Author Archives: Carlos De Sordi

Russian Scientists Discover New Mineral

Russian scientists have discovered a new mineral while studying an iron meteorite found in Eastern Siberia in 2016.

The mineral, called Uakitite, was discovered by researchers from the Geological Institute at the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, as we all researchers from Ural Federal University and Novosibirsk State University. Because the crystals were so small, scientists used electron diffraction rather than X-ray analysis to study the new mineral.

`Researchers said the mineral is related to carlsbergite (CrN) and osbornite (TiN). Due to the small size of the crystals, its physical properties were difficult to assess.

J.D. Power Predicts Increase in Truck Sales

Analysts from J.D Power Valuation Services have predicted an increase in truck sales and new vehicle deliveries for fleets in coming months.

According to the company’s July report, a higher volume of trucks sold at auction in June and an apparent turn back towards a normal market are the primary reasons for the prediction. June saw auction sales of sleeper tractors through the largest nationwide auction companies increase by 121 percent over May.

The report indicated that demand for trucks is continuing to out pace the supply. However, the massive increase in new orders continues to indicate the supply will increase as trade normalizes heading into the end of the year.

Pennsylvania Declares Construction Opioid Awareness Week

Pennsylvania kicked off their inaugural Construction Opioid Awareness Week, which will run from July 22 to July 28.

The state is asking construction companies to participate by holding educational sessions about opioids, informing employees of nearby prescription drug drop-off locations and engaging in other activities. The week was made official with the passage of House Resolution 981 in June.

Other News: Three Killed, 37 Injured in Construction Site Fire

According to data obtained from a report by CAN and published in Forbes, as many as 20 percent of medication prescribed to construction workers are opioids. That is five to ten percent higher than any other industry represented. Experts believe the physical nature of the industry and aging workforce are likely the cause.

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ATA Calls Rhode Island Tolls ‘Unconstitutional’

The American Trucking Association (ATA) and three carriers have filed suit against the state of Rhode Island, claiming its tolls that target only commercial trucks are unconstitutional.

According to its website, the ATA is joined by Cumberland Farms Inc., M&M Transport Services Inc. and New England Motor Freight in claiming the truck only tolls that are a part of Rhode Island’s RhodeWorks program violate the constitution’s commerce clause. Their complaint alleges the program discriminates against interstate trucking companies while impeding the flow of interstate commerce.

The suit accuses the state of designing tolls specifically to target out-of-state truck drivers, causing them to shoulder a disproportionate amount of the cost and responsibility for the conditions of the roads.

Supply Losses Could Strain Spare Production Capacity

Crude oil supply losses could result in some OPEC nations having to draw from their spare production capacities, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

In its monthly report, the Paris-based IEA said disruptions in Venezuela, Iran and Libya will require other oil producing countries to increase their output. Covering the shortage in supply will most likely fall on Saudi Arabia, which already instated its largest output increase in three years last month.

This increase will have a drastic impact on the kingdom’s spare production capacity, which is usually left untouched in case of emergencies. The IEA, which oversees the release of these emergency stockpiles, has continued to express concerns over the potential issues further production could cause.

OOIDA Petition Denied by the FMCSA

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has denied a petition by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) to exempt small carriers from its electronic logging device mandate.

According to the Petroleum Marketer’s Association of America (PMAA), the reason for the denial will remain unknown until it is published in the Federal Register. The petition would have allowed carriers with less than $27.5 million in annual revenue and clean safety records to continue using paper logs to record critical information.

OOIDA had previously attempted to fight the mandate in court, filing a lawsuit against the FMCSA in 2016. The 7^th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled in favor of the FMCSA and appeals to the Supreme Court were denied.

Union Pacific sees Metrics Slip in Wake of Crew Shortages

Freight hauler Union Pacific has reported a slip in its key service metrics, believed to be driven by crew shortages and a tunnel collapse.

According to sources, the company is recruiting heavily to alleviate lack of manpower, but lack of worker supply is making it difficult. The large amount of vacations taken during the summer months are also exacerbating the problem. Union Pacific held up 65 trains due to a lack of crews for the week ending on June 22.

A May 29 tunnel collapse in Oregon has also created issues. Re-routing trains led to increases of up to five days of delivery time.

A Brief History of Oil in America, Part 2

This is part 2 of a 2 part series. Read part 1 here.

Demand for crude oil continued to increase as the industrial revolution continued. Natural oils were insufficient in lubricating metal based machinery, so petroleum based lubricants became commonplace. The first automobile had been made available in 1892, with the first Ford Model T rolling off the assembly line in 1908. By 1920, there were as many as 8.5 million automobiles registered in the United States and gasoline had replaced kerosene as the primary focus of the petroleum industry.

“We were building things so fast you had to find more economical and efficient ways to make that happen,” Palmore said. “As machinery was developed and combustion engines were developed, the more technical the oil had to be to take care of that.”

As automobiles continued to become more advanced, lubricants had to follow suit. Manufacturers began using vacuum distillation to process base oils and the society of automotive engineers created classifications based on viscosity. In the 1930’s, manufacturers started using solvent processing to improve their base stocks and by the end of the 1940’s additives became common in the industry. By 1947, the API had created their own categories for motor oil.

“As technology comes and the size of the engines increase, the oil has to be able to bear the load. It has to be able to perform all of its functions,” Palmore said. “As the automobile evolved, each vehicle had to have a new motor oil.”

Related: Learn more about PetroChoice

The importance of oil in military applications further pushed the industry to the forefront. By World War I, soldiers on horseback and cannons began to give way to tanks and personnel carriers. World War II saw even more advanced military vehicles and an increased focus on planes. Oil became such an important resource that cutting supply lines became a critical part of the war strategy. The Allied Oil Campaign focused exclusively on destroying Axis supply and refinery facilities in Europe. World War II also marked the first time synthetic oil was regularly used in vehicles.

The 1950’s saw oil overtake coal as the world’s leading fuel source. President Eisenhower signed the Federal Highway Act in 1956, which authorized the construction of 41,000 miles of roads that would span the United States, making car travel more viable outside major cities. Multi-grade motor oils were introduced and companies continued to work new additives into their base stocks as air and even space travel became possible.

Engines continued to become more and more powerful, with turbo charged engines popping up in the 70’s and 80’s. People also became more cognizant of the environmental impact of their engines. The government began creating emissions standards, which forced OEMs and oil companies to keep innovating.

“Turbo engines started coming out and base oil was changing. That’s also the time we started pushing fuel economy for on-road equipment,” Palmore said. “Technology had to be enhanced, we had to make lighter, more efficient engines without giving up performance.”

Oil has come a long way throughout the history of the United States. The API started out with three motor oil categories. They now have 12, and that is to say nothing of other standards like ILSAC and OEM specific standards like Dexos®. Vehicles continue to become more advanced and emissions standards continue to become more stringent. Oils and lubricants have played a major role in the growth of our country thus far, but with today’s complex equipment and environment, continuing innovation will be critical.

A Brief History of Oil in America, Part 1

Oils and lubricants have played a major role throughout the history of the United States, from powering our industry to fueling our vehicles and everything in between.

Even before the colonists arrived, Native Americans had used crude oil for various purposes. Some used it for waterproofing and building and most believed it had medicinal properties. The Seneca tribe were particularly interested in the material, obtaining it from seeps in what is now upstate New York and trading it. Crude oil even came to be known as “Seneca Oil.”

“We were a horse and carriage society. We were pulling everything with horse and carts. They were using animal fats and oil,” Rick Palmore, Strategic Consultant for PetroChoice, said. A lot of what they used came from whale fat. They were hunted almost to extinction.”

Up until about the 1850’s, demand for crude oil was relatively low. Most oil used for illumination or lubrication was derived from animal (often whale) fat. That changed once kerosene lamps became popular. In 1851, Samuel Kier created a process to distill crude oil into what he called “carbon oil” and began marketing it as fuel for lamps.

Many experts say the oil industry as we know it began in 1859 when Edwin Drake successfully struck oil near Titusville, Pennsylvania. His well was the first drilled specifically with the intent of finding crude oil. By 1861, the United States was producing 2.1 million barrels per year.

Drilling expanded to other areas of the country as oil, and oil marketers, became a part of the fabric of American society. No one was more synonymous with this booming industry than John D. Rockefeller, founder and chairman of Standard Oil Company.

Through relentless acquisitions and transportation deals with logistics companies, Standard Oil was able to control 90 percent of the nation’s refining capacity by 1878. While many of their tactics were questionable, Standard Oil was also ahead of its time. In pre-automobile America, many companies dumped and discarded gasoline while Standard was using it to fuel machines. They managed to take waste products from the refining process and create things like synthetic beeswax.

In 1890, congress passed the Sherman Antitrust Act, which targeted monopolies and attempted to prevent unfair trading practices. In 1911 Standard Oil was declared a monopoly in violation of the act and broken into 34 independent companies. Many of these companies continue to exist at the forefront of the oil and lubrication industry today.

Rockefeller’s company may have been no more, but he had left his mark on an industry that was now firmly entrenched in American society. The burgeoning auto industry, rapid industrialization and increasing government interest was about to make oil take off.

“There are three defining factors that have changed the history of motor oil,” Palmore said. “Number one is the scale of the job, the second is efficiency, getting the amount of power and getting what you need out of equipment. The third has been the government.”

Continue to Part 2