Dublin adds CNG snow plows to fleet

Dublin, Ohio — The city of Dublin recently received its first four CNG-powered Freightliner Snow Plows.

“These units will bring the total number of CNG Vehicles to 63,” said Darryl Syler, fleet manager. “Currently in our fleet we have a total of 22 snowplows. We will continue to replace our older fleet of snowplows with the CNG trucks.”

Dublin started its conversion to CNG in 2011 with the construction of a CNG fueling station. Each year during the fleet’s replacement cycle it purchases a number of dedicated CNG units. Through a partnership with IGS Energy of Dublin it also sells CNG to the public. In 2014, Dublin’s station pumped 441,000 GGE’s of natural gas.

The city is a Certified Fleet Management Operation through Government Fleet Management Alliance as well as a Certified Ohio Green Fleet and an ASE Blue Seal Shop with all of the Technicians being Master Technicians and Alternative Fuel Certified.

Plan a successful Work Truck Show by following new social media accounts

Farmington Hills, Mich. — NTEA, The Association for the Work Truck Industry, has launched two new social media destinations to help industry professionals better connect with The Work Truck Show 2016. Users can “like” a dedicated Work Truck Show Facebook page to see the latest show news, photos and videos, while exhibitors can follow @WTS_exhibitors on Twitter to receive important updates as the event approaches.

The Work Truck Show is North America’s largest work truck event. Produced annually by NTEA, the 2016 show will be held March 2–4 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind. Educational programming, including the Green Truck Summit, begins March 1. Registration opens this month at ntea.com.

The Work Truck Show 2016 conversation has begun on all of these channels. Join in with the event’s official hashtag, #worktrucks16, and the official Green Truck Summit hashtag, #greentrucks16.

Monroe Truck Equipment obtains victory in patent infringement suit

Monroe, Wis. — Monroe Truck Equipment Inc. is pleased to announce that a federal court in Madison, Wis., has found in favor of Monroe Truck Equipment in a patent lawsuit filed against Universal Truck Equipment Inc. The Honorable James Peterson found that Monroe Truck Equipment’s patent on a specialized wing plow post is both valid and infringed by one of Universal Truck Equipment’s “Uni-Glide” products.

On January 28, 2014, Monroe Truck Equipment filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin asserting that Universal Truck Equipment infringed U.S. Patent No. 8,596,376, entitled “Support Apparatus for Securing a Wing Plow.” Wing plows are supported by posts that allow the plow blade to move up and down while in use. Prior to Monroe Truck Equipment’s invention, when the inboard end of a wing plow encountered an unusual resistance, such as a mass of heavy snow, the inboard end of the wing plow had a tendency to dive down while the outboard end popped up, risking damage to the vehicle and endangering the safety of the driver.

The only issues that remained for trial involved the computation of damages owed by Universal Truck Equipment to Monroe Truck Equipment. Before trial, the parties reached a confidential settlement agreement.

Jay Leno to give keynote address at The Work Truck Show 2016

Farmington Hills, Mich. — Jay Leno, comedian, author, car builder and longtime host of “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” will serve as keynote speaker at The Work Truck Show 2016. His address will take place March 3 as part of the President’s Breakfast and NTEA Annual Meeting.

North America’s largest work truck event is produced annually by NTEA — The Association for the Work Truck Industry. It will be held March 2–4 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind.

Leno was a staple of late night television for more than 20 years. He took over “Tonight Show” hosting duties in 1992 and quickly took his show to the top of the ratings. After retiring in 2014, Leno started a popular Web series focused on his love of cars, “Jay Leno’s Garage.”

A ticket is required to attend the President’s Breakfast. Visit ntea.com/upcomingevents to sign up for email notification when registration is available.

Auburn fleet division manager named NAFA regional trustee, Central Region

Princeton, N.J. — Sandy Leonard, division manager of fleet services for the city of Auburn, Ala., has been tapped to become NAFA Fleet Management Association’s Central Region trustee effective immediately. He succeeds Michele Ryan, CAFM, who resigned from the position Aug.23, citing a new non-fleet employment opportunity. Leonard has been a member of NAFA since 2002. Dedicating their time and knowledge to making the Association successful, NAFA’s Regional Trustees have oversight of NAFA’s chapters, ensuring the association’s mission and vision are implemented. Leonard said he will attempt to continue to bring passion and the willingness to learn and disseminate the information to (NAFA’s) Central Region’s chapters, and that he will assist NAFA Trustees and staff to cast the vision and represent NAFA with loyalty and character.