Trucks World News: March 2006

New Rules - Australia - Operators confused by IR changes

Australia -Supply Chain Review -29 Mar 2006 -- The Federal Government's brave new world of industrial relations could prove another administrative headache for trucking operators as they struggle to understand the changes... Sweeping changes to how employers contract staff came into effect on Monday as part of the Government's extensive IR reforms... Early excitement from employers over reform to unfair dismissal laws and greater flexibility in employment contracts has now been tempered by the complexity of new employment and agreement-making conditions... Employers under the federal system will remain but are subject to a range of new law dictating how they reach agreement with employees over conditions. And corporations using state awards face a complex transition into the federal system (unincorporated smaller operators can continue to operate in the state system for the medium term)... Those employing under individual agreements must adhere to strict provisions, with hefty fines for non-compliance...

After Wreck - USA - Trucking Industry Under Scrutiny

Denison,TX,USA -KTEN, by Chelsea Hover -Mar 29, 2006: -- Now, aspects of the trucking industry are brought into question... Experts and safety advocates say shriking government regulations and the growing political clout of trucking companies are putting americans at risk... Experts and safety advocates say shriking government regulations and the growing political clout of trucking companies are putting americans at risk... Now studies tell us more than 5,000 Americans die each year in accidents involving large trucks...

TechnoNews - USA - Hy-Drive's new Hydrogen Generating System

Trucking professionals begin adopting (HGS) system to help manage soaring fuel costs while reducing emissions

MISSISSAUGA,ON,Canada -Canada NewsWire (press release) -March 29, 2006: -- Hy-Drive Technologies Ltd. ("Hy-Drive") today announced that its participation in the Mid America
Trucking Show... The company showcased its new G2 hydrogen generating system (HGS) in the show representing more than 75,000 trucking professionals from all 50 states and 43 international countries... Hy-Drive's G2 system works by injecting small amounts of hydrogen gas into the combustion chamber of a regular internal combustion engine. This creates an enriched air mixture and a more complete and faster burn which results in reduced emissions, improved fuel efficiency and more engine torque...

System - USA - Scan 100 percent of seagoing containers for security threats

NORFOLK, Va.,USA -TMCnet (USA) -Mar 29, 2006: -- A port terminal in Hong Kong scans 100 percent of incoming containers while trucks drive through the scanners, an official with the company that makes the systems told the Virginia Port Authority board of commissioners... More than 300 trucks an hour, moving at 10 mph, are scanned by both image readers and radiation scanners, said Terry G. Gibson, a vice president with San Diego-based Science Applications International Corp...

Fuel economy - USA - Is toughened for 2008-11 trucks

Baltimore,Mar.,USA -Automotive News, by Harry Stoffer -March 29, 2006: -- It's official: Automakers must increase average light-truck fuel economy by more than 10 percent over the next five years... The Bush administration adopted regulations that establish light-truck fuel economy standards for the 2008-11 model years... By the end of that period, trucks must average about 24 mpg.The standard for 2006 is 21.6 mpg; and for 2007, 22.2 mpg. Those levels were set in early 2003. The car standard remains at 27.5 mpg...

USA - Trucks Allowed to Park on Streets

WTWO - Indianapolis,IN,USA 3/28/2006: -- City leaders in Brazil are trying to come to grips with semi truck trailers... A proposed ordinance would prohibit trailers from parking along city streets, but Mayor Tom Arthur vetoed that plan... He said it needed some clarifications. So, the City Council met tonight to possibly override the Mayor`s veto... But when it came up for a vote, none of the Council members decided to override the veto... So, trailers will be permitted to park along Brazil streets... But Council members plan to present new language at the next meeting, to clarify length and height of trailers, and the types of trailers affected by the ordinance...

Products - USA - Dana introduces new limited-slip axle and drive axle gearing

LOUISVILLE, Ky.,USA -Truck News (Toronto,ON,Canada), by Steven Macleod -28 Mar 2006: -- Dana Corporation announced during the Mid-America Trucking Show an expanded line of limited-slip differentials for medium-duty single and tandem axles, and a new heavy-duty drive axle gear system as a production shipment option... The Dana Spicer limited-slip differentials are aimed to provide better traction for vehicles encountering rain, ice, snow, sand, mud and excessive grades...

Fell - USA - Group reports drop in trucking shipments

Washington,DC,USA -Associated Press, by BRAD FOSS -Mar. 28, 2006: -- U.S. trucking industry shipments declined in February for the first time in five months, a trade group said Tuesday... The American Trucking Associations said in a monthly report that its seasonally adjusted truck tonnage index fell by 2.5 percent in February versus the previous month...

Answer - Canada - Questions on biodiesel

Before making it mandatory for trucking

REGINA, Sask.,Canada -Canadian Transportation & Logistics (Toronto,Ontario), by Julia Kuzeljevich -28 Mar 2006: -- The impact of biodiesel on post-2002 truck engines, the fuel's widespread availability and its benefits versus the gains already made by the trucking industry when it comes to cleaner burning engines and fuels should all be examined more closely before governments opt to make biodiesel mandatory for trucks in Canada, said the Canadian Trucking Alliance to a working group on renewable fuels this week...

TechnoNews - USA - Bendix developing adaptive cruise control system

LOUISVILLE, Ky.,USA -Truck News, by James Menzies -28 Dec 2006: -- Bendix and Knorr-Bremse are working with Robert Bosch GmbH to develop driver assistance systems such as adaptive cruise control (ACC)... Bosch is providing components and expertise surrounding its radar technology to Bendix and Knorr-Bremse, which will then adapt and develop the technology for use in commercial vehicles, Bendix officials announced at the Mid-America Trucking Show...

Declination - USA - Group reports trucking industry slowdown

Washington,DC,USA -The Associated Press, by BRAD FOSS -MAR. 28, 2006: -- U.S. trucking industry shipments declined in February for the first time in five months, a trade group said Tuesday... The American Trucking Associations said in a monthly report that its seasonally adjusted truck tonnage index fell by 2.5 percent in February versus the previous month...

Rewards - USA - Trucking coalition against thievery

Phoenix,AZ,USA -The Arizona Republic, by Jane Larson -Mar. 28, 2006: -- Valley trucking companies are banding together to fight what they say is the rising theft of shipping containers and chassis... Five companies, including Swift Transportation Co. Inc., Knight Transportation Inc. and Duncan and Sons Lines Inc., have begun keeping a joint database of missing containers and chassis and offering rewards for their recovery... The efforts also have led to the recovery of about 50 containers and chassis. The companies have paid more than $4,250 in rewards, mostly in the $100 to $250 range...

Comments - Canada - OTA on New York's long-term Transportation Plan

Toronto,Ont,Canada -Todays' Trucking News (USA) -28 Mar 2006: -- Truck-bound Ontario-N.Y. trade is worth $15 billion a year and 94 percent of total of all trade between the two jurisdictions is moved by truck... Ontario carriers have weighed in on New York State's Transportation Plan for 2030, advising transport officials to focus on trade corridors and other system improvements... The Ontario Trucking Association was recently invited to provide input into the transportation plan, which highlights the current and future importance of the trucking industry to the New York economy, surrounding states, as well as north eastern Canadian provinces...

Development - Azerbaijan - Meeting on Motor Trucking

Baku,Azerbaijan -AzerTag -March 28, 2006: -- A meeting dedicated to the development of the motor freight trucking between Azerbaijan and Russia was held in Baku... The meeting focused on the analysis of the state of motor trucking and its development prospects, Ministry of Transport reported...

Expects - USA - Freightliner to make fewer trucks in '07

USA - eTrucker, by Linda Longton -28 Mar 2006: -- Freightliner’s Class 8 factories are preparing for a 40 percent to 50 percent decrease in output in 2007... That anticipated drop will come on the heels of two banner years in North American Class 8 truck sales... Those record sales have been prompted by a strong economy and customers’ desire to avoid pricey 2007 low-emissions engines, which Freightliner expects will run between $7,000 and $10,000 for heavy-duty models... But as long as the economy continues moderate growth and fuel prices don’t spike to post-Katrina levels, “we think by 2008 normal market conditions will prevail,” Roger Nielsen, chief operating officer of Freightliner LLC, said...

* Freightliner announces 2007 pricing
LOUISVILLE, Ky.,USA -Truck News(Toronto,ON,Canada), by James Menzies -28 Mar 2006: -- Freightliner is the latest truck manufacturer to announce its 2007 pricing plans, citing an upcharge of US$4,500-$6,000 on medium-duty trucks and US$7,000-$10,000 for heavy-duty tractors... Freightliner president and CEO Chris Patterson made the announcement at the Mid-America Trucking Show. The upcharges announced apply to Freightliner trucks equipped with Detroit Diesel and MBE-Series engines...

* Freightliner offers industry's first rack and pinion steering system

LOUISVILLE, Ky.,USA -Truck News (Toronto,ON,Canada), by James Menzies -28 Mar 2006: -- Freightliner has announced it will be the first to offer rack and pinion steering on heavy-duty trucks... The company made the announcement that rack and pinion steering will be available on the Century Class S/T, Coronado, Columbia, Classic and Classix XL models, at the Mid-America Trucking Show... Availability will begin later this year, the company said...

Contamination - USA - Trucks dump tainted soil

Newington,NH,USA -Portsmouth Herald News (Portsmouth,NH), by By Lisa Tetrault-Zhe -28 Mar 2006: -- A letter that selectmen were supposed to send to the state in an effort to prevent contaminated soil from being returned to the Spaulding Turnpike median was never sent out, to the chagrin of two members of the town’s Conservation Commission... According to Cos Iocovozzi, the selectmen’s representative to the conservation commission, the letter was never signed and sent to the state because he needed more information... But the state stands behind its decision to move the soil back to the site it originally came from last November... (Photo by Jackie Ricciardi: Dump trucks unload soil along the Spaulding Turnpike in Newington Monday, dismaying town officials who oppose the move)

Orders Surge - Germany - MAN AG first two months

2006 Profit Growth Seen

Germany -Bloomberg -March 28, 2006: -- MAN AG, Europe's third-largest truckmaker, said orders in its main business surged 39 percent in the first two months of 2006 and predicted a "significant'' increase in the unit's full-year profit... New orders in January and February rose to 1.6 billion euros ($1.92 billion), Anton Weinmann, head of the truck and bus division, said.. The unit increased 2005 earnings before interest and taxes 46 percent to an all-time high of 469 million euros...

Troubles - Rep Moldova - Trucks and trainloads blocked at border between Ukraine and Russia

Chisinau,Rep Moldova -Moldova.org (Falls Church,VA,USA) -28 Mar 2006: -- About 200 trainloads and trucks with Moldovan wines that should arrive in the Russian Federation are blocked at the customs offices between Ukraine and Russia, after Moscow has restricted the imports from Moldova... The sanitary service of Russia, Rospotrebnadzor, has ordered the suspension of wine imports from Moldova and Georgia, starting March 27, saying that they contain too many pesticides and metals and harm consumers... The Russian newspaper Kommersant quoted experts as saying that Moscow’s sanctions have a political nature. "We have been importing wines from Moldova for ten years and we had never had problems related to their quality," said the chairman of the Russian company Vinny Mir Holding, a leading importer of Moldovan wines...

Troubles - Canada - More trucks=lost jobs, group says

B.C., Canada -Ladysmith Chronicle -Mar 28, 2006: -- Joanna Dudley from the Youbou Timberless Society (YTS), changes the tally as another logging truck is spotted on the highway. The YTS says logs are being exported at the expense of local sawmilling jobs... Over four days from 6:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., YTS members counted slightly less than 1,000 trucks... Another tally done at “the hump” near Port Alberi the same four days totalled just over 300 trucks... (Photo: Andrew Topf)

Purchases - South Africa - Harare goes trucks and car shopping

Johannesburg,South Africa -News24/Zimbabwe's Herald -28 Mar 2006: -- Harare city council plans to splash out 1.45 trillion Zimbabwean dollars (R91.9m) to buy 329 sedans and pick-up trucks for its managers and field staff... Its website said the purchase would be made with money the city intended borrowing from open markets... About 1,1 trillion Zimbabwean dollars would be used to buy 183 one-ton trucks, at an average cost of 6 billion Zimbabwean dollars apiece... Another 42 billion Zimbabwean dollars would go towards the purchase of 90 sedans going for 3,6 billion Zimbabwean dollars each...

Purchase - UK - Fraikin Furnishes Toons With New Trucks

UK - Transport News Network -27 Mar 2006: -- Swadlincote-based Toons Furnishers has renewed its contract hire agreement with Fraikin for the supply of two 7.5 tonners, each finished in the company's distinctive blue livery... Provided on a five-year full service contract hire agreement, the two DAF LF45's replace two Iveco Cargos previously supplied by Fraikin, and join a fleet of panel vans used for domestic deliveries across the Midlands...

Prognosis - USA - Local fleets look at hybrid trucks

HENRIETTA,NY,USA -Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester,NY), by Misty Edgecomb -March 27 2006: -- In the next decade, hybrid engines could be installed in garbage trucks, school buses and delivery trucks, drastically reducing pollution from diesel engines idling all over America... On Friday, nearly 60 local business and government leaders attended a forum to learn more about the developing technologies that may soon change the transportation sector... The forum, sponsored by Genesee Region Clean Cities Coalition, showcased a prototype hybrid diesel-electric utility truck, which may be on the market by 2009...

Purchase - UK - Renault Trucks & Pollock Rekindle Auld Alliance

UK -Transport News Network -27 Mar 2006: -- Pollock (Scotrans) Ltd., one of Scotland's major hauliers, has kept to its policy of buying top of the range trucks with the addition of two new Renault Magnums to its 130 strong fleet... The new 6x2 Renault Magnum 480s are the first to run in Scotland and have Pollock's distinctive turquoise and red livery. In keeping with company tradition, they have been given individual clan tartans and named Auld Alliance and Fleur de Ecosse...

Jobs - USA - Schneider National to add 350 workers

Green Bay,WI,USA -WBAY -27 Mar 2006: -- A trucking company in Green Bay has announced plans to hire 350 drivers and office workers because of growth in its business... An official with Schneider National Incorporated says the firm is looking for 125 drivers in each of the Milwaukee and Green Bay areas, plus another 100 office workers in Green Bay... Spokeswoman Janet Bonkowski says the hiring follows the company's recent acquisitions of American Port Services and American Overseas Air Freight... Schneider National is a privately held company and employs 22-thousand people worldwide...

Brave - USA - Goodyear Highway Hero saves one of his own

LOUISVILLE, Ky.,USA -Today's Trucking News -27 Mar 2006: -- Alabama truck driver Douglas Crawford was instrumental in saving the life of a fellow truck driver involved in a three-vehicle accident last summer... As a result of his actions, Crawford, a driver for Saia Motor Freight Lines Inc., was named as the 23rd Goodyear North America Highway Hero at a ceremony at the Mid-America Trucking Show... Traveling southbound on Interstate 85 in Coweta County, Ga., Crawford said he watched the accident unfold. What he didn't see was a hit-and-run truck driver allegedly rear-end a Roadway truck, causing the driver to lose control and cross the grass median into the northbound lanes...

Jobs - Canada - Sterling Back to Work

‘... injection of not just capital but confidence’

St. Thomas,Canada -St. Thomas Times/Journal, by Ian McCallum -March 27, 2006: -- After 16 days of walking picket lines, nearly 2,100 Sterling truck employees put down their strike signs and returned to the production line beginning with the midnight shift Sunday... In addition to ratifying “an excellent collective agreement,” members of CAW Local 1001 will see production at the South Edgeware Road plant ramp up by more than five per cent before the end of the year … the result of an “injection of not just capital but of confidence.”... The contract, overwhelmingly approved Saturday at Centennial Hall in London, Ont., includes a wage increase of slightly more than eight per cent over the life of the three-year pact... More than 1,400 employees cast ballots with 92 per cent of production workers and 95 per cent of skilled trade workers voting in favour of the deal...

Truck Accidents - USA - ATA official questions FMCSA report

Louisville, Ky.,USA -Trucks World -24 Mar 2006: -- An official of the American Trucking Associations took issue with a new study released March 24 that shows driver behaviors, not other factors, cause a majority of wrecks and that 56 percent are the fault of four-wheeler drivers than those driving large trucks... The study was released March 24 by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration... Mike Russell, vice president of public affairs at ATA said the recent data from the American Automobile Association showed that in fatal accidents involving big trucks and cars, 75 percent were the fault of the car and that a 1999 FMCSA study showed that 71 percent were caused by the cars...

Product - Canada - You will like this Cargo van

Euro-chic Sprinter: from the whooo-she to the sheer practicality

Vancouver,British Columbia,Canada -Vancouver Sun (subscription)/Canadian Press, by Angela Forgeron -Mar 24, 2006: -- More than a year-and-a-half ago, I first drove the Sprinter -- an energetic cargo van lofty enough for a person more than six-feet-tall to stand upright and enough floor area to move the contents of a condo in two swift trips... This time, I didn't plan to move the contents of a house -- I just wanted to drive it. But, as it must be with those who own trucks, when friends get wind of the fact that you have a big vehicle, things suddenly need to be transferred, bought and/or delivered... (Photo by : Peter Redman, The National Post)

Products - USA - Cat sticks with ACERT for 2007 engines

USA -eTrucker -24 Mar 2006: -- Caterpillar’s line of medium- and heavy-duty engines – the C7, C9, C13 and C15 – will continue to rely on its ACERT technology to meet 2007 emissions standards and will be available beginning in the fourth quarter of 2006, the company said at the Mid-America Trucking Show...

Shares down - USA - Trucking firms applying brakes

New York,NY,USA -Bloomberg News -Mar 24, 2006: -- Shares of trucking companies got stuck in reverse Thursday after the price of oil surged and the nation's largest trucker revised sharply downward its first-quarter profit outlook... The Dow Jones transportation average dropped from a record high, plunging 91.68 points, or 2 percent, to 4523.26, its biggest fall since June... Shares of YRC Worldwide Inc., formerly known as Yellow Roadway Corp., tumbled nearly 15 percent... Swift Transportation Co., the nation's second-biggest trucking company by sales, fell $1.05, or 4.6 percent, to $21.92... J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., the third largest, declined 99 cents, or 4.3 percent, to $22.04... Ryder System Inc., the nation's largest truck-leasing company, lost $1.35, to $44.56... Andrew West, an equity analyst at Standard & Poor's, said it's not yet clear whether the issues YRC blamed in cutting its forecast signal a slowing for other freight haulers or are unique to the company... "It could very well be that there is a little bit of each"...

Products - USA - Kenworth’s new T660 to offer anti-idle system

USA -eTrucker -24 Mar 2006: -- Kenworth Truck Co. unveiled the Kenworth T660, at the Mid-America Trucking Show... The truck will offer several new systems and options, including improved seating and headlamps and options for in-cab navigation and the Clean Power System, an anti-idling system that uses alternator current while the engine is operating to charge a power pack that powers cooling, heating and hotel-load 110-volt electric power when the truck is parked...

Negligent - Australia - Trucking firm fined $130,000

Melbourne,Victoria,Australia -The Age, by Daniella Miletic -Mar 25, 2006: -- A trucking company that admitted it placed lives at risk by allowing a fatigued driver to work has been fined $130,000... The driver, Brett Leo Foster, killed four people when he ploughed into their cars in country Victoria. Foster had smoked marijuana, was fatigued and had been driving for 17 of 24 hours when his truck smashed into a row of stationary vehicles on the Murray Valley Highway on October 15, 2001. He was jailed for at least 6½ years after pleading guilty to four charges of culpable driving in 2002...

Products - USA - International unveils long-awaited flagship ProStar truck

LOUISVILLE, Ky.,USA -Today's Trucking -24 Mar 2006: -- A year after first announcing it had a new flagship highway tractor under its tent, International Truck & Engine finally unveiled, literally, the new ProStar Series trucks at the Mid-America Trucking Show... The series is a result of five years and $300 million in development, including the continuous collaboration of dealer and customer advisory boards...

Plenty of Texans are anxiously awaiting corridor impact draft

Austin,TX,USA San Antonio Express News(S.A.,TX,USA - subscription) -23 Mar 2006: -- Doug Booher may be one of the Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) most closely watched employees these days because a document he's preparing — that TxDOT said would be released last January — is still under wraps, and he says that it will remain that way for at least "the next few weeks."... The environmental manager of TxDOT's Turnpike Authority Division, Booher says that a draft of the environmental impact study of TTC-35, the first leg of the massive Trans Texas Corridor, is still a work in progress... But he understands why so many Texans are so interested in it, since what it will reveal could profoundly affect so many of them... After multiple public hearings are held, a final environmental impact statement will be prepared, specifying a route, and submitted for federal approval...

Requirements - Canada - Port Introduces New Standards for Container Trucks Licensing

Changes will address traffic, safety and environment

Vancouver,Canada -CNW -March 23, 2006: -- Beginning March 27, the Vancouver Port Authority will introduce new and stronger requirements to its mandatory Truck Licensing System... These will include more rigorous safety, security and environmental standards that will apply to all container trucks and container truck operations at Lower Mainland ports...

Markets - USA - Navistar CEO says '06 truck orders incredibly strong

Louisville, Ky,USA -Reutersm, by James B. Kelleher -Mar 23, 2006: -- Navistar International Corp., the Warrenville, Illinois-based truck manufacturer, said on Wednesday it is experiencing a spike in orders for heavy-duty trucks as customers rush to buy equipment before tough new U.S. emissions laws take effect... Chief Executive and President Daniel Ustian said Navistar was seeing a surge in so-called "prebuying" by fleet operators worried about the cost and reliability of the engines being introduced to comply with the stringent clean air rules that take effect in 2007...

Products - USA - Volvo unveils two new mid-roof sleeper trucks

LOUISVILLE, Ky.,.USA -Today's Trucking -23 Mar 2006: -- Volvo Trucks North America has added two new sleeper truck options to its product line for the premium owner operator market... The Volvo VT 830 and the Volvo VN 730 mid-roof tractors provide application-focused alternatives for customers who want the same large sleeper and premium level of features and benefits already found, but with a lower roof height, the company introduced the vehicles at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville...

Idiotic - Irish - Plan for the Heavy Goods Vehicle management for Dublin

IRHA's Quinn: "absolutely Idiotic"

-Irish - Transport News Network (UK) -23 Mar 2006: -- Irish Transport Minister Martin Cullen is ready to ban so-called super-trucks from entering the country, when the Dublin Port Tunnel finally opens in the summer... Cullen has said the extra-large trucks will not be allowed into the country when the Dublin Port Tunnel comes into operation, but his comments have been described as "idiotic" by the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) who have campaigned for the height restriction at the tunnel to be increased to 4.9 metres to accommodate the 900 over-size vehicles that enter Dublin Port every day...

Drivers' lack - USA - RCC revives trucking program

Pared-down program makes a comeback at RCC’s Table Rock Campus

WHITE CITY,Medford,OR,USA -Mail Tribune, by GREG STILES -22 Mar 2006: -- Sherman Brothers Trucking of Harrisburg hires a couple hundred drivers a year to keep its 330 big rigs on the road... "But it’s not enough," concedes Sherman Brothers driver services manager Chris Rice... Rogue Community College trained hundreds of drivers from fall 1994 until soaring costs and funding cuts ended classes in the summer of 2003. Now RCC is reviving the program at its Table Rock Campus... (Photo: Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli: Trucks lined up outside of Rogue Community College’s White City Facility. A shortage of qualified truck drivers has sparked renewed interest in truck-driving courses now offered at RCC)

Biodiesel - USA - This Fuel May Not Be the Answer

Canadian Trucking Alliance Says

Saskatoon,Saskatchewan,Canada -Saskatoonhomepage.ca, by Jim Mattern -22 Mar 2006: -- The Canadian Trucking Alliance says the federal government should look more closely at alternatives before imposing biodiesel fuel on the trucking industry... Stephen Laskowski the Vice President of Economics and Environmental Affairs, says the industry, would like the government to look at providing more electrified rest areas for truckers so they could plug in heating or cooling units rather than run their trucks... and Ottawa could also consider increasing weight allowances for the installation of such units, and remove length penalties for trucks and tractors which would allow the use of scoops to make the units more aerodynamic... says making biodiesel mandatory doesn't make sense when it is still an unproven fuel, that may do more harm than good to new, low polluting truck engines...

Acquisition - USA - Stallion Enters Heavy Hauling Market

Houston,TX,USA -Business Wire -Mar 22, 2006: -- Stallion Oilfield Services Ltd. is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of Oilfield Heavy Haulers LLC, a trucking company based in Louisiana... Oilfield Heavy Haulers provides heavy-duty rig trucking and heavy hauling services to the oilfield. Their assets include a fleet of cranes, rig-hauling trucks, trailers and loaders specifically designed for the oil and gas industry...

Proposed Increases - Australia - Cattle council relieved higher truck charges rejected

Australia -ABC Online -Mar 23, 2006: -- The Cattle Council of Australia says a decision to quash proposed increases in heavy vehicle charges will mean massive savings for the nation's $11 billion livestock industry... The National Transport Commission wanted to increase registrations for B-double trucks by 37 per cent and for road trains by 35 per cent... Cattle Council president Bill Bray says the proposal would have meant additional costs for producers, but transport ministers have rejected it...

Products - USA - Delphi introduces new satellite radio for heavy-duty market

TROY, Mich.,USA -Truck News, by Adam Ledlow -22 Mar 2006: -- Using research and feedback from commercial vehicle users, Delphi has introduced a new satellite radio for the heavy-duty market. The new premium CD/MP3 radio has an integrated satellite receiver which Delphi says features robust, digital-quality audio at a competitive cost.

Products - USA - Peterbilt Unveils New Lineup

LOUISVILLE, Ky.USA -Layover -Mar 22, 2006: -- Peterbilt Motors Company introduced an all-new product lineup - featuring new vehicles specifically designed for the aero, traditional, vocational and medium duty markets - during its press conference at the Mid-America Trucking Show... The new lineup is the result of the largest product development investment in the nearly 70-year history of the company...

Products - USA - Cummins announces 2007 heavy-duty ratings

Louisville, KY.,USA -Fleet Owner, by David Cullen -Mar 22, 2006: -- Cummins Inc. announced the ’07 ratings for its heavy-duty ISX and ISM diesel engines here yesterday ahead of the Mid-America Trucking Show... The engine maker said a full lineup of ratings will be available for these engines and specifically introduced three new ratings: * ISX 425 SmartTorque (ST) - * ISX 485 SmartTorque (ST)...

Technology - USA - Keeps Trucks Moving Through Storm

Werner Relies On Satellites, Scenarios To Navigate Weather

OMAHA, Neb.,USA -KETV -Mar 22, 2006: -- A double-punch snowstorm Sunday and Monday in Nebraska landed more than a few hits on area trucking companies... Werner Enterprises used technology and experience to keep crews moving. Across Nebraska, trucking companies scrambled to reroute loads and keep tabs on drivers socked by the storm... The company uses satellite communications and a new tracking system. One of the high-tech devices the company utilizes is a global positioning system computer network. With it, managers can see the position of every truck on the road at any given time...

Free Ride - USA - Could Soon Be Over For Delivery Trucks

New York,NY,USA -NY1 -Mar 22, 2006: -- The police commissioner wants to put a stop to the city's policy of letting delivery trucks park wherever they want for hours at a time... Ray Kelly said that the city should make commercial truck drivers pay if they are double parked for more than three hours...

Markets - USA - No rush to buy trucks ahead of EPA rule

LOUISVILLE, KY.,USA -Reuters -Mar 22, 2006: -- Truck manufacturer Paccar Inc., has seen no evidence that buyers are rushing to place orders ahead of tough new emission rules on diesel engines that take effect in 2007... Predictions of a so-called "prebuy" rush has so far failed to materialize, Paccar Vice President Bob Christensen said at the Mid-America Trucking Show here... Because the new engines run hotter than current diesels, Kenworth lengthened the T660 by two inches and expanded the grill area by 5 percent to accommodate the beefed up cooling system the engines require...

Calls - Australia - To withdraw ministers' control over truck rego

Australia -ABC Online -21 Mar 2006: -- The rail industry wants decisions on truck registration costs to be taken away from transport ministers, after they rejected a plan to increase charges on large vehicles... The trucking industry says it could not afford the proposed 37 per cent increase in rego costs for B-doubles and road trains, and a 10 per cent rise in fuel taxes for heavy trucks... But the rail industry says only 2 per cent of trucking operators will benefit... Brian Nye from the Australasian Railway Association says there still needs to be fundamental reform of road and rail pricing...

Campaign - Australia - Trucking celebrates pricing win; still work to be done

Australia -Supply Chain Review -21 Mar 2006: -- The decision by governments to reject massive increases in operating costs for the heaviest vehicles is a step towards continued efficiency and productivity, Australian Trucking Association (ATA) Chief Executive Stuart St Clair says... it's an acknowledgement of trucking's role in continued economic success... He says the decision is a result of a substantial industry campaign... Road train operators would have been slugged an extra $7,000 per truck per year under the proposed changes, according to the Australian Road Train Association (ARTA)...

New Brand name - USA - International re-brands engine lineup

USA -Fleet Owner (subscription), by Sean Kilcarr -Mar 21, 2006: -- International Truck & Engine Corp. is tagging its engine families with a new brand name: MaxxForce... Starting in 2007, all of the OEM’s on-highway engines, from its light-duty units through the new 11- and 13-liter heavy-duty products built in partnership with German engine maker MAN, will bear the MaxxForce logo...

Troubles - Canada - Sterling, St. Thomas plant, with close to 2,100 hourly employees

CAW to meet tomorrow

St. Thomas,Canada -St. Thomas Times/Journal, by Ian McCallum -21 Mar 2006: -- An end to the stalemate at Sterling Truck may be just down the road... The St. Thomas plant, with close to 2,100 hourly employees, produces the Sterling HX heavy-duty truck and the Acterra medium-duty truck, and Laverty indicated a commitment to future production of those two models remains “a key piece to this settlement” in addition to outstanding economic considerations...

Allowing - USA - Doyle signs bill letting some trucks carry heavier loads

MADISON, Wis.,USA- Associated Press/Duluth News Tribune (Duluth,MN), by RYAN J. FOLEY -Mar. 21, 2006: -- Gov. Jim Doyle signed a bill into law Tuesday allowing trucks to carry heavier loads of commodities year round despite warnings that it will cause damage to roads and bridges... The law will allow trucks carrying raw forest products and fruits and vegetables to transport up to 98,000 pounds. Current law allows them to carry that amount during four months of the year but caps it at 90,000 pounds for the remaining eight months...

Stake - Sweden - Volvo buys 13% of Nissan trucks

Nissan Diesel expects 32.5bn yen of profits this year

Sweden -BBC News (UK) -21 Mar 2006: -- Volvo has bought a 13% stake in Japanese truck maker Nissan Diesel for 1.5bn Swedish kronor ($195m; £111m)... The deal will make Volvo the biggest shareholder in Nissan Diesel and strengthen the Swedish firm's presence in East Asia... Nissan Diesel already have close ties as both are affiliated to Renault... French firm Renault owns 44% of Nissan and about 20% of Volvo... Renault sold its truck division to Volvo in 2001...

Certification - USA - Trucks Register With E-Manifest

Folsom,CA,USA -Government Technology -Mar 21, 2006: -- The number of companies certified to file electronic manifests (e-Manifests) with U.S. Customs and Border Protection via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) tripled in the last week of February, from 41 to 126 companies... There are currently 113 truck carriers and 15 service bureaus certified to use EDI to file e-Manifests... The e-Manifest capability is available to truck carriers at all ports using the Automated Commercial Environment , new technology designed to enhance national border security and expedite lawful trade...

Recall - New Zealand - Safety inspection ordered on hundreds of Ford trucks

Wellington,New Zealand -Radio New Zealand -20 Mar 2006: -- The Land Transport Safety Authority is telling hundreds of drivers of heavy Ford vehicles to stop driving them immediately, and put them though a safety check... An investigation into a Southland school bus crash two weeks ago has revealed it was caused by a broken steering component, that had been cracked for some time... Spokesman Andy Knackstedt says more than 2,000 vehicles are affected, including buses, trucks and motor homes... He says most will be fine but the bus crash highlights the importance of having the inspection...

TechnoNews - USA - FLIR launches night vision for trucks

USA -eTrucker, by Lance Orr -20 Mar 2006: -- FLIR Systems is launching the PathFindIR thermal imaging module at the Mid-America Trucking Show... The PathFindIR module reduces nighttime operating risks for trucks and other commercial vehicles. It uses the same thermal imaging technology used by the U.S. military... The imager creates real-time video by detecting subtle differences in temperature, which the driver views from the in-cab display. In thermal imaging, warm objects appear white and cool objects appear black. This allows vehicle operators to see more than five times farther than with headlights alone...

Ban - Pakistan - On import of old buses, trucks sought

Islamabad,Lahore,Pakistan -Daily Times -Mar 21, 2006: -- Manufacturers of trucks and other heavy duty vehicles demanded of the government to impose a ban on the import of old buses and trucks... They claimed that majority of these vehicles were over 16 years old. They also demanded imposition of an ban on illegal conversion of trucks into other heavy duty vehicles... Registration of such vehicles with provincial governments should be stopped immediately, they added...

Increases - USA - Commercial truck prices rising

New rules that take effect Jan. 1 will require heavy-duty vehicles to run on cleaner diesel fuel

Washington,DC,USA -The Detroit News, by David Shepardson -Mar 20, 2006: -- Commercial truck and bus manufacturers are experiencing a sales bonanza that may last until they introduce next year's models, when new EPA regulations will cause the prices of the vehicles to soar... With the pending price jump expected, many are rushing to buy this year's models, which don't have to meet the higher standards... Last year, truck makers saw sales jump by 29 percent in North America to a record 415,000 heavy-duty commercial trucks, buses and related vehicles... The spike in prices is much higher than what the EPA suggested in 2000, when it announced the vehicles would have to adjust to a cleaner diesel fuel. At the time, it anticipated truck and bus prices would rise by $1,200 to $1,900 per vehicle. Even adjusted for inflation, the estimates were less than half the average price increases...

Production - USA - BorgWarner Expands China Operations

To Support Growing Asian Demand for Leading Powertrain Technology

Auburn Hills, Mich.,USA -PRNewswire -Mar 20, 2006: -- BorgWarner has opened a new operation in Ningbo, China for the assembly of turbochargers and transmission solenoids... A new office building there houses employees of BorgWarner Turbo & Emissions Systems, BorgWarner Morse TEC and BorgWarner Transmission Systems, as well as a Shared Services group of finance, information technology and human resources professionals who will support all of BorgWarner's business units in China...

Opinion - India - Dubai's dominance: What it implies

USA -TMCnet/The Times of India -Mar 18, 2006: -- I am amazed at the paranoia and quasi-racism of the uproar in the US over the takeover of six port terminals in that country by DP World (aka Dubai Ports). P&O of Britain has traditionally run the terminals. When Dubai Ports acquired P&O, control of the six terminals also changed hands... Americans viewed British control as uncontroversial, but are now outraged by Arab control. They say their objections are based not on racist but security grounds: some of the 9/11 hijackers were Dubai citizens... I fail to see the logic of this. It is like forbidding German takeovers of US companies because Hitler was a German citizen. Besides, security at ports is under the control of US authorities, not the terminal operator...

DRIVERS' LACK - USA

* Waterloo Area trucking companies addressing driver shortageWaterloo,IA,USA -Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, by RC BALABAN -Mar 19, 2006: -- Gene Zimmerman thinks it might be a lack of dedication... Clayton Fisk says it is a case of demand outstripping supply... The American Trucking Association says part of it is a rapidly aging work force... Whatever the reason or combination of reasons, it doesn't change that the trucking industry is facing a shortage of drivers, and the problem is expected to get worse...

* Connecticut, other states face shortage of long-haul truckers
NEW HAVEN, Conn.,USA -AP/Newsday (Long Island,NY) -Mar 19, 2006: -- The long-haul trucking industry is attracting fewer drivers in Connecticut and nationwide, where companies are turning to recruitment events and other tactics to find new employees... Companies nationwide and in Connecticut are holding more recruitment fairs and other events in hopes of attracting new big-rig drivers... The national trucking group is trying to draw more people ages 23 to 35, along with Hispanics, women, military veterans and baby boomers retiring from other industries...

* Trucking group supports bill to put vets into jobs
USA -eTrucker, by Steven Mackay -19 Mar 2006: -- The American Trucking Associations has thrown its support behind a bill designed to ease the transition of military veterans as they move into civilian jobs... The Veterans Employment Training Act of 2006 would add trucking to the list of industry sectors for which servicemen and women moving to the civilian job market could receive expedited financial aid... Under the current Montgomery GI Bill, the federal government covers up to 60 percent of the cost of some educational benefits to make short-term, high-cost training programs more attractive to veterans...
BCTA promotes careers on the road; creates new trucking careers website

* Canada - BCTA promotes careers on the road; creates new trucking careers website
Vancouver, B.C.,Canada -Canadian Transportation & Logistics (Toronto,Ontario), by Julia Kuzeljevich -17 Mar 2006: -- According to Paul Landry, president and CEO of the British Columbia Trucking Association, empty store shelves, idle machinery and diminished trade with the US are all possibilities if the trucking industry is unable to attract more than 4500 British Columbians per year into the industry for the next five years... The impact of failing to attract more truck drivers and other key trucking industry personnel, including dispatchers, information technology managers, sales professionals, mechanics, and safety and compliance staff, will be felt more keenly by British Columbians, said Landry in a statement...

* USA, Maryland -Help wanted: Truckers, dock workers in short supply
USA/MSNBC/Baltimore Business Journal, by Stephanie Wentworth -Mar 19, 2006: -- Just ask Paul Kelly, chairman of the Maryland Motor Truck Association's Intermodal Council. "We're all looking for drivers," said... Stevedoring companies -- those who manage the loading and unloading of cargo at the port -- are also experiencing worker shortages... People see these jobs as "old economy or dirty," Richard Clinch, director of economic research at the University of Baltimore, said, and add, the older industries have to upgrade their images to compete with higher-paying technical jobs available in the Baltimore-Washington corridor...

Pollution - USA - Newer Trucks Mean Lower Emissions At Oakland Port

Oakland,CA,USA -KCBS/CBS 5 (San Francisco) -Mar 19, 2006: -- Emissions from the Port of Oakland nearly doubled after the Port undertook a major expansion nearly nine years ago, according to West Oakland residents, who sued over the increased pollution... Terms of a settlement with the West Oakland Neighbors Association require the Port to set aside $2 million to purchase new, cleaner trucks for drivers who use the port, in order to mitigate some of the Port’s overall emissions... Diesel trucks built in 1983 emit anywhere from 50 to 90 percent more pollutants than one built in 2000, according to one of the port’s environmental scientists, Tim Leong...

Product - France - New Map Dataset for French Trucking Industry

Veldhoven, Netherlands -DirectionsMag.com (Glencoe,IL,USA) -Mar 17, 2006: -- NAVTEQ, a leading global provider of digital maps for vehicle navigation and location-based solutions, announces a specialist map dataset of truck attributes for the French market...

Reports - USA - Trucking strong in some districts

USA -eTrucker, by Jill Dunn -18 Mar 2006: -- The Federal Reserve reported a robust demand for trucking and rail shipping services in several districts in January and February while the overall economy continued to grow... The report, called the Beige Book, is based on comments received from businesses in each of the Reserve’s 12 districts... Demand for trucking and rail shipping services remained strong in Cleveland, Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas. Some districts reported stronger January activity than February... A shortage of truckers was cited in Atlanta and Kansas City, Mo., districts...

Intervention - USA - ATA in hours of service challenge

USA -eTrucker, by Steven Mackay -18 Mar 2006: -- The American Truckers Association (ATA) has filed a motion to intervene on behalf of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in Public Citizen’s latest challenge to FMCSA's hours of service rule... The contested FMCSA rule allows truckers to drive 11 consecutive hours before taking a mandatory 10-hour off-duty break. Before 2004, drivers were allowed to drive 10 hours, but the agency upped the total number of driving hours while increasing the required rest period... Also disputed by the safety groups: the lack of a mandate for electronic onboard recorders and an alleged lack of consideration for drivers’ health... ATA says it will show that the rule advances public safety while meeting the operational needs of the trucking industry...

Products - South Africa - Keep on truckin'

Cape Town,South Africa -iAfrica.com -17 Mar 2006: -- South Africa’s medium truck market shows extraordinary muscle — so enter Isuzu's new N-Series range... Comprising six models, the new range of Isuzu medium-class N-series trucks in the 1,5- to five-ton payload segment is branded ‘SiTEC Power’ — Selected Isuzu Technology...

Opposition - Australia - Grows to trucking charge hikes

Australia -ABC Online - 17 Mar 2006: -- The Federal Government has joined South Australia in rejecting controversial hikes in charges for the trucking industry... Farmers say the changes, recommended by the National Transport Commission, could lead to higher prices for farm goods... The Transport Commission wants registration costs for B-Doubles and road trains to rise by 37 per cent, and fuel taxes for heavy trucks to climb by 10 per cent...

Prognosis II - USA - Commercial Truck Aftermarket Sales Rising

Akron,OH,USA -Tire Review -Mar 17, 2006: -- A new AAIA study has revealed that medium and heavy duty truck aftermarket sales rose 6.2% in 2005 and are forecast to continue on a three-year growth trend, reaching $73.9 billion in 2006... The Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) collaborated with the Heavy Duty Distribution Association on the second-edition 2006 Medium Heavy Duty Aftermarket Profile, which stated that sales have increased for a variety of reasons, including rising Class 4-8 vehicle sales, increases in miles driven, growth in truck registrations and the nation’s dependency on trucking for logistics...

Prognosis - USA - Truck sales predicted to fall in '07

Newton,MA,USA -Logistics Management (subscription) -17 Mar 2006: -- A panel of the trucking industry's leading economic analysts offered slightly different numbers on a decline in truck sales due to the new diesel engine emissions regulations taking effect in 2007 but all agreed that a fleet "pre-buy" this year will boost North American retail sales of Class 8 trucks and will be followed by a sharp drop-off in 2007... The consensus forecast for the four economists speaking at the Heavy Duty Dialog sponsored by the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Assn. was just under 340,000 units this year, and falling to 223,000 units in 2007...

Reports - USA - Interpreting Heavy-duty Motor Oil Analysis

Tulsa,OK,USA -Practicing Oil Analysis Magazine/Chevron's, by Donnie Thweatt & Tom Bell, -17 Mar 2006: -- Just as a blood test can deliver life-saving information, heavy-duty motor oil (HDMO) analysis is about keeping equipment in good health... A patient may look and feel fine but still have physical problems. In the same way, you cannot see inside your equipment, and monitoring the fluid condition can help you determine how to keep it running longer and better...

Study - Sweden - Volvo Trucks plans bio-synthetic gas to supply Umeå cab factory

Umeå,Sweden -Auto Industry (UK) -17 Mar 2006: -- Volvo Trucks’ Umeå cab factory in northern Sweden has signed an agreement with Umeå University and utility supplier Umeå Energi for a preliminary study on the development of a process for replacing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) with locally produced bio-synthetic gas... Having launched its proprietary hybrid diesel-electric powertrain technology this month, Volvo Trucks has issued a release underlining its aim of global leadership in hybrid technology for heavy trucks – a field which could become a key differentiator between otherwise generally competitive heavy truck manufacturers worldwide...

Petition - USA - ATA asks court review of Oregon tax decision

USA -eTrucker -Mar 16, 2006: -- The American Trucking Associations has filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking review of the Oregon Supreme Court’s rejection of its Commerce Clause challenge to aspects of Oregon’s weight-distance tax system... The case involves the so-called flat-fee option, which allows transporters of certain commodities to pay a fixed annual fee instead of the state’s mileage tax... ATA highlighted in its petition a unanimous Oregon Court of Appeals ruling that found that the flat-fee option violated the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution...

Driver Safety - USA - Trucking buckling up

USA -Fleetowner, by Terrence Nguyen -Mar 15, 2006: -- A recent government report has given safety belt advocates in the trucking industry a reason to cheer... According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), in 2005 shoulder belt usage for all Class 7 and 8 trucks was 54%, a boost over the 48% reported in 2002... Although an improvement, truckers’ 54% safety belt usage remains a far cry from the 83% of automobile drivers who buckle up...

Markets - Japan - 2006/07 auto demand seen up 0.9 pct -industry

Tokyo,Japan -Reuters -Mar 16, 2006: -- Overall demand for new vehicles in Japan is forecast to rise 0.9 percent in the next business year, marking a second straight year of growth, lifted by a sustained recovery in the domestic economy, an industry group said... Demand for new cars, trucks and buses is expected to total 5.935 million units in the year starting in April, up from an estimated 5.880 million units for the year ending this month, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) said...

Educating Drivers - USA - On Move Over Law

Trucking Industry Joins Effort To

Chattanooga,TN,USA -The Chattanoogan -Mar 15, 2006: -- The Department of Safety and Tennessee Highway Patrol announced today that the Tennessee Trucking Association is joining the effort to educate motorists on Tennessee’s Move Over Law... The law, which went into effect in July 2004, requires motorists to move over or slow down for stopped emergency vehicles.

Comment - USA - City workers just keep on trucking - why?

Coshocton,OH,USA -Coshocton Tribune -15 Mar 2006: -- Just a small comment on the city. I moved back about three months ago... What I have seen are city trucks riding around doing nothing. The streets are in terrible condition... And the downtown area is the same as the streets... It's not like the trucks roll out on the hour. And using the inmates as slaves is against the law. The local inmates do not get paid one dime. And if one gets hurt during this so-called cleanup, Lord help the city if the inmate has any brain whatsoever...

Speeding - Canada - Trucks slow within Canadian borders

Toronto,ON,Canada -Canadian Underwriter -15 Mar 2006: -- The Canadian Trucking Alliance recently called upon the country's provincial governments to take action on the problem of speeding trucks. The Alliance, a federation of Canada's provincial trucking associations, has endorsed a national policy to pass a law making it mandatory that speed limiters on all trucks operating in, out and within a Canadian province be activated... In addition, the Alliance recommends the maximum speed of trucks should be set at no more than 105 km/h... A speed limiter is a built-in microchip that allows a truck engine's top speed to be preset. Most trucks built in the last decade posses this technology...

Ranking - USA - Cat engine top for fifth consecutive year

Employees earn honors for C-15 equipped with emission reduction technology

MOSSVILLE,Peoria,IL,USA -Peoria Journal Star, by PAUL GORDON -Mar 15, 2006: -- From the time J.D. Power and Associates began ranking customer satisfaction in vocational heavy-duty truck diesel engines, the nationally known rating service has found only one such engine worthy of its highest ranking. .. For an unprecedented fifth time, the award has gone to Caterpillar Inc. It was presented Tuesday to the employees who build the engines at Caterpillar's engine center at Mossville...

Security - USA - Officials call for scans of all cargo

High-tech inspection of all incoming containers is necessary for security

NORFOLK,Newport News,VA,USA -Daily Press, by PETER DUJARDIN -Mar 14, 2006 -- The time has come to inspect 100 percent of all imported cargo containers for bombs and terrorist weapons, U.S. Rep. Robert C. Scott and Virginia Port Authority executive director J. Robert Bray said Monday... Scott, D-Newport News, and Bray, the nation's longest-running director at a major seaport, said the federal government needs to install the radiation detection machines and image readers necessary to scan every incoming container with both machines... Only about 5 percent of containers - the 40-foot steel boxes that carry the overwhelming majority of the nation's nonbulk cargo - go through the scanners at most ports now...

Security - USA - Many inspections but many gaps in border

NOGALES,Tucson,AZ,USA -Republic Tucson Bureau/KVOA.com ,by Susan Carroll -Mar. 14, 2006: -- Outside a towering inspection bay at the busiest commercial port of entry in Arizona, the line of trucks snakes back into Mexico as far as the eye can see, with hundreds of heavy rigs creeping forward foot by foot... U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents here say they physically inspect or X-ray roughly one in four cargo trucks, a standard considered high in comparison with the screening of shipments into the nation's seaports... The recent controversy over a proposed deal with a Dubai company to manage six U.S. ports highlighted a statistic that many have found alarming: Though CBP agents screen all seaport cargo for high-risk shipments, only about 6 percent of cargo is physically inspected on American soil...

Differences - USA - TCA won't support ATA's higher weight limit proposal

ORLANDO, Fla.,USA - The Trucker -14 Mar 200.6: -- The board of directors of the Truckload Carriers Association will not support the American Trucking Associations proposal to increase weight and size limits of big trucks... The ATA changed its current policy on truck weight and size, recommending a standard 53-foot trailer and a 97,000-pound weight limit in certain circumstances...

Market - UK - Chinese manufacturer sets up UK importer for 3.5 tonne trucks

UK -Auto Industry -14 Mar 2006: -- A new UK commercial vehicle importer, Yuejin UK, plans to import a Nissan Cabstar-derived range of 3.5 tonne trucks with dropside bodies from China later this year, reports the SMMT’s ‘CV Newsbrief’ newsletter. Tipper and box-bodied models will follow later in the year... The trucks, based on a Nissan Cabstar model are powered by a Toyota-based LPG-fuelled engine...

Markets - USA - Heavy trucks sales up and away

USA -Fleet Owner (subscription), by Terrence Nguyen - Mar 14, 2006: -- Class 8 retail truck sales in February reached 20,399 units—a brisk 19% jump compared to February 2005, according to www.WardsAuto.com... The high numbers presents further evidence that the business environment for the trucking industry is strong enough to support heavy capital spending... On a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, February sales would mean about 280,000 units will be sold in all of 2006, according to Chris Brady, president of Commercial Motor Vehicle Consulting (CMVC). That would top the 252,792 units actually sold in 2005...

Warn - Thailand - EU cautions members overToyota trucks from Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand -Bangkok Post -15 Mar 2006: -- The European Union has warned its 25 member countries about importing Toyota light trucks made in Thailand and South Africa after detecting safety risks in ...

Drivers' lack - USA - Trucking industry recruiting nontraditional drivers

BUFORD,Griffin,GA,USA -Gwinnett Daily Post, by Douglas Sams -12 Mar 2006: -- Throw out that threadbare stereotype of the beer-bellied, tobacco-chewing, good ol’ boy trucker. Meet 34-year-old William Orlando, a new generation long-hauler-in-training who needs the trucking industry as much as it needs him... Trucking companies want career-changers like Orlando because of a driver shortage that could rise to 111,000 by 2014, according to an industry study... Not even two weeks into his training, Orlando feels something his old profession failed to offer — stability. A company already offered him a job, but just in case he reconsiders they call him every night to make sure he knows how much they want him... (Photo: Ann Sullivan, right, an instructor at Daly’s Truck Driving School in Buford, instructs William Orlando on how to parallel parks)

Drivers' lack II - USA - Shortage of truck drivers continues to plague Vt., nation

Help wanted: Good pay, generous fringe benefits and free travel !!!

Barre,VT,USA -Barre Montpelier Times Argus, by BRUCE EDWARDS -Mar 12, 2006: -- Sounds like an ideal job? It is for the right person. But it's definitely not for everybody... That's why trucking companies, including those in Vermont, are having trouble finding long-haul truck drivers... "We were probably worse last year than this year," said Ray Routhier, who's in charge of driver recruitment for Bellavance Trucking... Routhier said the company, which employs 100 drivers, could use six more drivers this year, an improvement over a year ago when the Barre trucking firm was short 12 to 18 drivers.

Market - Iran - Renault wins $20m bid, heavy trucks to follow

TEHRAN,Iran -MNA -Mar. 12, 2006: -- Renault Truck Company won the international bid held by the World Bank (WB) for reconstruction of Iran’s quake-stricken regions. The L/C is opened and the $20m-contract will offer 280 additional trucks of 4x6 and 2x4 kinds. The initial 50, at Rls.820m each, are about Rls.200m cheaper than comparable Volvo and MB models, sales manager of Renault trucks in Iran Alizadeh indicated... Aria Diesel Company is in charge of after-sales services in the country and it intends to manufacture some of the heavy class Renault trucks domestically after three years. The annual production is projected at 3,000 and the 19-ton model, which is in high demand in Iran, is expected to comprise a large bulk of the assembled trucks...

Recall - USA - General Motors Recalls 900,000 Pickup Trucks

Los Angeles,CA,USA -Los Angeles Times/Associated Press -Mar, 11 2006: -- General Motors Corp. is recalling about 900,000 pickup trucks worldwide to fix tailgate cables that can corrode and break when loads are put on them... The recall involves 1999 and 2000 models of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks. Detroit-based GM said there had been 84 injuries, most of them minor scrapes and bumps... GM said the galvanized, braided-steel support cables that keep the tailgates in place can corrode or fracture over time...

Dangerous - Canada - Trucks with hazardous products cargo cause concern

Chateauguay,QC,Canada -Soleil Chateauguay -10 Mar 2006: -- The ostensibly growing traffic through residential zones of trucks loaded with hazardous products is worrying the Quebec Transport Ministry and Chateauguay City Council alike... Council, directed by Mayor Sergio Pavone, announced at its twice-monthly meeting last Tuesday its intention of prohibiting heavy vehicles transporting dangerous materials from circulating on Chateauguay's main streets, and possibly St-Francis, Industrial, as well... Council is also pressuring the Ministry to do the same on St-Jean-Baptiste Blvd...

Cargo Theft - USA - President signs bill

Gainesville,FL,USA -The ainesville Sun, by JOE CALLAHAN -March 10. 2006: -- The cargo theft bill was signed by President Bush... It is part of the revised USA Patriot Act... Retired Miami-Dade police commander Lt. Ed Petow thought he would never see the day when cargo theft would finally be recognized as a national crisis... As one of the nation's first commanders of a cargo theft task force called the TOMCATS, he felt alone in combating a crime that costs Americans at least $10 billion annually... The Patriot Act increases prison terms to three years for anyone convicted of stealing cargo with a value of less than $1,000 and 15 years for those convicted of thefts of more than $1,000...

Illegally exceeding - Australia - Trucking firm faces 1000 charges

Brisbane,Queensland, Australia -Brisbane Courier Mail, by Jason Gregory -Mar 11, 2006: -- A Trucking company will be hit with more than 1000 charges relating to drivers endangering lives on Queensland roads by illegally exceeding their maximum hours... Every year in Queensland up to 2000 fatigue-related accidents involving heavy vehicles cost the community about $300 million. In 2005, 37 truck drivers were killed in smashes on the state's roads... A Queensland Transport source says 1016 papers will be served as early as Monday morning after an extensive two-year cross-agency investigation into Brisbane firm Harker Transport... In March 2004, Harker Transport pleaded guilty to 46 charges relating to drivers working longer than the legal 12-hour maximum, and was fined $40,000... Harker Transport was bought by Roadmaster last year. Both companies will be named in the charges... Former Harker Transport manager Stephen Harker is now believed to be living in the US...

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Mar 30, 2006