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The fleet executiveâ€™s guide to growth, technology and maintenance practices that set you apart from the pack

Brought to you by the editors of Newcom Trucking Group, in partnership with Imperial Oil Limited

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in this issue 4

GENERATING DIFFERENCES: Both new motor oil categories – CK-4 and FA-4 – are delivering better shear stability and longer drain intervals. However, so far the CK-4 oils have gained much wider industry acceptance despite the FA-4 oils promising better fuel economy. Are CK-4 oils clearly the better choice? The answer is not as easy as market penetration would suggest.

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reached out to industry experts for their best tips towards effective lubrication practices.

READ, REPORT, REPEAT: Having your lubes analyzed regularly helps identify issues as they emerge and before it’s too late. It can also offer hints on how drivers are treating your trucks. PULSE READER SURVEY: Safety is key to running an efficient business. Accidents and injuries can cost time and money in insurance claims and lost productivity. We asked

B:11.25”

T:10.75”

S:9.875”

DRAINING DAY: There’s more to an oil change than simply draining the fluid. We

how you feel about safety at your workplace.

WELCOME TO GAME CHANGERS

ince the Great Recession of 2008, Canadian motor carriers have hoped for the Great Recovery. For almost a decade that eluded them as a slow growing economy kept freight volumes modest and freight rates depressed. That has changed significantly over the past year. A booming economy south of the border, improving oil pricing and consumer confidence have coalesced to drive a strengthening economy, tighter capacity and the first significant rate increases in a decade. But a strong economy presents its own set of challenges. How can motor carriers seize the opportunities presented by a strengthening economy to grow their operations, improve their bottom lines and create separation from competitors? Welcome to Game Changers, a series of three digital supplements focused on managing human resources, technology and maintenance issues while continuing to grow.

This is our third and final installment in the series and focuses on best practices in maintenance. The first installment focused on human resource challenges while the second focused on how to leverage technology to augment growth. Both are now available in the Knowledge Centre section on www. trucknews.com. I also encourage you to turn to the Knowledge Centre entitled Game Changers on www.trucknews. com for more news stories, features and videos on the subject. Finally watch for our webinar on fuel efficiency coming in late November. All these projects would not be possible without Imperial Oil Limited and I would like to thank them for their support and thought leadership. Lou Smyrlis Managing Director, Newcom Trucking and Supply Chain Group

All trademarks used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation or one of its subsidiaries. Imperial Oil, licensee.

Sponsored by Imperial Oil Limited GAME CHANGERS | PART 3

CK-4 AND FA-4 OILS DELIVERING BETTER SHEAR STABILITY, LONGER DRAIN INTERVALS

GENERATING BY ERIC BERA RD

ngine oil is as versatile as it is vital. Not only does it lubricate an engine’s moving parts so there’s no metalto-metal scuffing, it also disperses heat. Now it performs better than ever. The CJ-4 oil category had been around for years when its replacement was officially introduced in December 2016, as equipment manufacturers prepared for the latest round of emissions-related rules. But this time there was no single replacement. Instead, the change gave birth to a pair of categories – CK-4 and a fuel-efficient FA-4. The CK-4 oils are now the most widely used formulas on the market today, in part because they are fully backward compatible with former CJ-4 oils. In other words, you can pour CK-4 in older engines that once ran on CJ-4 without worrying about possible damage. Most engine manufacturers also use CK-4 oil as their factory fill, as equipment rolls off the assembly line. While FA-4 offers the promise of better fuel economy, they are not always backwards compatible with legacy equipment. There are exceptions, though. Detroit engines are among them. Freightliner and Western Star trucks with DD13, DD15 and DD16 engines have been factory filled with FA-4 oil since January 2017. Models as old as those made to meet EPA 10 emis-

4 GAME CHANGERS | PART 3

sions standards can use it as well. Other newer engines, such as Cummins’ X15, can use either CK-4 or FA-4 oils. “X15 on-highway engines have permitted FA-4 use. Key engine platforms are investigating FA-4 oils to understand their backwards compatibility,” says Autumnlynn Glass, engine fluids chemist and engine oil industry liaison with Cummins. But the CK-4 formulas clearly seem to enjoy a significantly larger market share than FA-4. “If the number of licences is any indication, there seems to be a greater desire for CK-4 at this point,” says Kevin Ferrick, manager of the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) engine oil licensing and certification system. So far, the API has certified 947 CK-4 products compared to 96 for FA-4, which is roughly a 10:1 ratio. But asking whether CK-4 or FA-4 is a better choice would be a misleading question. The most important thing is to use the oil that’s better for your engine as per the OEM’s recommendation. “I know it sounds like a very simple thing, but you’d be surprised how often we have this conversation with people,” Ferrick says. “There’s a reason why the engine manufacturer recommends a particular viscosity and performance level. I’m not sure

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drain intervals. The vital additives last longer. So drain intervals associated with CK-4 and FA-4 oils are up to 60% longer than those associated with CJ-4. The exact improvement in terms of drain intervals will vary, for course, but they are real. “For appropriate customers, based on their duty cycle, a 60% longer oil drain interval may be realistic. However, this may not be ideal for all engines and all customers,” Glass says. A good real-life example comes from Sudbury, Ont., where Commercial Transport’s new Paccar engines show a 50% increase in drain intervals, even in harsh applications, according to Watkins. “We went from 40,000 km to 60,000 km,” he says of the switch to CK-4 from CJ-4. “It just seems to work for us.” you want your engine to be something that you use as a test.” Relying on the manufacturer’s recommendations is precisely what Darryl Watkins, fleet maintenance manager for Commercial Transport Northern, did. “I talked to the manufacturer [of the Paccar MX engine] about what we should be using. This is what they recommended and that’s what we switched to,” he says about the CK-4 that smoothly replaced CJ-4 in the fleet he oversees. Better shear stability

While each has unique properties, the CK-4 and FA-4 oils share many attributes that better their CJ-4 predecessors. For one, the new oil categories are thinner and offer better shear stability. The latter feature measures the oil’s ability to maintain a viscosity despite mechanical stress -- something usually associated with higher operating temperatures. The categories are also formulated to better protect engines against oxidation, says Cummins’ Glass, referring to the oxidation stability of CK-4 oils. The engines are also known to be “tighter” than models that came before them. Essentially, oil has to penetrate between moving parts that are moving closer to one another than ever. “Engines are built much more precisely. Their tolerances are much smaller because they [engine manufacturers] try to bring out as much power, as much efficiency as possible from these engines,” API’s Ferrick says, referring to a focus on aeration control, which helps to reduce the threat of air bubbles in the oil. With engine parts so close together, any air in the oil paths could lead to gaps in the all-important lubricating film, threatening the engine’s integrity. Longer drain intervals

All these enhanced oil capabilities ultimately lead to longer

Thicker is not always better

While the new oils are essentially thinner than the CJ-4 formulas they replace, even with the same viscosity grade, deciding on a thicker grade than the one recommended by a manufacturer would be a bad idea, Ferrick stresses. “There is sort of this idea out there that thicker is better. In today’s engines, that’s not necessarily true. If it’s a heavier viscosity grade, the engine has to actually work harder. Its moving parts work harder because there’s a heavier viscosity grade, which is actually impeding the performance of the engine,” he says. Cummins’ Glass agrees. “If there is an instance where a customer desires to make a viscosity grade change for improved fuel economy or cold weather performance, it is always recommended to consult the service literature,” she says. That difference in viscosity may very well be why Commercial Transport’s Watkins noticed a slight drop in oil operating pressures since switching from CJ-4 to CK-4. Another thing he noticed was the coolant temperature running a little higher. Maybe a new generation of coolants will eventually need to accompany new generations of oils. “Running engines hotter has been an intentional change in recent years to meet emissions regulations. As engines design change, optimizing fluids performance is always on the forefront of our minds,” Glass responds, when asked if that would be needed. Technically, the use of CK-4 and FA-4 oils instead of the old CJ-4 could also translate into respective fuel savings of up to 1.5% to 2%. But that would be a little optimistic, according to Cummins’ expert. “In general, we have seen a more modest increase in fuel economy between 10W-30 CK-4 and FA-4 oils. However, the actual benefits depend heavily on the engine’s duty cycle,” Glass says.

Sponsored by Imperial Oil Limited GAME CHANGERS | PART 2

BY E R I C B E R A R D

DRAINING

DAY O

il changes remain a vital part of any truck maintenance program. The operation has evolved in many ways, the most obvious probably being the oil drain intervals associated with advances in refining and additives chemistry. “Before, we just ran the standard 1540 and we were doing our oil changes at about 20,000 miles [32,000 km]. Now we’re doing them at 40,000, 42,000 miles [64,000 to 67,000 km] and we could probably extend that further,” says Darryl Watkins, maintenance manager for Commercial Transport, a fleet of 21 power units headquartered in Lively, Ont. Semi- and fully synthetic oils have allowed extended intervals that are now approaching 100,000 km, according to Michel Forest, who manages the maintenance of 50 trucks for Keystone Western, from Ile Des Chenes near Winnipeg. “Our Peterbilts are based at 96,000 km. Paccar, with the new MX engines, have extended the oil drains significantly. Because of the aftertreatment and some of the filters they use, they don’t collect as much carbon into the oil now,” Forest says, adding that the intervals are at 80,000 km for his Western Stars and 56,000 km for the Volvos. He rightfully insists on the importance of complying with engine manufacturers’ recommendations with regards to oil change intervals, though. One size does not fit all Regardless of the truck brand, the application and environment in which the power units are operated can make a major difference in engine oil lifecycles, Watkins advises. Some of his trucks based in Timmins, Ont., are drained at intervals measured in time – 950 hours – instead of distance because a typical haul is barely over 20 km – but in difficult conditions, including carrying mine tailings. “These trucks never shut down,” he says. “Lots of dust, lots of rough terrain, lots of contamination,” he

6 GAME CHANGERS | PART 3

THERE’S MORE TO AN OIL CHANGE THAN SIMPLY DRAINING THE FLUID

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To keep all warranties in effect, document the moment when each oil change is made and take note of adds, also referring to filters having a difficult life in such conanything unusual. ditions. The all-Kenworth fleet’s other units that run on more-conventional routes are drained at a little more than 60,000 km. Dirt in all forms and the related potential for oil overheating is also a concern at Keystone Western, where trucks are fitted with bug screens to help keep radiators clean, Forest explains. “Our maintenance program is pretty rigid. When we look at our trucks when they come for servicing, we look at the radiators and make sure that they are clean. If we find that a radiator is dirty, we will wash it out, thus keeping the engine temperature at a better pace where it’s not gonna get overheated, which in return will cause the oil to get cool because oil coolers on the engine depend on how well the cooling system works,” he says. Driving habits can also be an element that contributes to oil needing to be changed sooner than expected. Not surprisingly, both our interviewed maintenance managers rely on automated transmissions to remove human factors from the equation. “If our trucks were all standard shift transmissions, that would probably change some of the aspects of the oil drain intervals. But all our company trucks are automated transmissions. It shifts at the right intervals and RPM. We are guided by what the transmissions do, so we know that they’re not gonna be over-revving,” Forest says.

truck, indicating when the next full-service is due. “We depend a lot on the drivers that they keep track of their mileage and they will phone in and tell us that the truck is coming,” Forest indicates. “Then we minimize the amount of time that the truck is gonna be down and make sure it also meets his e-log obligations,” he adds. “We work fairly closely with the drivers and also dispatch to try to organize everything, to orchestrate it so that everything flows.” Both fleets have an in-house maintenance team but still allow oil changes to be conducted out of premises when needed. “If the truck is at Kenworth for a fault code or something and is due for an oil change and it’s gonna be down for a few days waiting for parts, we’ll have them do it [the oil change],” Watkins explains. The situation is similar at Keystone. “We don’t want to jeopardize any engine warranty or prolong oil change intervals just to get the truck back to our shop. We want to make sure that our equipment is running up and down the road and making us money,” Forest says, referring to the occasional oil drain at a dealership. Watch, touch, smell, document

Image: sektor1984– iStock.com

Optimize, don’t jeopardize

Once you remove the drain plug, engine oil will take somewhere between 15 and 40 minutes to completely come out of the engine, depending on its temperature. This time period allows the technicians to perform other verification tasks while the truck is in the shop, optimizing each minute of scheduled downtime. Keystone’s maintenance manager uses the TMT Fleet Maintenance software package and says his team has worked to program it with every possible scenario, to coordinate oil changes with other routine work such as checking the batteries, wiring, lighting, etc. At Commercial Transport, Watkins stresses: “With our regular oil change, we check the driveline, check the universal, check our wet line, hydraulics, PTOs, etc.” “We try to capture as much as we can when we bring a unit into the shop. Let’s say I bring a truck in and we’re doing an oil change on it and I see that a filter is at 90% for the interval, then we will definitely do it at the same time, minimizing the downtime of that unit. It doesn’t have to come back just to get a filter changed or inspected,” Forest says. Keystone has dedicated trucks, but those come with additional challenges, as oil changes need to be scheduled in accordance with drivers’ hours of service. A decal is put inside each

Just like oil analyses, simple actions such as watching, touching and smelling the oil that comes out of the pan can tell a lot about the condition of an engine. “When you pull a drain plug, check for filings, things like that. Antifreeze or diesel in the oil, texture,” says Watkins. Oil with a greyish color could be a sign that coolant is leaking in it, indicating that a gasket may be failing. A fuel smell in the oil could reveal faulty injector cups, while excessive dilution identified through the sense of touch could be the result of overheating. Driver input can also be valuable if someone notices an oil pressure drop and relays that information to the maintenance crew for investigation. Last but not least, to keep all warranties in effect, document the moment when each oil change is made and take note of anything unusual. As an example, in addition to keeping these records in his computer system, Watkins even has oil samples filed. “It’s very important to keep track of your information,” Forest agrees, adding that engine manufacturers want to have the information readily available to them, should an issue arise. “If you can’t provide that due diligence, then you’re gonna be in trouble at one point or another,” he says.

Sponsored by Imperial Oil Limited GAME CHANGERS | PART 3

BY J OH N G . S M I T H

BY E L I Z A B ETH BAT E

REGULAR OIL ANALYSES READINGS CAN IDENTIFY ISSUES AS THEY EMERGE – AND BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE

READ, REPORT, REPEAT

“IT SHOULD BE SOMETHING THAT’S DONE CONSTANTLY, TO MAKE SURE THAT NOTHING HAPPENS.” – NICHOLAS REICH, VICE PRESIDENT SALES, TRIBOLOGIK

LABORATORIES

8 GAME CHANGERS | PART 3

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It’s important to tell us for how long you’ve had the engine. How old is the engine? If we see copper at the beginning of the life of the engine, it’s normal. But towards the middle or the end of the life of the engine, well that’s excessive wear, bearing failure and other issues.

ll of us have at some point experienced a computer crash caused by viruses, malware or other digital threats that accumulate over time, often interacting with each other until the whole system breaks down. Inevitably, the expert we call in a state of panic has this to ask: “Do you scan your hard drive regularly?” It’s similar to a question often asked when it comes to oil analyses, says Nicholas Reich, vice-president of sales at Tribologik Laboratories’ Canadian headquarters in Montreal. “When someone approaches us, usually they already have a problem and they’re trying to investigate what happened. But it should be something that’s done constantly, to make sure that nothing happens.” Oil analyses don’t always bring bad news by revealing latent

catastrophes waiting to happen. In fact, they sometimes simply confirm that you’re doing OK or could do even better. “We witnessed a lot of cases where the oil that was brought to us didn’t even require to be drained in the first place,” says Moussa Zidoune, director of Tribologik’s laboratory, illustrating the potential for longer drain intervals and the related savings. Having the lubes analyzed can also offer hints on how your drivers treat your trucks. For example, high levels of soot, acid, or fuel blow-by values in the oil may indicate excessive idling by drivers. Discovering and modifying such behaviors in time can avoid unnecessary maintenance expenses, says Reich, referring to the way excessive idling can cause oil to thicken and sludge to accumulate. Reducing the unwanted idling can extend oil life and save

It’s all about early detection. An oil analysis can catch things a heck of a lot earlier than any mechanic. – NICHOLAS REICH, VICE PRESIDENT SALES, TRIBOLOGIK LABORATORIES

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fuel alike, and that’s on top of reducing the threat of fines in idle-free zones.

A sample can be analyzed for around $35 and save you thousands in avoided downtime.

Unwelcome intruders

The most common trespasser in the oil sump is engine coolant. It usually finds its way to the oil through a worn head gasket or engine head cracks that expand as the engine warms. “Coolant is oil’s worst enemy,” Zidoune says, noting how lubricating properties are sacrificed with just a drop of coolant. The presence of diesel in oil is not unusual, either. It might indicate poor-quality fuel that doesn’t burn completely, or an issue with a seal. “That could dilute the oil. It could make it thinner,” Reich says. Finding traces of metal particles in the oil will be normal, too. All engines wear and leave traces of copper, iron and other metallic matter behind. The challenges emerge if the levels are too high, or if they appear at the wrong time. Too much metal in the oil doesn’t necessarily mean that your engine is a lemon. It could be a sign that you’re not using the appropriate type of oil, leading to the conditions that can cause premature wear. But to determine all the necessary facts, lab technicians need you to provide them with correct, basic background information, such as the engine make and model year, since the alloys used in manufacturing and engine will differ from one brand to another. Readings are also expected to change over time as a specific engine evolves. To put it another way, the same level that’s accepted one day may raise a red flag months down the road. Reading a report

The engine’s age will also determine how to read an oil analysis report. When construing the presence of metal particles, for example, take into account the normal break-in period of an engine. Copper leaching is normal during that time, Reich says. “It’s important to tell us for how long you’ve had the engine. How old is the engine? If we see copper at the beginning of the life of the engine, it’s normal. But towards the middle or the end of the life of the engine, well that’s excessive wear, bearing failure and other issues,” he says. Even your own age and the last time you had an oil analysis performed could create a bias in the way you read results and come to conclusions. Many things have changed in engine design with successive rounds of emission restrictions. Tony Costa, the maintenance manager at Toronto-based Carmen Transportation, says engineers have actually changed some of the rules about what levels are acceptable or not.

10 GAME CHANGERS | PART 3

“What used to be a ‘no pass’ became a ‘pass,’” he says, using aluminum levels as an example. It’s why he says maintenance managers should look beyond binary “pass” or “fail” grades and explore the actual parts per million of different materials that are recorded in an oil report. Instead of making conclusions based on the snapshot of a single oil analysis, it’s also important to look at trends over time, says Zidoune. Identifying a trend such as a gradual increase of a given contaminant can help indicate issues that are coming your way. It’s not an onerous amount of reading. The test results are typically reported in one or two pages, and often include visual indicators to offer guidance at a glance. “Typically on an oil analysis report, you’ll have a few different tables with the test results. You’ll have some comments on those results and you might have trending graphs so you can visualize the numbers,” Tribologik’s Reich says. Not only for the big guys

Money shouldn’t be an obstacle to oil monitoring, either. A sample can be analyzed for around $35 and save you thousands in avoided downtime, says Gloria Gonzalez, general manager at WearCheck Canada in Burlington, Ont. Reich at Tribologik agrees. “Spending money on an oil analysis program is not actually spending. It’s investing and saving money. Because if you catch one problem and you save one engine, you paid for the program for the whole year or several years’ worth,” he says. “This is why large fleets typically do their oil analyses, and they take it very seriously.” Even equipment suppliers themselves rely on oil analyses to guide factors such as warranty decisions. “Cummins uses all the data available, including fluids analysis, to make the most accurate decisions on field issues,” said Autumnlynn Glass, a Cummins fluids chemist and oil industry liaison, referring to one example. So if major fleets and engine OEMs find oil analyses to be a reliable, profitable business tool, chances are that they could also benefit a small or medium-sized fleet. “It’s all about early detection. An oil analysis can catch things a heck of a lot earlier than any mechanic or any technician working on the vehicle – because we’re looking at microscopic particles,” Reich concludes. And it’s a process worth repeating.

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Pu se Reader Survey Tell us your thoughts on ... Safety Safety is key to running an efficient business. Accidents and injuries can cost time and money in insurance claims and lost productivity. We asked how you feel about safety where you work.

When did the last injury occur in your workplace?

Have you ever been injured on the job?

YES

34 55% 18% 16% 11%

31% 31% 19% 7% 6% 3% 3% 0% 0% 0%

Vehicle collisions Slips, trips, and falls Cuts and scrapes Other Improper use of equipment Chemical exposure Improper lifting techniques Burns Lack of personal protective apparel Working at heights

Results are rounded to the nearest 1/10th percent.

More than a year ago This month Last six months Last 12 months

What is the biggest threat to safety where you work?

Would you consider your workplace to be safe?

â€œOver confidence makes us sloppyâ€?

How often do you administer safety training at work?

Safety

31% Monthly 22% When employees are hired, and not again 16% Weekly 13% Once every six months 9% Annually 9% Daily

In which of the following safety topics are your employees trained? 78% Defensive driving 66% Equipment operation (other than driving) 63% Housekeeping/ workspace cleanup 56% Proper lifting techniques 44% Proper storage of chemicals (safety data sheets) 31% Working at heights 19% Lockout/tagout 9% Other

Sponsored by Imperial Oil Limited GAME CHANGERS | PART 3

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