Today's Pickup: Chevron Delo Touring Truck Focuses On Role Oil Plays In DPF Clogging

Good day,

Since launching its Delo 600 ADF diesel oil in November 2019, Chevron Corporation CVX has been promoting the oil's capability to improve diesel particulate filter performance (DPF) and extend the time between DPF cleanings.

At the Technology & Maintenance Council's annual meeting last month in Atlanta, Chevron showed off its Delo touring truck, which will travel the country and highlight the benefits of the Delo brand overall, and the Delo 600 ADF in particular.

James Booth, North American sector manager for Delo, told FreightWaves that 90% of ash that clogs DPFs comes from the metallic elements added to lubricants that keep engines running smoothly. Even though drivers may run regeneration on their DPF, that only burns away soot and not the ash, which must be removed manually.

Reducing the ash buildup can lead to longer timeframes between manual DPF cleanings, Booth said, noting that most recommendations call for DPF cleaning every 435,000 miles for on-highway vehicles.

"What we find in the field is quite different," he said. "We're seeing DPFs needing to be cleaned every 225,000 miles."

Current heavy-duty engine oils are formulated up to the API CK-4 limit of 1% sulfated ash, but Chevron said its Delo 600 ADF is formulated to 0.4% sulfated ash. That reduction can extend DPF service life up to 2.5 times, the company said. A DPF replacement can run $7,000 or more, and a cleaning alone is $700 or more, Chevron said.

Booth told FreightWaves the reduced ash in the oil also leads to up to 3% in fuel economy retention due to less clogging of the DPF filter.

The Chevron Delo touring truck features interactive displays, including a virtual reality experience that takes the visitor inside the workings of engines. There is a station that allows users to build their ideal maintenance shop and then a Chevron consultant can advise on the overall efficiency of that shop. Users can also formulate their own oil to see how different chemical configurations affect an oil's performance and then they can rate their own lubrication and oil analysis practices.

The Delo 600 ADF line includes 15W-40 and 10W-30 formulations. The Delo touring truck will be at truck stops, trade shows and dealer and customer events throughout 2020.

Did you know?

LMC Automotive has cut its 2020 auto sales forecast by 300,000 because of the impact from the coronavirus. It now projects 16.5 million vehicles being sold, the fewest since 2014.

Quotable:

"Major coastal ports are now operating at normal productivity levels, with truck power coming back on and cargo backlogs quickly clearing out, thereby returning fluidity to CMA-CGM's container movements."

Ocean container line CMA-CGM, in a statement, on operations in China

In other news:

Trump considers business tax cuts

President Donald Trump has proposed cutting payroll taxes and providing other stimuli to businesses, including low-cost loans, to minimize the impact of coronavirus on the economy. (FOX Business)

Connected vehicles are only as good as regulators allow

Road safety could be greatly improved with connected vehicle technologies in development, but only if regulators allow them to progress. (Fortune)

Electric delivery trucks are here (almost)

The introduction of production-ready electric package delivery trucks is near and most manufacturers are ready and able to meet expected customer demand. (GreenBiz)

Diesel Brothers are not immune to clean air laws

The famed Diesel Brothers, who strip down and rebuild diesel trucks, have been fined $850,000 for violating the Clean Air Act through the bypass of emissions control devices on the vehicles. (KSL)

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The Commercial Vehicle Training Association has issued warnings about fake emails circulating regarding drug and alcohol clearinghouse enrollment. (CCJ)

Final thoughts

The coronavirus is causing disruption to the trade show calendar. Attendees at events that actually take place are avoiding physical contact, with facial acknowledgement replacing the traditional handshake.

Several shows have been cancelled already and there is now an online petition on social media pushing for cancellation of the Mid-America Trucking Show. As the virus continues to spread, more conferences are reconsidering whether to hold their events, suppliers are cancelling customer visits, and businesses are quickly learning new ways to communicate with customers.

Hammer down, everyone!

Image Sourced from Pixabay