending upon the model year of your vehicle, having oil changes anywhere from forty thousand kilometres to eighty thousand kilometres.
 

Why such a wide range?

 
This is due to the fact that many variables that come into play on how frequent your [...]

For forever and a day, truckers drove rigs with manual transmissions.

Pop your head into any truck cab and you’d see the obligatory manual stick.

But as with everything, times change.

More and more often a cursory cab look will show not a manual stick, but an automatic shifter.

The question is, do automatic transmissions actually offer truckers any advantages?

And the answer to this questions is, in many cases yes. While there are staunch loyalists for both manual and automatic transmissions, the simple fact is each year more and more heavy truck drivers are opting for automatic transmissions.
 

There are many reasons for this.

 
First, in most cases automatic transmission equipped rigs get better fuel mileage, and when it comes to heavy trucking, fuel mileage is always a primary concern. Who doesn’t want to keep more money in their back pocket as opposed to in the coffers of the fuel [...]

Manufactured in Hagerstown Maryland, the Volvo D13 Turbo Compound engine is truly a game changing piece of machinery and technology.

Hyperbole and exaggeration you say?

Well we make this statement with confidence for a number of reasons.

First it’s the only engine in the heavy truck industry that uses a waste heat recovery system which helps save fuel by capturing lost energy.

Sounds great right? But how does this make any difference to you?

Basically when you burn diesel fuel, typically large percentages of the BTU’s are wasted. The D13 engine actually has a system where it converts exhaust gas into mechanical energy.

The benefits to this is that it not only increases horsepower and torque, it also improves fuel mileage!

Now, if the Volvo engineers had stopped there, this would probably have been impressive enough, but they weren’t done.

They even developed new pistons and even coolant pumps that further enhance the engines capabilities [...]

It is the age old question, which is the smarter move, buying a new rig or a pre-owned one?

Naturally, if there was no price difference the odds are you’d just buy a new rig.

But as we all know, there is a price difference.

So the question now becomes, is the additional cost of a new rig worth the extra expense over a pre-owned heavy truck? Put another way, is “new” worth the additional cost.

Naturally, there is no perfect answer for this, because each situation is unique, however there are several advantages to buying new.

First when purchasing a new vehicle, there will basically be zero wear and tear on that unit. That means, you will be getting the maximum amount of life span out of each component on your rig and there should be few if any surprises. When considering something as valuable as a rig, knowing that the vehicle hasn’t been [...]

Your rig is your livelihood, it is your “home away from home”, work office and so much more.

If you take care of it, it should take care of you.

If you don’t take care of it, it will likely repay you with thousands of dollars in repair costs, costly down time and grief.
 

Here are 5 quick issues you should never ignore.

 
Number one, an overheating engine. An overheating engine can lead to engine failure.

If you have a hot running engine, get it in for service immediately.

Number two, starter failure. Starter failures become more common in cold weather, and are definitely something you shouldn’t ignore.

Number three, brake issues. These are a common issue for truckers year round. The causes can be numerous, ranging from brake fluid leaks right through to full on brake failure. (Fortunately modern trucks should only lose partial performance in brake failures).

Number four, [...]

The importance of proper wheel torque on your heavy truck or rig cannot be over-exaggerated.

It is extremely dangerous to have your wheels either under, or over torqued for a few reasons.

First, any wheel that has not been properly torqued, (after say a wheel repair, replacement or adjustment) can not only cause vehicle vibrations, but also damage to the wheel studs, rims, hubs, braking components and more.

Any of those things can quickly add up to thousands, if not more in repairs.

But as bad as that is, it’s far from the worst that can happen.

It is completely possible that an improperly torqued tire could come off and cause accidents, injury or even worse. This could be everything from tires flying off or even causing an entire rig accident.

So one thing we always recommend is that it is critical that after you have done any kind of adjustments to a wheel, that [...]

Anyone who has spent any time in a rig appreciates the impact that fuel mileage has on their bottom line.

As any trucker will quickly attest, fuel costs a fortune in big rigs.

While there isn’t a lot of good news in this reality, there is a silver lining, if you can improve your fuel mileage, you can add thousands to your bottom line.

Here are two things heavy truck drivers can do to save fuel costs… one of which you can do for free, and the other requires a (very worthwhile) investment.
 

The free option…

 
Drive slower. Studies have shown that cruising at 75 mph burns 27% more fuel than cruising at 65 mph.

Another study found that driving 65 mph burns 20% more than driving at 55 mph.

WOW! Whether you realize it or not, you now understand how with a simple FREE change in your behaviour, you could [...]

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