Friday, February 3, 2012
House Panel Kills Truck Weight Increase
An increase in federal truck size and weight limits did not survive a House committee vote yesterday. Members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted 33 to 22
to study the increased limit, rather than actually increasing it....
Great Dane Manufacturing Facility Builds Its 100,000th Trailer
Great Dane's Terre Haute, Ind., manufacturing facility celebrated the completion of its 100,000th trailer....
Fleet Sentiment Report Buying Index Rises 4+ Points from Previous Quarter
More fleets are planning to buy trailers, driving the First Quarter Fleet Sentiment Report Buying Index from CK Commercial Vehicle Research up 4.6 points from the previous quarter to a reading of 93.9....
2011 Record-Setting Year for Intermodal Container Volume
Intermodal container volume set a new record in 2011 with 12.4 million moves, beating former record-year 2007 by 3.7%, according to Intermodal Association of North America's Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics report....
Old Dominion Opens New Container Drayage Facility in Washington
Old Dominion Freight Line opened its first container drayage facility in the Pacific Northwest. This follows a 19% increase in container drayage shipments nationwide in 2011....
Cummins Announces Record Revenue and Profits for 2011
Cummins reported record sales, profits and cash flow from operations for all of 2011 as well as strong results for the fourth quarter....
Commercial Truck Dealers Convene in Las Vegas for ATD Convention
U.S. medium- and heavy-duty truck dealers are meeting in Las Vegas starting today for the 49th annual American Truck Dealers Convention and Expo Feb. 3-6, held for the first time in conjunction with the annual convention of the nation's new-car dealers....
Bendix Air-Brake Valve Problem Halts Some New-Truck Deliveries; Temporary Fix is Available
A problem with Bendix ATR-6 air-brake valves has raised a safety alert and caused at least one truck manufacturer to halt deliveries of new Class 8 trucks....
Fleet Brake to Sell Newly acquired Page Brake Assets
Just a week after Fleet Brake announced its intent to acquire assets of Page Brake Warehouse, the company announced it will sell these assets to FleetPride...
Fleets Report 4Q Results
Landstar System, Saia, Old Dominion Freight Line and Con-way all reported increases (and for some, record increases) for the 2011 fourth quarter and fiscal year....
Meritor Revenue Increases $200 Million Compared to Prior Year
Meritor's sales in its first fiscal quarter were $1.159 billion, up $202 million or 21% from the same period last year....
FTR's Trucking Conditions Index Continues Positive Trend
FTR's Trucking Conditions Index, as reported in the February 2012 Trucking Update, increased in December to a reading of 7.0....
Polar Corp. Names President Of Quality Trailer Products
Chris Dietemann is the new president of Quality Trailer Products....
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Natural Gas Gets Big Boost in Deal by Navistar, Clean Fuels and T. Boone Pickens
Natural gas will become a more popular fuel for commercial trucks if Navistar International and Clean Fuels Corp. can help it, and they intend to.
T. Boone Pickens, the oilman-turned-gas promoter whose BP Capital owns Clean Fuels, joined Navistar executives to announce a deal yesterday morning at the truck builder's new headquarters in Lisle, Ill....
YRC Becomes YRC Freight
YRC Inc., a subsidiary of YRC Worldwide, is rebranding itself as YRC Freight....
Paccar Reports Record Quarterly Revenues
Paccar reported its 73rd year in a row of net profit, with its 4.85 billion in quarterly revenues marking the highest in company history....
Calstart to Again Manage California Electric/Hybrid Incentive Program
The California Air Resources Board selected Calstart for the third year in a row to manage the state's incentive program for electric and hybrid trucks and buses....
House Highway Bill Challenges Hours of Service Restart Provision
In the House highway bill unveiled yesterday, Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., finally revealed what he meant when he said he will challenge the new hours of service rule. The bill could force the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to rewrite the 34-hour restart provision of the rule, which limits the restart to once a week with two sleep periods from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m....
HDT Editors Finalists for Prestigious Journalism Awards
Two Heavy Duty Trucking editors are finalists in a prestigious business-to-business journalism competition for their how-to stories....
Worldwide Equipment New East Trailer Dealer
Worldwide Equipment was named an authorized dealer for East Manufacturing....
Old Dominion Adds 10 Asian Ports to Pacific Promise Service
Old Dominion Freight Line expanded its Pacific Promise less-than-container load service to 10 additional ports in eight countries in Asia. This follows a 40% increase in shipments from the continent in 2011....
Options Media to Acquire Illume Software
Options Media Group Holdings will acquire 100% of the stock of Illume Software Inc., a Boston-based mobile software company that created iZup software, a solution to cellphone-related distracted driving....
Cool Cargoes Track at TPM Conference to Highlight Range of Refrigerated Transport Issues
The first ever Cool Cargoes track at the 2012 TPM conference March 5-6 in Long Beach, Calif., will focus on the growth and capacity issues of the global cold chain....
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Brace for a Slowdown in 2012
While fears of a double-dip recession are easing, GDP and industrial production numbers suggest 2012 will not be as robust as 2011. As recently as June, economists were predicting growth of 3 to 3.5 percent for 2012, but new consensus forecasts are calling for growth of just 2 to 2.5 percent. That one percentage point drop means we may need about 20,000 fewer new trucks this year....
Customers Wouldn't Pay Extra for Any Non-Compliance Penalties Imposed on Navistar, Hebe Says
Customers would not see an upcharge if Navistar International has to pay government penalties for producing engines whose emissions exceed the absolute federal limit for nitrogen oxide (NOx), said Jim Hebe, senior vice president of North American sales....
Orientation Tips Part of Recruiting/Retention Conference
About 40% of drivers make a decision in their first 72 hours whether they're going to be a short timer or stay with a company a long time, according to one speaker at a recruiting and retention conference this week in Nashville.
Taking a close look at your orientation processes could be a big step in making sure newly recruited drivers and owner-operators stay beyond a few weeks or months....
House Highway Bill Would Allow Heavier Trucks
The House of Representatives yesterday unveiled its version of a new highway program that would spend $260 billion over five years. The bill trims the Department of Transportation by consolidating or eliminating programs, gives states a greater say in how they spend federal money and speeds up the project approval process....
Polar Tank Trailer Names Painter President
Polar Corp. appointed Jim Painter president of Polar Tank Trailer....
November Surface Trade with Canada and Mexico up 12.7% Year-over-year
Trade using surface transportation between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico was 12.7% higher in November 2011 than in November 2010, totaling $76.7 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics of the U.S. Department of Transportation....
Arsenault Names New CEO, Charles Arsenault Retires
Arsenault Associates announced that Jack Boetefuer is the company's new CEO. Boetefuer will replace previous CEO Charles Arsenault....
Dana Opens Distribution Center in Hungary
Dana Holding Corp. opened a new distribution center in Gyor, Hungary, marking the first step in the company's plans to establish a global aftermarket distribution network....
Rock Slide Closes Westbound I-40 For Weeks In North Carolina
A rock slide near Exit 451 on I-40 West closed the road near US 276, Exit 20, West of Asheville, N.C., in Haywood County near the Tennessee state line....
Women In Trucking Partners with TMSA to Promote Diversity in Marketing
The Women In Trucking Association is partnering with the Transportation Marketing & Sales Association to recognize best practices in reflecting diversity in transportation marketing....
UPS Reports Record 4Q Results
UPS announced fourth quarter 2011 adjusted diluted earnings per share of $1.28, a 21% improvement from 2010's fourth quarter....
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
EPA Sets Penalties for Emissions Non-Compliance
Navistar Inc. may have to pay penalties of up to $1,900 per engine if it cannot meet heavy diesel emission standards, according to a new Environmental Protection Agency rule....
Diesel and Gas prices Rise, Oil Falls
This week, U.S. diesel prices increased by less than a tenth of a cent to $3.850 from $3.848. However, the Midwest, Rocky Mountain and West Coast regions all saw very slight price decreases....
TransAxle Named Remanufacturer of the Year
During its annual summit in Las Vegas, the Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association awarded TransAxle LLC its Mike Hill Heavy Duty Remanufacturer of the Year award....
ATA Announces Law Department Moves
American Trucking Associations announced two personnel moves: the promotion of Prasad Sharma to senior vice president and general counsel and the hiring of Richard Pianka as the association's new vice president and deputy chief counsel....
TCA Announces Division Winners of 2011 National Fleet Safety Awards
The Truckload Carriers Association announced the division winners of its 36th annual National Fleet Safety Awards....
Penske Truck Leasing and Penske Logistics to Hire 3,500 Associates in 2012
Penske Truck Leasing and Penske Logistics plan to hire approximately 3,300 U.S. positions and 200 positions in Canada during 2012....
2012 Mid-West Truck and Trailer Show Will Stress Truck Safety Issues
The 50th Anniversary Mid-West Truck and Trailer Show will stress the importance of safety in the industry....
Tennessee Highway Patrol Teams Up with CargoNet
CargoNet announced a new alliance with the Tennessee Highway Patrol to combat stolen goods in transit in Tennessee and surrounding states....
Bendix Names Vice President and General Manager of Charging
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems announced Mark McCollough is the new vice president and general manager for the charging business....
Odyne Systems Delivers Seven Hybrid System Work Trucks Throughout Wisconsin
Hybrid system maker Odyne Systems LLC has delivered seven trucks featuring the Odyne advanced plug-in hybrid propulsion system to utilities and municipalities in Wisconsin....
Monday, January 30, 2012
Hours of Service: Did FMCSA Find a Sweet Spot?
Almost no one is happy about the new hours of service rule. Maybe that means the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration made the moves that will lead to stability, at long last.
Or maybe not....
Fourth Quarter Real GDP Increase Best Since 2Q 2010
The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that real gross domestic product, the output of goods and services produced in the United States, increased at an annual rate of 2.8% in the fourth quarter of 2011....
Biodiesel Production Breaks 1 Billion Gallon Mark in 2011
The U.S. biodiesel industry produced more than 1 billion gallons of fuel in 2011, a key milestone....
Polar Tank Names Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Randy Arlt is the new vice president of sales and marketing for Polar Tank Trailer, Polar Corp.'s's tank trailer manufacturing business....
Arkansas Best Reports Profits in Fourth Quarter, Full Year
Arkansas Best Corp. announced fourth quarter 2011 earnings of $0.05 per share, compared to a fourth quarter 2010 loss of $0.12 per share. For the entire year, Arkansas Best's earnings were $0.23 per share versus a loss of $1.30 per share in 2010....
BTS Releases Interactive State Transportation Facts and Figures
The Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics released State Transportation Facts and Figures, an interactive web transportation mapping application that allows customers to find and download state-by-state transportation data, comparisons and rankings....
Truckload Carriers Association Names Best Fleets to Drive For
The Truckload Carriers Association and CarriersEdge announced the 2012 winners of Best Fleets to Drive For, a survey and contest that identifies North American for-hire trucking companies that provide the best workplace experiences for their drivers....
ASF Intermodal Exceeds 100 Trucks On the Road
ASF Intermodal, Mobile, Ala., has exceeded 100 trucks on the road, which it calls a major milestone in the intermodal drayage industry....
