2007 Engines: Preparing for the Unknown The pending changes in fuel and the 2007 engines concern medium-duty fleet managers and they're asking questions, but as yet there are no answers. By G. C. Skipper The next generation of diesel engines, designed to meet even stricter Environmental Protection Agency emission standards in January 2007, may not be on the street yet, but they are very much on the minds of many a medium-duty fleet manager. What is bothering some executives is the effect such engines will have on their operations. In interviews with Light & Medium Truck, these truck buyers said they believe the engines will run hotter, be less fuel-efficient (unwelcomed news at a time of unprecedented fuel price hikes), and judging by past experience with 2004 exhaust gas recirculation engines, be more expensive. So, what are they doing to prepare? Several, said they will consider adjusting their typical buying cycles and either buy trucks in 2006 with the tried-and-true current generation of engines, or wait until any possible kinks or issues with the 2007 models are fixed. Van Hooper, vice president of operations with Sysco Food Service, Portland, Ore., is one who said he's considering buying trucks sooner than normal. "I'll probably move my replacement cycle up because the new engines haven't been proven. We're going to wait and see what's going on. I'll pre-buy some trucks. That is, rather than buying in my pre-fiscal year 2007 cycle, I'll buy my replacements in 2006," he said. One concern he has is the effect the new emission-control technologies and components will have on fuel economy. He told L&MT that additional gas recirculation in the '07 engines would increase to 30% compared to the current 15% to 17%. That increase will affect fuel economy. "There will be a lot of particulate traps that are part of the exhaust system that will have to be serviced after approximately 50,000 miles," he said. Sysco's 92-truck fleet is 100% refrigerated. It hauls frozen and dry food products to restaurants and institutional food service organizations in Oregon and Washington. Sterling and Volvo tractors are mated with Utility and Kidron trailers ranging from 28 to 45 feet long, Hooper said. "We use Allison automatics, manual transmissions and the electronic shift transmission from Eaton and Meritor's Freedom Line." Another change Hooper expects to make is in maintenance. "The particulate trap will be an added part of maintenance. We'll have to see just what that means. "Another unknown factor is what oil analysis shows, especially since the engines are burning hotter and breaking down oil and additive packages sooner. We do oil changes based on oil analysis," he said. "That may move up immediately, but we're just not sure." Although his fleet has fewer than 100,000 miles on existing EGR engines, he said he's noticed about a two-tenth of a mile per gallon drop in efficiency. "We haven't had any mechanical issues as yet and the performance has been all right. Drivers haven't reported any significant changes in performance." Because his costs remain flat, he said, "I don't know how much can be attributed to the engine, but it's minimal from what I understand." Since there are so many unknowns about how the '07 engines will perform, Hooper said he has asked Volvo to test some of the engines in his fleet ahead of time. "But," he commented, "they're not quite ready." Another fleet that may lengthen its buying cycle - from five to seven years - is expedited LTL freight hauler Cross Country Courier, Bismarck, N.D. The fleet serves the upper Midwest from 16 terminals. The current fleet includes 40 Isuzu FTRs with Isuzu EGR engines, 55 UD/Nissan Diesel 2600s with Nissan EGR engines and 10 Sterling Acterras with Mercedes-Benz 900 engines. "From what I understand, to meet the '07 requirements, [Caterpillar] will use its Acert technology and others will continue with the EGR system," said Gale Olsen, who heads up fleet operations. Because the engines are expected to cost more, Olsen said his company might keep its trucks for a longer term. "We do not want to make a large quantity purchase without knowing the [effect] of the cost per mile and longevity of the new 2007 compliant engines," he said. Fuel efficiency is a concern. Although he has limited experience with EGR engines (his fleet has only two) he has found that they have a loss of fuel efficiency "by as much as one mile per gallon. With only two engines,I don't have many trucks on which to base that information, but when I compared the EGR engines to the Caterpillars with Acert technology, the Cat engines performed better." Maintenance costs, however, have stayed the same, he said. One fleet that operates a little differently is the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Ill. Matt Stewart, who helps maintain the fleet, said it consists of 183 vehicles, the biggest part made up of three-quarter ton pickups, plus Chevrolet 3500 and 4500 dump trucks. The largest medium-duty vehicles, he said, are GM 7500 dump trucks. All medium-duty vehicles are spec'd with Allison automatics. The fleet hauls everything from chopped-down trees to gravel, asphalt and crushed limestone used to pave trails. Although there is no set purchasing cycle, Stewart said, the whole fleet is turned over about every 10 years. "We have a lot of short hauls and a lot of idling," he said. Purchasing decisions are made annually by looking at the oldest vehicles in the fleet with the highest mileage. As for the '07 engines, Stewart said, "we are always in favor of anything that reduces pollution. We're going 100% alternative fuel and we're ahead of schedule, about 40% of the way there. We're using bio-diesel in our Chevy 3500 and 7500 dump trucks, semi-tractors and older equipment including utility trucks, pickups, mowers and off-road equipment." The fleet also uses ethanol E-85 in Chevrolet Tahoes with 5.3 liter engines, Ford Explorers with 4.0 liter engines as well as GMC and Chevy 1500 pickups, he said. Chevy and GMC 2500s with six liter engines burn propane, as do the Chevy 4500 series dump trucks. The fleet uses natural gas in GMs 6-liter pickups, GMC and Chevy vans with 5.7 liter engines and in Ford Crown Victorias that operate as police administrative vehicles. "When January 2007 arrives, we are allowed to keep running the old engines. We just aren't allowed to buy any more of them. We try to purchase anything we can that runs cleaner," he said. There is one '07 engine technology that Stewart is wary of, he said - particulate traps. "We will not retrofit our trucks with that," he said. "It is an '07 strategy, so when they come on the trucks we will do whatever we have to do to maintain them," he said. "But we looked at doing retrofits and we're concerned because of our shorthauls and long-life periods. The engines don't get hot enough to maintain the temperature needed to clean the traps out by themselves. They don't regenerate, so we would have to take the traps off. I've heard that requires special equipment to clean those things, remove all that hazardous dust and put them back on the truck. When they come on the trucks, we won't shy away from them, but we are not going to retrofit our current trucks." He added, "We are trying to stay ahead of the curve on running clean engines so we are not opposed to the new engines. We see a value in them." Fleets operating in California already have stringent engine emission standards, thanks to rules set by the California Air Resources Board. BFI Waste Services of Fresno operates 106 vehicles. The fleet includes International 4500s with Cat 3208 engines; Ford F-450s and F-350s with Ford's 7.3 liter diesel engines (made for Ford by International); Class 8 Volvo VF64 spec'd with Cummins L-10 and M-11 engines and Peterbilt 320s, also spec'd with the L-10 and M-11 engines. Maintenance manager Gary Bellah said he's already retrofitting existing trucks to meet '07 standards. He also plans to purchase the new '07 engines when they become available. The retrofits require installation of a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) exhaust system that works like a PVC valve, explained Bellah. It captures the exhaust and sends it back through the intake again. "Part of this is a muffler that recovers 15% to 30% of diesel particulate matter," said Bellah. "It also takes your blow-by and injects it back into the intake system." Such retrofits, he said, are permissible on any engine manufactured between 1988 and 2002. "The '07 engine requirements won't change our company's policy on vehicle life, which is seven years for loaders and 10 years for roll outs," he said. Roll outs are trucks that lift construction site boxes of trash. Even with the additional cost of the engine (EGR diesels last year were about $2,800 higher than the previous, non-EGR models, according to Bellah), extending vehicle purchasing cycles would cost more because of cab and chassis wear, he said. "They wear out because of the weight we continually carry, so our purchasing cycle won't change." G.C. Skipper, a freelance writer, has been covering truck transportation for 20 years. Web Source: http://www.ttnews.com/lmt/June05/preparing.asp
