DICA recently announced its move to a new headquarters and manufacturing facility in Urbandale, Iowa. This will double the company’s manufacturing capabilities for both standard and custom products. “A consolidation from multiple facilities in rural Iowa to a large, single manufacturing and office space enables us to provide an even higher level of customer service,” said Kris Koberg, CEO of DICA. In addition to investment in new equipment, the facility expands warehouse space for the company’s full line of outrigger pads, crane pads, cribbing, access mats and sling protection products. …

Sensata Technologies has developed a new Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) for vehicle OEMs to help improve vehicle safety and performance. Interest in BLE TPMS is on the rise as vehicles become more connected, electrified and autonomous. While common in consumer applications like speakers and headphones, BLE is relatively new in the TPMS space for vehicle OEMs and is enabled by newer vehicle system architectures that can support BLE functionality. Sensata’s new BLE TPMS leverages its field-proven tire pressure monitoring sensors by replacing the ultra-…

Terex Utilities’ Joe Caywood digs into the details behind the company’s groundbreaking announcement. In June, Terex Utilities introduced the first ever all-electric bucket truck at the Electric Utility Fleet Managers Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia. The truck combines Navistar’s International eMV electric chassis (33,000-pound GVWR) with the Terex Optima 55-foot aerial device and the HyPower SmartPTO system by Viatec. Terex designed the truck for electric distribution line work in urban applications. It offers a 135-mile driving range and the ability to operate the bucket for …

When it comes to aerial devices, utilities heavily weigh ergonomics and the ability to accomplish the job when choosing equipment for their fleets. This, and options that provide the most flexible positioning of personnel, has influenced recent trends in equipment boom types and accessories for aerial devices. Opting for Overcenter Overcenter aerial devices are typically selected for the range of upper boom articulation they provide. This supports distribution work practices that take place on both sides of the pole. Overcenter aerial devices have a greater range of motion, better side …

Two factors have contributed to the surge in catalytic converter thefts: the value of the materials in catalytic converters and the increased opportunity for thefts to occur. The costs of three precious metals – platinum, palladium and rhodium – found inside catalytic converters have skyrocketed. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), on January 4, 2019, rhodium was valued at $2,300 per ounce. On April 25, 2022, that value had risen to $16,500 per ounce. “Even before the pandemic, we were seeing an increase in thefts,” said Robert Passmore, department vice president …

Like many managers, utility fleet professionals face conflicting priorities in managing people and fleet services. Budgets are under fire, so keeping a close eye on labor costs is a top priority. But trucks and other vehicles must be adequately maintained and ready to go to work. It’s up to fleet managers to strike the right balance between managing operational costs and efficiencies and maintaining a high level of service and acceptable turnaround times. In 2020, the City of Missoula, Montana’s Fleet Maintenance Division added several departments to its service group, resulting in 20…

There’s a lot of media coverage around the rollout of new electric vehicle models. But there’s one EV category not grabbing headlines – yet it’s still critical to achieving a utility fleet’s sustainability goals: utility construction equipment. All-electric machines eliminate emissions and allow crews to operate in noise-sensitive areas and outside of standard work hours. They offer operators a safer work environment with no exposure to diesel fumes. So, what’s the latest in EV machines? Consider these new developments in three equipment categories – compact excavators, compact loader…

High fuel prices have made it increasingly difficult for fleet operations to keep costs low – especially utility fleets, whose essential services require daily travel to job sites. According to Dan Remmert, senior manager of fleet services for Ameren Illinois, “Not only are fuel prices at record highs, but pretty much everything else it takes to maintain a fleet is affected by higher cost.” Oklahoma Gas & Electric, which operates a total of 2,240 assets – 55% gasoline and 45% diesel – is facing similar challenges. The utility has a 65% utilization rate, and its vehicles are collec…

GPS-based electronic tracking systems first made inroads with over-the-road truck fleets to keep tabs on freight trailers as they’re hauled great distances and parked in far-off lots after cargo is offloaded. But every application for this dynamic technology differs where trailers are concerned, which is why utility fleet professionals should dig into how available systems match up to their specific operations. Steven Berube, senior business development manager, off-road vocational, for Geotab (www.geotab.com), said there are several reasons for electric utilities to consider deployin…

Sensata Technologies has announced that recently acquired SmartWitness is bringing industry-first modular flexibility to video telematics with its new KP2 dashcam. The KP2 is a compact road-facing camera with a snap-on driver-facing camera option that enables commercial fleets to add driver-facing video at any time with no wiring changes, no added installation cost and no downtime. Available immediately through telematics service providers, the KP2 includes a choice of real-time automatic driver assistance system and driver state monitoring features for accident prevention, plus cloud-ba…

Terex Utilities has opened a new Terex Service Center in Georgia. The brand-new location in Atlanta was built to suit, offering full-service repair facilities, as well as inspections, preventive maintenance, transfers and rebuilds, and more. The Atlanta location opened in May 2022 and adds additional support for customers in the Southeast U.S., along with existing locations in Birmingham, Alabama; White House, Tennessee; and Charlotte, North Carolina. The Atlanta service center is situated on 5 acres and is equipped with 14 drive-through bays, a wash bay, and two 10-ton OHD bridge cranes…