trucks world news: December 2005

Sales - USA - Pete reaches record MD sales; weighs in on upcoming trends

The driver shortage is impacting medium as well as heavy truck markets

DENTON, Tex.,USA -Today's Trucking -23 Dec 2005: -- Peterbilt will produce a record number of medium duty trucks this year and expects modest growth for the industry -- about 10 percent more new registrations than '04... Medium duty demand keeps growing... Medium duty buyers are spec'ing more driver-friendly options and automatic and automated transmissions are becoming more popular, the company says. Peterbilt estimated a 12 percent increase this year in medium duty trucks spec'd with the easier-to-use transmissions...

Suspended - USA - Truckers report biodiesel is causing some fuel filter clogs

ST. PAUL,Minn,USA -Associated Press -Dec. 23, 2005: -- Truckers will get a three-week reprieve from the state's 2-month-old biodiesel mandate after complaints that the soybean-based fuel is clogging some fuel filters - particularly in cold weather... The state Department of Commerce on Friday temporarily suspended a requirement to blend 2 percent biodiesel into diesel fuel, giving biodiesel makers and distributors time to fix the problem. During the 21-day variance, stations can sell unblended diesel fuel... The glitch may stem from biodiesel that doesn't meet fuel specifications, and that fuel will be removed during the temporary suspension, the department said in a news release...

Changes - Canada - Truck Transportation Act Soon Repealed

Changes to trust accounts, broker rules, and safety rating included

TORONTO,Ont,Canada -Today's Trucking -22 Dec 2005: -- The Ontario Government has announced that effective January 1, 2006, the Truck Transportation Act (TTA) and the last vestiges of economic regulation of the trucking industry will no longer exist... However, as the Ontario Trucking Association is reminding carriers, under the legislation repealing the TTA certain critical parts of the TTA have been transferred to the Highway Traffic Act (HTA)... Carriers who broker freight should also note that the trust account provisions will now apply to everyone who brokers freight, including carriers who broker loads to other carriers, OTA says. Also, effective January 1, 2006, they will also need to comply with the new HTA provisions and ensure that funds received for work that is brokered out are placed in a trust account...

Highest bidder - USA - City buys garbage trucks from Auburn Hills company

FLINT,Mich,USA -WJRT, by By Kevin Holmes -Dec 22, 2005: -- After debating for several months, the City Council has decided to purchase an entire fleet of garbage trucks for the city. But the supplier comes as a surprise to some... For months, the debate in Flint has been whether the city should buy the trucks from a business in the city or look elsewhere... Wednesday Night, City Council decided to go elsewhere... Twenty trucks were purchased from an Auburn Hills company at a cost of more than three million dollars... This was not the lowest bidder, though. The lowest bid was from a company right here in Flint...

AUTOS WORLD NEWS

* Ford Does Well in South America in '05
Brazil -The Car Connection (USA), by Fernando Calmon -22 Dec 2005: Ford South America (FSA) has turned in a positive preliminary report for 2005, the company should produce the best financial results ever in its history, possibly becoming the company's most profitable regional operation the world over... Market share has risen to 13 percent in Brazil, 18 percent in Argentina and 21 percent in Venezuela. Barry Engle, president of Ford of Brazil, said exports have grown seven-fold in six years, to nearly $1.4 billion in 2005...

* Computer with worker data stolen, Ford says
DEARBORN,Mich,USA -Associated Press -Dec 23, 2005: Ford Motor Co. informed about 70,000 active and former white-collar employees that a computer with company data, including Social Security numbers, was stolen from a Ford facility... Ford spokeswoman Kathleen Vokes said that there was no product, supplier, customer, engineering or financial information on the computer. She said Ford is working with law enforcement on the investigation...

* Padilla announces acceleration Ford's investment plan in Thailand
Thailand -Automotive News -24 Dec 2005: Ford Motor Company's President and Chief Operating Officer Jim Padilla met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry Suriya Jungrungreangkit today and announced the acceleration of Ford's second phase of investment at its Ford/Mazda (AAT) manufacturing facility. The second phase investment will be made over three years (2005 to 2008) and underpins Thailand's importance as a major international production hub for Ford's one-tonne pickup truck...

* Va. rollover hurts Ford
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit Free Press -24 Dec 2005: A federal jury in Newark, N.J., said Ford should pay $20.5 million to a New Jersey woman who suffered brain injuries in a Bronco II rollover accident in 1995... The jury awarded Valentini $1.5 million for past medical expenses, $13 million for future medical costs, $5 million in compensatory damages and $1 million for past and future lost income...

* GM of Brazil 's Expertise Less Costly
Brazil -The Car Connection (USA), by Fernando Calmon -22 Dec 2005: Engineering services are expected to grow at GM do Brazil, doubling to $400 million in the next two years. The subsidiary bears lower design and development costs that can be up to 70 percent cheaper than those in more economically developed countries...

* GM expands recall of SUVs to additional states
DETROIT,Mich,USA -Associated Press -Dec 24, 2005: General Motors Corp. is expanding a recall of sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks with possible antilock brake corrosion to include another 553,000 vehicles in six states and the District of Columbia...

* Korean CKD Exports Rise
S. Korea -The Car Connection (USA) -22 Dec 2005: Knockdown exports of South Korean automakers including GM Daewoo, Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, and Ssangyong Motor jumped nearly 30 percent from a year ago to 707,173 units in the first 11 months of this year, the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA) said...

* China's November automobile production sets record
BEIJING,China -Associated Press -Dec 24, 2005: China's car production in November grew 52.1 percent from the same month last year to a record 291,900 units, breaking the previous record set in June of 275,100 units, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics Friday... China's car production between January and November totaled 2.65 million units, up 24.2 percent from the year-earlier period, the bureau said in a statement on its Web site...

* Skoda Sold More Cars From January To November 2005 Than The Whole 2004
Checz -Carpages (UK) -24 Dec 2005: As early as a month before the end of the year 2005, Skoda Auto managed to break its own annual sales record achieved last year. From January to November 2005, customers on 85 markets bought a total of 452,973 Skoda cars, which is 43,022 (+10.5%) more cars than during the same period of the previous year and 1,298 more than throughout the whole of 2004...

Litigation provision - USA - States concerned about federal roof crush proposal

Letter signed by 26 attorneys general protests clause barring suits against automakers
WASHINGTON,DC,USA -The Detroit News/Associated Press, by Ken Thomas -Dec 24, 2005: -- Twenty-six state attorneys general, concerned about a federal proposal to strengthen the roofs of motor vehicles, urged the government Friday to abandon language that could prevent people from suing automakers... Questioning the legal grounds for the provision, they argued it would infringe on states' rights and would shift injured motorists' medical costs to states... With rollover crashes killing more than 10,000 people a year, about one-third of traffic fatalities, the issue has been closely watched. Safety groups say the regulation should be much stronger and argue that well over half the vehicles already comply with the standard...

Settlement - USA - DC to Repair Faulty Pollution Controls

USA - The Car Connection -22 Dec 2005: -- DaimlerChrysler will repair about 1.5 million vehicles as a part of a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency over faulty emissions equipment... The company will spend about $94 million to complete the repairs, which the EPA says involved catalytic converters that failed at a higher rate than usual... As a part of the settlement, the company will extend the warranty on about 700,000 of the affected vehicles, with owners of another 300,000 vehicles being notified of the potential problem. A half-million vehicles will have the catalytic converters checked and will have diagnostic systems fixed...

GreenNews - Europe - EU Seeks Stricter Pollution Limits for Cars, Trucks

Brussels,Belgium -Bloomberg -Dec. 21 2005: -- European Union regulators called for cuts of at least 20 percent in car exhaust, seeking to ease air pollution while making EU automakers the world leaders in clean- car production... The European Commission in Brussels today proposed stricter emissions standards, especially for diesel cars, starting as soon as mid-2008. The agency also proposed quotas for governments to buy low-emissions buses and trucks... Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot said government fleets will add at least 13,000 more trucks and buses a year powered by fuels including liquid propane gas, natural gas, electricity and biofuels, which consume less energy and emit less of the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming... The commission estimated the plan would save energy and environmental damage worth 1.92 billion euros over 15 years, outweighing 1.61 billion euros extra cost for buying more- expensive vehicles...

TRUCKING's WORLD NEWS - Digest -

* TNT Logistics wins tyre contract from Pirelli in Australia
Australia -Anexa research -19 Dec 2005: Pirelli Tyres Australia recently awarded their domestic logistics activity to TNT Logistics for a minimum 3 year period... Under the terms of the Agreement, TNT Logistics will service Pirelli's customer base from a central warehouse in Sydney with cross dock facilities established in Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane...

* Trucking battle triumph
Geraldton, Australia -Geraldton News, by Beatrice Thomas -22 Dec 2005: Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan on Monday announced that any company wishing to truck iron ore within 100 kilometres of an operational rail line would have to apply for a special licence which would only be granted if rail transportation was not a viable option... Iron ore company Midwest Corporation, which had the largest trucking program at an estimated 80 truck movements per day from its Koolanooka mine site to Geraldton Port, will also have its licence granted only until October next year...

* ATA expressed disappointment in the U.S. Senate's vote to uphold a filibuster
ALEXANDRIA, Va.,USA -U.S. Newswire -Dec. 21, 2005: With 60 votes needed to override the filibuster, drilling proponents fell four votes short of invoking cloture as Congress aims to wrap up the legislative session before the holiday recess... Despite the U.S. Senate vote, American Trucking Associations, which considers environmentally sound exploration of ANWR part of a long-term strategy to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and increase national fuel supplies, expressed optimism for a favorable outcome for the trucking industry and the national economy...

* OTA begins Avian Flu contingency plan
TORONTO,Ont,Canada -Today's Trucking News -21 Dec 2005: Recognizing that the threat of a pandemic outbreak of the avian flu is, in the government's words, "a matter of when - not if", the Ontario Trucking Association and the Canadian Trucking Alliance have begun work on a strategy to help carriers deal with such an emergency... The associations are contacting government agencies and business continuity planning consultants to determine what the industry can do to prepare itself for a pandemic, the OTA states...

* Strong Deliveries from Volvo Trucks
USA -TNN (UK) -21 Dec 2005: Deliveries from Volvo Trucks increased by 9% between January and November this year... In total, 94,693 trucks were delivered and the largest increase was noted in North America, where sales rose by 26% (29,620 vehicles)...

* Mack's November shipments rose 26 percent over last year
Allentown,PA,USA -Allentown Morning Call, by Kurt Blumenau -Dec 21, 2005: November continues to be kind to Mack Trucks, as the Allentown truckmaker again reported double-digit growth in deliveries for the month... Mack said Tuesday it shipped 3,213 heavy-duty trucks to dealers last month, up 26 percent from the year before. The company posted even stronger growth in November 2004, with deliveries up 61 percent year-on-year...

* Ford to hike commercial vehicle production
TURKEY -Reuters/just-auto.com (Bromsgrove,Worcs,UK), subscription -21 Dec 2005: Ford Otosan will invest an extra US$375 million until 2007 to raise commercial vehicle production at its Turkish plants, its general manager reportedly said on Wednesday... Ford Otosan, among top exporters in Turkey, has been producing commercialvehicles such as the Transit Connect and Cargo trucks in Turkey since1998...

Tires - USA - Wider ones could leave mark on trucking sector

Some drivers switch from dual setups, reap fuel and weight savings

GREENVILLE, S.C.,USA -AP -Dec. 21, 2005: -- Take a closer look at some of the 18-wheelers rolling down the nation’s roads lately and you might notice something missing: eight wheels... Some truckers are converting to wider tires that let them replace dual tires with single tires, turning their rigs into 10-wheelers to reap fuel and weight savings... Carl Smith, owner of 3J Fuels Inc. in Champlain, N.Y., has been using Michelin’s tires on his tanker trucks for about a year. His trucks don’t haul fuel long distances, so he said he hasn’t seen much in the way of fuel savings. But the wider tires are helping him stay within legal weight limits and "seem to ride better", he said... (Photo: Michelin North America/AP: New, wider truck tires weigh close to 200 pounds, and cost $1,250 or more when mounted on an aluminum rim.)

Profits - USA - Trucking Revenue Rises

Turnover Remains High, ATA Says

USA -TTNews -22 Dec 2005: -- On a seasonally adjusted basis, truckload and less-than-truckload revenue jumped 2.7% and 5.5%, respectively, from September to October, American Trucking Associations said... Large truckload carriers had an annualized turnover rate of 135% in the third quarter, just shy of the record high 136% rate set in the fourth quarter of 2004... Small truckload carriers reported a turnover rate of 91%s — 10% more than in the previous quarter, ATA said... During the same period, LTL carriers had a turnover rate of only 12%, ATA reported...

End NYC Strike - USA - Union Says Members Will Return Work

NY,USA -AP/TTNews -22 Dec 2005: -- Leader of the union representing New York City’s transit workers voted Thursday to return their 33,000 members to work without a new contract... The announcement of the vote came outside union headquarters about 3 1/2 hours after state mediators said a deal had been worked out... It puts the nation's largest mass transit system back in operation while negotiations resume on a new three-year contract...

Cut - USA - Freightliner Laying Off 130 Workers at Oregon Plant

Oregon,USA -The Oregonian/ TTNews -22 Dec 2005: -- Freightliner LLC said it plans to lay off 130 workers in Portland, Ore., citing the need to juggle the mix of trucks produced at its Swan Island plant there... Chief Operating Officer Roger Nielsen said the reduction, effective Thursday, was necessary because the company plans to build fewer Western Star Trucks and more Freightliner-branded trucks next year, the paper reported... The reduction represents about 7% of the company's work force in Portland, bringing total employment at the plant to 1,700...

Pre-Paid Legal - USA - Low Cost Plans for Commercial Truck Drivers

PLAN SUMMARY
USA -Press Release from: Darren5150@wideopenwest.com -21 Dec 2005: -- The Commercial Drivers Legal Plan (CDLP) provides a wide variety of legal services for commercial drivers and their families. It is backed by Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc., a New York Stock Exchange company with over 30 years of experience in providing legal service plans. Because of regulatory requirements, three (3) versions of the CDLP are available*: 1) The Basic Commercial Drivers Legal Plan* covers you and your spouse... - 2) Road America Commercial Drivers Legal Plan* - 3) Super Commercial Drivers Legal Plan* ... FOR COMMERCIAL TRUCKING COMPANIES: ... The Commercial Drivers Legal Plan (CDLP) may also be purchased at a discounted group rate and no enrollment fee. It is usually purchased on a payroll or settlement deduction paid for by the drivers, or as a fringe benefit paid for by the company... Why offer the Commercial Drivers Legal Plan (CDLP) to your drivers? Because it means increased profits for you...

HOS - USA - Hours of Service Disputed. II

Indianapolis,USA -TTNews, Letter by John Cantrell, Vice President Cantrell Logistics -Dec 2005: -- Let me say that with 25 years of driving experience and no accidents or tickets, the hours-of-service rule has never added to my safe driving, so I was glad to hear they were going to make changes... But what they’ve come up with makes no difference in safety. In reality, it makes it unsafe... I speak from experience. I made a run recently just to try it out, and what it does now is to make you drive according to the log book and during heavy traffic times, rather than stopping to let rush hour lighten up... I figure the government met with top trucking executives and they helped them come up with this. But these guys do not drive anything other than their cars and really do not know the pressures of a driver... If NASCAR let the car owners and their sponsors determine how the cars were to be set up to run and how the driver was to perform his driving skills, there would be a lot more crashes... Some days, driving a truck 500 miles can have the same intensity as a NASCAR driver running 500 miles at Daytona... The hours rule needs to be changed again, and we need to see hours set in stone for drivers to rest each day. For the restart, be real. With 30 hours, you’re rested — if you really rested. But a driver can be off 40 hours, spending time at home, and be up with a sick child with only five hours of rest... So it’s simple: Drive 10 or 12 hours, but let it be broken up so that at least you can avoid places like Chicago or Atlanta at 5:30 p.m... The way it is now, stopping for three hours to nap and letting traffic lighten up at the wrong time is totally against the driver. This is not the airlines; this is trucking and we must treat it as such...

HOS - USA - Hours of Service Disputed. I

I pray for the drivers who have to contend with the confusion of the twits who write these rules...
Ponca City, Okla.,USA -TTNews - Letter by Harold HahnDirector, Safety and Compliance, Sullivan’s Trucking Co. -Dec 2005: -- I have been working in highway safety for 30 years plus, including 12 years for a major motor carrier... I have investigated a number of commercial motor vehicle accidents over the years and only two were because of a driver asleep at the wheel... The Ph.D.s who know so much should get a rider pass and ride along with an over-the-road driver for seven days... They would have to stay awake all the time that the driver does and sleep for eight straight hours in the sleeper berth... This very seldom happens. After three to four hours, you are awake and doing things to kill time, some of which are either unhealthy or against the law... When the eight-hour stretch is over, you are in worse shape than when you parked the rig...

Oil - China - China, India Firms Said to Buy Oil Assets

China's biggest state oil company and an Indian firm have agreed to acquire a Canadian company's oil assets in Syria
BEIJING,China -Xinhua News Agency /AP, by JOE McDONALD -Dec 21, 2005: -- The leading oil companies of China and India have agreed to jointly acquire a Canadian firm's petroleum interests in Syria in their first collaborative venture... China National Petroleum Corp. and India's Oil and Natural Gas Corp. - both state-owned - have agreed to pay $484 million for the Syrian assets of Petro-Canada, citing unidentified CNPC employees and the Canadian firm...

TRUCKING's WORLD NEWS - Digest -

* KAMAZ announced 2006 business plan.
Russia - AKM News -21 Dec 2005: -- The Board of Directors of OAO KAMAZ has approved business plan for 2006 in accordance to which KAMAZ is to realize 34,000 trucks vs. 32.2 thousand this year... It is planned to sell 25.5 thousand vehicles on the domestic market and to export 8.5 thousand vehicles... The realization of diversification produce will increase to 5.6 billion rubles.The profit from selling of goods and services of the Company will total 48.4 billion rubles by the end of 2006...

* Russian Trucks Are Ready for Victory
Kremlin,Russia -Kommersant, by Evgeny Denisov -Dec. 20, 2005: Yesterday, on Vasilievsky Spusk, there was a ceremony of best wishes for Russian rally team “KamAZ- Master”... In January the team will participate in the legendary African rally Lisbon – Dakar... They wished the best luck to KamAZ team for already the fourth time. This has become a custom already, because three previous rallies were won by a Russian team from Naberezhnye Chelny (place where they build KamAZ super duty trucks)...

* VOLVO Trucks sales decline slightly
Greensboro,NC,USA -Triad Business Journal -19 Dec 2005: While November truck deliveries were slightly behind last year, Volvo Trucks North America Inc. continues to see a year-to-date increase... The heavy duty truck manufacturer delivered 2,918 trucks to dealers and customers in November, down 1.5 percent from the 2,963 delivered in November 2004...

* 62 Con-Way Drivers Honored By State Trucking AssociationsTuesday
ANN ARBOR, Mich.,USA -PRNewswire -Dec 20,2005: Con-Way Transportation Services, Inc., announced that 62 of its less-than- truckload driver sales representatives received driver of the month and driver of the year honors from four state trucking associations... "Sixty-two Con-Way drivers being honored in only four states for their safety records and professionalism is unprecedented. They are not only a credit to Con-Way but to the entire trucking industry," said David S. McClimon, president of Con-Way...

* ULSD Use May Spawn More Retrofit Programs
WASHINGTON,DF,USA -TTNews -20 Dec 2005: As ultra-low-sulfur diesel becomes available to meet federal engine emission standards scheduled to take effect in 2007, state and local governments will have an opportunity to run more retrofit programs to clean exhaust emissions of older trucks and buses, air quality officials said...

* Diesel Climbs for Second Week, Rising 2.6 Cents to $2.462
WASHINGTON,DF,USA -TTNews -20 Dec 2005: The average retail prices of diesel and gasoline each rose for a second straight week by 2.6 cents, with diesel climbing to $2.462 and gasoline to $2.211 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported...

* Vitran Agrees in Principle to Buy Western LTL Carrier
Toronto,ONT,Canada -TTNews -20 DEc 2005: Transportation and logistics firm Vitran Corp. said Monday that agreed it had agreed in principle to acquire the assets of Sierra West Express, a regional less-than-truckload carrier based in Nevada...

* Caterpillar's Truck Engine Sales Decline in November
USA -Caterpillar Web Report/TTNews -20 DEc 2005: Caterpillar Inc.’s engine sales growth slowed to the lowest level this year in November, led by a decline in truck and bus engines, according to figures posted on the company’s Web site...

* Take a Number at the Alabama DMV
USA -TTNews -21 Dec 2005: Alabama drivers might want to take some of their work with them to help ease the wait time at county drivers' license offices. A new software package that checks for outstanding warrants and felony convictions, as part of issuing a renewal or approving a license transfer, is resulting in the entire process taking longer. ATA Safety & Loss Prevention Management Council members can read more in the S&LPMC January Safety Bulletin to be published online in early January at www.truckline.com/aboutata/councils/slpmc.

* New York’s Transit Strike Stretches Into Second Day
NY,USA -TTNews -21 Dec 2005: New York City’s transit strike stretched to a second day, with commuters walking and carpooling as best they could, retailers hurting at the busiest shopping time of the year and delivery drivers struggling to make their rounds, news services reported... With contract talks stalled, a judge fined the Transport Workers Union $1 million for each day of the strike, and lawyers were due back in court Wednesday, the Associated Press reported...

Technologies - Belgium - Tough 3-D Panel Process Combines

Lokeren, Belgium -High Performance Composites(USA), by Sara Black -20 Dec 2005: -- When composite freight trailer manufacturer Composittrailer (Lokeren, Belgium) tried to locate a supplier of strong, impact-resistant structural sidewall and floor panels for its heavy-duty, over-the-road bulk-hauling trailers, it found no manufacturer that could meet its performance specifications... The company, a spinoff of truck manufacturer Group Stevens N.V., decided to design and build its own panels.... Using finite element analysis (FEA), panels were designed to withstand Composittrailer's specified load of 1,200N/270 lb-force applied at the center of a sidewall, without deflecting more than 4 mm/0.16 inch... The result was a sandwich panel with inner and outer laminate skins separated by a structural foam core...

Markets - USA - Japan's Carmakers Find China's Fast Lane

Japanese auto makers are making an extraordinary surge into China's hyperkinetic car market

USA - Business Week, by Brian Bremner -21 Dec 2005: -- Bitter memories of wartime atrocities still work against Honda, Toyota, and the like, but not enough to save VW's market dominanceIt's no secret that China's auto market is the most dynamic in the world and destined to overtake Japan as the world's second-biggest later in the decade, behind the U.S.... How could they overcome the deep historical animosity felt by the millions of Chinese who remember the Japanese occupation and wartime atrocities of the last century? ... Yet late-comer , Japan's six major carmakers operating on the mainland -- Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Suzuki -- grabbed 26.6% share of the Chinese market in the January-October period, according to the China Association of Automobile manufacturers. That's a larger share than the U.S. or European rivals have in China, and is slightly less than the combined domestic market share of China's entire domestic auto industry...

Predictions - USA - Toyota's Onslaught

You think things are tough now for the Big Three?
USA -Forbes, by Jerry Flint -21 Dec 2005: -- This is the year of Hurricane Katrina; in the car business 2006 will be the year of Hurricane Toyota. Expect a storm of vehicles with potential to do incredible damage, and not just to General Motors and Ford. Honda and Nissan could be hurt, and the smaller Japanese companies--Subaru, Mazda, Isuzu, Suzuki, Mitsubishi--are particularly vulnerable because they don't have the marketing power to fight back. Even the Germans could be hurt. The new vehicles I'm talking about are coming out in the next 12 months, but we'll see their effect in 2007. Indeed, by the end of 2007 Toyota could pass DaimlerChrysler and even be challenging Ford as the second-largest seller of cars in the U.S... I figure Toyota has the potential for adding 2.5 to 3 percentage points of market share, pushing the company past 16%. By then Toyota also could be the number one car builder in the world, but I think what happens in the American market is more important. It's still where our jobs are, and it's where the profits are...

AUTOS WORLD NEWS

* GM falls to 23-year low after Kerkorian trims stake
SAN FRANCISCO,CAL,USA -MarketWatch, by Shawn Langlois -21 Dec 2005: General Motors shares extended the prior session's losses, falling 1.6% to $19.53 Wednesday after touching a 23-year low of $19.30 earlier. After the market close on Tuesday, Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda Corp. disclosed in an SEC filing that it reduced its stake in the automaker to 7.8% from 9.9% by selling 12 million shares over the past few days...

* DaimlerChrysler won't give more money for job cuts
FRANKFURT,Germany -Reuters -20 Dec 2005: DaimlerChrysler's designated CEO Dieter Zetsche intends to eliminate around 8,000 more German jobs without adding more money to the 950 million euros ($1.14 billion) set aside to finance 8,500 cuts at Mercedes...

* Mercedes-Benz tops 2005 German car recalls
STUTTGART,Germany -Reuters/Auto Motor und Sport -20 Dec 2005: DaimlerChrysler's premium Mercedes-Benz brand recalled the most cars in Germany this year as it stepped up a campaign to address nagging quality issues...

* Skoda to pay Volkswagen special dividend
PRAGUE,Czech. -Reuters-20 Dec 2005: Czech carmaker Skoda Auto has agreed to pay an extraordinary dividend of 2.916 billion crowns ($121 million) from retained earnings to its sole owner, Volkwagen...

* GM Recalling Vans
USA - The Car Connection -21 Dec 2005: General Motors is recalling about 425,000 vans from the 2003 to 2006 model years for a problem with seatbelt buckles. The company's Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans are involved in the recall announced Tuesday. In the affected models, seatbelt buckles may not latch or unlatch properly. GM says no injuries have been linked to the problem, which will be repaired under warranty...

* Ford completes $15B sale of Hertz
NEW YORK,NY,USA -MarketWatch, by Thomas Middleton -21 Dec 2005: Clayton Dubilier & Rice Inc., Carlyle Group and Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity said Wednesday they completed the acquisition of Hertz Corp. for $15 billion. Hertz, formerly a subsidiary of Ford Motor Co., is the largest vehicle rental company in the world...

* Hyundai to add 600 jobs in state
Detroit,MIch,USA -The Detroit News, by Christine Tierney -21 Dec 2005: South Korea's fast-growing automaker Hyundai Motor Co. will invest $94 million to expand its new technical center near Ann Arbor, adding 600 jobs and bolstering southeast Michigan's effort to become North America's automotive high-tech powerhouse... Like other Asian automakers, South Korean company aims to tap engineering talent...

* Largest Chinese auto supplier aims to take over Delphi
BEIJING,China -Xinhuanet -21 Dec 2005: The largest Chinese auto supplier,Wanxiang Group, aims to take over the partial business of the U.S.-based auto supplier Delphi Corporation, which filed for bankruptcy two months ago, said the China Securities Journal on Wednesday... But the Wanxiang Group said it is still unclear whether it will succeed in the purchase, said the journal...

* Gasoline efficiency readout helpful
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Anita Lienert -Dec 21, 2005: Device on Tahoe lets driver know how many cylinders the vehicle uses... It's a new digital readout that tells you when the SUV's 5.3-liter V-8 engine is running on a fuel-saving four cylinders or is being powered by all eight cylinders... The technology, initially called "displacement on demand," but recently renamed "active fuel management" by General Motors, is offered on nine of the company's vehicles, including the Saab 9-7X and the Buick Rainier...

Paper - USA - State Illegally Licenses Nonresident Commercial Drivers

SALT LAKE CITY,UTH,USA -5 KSL tv/AP/Deseret Morning News -20 Dec 2025: -- Contrary to state and federal law, the state continues to provide commercial drivers' licenses to nonresidents, a Salt Lake newspaper reported... One of every 12 of the 1,895 people who obtained a Utah commercial license this year listed his or her home address on applications as that of the West Valley City headquarters of C.R. England, one of the nation's largest trucking firms... On Nov. 15, the state attorney's office issued its opinion that issuing the commercial licenses to out-of-state students violates state and federal law...

Sales - USA - November Class 8 Truck Jump 16.6%

Manufacturers Say Production Levels Remain Strong
USA -TTNews -20 Dec 2005: -- U.S. sales of Class 8 trucks jumped 16.6% in November as truck buyers took delivery in a market where freight rates remained strong and truck production showed no signs of letting up, manufacturers said... While most truck makers said purchases were prompted by the continued strength of the economy, at least one analyst said pre-buying before new federal environmental regulations raise the prices of 2007 models was a factor in the current sales strength...

Speed Limits - USA - Raising on Kentucky Interstates

Kentucky , USA -WPSD tv News Channel 6, by Brooks Ware -Dec 19, 2005: -- You may soon be able to drive faster on Kentucky interstates. Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert says he supports raising the speed limit to 70 miles per hour, in exchange for a primary seatbelt law. That's where police can pull you over solely for not buckling up... Here is a look at how Kentucky compares to other states in the region. In Illinois, trucks can drive 55, while the speed limit for other traffic is 65. In Missouri and Tennessee, the speed limit is 70 miles per hour for all vehicles...

Alternatives - USA - Developing Transportation Sector

USA -Green Car Congress/jcwinnie.biz -Dec 19, 2005: -- The headline of the GCC post was discouraging — a 33% increase between 2004 and 2005 in spending on fuel by the US Trucking Industry, which certainly gets passed along to the consumer... The story from reported that further increases are expected, in the cost of fuel and in the cost of more expensive ULSD fuel that must be used beginning in 2006. The “real” price of diesel is back up to its level during the energy crisis in the early 80s... (Photo: LNG Fuel Tank on Tractor Trailer in San Francisco=)

Scholarship Program - USA - Mercedes-Benz USA Announces 2006 "DRIVE YOUR FUTURE"

MONTVALE, N.J.,USA -PRNewswire/Automotive News -Dec. 20, 2005: -- Mercedes-Benz USA announced today that it will make $1.5 million in scholarship funding available to students who are the first generation in their families to attend college.... "DRIVE YOUR FUTURE": The Mercedes-Benz USA Scholarship Program, now in its third year, will grant $10,000 scholarships ($2,500 per year for four years) to 100 high school seniors across the country who demonstrate financial need and exceptional achievement in the areas of academic performance, leadership and school and community activities...

Report - USA - Ford Issues Climate Change

DEARBORN, Mich.,USA -The Auto Channel -Dec. 20, 2005: -- In an industry first, Ford Motor Company has issued a report addressing the business implications of climate change, carbon dioxide emissions and global energy concerns... "I am proud to say that Ford Motor Company is one of the first companies to have open discussions about climate change," said Bill Ford, chairman and CEO... With the report's release, Ford hopes to contribute to the larger public dialogue on the decisions, tradeoffs and actions required to address climate change concerns... The Climate Change Report will be available for the public to review by midday today at www.ford.com/go/sustainability.

Invention - USA - Energy That Draws Power from the Environment

Developed for 'Free' and Unlimited Source
CANTON, Mass., USA -PRNewswire/Automotive -Dec. 20, 2005: -- An alternative electric power generating system that draws energy from a seemingly unlikely yet abundant, eminently renewable and virtually free power source has been submitted for patenting by MagCap Engineering, LLC, Canton, Mass., in collaboration with Gordon W. Wadle, an inventor from Thomson, Ill... Wadle has invented a way to capture the energy generated by a living non- animal organism -- such as a tree. Chris Lagadinos, president of MagCap, developed circuitry that converts this natural energy source into useable DC power capable of sustaining a continuous current to charge and maintain a battery at full charge... Basically, the existing system includes a metal rod embedded in the tree, a grounding rod driven into the ground, and the connecting circuitry, which filters and boosts the power output sufficient to charge a battery. In its current experimental configuration, the demonstration system produces 2.1 volts, enough to continuously maintain a full charge in a nickel cadmium battery attached to an LED light...

AUTOS WORLD NEWS

* Battle lines drawn at VW as investors vie for control

Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Christine Tierney -Dec 20, 2005:

On this side of the Atlantic, the directors of some large and ailing automakers are coming under fire for their passivity, but across the pond, the leading players at Germany's Volkswagen AG are donning battle gear... The conflict ahead will not only determine Volkswagen's survival as a major global automaker but also has profound implications for corporate governance in Germany...

* Toyota could overtake GM as top automaker in 2006

NAGOYA, Japan - AP, by YURI KAGEYAMA -Dec 20, 2005: Toyota Motor Corp., which is threatening to overtake General Motors Corp. as the world's biggest automaker, is planning to produce 9.06 million vehicles in 2006, the Japanese automaker said Tuesday... Although GM does not give full year production targets, that will put it neck and neck against the U.S. rival and possibly allow Toyota to take the lead...

* Delphi kills offer that riled the UAW
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Brett Clanton -20 Dec 2005: Delphi, with GM's help, will craft a new wage and benefit proposal for the UAW... The UAW must approve the deal... Under Delphi's latest bankruptcy schedule, the union has until Feb 17 to accept any pay and benefit concessions... Bankrupt auto supplier Delphi Corp. on Monday withdrew a contentious proposal to slash the wages of its 33,000 U.S. hourly workers, expressing hope it will reach a "consensual agreement" with its labor unions and former parent General Motors Corp. about how to restructure the company...

* Despite dropping market share, Big Three show slight improvement after a dismal November.
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Josee Valcourt -Dec 20, 2005: According to a survey by the Power Information Network, an affiliate of J.D. Power and Associates, Detroit automakers continued to lose retail market share to foreign rivals in early December but showed modest signs of improvement compared with their dismal performance in November...

* GM, UAW health deal is close to approval
DETROIT,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by David Shepardson -Dec 20, 2005: A federal judge is expected to grant preliminary approval Thursday to a landmark deal struck by General Motors Corp. and the United Auto Workers union to reduce the company's health care costs by $1 billion a year...

* Fitch downgrades Ford debt to junk status
Detroit,Mich,USA -Associated Press -Dec 20, 2005: Fitch Ratings cut Ford Motor Co.'s debt to junk status Monday because of U.S. market share losses and concerns about the company's reliance on slow-selling sport-utility vehicles...

* Hybrid cars race ahead in 2005

NEW YORK,NY,USA -Channel NewsAsia/AFP -20 Dec 2005: Helped by sky-high fuel prices and celebrity endorsement, US sales of hybrid cars more than doubled in 2005, but Japanese rather than home-grown auto makers are cashing in on the boom... Sales of hybrids and clean diesel autos are on course to take 11 percent of total US sales by 2012, from 4.8 percent this year, according to JD Power-LMC Automotive Forecasting Services...

* Ford to Build New Flexible Fuel Engine Plant
Manila, Philippines -The Auto Channel -Dec 20, 2005: Ford Motor Company announced company plans to invest P1.1 billion (US$20 million) to build a Flexible Fuel engine plant in the Philippines... Ford's Flexible Fuel engines are designed to operate on either conventional gasoline or a combination of gasoline and bio-ethanol fuels. The investment translates to production of 100,000 engines over the next five years valued at about US$100 million. Start-up activities will be undertaken in the first quarter next year, with full production to begin before the end of 2006...

Fines - USA - Cargo Security Task Force At MIA Nets $17,500 In

Several Arrested, Fined For Driving Violations
Miami,FL,USA -Click10 -Dec 19, 2005: -- A two-day multi-agency law enforcement operation conducted by the cargo security task force at Miami International Airport culminated Thursday with the inspection of more than 350 cargo trucks and four commercial airline warehouses that led to numerous arrests, violations and fines, the Department of Homeland Security announced Monday...

Opposing - Canada - Can-Am owner-ops join forces against speed limiters

TORONTO, Canada -Today's Trucking News -19 Dec 2005: -- With the Ontario's Ministry of Transportation now actively soliciting input on the Ontario Trucking Association's suggestion that all trucks operating in that province be limited to 105 km/h (65 mph), owner-operator groups on both sides of the border are joining forces in opposing the proposal... U.S.-based Owner Operator and Independent Drivers Association -- which represents about 130,000 truckers -- and Owner-Operators Business Association of Canada have announced they will speak with a single voice in opposition to the move...

Safety - USA - Eaton wins $6.7-million truck contract

KALAMAZOO, Mich.,USA -Today's Trucking News -19 Dec 2005: -- Eaton Corp., makers of the VORAD Collision Warning Systems, was recently awarded a $6.7 million contract by the U.S. Department of Transportation as part of a $31.6 million program to develop technologies to help drivers avoid crashes... The Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems (IVBSS) Program Field Operational Test is a four-year program that will, for the first time, bring together five automotive and commercial vehicle suppliers, including Eaton Corp., to develop and test a new integrated crash warning system for passenger cars and commercial heavy-duty trucks...

Illegality - Japan - Trucks' fuel tanks changed to pass checks

Osaka,Japan -The Yomiuri Shimbun -19 Dec 2005: -- A subsidiary of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corp. illegally increased the load capacity of more than 2,000 trucks over the three years to 2004 by installing smaller fuel tanks before vehicle inspections to make the vehicles lighter, construction ministry sources said Monday... The wholly-owned subsidiary, Pabco Co. in Ebina, Kanagawa Prefecture, changed the tanks back to larger ones after the trucks had been registered... The ministry also will file a criminal complaint against the company on suspicion it violated the Road Trucking Vehicle Law by cheating to pass vehicle inspections...

Investments - India - Tata trucks drive into Pak

Mumbai,India -Business Standard -Dec 20, 2005: -- Tata Daewoo Commercial Vehicle Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Motors, will export vehicles to Pakistan... The company has signed a technical assistance agreement with Pakistan-based Afzal Motors for this purpose... The broad contours of the agreement suggest that Afzal Motors will import completely knocked down (CKD) vehicles from the Tata firm and assemble them in Pakistan...

New Product - USA - Sterling LCF line awaits unveiling

USA - Fleet Owner -Dec 19, 2005: -- Sterling Truck Corp. is planning to introduce a line of low cab-over-engine (LCF) trucks next year at the National Truck Equipment Assoc. (NTEA) annual convention in Atlanta, GA... The truck was developed with Mitsubishi Fuso, an OEM that, like Sterling, is a DaimlerChrysler AG operation...

Infraestructures - S. Korea - After 60 years, Asian superhighway getting ready to roll

PUSAN, South Korea -The Asahi Shimbun (Japan), by HAJIMU TAKEDA -17 Dec 2005: -- People waiting at a bus stop in this South Korean port city were surprised to see a silver-colored Japanese truck rolling down the street one recent morning... But what today is regarded as an oddity may become an everyday sight all around Asia if a long-awaited superhighway linking major regions across the continent goes ahead... The entry of Japanese trucks into South Korea could be a model for the planned "Asian Highway" project that would connect all of the Asian regions with highways... The Asian Highway project consists of 55 routes with a total length of 140,000 kilometers... The 20,000-kilometer Route No. 1 will connect Tokyo with Istanbul, passing through Beijing, Hanoi and New Delhi...

Optimism - USA - Despite facing new rules, trucking industry prospers

The successes of this past year can be seen in fleet investments for the future

Anchorage,AK,USA -Alaska Journal of Commerce, by Rob Stapleton -Dec 18, 2005: -- A busy year for the construction industry has also meant a surge in business for Alaska's trucking industry. At the same time the industry is enjoying more business, it is also facing ever-changing regulations... "Due to construction this past summer, the trucking industry recorded records for tonnage and value despite the record-high diesel prices," said Michael Bell, director of the Alaska Trucking Association... and explained that those companies that built a fuel surcharge into their pricing structure will finish the year in good shape. Those who didn't will face even bigger challenges next year when prices rise again.

Increase - Georgia - Volumes Of Trucking Industry Will By 21 Millions Tones

Tbilisi,Georgia -Prime News Agency -Dec 17, 2005: -- Volumes of trucking industry over the railway will increase by 21 millions tones the next year... The project foresees increase of business-locomotives’ security, attraction of additional trucking industry... Irakli Ezukbaia, general director of the Georgian Railway Ltd., noted that secure movement of trains would promote increase of transportation volumes...

Purchases - UK - Sandwell MBC show ‘true grit’ with their first Volvo Trucks

Chester,UK -Easier -17 Dec 2005: -- Hartshorne Motor Services have supplied the Highways Department of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands with seven new Volvo trucks, five FLE 4x2 rigids and two FLE 6x4 rigids for use across a wide range of applications...

Safety - USA - Highways getting safer for trucks

And ... Nobody died !!

Oakland,CA,USA -Inside Bay Area, by Sean Holstege -17 Dec 2005: -- A national trend will be reported in data to be released by the federal government next week. It will show that 2004 was the safest year on record, measured by the number of fatal truck crashes and the volume of traffic... The rate was 1.96 fatal crashes involving trucks for every 100 million miles driven by U.S. motorists on the nation's highway system. The deadly crash rate is half what itwas until the mid-1980s, and down 2.5 percent from 2003... That doesn't mean truckers are blameless. When the CHP finds them at fault, three times in eight, the trucker was speeding, according to state crash data...

Petroleum - USA - Alaska's crude oil output hits new low, raises fiscal concerns

Decline exceeds energy politics for state residents who get a hefty dividend from the oil tax revenues

NEW YORK,NY,USA -Associated Press, by Tarek El-Tablawy -Dec 18, 2005: -- Alaskan North Slope crude oil production, once heralded as a domestic mother lode, has hit a new output low -- embodying the precarious balance confronting the United States as it struggles for energy security in an era of volatility in the international oil market... The decline in Alaska is led by a slump in output from the once-mammoth Prudhoe Bay field, which has been producing since 1969... At its height in fiscal 1988, the field produced an average of 1.6 million barrels per day; but in fiscal 2005, it was down to 381,000 barrels per day...

Technology - USA - EPA turns innovator with hydraulic hybrids

Government helping industry - Carmakers would get edge in mpg race

ANN ARBOR,Mich,USA -The Detroit News/Washington, by Jeff Plungis -18 Dec 2005: -- Deep inside a nondescript warehouse-like building on the edge of town, researchers at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are working on a plan to improve the prospects of the American auto industry... EPA officials say a technology patented by the agency and dubbed the hydraulic hybrid system could give U.S. manufacturers an edge with increasingly fuel-conscious car consumers...

Troubles - Europe - Board rifts threaten VW's profits

Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Neil Winton -Dec 19, 2005: -- It's not just General Motors, Ford and Delphi that are sailing through troubled waters. Volkswagen, Europe"s biggest car manufacturer, is also being buffeted on many fronts... VW always had to hurdle obstacles of almost Byzantine confusion because of the German system of corporate governance... Now its finances will be coming under pressure as profits in Europe crumble next year, losses mount in the U.S. and China, and its Latin American operation is crippled by an unexpected exchange rate problem...

AUTOS WORLD NEWS

* In G.M.'s Sight Lines: Washington and Tokyo
New York,NY;USA -NYTimes, by WILLIAM J. HOLSTEIN -Dec 18, 2005: RICK WAGONER, the chairman and chief executive of General Motors, has announced plans to cut 30,000 jobs and to close several factories in an effort to stem the company's losses. He says GM is working hard on a turnaround but that some government policy changes would be helpful...

* GM to see improved revenue in 2006
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich,USA -Reuters, by By Jui Chakravorty/USA TODAY -16 Dec 2005: General Motors hould see improved revenue in 2006, driven by its new line of full-size sport-utility vehicles and trucks, Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said Thursday...

* Car buyers bypass television adverts
Australia -The Australian, by Simon Canning-Dec 19, 2005: CAR makers may be wasting millions of dollars plunging the bulk of their advertising budgets into television, with a new survey claiming magazines, newspapers and the internet are more valued by car buyers for the information they deliver... The survey by AC Nielsen for Time Inc tracked key influences on car buyers for the six months in the lead-up to a car purchase...

* Give us the tech and Hyundai gets the land: Chinese
S.Korea -JoongAng Daily -Dec 20, 2005: Hyundai Motor Co., Korea's largest automaker, and its Chinese partner Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. are in a stalemate over the transfer of Hyundai's manufacturing technology, putting on hold the construction of the Korean company's second production plant in Beijing... The chinese state-run company BAIHC has asked it to transfer engine manufacturing technology in return for the land for a second manufacturing plant for the two companies' joint venture, Beijing Hyundai Motor Co...

* China to cut tariffs on cars
Beijing, China -Chinanews -16 Dec 2005: As 2006 approaches, China's tariff adjustment has drawn great attention recently. Jin Renqing, director of the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council and the Minister of Finance, revealed that tariffs on imported autos such as sedans, minibuses and cross-country vehicles will be reduced from the current 30% to 28%. Tariffs on auto parts including gear-boxes, absorbers, radiators, clutches and redirectors will be cut from the prevailing 13% to 10%...

* Electronic components maker sets out stall in China
JAPAN -Just-Auto.com -19 Dec 2005: Japanese supplier Omron has opened a new automotive electronic components production and sales base in China... Omron Automotive Electronics will emply 80 in Guangzhou making window controllers from January 2006... Sales projections for the first year are CNY100m (US$12m), rising to CNY5bn yen in 2007 and CNY15bn for FY 2010...

* Honda Motor to mass produce next-generation solar cells
TOKYO,Japan -Nihon Keizai Shimbun -19 Dec 2005: Honda Motor said it will begin mass producing next-generation solar panels for household use from 2007... The Japanese giant declined to disclose the amount of new investment but the daily newspaper said the auto and motorcycle maker would spend some 86.5 million dollars on its factory in Kumamoto prefecture in southern Japan...

* BMW Turbosteamer Takes a Page from the Age of Steam
MUNICH,Germany -Global Auto Systems -Dec 16, 2005: BMW’s experimental Turbosteamer is harnessing heat to improve fuel efficiency and power in cars... A steam engine and modern automotive R&D would not seem to have much to do with each other. But BMW is using the same principle that worked for the 19th-century steam engine to improve efficiency in 21st-century cars... that technology ready for volume production within 10 years...

* Blue-collar workers turn backs on UAW
MARYSVILLE,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Louis Aguilar -19 Dec 2005: For more than a month, workers at a small auto supply plant outside Port Huron have fought bitterly to keep the United Auto Workers from organizing their shop... The blue-collar denizens at Schefenacker Vision Systems USA occasionally picket outside the factory -- carrying homemade signs with slogans like "UAW Kills Jobs" and "Proud to be union free"...

* Ford details severance deals
DEARBORN,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Bryce G. Hoffman -Dec 18, 2005: Ford Motor Co. disclosed newly revised severance packages for salaried employees Friday as the company prepares to lay off some 4,000 white-collar workers as part of a restructuring plan to be announced next month... Salaried workers who lose jobs will get lump sum depending on length of tenure, if they sign a waiver...

* Chinese firm eyes Delphi assets
USA -Automotive News -19 Dec 2005 : Supplier intends to become major player with American-made productsDelphi's pain could be China's gain. Lu Guanqiu, the ambitious chairman of Wanxiang Group, says he is negotiating with Delphi Corp. to acquire some of the financially troubled company's assets in the United States...

More Changes - USA - Detroit Needs More Than Healthcare Cuts?

"Domestic carmakers still have a long way to go to catch their top Japanese competitors"
USA - The Car Connection - 19 Dec 2005: -- Laurie Harbour-Felax, a consultant and analyst who studies the domestic industry extensively, said that domestic carmakers still have a long way to go to catch their top Japanese competitors... During the first part of the 2005, Nissan made $1,826 per vehicle sold while GM lost $1,227, a gap of $3,300. Even the profitable Chrysler Group made only a fraction of Nissan's per-vehicle profit, at $186 per vehicle, said who was a principal in Harbour & Associates... American companies score much better in initial quality surveys but the longer-term quality that shapes public perception of a vehicle and a company still seems to lag behind. Domestic carmakers spend between $200 to $300 more per vehicle on recalls and that has to be eliminated...

Danger - USA - Talking and Driving On the Rise

USA - The Car Connection -19 Dec 2005: -- More of you are talking your way across America's roads. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the number of drivers talking on cell phones at any given moment now stands at ten percent, up from eight percent in 2004... Six percent of those drivers were holding the phone to their ears, up one percent, ostensibly leaving the rest in hands-free mode... The NHTSA reports that women and young drivers are more likely to be talking on the phone while driving than other age and gender groups... Three states (Conn., N.Y., and N.J.) forbid cell phone use while driving, as does the District of Columbia...

Illegality - USA - Seven Arrested In Ongoing Probe Of Driver Licenses

Hartford, CT, USA -Hartford Courant, by DAVE ALTIMARI, & MATT KAUFFMAN -Dec 17, 2005: -- Seven people, including two state Department of Motor Vehicles employees, have been charged with illegally creating and selling thousands of Connecticut driver's licenses that have shown up across the country... The arrests are part of what is now a year-long investigation by a special task force formed to look into the illegal license scandal in the DMV offices in Bridgeport. The task force is investigating 1,584 suspect licenses, with 600 completely investigated and about 1,000 to go...

Fuel Alternatives - USA - Tenn. cities chosen to test cleaner fuel

JOHNSON CITY,Tenn-USA -NEWS CHANNEL 11, by ELISSA BURNELL -Dec 17,2005: -- Local road-maintenance fleets have begun testing a more environmentally friendly fuel source... Johnson City and Knoxville were chosen to participate in a state pilot program to test B20 – a bio-diesel made with 20 percent soybean oil and 80 percent diesel fuel – on maintenance vehicles... The program will test more than 130 road vehicles, dump trucks, snowplows and other maintenance vehicles, about 30 of them in Johnson City...

Sales - USA - Olathe firm to supply de-icing trucks to China

Olathe,MO,USA -Kansas City Star -Dec. 16, 2005: -- Olathe-based Global Ground Support LLC today said it has been awarded a $4.2 million contract to supply 18 mobile de-icing trucks for airports in China... The China Administration of Civil Aviation is purchasing three mobile de-icing trucks for each Chinese airport operation. Global has been selling mobile de-icing trucks in China since 1993 and has secured more than 80 percent of the market share with this contract award, according to a release from the Kansas Department of Commerce...

Sales - Sweden - Scania Gets Order In New Zealand For 200 Trucks

STOCKHOLM,Sweden -Dow Jones, Preess Release -Dec 16, 2005: -- Truck maker Scania AB said Friday its distributor in New Zealand, has received an order for 200 trucks from Fonterra, a New Zealand dairy company. The deal also includes a rolling repair and maintenance contract... The trucks will be powered by Scania 420-hp Euro 3 engines and equipped with the automatic gearchanging system Scania Opticruise...

Technology - USA - Electronic monitoring traces tractor-trailers

System is part of Mexican customs clearing point plan
Laredo, Texas -The Kansas City Star, by RICK ALM -Dec. 16, 2005: -- Hundreds of tractor-trailers loaded cargo in on Thursday morning and hit the road for destinations across North America... One of them was wired by Kansas City-based BV Solutions Group Inc. for high-tech monitoring all the way to the Mexican border at Laredo, Texas... The monitoring is designed to instantly alert authorities to truck break-ins, cargo tampering or route deviations, and represents a 21st century defense against thieves, smugglers and terrorists... The system is a component of a proposed Mexican customs clearing facility scheduled to open in May in Kansas City’s West Bottoms industrial district. Cargo that can pass customs there could reduce or avoid substantial delays at the U.S.-Mexico border...

Delay - China - Trucks outside Beijing endure days-long traffic jam amid crackdown

BEIJING,China -China Daily /Mainichi Daily News (Japan) -Dec 16, 2005: -- A safety crackdown on cargo trucks has triggered a four-day, 20-kilometer-long traffic jam outside Beijing... "It's hard to tell how many more days it will last," Sun Li, a traffic officer in Huailai, north of Beijing in Hebei province, said Friday... The traffic problems started Monday, when city officials banned trucks from using the Badaling Expressway north of Beijing after a heavily laden truck and a bus collided, killing at least 24 people, said... The ban has forced trucks to clog National Highway 101 instead, creating jams made worse by stepped-up weight checks in a bid to stop rampant overloading...

Safety - USA - Seat belt use climbs in 34 states

Michigan's rate grows to 92.9 percent in 2005, among highest in nation
WASHINGTON,DF,USA -Associated Press, by Ken Thomas -Dec 17, 2005: -- Motorists in Hawaii, Washington state and Nevada had the nation's highest rates of clicking their seat belts in 2005, a record year for seat belt use nationwide... Thirty-four states increased their seat belt use this year, the government said Friday. The federal traffic safety agency had said in September that seat belt use overall was a record 82 percent in 2005... Hawaii led the nation with 95.3 percent. Puerto Rico and seven other states -- Arizona, California, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington state -- scored rates of 90 percent or better... Mississippi had the lowest rate in the nation with slightly better than 60 percent. It was followed by Massachusetts (64.8 percent), Kentucky (66.7 percent), Arkansas (68.3 percent), South Dakota (68.8 percent) and Kansas (69 percent)...

AUTOS WORLD NEWS

* Ford, plaintiffs finalize manifold suit settlement
DETROIT,Mich,USA -AP, by Dee-Ann Durbin -Dec 17, 2005: Ford Motor Co. has finalized a settlement that requires the automaker to pay at least $735 each to sedan owners who had to replace an intake manifold, attorneys for the plaintiffs said Friday... An intake manifold is a pipe that supplies a mixture of fuel and air to the engine's cylinders... Plaintiffs claimed the intake manifolds are prone to premature cracking, which could lead to coolant leakage and expensive damage to the engine...

* Geely will be first Chinese automaker at Detroit show, displaying a sedan in lobby during media preview days
DETROIT,Mich,USA -AP, by Dee-Ann Durbin -Dec 17, 2005: The Motor City will see some proof of the Chinese auto industry's growing ambitions next month when Geely Automobile Co. Ltd. becomes the first Chinese automaker to have a display at the Detroit auto show... The mid-size sedan might have the less-than-inspiring name of 7151 CK, but it's likely to generate some appeal with its price tag of around $10,000, barely half what comparable Japanese, American, and Big Three models go for, and well under even the South Korean competition. Geely intends to start selling both the sedan and a two-seat sports car in Puerto Rico in 2008...

* Women push for comfort in cars. GM's group seeks better purse holders, updated vanity mirrors and others
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Anita Lienert -Dec 14, 2005: It seems that whenever women get together to talk about cars, the never-ending question comes up: Why hasn't anyone created the perfect purse holder?... The subject was raised at the December meeting of the General Motors Corp. women's affinity group in Pontiac...

* Toyota's car sales in Japan expected to decline in 2005 for first time in three years
Tokyo,Japan -Nihon Keizai Shimbun/Mainichi -Dec 17, 2005: Toyota Motor Corp.'s car sales in Japan are likely to fall by 20,000 vehicles in 2005 to 1.74 million -- the company's first decline in domestic sales in three years -- as competition rises from lower-priced cars... Japan's largest automaker, which holds about 40 percent of the Japanese auto market, had initially projected domestic sales of 1.8 million cars in 2005...

* Ford Introduces Flexible-Fuel F-150 Trucks
USA - canadiandriver.com -16 Dec 2005: Ford has begun production of its first F-150 flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) that will run on gasoline or on ethanol blends up to E85, a mixture of 15 per cent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol... Ford says it is committed to producing 250,000 FFVs in the coming year. This fuel technology will be standard with Ford's 5.4-litre V8 engine and will feature the same torque and horsepower as an ordinary gasoline (petrol) engine...

Youth marketing - USA - Munster kids rev up GM Web site

Students critique company approach, headed to Detroit
NWIndiana,USA -The NWI Times/MUNSTER, by SHARON PORTA -Dec 16, 2005: -- Most U.S. auto manufacturers n General Motors Corp. included n have had a difficult time appealing to and connecting with customers in the youth market... To help build a relationship among those elusive 18 to 24 year olds, GM has solicited the help of students from Munster High School... Nick Stolarz, 18, said that although the web site is built to appeal to youth, it's not effective at marketing GM products... "There is information about concerts and contests but nothing about GM and their cars," Stolarz said. "If their goal is to get their name out there, they aren't doing the job"...

Fuel Cells Works - USA - First Tucson Fuel Cell Vehicle to AC Transit

Hyundai Delivers to Initiate Fleet Testing Program
Emeryville, Cal.,USA -Fuel Cells Works. 16 Dec 2005: -- Hyundai Motor Company delivered the first of 10 Hyundai and Kia Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV) to the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) today... The ceremony took place at AC Transit's Emeryville Bus Division and marked the beginning of a five-year demonstration and validation project designed to evaluate fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen infrastructure technologies...

Deal - China - FAW, Chongqing Heavy Vehicle and Iveco to establish heavy truck joint venture

UK -Nanjing Daily/AWKnowledge -15 Dec, 2005: -- FAW, Chongqing Heavy Vehicle and Iveco will enter into a deal for the purpose of boosting sales of heavy-duty trucks in China... Paolo Monferino, Iveco’s president of Global Operations, recently made the announcement...

Cuts - Germany - MAN truck unit threatens to transfer more jobs abroad than planned

FRANKFURT,Germany -Forbes/AFX/Die Welt -15 Dec 2005: -- MAN AG's commercial vehicles unit MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG has threatened to transfer more production abroad than originally planned if workers do not agree to increase working hours to 40 per-week and cut wages significantly... MAN has already announced it will transfer the assembly of some heavy-duty trucks in Krakow, Poland and about 700 jobs in Germany would have to be cut in the process... If the trade union does not bow down to the demands, management plans to increase the number of job cuts to more than 700, the report said...

Purchasing - Uganda - Cleaning firm to buy sh180m garbage trucks

Kampala,Uganda -New Vision, by Kiganda Ssonko -15 Dec, 2005: -- SAFI Cleaning Services is to procure six garbage trucks worth sh180m to enhance garbage collection in Kampala and other areas, the managing director has said... The six-year old firm offers cleaning services, compound maintenance, fumigation, garbage collection, dry cleaning and laundry services and employs over 450 people...

Production - India - MAN AG Invest in India to begin in 2006

Munich,Germany -Bloomberg, by Chad Thomas -Dec. 15, 2005: -- MAN AG, Europe's third-largest truckmaker, plans to set up a venture to build heavy trucks in India as it's trying to expand beyond Europe... MAN will take a 30 percent stake in the 150 million-euro ($180 million) venture with Force Motors Ltd., an Indian maker of small trucks and three-wheelers, to produce vehicles in India beginning in the fourth quarter of 2006...

Tests - Sweden - Volvo Trucks go-ahead for tests with drunk drivers

Sweden -Nieuwsbank (Netherlands/persbericht) -15 Dec 2005: -- Volvo Trucks has received permission to test new technology using tired drivers and drivers under the influence of alcohol... The application to the government requested special dispensation from the Swedish Road Traffic Act... In a meticulously monitored test programme, Volvo Trucks will allow tired drivers and drunk drivers to try out new technology designed to enhance traffic safety. All the tests will be conducted off the public ...

Security - USA - Combining technologies to revolutionize transport

ID in concert with RFID: The future world of secure shipping will allow owners of cargo to track in real time the exact location of crate, each driver, each truck, and be sure that they are all supposed to be traveling together

Aldie,VA,USA -By Gordon Hannah, Managing Director, Public Sector Security and Identity Management Group, BearingPoint/Contactless News -Dec 14 2005: -- A panel of ID industry experts provided predictions for 2006... Secure personal identification combined with the tracking capabilities of RFID will soon transform secure shipping and cargo transport... Coupling cargo tracked with RFID and the capabilities of a secure biometric credential will mean that all cargo and all personnel are accounted for and linked together in real time... Administrators will know the last authorized handler of each piece of cargo, where the cargo is in real time, detect deviations en route, and be assured that only those people who are authorized can access sensitive freight, tracking people’s actions and cargo location together...

Overloaded - China - Beijing expressway limits vehicles

BEIJING,China -Xinhuanet -Dec. 14, 2005: -- Overloaded vehicles and heavy trucks have been banned from the Badaling Expressway following a tragic accident that killed 24 people on Dec. 5... Beijing traffic authorities have set up 29 checkpoints along the road that leads to a section of the Great Wall, one of the world's most precious historical heritages... Trucks with loads of more than five tons have been forbidden from using the expressway since Dec. 12...

Profits - USA - High demand delivering strong gains for rail, trucking firms

All in all, it's paying to haul
Dallas,TX,USA -The Dallas Morning News, byWILL DEENER -Dec 16, 2005: -- "Railroad and trucking companies are the direct beneficiaries of the continued strong economic demand in the U.S.," said Donald Broughton, transportation analyst at A.G. Edwards Inc. in St. Louis... Investors have taken notice. Burlington Northern shares have soared from $30 in 2004 to a close of $67.22 Thursday...

Truck Stops - USA - New rules would cut braking distance

Salt Lake City,UTH,USA -Salt Lake Tribune, by Lesley Mitchell/Bloomberg, by Rip Watson -16 Dec 2005: -- U.S. truckers, who deliver 80 percent of the nation's freight, would have to buy heavy trucks that reduce stopping distance as much as 30 percent, under proposed federal rules aimed at preventing road deaths... The changes may raise the cost of a truck $1,308, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said, adding that as many as 257 lives a year might be saved, reducing deaths involving trucks 5 percent from last year's total... The revisions would be the first since 1995 and would apply to almost all heavy trucks with air brakes. There are about 2.6 million such trucks, which weigh more than 33,000 pounds, on U.S. roads, according to the American Trucking Associations... The road-death rate for big trucks is 36 percent higher than the total rate, according figures from NHTSA and the group... Current rules allow trucks pulling loaded trailers a stopping distance of as much as 720 feet, based on a speed of 60 miles per hour. The federal proposal would reduce the distance by between 20 percent and 30 percent... The agency said as many as a third of such trucks on the road already can meet the proposed standard because they have technology such as electronic and anti-lock brakes...

Costs - USA - ATA Raises 2004, 2005 Diesel Cost Estimates

USA -TTNews -15 Dec 2005: -- American Trucking Associations Thursday revised upward the trucking industry’s cost for diesel fuel for 2004 and 2005... Despite the recent drop in retail fuel prices, ATA said the trucking industry will spend $87.7 billion on fuel this year — a $2.7 billion increase over the previous estimate of $85 billion it issued in September... The trucking group also reported that motor carriers spent $65.9 billion on diesel fuel last year, which was $3.3 billion more than the $62.6 billion originally calculated...

Fatal-Crash Rate - USA - Large Trucks Falls to Record Low

The rate of fatalities last year in crashes involving large trucks fell to its lowest level since the Department of Transportation began keeping records in 1975

USA -TTNews -15 Dec 2005: -- Newly released vehicle-mileage figures released by DOT’s Federal Highway Administration, which are used to help determine crash rates for all vehicles, show the 2004 rate for large trucks stood at 1.96 fatal crashes per 100 million vehicle-miles-traveled... The rate is the lowest since DOT began tracking large-truck safety records in 1975, and breaks the previous low of 1.97 fatal crashes per 100 million VMT set in 2002... The figures are for trucks of 10,001 pounds or greater — Class 3-8 trucks... The record-low improvement in the fatal crash rate comes despite an increase in the number of vehicles on the road. According to FHWA, there were nearly 6.3 million more registered cars and trucks in 2004 than in 2003...

AUTOS WORLD NEWS

* German regulator probes trades in Porsche shares
FRANKFURT,Germany -Reuters -Dec 16, 2005: German securities watchdog BaFin opened an official investigation into trading of Porsche shares prior to the sports car maker's investment in Volkswagen, the regulator said on Friday. "We're examining conspicuous movements in the share price of Porsche before the company stated it had bought a stake in Volkswagen," a spokeswoman for BaFin said, adding: "It has to do with transactions before the drop in the (Porsche) share price..."

* VW may get 3 billion euros for Europcar, Gedas
FRANKFURT,Germany -Financial Times Deutschland/Reuters -Dec 15, 2005: Volkswagen could get nearly 3 billion euros ($3.6 billion) for the sale of its car rental agency Europcar and IT services unit Gedas... Citing well-informed sources, a German business daily said that Europcar could fetch 2.5 billion euros when the unit is sold in April by the latest, while the more imminent disposal of Gedas should bring in 450 million euros if it is sold to either U.S. firm EDS or Deutsche Telekom unit T-Systems this month...

* DaimlerChrysler looking at more big job cuts, report says
FRANKFURT,Germany -The Stuttgarter Zeitung/Reuters -Dec 15, 2005: DaimlerChrysler AG's supervisory board will discuss big job cuts on Friday, Dec. 16, beyond those already planned, a German newspaper reported... The Stuttgarter Zeitung, citing several sources, said the supervisory board would review a working document drawn up by DaimlerChrysler's management board for thousands of additional job cuts over the 2006-2008 period to cut costs...

* Christian group revives boycott threat against Ford
DETROIT,Mich,USA -Automotive News, by Dale Jewett -Dec 15, 2005: A conservative Christian group said it is considering a boycott of Ford Motor Co. products after the automaker said it would run corporate ads in gay and lesbian publications... The American Family Association, based in Tupelo, Miss., said Thursday that "the option of a boycott is now very much alive"...

* Industry body sees Italy car sales rising in 2006
MILAN,Italy -Reuters -Dec 15, 2005: New car sales in Italy are expected to rise to 2.25 million units in 2006 from 2.24 million in 2005, industry body UNRAE's chairman said on Thursday... UNRAE Chairman Salvatore Pistola said in a conference. "For 2006, we can indicate a similar figure to that of this year, that is, 2.25 million cars, volumes that match the targets of European car makers," he added... Fiat took more than 30 percent of the Italian car market for the first time in almost two years in November, as new models started to woo back clients...

AUTO WORLD NEWS

* GM also limits severance pay for salaried workers; UAW retiree challenges health benefit cuts
DETROIT,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Brett Clanton & Bill Vlasic -Dec 15, 2005: General Motors Corp. is suspending contributions to its 401(k) savings plan for salaried employees and paring back severance benefits as it prepares for more white-collar job cuts in the coming year... The automaker is scaling back employee severance pay as it prepares to cut more workers...

* UAW backs Ford health deal
DETROIT,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Bryce Hoffman -Dec 15, 2005: United Auto Workers leaders on Wednesday outlined a tentative agreement between the union and Ford Motor Co. that would shift more health care costs to thousands of blue-collar workers and retirees and save the automaker an estimated $850 million a year...

* Ford ads will run in gay media
Washington,DC,USA - The Detroit News, by Jeff Plungis -Dec 15, 2005: Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday it would buy corporate advertising in gay and lesbian publications in 2006, responding to concerns that it had dropped ads to end a conservative group's boycott of Ford brands... Automaker says its decision to drop Jaguar and Land Rover ads had been misperceived...

* Toyota makes hybrid car in China
China -BBC News -15 DEc 2005: Toyota wants worldwide Prius sales of one million a year by 2010.Toyota has begun assembling its Prius hybrid car in China and hopes to sell 3,000 units in the country next year... Hybrids use both petrol and electric motors to double their fuel efficiency and halve their emissions...

* Toyota union will seek pay hike
NAGOYA,Japan -Kyodo/The Japan Times -15 Dec 2005: Toyota Motor Corp.'s labor union is planning to demand an increase in members' basic monthly pay for the first time in four years in the next round of wage negotiations in the spring, industry sources said Wednesday...

* Volvo IT signs consulting services agreement with Volvo Car Corporation
Sweden -Nordic Business Report -15 Dec 2005: The Swedish IT services group Volvo IT, part of Sweden's Volvo Group, said on Thursday that it had received a contract for IT consulting services from Volvo Car Corporation, part of Ford Motor Company... The contract covers consulting services within project management, systems development and technical support...

* Bosch to Cut 200 Jobs at Ohio Plant
WOOSTER, Ohio,USA -Associated Press -Dec 14, 2005: Bosch Corp. plans to eliminate about 200 manufacturing jobs at a northeast Ohio gear pump plant by the end of next year. The company said demand for gear pumps and control valves made at the Bosch Rexroth AG plant for a variety of industries, mostly agricultural, has significantly declined. The company plans to discontinue the products made at the Wooster plant...

Fuel - USA - Distillate Inventories Fall; Gasoline, Crude Oil Supplies Rise

USA -Bloomberg/TTNews -14 Dec 2005: -- Distillate inventories fell slightly, while crude oil and gasoline inventories rose last week, the Department of Energy said in its weekly inventory report... Distillates, which include heating oil and diesel fuel, fell 88,000 barrels last week, DOE said. Analysts were expecting a rise of 600,000 barrels, reported... Heating-oil futures rose slightly on the New York Mercantile Exchange following the news...

CONDENSED TRUCKING NEWS

* Truck Sales Expected to Grow
USA - Layover -Nov 2005: Martin Labbe, president and chief executive officer of Martin Labbe Associates in Ormond Beach, Fla., at the September National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Economic Outlook Conference agreed that 2006 will be a year of continued growth for the commercial truck and transportation equipment industry... Predicted sales growth for Classes 1-8 in 2006, but expressed concern regarding heavy-duty truck sales in 2007...

* Arkansas Voters Reject Highway Bond Measure
Arkansas,USA -TTNews -14 Dec 2005: Ballot Item Was Opposed by State's Trucking Association
Arkansas voters on Tuesday rejected a plan to let the state Highway Commission take on $575 million in near-perpetual debt without formal input from the public, the Associated Press reported...

* TSA Security Officers to Deploy to Mass-Transit Systems
USA -TTNews -14 Dec 2005: Undercover air marshals and uniformed law enforcement officers will deploy to bus and train stations, ferries, and mass-transit stations across the country this week in a new Transportation Security Administration program aimed at preventing terrorism, the Washington Post reported Wednesday...

* Ford Reaches Accord With UAW on Health Care
Ill.,USA -TTNews -14 Dec 2005: Local United Auto Workers officials approved Ford Motor Co.'s demands for lower annual health-care costs, paving the way for a ratification vote by union-represented factory workers, Bloomberg reported Wednesday...

* Trucks carrying explosives inspected by USCG
Galveston,TX,USA -The Daily News, by Mason Lerner -Dec 14, 2005: The U.S. Coast Guard set up a roadside inspection for nine semi-trucks headed for the port of Galveston on Tuesday... Because the unspecified cargo contained some explosives, the Galveston Fire Marshal asked the Coast Guard to inspect the trucks’ containers before they crossed the Causeway onto the island...

* County adds 40 trucks to snow-fighting effort
Towson,MD,USA -Towson Times, by Bryan P. Sears -14 Dec 2005: County Executive Jim Smith said the county has increased its snow-fighting capabilities by adding 40 new trucks and buying 47,000 tons of salt, about 7,000 tons more than last year. The county has also budgeted more this year, about $5 million, for weather-related needs. Last year, $2 million was budgeted...

* Idling trucks at donut shop causing neighbours to fume
Ontario, Canada -Brampton Guardian -15 Dec 2005: Idling diesel trucks on Queen St. in front of the Acton Tim Hortons shop are causing fumes to pervade neighbouring homes, according to Acton councillor Jon Hurst... Ward 2 Councillor Joan Robson said, had received numerous complaints from residents who say trucks, from a local pit, have been tracking dirt onto the roads creating unsafe conditions...

* Councilman seeks lower truck speeds
Laramie,WY,USA -Billings Gazette -14 Dec, 2005: Dave O'Malley, the councilman of Laramie city in the US state of Wyoming, is urging lawmakers in the state to lower the speed limit for semi-trucks on state highways, reports Billings Gazette. O'Malley wants the speed limit for trucks to be lowered...

* Kenworth Offers Free Guide To Help Fleets, Drivers Increase Fuel Economy
KIRKLAND, Wash.,USA -Layover -14 Dec 2005: -- Kenworth Truck Company has produced a free guide to assist fleets and owner operators interested in finding ways to improve fuel economy... Kenworth's "Push Less Air Pull More Profit" guide emphasizes the importance of spec'ing for enhanced aerodynamics and fuel economy...

* China: Volvo Truck to find another partner
Nanfang,China -Nanfang Daily -15 December, 2005: As the Chinese truck market declines, the first heavy-duty truck project in the country is nearing collapse... Jinan Volvo Company was the first joint venture set up in China for the production of heavy-duty trucks...

Production - India - Tata Motors to double Ace capacity; rolls out Novus tippers

New Delhi,India -webindia123 -Dec 14, 2005: -- Top commercial vehicle maker Tata Motors today said it will double the capacity of its Ace light trucks in the next two-three months as it plans to introduce the vehicle in more geographic locations across the country... Ace, the only diesel mini-truck in the world, is now available in only five states in India. The company has so far sold 35,000 units and plans to increase capacity to 60,000...

Purchases - Australia - Tenders invited for new defence trucks

Australia -The Age -13 Dec 2005: -- The government has announced the first phase of a $3 billion plan to re-equip frontline defence units with new trucks, four-wheel drive vehicles and trailers... The contracts, worth up to $600 million, will include replacements for the existing fleet of about 1,400 heavy and light vehicles, 1,300 trailers and 1,200 modules fitted to basic vehicles and trailers to enable them to be used in specialist roles...

Products - USA - Enova Integrates and Delivers a Hybrid Drive Truck

TORRANCE, Cal,USA -BUSINESS WIRE -Dec. 13, 2005: -- Enova Systems, a leading developer and manufacturer of electric, hybrid and fuel cell digital power management systems, announced today that it has integrated and delivered a Post Transmission 120 kW Hybrid Drive Truck to a major North American Truck manufacturer... It is believed that the performance of this vehicle has the potential to lead to future production in the second half of 2006 and beyond...

Autoshow - USA - Opulent bucks bad news

Detroit automakers go all-out for event
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Josee Valcourt -Dec 14, 2005: -- Despite the nearly nonstop flow of bad news for Detroit's automakers in recent months, what may be the slickest, most extravagant auto show in the city's history is rising from a sea of drop cloths, plywood and whining buzz saws at Cobo Center... Sixty percent of the exhibits at the 2006 North American International Auto Show will be new, with automakers spending more than $200 million to build lavish, two-story displays featuring vehicles vertically mounted on walls (the Mini Cooper is already prominently placed) and enormous LED screens as backdrops...

Security - USA - Potholes do more harm than speed humps

Detroit,Mich,USA - TheDetroit News -Dec 14, 2005: - The purpose of this letter is to gauge your opinion about the installation of traffic-calming devices such as speed humps, chicanes, traffic circles, raised crosswalks, etc. Speed humps, as you probably know, are the most ubiquitous traffic-calming devices... Citizens either cry out for their local government to install speed humps to stop the speeding, cut-through traffic from traveling through their neighborhoods, or they sue the local government because they believe that the devices cause damage to their vehicles...

Security - USA - A tire for all seasons isn't always the best way to go

Preparing a vehicle for winter starts where the rubber meets the snow
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Larry Edsall -Dec 14, 2005: All-season tires may work well enough in wet or winter weather, but true winter tires can get you through -- or keep you on the road -- when those all-season treads are just spinning their wheels... First, don't try to put winter performance tires designed for a passenger car on your sport utility vehicle or pickup truck. There are specific winter performance tires for cars and others for light trucks... Tire Rack tests demonstrate that the modern technology engineered into the studless ice and snow tires actually provides better performance...

LATEST WORLD AUTO NEWS

* European car sales fall 2.8 percent, Renault stumbles
Frankfurt,Germany -Reuters -Dec 14, 2005: New car sales in Europe fell 2.8 percent in November, dropping in four of the five top markets despite an intensifying price war and this year's raft of fresh models, industry data showed on Wednesday... Weak showings in Britain, Spain, Germany and France eclipsed an upturn in Italy and ensured overall car sales extended October's drop of 2.6 percent amid consumer reluctance to splash out on cars...

* Volkswagen HR chief says labor costs have to fall
Frankfurt,Germany -Reuters -Dec 14, 2005: Volkswagen has to keep cutting labor costs in an intensely competitive car sector, its new personnel chief told an in-house magazine, but he stressed Europe's biggest carmaker was not in a crisis. "There is no way around it. Our common goal is to reduce costs," Horst Neumann was quoted as telling Autogramm when asked if personnel costs would continue to fall...

* Skoda to make Octavia in China in 2007
Shanghai,China -Reuters -Dec 12, 2005: Volkswagen unit Skoda Auto plans to make its Octavia brand in China from 2007, targeting the Chinese market, Volkswagen said in a statement seen Monday. Octavia, a mid-sized sedan, will be made by Shanghai Volkswagen, the German automaker's venture with SAIC Motor Corp., China's largest carmaker, the statement said...

* DaimlerChrysler puts Russia car plan on ice
Frankfurt,Germany -Reuters -Dec 14, 2005: DaimlerChrysler has put plans to assemble cars in Russia on hold and does not see the project being pursued in the foreseeable future, it said on Wednesday. The company said that assembling cars in Russia was not competitive due to tax and customs rules, adding that it was in talks with the Russian government...

* Ford caps retiree benefits
DEARBORN,Mich,USA-The Detroit News, by Bryce G. Hoffman -Dec 14, 2005: Ford Motor Co. plans to freeze health care benefits for tens of thousands of white-collar retirees as well as raise out-of-pocket medical costs and curtail pay hikes for salaried workers in a sweeping overhaul of its benefits program... White-collar pay raises will average 2% in 2006, from 3% in 2005...

* Ford COO sees pickup production central ongoing
THAILAND -Just-auto.com -14 Dec 2005: Ford Motor Company president and chief operating officer Jim Padilla has said Thailand will remain a key production hub for one-tonne pickups, underscoring the importance of the Ford-Mazda joint-venture manufacturing operation at AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT)...

* Jobs lost as Yes Car Credit shuts
UK -BBC News -14 Dec 2005: Yes car credit has faced harsh criticismThe Yes Car Credit business is to be closed with the loss of about 820 jobs, its owner Provident Financial has said... Provident Financial said Yes Car Credit was "no longer viable" after talks with possible buyers of the company collapsed last week...

* U.S. Upgrades Probe of Volvo Vehicles
New York,NY,USA - Bloomberg -14 Dec 2005: U.S. auto-safety regulators upgraded their investigation of cars made by Ford Motor Co.'s Volvo unit that may slow or stop without warning... The inquiry, which might lead to a recall, covers 356,000 sedans, station wagons and convertibles from model years 1999 through 2002 with electronic throttle controls, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said...

* Chang'an Auto to set up venture in Malaysia
BEIJING,China - ChinaView -14 Dec 2005: Chang'an Automobile Corp, the fourth-largest automaker in China, said it would set up a manufacturing joint venture in Malaysia next year to assemble its self-designed cars... The Chongqing-based company, which specializes in making mini cars and sports utility vehicles, will cooperate with a Malaysian consortium to make its CM8 mini car model...

* Chrysler Starts European Blitz with New Stuttgart Office
AUBURN HILLS, Mich.,USA -Global Auto -Dec 12, 2005: The Detroit automaker’s global aspirations get jump-started overseas with a new base of operations aimed at product marketing in Western Europe, Poland, and the Czech Republic... Chrysler announced on Monday it will strengthen its operations in Europe with a new Stuttgart, Germany, office aimed at selling its products throughout Europe... It will also expand its international offerings by more than doubling the number of diesel and right-hand-drive models it sells, too...

LATEST AUTO WORLD NEWS

* Mazda recalling 2001-02 Miatas
USA -Automotive News -Dec 13, 2005: Mazda North American Operations is recalling 2001-02 Miatas to fix their emissions control systems. About 32,000 cars are affected, the EPA says... While performing a routine compliance test, the EPA discovered that the cars exceed emissions standards...

* Gay and lesbian organizations on Monday asked Ford Motor Co.
USA -Associated Press -13 Dec 2005: Gay and lesbian organizations on Monday asked Ford Motor Co. to reinstate advertising for its Jaguar and Land Rover brands in gay publications and to distance itself from the American Family Association, which had boycotted the automaker's vehicles. The automaker said last week its luxury brands would no longer advertise in gay publications...

* Chery sales to jump by 100,000 units
Shanghai,China -Shanghai Daily -Dec 13, 2005: CHERY Automobile Co is expected to be the first carmaker in China to boost its annual sales by more than 100,000 cars, China Securities Journal reported today... Chery sold 167,427 cars in the first 11 months, more than doubling last year’s result...

* Ford's new powertrains
Canada - Canadian Driver, by Tony Whitney -Dec 13, 2005: The Ford Motor Company has just announced a new V6 engine and 6-speed automatic transmission that will power two of its future products. The new 3.5-litre V6 produces 250-horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque...

TechnoNews - USA - Mercedes Offers Telligent Stability Control For Axor Big Rigs

USA -Autochannel/www.eMercedesBenz.com -Dec 12, 2005: -- If you own a newer Mercedes passenger car, chances are you've heard of Mercedes' Electronic Stability Program (ESP), a technology which monitors the vehicle while driving and, in the event it's needed, helps correct oversteer, understeer, slippage, etc... This same technology is referred to as Telligent stability control when it's used on Mercedes' larger trucks, but it performs basically the same functions as ESP...

Tires - Ireland - Bandag launches a heavy-duty traction product

Roscommon,Ireland -Irish Trucker Magazine -12 Dec 2005: -- The power generated by the engine of today’s modern trucks need no longer be let down by poor drive tyre performance, even in mixed on/off road and construction applications, tyre manufacture Bandag has claimed... The new Bandag BDY3 transmits 100% of the engine’s impressive torque forces to the ground, regardless of whether the truck is operating on treacherous soft soil or potentially destructive rock fragments...

Danger - Australia - A B-double truck ablaze in pile-up

S.Queensland,Australia -Australian -Dec 12, 2005: -- A SEMI-trailer has burst into flames in a three-truck smash in southern Queensland that injured two people and closed a highway... A B-double carrying 40 tonnes of carrots burst into flames after it and a road train heading in the opposite direction collided on the Gore Highway, south of Millmerran about 9.45pm (AEST) yesterday, police said... The road train, carrying pig fodder, rolled on its side...

TechnoNews - UK - RFID system monitors temperature of refrigerated trucks

UK -FoodNavigator(USA), by Ahmed ElAmin -12 Dec 2005: -- A UK company has released a wireless system monitoring system allowing managers to keep track of the temperatures of refrigerated truck trailers while they are parked or being chilled for loading... The system would aid plant managers that all food safety requirements are met for products up to the point they leave the premises. It provides another way to automate a key safety check along the supply chain...

Rules - USA - Stalling trucks from Mexico

El Paso,TX,USA -El Paso Times -11 Dec 2005: -- The United States government is still negotiating safety requirements for Mexican trucks 18 months after the Supreme Court gave the green light for the trucks to drive on U.S. roads... In the meantime, Mexican trucks are taking better and better care of their rigs, data from the U.S. Department of Transportation showed... The number of trucks put "out of service" by border inspectors has been decreasing steadily to 21.5 percent in 2004, Ruben Torres, Department of Transportation field supervisor...

Biodiesel - USA - Fuel for thought

Fort Worth,TX,USA -Fort Worth Star Telegram, by Liz Stevens -11 Dec 2005: -- Early this year, Carl's Corner became the center of the current hubbub surrounding biodiesel, an alternative vehicle fuel that can be made from vegetable oil, seed oil or animal fat, and can run diesel-powered vehicles... Biodiesel's champions, which include farmers and environmentalists, tout the fuel's benefits at every opportunity: Biodiesel is a renewable resource, homegrown in the United States and relatively clean-burning -- everything its crude-oil counterpart is not, and part of the solution to America's reliance on foreign energy, they say... (AP photos: Myron Danzer, acting general manager of the SoyMor biodiesel plant in Minnesota, holds a beaker of the plant's product. SoyMor is one of three biodiesel plants in Minnesota poised to trigger a state mandate that will require diesel fuel sold in the state to be blended with 2 percent biodiesel.)

Truckers - USA - Fight at Los Angeles Port

LONG BEACH, Cal, USA -The Militant (New York,NY), by FRANK FORRESTAL & SETH DELLINGER -Dec 19, 2005: -- To much fanfare, the Marine Terminal bosses implemented the “Offpeak” program last summer to increase capacity and reduce congestion in the largest seaport complex in the United States by running operations 24 hours a day. Under the program, shippers are assessed a fee on cargo transported during peak business hours, an incentive to ship cargo at night and on weekends... The International Longshore and Warehouse Union, and the Teamsters have opposed Offpeak... For drivers the program means longer hours and being forced to work at night. “The problem is the waiting,” said Carlos Mazo, a driver from Long Beach. “At one of the terminals there is only one crane operator at night. During the day they usually have five”...

Fear - Australia - Giant trucks on roads

Tasmania,Australia -The Mercury, by SUE NEALES -10 Dec 2005: -- Tasmanians face the prospect of monster road trains thundering up and down the Midlands and Bass highways if all rail services are permanently axed next week... Major paper manufacturer Norske Skog has warned it will be forced to use the triple-length trucks to ship paper from its Boyer mill at New Norfolk to Burnie and Bell Bay ports economically... Such massive road trains are used in outback Australia but are banned in Tasmania, Victoria and most of NSW... The 60m length of the B-Triple trucks, their vast weight and the long time it takes for them to stop are considered too dangerous for Tasmania's roads...

Trades - China - CNHTC it's Top Heavy Duty Trucks Exporter

Pekin,China -China Knowledge -Dec. 9, 2005: – In the first ten months this year, export revenue for China National Heavy Duty Truck Group Co. Ltd. (CNHTC) increased tenfold to reach US$120 million, emerging as the top heavy duty trucks exporter in the country, according to the State-owned Assets Supervision Administrations Commission of the Shandong provincial government... The company expects to export up to 4,500 units worth US$150 million for the whole of this year... CNHTC said that as its “Sinotruk” brand name is gaining recognition in the international market, it plans to expand its businesses into the Middle East, South Africa and Southeast Asia next year. It expects to export between 8,000 to 10,000 units worth US$200 million by then...

Tires - USA - Goodyear DuraSeal Technology Gains Two Product Awards

AKRON, Ohio,USA -PRNewswire-FirstCall -Dec. 8, 2005: -- Goodyear's award-winning DuraSeal commercial tire technology has received two more awards - an MVP and a Fifty Nifty... Newport's Heavy Duty Trucking magazine selected the revolutionary technology for its Nifty Fifty award, one of 50 new products selected on its "usefulness to the truck operator in terms of innovation, serviceability and performance"... Sister publication RoadStar named DuraSeal technology as a Most Valuable Product for its "ability to make driver's life safer, more comfortable or more convenient."...

Beware - U.A.E. - Licences of erring truck drivers to be revoked

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -Khaleej Times Online, by Amira Agarib -7 Dec 2005: -- Drivers of heavy-duty trucks, beware! The next time you try to jump a traffic signal, you may well land up losing your driving licence... Director of Traffic Department of Dubai Police, announced that heavy-duty truck drivers who ignore signals will lose their licences... According Al Zafin, the decision came as officials observed that trucks and heavy vehicles’ traffic violations can make the roads relatively unsafe and also cause congestion during peak hours...

Shares - UK - DaimlerChrysler "overweight"

LONDON,UK -newratings.com/Morgan Stanley -Dec 6, 2005: -- Analysts at Morgan Stanley maintain their "overweight" rating on DaimlerChrysler ... In a research note published this morning, the analysts mention that the market is underestimating the value of the company's Truck division. The analysts expect DaimlerChrysler to witness sustainable margins of 4%-5% at its Truck division going forward... The company does not need to find a financial or industrial partner for its Trucks segment, given the improvements made at this division so far, Morgan Stanley adds...

Recalls - Japan - Isuzu Fault More Than 193,000 Trucks

TOKYO,Japan -AP -Dec 06, 2005: -- Japanese truck maker Isuzu Motors Ltd. said Tuesday it will recall more than 193,000 trucks because of faulty ball joint sockets... The recall involves Elf model trucks produced between 1993-2004, Isuzu said in a statement. A fault in the ball joint sockets may lead to excess friction causing them to crack, it said...

Market Study - Bulgaria - Construction industry spurs demand for heavy duty trucks

Bulgaria -Dnevnik.bg -Dec 6, 2005: -- Bulgarian Domestic truck sales are hitching a ride on Bulgaria's booming construction industry, shows a market analysis by news outfit SeeNews... Importers told the agency the trend has reconfigured the truck market and now six of every 10 vehicles in the 18-44 ton category are bought by construction companies. A year ago, freight forwarders drove over 80% of truck sales on the heavy duty segment... Volvo Trucks Bulgaria expects the heavy trucks market to grow by 15-20% annually... Torino Motors, said it expected sales of IVECO vehicles for the construction industry to double to 140 in 2006 with the overall domestic sales seen posting a 20% increase year-on-year...

Representation - USA - DCX to sell Fuso trucks at Sterling dealerships

TOKYO,Japan -Automotive News, by James B. Treece -Dec 05, 2005: -- Sterling commercial-truck dealers in North America will begin selling Fuso Canter trucks rebadged as Sterlings next June... The sales will mark a key step in integrating Fuso into DaimlerChrysler's commercial vehicle business.... They represent a concrete step toward realizing DaimlerChrysler Chairman Juergen Schrempp's vision of a united European, North American and Asian automaker -- at least in trucks...

Police warn - USA - Thieves step it up this time of year

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt.,USA -boston.com -Dec 5, 2005: -- It's becoming a holiday tradition: an increase in thefts during the year's busiest shopping season, often targeting shoppers loaded down with just-purchased gifts... Police are warning shoppers to take commonsense steps like locking vehicles, hiding valuables and generally keeping their guard up even during a time of year when many are in a more charitable and less suspicious mood... Police offer several precautionary tips:..

Survey - Canada - Easing of truck capacity concerns – reality or wishful thinking?

Toronto,ON,Canada -Truck News, by Lou Smyrlis -Dec 2005: -- Deep concern about capacity in the trucking sector over the past couple of years has shifted the balance of power between shippers and motor carriers and led to the most significant increases in truck rates since deregulation of the industry back in the late 80s... Our recently completed Annual Transportation Buying Trends Survey, conducted in partnership with the Canadian Industrial Transportation Association and CITT, found that 83% of shippers using truck transport paid higher rates in 2005 compared to the previous year, which saw record rates in itself. Two thirds reported paying rate increases of 4% or higher with a fifth reporting increases of 10% or higher... Easing of capacity concerns? Although they reported their concern about truck capacity is easing, four out of five still expect rate increases for 2006 with 53% expecting to pay 4% more or higher...

Oil - China - New oil and gas field with enormous reserve found in Xinjiang

China - People's Daily -Dec 13, 2005: -- An ordovician creature reef oil and gas field with a reserve of 100 million tons was discovered near Taklimakan desert in northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region after three years' exploration, according to reports from Tarim Exploration Research Center... The discovery of the new gas field is of great significance for China's petroleum strategy and gas development in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region...

Relationship - USA - ISUZU'S trucks nearly identical to GM's

MATHIAS, W.Va.USA -Charleston Post Courier (Charleston,SC), by WARREN BROWN/The Washington Post -Dec 4, 2005: -- Isuzu Motors Ltd. is still in business; but, increasingly, it's a different kind of business from the one launched in the U.S in 1975... The strategy is to turn Isuzu into the world's leading producer and marketer of commercial vehicles and diesel engines... Whether GM will forfeit all of its shares in Isuzu remains to be seen... But if the I-350 is a tangible example of what remains of the relationship, it appears that there is little left to hold the companies together... They may as well break it off and get on with doing what they do best... GM makes good passenger vehicles... Isuzu makes good commercial trucks... They should leave it at that...

Study - USA - Links Diesel Fumes to Illnesses

State air board focuses on the cargo industry -- concentrated around major seaports -- and proposes spending billions to cut emissions
Los Angeles,Cal,USA -LATimes, by Deborah Schoch -Dec 3, 2005: -- Air pollutants generated by California's cargo industry will result in about 750 premature deaths this year and tens of billions of dollars in related healthcare costs over the next 15 years... Diesel-burning ships, trains and trucks tied to the state's explosive international trade industry, concentrated mostly around major seaports such as the Los Angeles-Long Beach complex, are largely responsible for the pollution problem, according to the study by the state Air Resources Board staff... Healthcare costs this year alone linked to transportation emissions are estimated at $6.3 billion and could total $70 billion by 2020... proposes a wide-ranging $3-billion to $6-billion pollution-reduction plan through 2020, including requiring diesel-electric hybrid engines and cleaner-burning fuels...

Second Driver Sues Trucking Firm Over Obesity

PORTLAND, Ore,USA -DIROTV/AP -Dec 1, 2005: -- An obese truck driver is suing his Tacoma, Washington employer alleging he was unfairly suspended without pay because of his weight... David Mankey also accuses the company of keeping his case secret. This, while it unsuccessfully contested a similar lawsuit by trucker John McDuffy of Molalla... A Multnomah County jury ruled in October for McDuffy, awarding nine-thousand dollars in back pay -- and 100-thousand dollars in damages... Mankey is five-foot-six and about 450 pounds. He says the company suspended him in September when he complained about a seatbelt...

Off highway - Australia -Rail investment to take hundreds of trucks

A $1.4 billion private sector investment in the Sydney to Brisbane rail network is expected to take 400 trucks a day off the Pacific Highway
Australia -ABC Online -Dec 1, 2005: -- The Australian Rail Track Corporation, which manages the rail system in country New South Wales, says its investment will make rail competitive with road transport within five years... The movement of freight is a significant challenge: "It's going to be a big problem for this country over the next 20 years as the freight movements more than double and unless we make rail an active and competitive mode of freight transport all that's going to happen is that our roads are going to become more and more congested. So we're aiming to move the corridor on the eastern seaboard from around 15 per cent to around 30 per cent and that should take some 400 semi-trailers off the road and onto rail."...

Technology - USA - New OmniView Gantry Cargo and Vehicle Inspection System

American Science and Engineering, Inc. Receives Contract to Utilize Relocatable Multi-View System for Force Protection Applications
BILLERICA, Mass.-BUSINESS WIRE -Dec., 2005: -- American Science and Engineering, Inc., a leader in X-ray detection technology, announced today the receipt of a $5.4 million phased contract from the U.S. Department of Defense for its OmniView Gantry Inspection System... The first phase of the contract is valued at $1.9 million... The relocatable OmniView System, the industry's most comprehensive cargo and vehicle inspection system for detecting security threats and contraband, will be deployed by the DoD for force protection applications...

Big Troubles - USA - GM can't shake Wall Street's bankruptcy fears

Credit agency lowers automaker's debt rating further, citing concerns over financial losses

Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Brett Clanton -Dec 13, 2005: -- Saying a bankruptcy by General Motors Corp. is no longer "far-fetched," a key Wall Street ratings firm on Monday downgraded GM's debt further into junk territory... The move by Standard & Poor's reflects concern about GM's ability to repay its debt amid growing financial losses and skepticism about the automaker's turnaround prospects... While GM faces many risks, a $19 billion cash hoard should help the company stave off major bankruptcy threats for at least a few months, said Shelly Lombard, a bond analyst with Gimme Credit Publications in New York... "But out past six to nine months," she said, "it starts to get real fuzzy for this company."...

Fees - Australia - Trucking industry to be slugged again

Narooma,Australia -Narooma News -Nov 2005: -- NSW Shadow Roads Minister, Andrew Stoner, has called on the NSW Labor Government to reject plans to increase some heavy vehicle registration fees by as much as $3,000 - while the industry struggles with record fuel prices and a shortage of skilled drivers... A decision on the increase in truck registration fees is expected to be made by Federal, State and Territory Road and Transport Ministers in February...

Explain - UK - The options on 'Longer, Heavier, Vehicles'

UK -TNN -Dec 2005: -- The latest posting by Brian Weatherley to his Big Lorry Blog... Are you confused as to what's on the table for Longer Heavier vehicles? (....or LHVs for those that like aconyms and abbreviations). Thanks to a recent e-mail from the German trailer maker Fliegl I am now in the excellent position to explain the options within the basic LHV of 25.25metres and 60-tonnes gross weight. They are as follows..

Production - India - Tata`s Novus to join fight for truck market

Bangalore,India -Business Standard -Dec 01, 2005: -- Tata Motors is all set to launch its ‘Novus’ range of trucks in the Indian market on December 14. The company has set up a manufacturing facility to produce 6,000 trucks per annum at Jamshedpur for the purpose... said that the company will launch a twin axle 16 tonne tipper under the ‘Novus’ range. It is part of the range of products presently manufactured by Tata Daewoo Commercial Vehicle Co Ltd in Korea...

Opinion - USA - Ready for community-owned cars, trucks?

Survey will help shape network
Willits,CA,USA -The Willits News -Nov 2005: -- A community-owned fleet of vehicles is on the agenda for Members of Willits Economic LocaLization and staff from the Renewable Energy Development Institute. The goal is to localize the transportation system, reduce the number of cars and trucks on the road, and promote use of sustainable fuel...

Rules - Europe - Keep on trucking

Heavy goods vehicles will be able to use Austria’s A12 motorway again
UK -lgib.gov -Nov 2005: -- The European Court of Justice has ruled that regions which ban certain types of lorries must have sound environmental reasons or face having their restrictions lifted. The judgment came in the case of the Austrian region of Tyrol, which, in 2003, outlawed lorries weighing more than 7.5 tonnes and carrying waste, stone, soil or vehicles from using a 46 km stretch of motorway... The judges in the Luxembourg based court said that the ban had been “disproportionate.”...

Products - Germany - The Mercedes-Benz range of construction vehicles

Germany -duemotori(Italy) -Nov 2005: -- Everything from a single source – with three van and three truck series for the construction sector (both on-site construction and materials supply), Daimler Chrysler is the manufacturer with the widest range of vehicles for this broad area of operations... The spectrum of available weight categories extends from the Mercedes-Benz Vito one-tonner with a gross vehicle weight of less than 2.8 tonnes to the four-axle Actros very heavy-duty truck in the 250-tonne class...

Warn - USA - Sunol weigh stations avert disaster

SUNOL,Walnut Creek, CA,USA -CONTRA COSTA TIMES, by Joyce Tsai -Nov. 2005: -- A collection of worn brake rotors, cracked brake shoes and misshapen shackles graces the walls of the Mission Grade Inspection Station in Sunol... Each faulty vehicle part tells a story of how easy it is for accidents to strike big-rig commercial vehicles on the road...

End - India - Navistar's Operating Company Finalizes Joint Venture to Manufacture Trucks and Buses in India

WARRENVILLE, Ill.,USA -The Auto Channel -Dec. 12, 2005: -- Navistar International Corporation , North America's largest combined commercial truck, school bus and mid-range diesel engine producer, announced today that its operating company, International Truck and Engine Corporation, has finalized a joint venture with Mahindra & Mahindra of India to produce and market light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles for India and export markets...

LATEST WORLD AUTO NEWS

* S&P drops General Motors debt deeper into junk territory
NEW YORK,NY,USA -AP -Dec 12, 2005: Standard & Poor's cut its ratings on General Motors Corp. deeper into junk status on Monday, citing increased skepticism about the troubled automaker's ability to revitalize North American operations...

* Suppliers sceptical of new Ford, VW plans
GERMANY: Automotive News Europe -12 Dec 2005: Ford, Volkswagen and other automakers will have to work hard to convince a sceptical partsmaking industry that carmakers really want to begin kinder, gentler era of cooperation with their suppliers, according... Relations between manufacturers and suppliers have been damaged by nearly a decade of relentless pressure from carmakers for lower parts prices. This pressure has played a role in the bankruptcy of several major suppliers...

* Union, Ford pen new deal
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Brett Clanton -Dec 11, 2005: Troubled carmaker, UAW reach tentative pact to pass more health care costs on to employees... The United Auto Workers and Ford Motor Co. have reached a tentative agreement to reduce the company's health care costs, providing welcome relief to the struggling automaker as its financial losses mount...

* Russia good for Mazda, too
GERMANY -Just-auto.com (UK) 12 Dec 2005: Mazda Motor Europe is another Asian brand reporting strong sales in Russia... November unit sales there set another record at 2,457, up 100% year-on-year. Market share was a record 5.2%. This is the brand’s 35th consecutive month of double or triple-digit growth...

* BMW to Set Up Its First Car Plant In India
CHENNAI, India -Global Auto -Dec 09, 2005: The demand for luxury vehicles is so strong among India’s growing affluent class that the German automaker will set up assembly operations in Tamil Nadu province... BMW signed an agreement with the Tamil Nadu government on Thursday to build its first Indian manufacturing facility, according to the Indo-Asian News Service...

* DaimlerChrysler to invest $1 billion in suburban St. Louis plants
FENTON, Mo.,USA -AP, by CHRISTOPHER LEONARD -Dec. 12, 2005: DaimlerChrysler AG said Monday it will invest up to $1 billion in its suburban St. Louis auto plants... The investment will pay for modernization and retooling of the factories. The upgrades will begin next year...

* Renault may suspend China car plant push
PARIS,France -Bloomberg/Business Times (Malaysia) -Dec 13 2005: Renault SA, France’s second-biggest carmaker, may suspend a three-year effort to build cars in China as increasing competition and manufacturing capacity hurt profitability and sales slow, said people familiar with the plan... Carlos Ghosn, said on October 20 that the French company’s top priorities were to be successful in Europe, Romania, India, Iran and South America. He didn’t include China in that list...

LATEST WORLD AUTO NEWS

* Government investigating Ford, Mazda trucks
WASHINGTON,DC,USA -Associated Press -Dec 10, 2005: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday, that it was investigating the potential for a short circuit in a wiring harness that could blow a fuse providing electrical current to all brake lamps on the Ford Ranger and Mazda B-Series trucks from the 2003-05 model years... The preliminary investigation involves more than 510,000 vehicles...

* First wave of Chinese cars will target luxury market
Chicago,Ill,USA -Chicago Tribune, by JIM MATEJA -Dec 10, 2005: Chery Automobile Co. in China, which makes this car displayed at an auto show in Shanghai, China this week, expects to make luxury cars for the U.S. market that will start at $19,000... Malcolm Bricklin plans to start importing these cars from China in mid-2007...

* UAW official says new DaimlerChrysler S.C. van plant likely to be organized
GREENVILLE, S.C.,USA -DetNews/AP-Dec 10, 2005: Gary Casteel, director for the United Auto Workers says it is likely workers at the planned DaimlerChrysler AG van plant in North Charleston will organize... DaimlerChrysler said last month that it would hire 220 people for a plant in North Charleston to assemble its Dodge Sprinter van...

* GM and Kerkorian say no resolution on board seat
DETROIT,Mich,USA -DetNews/AP, by Dee-Ann Durbin -Dec 10, 2005: General Motors Corp. and billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian have failed to reach an agreement on Kerkorian's request to gain a seat on the automaker's board for his aide Jerome York, the automaker and Kerkorian said in a joint statement Friday...

* Nissan to Hire More Women for Sales Force
TOKYO,Japan - WTOP News/AP, by HANS GREIMEL -Dec 8, 2005: Nissan Motor Co. will double the percentage of females in its Japanese sales force over the next two years because the public "would prefer to have a woman sell them a car," Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said Friday...

* Future unclear for ACH white-collar staff
Ann Arbor,Mich,USA -The Ann Arbor News, by MIKE RAMSEY -Dec 10, 2005: The 5,000 white-collar workers at Automotive Components Holdings LLC - including hundreds who live or work in Washtenaw County - know their jobs are being eliminated... As part of a massive restructuring to save Visteon Corp. from potential bankruptcy, the Ford Motor Co.-managed company is leasing these professionals from the auto supplier...

Rules - USA - Consumer groups press appeals court over regional auto recalls

WASHINGTON,DC,USA -DetNews/Associated Press, by Ken Thomas -Dec 09, 2005: -- Public Citizen and the Center for Auto Safety, asked a federal appeals court Friday to throw out a rule allowing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's to limit some vehicle recalls by region... that policy allows automakers to conduct recalls involving defects related to regional conditions such as snow or heat... Bonnie Robin-Vergeer, an attorney for the groups, said a 1998 letter that NHTSA sent to manufacturers clarifying its policies should be considered a rule change requiring public comment. She said it violated a federal law requiring that all owners be notified of vehicle recalls regardless of where they live or where the vehicle is registered...

Opinion - USA - Economic malaise aside, we can't count Michigan out

What if the headlines don't tell the whole story?
Detroit,Mich,USA -DetNews, by Daniel Howes -Dec 10, 2005: -- They say: Delphi Corp. is bankrupt and demanding unprecedented concessions from the United Auto Workers. A strike is likely... General Motors Corp. plans to cut 30,000 jobs and close 12 facilities. Ford Motor Co. is mulling whether to cut its own hourly workforce by 30,000, close at least 10 plants... And we conclude: Michigan's economy is a mess, even if most of those job cuts will either: a) come from retirements or b) take place far from the state lines or c) improve the competitiveness of the companies and state economy or d) all three... And we conclude: Michigan's economic malaise is pre-ordained. Why? Because Detroit's automakers allegedly define the state and regional economy as much as they did a generation ago, and because Michigan's leaders in Lansing couldn't pass a business tax reform package if the state's future depended on it...

Investments - Europe - DaimlerChrysler leads in R&D spending

But Europe's share of total research and development spending is slipping

BRUSSELS, Belgium -detnews/AP, by Aoife White -Dec 10, 2005: -- DaimlerChrysler AG is the world's biggest corporate spender on research and development, but few European companies are following its example, the European Commission said Friday... Automaker invested 5.66 billion euros ($4.8 billion) in research and development last year... The research and development figures are based on the amount spent by companies based in Europe, regardless of where in the world they invest their money... The EU's scoreboard looked at 700 companies based in the EU and 700 outside...

Tires - USA - Toyo Tire NA Open First North American Plant

WHITE, Ga.,USA -PRNewswire -Dec. 8, 2005: -- Toyo Tire North America, Inc. (TNA) celebrated the grand opening of its first North American tire manufacturing and warehouse facility in White, Ga. today... The new state-of-the-art, $180 million facility is just under one million square feet and expected to initially create 350 jobs for Georgians, with the potential to employ up to 900 skilled workers based on market demand. Once fully operational and staffed, the TNA facility has the capability of annually producing up to 2 million passenger car and light truck tires under the Toyo and Nitto brands. Future phases could potentially allow for production of up to 6 million passenger car and light truck tires...

Optimism -S.Korea - Auto industry expert predicts good times ahead in 2006

Seoul,S.Korea -Joongang Daily -Dec 09, 2005: -- Domestic automobile sales will increase by over 11 percent next year from the estimated total of 1.1 million units sold this year, Hoh Moon, vice chairman of the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association, said yesterday... Production among Korean automakers, including that in overseas plants, is set to increase by just over 8 percent, to exceed 4 million units for the first time. The boost in production, he said, is in large measure due to Korean automakers' overseas factories now running at full capacity... He also forecast exports will exceed 2.7 million units, an increase of 6.6 percent over this year and a record for the Korean auto industry... Mr. Hoh added that the government is looking into providing financial subsidies of between 20 million won ($19,300) and 30 million won on 4,000 hybrid engine cars to be used by government institutions in a trial running until 2009...

Doubts - USA - GM Clarifies Line of Succession—But Is It the Right Guy?

Fritz Henderson returns from Europe as vice-chairman and heir apparent to CEO Rick Wagoner
DETROIT,Mich,USA -Global Auto -Dec 07, 2005: -- General Motors has promoted Frederick “Fritz” Henderson to vice-chairman and chief financial officer, establishing the 47-year-old executive as the front runner to succeed Rick Wagoner as chairman and chief executive... Henderson, like Wagoner, is not a "car guy". He is a certified public accountant with a long background in finance... He is expected to help Wagoner slash costs and shutter underused assembly plants in North America as the automaker struggles to regain profitability... What remains unsaid at GM is who might follow product czar Bob Lutz... The company has watched sales volume and market share continue to dwindle in North America, where many of its vehicles are widely seen as aging and uncompetitive...

GreenNews - Europa - Research Group Unveils the “Clever”

It took three years and $3.9 million to develop the three-wheeled “green” microcar that gets 98 mpg
BERLIN,Germany -Global Auto -Dec 07, 2005: -- A European research consortium’s answer to the fuel crunch is a three-wheeled, natural-gas powered microcar called The “Clever,” an acronym for Compact Low Emission Vehicle For Urban Transport... Work on the Clever was funded by the European Commission. Its partners included the Technical University of Berlin and the University of Bath in Great Britain. The consortium’s statement on the Clever did not provide any information on whether the vehicle will be available to the public...

World's Top Automaker - Japan - Toyota aims to overtake General Motors

TOKYO,Japan -UPI/Asahi Shimbun -Dec. 8, 2005: -- Toyota Motor Corp. hopes to overtake General Motors as the world's top automaker, with plans to manufacture 8.9 million vehicles next year... The actual output this year is expected to be 8.28 million and the plan for 2006 is almost 9 million, including vehicles manufactured by Daihatsu Motor Co. and Hino Motors Ltd., reported Thursday... By comparison, the GM group's yearly production is expected to be 9.089 million, falling below the 9.098 million produced in 2004... GM's slump is likely to push Toyota into position as the world's top automobile producer, the newspaper reported...

GreenNews - USA - Survey: Owners Put Neighborhood Electric Vehicles to Good Use

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Canada -The Auto Channel -Dec. 7, 2005: -- Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) users in California are eliminating one-third of ozone- forming emissions they would normally produce each year, according to a new study of street-legal EV use... In all, California's 15,000 owners of NEVs cut the state's total ozone-forming emissions by 8.5 tons per year... The Survey in California Finds: -1) Owners Cut Their Ozone-Forming Emissions by One/Third. -2) With 15,000 Vehicles in Use, California is Nation's Leading State for NEVs. - 3) DaimlerChrysler GEM Leads Market with 80 Percent Share...

Indexs - USA - DOT's Transportation Rises; Freight Drops

USA -TTNews -6 Dec 2005: -- The Department of Transportation reported Tuesday that its transportation services index for September rose 0.1% from August, but the freight index declined... The September TSI rose to 111.6, DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics said in its monthly report... The TSI for freight fell 0.6% to 111.8 in September from August, DOT reported... Compared with the same month a year earlier, the overall TSI rose 2.1% while the freight index gained 0.9%, DOT said...

LATEST WORLD AUTO NEWS

* Fritz Henderson is named GM's CFO
DETROIT,Mich,usa -Automotive News Europe, by Jamie LaReau -Dec 06, 2005: John Devine to stay for 1 year; Carl-Peter Forster becomes chairman of GM EuropeFrederick "Fritz" Henderson is returning from General Motors Europe to replace John Devine as GM's CFO. The GM board named him vice chairman and CFO Tuesday afternoon. Henderson, 48, is a finance executive who has run GM's operations in Latin America, Asia Pacific and Europe. He will be replaced in Europe by Carl-Peter Forster, president of GM Europe...

* GM, Kerkorian discuss board seat
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Bill Vlasic -Dec 08, 2005: General Motors Corp. acknowledged for the first time Wednesday that it is in discussions with billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian about a possible seat on the automaker's board of directors...Carmaker acknowledges it is in talks with investor, who is interested in having his deputy fill the spot.

* GMAC Agrees to Sell Up Automotive Assets to Scotia Capital
DETROIT,Mich,USA -The Auto Channel -8 Dec 2005: General Motors Acceptance Corp. (GMAC), the wholly owned financial services subsidiary of General Motors Corp. , and Scotia Capital, the corporate and investment banking arm of The Bank of Nova Scotia , today announced a long-term strategic financing agreement regarding GMAC's U.S. automotive retail assets... The agreement calls for committed purchases by The Bank of Nova Scotia under a $6 billion revolving facility. This revolving facility represents a committed source of funding for up to $20 billion of GMAC U.S. retail automotive contracts during a five-year period...

* Mitsubishi may boost production of Galant in U.S. for global exports
TOKYO,Japan -Automotive News, by James B. Treece -Dec 07, 2005: Mitsubishi Motors Corp. could export the next-generation Galant sedan from its Normal, Ill., plant to Europe and Japan. Production of the next Galant will cease in Japan, making the Illinois factory the global source for the car, according to an article in the daily Nikkan Kogyo newspaper...

* Audi boosts investment, sees 1 million annual car sales
FRANKFURT,Germany -Reuters -7 Dec 205: Audi will step up investments to nearly 2 billion euros ($2.34 billion) a year and launch at least six new models in the next three years in a bid to hit 1 million annual car sales "by 2008/2009", the premium arm of Volkswagen AG said on Wednesday...

* German state leader objects to Continental job cuts
FRANKFURT,Germany -Reuters -7 Dec 2005: A senior German politician turned up the heat on tire maker and car parts group Continental AG on Wednesday to reverse its decision to halt passenger car tire production at a German plant in Hanover and cut 320 jobs...

* BMW to drive into Chennai to establish a car assembly plant
Chennai,India -WebIndia123 -Dec 08, 2005: German automobile major BMW today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Tamil Nadu Government to establish its car assembly plant at an investment of Rs 180 crore in five years...

* Chrysler to cut 100 jobs at Detroit engine plant
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Josee Valcourt -Dec 08, 2005: Despite automaker's profitable year, low production dictated decision to drop 12% of hourly work force... DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group plans to cut more than 100 jobs at its V-8 engine plant in Detroit by early next year as a result of lower production volumes... The cuts amount to about 12 percent of the plant's 870 hourly employees...

* Daihatsu to make SUVs for Toyota
OSAKA,Japan -The Japan Times/Kyodo -Dec. 8, 2005: Daihatsu Motor Co., which plans to start making the Be Go sport utility compact early next year, will ship some of its output to parent firm Toyota Motor Corp., sources said Wednesday... Daihatsu Auto Body Co., a subsidiary, will make 40,000 Be Go SUVs a year, but Toyota will sell them under a different name...

* Peugeot Citroën to expand capacity at its Slovakian plant
FRANCE -Just-Auto (UK) -8 Dec 2005: PSA Peugeot Citroën has confirmed that its Trnava plant in Slovakia has been selected as the future site for a new manufacturing unit with a potential production capacity of 150,000 vehicles per year, in addition to the 300,000 already planned for the site...

Buy - USA - Freight Transports to Remain Healthy in 2006

Fitch Outlook
USA -Red Orbit/Business Wire -6 Dec 2005: -- U.S. Following another exceptional year for the U.S. land-based freight transportation industry, Fitch expects a strong showing from the industry again in 2006... In 2005, continued heavy demand led to significant increases in freight railroad and trucking industry revenues and profits... Although risks of slower 2006 U.S. economic growth have risen somewhat as a result of higher energy costs, demand for the goods transported by the nation's railroads and trucks is expected to remain relatively strong next year. This, combined with efficiencies and cost controls put in place after the last recession, will help to support continued strength in operating cash flows, even if they are not at the same high levels seen over the past two years...

Report - USA - Oak Ridge Safestat Report for Truckers

A "Must Read" for the industry
USA -Truckline Express -7 Dec 2005: -- A long-awaited report on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's SafeStat methodology conducted by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Center for Transportation Analysis was recently released... This study was initiated for an Office of Inspector General recommendation... The Oak Ridge review of SafeStat focused on two issues: (1) the magnitude and impact of missing and late truck crash data on the SafeStat ranking; and (2) issues related to the SafeStat scoring algorithm... Oak Ridge concluded that "most carriers are identified as at-risk by SafeStat due to random variations in the source data rather than a significant change in carrier risk"... To read the complete study, go to SafeStat Review.

Oil - USA - U.S. petroleum stocks climb

SAN FRANCISCO,CAL,USA - Energy Dept, Correct by Myra P. Saefong/MarketWatch -Dec , 07 2005: -- The Energy Department said inventories of crude, motor gasoline and distillates all climbed 2.7 million barrels for the week ended Dec. 2... Crude supplies stand at 320.3 million, or 11.1% above the year-ago level. Distillate supplies totaled 130.6 million -- 5.9% above the year-ago level and gasoline stocks were at 202.6 million, or 4.3% below the same level from a year ago... January crude was up 6 cents at $60 a barrel after an earlier rise to $60.55. January unleaded gas shed 1.1 cents to $1.5725 a gallon. January heating oil lost 1.1 cents to $1.761 a gallon...

Study - USA - Living by a church helps keep drivers safe

SAN FRANCISCO,CA,USA -Associated Press, by Michael Liedtke -Dec 07, 2005: -- Living by a church does wonders for a person's driving record, but motorists who reside near a restaurant might want to say an extra prayer before hitting the road, according to the findings of an insurance industry study... The study from Quality Planning Corp., a risk assessment company owned by the influential Insurance Services Office, calculates the risk of having a serious auto accident... The ZIP code in which a driver lives has affected auto insurance for decades. The insurance industry believes they reflect loss risks because densely populated or crime-ridden areas tend to file expensive claims. The study, however, said ZIP codes are too broad to serve as an accurate pricing gauge... Doug Heller, executive director of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, agreed but described the rest of the study as absurd...

Crisis - USA - Big Three ask for help, not bailout

They push Congress for policy changes, tax breaks; Bush adviser dismisses calls for aid

WASHINGTON,DC,USA -Detroit News, by Jeff Plungis -Dec 07, 2005: -- Amid ongoing financial struggles, Detroit automakers are stepping up efforts to secure assistance from the government. As critics call their wish list a "bailout," they are crying foul... Detroit's wish list: 1-The reforms that Detroit automakers want may rival the $1 billion in aid given to Chrysler in 1979, and the $15 billion extended to the airline industry after September 11... 2-Ford has proposed tax breaks and other incentives to invest in alternative fuel technologies and retool older plants... 3-GM wants a crackdown on unfair trade practices, such as more government pressure on Japan and other countries to fully value their currencies... 4-Detroit automakers want to reform product liability laws they say have led to lawsuit abuse.... On Tuesday, a group of House Democrats opened an electronic forum titled "The American Auto Industry in Crisis." Rep. Joe Knollenberg, R-Bloomfield Hills, said the Big Three face the same problems that bankrupt automotive suppliers in his district face: high health care and pension costs, and intense global competition... the success of manufacturers like Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co., which are adding plants and workers in North America, has resonated more favorably with lawmakers outside the industrial Midwest...

Cuts - USA - Ford's fix-it plan

Up to 30,000 workers to be eliminated and at least 10 factories to close

DEARBORN,Mich.,USA -The Detroit News, by Bryce G. Hoffman -Dec 07, 2005: -- Ford Motor Co. executives will present a restructuring plan to the company's board of directors today that calls for closing at least 10 assembly and component plants and eliminating 25,000 to 30,000 hourly jobs in North America within five years, according to people familiar with the plan... The cuts would be deeper than many had expected, signaling the urgency of Chairman and CEO Bill Ford Jr.'s push to restore the automaker's ailing North American operations... Ford cannot afford for its North American factories to operate inefficiently. Over the past year, Ford's pretax profits in North America have fallen from almost $1.8 billion in the first nine months of 2004 to a loss of nearly $2.2 billion for the same period in 2005. Ford, Lincoln and Mercury's share of the domestic market has dropped to 17.4 percent, compared to 25.6 percent in 1995... (Photo: Paul Sancya / Associated Press - The fate of Ford's Wixom plant, which has been the subject of much speculation in recent months, is still up in the air.)

LATEST WORLD AUTO NEWS

* Two Ford luxury brands pull ads from gay media
DETROIT,Mich,USA -Reuters -Dec 06, 2005: Ford Motor Co.'s Jaguar and Land Rover luxury brands are pulling all advertising from gay publications, the company said on Tuesday, after facing a boycott threat from a conservative religious group... Ford declined to say how much it had spent on advertising in gay publications... Ford's: Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands have not advertised in gay media...

* Ford Adding Automatic EcoSport
USA -The Car Connection, by Fernando Calmon -6 Dec 2005: Ford will add an automatic transmission EcoSport 4x4 to its portfolio by the end of the year from its Brazilian factory... The EcoSport is built at the Camaçari, State of Bahia, plant Ford opened four years. The plant is operating at full capacity, two years ahead of schedule...

* Fuji Heavy to build Toyota cars at U.S. plant
TOKYO,Japan -Reuters -Dec 06, 2005: Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., the maker of Subaru cars, said on Tuesday it had agreed to make Toyota Motor Corp. brand cars at its factory in the Lafayette, Ind., in a widely expected move... Details such as timing and production models would be decided as soon as possible...

* Mercedes Car Group unit sales up 1.6 percent in November
FRANKFURT,Germany -Reuters -Dec 06, 2005: Unit sales at DaimlerChrysler's premium Mercedes Car Group division rose 1.6 percent in November to 105,200 vehicles as higher turnover at its core Mercedes-Benz brand offset weaker sales at its Smart unit... The Mercedes Car Group includes the Mercedes-Benz, Smart minicar and Maybach luxury limousine brands. It has forecast the number of vehicles leaving its factories will be roughly steady in 2005, while retail sales will rise...

* DaimlerChrysler to pocket US$1.8b from MTU sale
FRANKFURT, Germany -Handelsblatt -7 Dec 2005: German-auto giant DaimlerChrysler stands to gain 1.5-1.7 billion euros (1.8-2.0 billion dollars) from the sale of engine maker MTU Friedrichshafen to EQT, the financial arm of the Swedish Wallenberg group... The transaction was expected to be officially sealed next week... MTU Friedrichshafen, which makes diesel engines for ships and locomotives and last year achieved sales of 1.3 billion euros on a workforce of 6,700...

* Renault Buying Jaguar? Rumors Are Flying in Europe
BROWNS LANE, England -L'Expansion (France)/Global Auto Systems -Dec 07, 2005: A French business magazine, recently published it has evidence that Renault-Nissan is about to make an offer to Ford on buying Jaguar... The rumor it would make sense for the French carmaker. The company recent efforts on creating elite models with French flair have failed to grab the attention of customers outside France... On the other hand, Jaguar has a more recent heritage and expertise on building luxury cars. Although the company is in declining health, there's the cachet of British luxury and a very recognized name...

* 2005 UK car sales expected to fall to five-year low
London, UK -The Guardian, by Mark Milner -Dec 7, 2005: Car sales in Britain this year are set to slump to their lowest levels for five years. Last month registrations fell 7.9% to just under 158,500 cars, leaving registrations for the year to November down 5.8% at 2.28m, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said... The SMMT predicts that the year's new car market will fall below 2.5m for the first time since 2000...

* Imported vehicle sales down 3.1% in Japan
Tokyo,Japan -The Japan Times -Dec. 7, 2005: Sales of imported vehicles, including those produced by Japanese manufacturers, fell 3.1 percent in November from a year earlier to 22,045 units, an industry body said Tuesday... Volkswagen became the top-selling brand in November for the second straight month... BMW rose from third to second with an 18 percent share...

* Automakers pace S.Korea's Kospi further rise
Seoul, S.Korea -JoongAng Daily -Dec 07, 2005: Seoul's main board climbed again yesterday for its fifth consecutive gain, as the Kospi closed at 1,321.06, a rise of 5.91 points or 0.5 percent... Market experts credited automakers and related companies with leading the latest charge, noting that Hyundai Motor's winning streak has now stretched for eight days...

Shutdown - S.Korea - Ssangyong seeks to reduce inventory

SEOUL,S.Korea -Reuters -Dec 06, 2005: -- South Korean SUV maker Ssangyong Motor Co. said it may temporarily shut production to reduce inventories. Ssangyong has seen its domestic sales... Investors are also worried about a possible conflict between Ssangyong's Chinese owner, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC), and the labor unions after SAIC abruptly replaced a co-chief executive last month, citing poor first-half results... Ssangyong sold 14,017 vehicles in November, up 18 percent from a year ago, but its sales in South Korea grew only 2 percent... A Ssangyong spokesman said the union had responded negatively in initial talks with the company on a possible production shutdown. Under South Korean law, union agreement is required to completely halt operations...

Survey - USA - ATA Seeks Help With Hours of Service

USA -Truckline Express -Dec 5, 2005: -- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) conducted a cost-benefit analysis on the impact of the changes to the hours-of-service rules... In that analysis, FMCSA said that the latest change will only cost the industry approximately an additional $30 million... In order to assess FMCSA's cost number, ATA needs to know the number of team drivers. Please help us by filling out this brief survey at www.truckline.com. It is also important that all carriers participate, even those without teams. If you don't use teams, please answer questions 1 & 2 only... The survey is due to ATA by December 16th. For more information, contact Bob Costello at 703-838-1799 or bcostello@trucking.org...

CONDENSED TRUCKING NEWS

* Mack Develops Heavy Hybrids
USA -TTNews - 5 Dec 2005: -- Volvo’s Mack Trucks division stands to receive $3.5 million from the federal government to build four prototype diesel-electric hybrid vehicles for the Air Force, company officials and U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) said...

* Proposed CARB Diesel Rule Delayed
USA -TTNews - 5 Dec 2005: -- An official with the California Air Resources Board said last week owners and operators of heavy-duty diesel trucks will not be required to show proof by Jan. 1 that the vehicle’s engine meets federal emission standards for the model year in which it was manufactured...

Troubles - USA - Truckers Say Biodiesel Clogging Fuel Filters

USA - TTNews -Dec 5, 2005: -- Diesel fuel sold in Minnesota, which now requires a 2% biodiesel blend, is clogging trucks’ fuel filters, prompting some companies outside the state to tell their drivers traveling through Minnesota not to refuel in the state, a trucking official said... Diesel fuel experts cautioned that the same problem could occur wherever biodiesel is used. Biodiesel is made from soybeans or vegetable oils or fats and contains no petroleum derivatives...

Future - USA - New Orleans Sets up First Free City-Run WiFi

USA -Associated Press -Dec 5, 2005: -- In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and to help boost its stalled economy, the city of New Orleans is offering the nation's first free wireless Internet network owned and run by a major city... New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said the wiresss fidelity, or WiFi, system would benefit residents and small businesses who still can't get their Internet service restored over the city's washed out telephone network... Hundreds of similar projects in other cities have met with stiff opposition from phone and cable companies, which have poured money into legislative bills aimed at blocking competition from government agencies, including a state law in Louisiana that needed to be sidestepped for the New Orleans project...

Report - USA - Gasoline Pump Prices Keep Falling,

USA -TTNews, by Transport Topics -Dec 5, 2005: -- Gasoline pump prices continued to drop in the two weeks ended Friday, falling 11 cents to an average $2.16 a gallon for all grades, analyst Trilby Lundberg reported in her latest survey of filling stations... DOE is scheduled to release its latest diesel and gasoline retail price survey Monday afternoon...

Freights Costs - USA - FedEx Ground to Increase Rates 3.9% in 2006

Other Surcharges Also to Take Effect in January
USA -TTNews by Transport Topics - Dec 5, 2005: -- FedEx Corp. announced it will raise the standard rates for FedEx Ground services next year by an average of 3.9%... FedEx Corp. in October had announced increases in FedEx Express rates by 3.5% — a 5.5% increase offset by a 2% point reduction in its fuel surcharge. Those rates, also effective Jan. 2, apply to domestic and export packages and freight...

Rules - USA - Federal Court Orders Rewrite of Driver Training

USA -TTNews, by Transport Topics -Dec 5, 2005: -- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Friday ordered the federal government to rewrite its rule setting the standards for driver training programs... In 2004, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a rule requiring drivers with less than one year of experience to be trained in four areas – hours of service, health and wellness, medical qualifications and whistleblower protections. But the rules did not mandate any on-the-road driving experience... A coalition led by Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, and represented in court by the group Public Citizen, sued the agency arguing the federal government should have including driving training as part of its curriculum based on its research and the standards set by the industry previously...

Bankruptcy -USA - Again Car wheel maker files for

GAS CITY, Ind.,USA -DetNews/Chronicle-Tribune/Associated Press -Dec 05, 2005: -- An auto parts supplier has filed for bankruptcy for the second time in a year, citing a loss of business from General Motors Corp... Amcast Industrial Corp. expected new and continued business from GM -- the source of about 80 percent of Amcast's revenue -- after it reorganized and emerged from its first Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing last summer, according to documents filed Thursday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Indianapolis... GM officials were aware of Amcast's bankruptcy filing but would not comment on any loss of business, said Tom Hill, a spokesman for the automaker...

Investments - USA - Michigan is at the top of Toyota's plant list

Automaker interested in state's skilled workers for engine plant, but worries about its welcome - Toyota, the world's richest and second-largest automaker, is in a delicate position
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Christine Tierney -Dec 06, 2005: -- Toyota Motor Corp. manufacturing executives have scouted three sites in Michigan and will visit two more, signaling the state has emerged as a serious contender for a new engine plant... But one of the company's key concerns is how a Toyota plant in Michigan would be perceived -- as an affront to Detroit's automakers and their employees, or as a gesture to bring manufacturing jobs to a state that is losing them fast, according to people familiar with the company's deliberations... Toyota executives insist they are not the cause of the troubles besetting Detroit's automakers... But Toyota officials are keenly aware that the company generates more than half of its profit in a country whose domestic industry is losing market share and struggling financially. As the biggest foreign player in the U.S. auto market, Toyota stands out as a lightning rod for protectionist anger... (Photo, by Sancya / Associated Press: Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who met with Toyota executive vice president Akihiko Saito in April in Ann Arbor and traveled to Japan this summer, impressed Toyota officials.)

LATEST AUTO NEWS USA & EUROPE

* GM cuts tuition reimbursement for new participants
DETROIT,Mich.USA -Automotive News/Reuters -Dec 05, 2005: -- General Motors, which is grappling with high labor costs, on Monday said it plans to reduce tuition reimbursement to cover the cost of some U.S. employees graduate school study to $6,400 a year from $10,000 a year...

* German car sales to inch up in 2006, forecast says
FRANKFURT,Germany -Automotive News/Reuters -Dec 05, 2005: -- New car registrations in Germany are expected only to inch up to 3.35 million units in 2006 from around 3.32 million this year even though an impending value-added tax increase in 2007 may boost demand, Germany's VDA auto industry association said on Monday...

* French car sales slip in November
PARIS,France -Automotive News/Reuters -Dec 01, 2005: -- French new car registrations dropped 2.1 percent in November compared to a year ago, but the decline was less pronounced than a 5.8 percent drop in October, French car industry body CCFA said on Thursday...

Cargo crimes - USA - Chicago a capital for cargo thieves

In this international transport hub, criminals steal by the truckload
Chicago,Ill,USA -Chicago Tribune, by James Janega and John Bebow/Motor Vehicle Theft Intelligence Clearinghouse -Nov, 2005: -- The first of 15 stolen trailers arrived in February, loaded with $300,000 in Goodyear tires. The next month brought a $20,000 load of prescription drugs... Still more stolen goods rolled into a bogus warehouse opened by cops as a sting: Crooks brought them liquor, canned tuna, Canon copiers and hot tubs. Furniture and computer printers, cookies and car parts, all lifted by the truckload... After $60,000 in stolen sweatshirts pulled up Aug. 16, the Will County-based task force shuttered the warehouse and arrested the thieves who had filled it... Their take: $2.2 million in recovered merchandise over six months.It was a huge victory in a fight against cargo theft, a growing criminal enterprise thought to involve billions of dollars in stolen goods nationwide, millions in Chicago. But then the undercover cops in the Tri-County Auto Theft Unit went back to chasing stolen cars. Cargo theft returned to the back burner...

Sales - Turkmenistan - AvtoKrAZ to deliver 120 KrAZ-6510 trucks

Turkmenistan -AWKnowledge (UK) -Nov, 2005: -- Ukraine’s AvtoKrAZ will deliver 120 KrAZ-6510 trucks to Turkmenistan for its oil and gas industry by the end of this year... The company recently participated in the country’s exhibition ‘Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan 2005’ in Ashgabat on 8 – 11 November,...

Service - USA - New Nationwide Marketplace for Tractors, Trucks, and Trailers

Free Listings for Trucking Companies and Owner-Operators
INDIANAPOLIS,In,USA -PRNewswire -Nov. 28 2005: -- Introducing a new online marketplace for businesses, trucking companies and independent owner-operators. They can find or list on rigfinder.com heavy-duty Class 8 tractors, medium-duty trucks, and trailers that have leases that can be transferred, thereby providing a cost-effective alternative to buying or selling their equipment, or defaulting on their leases... rigfinder.com makes it possible for owners of equipment with leases to get out of the lease quickly, saving valuable time, lease payments and cash loss -- and without default. The "List a Rig" part of the web site offers a convenient tool for posting one or many rigs in just minutes. Trucking companies and owner-operators with leased rigs currently can list their equipment for free... The Find a Rig tool searches a listing of available equipment. Heavy-duty and medium-duty trucks can be searched based on the year, make, model/series and body of the equipment. Trailers can be searched based on make, model/series and body length and width...

TechnoNews - Australia - CSIRO camera to track trucks

Australia -Australian IT, by Jennifer Foreshew -NOV 2005: -- The NSW Roads and Traffic Authority has replaced its old camera system for monitoring heavy vehicles with a high-speed system developed by the CSIRO... The HYbrid MODular Processor System, created by researchers at CSIRO Manufacturing and Infrastructure Technology, has been installed at 24 sites where Safe-T-Cam cameras operate around the clock... The HYMOD technology is used to control and manage the Safe-T-Cam system, which reads the front number plates of heavy vehicles to enforce road safety rules, such as travel speed and driver fatigue requirements... The system is also used to screen vehicles at heavy vehicle checking stations...

Slow Shipments - USA - Higher Fuels Costs Putting The Brakes On Trucking Companies

Alamance County, NC,USA -WFMY News 2(Greensboro,NC) -Nov 2005</

trucks world news

About Me

Links

Previous Posts

Archives

24.12.05

Sales - USA - Pete reaches record MD sales; weighs in on upcoming trends

Suspended - USA - Truckers report biodiesel is causing some fuel filter clogs

Changes - Canada - Truck Transportation Act Soon Repealed

Highest bidder - USA - City buys garbage trucks from Auburn Hills company

AUTOS WORLD NEWS

Litigation provision - USA - States concerned about federal roof crush proposal

Settlement - USA - DC to Repair Faulty Pollution Controls

22.12.05

GreenNews - Europe - EU Seeks Stricter Pollution Limits for Cars, Trucks

TRUCKING's WORLD NEWS - Digest -

Tires - USA - Wider ones could leave mark on trucking sector

Profits - USA - Trucking Revenue Rises

End NYC Strike - USA - Union Says Members Will Return Work

Cut - USA - Freightliner Laying Off 130 Workers at Oregon Plant

Pre-Paid Legal - USA - Low Cost Plans for Commercial Truck Drivers

21.12.05

HOS - USA - Hours of Service Disputed. II

HOS - USA - Hours of Service Disputed. I

Oil - China - China, India Firms Said to Buy Oil Assets

TRUCKING's WORLD NEWS - Digest -

Technologies - Belgium - Tough 3-D Panel Process Combines

Markets - USA - Japan's Carmakers Find China's Fast Lane

Predictions - USA - Toyota's Onslaught

AUTOS WORLD NEWS

20.12.05

Paper - USA - State Illegally Licenses Nonresident Commercial Drivers

Sales - USA - November Class 8 Truck Jump 16.6%

Speed Limits - USA - Raising on Kentucky Interstates

Alternatives - USA - Developing Transportation Sector

Scholarship Program - USA - Mercedes-Benz USA Announces 2006 "DRIVE YOUR FUTURE"

Report - USA - Ford Issues Climate Change

Invention - USA - Energy That Draws Power from the Environment

AUTOS WORLD NEWS

19.12.05

Fines - USA - Cargo Security Task Force At MIA Nets $17,500 In

Opposing - Canada - Can-Am owner-ops join forces against speed limiters

Safety - USA - Eaton wins $6.7-million truck contract

Illegality - Japan - Trucks' fuel tanks changed to pass checks

Investments - India - Tata trucks drive into Pak

New Product - USA - Sterling LCF line awaits unveiling

Infraestructures - S. Korea - After 60 years, Asian superhighway getting ready to roll

Optimism - USA - Despite facing new rules, trucking industry prospers

Increase - Georgia - Volumes Of Trucking Industry Will By 21 Millions Tones

Purchases - UK - Sandwell MBC show ‘true grit’ with their first Volvo Trucks

Safety - USA - Highways getting safer for trucks

Petroleum - USA - Alaska's crude oil output hits new low, raises fiscal concerns

Technology - USA - EPA turns innovator with hydraulic hybrids

Troubles - Europe - Board rifts threaten VW's profits

AUTOS WORLD NEWS

More Changes - USA - Detroit Needs More Than Healthcare Cuts?

Danger - USA - Talking and Driving On the Rise

17.12.05

Illegality - USA - Seven Arrested In Ongoing Probe Of Driver Licenses

Fuel Alternatives - USA - Tenn. cities chosen to test cleaner fuel

Sales - USA - Olathe firm to supply de-icing trucks to China

Sales - Sweden - Scania Gets Order In New Zealand For 200 Trucks

Technology - USA - Electronic monitoring traces tractor-trailers

Delay - China - Trucks outside Beijing endure days-long traffic jam amid crackdown

Safety - USA - Seat belt use climbs in 34 states

AUTOS WORLD NEWS

16.12.05

Youth marketing - USA - Munster kids rev up GM Web site

Fuel Cells Works - USA - First Tucson Fuel Cell Vehicle to AC Transit

Deal - China - FAW, Chongqing Heavy Vehicle and Iveco to establish heavy truck joint venture

Cuts - Germany - MAN truck unit threatens to transfer more jobs abroad than planned

Purchasing - Uganda - Cleaning firm to buy sh180m garbage trucks

Production - India - MAN AG Invest in India to begin in 2006

Tests - Sweden - Volvo Trucks go-ahead for tests with drunk drivers

Security - USA - Combining technologies to revolutionize transport

Overloaded - China - Beijing expressway limits vehicles

Profits - USA - High demand delivering strong gains for rail, trucking firms

Truck Stops - USA - New rules would cut braking distance

Costs - USA - ATA Raises 2004, 2005 Diesel Cost Estimates

Fatal-Crash Rate - USA - Large Trucks Falls to Record Low