Jim Park

Former HDT Equipment Editor

Jim Park served as Heavy Duty Trucking's equipment editor from 2006-2024. Specializing in technical and equipment content, Park is an award-winning journalist who has been covering the trucking industry since 1998.

Before joining HDT, Park was a truck driver and owner-operator for 20 years and served as an editor for HighwayStar magazine, which ceased production in 2011. He maintained his commercial driver’s license to bring a real-world perspective to Test Drives, as well as to features, videos and podcasts about equipment spec’ing and trends, emissions regulations and developments, maintenance and drivers.

He is the recipient of 16 Jesse H. Neal honors (both finalist and Neal awards), including “Best Range of Work by a Single Author” in 2020.

Articles•by Jim Park•January 28, 2014

What's this Cold Weather Doing to Your Tire Pressure? (updated)

Here's one more reason to fear the dreaded Arctic Vortex: It plays havoc with tire pressure. If you're based in North Dakota and your trucks never travel too far south or west, there's hardly anything to worry about. San Diego-based fleets running up into the Midwest and the Dakotas or vice versa could have a problem.

Articles•by Jim Park•January 14, 2014

Mismatching Dual Tires: A Sure-Fire Way to Kill Two Tires at Once

As tire costs continue to rise, it will become harder to ignore even seemly insignificant problems, like mounting two tires of different diameter in the same dual assembly. Lack of attention can strip thousands of miles from even scabby old trailer tires, and increase the risk of a mission-crippling blowout.

News•by Jim Park•January 13, 2014

The Return of the Truck that Never Went Away

Many thought the Argosy COE went out of production in 2006, but it's still available in NAFTA markets as a glider kit. DTNA says interest in the truck is growing as more customers become aware of its continued availability.

On the Road•by Jim Park•January 10, 2014

New HOS Rules for Pilots Humanize the Job and Make Flying Safer Too

Nobody likes being told when to go to sleep and when to wake up, especially when you're not naturally inclined to do one or the other. HDT Equipment Editor Jim Park lived with trucking's hours of service rules for 20 years, and in this On the Road blog post, he compares trucking HOS with a new set of hours of service rules for pilots.

On the Road•by Jim Park•December 31, 2013

There's more to trucking than black smoke and taillights

Equipment Editor, Jim Park, shares his thoughts and experiences about the fund raising truck convoys that happen in the fall. He says these events show a side of drivers the public and some in the industry rarely see.

Articles•by Jim Park•December 23, 2013

Who Balances Trailer Wheels?

Nobody balances trailer wheels, but oddly, they are the wheels on a truck most likely in need of balancing. With a few ounces of balancing material, those tires might easily run tens of thousands more miles before final removal.

On the Road•by Jim Park•December 20, 2013

A Different Sort of Christmas Carol

As a writer, our Equipment Editor, Jim Park, has a good imagination. He swears, though, that on two particular occasions, he wasn't imagining anything, when he suddenly got the urge to do something totally out of the blue. It was good that he did, too.

On the Road•by Jim Park•December 12, 2013

The perils of winter driving, or, self-inflicted wounds

Equipment Editor Jim Park, has seen his share of calamity on snow-covered highways. He got through his 20 years of driving unscathed, but the point of view from the driver's seat is a little different that that of a traffic camera mounted dozens of feet in the air. Park says this ringside-seat video provides a new perspective on winter driving.

Articles•by Jim Park•December 9, 2013

Adopting Tire Inflation Systems

Why are adoption rates for proven fuel-saving technologies so low? It looks like a classic case of stepping over a dollar to pick up a dime. Maybe “a lack of credible information on payback” means, “we don’t know how much this device will save us so we’re not going to buy it.”

On the Road•by Jim Park•November 27, 2013

Thirty-five years' experience or one year's experience 35 times?

Equipment Editor Jim Park has had a CDL for 35 years. But does he know how to really drive a truck? We may never know until the day comes when he has to put his skills to the test.

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