May 2008
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT - LEONARD HUFFMIRE
The year is coming to the end. Our last meeting is for this year is May 21.
I would like to thank you for your efforts to attend the April meeting. It was refreshing to see all of you and I am looking forward to seeing you in May.
The Society Expo went off without any problems and I would like to extend my thanks to Cheech and his Committee for their time and efforts.
The Kiddy Picnic is around the corner, don’t forget to sent or contact Mike Cordiello with the numbers so he can get the toys. I need to give a special thanks to everyone who pledged their donation for toys. There is no moment that will touch us more than the moment the kids get that bag of toys and the expression on their faces.
Once again, I am looking forward to seeing you in May.
Thank you to all who attended the EXPO. I want to thank Members Richie Chan, Mike Cordiello, Mike Calise, Dennis Roskop and Carl Orza for putting the EXPO together. We will be sending out a Thank You booklet out for the EXPO sponsors and exhibitors to the Membership shortly.
Our May meeting will be at the Immaculate Conception Center. I hope to see you all there before our summer break. We will be back at the Immaculate Conception Center in September.
The following Bylaw change proposals have been submitted and will be voted upon at the May meeting. All eligible voting Members will receive a ballot in the mail by May 1st and if you will be voting by proxy, you must send your ballot addressed to Brian Marksohn, Secretary to the Society’s post office box.
Bylaw IV Duties of Standing Committees
Scholarship:
SOCIETY OF FLEET SUPERVISORS SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Add the following to the 2nd paragraph after the first sentence:
Scholarships to be awarded in the following order: Member, Member’s spouse,
Member’s children, and Member’s grandchildren. Any remaining scholarships
would then be awarded to Member’s nieces and nephews.
The Bylaws Committee and the Executive Board recommends a vote AGAINST this
proposal.
Bylaw IV Duties of Standing Committees
Scholarship:
SOCIETY OF FLEET SUPERVISORS SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Rewrite the 3rd & 4th paragraphs to read:
Each individual must be a high school graduate and may apply for a maximum of
(2) two scholarships while enrolled in any continuing education program, undergraduate
or graduate study and no more than (3) scholarships per family in less than
(5) five consecutive years.
The Bylaws Committee and the Executive Board recommends a vote FOR this proposal.
Bylaw IV Duties of Standing Committees
Scholarship:
SOCIETY OF FLEET SUPERVISORS SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Rewrite 1st paragraph, 1st sentence to read:
These scholarships would be awarded to eligible students who are related to
any Member of the Society who is in good standing and who attends at least (15)
of our regular monthly meetings or Executive Board meetings during the (3) three
consecutive years prior to the cut off date of all applications, which is the
November general Membership meeting.
The Bylaws Committee and the Executive Board recommends a vote FOR this proposal.
Article III
Section 2G Student Fleet Supervisor
Delete the second sentence in the section:
Membership in this grade shall be limited to the year prior to the students
expected graduation from an approved program.
The Bylaws Committee and the Executive Board recommends a vote AGAINST this
proposal.
Our latest additions to the Society’s Internet Directory are Infinity Handling Systems at http:// www.ihslift.com/ and the Town of North Hempstead at http://www.northhempstead.com/.
Our present Membership is comprised of:
Members 106
Life Members 19
Editorial Members 0
Associate Members 34
Honorary Members 3
Original Equipment Manufacturer 3
Apprentice Fleet Supervisors 0
Student Members 17
Total Membership 182
Current CONSECUTIVE attendance records are:
Honorary Member Bill Misita, Retired – 99, 9/92 – 2/05
Member Robert Lagnese, Farmingdale University – 89, 1/97 –
Member George Pastor, H. John Davis, Inc. – 70, 5/94 – 5/03
Member Carl Orza, Advanced Fleet Maintenance – 70, 3/97 – 2/06
Life Member Nuno Tardo, Universal Ford – 63, 3/89 – 1/97
Member John Cigna, Retired – 50, 2/94 – 3/00
Life Member Nuno Tardo, Retired – 48, 1/02 –1/08
Member Robert Spiotto, Frank Siviglia & Co., Inc. – 47, 11/01 –9/07
Member Pat De Martino, Con Edison – 44, 10/90 – 2/96
Member Leonard Huffmire, Atlantic Express Inc. – 42, 11/02 –
Attendance at the April meeting:
Members 62
Guests 20
Total 82
EDUCATIONAL - CLEMENT DRUMMOND
Ford Escape Hybrid - Replacing Brake Pads can be a Concern!
All hybrids use regenerative braking to capture kinetic energy that would be
given up as heat in slowing the vehicle down. With that being said, there have
been reports of brake caliper pistons seizing up because of the minimal movement
during regenerative braking. For example, a vehicle traveling at 60 mph the
regenerative braking would be 90% and 10% base brakes. At 10 mph the base brakes
would be 90% and the regenerative braking would be 10%.
The hybrid engineers at Ford have addressed this problem by adding a passive brake test to exercise the movement of the pistons in the calipers. The Escape hybrid uses a special electro-hydraulic braking system with the passive brake feature. After the vehicle is parked and the key is out for 15 minutes, a passive test will be conducted on the hydraulic brakes. During this test, the pump motor for the electronic brakes will operate all four brakes and check for leaks in the system. This self test can also be initiated by opening the driver’s door.
When serving the brake system it is necessary to follow the procedures below or an unsuspecting technician can get caught up in this small surprise and find the caliper pistons on the floor or suffer personal injury.
There are four possible methods to prevent this during brake system service:
1. Disconnect the 12 volt battery under the hood and also remove fuses # 24 (50 amp) and # 31 (50 amp) from the battery junction box (BJB). These are located in the under the hood fuse box
2. Disconnect the electrical connector at the brake hydraulic control unit.
3. Follow a procedure in the service manual that explains how to set the brake ECU into “Pad Service Mode” by pressing the brake pedal, cycling the ignition key, and then releasing the brake pedal.
4. Use a factory scan tool to place the system into “Brake Pad Replacement Mode”.
GOLF OUTING - NICHOLAS MARKATOS
Our 21st Annual Golf Outing is just around the corner on Monday, June 16th. We will be at the Towers Country Club in Floral Park, NY. If you haven’t placed your reservations for a foursome, the deadline to do so is May 31st. An application is available in this Newsletter or at any time on our website.
The May General Meeting is only a couple of weeks away. This
is the last General Meeting before our summer break.
We are way behind last years Journal Ad total for the same period last year.
We have a long road to travel to meet or break last year’s final total
of revenue generated by Journal Ad sales.
Our most worthy Member of the Year, Mike Cordiello is certainly a person held in high regard by all our Membership and is a person that should be celebrated as such. Mike has time and time again given his time, effort and hard work for our Society.
Making a commitment to place an ad in our 2008 Journal sends a strong message to our Membership and that is that we are proud of our Society and proud to have Mike Cordiello as the Member of the Year. Please continue to show your support for our Society and Mike by upgrading your Associate Ad or by asking your vendors and friends to honor Mike by purchasing a Journal Ad in his honor. Although there are many more miles to go before we meet last year’s total, I know that the generosity of our Society Members will rise to meet the occasion.
Thanks for your continued support and have a wonderful and safe summer.
New Light Truck Economy Standards to Save 10.7 Billion Gallons
of Fuel, Include Largest SUVs for First Time Ever, Transportation Secretary
Mineta Announces
New fuel economy standards for light trucks will save 10.7 billions of gallons
of fuel and include, for the first time ever, the largest sport utility vehicles,
Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced today in Baltimore, MD.
The changes to the fuel economy standards represent the second time the Bush Administration has increased the mileage standards for light trucks and the first complete reform of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program for pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and minivans since its inception in 1979, Mineta said.
"The new standards represent the most ambitious fuel economy goals for light trucks ever developed in the program’s twenty-seven year history," Secretary Mineta said. "And more importantly, they close loopholes that have long plagued the current system".
Mineta said the new rules save two billion more gallons of fuel than an earlier proposal released in August, 2005 by including the largest SUVs and strengthening the final miles per gallon target. The new standards also set individual miles-per-gallon goals for all passenger trucks sold in the United States, requiring manufacturers to install fuel saving technology on all passenger trucks.
In addition, the light truck fuel economy standards will save more than 250 million gallons a year just by including the largest sport utility vehicles on the market today, those that weigh between 8,500 and 10,000 pounds. Mineta said these large SUVs will be included in the CAFE program starting in 2011, adding that "we worked hard to make sure that no single SUV gets a free pass under these new standards".
The new fuel economy standards also strengthen the miles-per-gallon target for light trucks, Secretary Mineta said. The light truck targets will increase from 21.6 to 24 miles per gallon, the highest level ever for the program. Mineta added that more was being asked of automakers because they now have to factor in 240,000 of the least efficient SUVs for the first time.
"We took a good, close look at automakers’ plans, examined new technology that is in use or under development – like hybrids and the latest generation of diesel-burning engines – and decided that we could ask more of the manufacturers than we proposed last August," Mineta said. He added that the new standards mean that some light trucks will now have to meet a fuel economy target of 28.4 milers per gallon, which is higher than today’s standard for passenger cars.
House Bill Seeks to Address Hybrid Hazard for Blind
Washington, D.C. - Representatives Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) and Cliff Stearns
(R-Fla.) introduced a bill Wednesday that would require the Transportation Department
to establish safety standards for hybrids and other cars in order to protect
blind pedestrians.
The National Federation of the Blind has been pushing for legislation that addresses the safety risks that hybrids pose because blind pedestrians can't hear them coming when they're traveling at slow speeds and operating on electricity. The risk seems to be highest when hybrid cars are backing out in a parking lot or turning right at a stop light after coming to a full stop.
The bill would require the Transportation Department to conduct a two-year study before setting the standards. Automakers would then have two years to comply with any resulting requirements to add audible sounds to the vehicles.
"As a blind traveler, in order for me to know how to navigate the streets, I need to know which way the cars are going -- if they are stopping, if they are going, if they are turning -- so I know if I can cross the street," Devon Jones, a student at the Blind Industries and Services of Maryland, told Scripps Howard Foundation Wire-InfoZine.
INDUSTRY NEWS
New ZAP Electric Truck Offers More Payload Capacity
Santa Rosa, CA – With gasoline prices predicted to reach new records in
2008 and government and corporate fleets scrambling to reduce costs, electric
car pioneer ZAP is introducing a new electric truck for fleets with a greater
payload rating.
A prototype of the ZAP XL Truck has been completed, and production models are expected for delivery to customers by this fall.
In the United States, the XL Truck will meet full Department of Transportation requirements for low speed vehicles with a top speed of 25 mph. As part of ZAP’s global distribution strategy, the ZAP Truck XL will be designed to meet or exceed government certifications that would allow for distribution throughout most of the world.
The Xebra and the XL Truck have a two-passenger capacity, but while the payload rating for the Xebra is 500 pounds, the payload for the XL Truck is rated at 770 pounds. The cargo bed of the XL Truck is also larger at 58” long X 53” wide and 11.5” deep.
Rising Cost of Diesel Fuel Starts to Squeeze Truckers
With diesel prices pushing over the $4 per gallon, many independent owner/operators
are doing what they can — including eliminating idle time, taking lighter
loads, driving slower, and keeping tires properly inflated — to cut costs
and stem losses from their bottom lines
The state average price for diesel was $4.08 per gallon last Thursday. That was up from a monthly average of $3.49 in February and about $1.28 more per gallon than at the same time last year, according to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report. National figures are slightly lower, but the trend is the same.
Norita Taylor of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association in Grain Valley, Mo., said the organization has been getting reports of owners selling their trucks and signing on as company drivers or simply parking them. Taylor said the industry is seeing several issues converging at once: fuel surcharges that aren’t always passed back to the driver from the broker, a shortage of freight and high fuel prices.
The association has reached out to the Bush administration, asking for immediate cessation of diversion of oil supplies to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Instead the association wants to allow the product to directly enter the marketplace.
Inducted at the November meeting:
• Robert Duchnowski, Shop Foreman, Town of North Hempstead, New Hyde Park,
NY as a Member. Robert oversees all repairs of all vehicles, preventative maintenance
and purchasing for a fleet of 300 vehicles.
Members on the move:
• Member Robert Spiotto is now with Infiniti Handling Systems of Garden
City, NY as a Sales Representative.
MEETING HIGHLIGHTS - BRIAN MARKSOHN
We thank Scott Vandeweghe regional manager for Brigade Electronics for presenting a very interesting program on New York City noise ordinances and their product line and for sponsoring the Cocktail Hour.
The Nominating Committee presented the slate for Officers for the 2008/2009 term. See the Nominating Committee report for details.
The winner of the Big Draw of $50.00 was Chris Ianno of Brake Service who donated his proceeds to the Kiddy Picnic.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE - WILLIAM McVEIGH
The following slate has been nominated for 2008/2009 and no
opposing slate was nominated from the floor:
President – Michael Cordiello, Logan Bus Co.
1st Vice President – Al Buehler Jr., Drive Train Truck Parts
2nd Vice President – Michael Cafiero, HOP Energy, LLC
Treasurer – Frank Carpenter, We Transport/Towne Bus
Secretary – Vanessa Mercado, Superior Diesel Tech
Our program for the May meeting will be presented by Bill Richards of Enertech Labs, Inc., Buffalo, NY who will speak on fuels, additives and what’s happening in the fuel industry. The Cocktail Hour will be sponsored by Enertech Labs, Inc. and Commercial Vehicle Consultants.
The September meeting’s program will be is being sponsored by Prestolite Electric. The program will be presented by Jonathan Smith, the Regional Sales manager for Prestolite Electric on the Leece-Neville Line of starters and alternators.
We have received nine Society of Fleet Supervisors, Inc. Scholarship applications so far this year. Four of these scholarships are pending the outcome of this year’s Bylaw Change Proposal vote at the May meeting. Please remember that we are offering at total of eight $2,000.00 scholarships this year. Please remember your attendance requirement of 15 meetings in a three year period prior to the November meeting to be eligible for one of these scholarships.
SPECIAL ACTIVITIES - MICHAEL CORDIELLO
Well, it’s almost here, our Kiddy Picnic. The date is
Sunday, June 1, 2008 at Eisenhower Park, East Meadow, NY in the Peach/Pear sections.
I am still waiting for some responses from Members so we can start shopping
for the toys. We have a great DJ, games, prizes, face painting, and not to mention
food, drinks and deserts from the morning until it’s over.
I hope everyone can and will attend.
A GREAT BIG thank you goes out to all the donation pledges for
the toys for the kids for the Kiddy Picnic. We had a record year and I am proud
to be associated with such generous Members. Thanks again to the following:
Frank Carpenter $300.00
Michael Cordiello $300.00
John Dozis $300.00
Michael Iannizzi $200.00
Chris Ianno $50.00
Mark Kodner $100.00
Dennis Madden $50.00
Michael Mazzio $50.00
William McVeigh $100.00
Nuno Tardo $100.00
Joe White $50.00
Advanced Fleet Maintenance $1,313.13
Brake Service $100.00
CDM Fleet Maintenance $100.00
C.N.R. Refrigeration $200.00
Commercial Vehicle Consultants $200.00
Delta Transmissions $100.00
Double Check Electric $1,000.00
Drive Train Truck Parts $500.00
L & L Automotive Electric $200.00
Logan Bus $200.00
Mondial Automotive $500.00
Motive Engines $100.00
Oceanside Transmissions $200.00
Parts Authority $100.00
Reaction $100.00
Rosco, Inc. $250.00
Trans Tech Bus $200.00
WELFARE & EMPLOYMENT – RICHARD CHAN
Congratulations to Life Member George Ferraro and wife Lorraine on the marriage of their son James and Tara on March 8, 2008.
Congratulations to Member Robert Crandall and wife Wendy on the marriage of their daughter Tawnee and James Klein on April 27, 2008.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes for our following Members and their spouses:
06/01 Ann Marie Iannizzi (Michael)
06/02 Patricia Schneider (William)
06/05 Rosalie Sciortino (Richard)
06/06 Michael Cordiello
06/07 Kathy Hart (Floyd)
06/08 Steven Milack
06/09 Robert Gartman
06/10 Julie Domante (Peter)
06/13 Judi Blane (Mitchell)
06/13 Showky Kaldawy
06/20 Susan Pastor (George)
06/23 Jack Lawson
06/23 William Mirabella
06/24 Richard Chan
06/24 Blanca Nunez (Juan)
06/24 Keith Skinner
06/25 Marie Milack (Steven)
06/26 Robert Spiotto
06/28 George Hallahan Jr.
06/28 John Iannotta
06/29 Barbara Clark (Mitchell)
06/29 Leonard Huffmire
Meetings
Wednesday, May 16 2012
Koenig’s Restaurant
86 South Tyson Ave.
Floral Park, NY 11001
For directions, click here.
Cocktail Hour at 6 PM - 7 PM
Dinner and Meeting at 7 PM
Members - $35 Guests - $45
Program of the Month
Spotlight Supplier
Interested in becoming a Spotlight Supplier? Click here.