trucks world news

TRUCKING INDUSTRY WORLDWIDE * Germany - Deutsche Post DHL Lost $123 Million

Express unit earns profit after restructuring charges; forecast improves

Frankfurt,Germany -The Journal of Commerce On Line (USA), by Bruce Barnard -Nov 5, 2009: -- Deutsche Post DHL lost $123 million in the third quarter, reflecting costs involved in DHL's exit from the U.S. domestic parcel delivery market and the bankruptcy of a major customer, German retailer Arcandor... Revenue fell 18.6 percent to $16.5 billion, and third quarter operating income fell to $340 million from $1.4 billion a year ago... Those results beat expectations and allowed the world's biggest logistics company to raise its profit forecast for the full year. The German mail and express delivery group said it now expects earnings before interest and tax to reach at least $2 billion this year against a previously forecast $1.76 billion as cost cuts counter slumping cargo volume... The global freight forwarding unit reported higher ocean and air cargo volumes but revenue shrunk 30 percent to $3.8 billion due to lower freight rates and fuel surcharges... (Photo by Arpingstone @ Flickr)

* Switzerland - Panalpina Earnings Slump

Basel,Switzerland -The Journal of Commerce Online (USA), by Bruce Barnard -Nov 5, 2009: -- Pricing, capacity pressure cut into margins as forwarder gains market share... Panalpina, the Swiss global logistics and freight forwarding group, reported a sharp drop in third quarter earnings but said it boosted ocean and air freight market share on key trade lanes... Earnings before interest and tax fell to $10.7 million in the three months to Sept. 30 from $57.2 million a year ago while net forwarding revenue shrunk to $1.4 billion from $2.36 billion... Air cargo traffic rose 10 percent from the previous quarter and ocean freight by 13 percent but on a year-to-year basis were down by 25 percent and 18 percent respectively, the Basel-based company said... Nine month earnings fell to $40.7 million from $163 million and net forwarding revenue dipped to $4.3 billion from $6.5 billion in the same period in 2008... (Photo: Head office Panalpina World Transport (Holding) Ltd.)

* UK - Morrison says double-deck trailers will cut C02

Bradford,UK -Road Transport, by Dominic Perry -4 November 2009: -- Supermarket giant Morrisons believes it will be able to save around 17,000 tonnes of CO2 per year through the use of double-deck trailers within its operation, Morrisons supply chain director Malcolm Basey reveals... He told the Institute of Grocery Distribution's Supply Chain Summit that the 17 trailers it already has in its network, which are used for internal trunking operations running between production sites and DCs, had improved load fill by 50%... The company has since hired a number of additional units, and is looking to test them on store deliveries... Although rivals such as Asda and Tesco have had some success using double-deckers, Basey said that Morrisons' bias towards food retail meant it cannot always make full use of the greater capacity...

Labels: trucking industry news worldwide

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* India - Tata Motors Starts Distribution Of Prima Trucks In

Mumbai,India -Dow Jones/The Wall Street Journal (USA) -4 Nov 2009: -- India's Tata Motors Ltd. said it started distributing its Prima World range of trucks Wednesday, and that it plans to introduce the commercial vehicles in more countries later... The new range, which was launched in India in May, includes multi-axle trucks, tractor-trailers, tippers, mixers and special application vehicles, which can carry loads of between 10 tons and 75 tons... Its tractor model, Prima 4028 S, will cost INR2.1 million--and INR3.1 million with a trailer--at showrooms in Delhi, the country's top auto maker by sales said... The range of trucks will compete with those from Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and MAN...

* India - M&M explores passenger variant for Gio

Ahmedabad,India -Business Standard, by Sohini Das -November 3, 2009: -- Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) is all set to expand its newly-launched Gio platform, a 0.5 tonne truck. The company plans to come up with passenger carrier versions and a CNG variant, and is eyeing export markets in the long run... It has first-mover advantage in the segment that has been created with the launch of the Gio, which falls between the Tata Ace and the three-wheeler space... M&M has used in-house tooling technology and the engine has been developed by US-based Kohler... It is now looking at leveraging this cost advantage to address the export market, as well as come up with newer variants on the same platform...

Truck Cartel * Australia - Costs Hino dealers more than $1 million

Brisbane,QND,Australia -ATN -November 4, 2009: -- Two Queensland truck retailers and three individuals have been slapped with more than $1 million in total penalties for their involvement in a truck cartel... The Brisbane Federal Court found Vanderfield and Sci-Fleet Motors guilty of price fixing and market sharing between February 2005 and September 2006... Vanderfield, which sells Hino trucks in Toowoomba and on the Gold Coast, and Sci-Fleet, which operates in Brisbane, were each fined $500,000 and company individuals $30,000 each... Individuals risk jail sentences of up to 10 years and fines of up to $220,000 per offence for serious cartel conduct... Companies can be fined $10 million, three times the total value of the benefits obtained, or 10 per cent of the corporate group's annual turnover in a 12-month period when the contravention occurred...

Labels: truck cartels

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * USA - Navistar Opposes Request For Delay In Diesel-Exhaust Case

Chicago,ILL,USA -Dow Jones, by Bob Tita -November 4, 2009: -- Navistar International Corp. said it's opposed to delaying its court challenge of federal guidelines for complying with new, tougher standards for diesel-engine exhaust... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency late last month asked a federal appeals court to postpone proceedings on Navistar's case for 60 days while the agency reconsiders its compliance guidelines. The court hasn't yet ruled on the EPA's request. Navistar is scheduled to file initial briefs in the case Nov. 20 ...

* Chrysler to get Fiat commercial vans

Detroit,Mich,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr -Nov 5, 2009: -- The newly reborn Chrysler Group LLC is planning to take a big swing at the lighter end of the U.S. commercial truck market within the next several years— adding two new European commercial van models and eliminating the Dodge Dakota light pickup, while looking to increase its annual sales of commercial trucks some 50% by 2014... The intensified focus on commercial trucks is part of a sweeping five-year growth plan unveiled yesterday t Chrysler’s Detroit headquarters by the OEM’s new owner-- Italy’s Fiat SpA. Fiat rescued the struggling automaker from the brink of financial failure earlier this year by acquiring it with assistance to the tune of $12 billion from the U.S. government... Chrysler executives said yesterday they will slice truck products off from the rest of the Dodge lineup, placing them into a new separate division...

* Daimler Recalls Trucks With Detroit Diesel Engines

Washington,D.C.,USA -Automotive Fleet -4 Nov 2009: -- Daimler Trucks North America is recalling more than 1,600 MY 2009-2010 Freightliner and Sterling trucks equipped with Detroit Diesel DD13 EPA07 engines manufactured with grid heaters... Increased internal grid heater resistance, caused by improperly tightened screws, may melt the solder on the grid heater circuit board. This could lead to a short circuit. A short circuit raises the risk of fire... Detroit Diesel will repair the trucks free of charge. The engine control logic will be reprogrammed to provide cold-weather starting without the need of a grid heater. Wiring to the grid heater will be removed, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported... This safety recall is expected to begin on or before Dec. 18. The recall affects the following trucks:

* Freightliner/Cascadia MY 2009-2010
* Freightliner/M2 MY 2009-2010
* Sterling/9500 MY 2009-2010.

* Ford Reports 3Q Profit of Almost $1 Billion

Auburn Hills,Mich,USA -Transport Topics -2 Nov 2009: -- Ford Motor Co. said Monday it earned $997 million in the third quarter, had its first operating profit since early 2008 and that it expects to be “solidly profitable” in 2011, Bloomberg reported... It reported a quarterly net profit of 29 cents a share, compared with net loss of $161 million, or 7 cents, a year earlier... Ford, the only major U.S. automaker to avoid bankruptcy, said that on an adjusted basis it had a quarterly pretax profit of $1.1 billion, or 26 cents a share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $3 billion or $1.32, last year... The adjusted level beat the 20-cents per share adjusted loss it was forecast to report by an average of 11 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg... Automotive revenue rose $100 million from a year ago, while third-quarter sales fell 2.5% to $30.9 billion as Ford boosted North American production by 18% during the period...

* Wabash National’s 3Q Operating Loss Narrows

Lafayette,IN,USA -Transport Topics -5 Nov 2009: -- Trailer manufacturer Wabash National Corp. said its third-quarter loss widened but its operating loss declined from the same quarter last year... The company lost $66.4 million, or $2.23 cents a share, in the third quarter, compared with a loss of $4.3 million, or 15 cents, in last year’s third quarter... Its operating loss fell to $10.2 million for the quarter, compared with an operating loss of $16.7 million for the second quarter of 2009... Net sales fell to $88.3 million, from $243 million a year ago, Wabash said late Wednesday... Chief Executive Officer Dick Giromini said he sees signs the economy may be turning around, noting “several encouraging signs in the macroeconomic landscape”...

Labels: truckmakers' news USA

Truckers Protest * Canada - Descends On Queen's Park

Toronto,ONT,CAN -City News -3 Nov 2009: -- A convoy of truckers fed up with the lengthy driving examiners strike navigated their rigs along the GTA's busiest highways during rush hour and made their way to Queen's Park Tuesday to stage a rally... The Truck Training Schools Association said it expected as many as 100 big rigs to hit the roads together starting around 8am... Driving examiners across the province walked off the job on Aug. 24 and organizers are hoping Tuesday’s protest will pressure the government to resume testing. The Trucking Schools Association says the job action, now in its 10th week, has ground its business to a halt... The strike has prevented thousands of would-be drivers across Ontario from taking their road test, and schools are struggling with low enrollment and sagging profits...

Labels: truckers protests

DANGEROUS DRIVERS * USA - New York Bans Texting While Driving

New York,NY,USA -Transport Topics -2 Nov 2009: -- New York's law against texting while driving went into effect Sunday, the Associated Press reported... The new law forbids the use of mobile devices for reading, typing and sending text messages while driving. The ban comes with fines up to $150. It was already illegal in the state to talk on a cell phone while driving... The U.S. Transportation Department reported that 5,870 people were killed and 515,000 were injured last year in crashes connected to driver distraction, often involving mobile devices or cell phones... (Video from YouTube, by CARandDRIVER -25 June 2009: Unprotected text: We investigate if sending messages on your phone while driving is more LOL than OMFG. Texting While Driving: How Dangerous is it?)

Labels: dangerous drivers

PORTS' CLEAN TRUCKS * USA - Shippers Appeal to NY, Newark on Harbor Truckers

“The argument that port trucking services should be exempted from federal preemption in order to improve air quality is fallacious, and has nothing to do with clean air”

New York,NY,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online -Nov 4, 2009: -- A broad group of retailers and other shippers called on the mayors of New York and Newark, N.J., to withdraw their support for changes in federal law that would allow local regulators to bar independent owner-operators from harbor trucking... The 29 organizations, including the National Retail Federation and the National Industrial Transportation League, said they had “grave disappointment” with support the mayors announced Oct. 19 for the effort led by the Port of Los Angeles, which has targeted independent operators as part of its effort to limit truck pollution at the port... Writing to New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, and Newark Mayor, Cory Booker, the groups noted legal challenges to the Los Angeles regulations have been aimed only at provisions focused on economic regulation and not those touching on emissions and the environment... The groups noted Los Angeles officials have said the clean air effort is moving ahead of schedule at the port even though the provisions affecting drivers have not been implemented because courts have ruled they violate federal law...

Labels: clean trucks troubles

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC NEWS * WORLDWIDE

Briefing Weekly News

from Freight Forwarding

* Toll Group acquires leading NZ freight forwarder
- Toll Group has announced the acquisition of Express Logistics Group (ELG), one of New Zealand’s biggest freight forwarders. Read Full News Here

* Agility appointed for Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
- Agility has been appointed as the official customs clearing and on-site handling agent for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Read Full News Here

* DHL invests in Melbourne logistics hub
- DHL has opened its new airfreight facility at Melbourne airport including two coolrooms designed to handle life science and perishables exports. Read Full News Here

* Danske Bank’s Europe index shows continued recovery
- Danske Bank’s European Freight Forwarding Index has shown a further pick up in October, indicating that recovery in the market is continuing. Read Full News Here

from Contract Logistics

* Ryder turns round contract logistics business
- US logistics provider Ryder System saw falls in profits in the third quarter of this year but it has managed to turnaround its contract logistics business. Read Full Brief Here

* Agility wins humanitarian aid contract
- Agility Defense & Government Services (DGS) has won a contract to manage the logistics of food aid and commodities for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Read Full News Here

* Kuehne + Nagel manages logistics for Nestlé Chile
- Nestlé Chile has chosen Kuehne + Nagel as the exclusive contract logistics service provider to manage its national distribution centres. Read Full News Here

from Road Freight

* The impact of the economic crisis on the European road haulage sector
- In a recent submission to an expert meeting organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy & Transport on the impact of the economic crisis on the road haulage sectors, John Manners-Bell, Ti’s CEO, analysed the extent and impact of the downturn. Read Full Brief Here

* Leading US LTL player sees revenues down 19%
- Saia, Inc., a leading US less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier, has reported third quarter 2009 results, showing revenues falling to $222 million, a decrease of 19%. Read Full News Here

* Wincanton re-structures its German groupage operations
Wincanton has announced that it is restructuring its in-house groupage network in Germany and joining a new groupage co-operation. Read Full News Here

* UPS Freight improves service to Western Canada
- UPS Freight has announced improved transit times from western Canada to points across the United States. Read Full News Here

* Covenant Transportation revenues drop 28%
- Covenant Transportation Group’s total revenue decreased by 28.0% in the third quarter although there have been some positive signs. Read Full News Here

* Celadon revenue decreases 13%
- US logistics company Celadon Group Inc. has reported that revenue for its last quarter decreased 13.0% and income plunged. Read Full News Here

from Air Cargo

* Lufthansa posts disastrous cargo figures
- The latest quarterly reports from German airline Lufthansa illustrate how the deterioration in volumes is savaging the profitability of the air freight sector. Read Full Brief Here

* Panalpina and Atlas Air extend their cooperation
- Panalpina and its airline partner Atlas Air have renewed their cooperation agreement linking Europe, North America and Mexico. Read Full News Here

from Shipping/Ports

* OOCL announces rate increase
- Asia Pacific shipping line OOCL has announced the second phase of its ‘rate restoration programme’ Read Full News Here

* NOL performance reflects difficult market
- Global container shipping, terminals and logistics group Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) has announced a net loss for third-quarter 2009. Read Full News Here

from Intermodal

* Hub Group’s revenues continue to decline
- Hub Group, Inc., the largest intermodal marketing company in the United States, has announced that its revenue decreased 24.4% in the last quarter. Read Full News Here

(Picture from JOC: Mediterranean's line vessel)

Labels: transport and logistics news

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA & Canada

* USA - Trucking Spot Market Up 10 Percent in October... That could indicate an uneven road to recovery...

Portland,OR,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by William B. Cassidy -Nov 4, 2009: -- TransCore Freight Index jumps year-over-year, but dips from September... Freight volume in trucking’s spot market rose 10 percent in October, said TransCore, which reported the first year-over-year increase this year in the TransCore Freight Index... But the sudden rise reflects the depth of the collapse last fall more than an economy recovering strength... The TFI is based on 50 million spot market truckloads a year processed by TransCore’s DAT Network... The index, which uses August 1996 as its base, hit its low point this year in February, at 239. Its highest point in the past four years was June 2006, when it hit 1215... (Picture from lehighvalleylive: Hunterdon County source)

* Michigan - Con-way’s Third-Quarter Profit Declines

Ann Arbor,MI,USA -Transport Topics -4 Nov 2009: -- Con-way Inc. said its third-quarter profit fell by nearly two-thirds from a year ago, as freight demand declined... Its net income for the quarter was $13.5 million, or 27 cents per share, down from $38.8 million, or 81 cents, a year ago... Revenue dropped 17.3% to $1.13 billion, the carrier said in a statement late Tuesday...

* Florida - Quality’s 3Q Profit Improves from a Year Ago

Tampa,FL,USA -Transport Topics -4 Nov 2009: -- Tank truck carrier Quality Distribution reported a second-quarter profit of $1.4 million, or 7 cents per share, up from $700,000, or 4 cents, a year ago... Total revenue fell to $162.8 million, from $214.7 a year ago. Transportation revenue excluding fuel surcharges fell to $120.4 million, from $144.8 million... (Photo from qualitydistribution: QC Truck in Railyard

* California - Pacer’s 3Q Profit Falls

Concord, CA,USA -Transport Topics -4 Nov 2009: -- Transportation and third-party logistics firm Pacer International said its third-quarter profit fell to $600,000, or 2 cents per share, compared with $20.8 million, or 59 cents, a year earlier... Income from operations fell $28.6 million to $700,000, from $29.3 million a year ago. Revenue fell $139.1 million to $418.7 million in the quarter ended Sept. 19, Pacer said late Wednesday... Pacer’s intermodal unit saw an operating income of $4.9 million, compared with $34.9 million last year. Volumes showed improvement from the second quarter of 2009, especially automotive volumes, but were still below the year-ago quarter... Logistics operations lost $200,000, compared with income of $1.7 million a year ago. The loss was primarily due to losses at its truck services unit, Pacer said... (Photo from hankstruckpictures, by Mike Boyd - Pacer stack train hauler volvo)

* USA - Wright Express Reports Lower 3Q Income

South Portland, ME,USA -Transport Topics -29 Oct 2009: -- Express Corp.’s third-quarter profit fell to $23.4 million, or 60 cents per share, compared with $72.3 million, or $1.82, a year ago... Operating income dipped to $50.3 million, from $54.1 million, the company said in a statement... Revenue fell to $85.9 million, from $107.7 million a year ago. Revenue from payment processing declined to $59.9 million, from $83.7 million... Wright Express provides payment processing and information management services to fleets and its charge cards are used by to buy fuel and maintenance services for about 4.6 million vehicles, the Associated Press reported...

* Canada - Bison develops online GHG calculator to demonstrate LCV efficiency

Winnipeg,MAN,CAN -Truck News -5 Oct 2009: -- Bison Transport has developed an online greenhouse gas emissions calculator so customers can measure the benefits of using long combination vehicles (LCVs)... Bison, one of the country’s biggest proponents of LCVs, estimates turnpike doubles reduce GHG emissions by as much as 40% compared to single trailer over-the-road operations... Bison’s own LCV fleet operates more than 15 million miles per year. The company says its GHG calculator is the latest component of its Sustainable Transportation Strategy, which also includes a speed reduction policy, idle reduction technologies and fuel-efficient components including trailer skirts...

* Delaware - Court Approves Velocity Express Sale - Comvest acquires bankrupt carrier, plans growth

Palm Beach,FL,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by Thomas L. Gallagher -Nov 5, 2009: -- The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware approved Nov. 3 the sale of time definite regional carrier Velocity Express to private investor Comvest Investment Partners... The Court approved the sale, which was announced in September, following a post-petition auction process and a global settlement by Velocity with its unsecured creditors. Under terms of the sale, ComVest will become the company’s new majority owner. The company’s balance sheet will be significantly deleveraged with the elimination of approximately $100 million in debt...

Labels: trucking industry news USA and CAN

Rest-area in Arizona * USA - Cuts spur safety fears

Truck drivers say the consequence of closing rest areas around the state to save money is more dangerous highways

Phoenix,AZ,USA -The Arizona Republic, by David Madrid - Nov. 2, 2009: ... The Arizona Department of Transportation closed 13 of 18 rest areas around the state in order to save $2.5 million this fiscal year, said ADOT spokesman Timothy Tait. He said the temporary closures are part of necessary budget cuts that affect the entire department. Further budget cuts could lead to all the rest areas closing, he said... "There will be fatalities," said Phoenix truck driver Fred Moser... Brent Utley, owner of Avondale-based Brent Utley Trucking, called the closures "absolutely ridiculous"... He said he has seen the devastating effects of tired drivers falling asleep at the wheel and crossing medians or rear-ending other vehicles... (Photo by David Madrid/The Arizona Republic - Phoenix truck driver Fred Moser worries about closed rest areas around the state, saying that the closures will lead to more accidents on the highways)

Labels: rest areas

HOS revamp * USA - Magazine reports a ‘deal’ to quell concerns over Ferro's confirmation

Washington,DC,USA -The Trucker -2 Nov 2009: — DC VELOCITY has reported that the agreement by the Department of Transportation to rewrite the Hours of Service rule within 21 months was a deal pushed by the White House to “quell concerns” by the Teamsters, safety advocacy groups and others “over the controversial nomination of Anne Ferro” to become the next administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration... The trucking executive cited in the magazine article noted that the full committee announced it had approved Ferro's nomination the day after news that FMCSA would revisit HOS was made public... Her confirmation by the full Senate seems assured, said the executive, who asked not to be named. He added that the trucking industry was not party to the agreement and was "totally surprised" by the announcement that HOS would be revisited... Teamsters spokeswoman Leigh Strope called any talk of a backroom deal to allay union concerns over Ferro's nomination a "ridiculous assertion," according to the article...

* USA - Abandoning the HOS Solution

Arlington,VA,USA -Transport Topics -2 Nov 2009: -- For the past three years under federal hours-of-service regulations, fatal crashes involving heavy trucks have declined, last year reaching the lowest level since the U.S. Department of Transportation began keeping the records... Yet, last week we learned that DOT has decided to abandon the current rules and restudy the complicated issues of driver work-and-rest cycles for another nine months, before submitting a new proposal to the White House... That will begin a process that the agency said will take another 21 months to complete... Let’s hope that DOT’s next new HOS rules don’t reduce safety on our nation’s roads or make it impossible for the trucking industry to efficiently deliver the goods... Meanwhile, trucking will continue to live by the rules DOT has set down, even if DOT doesn’t...

Labels: HOS debate

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * WORLDWIDE

* Denmark - Profit Slips Steeply for Danish Trucker DSV. Trucking, logistics company gains market share as volume falls

Brøndby,Denmark -The Journal of Commerce Online, by Bruce Barnard -Nov 2, 2009: -- DSV, Scandinavia’s biggest trucking and logistics company, reported a steep decline in third quarter earnings but said it gained market share in its key ocean, air and land transport sectors... The Danish firm’s pre-tax profit slumped to $29.7 million in the three months to Sept. 30 from $90.3 million in the same quarter last year on unchanged revenue of $1.7 billion... Earnings in the first nine months crashed to $68.7 million from $255 million in the corresponding period in 2008 as revenue climbed to $5.3 billion from $5.17 billion, a performance the company said was “satisfactory”... DSV dropped a planned joint takeover of Denmark’s DFDS, Europe’s leading short-sea shipping line, in the summer after European competition regulators launched an in-depth investigation of the deal... (Foto empresaexterior: DSV's loaded truck)

Labels: trucking industry news worldwide

TRUCKS' PRODUCTS * USA - Allison details new transmission features

Indianapolis,Ind.,USA -Fleet Owner -Nov 2, 2009: -- Additional horsepower and new shift schedule are just two of the changes to Allison Transmission model-year 2010 automatic transmissions for trucks and buses... Allison’s Load-Based Shift Scheduling (LBSS) feature has been optimized with a Super Economy shift schedule, allowing LBSS to upshift under cruising conditions for fuel savings. LBSS will continue to automatically select between economy and performance shift schedules based on the vehicle’s actual payload and the grade on which it is operating, teh company said... Also new for 2010 is increased lockup availability for Allison B 300 and B 400 models. The feature allows a transmission to shift into lockup in first range and stay in lockup through first to second shift by monitoring acceleration to determine when to activate lockup... (Photo from fivertruck: Allison transmissions)

Labels: trucks' products and accesories

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Germany - Volkswagen Gears Up To Build Amarok Pickup In Argentina

Prov. Buenos Aires,Argentine, Germany -Pickup Trucks, by Mike Levine -October 31, 2009: -- Volkswagen says it will start production of its new Amarok midsize pickup truck at its factory in Argentina before the end of the year, according to Ronnie Frost, communications director for Volkswagen Argentina... Among the technical details that VW has officially confirmed so far: both gasoline direct injection and turbodiesel engines will be offered, all-wheel drive with ABS and stability control will be available and hill hold assist and hill descent control will help the Amarok tackle grades of up to 45 degrees (100% incline). VW also expects the diesel version of the truck will have a range of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles)... The Amarok will be sold in South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. There are no plans to sell it in the U.S....

* USA - Oshkosh Q4 results top expectations, shares up

Detroit,MICH,USA -Reuters -Nov 3, 2009: -- Specialty truckmaker Oshkosh Corp reported stronger-than-expected earnings on Tuesday as strong sales of tactical vehicles to the Pentagon helped offset continuing weakness in construction equipment sales... Oshkosh, which makes fire trucks, concrete mixers and military vehicles, reported a fiscal fourth-quarter net profit of $140.3 million, or $1.68 a share, up from $53.7 million, or 72 cents a share, last year... Earnings from continuing operations fell to $52.4 million, or 63 cents per share, from $62.4 million, or 84 cents a share... Excluding tax and inventory benefits and $1.05 per share from discontinued operations, Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S said the company earned 27 cents per share, beating analysts' average forecast for 16 cents... Sales fell 20 percent to $1.49 billion...

* USA - Bulldogs keep entering Army service

Greensboro,N.C.,USA -Fleet Owner -Nov 2, 2009: -- Mack Trucks has received an order for 46 Mack Vision Elite tractors with lowboy trailers and spare parts from the U.S. Army’s Tacom Life Cycle Management Command... The order for the Vision Elite tractors, to be equipped with 70-in. high-rise sleepers and paired with 35-ton lowboy trailers and spare parts, is part of a three-year, $28.5-million contract for 152 heavy-duty tractors and trailers. This current order is valued at $6.6 million... The Vision Elite is the export version of the Mack Pinnacle axle-back vocational model. It is powered by a 360-hp Mack MP8 MaxiCruise 13-liter engine that produces 1,360 lbs.-ft. of torque and is mated with an Eaton-Fuller auto-0shift 10-sp. transmission... (Photo from army-technology: Mack truck 1-Pinnacle-elite tractor)

* USA - Navistar Acquires Engine Parts Business

Columbia,SC,USA -Transport Topics -3 Nov 2009: -- Navistar Inc. said that it has acquired certain assets of Continental Diesel Systems US... Navistar will establish a research and development facility for the diesel systems assets, for which it will create a new business unit, Pure Power Technologies, the truck and engine maker said in a statement Monday... Pure Power Technologies will manufacture fuel injection components of Navistar’s MaxxForce diesel engines. It will also serve as an “incubator” for technology related to MaxxForce engines, Navistar said... The new research and development facility will also be located in Columbia...

* Belgium - Wabco’s Third-Quarter Profit Falls

Brussels,Belgium -Transport Topics -28 Oct 2009: -- Wabco Holdings said Wednesday its net income in the third quarter fell to $33.8 million, or 52 cents a share, from $63.7 million, or 97 cents, a year ago... Wabco Vehicle Control Systems makes electronic braking, stability, suspension and transmission automation systems for heavy-duty commercial vehicles...

* USA - FTR: Significant increase in October Class 8 orders

Nashville,IND,USA -The Trucker News Services -4 Nov 2009: -- FTR Associates has released preliminary data showing Class 8 net orders for all major North American OEM’s totaled 21,792 units in October, reflecting “a definite upsurge” in order activity... October’s order volume is a 104 percent increase over September and a 117 percent year-over-year increase. For the last three months, Class 8 orders were received at an annualized rate of 172,300, significantly better than early 2009. The figure includes orders for the U.S., Canada, Mexico and exports... FTR believes the increased order activity in October is “a temporary situation” that may actually take orders away from early 2010, so the forecast for next year remains very conservative, pending economic activity to support solid orders going forward...

Labels: truckmakers' news worldwide

Cargo thieves * USA - Survey: Getting sophisticated— and bolder

A spike in violence during reported cargo thefts in the third quarter of this year is another cause for concern

Forney,TX,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr -Nov 2, 2009: ... According to the Supply Chain ISAC Report of Cargo Theft Activity for the third quarter of 2009 – a survey compiled and issued by LoJack Supply Chain Integrity (LoJack SCI) – carrier terminals and yards continued to be the number one area where thefts take place. That suggest thieves are becoming more emboldened – seeking out vehicles and their cargo even when they are secured with fencing and surveillance systems – and targeting very specific loads vs. simply pursuing “opportunistic” thefts, the company said... Thefts from “unsecured areas” including truckstops, parking lots (23), streets/highways (19) and other (1) combined for a total of 73 incidents or 42% of the total thefts for the third-quarter incidents. Facilities, including warehouses and store locations, found themselves targeted for theft activity, with nine and six cargo thefts reported, respectively... Food returned to the number-one slot as the most frequently targeted commodity after having fallen to the third position in the second-quarter findings, said LoJack SCI. Consumer electronics took the second spot this quarter...

Labels: truck thieves

DECISION * USA - IRS Reverses FedEx Ground Ruling

Decision backs company on independent contractors, drops $319 million assessment

Washington,DC,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online -Nov 2, 2009: -- An Internal Revenue Service decision to reverse a previous assessment that FedEx had misclassified some package delivery drivers marks a strong victory for the carrier and its use of independent contractors at its parcel division... FedEx announced Oct. 30 in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that the IRS had reversed the 2007 decision that FedEx owed $319 million in back taxes for wrongly classifying the drivers in 2002... The carrier said the decision supports the company’s point that the drivers at its FedEx Ground division are not company employees but independent contractors, which is central to the operation’s business model as it competes with UPS and its unionized company drivers... (Photo from es.wikipedia: FedEx's DC10 in Puerto Rico)

Labels: tax policys

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * Europe - The impact of the economic crisis on the European road haulage sector

It is exceptionally difficult to get an accurate view on how the road freight industry in Europe is performing

London,UK -Transport Intelligence, by John Manners-Bell -28 Oct 2009: ... The sheer level of fragmentation means that visibility of market trends is very low, and specific governmental statistics lag many months behind reality... Therefore to gain any idea of what is happening in the market not only do we need to analyse the performance of the handful of companies which report quarterly financial figures, we need to look at a range of what can be called 'proxy indicators'. These include economic, trade as well as measurements of not-so-opaque competing or complementary modes... For instance we know that GDP is forecast to fall by between 3-5% in most major economies in 2009. However the link between GDP and road freight output has become decoupled in recent years, due in part to the internationalisation of supply chains... Reports from the companies which have reported their road freight performance – Norbert Dentressangle, Kuehne + Nagel, DSV and DHL for instance – reveal a drop in revenues of between 18-25%, more in line with the decline in trade volumes... These same trade figures show a bottoming out in the second quarter of 2009 and this may be more relevant when trying to determine whether the road freight industry is showing any signs of recovery... In conclusion, we believe that the market downturn has 'bottomed out' in the second quarter of the year with underlying production volumes and trade volumes stabilising. However confidence in the road freight sector has yet to return – this is evidenced by the continued stagnation of the commercial vehicle market. Although we expect an upturn in 2010, the recovery will be slow. A return to 2008 levels is not expected before 2012... (Image from i29.tinypic)

* The Netherlands - TNT still experiencing market falls

Hoofddorp,The Netherlands -Transport Intelligence (UK), by Thomas Cullen -2 Nov 2009: -- TNT Group is still facing falling demand in its key markets with its just released third quarter figures showing modest but significant falls in profits and sales... As compared with the third quarter in 2008, Group Revenue fell by 5.9% to €2.483bn whilst operating profits (Earnings Before Interest and Tax-EBIT) fell by 9.6% to €179m... The third quarter often sees lower volumes in the Express sector but this year revenue fell by 9% to €1.467bn and EBIT fell by 27.3% to €63m on a year-on-year basis. TNT Group stated that, yet the rate of decline has become "sequentially less negative compared to Q2 2009." The only real growth was seen in emerging markets with China seeing a 19% growth in revenue...

Labels: trucking industry news Europe

Automated Transmissions * Canada - Ontario okays for senior driver road tests

Toronto,ONT,Canada -Truck News -2 Nov 2009: -- The Ontario Ministry of Transportation has quietly approved the use of automatic transmissions for senior drivers who must annually renew their A/Z licence after the age of 65... Using a truck with an automated transmission will allow them to qualify for a full privilege Class A licence, according to the Private Motor Truck Council (PMTC), which along with the Ontario Trucking Association and Owner-Operators Business Association of Canada, has been lobbying for the change... In a letter to the PMTC, the Ministry of Transportation confirmed “As of Nov. 1 2009, senior commercial drivers conducting annual renewal road tests are allowed to use a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission to qualify for fully privilege Class A driver’s licence”... ... (Photo from sites.google.com/site/lesmcc31: Hi, this is Mel McConaghy ...)

Labels: automated transmissions

TRUCKERS' HEALTH * Australia - ATA declares depression awareness initiative a success

Sydney,NWS,Australia -ATN -November 2, 2009: -- The Australian Trucking Association's (ATA) initiative to raise awareness of anxiety and depression has been hailed a success... The group says the involvement of companies such as Linfox and Simon National Carriers to promote BeyondBlue's Anxiety and Depression Month throughout October has ensured many in the industry have gained a greater understanding of the issues... Operators such as Simon National Carriers held a morning tea to raise funds, while organisers of the Newcastle and Hunter Region Road Transport Awareness Day used the last weekend of October to issue information kits to attendees... Those seeking more information on depression and anxiety can contact BeyondBlue at www.beyondblue.org.au...

Labels: Truckers' Health

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Australia - Major Hino purchase for training provider

Brisbane,QND,Australia -ATN -October 19, 2009: -- Queensland truck training provider Major Training Group has invested in new Hino rigs to teach the drivers of tomorrow... The business - one of the State's fastest-growing training organisations with three depots - will use the 700 Series trucks to train and certify potential heavy vehicle operators... Craig Anderson, Dealer Principal at Sci-Fleet Hino where the new trucks were delivered from, says Major is working at improving driving standards across all facets of the truck industry... “Major certify drivers of B-double trucks, but they have taken a wider approach, which goes much further than sitting in the truck and teaching someone how to change gears,” Anderson says... (Photo from hino-global: dakar gallery)

Labels: truckmakers' news worldwide

Feds Rule Out * Australia - Taking over trucking regs

Canberra,Australia -ATN, by Brad Gardner -November 2, 2009: -- The Federal Government will not take over national trucking regulations, with the the announcement uniform laws will be established under a state-based scheme... Mike Mrdak, from the Department of Infrastructure and Transport says a single national regulator will be hosted by one state with other jurisdictions implementing its decisions... The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) says it does not mind whether national laws are administered federally or by the states... Governments have agreed to a new system by 2013 in an attempt to abolish inconsistent laws governing the road and rail sectors... The Business Council of Australia last month called for national regulations to be introduced next year, but the ATA says it will be difficult to accelerate the agenda...

Labels: rules and regulations

"INJUSTICE" * Australia - End demerit points, MP says

Sydney,NWS,Australia -ATN, by Brad Gardner -November 2, 2009: -- The Rees Government has been accused of denying motorists justice because of its stance on demerit points in New South Wales... Magistrates can find someone guilty of an offence but waive a fine in extenuating circumstances, but demerit points will always be applied if someone is found guilty or convicted... Liberal MP Malcolm Kerr claims this has created an "injustice...because although a magistrate may waive a fine, or order that no penalty at all be imposed, he or she has no power to order that demerit points should not be part of the penalty"... He also questioned why the anomaly applies considering more serious offences are not dealt with in the same manner... (Video from YouTube, by drivinginsa. Where: South Australia - 3 March 2009: What is emerging appears to be the ripple affect of one or two unskilled or selfish drivers in any one trip, amongst regular traffic. These drivers seem to be few, but their actions are many. Which is why the same cars keep reappearing in my narrative. This is for educational (not punitive) purposes, it is my belief that citizens shouldn't police other citizens)

Labels: bad drivers

Inconsistent Holidays * Australia - A 'burden' on industry

Sydney,NSW,Australia -ATN -November 2, 2009: -- The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) is calling for uniform public holidays across the country saying the differences are “unnecessary” and a “burden” on businesses and the trucking industry... It has written to Treasurer Wayne Swan today proposing that the Productivity Commission should hold an inquiry into the cost of Australia’s inconsistent public holidays... The calls comes as federal government departments and businesses prepare to shut down for the Family and Community Day holiday in the ACT tomorrow... The ATA says its call for public holidays to be held on the same day nationwide is not an attempt to reduce the number of public holidays...

Labels: holidays

Sleep Deprivation * USA - Researchers try to parse what your brain can and can't do on no sleep

Here's a few ways a tired brain can affect an otherwise pleasant and productive human being ...

New York,NY,USA -FORBES, by Jonathan Fahey -1 Nov 2009: ...
-You can get extremely cranky; you will make a federal case out of the smallest annoyance.
-You can turn daffy; you will put the ice cream away in the cupboard instead of the freezer.
-You can become stupid--unable to solve even the simplest crossword puzzle clue...

Or so I've been told by fed-up loved ones... Todd Maddox, a psychology professor at the Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Texas in Austin, tries to understand what exactly is going wrong in the impaired brain, whether it is impaired by lack of sleep, normal aging or as a result of diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. "The brain regions that are impaired when you are sleep-deprived are the same ones that are impaired with aging," he says... When you are sleep-deprived, you can overthink things, and that's just when the part of the brain that does the overthinking is cooked. Clearly, says Maddox, some people were much more highly susceptible to sleep deprivation. What he'd like to know next is why. "What it is about them that makes them vulnerable so they fall back on control systems and perform poorly?" he wonders. "Another group of people were able to use automatic processes and performed well"... (Photo from sciencedaily: Sleep Deprivation Affects Eye-steering Coordination When Driving)

Labels: sleep deprivation

Owner-Operators * USA - Unemployed Truck Drivers Find Answers To Recession

While the future looks bleak for some drivers, others are taking advantage of a new trend in trucking and becoming owner-operators

Auburn Hills,MICH,USA -Detroit dBusiness News -Oct 27, 2009: -- More than 165,000 truckers driving for companies have been let go, laid off or fired this year. Difficulty in meeting employment standards, such as needing at least 12 months of experience driving with no violations or accidents, eliminates about one-third of the driver pool. While that makes the future look bleak for some, others are taking advantage of a new trend in trucking and becoming owner-operators instead... As freight indexes adjust to the recent economy, larger companies find themselves forced to cut costs while increasing productivity. As a result, they are bringing on independent truck owner-operators to fill in the gaps and meet their needs... Wholesale Truck and Finance is now working with Class A licensed truck drivers to finance and locate their own reliable transportation to compete in the job market during these difficult times. One way to battle the recession is to reduce the number of jobless people by getting them into the self-employed work force. Those with credit scores as low as 550 are able to make the transition... (Photo from professionalcarriersinc: side owners operators)

Labels: owner operators

Electric Heavier Trucks * USA - Smith E. V. Expands U.S. Line To Include

Kansas City,Missouri,USA -All Cars Electric, by Jon Vandervelde -October 30, 2009: -- Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. announced today that it's Newton truck line, the first commercial all-electric truck to receive new vehicle emissions certification in California, will be expanded to include not only small delivery vans, but 14,000 and 16,000 lb. short-haul trucks... Assembly of Smith's Newton vehicles, which are capable of 50 mph and over 100 miles per charge, began taking place earlier this month at the company's new 80,000 square foot production facility in Kansas City, Missouri... (Photo from allcarselectric: Newton Class 3/4 Commercial EV)

* USA - Ford and Azure Dynamics Team Up To Deliver Battery Electric Commercial Van in 2010

Dearborn,Mich,USA -PRNewswire/FirstCall -Oct 30, 2009: -- Ford Motor Company, collaborating with Azure Dynamics, will introduce battery electric Transit Connect commercial van to market in 2010. The Transit Connect BEV is the first production vehicle from accelerated electric vehicle strategy... Azure Dynamics will integrate its proprietary Force Drive(TM) battery electric drive train... Johnson Controls-Saft selected as battery supplier for Transit Connect BEV... (Photo from blogcdn: Ford's Transit Connect)

Labels: electric trucks

FedEx vs. UPS * USA - Are nation’s top couriers airlines or trucking companies?

Is a driver for FedEx Express part of an airline that should be regulated by a federal law that governs railroads and airlines, or is he a trucking company driver who should fall under regulations that cover such companies?

Albuquerque,NM,USA -The New Mexico Business Weekly, by Dennis Domrzalski -Oct 30, 2009: -- That’s the issue that the nation’s two largest shipping companies – FedEx Corp. and UPS – debated in Albuquerque this past week... UPS spokesman, Malcolm Berkley, said there’s no evidence that FedEx’s 100,000+ employees, who are already regulated under the NLRA, have unionized or want to. He added that FedEx Express is using the threat of potential work stoppages at UPS as a way to steal customers and said that UPS hasn’t had a strike since 1997... “The issue is equal treatment under the law,” Berkley said. “The equal treatment of drivers”... He added that UPS thinks it’s ridiculous that FedEx Express drivers are considered airline workers... The language to put FedEx Express’ drivers under the NLRA is contained in the House version of the FAA reauthorization act. The Senate version does not have the language... FedEx spokesman, Maury, said that about 4,500 to 5,000 of FedEx Express’ pilots and mechanics who fall under the Railway Labor Act are unionized. The rest of the company’s 140,000 employees are not... Berkley said nearly 80 percent of UPS’s 350,000 employees are unionized... Complicating the issue is that FedEx Corp. has four divisions: FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight and FedEx Office. Only FedEx Express is covered by the Railway Labor Act...

Labels: debate

"GREEN" PRODUCTS * USA - Self Cleaning Diesel Exhaust Filters

RYPOS' Active Filter Technology

Holliston,MA,USA -RYPOS' News -30 Oct 2009: -- The RYPOS DPF is a highly effective diesel particulate filter system for exhaust emission control. The system consists of filter housing, flow control, electrical control circuit, and filter cartridges. The soot DPF itself is composed of sintered metal fibers that are shaped into filter elements and then incorporated into filter cartridges. These sintered metal fiber cartridges are capable of capturing the very fine carbon particles present in the exhaust stream, with high efficiency and high holding capacity. The filter is regenerated through the presence of an electric current sufficient to heat the element to cause the collected soot to burn. The filter and heating element are one and the same. The electrical control circuitry automatically monitors and controls the regeneration of the filter cartridges... The RYPOS DPF can be used alone or in conjunction with a diesel oxidation catalyst to reduce the soluble organic fraction, gaseous hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide. As an active regeneration system, the RYPOS DPF is regenerated independently of the exhaust temperature. Each element, which represents a small fraction of the total filter area, is heated individually to reduce the maximum amount of electrical energy required. The average power consumption is less than one percent of the rated power of the engine...

Labels: trucks' products and accesories

FUEL * Venezuela and Brazil: Seal oil refinery deal

Caracas,Venezuela -DPA/Earth Times -31 Oct 2009: -- Venezuela and Brazil have agreed to build and operate a joint oil refinery in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco following years of negotiations... The state-owned Brazilian oil company Petrobras will own 60 per cent and its Venezuelan counterpart Petroleos de Venezuela 40 per cent, according to the deal signed on Friday... The total cost of the project is about 12 billion dollars, media reports said... Building work on the Abreu e Lima refinery has already begun... The installation is designed to have a daily capacity of up to 230,000 barrels and is scheduled to start production in 2011...

Labels: fuel refineries

Truck Alcohol Ignition Locks * Europe - May Become Compulsory

London,UK -Handy Shipping Guide -27 Oct 2009: ... From next year Sweden will require Alcohol Ignition Locks or Alcolocks, as they are known, to be fitted to all lorries and buses and from 2012 to all new vehicles. Already 50,000 vehicles in the country are so equipped... Many European countries are moving toward compulsory legislation but it appears ludicrous to observers that this type of legislation is not a European Union requirement... France, amongst others, are slowly taking the hint... The Caisse Régionale d’Assurance Maladie (CRAM) social security authority in Northern France has now signed an agreement with Volvo Trucks and is paying a grant of 700 euros per unit installed, and there are potential grants available from other bodies both on a national and European level... In the UK facts on the locking devices can be obtained from the website of Alcolock UK who have sites near Cambridge and Bath...

Labels: alco locks

TRUCK SALES * USA - Idealease orders Kidron reefer bodies for Schwan

Kidron,OH,USA -Kidron News -Oct 30, 2009: -- Idealease has ordered 248 Kidron Ultra Temp hybrid refrigeration truck bodies for customer Schwan Food Co. The total number of units represents the largest single order to date for the manufacturer, VT SVC Inc... The Ultra Temp uses an environmentally friendly approach that combinesthe benefits of cold-plate and mechanical refrigeration, VT said. The units provide fast temperature recovery, unlimited route capability, automatic defrost and lower weight advantages usually associated with mechanical refrigeration systems., according to the company... In addition, the reefer unit, which was jointly developed by Kidron and Azure Dynamics, draws energy from the chassis engine during normal driving, delivering it to the cold plates. According to the company, the elimination of the diesel engine that is part of conventional refrigeration saves up to a gallon of fuel per hour. The system requires no belts or microprocessors and no extra diesel engine which reduces maintenance time... (Photo from kidronnews: ultratemp)

Labels: truck sales USA

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA - Some YRC Units Profitable Says Zollars

Cleveland,OH,USA -Logistics Today -Oct 30, 2009: -- YRC Worldwide reported that its logistics unit showed a $6 million profit in the quarter and the regional less-than-truckload (LTL) group had a small profit... YRC's national LTL saw improvements of $50 million from the first quarter to the second and another $100 million from the second to the third quarter, according to Bill Zollars, chairman and CEO of YRC Worldwide, pricing remained very competitive but the national LTL group saw volumes stabilize, yield firming, and profitable customers, he noted...

Labels: trucking industry news USA

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* USA - Navistar eyes China diesel engine joint venture

Warrenville,ILL,USA -AP -30 Oct 2009: -- Truck maker Navistar International Inc. says it is exploring a joint venture with a Chinese vehicle manufacturer to build diesel engines for commercial vehicles in China... Navistar said Friday the proposed 50-50 joint venture with Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co. would establish a research and design center in China's Anhui province... Diesel engines produced under the joint venture would be used primarily in China as well as certain export markets... Navistar says the joint venture would be governed by an eight-person board consisting of four members from each company... The venture still requires approval by each company's board of directors, as well as other approvals before it moves forward... (Photo from scb: Navistar - International Headquarters, in Warrenville, Illinois)

* Germany - Daimler moves to increase stake in Russian truck maker

Stuttgart,Germany -Earth Times -30 Oct 2009: -- Daimler has moved to raise its stake in Russian truck maker Kamaz, a spokeswoman said Daimler was applying to the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service to increase the 10 per cent share in Kamaz it purchased for 190 million euros (280 million euros) in December 2008... Daimler had originally planned to take a 42 per cent stake in the Russian truck maker, but scaled back its plans because of the global economic crisis which hit the company's German operations... Goal of the new venture is to assemble Mercedes-Benz trucks in Russia and establish a distribution network for for the sale of Mercedes-Benz and Setra buses... (Image.motortrend: Daimler headquarters, Stuttgart)

* USA - Freightliner Custom Chassis hits zero-waste goal

Gaffney,SC,USA -Fleet Owner -Oct 30, 2009: -- At its plant in Gaffney, SC, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp.(FCCC) had a real green letter day yesterday as it celebrated becoming the first vehicle chassis manufacturer and the first company within the trucking industry to achieve “Zero Waste to Landfill” status in the U.S... Joining an elite group of solid waste-free manufacturing facilities in the United States, FCCC went from disposing 250,000 lbs of solid waste per month in January 2007 to disposing zero lbs today as a result of numerous environmental efforts implemented at its plant... Recognized by numerous governmental agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the FCCC facility recycles materials such as plastic, paper, aluminum, cardboard, metals, wood and nylon. FCCC said it is committed to not only reducing its environmental footprint with clean manufacturing efforts, but also to developing products that are green... (Image from daimler: Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation Manufacturing Plant)

* USA - Cummins’ Third-Quarter Profit Drops

Columbus,IN,USA -Transport Topics -30 Oct 2009: -- Diesel engine maker Cummins Inc. said Friday its third-quarter profit fell 59% due to sharply lower demand for its engines and other products... The company’s net income fell to $95 million, or 48 cents a share, from $229 million, or $1.17, a year ago, while sales fell 31% to $2.53 billion... The engine segment saw the worst declines in sales, along with the power generation segment. Engine sales fell 37% to $1.44 billion... Cummins’ engine joint venture in China saw declining sales due to lower demand... (Photo from southernroofinginc: Cummins Plant One. Columbus, IN)

* USA - ArvinMeritor, Daimler Set Brake Deal

Troy,Mich,USA -Transport Topics -26 Oct 2009: -- Alliance Parts, Daimler Trucks North America’s private-label parts unit, said it has partnered with ArvinMeritor, to provide remanufactured brake shoes for commercial vehicles in North America... The remanufactured brake shoes, to be produced by ArvinMeritor, are designed for 20,000-pound and 23,000-pound axle applications... The parts will be sold at Freightliner, Western Star and Thomas Built Bus dealerships in the United States and Canada, the companies said in a statement... (Photo from Arvinmeritor: Corporate Facilities)

Labels: truckmakers' news worldwide

Climate Change Legislation * USA - Will Increase Diesel Prices, Hurt Consumers

Washington,DC,USA -PR Newswire/SOA World Magazine -Oct. 29, 2009: -- The American Trucking Associations (ATA) First Vice Chair, Barbara Windsor, told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee today that the current cap-and-trade proposal will increase the price and volatility of diesel fuel for the trucking industry without significantly reducing carbon emissions... Proponents of an economy-wide cap-and-trade system say increasing the price of fuel will reduce consumption, Windsor said, but that does not hold true in the trucking industry... Cap-and-trade requires oil refineries to purchase emission allowances that cover their direct refining operations and the amount of carbon produced by downstream combustion of the produced fuels. "The costs associated with obtaining these allowances will be passed on the fuel consumers in the form of higher prices," said Windsor. "A major petroleum supplier to the trucking industry has advised that diesel fuel costs could rise by up to 88 cents"... Cap-and-trade also will increase price volatility as carbon prices will fluctuate. Volatile fuel prices make it very difficult for trucking companies to accurately predict expenses and pass them on to customers...

* The ATA’s plan

USA -Clean Mpg -29 Oct 2009: ... Alternatives as set forth in ATA's environmental sustainability plan include:

A national 65 mph speed limit
Governing new truck speeds to 65 mph or below
Decreasing idling
Reducing highway congestion through highway infrastructure improvements
Increasing fuel efficiency through EPA's SmartWay Program
Promoting the use of more productive truck combinations.
Supporting national fuel economy standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks.

"Our plan can achieve real results with far less cost and disruption to our industry sector than under a cap-and-trade scenario," said Windsor...

* Capitol Comment: Cap and Trade is a $3.6 trillion gas tax on all Americans

Washington,DC,USA -The South East Texas Record, by U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison -Oct. 30, 2009: -- There's something the Democratic lawmakers who are pushing cap and trade legislation don't want the public to know. The controversial climate change legislation winding its way through Congress will impose a massive new national gas tax, raising the cost of gasoline and diesel and jet fuels... An analysis of the Waxman-Markey cap and trade bill revealed this gas tax hike will reach $3.6 trillion and it will impact every American and important segments of our economy... Americans travel over 200 million vehicle miles each month, and annually we spend nearly $1.2 trillion on gasoline and oil. The average household spends five percent of its annual budget on fuel... For many, gasoline is a mandatory expense. And this legislation disproportionately hits middle and lower income households that tend to have longer daily commutes and must drive in order to work. These families will be hit especially hard by the projected $1 per gallon increase for the additional gas tax the cap and trade legislation will bring... Further, Americans will be double-hit by the gas tax when it results in higher prices for goods and services, such as groceries or utilities, that they must continue to purchase. Energy costs are among businesses' top operational expenses already... That is why I will fight the Waxman-Markey and Kerry-Boxer bills. We can improve the environment and economy through American ingenuity and technology advancement, not with taxes and mandates that increase costs and burden American families and businesses...

Labels: cap and trade debate

CLEAN PORT PROGRAM * USA - Cleaner-Trucks Mandate Will Create Hardships at Port of Oakland

The real problem is that the trucking system is broken. When Congress deregulated the trucking industry in 1980, it dismantled an industry dominated by large companies with union drivers. Independent truckers took their place

New York,NY,USA -The NY Times, by FRANCES DINKELSPIEL -October 30, 2009: -- Ablelom Zerfiel sat in the cab of his 1992 Freightliner, waiting in a long line to drop off his empty cargo container at the Port of Oakland. After driving for 12 years, Mr. Zerfiel is used to delays, low pay, grueling hours and the fickleness of the dispatch company that arranges his jobs... Life for Mr. Zerfiel and many of the other 1,300 independent truckers serving the Port of Oakland is about to get even harder. In an effort to reduce local air pollution, the port has mandated the use of cleaner trucks by Jan. 1. This makes it likely that Mr. Zerfiel, as well as hundreds of other drivers who cannot afford to buy new vehicles, will be out of work... The new regulations have created a clash between two ideals long held sacred in the Bay Area: the right to decent working conditions and a push for greener technologies... (Photo by Jim Wilson/The New York Times - Truckers at the Port of Oakland wait hours to load and unload cargo, releasing emissions into the air and nearby neighborhoods)

Labels: clean ports

"GREEN" NEWS * Europe - Commission unveils van CO2 proposals

Brussels,Belgium -HGV (Ireland) -October 29, 2009: -- The European Commission has proposed what is considered to be a watered-down bill that aims to reduce CO2 emissions from light commercial vehicles... The new legislation will require that emissions for each new model of van from a manufacturer emits no more than 175 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre... The limit will be phased in slowly, with three quarters of vans required to meet the target by 2014, 80 per cent by 2015 and all LCVs by 2016. A tighter target of 135g/km will be scheduled for 2020... Earlier drafts of the legislation had suggested the 175g/km target should be met by 2012, with a second target of 160g/km to be met by 2015... LCV makers who exceed the limit will be fined five euros per gramme per kilometre if they miss the threshold by one gramme, a fine that climbs to €125 per gramme per kilometre if they exceed the carbon ceiling by four grammes... (Photo from zf.com: Mitsubishi Fuso Canter)

Labels: green news

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA

* Indiana - Trucking industry is one economic gauge. Industry says it hasn't seen much of an uptick

Indianapolis,IND,USA -WISH TV8, by David Barras & Andrew Bonner -29 Oct 2009: -- Positive numbers for the economy were released Thursday. The gross domestic product rose at an annual rate of 3.5 percent in the third quarter of the year. That's better than economists predicted and it's the strongest growth in two years... Talk to those in the trucking business and they will tell you they are a reliable barometer of the nation's economy... Andy Card runs Noblesville-based Perkins Specialized Transportation, a nearly 100-year-old trucking firm that has 500 trucks, 1,500 trailers and shipping retail goods making 6,000 stops a week... Card said the trucking industry is the first to get hit in a downturn and the first to feel improvement in a recovery. In the past 6 to 8 weeks, he said, signs point to recovery because volume from his customers is up...

* Missouri - Some YRC Worldwide union workers again reject concessions proposal

Kansas,MO,USA -The Kansas City Business Journal -October 19, 2009: -- A small segment of YRC Worldwide Inc. union workers has rejected a concessions proposal for a second time, and by a larger margin, a dissident union group said Thursday... Roughly 1,000 International Brotherhood of Teamsters dockworkers in Chicago’s Local 710 voted 486-242 against the concessions, Teamsters for a Democratic Union said on its Web site. Janitors rejected the proposal 9-2, but office workers passed the contract 59-46... The results came even though YRC management had threatened to reroute freight to other locations, TDU said, adding that management this week laid off about a third of the 64 mechanics in Cleveland’s Local 964 after they rejected the concessions a second time... In August, most Teamsters approved the additional 5 percent wage concession and 18-month pension payment termination, which came on top of a 10 percent wage cut they had approved in January. The second round of concessions was to save YRC an estimated $45 million a month, growing to $50 million a month in 2010...(Photo from media.buffalonews: Teamsters at YRC W)

Labels: trucking industry news USA

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC NEWS * WORLDWIDE

Briefing Weekly News

from Freight Forwarding

* K+N revenues fall by almost a quarter
- Kuehne + Nagel has released its financial figures for the first nine months of 2009. The company said that it had achieved very satisfactory operational results despite tumbling revenues. Read Full Brief Here

* CEVA issues guidance on Q3 performance
- Ahead of its Quarter Three 2009 results, CEVA has issued a statement saying that its business has seen the market continue along a similar trend to the previous period. Read Full News Here

* CH Robinson beats market expectations
- CH Robinson, the North American based logistics company, has reported its financial results for the third quarter. Read Full News Here

from Contract Logistics

* UPS continues to suffer depressed markets
- Scott Davis, CEO of UPS might be “encouraged by the signs of economic recovery” but his company continues to suffer heavily depressed volumes and profits. Read Full Brief Here

* Wincanton establishes direct imports capability for tyre company
- Wincanton has been appointed by Micheldever Tyres to set up a direct import and trunking solution for the UK. Read Full News Here

* Hilti and Kuehne + Nagel agree partnership
- Hilti has entered into strategic partnership with Kuehne + Nagel for the planning, implementation and management of its future logistics locations in Europe. Read Full News Here

* Dentressangle wins frozen food logistics contract
- Norbert Dentressangle has been awarded a two year temperature controlled storage and distribution contract with major UK baked goods manufacturer, Speedibake. Read Full News Here

* Schenker wins European healthcare contract
- DB Schenker has won a three year contract to establish and execute the European distribution network for healthcare product supplier Systagenix. Read Full News Here

from Express & Mail

* FedEx sees signs of life as it expands European hub
- As FedEx extends its European hub at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, a senior executive has commented that he sees positive signs in the market. Read Full Brief Here

* Swiss Post Solutions ties up with GAC in Middle East
- Swiss Post Solutions has signed a strategic agreement with logistics company GAC, enabling its document services to be available to businesses throughout the Middle East. Read Full News Here

from Road Freight

* CEVA Ground launched in Brazil
- CEVA Logistics has launched its new ground transportation arm, CEVA Ground, in Brazil. Read Full News Here

from Air Cargo

* Lufthansa Cargo and Hermes increase cooperation
- Lufthansa Cargo and Hermes Transport Logistics have announced that they are increasing their level of cooperation. Read Full News Here

from Warehousing

* ProLogis leases to two customers near Tokyo
- ProLogis has announced it has leased 188,000 square feet (17,500 square metres) during the third quarter to two customers in Japan. Read Full News Here

* ProLogis leases to Panalpina in Germany
- ProLogis has leased a total of 227,000 square feet (21,100 square metres) to two customers in southwestern Germany at ProLogis Park Neuenstadt, including Panalpina. Read Full News Here

* CEVA opens new warehouse in Dubai
- CEVA Logistics has opened a 12,000 sqm warehouse in Dubai to reinforce its presence in the region. Read Full News Here

from Shipping/Ports

* CMA CGM increases Vietnam service
- CMA CGM has announced a new call at Saigon Premier Container Terminal on its FAS Vietnam service. Read Full News Here

* ZIM restructuring plan nears approval
- ZIM Integrated Shipping Services (ZIM) has confirmed that its proposed financial restructuring plan is nearing final approval. Read Full News Here

* Port of Antwerp’s volumes down 19%
- During the first nine months of 2009 the port of Antwerp handled nearly 117 million tonnes of freight representing a drop of 19.1%. Read Full News Here

(Photo from JOC: Threaded Thoughts)

Labels: transport and logistics news

CLEAN PORTS DEBATE * USA - ATA Warns NY/NJ on Clean-Truck Plan

New York,NY,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by Joseph Bonney -Oct 26, 2009: -- An American Trucking Associations executive said New York and New Jersey politicians will regret endorsing Los Angeles-style clean-truck regulations that he said represent a thinly disguised effort to encourage driver unionization... New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, and Newark Mayor, Cory Booker, said this month that they support a clean-truck program modeled after the controversial one in Los Angeles, where the port wants to ban owner-operators and require the use of employee drivers. The mayors also said they support an amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act to grant port authorities regulatory authority over harbor trucking... The ATA has challenged the Los Angeles plans in court, and Whalen noted that they are widely unpopular among nearly all segments of the transportation industry except the Teamsters Union, which hopes to organize employee drivers. Whalen said endorsing similar requirements for New York-New Jersey doesn’t strike him as “a particularly good marketing strategy”... (Picture from roadtransport/big-lorry-blog: Opening shotlo)

Labels: clean trucks plans

Transport Statistics * USA - BTS says surface trade with Mexico and Canada down 24.9 percent in August

Washington,DC,USA -Logistics Management -29 Oct 2009: -- Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico was down 24.9 percent in August 2009 compared to August 2008, falling to $54.3 billion, according to data released by the United States Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)... The BTS said the value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Mexico sank 16.2 percent year over year in August at $21.3 billion... And the value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada was down 29.6 percent year-over-year in August at $32.9 billion... (Photo from roadtransport/big-lorry-blog: Over the Texas roads, USA)

Labels: transport statistics

Legislation * USA - Post-health care debate, various legislative issues affecting transport in 2010 and beyond

Washington,DC,USA -Logistics Management, by John D. Schulz -27 Oct 2009: -- As the ongoing debate over health care reform has proven, Congress has extreme difficulty doing more than one thing at a time. Multitasking has never been Washington's strong suit... With health care sucking all the oxygen out of the room, transportation interests are bracing for 2010 when many key transport legislative initiatives likely will be fought... Among them:

* Renewal of the highway bill;
* Cap-and-trade provisions of climate change legislation;
* Employee Free Choice Act (i.e. "Card Check"); and
* The opening the Mexican-U.S. border to all trucking...

(Photo from roadtransport/big-lorry-blog: Dallas trucks)

Labels: laws and bills USA

LONGER TRUCKS * Canada - 10 axle trucks OKed for Alberta forestry sector

Grande Preirie,ALB,Can -Today's Trucking -29 Oct 2009: -- An Alberta log hauler is reportedly the first carrier in Canada to be allowed to run nine and 10-axle trucks in the province... According to Sun Media, Minhas Bros. Trucking of Grande Prairie was certified by Alberta Transportation as part of a pilot project to reduce costs and boost efficiency in the forestry sector... Under the new permit, the same weight limit per axle remains, but the extra axles could add payload of roughly 10 percent, up to about 78,000 kg, up from the eight axles and 63,500 kg previously... (Photo from roadtransport/big-lorry-blog (uk), by Pete Townsend: A Canada/USA truck)

Labels: longer trucks

STUDY * USA

Armonk,NY,USA -The Auto Channel -October 27, 2009: -- IBM is announcing a major new study on the future of the trucking industry. Truck 2020 says that some of the traditional reasons for fleet purchases – such as the brand name of the truck – have gone out the window, and now there is incredible pressure for hybridization of trucks, which can cut costs and pollution. For example: 10,000 hybrid trucks on the road would reduce diesel fuel use by 7.2 million gallons per year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 83,000 tons... (Video from YouTube, by TheAutoChannel -27 Octubre 2009)

Labels: trucking markets prognosis

SPECIAL INFO: H. O. S. * USA - Obama Administration Agrees to Start Over on Rule to Keep Tired Truckers Off the Roads

* Court Repeatedly Tossed Out Bad Rule, But Bush Administration Kept Reissuing It

Washington,DC,USA -Public Citizen/Commons Dreams -October 27, 2009: -- The Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) have agreed to abandon their defense of unsafe, longer working hour standards for truckers the Bush administration issued in 2003... In a settlement of a lawsuit brought by Public Citizen, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Truck Safety Coalition and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the agencies agreed to start a new round of rulemaking that could result in reduced hours of service for truckers... The rule dramatically expanded driving and working hours by allowing truck drivers to drive up to 11 consecutive hours (instead of 10) each shift and by cutting the off-duty rest and recovery time at the end of the week from a full weekend of 50 or more hours to as little as 34 hours... As a result, the rule allowed truckers to spend up to 17 more hours driving each week than previously allowed, a more than 25 percent increase over the prior rule, despite strong evidence that the increased hours would lead to more traffic fatalities and serious consequences for driver health. Today’s settlement requires the government to draft a new proposed rule governing hours of service within nine months and to publish a final rule within 21 months...

* Hoffa: Federal Regulators Must Protect Workers' Health and Safety

Washington,DC,USA -Reuters -27 Oct 2009: -- Teamsters General President, Jim Hoffa, today said he is pleased that federal regulators agreed to reform the hours of service rule for truck drivers... The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) signed an agreement with safety advocates and the Teamsters Union to revise the hours of service rule issued last November. The rule, a "midnight regulation" made final in the waning days of the Bush administration, extended the hours truckers can drive from 10 hours to 11 hours... "We will continue to push for a rule that protects truck drivers, instead ofthe greed of the trucking industry," Hoffa said, "Longer hours behind the wheel are dangerous for our members and the driving public"...

* ATA says current HOS rules should stay

Arlington,VA,USA LINGTON, Va. -Today's Trucking (CAN) -28 Oct 2009: -- Pointing to record-low rates for truck-related crashes and fatalities, the American Trucking Associations says the existing hours of service rules are working... The ATA defended the rules after it was announced yesterday that the Department of Transportation has struck a eal with Public Citizen and the Teamsters to reconsider the rules. (The groups hallenged the rules in court for the third time this past March)... There's no telling what means for the rules as they're written, but the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration under the Obama regime is reportedly open to rewriting aspects of the rule, perhaps from scratch... But, citing recent highway safety statistics, the ATA says they're fine the way they are...

Labels: Hours Of Service

DANGEROUS DRIVERS * UK Focus on disqualified ones

The UK and Ireland have struck a deal that will ensure that disqualified drivers in one jurisdiction will also be banded in the other

London,UK -HGV UK -October 29, 2009: ... Drivers from Britain or Northern Ireland who are disqualified for a motoring offence in the Republic will no longer escape that punishment when they return home. Equally Irish drivers disqualified in the UK will have their disqualification recognised and enforced when they go back to the Republic... It is the first step of its kind ever to be introduced in Europe... The agreement is to come into force next February... Edwin Poots said the new measures will keep dangerous drivers off the roads by ensuring disqualified motorists will not be able to escape their punishment... (Picture from i.dailymail)

Labels: dangerous drivers

TAX POLICY * USA - TransAction calls for fuel duty cut

“Instead of agreeing to raise fuel duty, we want the Government to agree to a reduction or rebate on fuel duty for Britain’s hauliers, so that we can compete with foreign firms”...

London,UK -HGV UK -October 27, 2009: .. Lobby group TransAction has reacted noisily to suggestions that government is ready to hike excise duty on road diesel as part of its proposals for a green tax blitz... Any further increases in fuel duty would decimate the haulage industry, according to campaigner Mike Presniell from pressure group TransAction... (Picture from farm1.static.flickr)

Labels: taxes policys

Longer Trailers * UK - Cause market confusion

A project to look at increasing trailer lengths has been slammed by a leading trailer builder for causing confusion in the market

London,UK -Road Transport, by Andy Salter -25 October 2009: ... Laurence Marshall, managing director at Lawrence David Trailers one of the UK's leading trailer manufacturers, says the project is causing unnecessary concern in the market with no obvious prospect of any change in regulation... In recent months Lawrence David Trailers has been devoting much of its research and development activity into operational initiatives focussed on driving forward efficiency, "through a focus on operational problems," says Marshall. For instance, the company has launched a new double-deck urban semi-trailer offering increased carrying capacity in a compact operational footprint, while a new plastic-bodied rigid aimed at the home delivery has also entered trials...

Labels: extra long trailers

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA & Canada

* USA / Study: Rising diesel prices pressure trucking industry but could relieve it

Kansas,MO,USA -The Kansas City Business Journal -October 27, 2009: -- Although rising diesel prices weigh on the trucking industry, they could indirectly help some industry players by pushing weaker competitors out of business... Prices for on-highway diesel fuel have risen for three weeks in a row. The national average cost of diesel fuel was $2.80 a gallon on Monday, up 3.5 percent from $2.71 a gallon on Oct. 19, the Energy Information Administration said Monday... Longbow Research LLC analyst Lee Klaskow said in a Tuesday note that the higher diesel prices are a double-edged sword for trucking companies, which are burdened by overcapacity and sluggish demand... Overland Park-based trucking giant YRC Worldwide Inc. reports its third-quarter earnings on Friday. The debt-laden company has been laying off thousands of workers, selling property, cutting employee pay and benefits, and reworking lender agreements, among other steps, to combat persisting losses during an extended freight recession..(Photo: Waiting to Cross U.S. Borders in Trucks)

* Indiana/USA - Celadon’s 1Q Income Drops; Will Trade on NYSE Starting in November

Indianapolis,IN,USA -Transport Topics -28 Oct 2009: -- Truckload carrier Celadon Group said late Wednesday its fiscal first-quarter income declined from a year ago and that it will begin trading its shares on the New York Stock Exchange in November... Net income fell to $600,000, or 3 cents per share, from $2.8 million, or 13 cents, a year ago, Celadon said in a statement... Revenue fell 13% to $127.8 million for the quarter ended Sept. 30. Freight revenue excluding fuel surcharges gained 1.3% to $110.7 million...

* Toronto/Canada - Vitran’s Third-Quarter Profit Drops

Toronto,ONT,CAN -Transport Topics -27 Oct 2009: -- Vitran Corp. said Tuesday its third-quarter income fell to $281,000, or 2 cents a share, compared with $2.1 million, or 15 cents, a year ago... Revenue for the quarter fell to $163.6 million, from $194.6 million last year, the company said in a statement. Vitran has truckload, less-than-truckload and logistics operations in the United States and Canada... Toronto-based Vitran said income from its LTL segment fell to $1.5 million from $3 million last year... Its truckload segment reported operating income of $175,000, down from $308,000 a year ago, while its logistics segment’s operating income rose to $1.7 million, from $1.5 million last year... (Photo from hankstruckpictures: Vitran's truck)

* Tennessee/USA - Covenant’s Third-Quarter Loss Widens

Chattanooga,Tenn,USA -Transport Topics -27 Oct 2009: -- Covenant Transportation Group reported a third-quarter net loss of $13.6 million, or 96 cents a share, compared with a loss of $3.4 million, or 24 cents, a year ago... Revenue fell 28%, to $153 million, the truckload carrier said late Monday. Freight revenue fell 18.2% to $133.3 million... The company is continuing to reduce costs and said its annual tractor fleet plan for 2009 includes the purchase of about 950 tractors and disposal of approximately 1,250 tractors, for expected full-year net capital expenditures of approximately $50 million to $60 million...

* USA / EVENT - New Council to Reinvent Trucking, for Carting just as much Freight on half the Energy

Boulder,COL,USA -PRWeb -28 Oct 2009: -- Leaders of the Rocky Mountain Institute’s MOVE team announced that they are joining with trucking industry leaders to inaugurate the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE), with the goal of helping to reinvent the trucking industry to carry just as much freight on half as much energy... The new group will collect, assess, and circulate information on performance and efficiency benefits to technology developers, fleet owners, and truck drivers, said leaders of the transportation research and consulting team at the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), in Boulder, Col...

Labels: trucking industry news USA and CAN

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Sweden - Scania sees bumpy 2010 recovery in truck market

Stockholm,Sweden -Reuters, by Niklas Pollard/Johannes Hellstrom/Victoria Klesty & David Cowell -26 Oct 2009: -- Truck maker Scania AB on Monday cautioned that strengthening order books and a leveling off in the downturn in its key western European would not bring a quick rebound next year... Operating earnings tumbled to 519 million Swedish crowns ($76 million) from a year-ago 2.82 billion, topping the average 246 million seen in a Reuters poll of 16 analysts... Massive stimulus measures from governments and central banks has helped spawn some measure of activity in the highly cyclical heavy-duty market though demand remains dismal... Scania, which like its peers has scrambled to cut costs to cope with the downturn, said orders for trucks fell 6 percent year-on-year in the third quarter compared with a 55 percent drop in the previous quarter...

* Germany - Daimler Reports Its First Quarterly Profit in a Year

Stuttgart,Germany -Transport Topics -27 Oct 2009: -- Daimler AG Tuesday reported its first quarterly profit in a year, saying it earned about $61 million, or 4 cents a share, in the third quarter, down from about $200 million, or 21 cents, a year ago... The profit was largely boosted by the company’s auto division, Bloomberg reproted. Germany-based Daimler reports its earnings in euros... Daimler’s worldwide truck division is “still operating in a difficult marketing environment,” the company said in a statement... Unit sales in North America — including Freightliner and Sterling Trucks, as well as Thomas Built buses — totaled 15,200 vehicles, down 41% from a year ago... Asian sales also declined more than 40%, though the company said it sees long-term growth in Russia...

* USA - Cat selectively recalling workers

Peoria,ILL;USA -Fleet Owner -Oct 26, 2009: -- Some laid-off employees of Caterpillar have received good news that thanks to improvement in the global economy, the construction equipment manufacturer has begun bringing back approximately 550 U.S. employees... But the company also said it will officially notify 2,500 other employees who were previously laid off that they will not be returning to work... Last week, Cat outlined its forecast for 2010, predicting sales of 10 to 25% higher than 2009, which it is saying will be $32 to $33 billion...

* USA - Paccar’s Third-Quarter Net Income Plunges 96%

Bellevue,Wash,USA -Transport Topics -27 Oct 2009: -- Paccar Inc.’s third-quarter profit plunged 96% to $13 million, or 4 cents a share, from $299 million, or 82 cents, a year ago... Sales fell 50% to $2 billion, the company said Tuesday. Paccar is the parent company of U.S. truck makers Kenworth Truck Co. and Peterbilt Motors Co., and Europe-based DAF Trucks... Truck sales and revenue fell to $1.8 billion from $3.7 billion a year ago, while the truck division took an operating loss of $6.2 million compared with a profit of $361 million a year ago... Financial services revenue fell to $241.7 million from $321.8 million last year, the company said. The unit’s net income fell to $13 million, from $299 million...

* Germany - Volkswagen to decide on Karmann deal within 2 weeks

Garbsen,Germany -Reuters -Oct 27, 2009: -- Volkswagen's powerful supervisory board chairman Ferdinand Piech, the architect behind the firm's acquisition strategy, once again hinted that other acquisitions could follow the purchase of Porsche... Aside from Porsche, truck maker MAN and Suzuki are "real brands" of interest to Volkswagen, Piech said at the same event... At the Frankfurt auto show in September, Piech signaled he would like to see 12 brands within Volkswagen Group... The Wolfsburg, Germany-based auto maker is seeking to raise up to 10 billion euros for acquisitions...

* Germany - MAN to build Volkswagen branded trucks, buses in South Africa

Munich,Germany -Associated Press/Washington Examiner (USA) -26 Oct 2009: -- German truck and bus maker MAN SE will build Volkswagen branded trucks and buses in South Africa, starting in November, to tap into the wider sub-Saharan market... MAN, based in Munich, already has some operations in South Africa, but will now also build and market VW brands. The move comes after it recently bought the Latin American truck and bus operations of Volkswagen... Volkswagen, based in Wolfsburg, holds about 30 percent of MAN, one of Europe's largest builders of heavy vehicles... MAN said late Sunday it would build the Volkswagen branded Constellation truck series and the Volksbus series at its Pinetown plant near Durban, on the southeast coast... With demand expected to rise and inventories falling, MAN said the Pinetown assembly plant has the potential to double its production to about 3,200 units a year thanks to the introduction of the Constellation trucks and Volksbus chassis...

* Germany - MAN SE Profit Almost Wiped Out on Truck-Sale Drop

Munich,Germany -Bloomberg, by Andreas Cremer -Oct. 29, 2009: -- MAN SE, Europe’s third-largest truckmaker, said third-quarter profit was almost wiped out as tighter credit discouraged freight transporters and construction companies from making purchases... Net income plunged to 4 million euros ($5.9 million), or 2 cents a share, from 298 million euros, or 2.03 euros, the Munich-based company said today in a statement. Sales dropped 14 percent to 3.1 billion euros while orders at the main trucks division slumped 37 percent to 1.2 billion euros...

* UK - Stralis for long-distance operator

Kent,UK -HGV UK -October 29, 2009: -- Kent-based CS Bull Ltd is taking delivery of three new Iveco Stralis Active Space Super³ tractor units, each finished in a jet black livery and built for long-distance operations across mainland Europe... Iveco Stralis AS440S45T/P 4×2 tractor units are each plated at 40 tonnes and are left-hand drive coupled with long-range 1,160 litre diesel tanks and 100 litre AdBlue tanks. The specification also sees the regular Eberspacher night heater replaced with a water-based heater as original equipment, providing the same excellent interior heating whilst also warming the engine to ensure prompt starting even in the harsh winter climate commonly experienced in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe...

* Russia - Truckmaker KamAZ posts $60 mln half-year net loss

Moscow,Russia -The FINANCIAL (Tbilisi,Georgia) -29 Oct 2009: -- According to RIA Novosti, Russia's largest truck producer, KamAZ, announced on October 29 net losses under International Financial Reporting Standards of 1.8 billion rubles ($60 million) in January-June 2009... KamAZ, based in the Volga Republic of Tatarstan, posted a net profit of 2.63 billion rubles ($82 million) in the same period last year... Revenues in the reporting period declined 49.4% to 25.42 billion rubles ($847 million), KamAZ said in a statement... KamAZ has suspended production several times since the beginning of 2009 amid declining sales caused by the ongoing economic crisis, putting workers on forced holidays...

* Czech - Truckmaker Tatra cutting 530 jobs

Praga,Czech -Inautonews -30 Oct 2009: -- Truckmaker Tatra will let go of 530 staff this month and shorten its working week from November due to falling orders, a spokesman said on Tuesday... The company had let go of 1,000 employees up to June because of the economic crisis and posted a loss-making 2008. It said it expects its employee count to be around 2,200 after this latest round of job losses... Unemployment in the Czech Republic has jumped to a more than three-year high of 8.5 percent, and many analysts see it growing to near 10 percent next year as manufacturers shed jobs...

Labels: truckmakers news worldwide

* Australia - A heavyweight conundrum

Between Geraldton and Cue run 150 tonne trucks which are carting 100 tonne payloads of iron ore

Cue,WA,Australia -Frenemy (New Zealand) -Oct.26, 2009: -- Here in West Australia the earth is being dug up and exported. Mines of all variety are dotted around the landscape. Nickel, zinc, lead, tantalum, copper, gold, silver iron and even talc. Talc? Yes they even mine talc from a mine near a town called Three Springs. Apparently it is a very good industrial lubricant as well as being used in the cosmetic industry. However all this activity means that there are a lot of very large trucks on the roads... Between Geraldton and Cue run 150 tonne trucks which are carting 100 tonne payloads of iron ore. Of interest to the truck fans amongst you will be that the fuel is a mix of LNG (methane) and diesel. But what really intrigues me is that the roads are in damn fine shape. They are not hammered into submission by all this activity and the weight being carried. Indeed some Shire (county) roads in West Australia have 90 tonne behemoths carting wheat on them... So how can this be when every expert and their poodle has told Kiwis for years that the trucks are damaging their roads, that the trucking industry is not “paying its share” or that the world will end if bigger than 40 tonne trucks were allowed on the roads? A conundrum if ever I saw one... And yes I am aware that the ground conditions are totally different, but the lack of damaged roads, makes a great statement...

Labels: overweight trucks

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6.11.09

TRUCKING INDUSTRY WORLDWIDE * Germany - Deutsche Post DHL Lost $123 Million

5.11.09

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

Truck Cartel * Australia - Costs Hino dealers more than $1 million

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * USA - Navistar Opposes Request For Delay In Diesel-Exhaust Case

Truckers Protest * Canada - Descends On Queen's Park

DANGEROUS DRIVERS * USA - New York Bans Texting While Driving

PORTS' CLEAN TRUCKS * USA - Shippers Appeal to NY, Newark on Harbor Truckers

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC NEWS * WORLDWIDE

4.11.09

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA & Canada

Rest-area in Arizona * USA - Cuts spur safety fears

HOS revamp * USA - Magazine reports a ‘deal’ to quell concerns over Ferro's confirmation

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * WORLDWIDE

TRUCKS' PRODUCTS * USA - Allison details new transmission features

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

Cargo thieves * USA - Survey: Getting sophisticated— and bolder

2.11.09

DECISION * USA - IRS Reverses FedEx Ground Ruling

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * Europe - The impact of the economic crisis on the European road haulage sector

Automated Transmissions * Canada - Ontario okays for senior driver road tests

TRUCKERS' HEALTH * Australia - ATA declares depression awareness initiative a success

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

Feds Rule Out * Australia - Taking over trucking regs

"INJUSTICE" * Australia - End demerit points, MP says

Inconsistent Holidays * Australia - A 'burden' on industry

Sleep Deprivation * USA - Researchers try to parse what your brain can and can't do on no sleep

1.11.09

Owner-Operators * USA - Unemployed Truck Drivers Find Answers To Recession

Electric Heavier Trucks * USA - Smith E. V. Expands U.S. Line To Include

FedEx vs. UPS * USA - Are nation’s top couriers airlines or trucking companies?

31.10.09

"GREEN" PRODUCTS * USA - Self Cleaning Diesel Exhaust Filters

FUEL * Venezuela and Brazil: Seal oil refinery deal

Truck Alcohol Ignition Locks * Europe - May Become Compulsory

TRUCK SALES * USA - Idealease orders Kidron reefer bodies for Schwan

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA - Some YRC Units Profitable Says Zollars

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

30.10.09

Climate Change Legislation * USA - Will Increase Diesel Prices, Hurt Consumers

CLEAN PORT PROGRAM * USA - Cleaner-Trucks Mandate Will Create Hardships at Port of Oakland

"GREEN" NEWS * Europe - Commission unveils van CO2 proposals

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC NEWS * WORLDWIDE

29.10.09

CLEAN PORTS DEBATE * USA - ATA Warns NY/NJ on Clean-Truck Plan

Transport Statistics * USA - BTS says surface trade with Mexico and Canada down 24.9 percent in August

Legislation * USA - Post-health care debate, various legislative issues affecting transport in 2010 and beyond

LONGER TRUCKS * Canada - 10 axle trucks OKed for Alberta forestry sector

STUDY * USA

SPECIAL INFO: H. O. S. * USA - Obama Administration Agrees to Start Over on Rule to Keep Tired Truckers Off the Roads

DANGEROUS DRIVERS * UK Focus on disqualified ones

TAX POLICY * USA - TransAction calls for fuel duty cut

Longer Trailers * UK - Cause market confusion

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA & Canada

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Australia - A heavyweight conundrum