Dana Holding Corporation (NYSE: DAN) announced Tuesday that TMC Transportation, the largest privately held flatbed carrier in the United States, has specified Spicer® Pro-40™ tandem axles on the company's order of 1,500 Peterbilt 579 on-highway trucks.
Following a standard replacement schedule, TMC Transportation will purchase 1,500 new tractors over the next two years. The Spicer Pro-40 family of heavy-duty 40,000-pound tandem drive axles supplies a reliable, lightweight option for line haul, bulk, regional, and city delivery fleets. It offers a dramatic weight reduction and improved power density, enabling customers to increase payload, improve fuel economy, and ultimately improve their bottom line. The axle is nearly 100 pounds lighter than the nearest competitive axle, with a new high-strength-steel thin-wall housing on select applications.
"We need to be able to haul as much as possible in order to stay competitive in today's marketplace, and the Spicer Pro-40 axle brings major weight savings to our trucks, which matters most to us," said Rod Simon, executive vice president of maintenance at TMC Transportation. "As a highly data driven company, we're not just looking at performance; we evaluate cost-to-weight ratios and resale values of our equipment."
TMC Transportation has a successful, longstanding history with Dana products, having continually purchased PACCAR trucks with Spicer drive axles, steer axles, driveshafts, and steering shafts, as well as Bendix® foundation brakes as standard equipment on PACCAR's Peterbilt® and Kenworth® class 6, 7 and 8 commercial vehicles. Bendix foundation brakes are provided by Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake, a joint venture between Dana and Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC.
"We have a great track record with Spicer drive axles and front-end systems from Dana," Simon said. "From a durability standpoint, they've held up extremely well since they're built with longevity in mind."
The company has also specified SPL® 250 driveshafts and SPL® 170 inter-axle shafts and LMS hubs on their trucks for the past ten years, which have significantly reduced maintenance. TMC Transportation is also road-testing Dana's new all-aluminum Spicer® Diamond Series™ driveshaft.
"With a driveshaft, you don't want to think about it all the time, you just want to maintain and inspect it at regular service intervals," Simon said. "Since we switched to Spicer Life Series® driveshafts, we're able to spend less time on repairs and more time on the road."
"We designed the Spicer Pro-40 axle for astute fleet owners who fully appreciate how the weight savings we provide will reduce their fuel costs without sacrificing performance and reliability," said Pat D'Eramo, president of Dana Commercial Vehicle Driveline Technologies. "TMC Transportation is one of the top carriers in North America, and their commitment to the Spicer Pro-40 axle provides strong validation for our approach."
For more information on the Spicer Pro-40 tandem axle, and Spicer drivelines for commercial vehicles, please visit www.dana.com/commercialvehicle.
About Dana Holding Corporation
Dana is a world-leading supplier of driveline, sealing, and thermal-management technologies that improve the efficiency and performance of passenger, commercial, and off-highway vehicles with both conventional and alternative-energy powertrains. The company's global network of engineering, manufacturing, and distribution facilities provides original-equipment and aftermarket customers with local product and service support. Based in Maumee, Ohio, Dana employs more than 23,000 people in 26 countries and reported 2012 sales of $7.2 billion. For more information, please visit www.dana.com.
Product Model | Inside Diameter | Outside Diameter | Thickness |
54406 NACHI | 30 | 70 | 52 |
54306 NACHI | 30 | 60 | 38 |