The future of Delete Kits

I would suggest that they move backwards, at least they'll know where they've been instead of moving ahead and trying to figure out where in hell they're going.

 

From what I have heard the biggest target so far has been suppliers of delete kits to Diesel pick up trucks but I am of the belief that it will spill over into Commercial vehicles before long. If you want to do it just be prepared to undo it. Not saying you will have to but it needs to be accepted as a risk.

I have looked at the emissions requirements as a need to re-evaluate the business model. Reliabillity isn't there and the only solution to that is to have a back up plan or accept re-powering a load. For me that is having access to a spare truck when something is being serviced (I haven't had any emissions related problems, service time is the bigger issue both to get in and to actually have something fixed). I work in an environmet where I can't say I will deliver it tomorrow as everything will come crashing down, in the summer it will all fall apart if I can't be there by 10AM.

I have access to a shared spare truck which works great but it isn't outfitted for pneumatics so requires blowing off a trailer at a time. When I start to replace my fleet in a few years I will be keeping one as my spare. It might only get used a day or two a month but that is the price of customer service that I have to be willing to pay. For a single truck a full service lease may make more sense. I think that is the other issue that most owner operators are realizing now. They are still working on a model that worked 10 or 20 years ago. That you can buy a truck and run it for 10 or 15 years. While I hope that my trucks will last that long I will be ready to replace them every 5 years (not that I will if they are running great). I don't believe there is an owner operator truck out there anymore. They are all fleet trucks, meant to be replaced in 5 years and meant to have dozens in the yard in case something goes wrong. Sure the hood trucks are still marketed towards the owner operator but underneath that hood is the same parts as everything else out there.

Sorry I got off topic. I won't delete on my trucks It is because I remember as a kid seeing the clouds of black smoke coming from trucks. I know that is what the public and politicians remember as well. I know that deleting them won't lead to that but they won't see it that way and it is an image the industry will not be able to overcome. Especially when the fleets with the money all run new trucks with emissions requirements, their incentive is to make everyone out there run under the same conditions they do.

 

More responsibility needs to fall on the manufacturers but sadly that won't happen. I believe a lot also comes from too fast of time lines to implement the various emissions technologies over the last 10 years and I have never gotten the sense that the companies were getting a head start rather hoping that the government would back off and unfortunately we are the ones to pay the price.

One of the reasons I went with the Volvo/Mack engine is they were the first to my knowledge to go down the DEF route so have spent a bit more time figuring it out. When I first started researching I was very confused to what route Cummins was taking because the number of press releases and articles about how they didn't need to use DEF and those were around until 2009 if I am remembering correctly so they really only spent a year on it before they publically changed their minds and put out their first DEF engine. I think Volvo had their first ones running in 2008 or 2009 so have a year or two more testing than Cummins.

It will be interesting to see how the Volvo holds up. I would run which ever truck is more reliable as that one will make/save you the most money. If it turns out that it is better to use the pete as a spare than as much as it would be dissappointing to do it I would switch them out.

I did look at pre-EGR trucks but my issue with them is they are now 10 years old. And it is the parts other than the engine that are going to cause you headaches, and on some trucks you might be looking at the second overhaul on the engine, not for me a full time truck in my opinion. A truck lasts a lot longer pulling 80k in the states than 140k in the prairies, so to find one in good reliable condition seemed to be near impossible let alone three.

 

That is my business model, although I have operated anywhere from 1-6 trucks.

 

Agreed. However, with Cummins and therefor Paccar, the scope of the problems with the ISX 15 are so immense they will not take responsibility. Their refusal to acknowledge and address the issue is compounding the problem. The result is that some Paccar customers are fleeing to Volvo. I don't think Volvo was prepared for that and Volvo shops are now overwhelmed with work. However, Volvo is forthcoming with mechanical issues and Volvo mechanics are free to discuss mechanical issues on internet discussion groups. Volvo has a more reliable DPF system on its 16 liter motor. I think that if you can get access to Volvo service a Volvo tractor might be more reliable. The plastik fantastik Volvo interior is shocking (yet strangely appealing) to Kenworth die-hards such as myself but the Volvo driver interface is far more advanced than any Paccar product (very driveable, everything is in the right place). Fuel economy (on-highway) with the Volvo 16 liter and 12 speed automatic is substantially better than the Cummins ISX 15 and 18 speed manual shift no matter how skilled the driver is at getting good fuel economy.

Re: Spares

I think the new (unfortunate) reality is that fleets both small and large must have spares they never had to have before.

 

Volvo has a DPF system while Paccar has a DEF which stands for Defacator System . No doubt it is Crappy.

 

http://www.trucknews.com/news/speci...ering-of-emissions-systems/1002145949/?&er=NA

This will be just a matter of time, a few articles on TV, calls to MP's by enviromental groups, I read some place where gliders 12.7's were being turned back at the border , anyone heard of this???

That would be quite the experience, stopped, system checked, new truck with old motor installed on purpose, they then shut down your "new" truck...

 

Gliders come WITHOUT a motor and you install a rebuilt when it gets into Canada.