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...

Learning - USA - New Career in Trucking Industry

Without Leaving Home

Pomona, CA,USA -PRWEB Mar 10, 2006: -- Transportation School.Com has developed the tools to succeed in the multi-billion dollar transportation industry with an inclusive 5-day training program or seven hours on DVD With Q&A and Study Guides... The Trucking Industry is a $700 billion dollar industry. Although the United States may be shifting from a manufacturing to an information-based economy... That means there will always be the need for a person or agency to coordinate the movement of merchandise. Simply, a freight broker or agent is a transportation intermediary that is neither a shipper nor an asset owning carrier, but plays a role in the coordinating of resources to help both the shipper and carrier succeed...

Joint Venture - China - Cummins enters Chinese light-duty diesel market

BEIJING,China -The Auto Channel -March 7, 2006: -- Cummins Inc. and China's Beiqi Foton Motor Company (Beiqi Foton) today announced they have signed a feasibility study plan for the formation of a 50/50 joint venture company to produce two types of light-duty diesel engines for use primarily in the commercial market... Beijing Foton Cummins Engine Company will be based in Beijing and will produce two types of engines based on Cummins designs...

Hybrid - Sweden - Volvo introduces this technology for heavy-duty vehicles

GOTEBORG, Sweden -The Trucker (USA -10 Mar 2006: -- The Volvo Group has introduced hybrid technology for heavy-duty vehicles which they say offers fuel savings of up to 35 percent... The concept is designed to have maximum fuel-saving effects on routes with frequent braking and acceleration such as waste collection, city bus traffic and trucks with in-city distribution, said a Volvo news release... The hybrid concept is a designated I-SAM and uses a combined starter motor, drive motor and alternator along with an electronic control unit...

Production - China - Great Wall to produce trucks and SUVs in Russia

Hong Kong,China -just-auto.com -9 Mar 2006: -- Hong Kong-listed Great Wall Motor, specialising in production of pickup trucks and SUVs, is expected to start construction of a plant in Russia with an investment of more than US$100 million this year, according to SinoCast...

Production - India - Bajaj Auto plans to make trucks

MUMBAI,India - Economic Times/REUTERS -MARCH 09, 2006: -- India's second-biggest motorcycle maker, Bajaj Auto Ltd, will make commercial vehicles in two to three years' time, and invest Rs 3-3.5 billion ($68-79 million) to increase its motorcycle capacity, a business newspaper said...

Bulgarian trucks market poised for a boom, dealers say

Bulgaria -Dnevnik.bg -9 Mar 2006: -- Bulgarian truck dealers remain confident that the surge in sales they have been waiting in the past 5 years is finally about to happen, Cefin Holding executive director Stefano Albarosa told a news conference on Thursday... Cefin markets the Iveco trucks and Iris buses in Bulgaria through its local subsidiary... January truck sales stood at 81, up a hefty 131% on the year-ago period. The market grew by 53% to 1,241 units in 2005...

Recall - Japan - Isuzu to recall trucks with exhaust pipe defect

TOKYO,Japan -Xinhuanet/chinaview/Kyodo News -Mar 9, 2006: -- Isuzu Motors Ltd. said on Thursday it will recall about 2,700 set of its trucks under three models due to possible defects on exhaust pipes... In its report to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Isuzu said it has detected that the welding on these vehicles' exhaust pipes are not strong enough and the pipes may crack, causing exhaust leaks...

Ukraine - Dnestr Region Stages Border Rallies

Moscow,Russia -Kommersant -Mar. 09, 2006: -- The day and night rallies seem never ending on border of Ukraine and Moldova's self-proclaimed separatist Dnestr region, while the latter is protesting against new customs procedures introduced by Kiev past week... Backed up by Moscow, the Dnestr region lashed out at Ukraine blaming on it violation of practice of the international intermediary and pulled out from negotiations on the conflict settlement in the next move. The new customs procedures are the only way to solve that longstanding conflict, spokesmen of Kiev, Chisinau and Washington said, regarding the border clashes artificial...

“Virtual Fleet” - USA - Enterprise Rent-A-Truck expands

USA -eTrucker -By Lance Orr -9 Mar 2006: -- Enterprise Rent-A-Truck, a division of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, is expanding the its network of local branch offices and developing its own distinct brand to serve the commercial truck rental needs of businesses throughout the United States... Enterprise Rent-A-Truck provides a comprehensive “virtual fleet” of commercially equipped vehicles to local businesses, schools and municipalities...

Production - Russia - Truck, bus sales up 30.1% in Jan

Moscow,Russia -Interfax Rus. -Mar 7, 2006: -- Russia truck and bus producers saw sales, including those of chassis, grow 30.1% year-on-year in January 2006, according to ASM Holding, which analyzes the Russian and CIS automotive industries... Russian plants sold 11,717 trucks in January 2006 against 9,005 in the same period last year...

Introducing - Australia - DAF's CF85 Variants for Fleet Market

Victoria,Australia -AutoWeb -8 Mar, 2006: -- DAF Trucks Australia has recently introduced two new CF85 model variants to meet the specific needs of fleet operators... Launched at Trucks in Action, Warragul, in February, the new Fleet Spec DAF CF85 8x4 rigid and DAF CF85 6x4 prime mover models provide heavy-duty fleet customers with the option of lower cost specifications without compromising DAF’s acknowledged reliability, fuel efficiency, comfort and safety...

Faking documents - USA - Trucking company to be charged with

Albuquerque,NM,USA -KOB-TV, by Reed Upton -9 March 2006: -- An Albuquerque trucking company will be charged with faking documents in order to get some of its drivers on the road, according to officials with the state Motor Transportation Division... Transportation Division investigators recently served a search warrant on the trucking company and confiscated medical examination reports, blank medical cards and suspected marijuana... Officials suspect that the company’s owners were forging information on the medical documents that enabled some of their drivers to work...

Overworked - Japan - Trucking company head held in overworked driver's fatal pileup

KYOTO,Japan -Kyodo/Japan Economic Newswire -Mar 6. 2006: -- Police arrested the head of a trucking company and one of his deputies Monday on suspicion of ordering an overworked tanker truck driver to continue driving prior to a fatal road accident on Feb. 13 for which the driver was alleged to be responsible... The police say that on Feb. 12, Hidefumi Kunimatsu, 63, who runs the company Kinjaku Sekiyu, and Masanobu Yamada, 48, a subordinate at the company, ordered driver Koichi Kitamura to transport kerosene the following day knowing he was overworked and suffering from fatigue and could have difficulty properly steering his truck...

Drivers' Lack IV - Canada - Trucking industry struggling

Lloydminster,Alberta,Canada -Meridian Booster, by John B. Spigott -6 Mar 2006: -- While Lloydminster’s booming job front is an employee’s dream, it’s quite the opposite for employers in the transportation industry... According to the Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council (CTHRC), a critical shortage of qualified truck drivers threatens to cripple the transportation industry if steps are not taken, and Lloydminster is no exception... The CTHRC announced last week that the lack of qualified truck drivers is of great concern as trucking companies all over the country scramble to fill vacant positions...

Barr-Nunn Transportation Launches New T.E.A.M

Akron,PA,USA -Layover.com -6 Mar 2006: -- Barr-Nunn Transportation has now launched T.E.A.M. (Trucking Employment Assessment Monitor). This allows any driver or owner operator looking for employment to log on to www.barr-nunn.com and compare the features of any company with Barr-Nunn Transportation's features. "This will allow company drivers and owner operators to see why Barr-Nunn is a great place to work and all of the driver designed benefits we offer", said Doug Albrecht, Recruiting Director.

Good Sign - USA - January tonnage index jump for trucking

USA -eTrucker, by Lance Orr -7 Mar 2006: -- The Truck Tonnage Index jumped 0.6 percent in January for the fifth consecutive monthly gain, the American Trucking Associations reported... January’s improvement pushed the seasonally adjusted index to 118, the second highest level recorded. The year 2000 base is 100...

Issues - USA - Freight Transportation

Las Vegas,NV,USA -UsTNT.com/AHR NEWS GROUP -6 Mar 2006: -- Maximum weight policy (gross truck weight limits currently at 80,000 lb) to increase at 97,000 lb. Just an attempt to reduce transportation cost per pound... Commercial driver shortage at about 20,000/year but growing... Average carrier spending for licensed commercial driver to reach experienced-level is $4000/driver... 2005 longhaul driver income diminished due to fuel price increase and shortage of loads. Surcharges?... Fuel surcharge, energy surcharge but there is also a technology surcharge...

PRODUCTS

* Amazing PartSeek.com Transparent Truck Helps People Find HD Truck Parts
GREAT FALLS, Mont.,USA -Business Wire -Mar 6, 2006: -- Partslink Ltd. is releasing a new version of its popular FREE locator system: PartSeek.com... The new site uses a 3D truck that turns transparent when you roll your mouse over. This allows the user to select which part they'd like help finding... "We think it will be a great site to find parts or show engine, transmission and differential components in the truck. Best thing of all: it's free to use."..

* Shell rolls out new auto transmission fluid
HOUSTON, Tex.,USA -Truck News (Toronto,ON,Canada), by: James Menzies -6 Mar 2006: -- Shell Lubricants has launched a new heavy-duty semi-synthetic automatic transmission fluid... The company says its new Donax TX offers improved performance and allows for extended drain intervals...

* Dual-Fuel Conversion System Lab Tests For Weichai Peterson Engine
TAMPA, Fla.,USA -Business Wire -Mar 6, 2006: -- Hybrid Fuel Systems, Inc., the manufacturer of a patent dual-fuel diesel to natural gas conversion technology, together with its licensee WITCO Limited (WITCO) a wholly owned division of WITCO Systems of Milwaukee, WI, USA announced today the finalized lab tests for Weichai Peterson on its Model WD615 44 Heavy Duty Diesel Engine... Further, the Company announced that WITCO has arranged for the first field-trial of the developed system to be conducted in the Province of Xinjiang, China...

* Arrow’s high standards
USA -Fleet Owner (subscription) -Mar 6, 2006: -- When Arrow Truck Sales puts the “Arrow Certified” designation on a pre-owned heavy-duty vehicle, it’s an indication that the truck has been through the company’s most extensive inspection and reconditioning process... To qualify for the program, vehicles must be model-year 2001 or newer and have less than 550,000 miles... Arrow backs its Certified trucks with a 6-mo./50,000-mi. limited warranty...

* First Advantage Launches Trucking Industry Service Platform
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.,USA -Layover -March 8, 2006: -- First Advantage Corporation, a global risk mitigation and business solutions provider, today announced that its Transportation Services division has launched an expanded platform of services designed to ease the increasingly complex regulatory requirements and record keeping burdens facing trucking industry companies...

Materials - USA - Aluminium surpasses iron as second most used automotive metal

USA -Metals Place -Mar 9, 2006: -- Global aluminium use in automotive applications continues to grow, and aluminium has surpassed iron as second most used automotive material, according to a new report commissioned by The Aluminium Association... Aluminium is second behind steel as the most used automotive material. In North America, the aluminium content in passenger cars and trucks averages 319 lb, a 16% increase from 2002 data...

Exceptions - USA - Missouri proposes tax break for cars and trucks built in-state

Missouri,USA -Autoblog (Sta. Monica,CA), by Joel Arellano -Mar 5, 2006: -- Missouri’s state House passed legislation last week that waived the state’s sales tax on vehicles built within its borders... Supporters hope the tax break will spurn residents to purchase more locally-assembled vehicles, ultimately encouraging automakers to build even more local facilities... Daimler-Chrysler's Chrysler Group, Ford Motor Company and General Motors already have plants in the "Show Me" state.

Prognosis - Germany - DaimlerChrysler sees sharp trucks downturn in 2007

FRANKFURT,Germany -Reuters(USA) -Mar 6, 2006: -- DaimlerChrysler expects a sharp downturn in the global commercial vehicles market next year following a steady market in 2006, the world's leading maker of trucks and buses... "For the year 2007, we anticipate a significantly lower market volume due to the cyclical weakening of the major markets for commercial vehicles, exacerbated by stricter emission regulations in the United States and Japan," it said in its annual report...

Production - Canada - Toyota to build Hino trucks in Ontario

Ontario,Canada -CBC News -6 Mar 2006: -- Toyota-subsidiary Hino has confirmed that it plans to open a truck assembly plant next to Toyota's new auto factory in Woodstock, Ont... The plant is expected to employ 45 people when the production starts in April 2008... The company plans to assemble 2,000 mid-size straight trucks a year at the new factory, according to the Detroit News. These popular vehicles are most often used for inner-city deliveries...

Drivers' lack III - USA - Local trucking companies upping the ante thanks to national driver shortage

Driving on empty

WAUKESHA,Milwaukee,USA -Greater Milwaukee Today -By LAURA BAYARD - Mar 9, 2006: -- For many, the call of the open road can’t be ignored... Locally, however, trucking companies are faring comparatively well... Pauline Jaske, president and CEO of Fairway Transit Inc., Pewaukee, said she has a lower employee turnover rate than the industry average because her 35 drivers essentially travel only in Midwest. "They are home every night or every other night and we have very good equipment," Jaske said...

Truck sales - USA - Hot, then cold

Allentown,PA,USA -Allentown Morning Call, by James P. Miller -Mar 5, 2006: -- The truck sector is gearing up for another boom year in 2006. But the industry's good times likely will be followed by a steep dropoff in 2007, the kind of tumble Wall Street sometimes calls a ''cliff event.''... This year's sales surge, and next year's expected slump, are being artificially amplified by the same development: Diesel engines for large trucks must meet stringent new emission standards under federal clean-air regulations scheduled to kick in Jan. 1. 2007... Mack Trucks of Allentown has certainly benefitted from the upturn. It sent 42 percent more trucks to dealers in 2005 than the year before. Last year, it started a second shift at its Lower Macungie Township plant to keep up with demand for trash and construction trucks... Mack parent company Volvo is spending $150 million at its Hagerstown, Md., plant to develop engines that pass the new federal standards...

Drivers' lack II - USA - Truckers on road less traveled

No one looked over his shoulder

Bradenton,FL, USA -Bradenton Herald, byLAURA FIGUEROA -Mar. 05, 2006: -- It was just Charles White and the open road. A blur of destinations from Florida to Texas, from the Midwest to the West Coast... The lure of being his own boss, seeing the country and the camaraderie among truck drivers, all attracted White to enter the trucking industry 50 years ago. Now a broker with Landstar Trucking in Palmetto, White finds those incentives often fall short of what trucking companies nationwide are doing to lure drivers... Satellite televisions inside truck cabins, health-care benefits, and stock options are just some of the incentives being offered by trucking companies today. In Manatee and Sarasota counties, companies have adjusted their business practices to recruit and retain truck drivers. Local fruit and vegetable growers are also feeling the strain of the declining number of truck drivers nationwide...

Drivers' lack - USA - Transportation industry finds it difficult to retain drivers

Macon,GA,USA -Macon Telegraph, by Linda S. Morris - Mar. 05, 2006: -- A national trend in the trucking industry - a growing shortage of truck drivers - has some midstate trucking companies fretting... If the trend continues, the industry will need an additional 111,000 drivers nationwide by 2014, according to a 2005 study by the American Trucking Associations, a national trade group for the trucking industry... Among the reasons for the shortage: stress, not enough young people getting into the business and experienced drivers expected to retire within a decade...

Acquisition - USA - UTi buys 3PL firm

Rancho Dominguez, Cal,USA -Logistics Management -Mar 9, 2006: -- UTi Worldwide, a global logistics provider, announced Tuesday that it has acquired Market Industries, Ltd., a privately held provider of third-party logistics services and multi-modal transportation capacity solutions specializing in truck brokerage, for $197 million...

Markets - USA - Train Vs. Trucks

Railroads beating out trucking as container shipments increase

Palm Beach,FL,USA -Los Angeles Times/Palm Beach Post -March 05, 2006: -- After years of retrenchment, railroads across North America are reporting record profits and going forward with massive expansion projects of the kind that haven't been seen in decades... The growth has been fueled by a continuing flood of cargo containers filled with Asian products, which ended the coal industry's 102-year streak ...

Economic Blockade - Ukrainia - Dniester Reg’s Ukrainians ask Yushchenko to call off econ blockade

CHISINAU,Ukrainia -Itar-Tass -Mar 5, 2006: -- The Ukrainians of Moldova’s breakaway Dniester region have sent a telegram to Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and parliament Speaker Vladimir Litvin requesting them to call off the economic blockade, the chairman of the Dniester region’s Union of Ukrainians, told journalists on Sunday... Tiraspol assesses Ukraine’s actions as the beginning of the large-scale economic blockade, Dniester Region President Igor Smirnov said at the urgent governmental meeting... In retaliation the Dniester region decided to stop Moldova’s goods in transit to Russia and Ukraine and take other countersteps in the near future...

TRUCKINGS' WORLD NEWS

* ATA Cites Concerns on California Diesel Emissions Bill
USA -TTNews -3 March 2006: American Trucking Associations sent to the California state Senate committees opposing a state bill on diesel particulate matter emission monitoring... The bill, known as the “magnet bill” due to the perception that certain facilities attract diesel particulate matter emissions like magnets, will require rail yards, ports, and airports to monitor emissions at their sites, designate sources of emissions, and develop/implement mitigation plans to reduce emissions...

* ATA’s Truck Tonnage Index Gains 0.6% in January - Group's Revised Figures Show a Stronger 2005
USA -TTNews -2 March 2006: American Trucking Associations’ for-hire truck tonnage index rose 0.6% in January, the group said Monday... January's improvement pushed the seasonally adjusted index to a reading of 118, the second-highest level on record. The index was 3.2% lower than the same month a year earlier.The non-seasonally adjusted index rose 1.4% from December 2005, to 109...

* December Nafta Surface Trade Rises 13.5%
USA -TTNews -28 Feb2006: Surface trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico rose 13.5% in December from a year earlier to $59.1 billion, the Department of Transportation said Tuesday... December U.S. imports by truck rose 5.2% over a year earlier to $20.1 billion, while truck exports increased 8.1% to $19.2 billion...

* SCS, Major Investor Settle Dispute
USA -TTNews -28 Feb2006: SCS Transportation, the owner of two less-than-truckload carriers, settled a dispute with one of its major investors by placing a new member on the SCS board of directors, the two parties said Thursday...

* ATA Cites Concerns on California Diesel Emissions Bill
USA -TTNews -28 Feb2006: American Trucking Associations sent to the California state Senate committees opposing a state bill on diesel particulate matter emission monitoring...

* Segmentz Turns 4Q Profit; Changes Name to Express-1
USA -TTNews -28 Feb2006: Segmentz Inc. Friday reported a fourth-quarter profit, turning around several quarters of losses, and its board approved the company’s name change to Express-1 Expediting...

* Geber gives up bid for TNT
USA -TTNews -28 Feb2006: German investor Cornelius Geber and his US backers, Blackstone, have reportedly given up their bid for Dutch mail, express and logistics company, TNT. Apparently the premature release of information pertaining to the bid drove TNT's shares above the price they were willing to pay...

* ADS Logistics wins contract from Olympic Steel
USA -TTNews -28 Feb2006: ADS Logistics, a provider of logistics services to the US metals industry, has announced a new contract with a supplier of steel to the automotive sector...

* Rhetoric in takeover battle heats up
USA -TTNews -28 Feb2006: The takeover battle in Australia is becoming increasing bitter. Patrick Corp has issued a press release in which its managing director attacks Toll's latest moves...

* Overnite to be re-branded UPS Freight
USA -TTNews -28 Feb2006: UPS' trucking acquisition Overnite is to be re-branded as UPS Freight. In addition new technology will be rolled out across the freight network...

* Transport Corp.’s Shareholders Approve Firm’s Acquisition
USA -TTNews -1 March 2006: Truckload carrier Transport Corp. of America’s shareholders voted Tuesday to approve the company’s acquisition by a private firm in a cash-for-stock deal... Goldner Hawn Johnson & Morrison Inc. and TCAM announced the vote late Tuesday and said the deal was effective immediately...

* Ohio Extends Lower Truck Tolls Through Year’s End
USA -TTNews/Associated Press -28 Feb 2006: The Ohio Turnpike Commission voted late last week to extend through the end of the year a toll reduction for commercial vehicles... The reduction was due to expire June 30...

* U.S. Xpress Completes Arnold, and Total Acquisitions
USA -TTNews -1 March 2006: U.S. Xpress Enterprises said late Tuesday it completed the acquisition of Arnold Transportation Services and Total Transportation of Mississippi...

* Mullen Group Completes Three Acquisitions
USA -TTNews -1 March 2006: Canadian firm Mullen Group Income Fund said late Tuesday it had closed three previously announced acquisitions of companies in western Canada. Terms were not disclosed...

* Hub Group Completes Acquisition of Comtrak
USA -TTNews -1 March 2006: Third-party logistics provider Hub Group said Wednesday it had completed its acquisition of trucking and drayage firm Comtrak Inc. for $38 million...

* TDG reports results, new acquisition and Dutch re-structuring
UK -TTNews -2 March 2006: UK-based logistics provider TDG has become the latest company to report its financial results for 2005. Overall it achieved better profits, although revenues were flat...

* Dynamex Reports Income Gain for Its Second Quarter
USA -TTNews -2 March 2006: Logistics and delivery firm Dynamex Inc. reported net income of $2.7 million or 24 cents a share for its second fiscal quarter ended Jan. 31, compared with $2.6 million or 22 cents a year earlier...

* Contrans’ Profit Improves for Fourth Quarter, Year
USA -TTNews -1 March 2006: Canadian firm Contrans Income Fund said late Wednesday it earned $5.5 million or 19 cents a unit, compared with $5.4 million or 18 cents a year earlier.Revenue rose to $87.7 million, from $80.6 million...

* UPS rated “Global Most Admired” by Fortune
USA -Transport Intelligence (UK) -3 March 2006: US based package and logistics operator UPS has been rated the “Global Most Admired” company in its industry by a new survey in Fortune magazine. UPS also was ranked in the Top 10 among all the companies of the world in eight of the nine attributes used to judge corporate reputation...

But: Who is D.P.World?

Dubai Ports' Decade Of Growth

USA -Forbes.com 1 Mar 2006: -- Dubai's location at the mouth of the Persian Gulf has made the city-sheikdom a trade crossroads for six centuries. Today, Jebel Ali, one of its two ports, is the largest manmade port in the world and sits next to a huge free-trade zone... Until last year, Dubai Ports was loosely separated into two parts, the Dubai Port Authority and DPI Terminals, its ever-further reaching investment arm. Last year, the regulatory functions were spun off as the Dubai Ports and Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority, leaving DP World to handle what had mushroomed into the world's sixth-largest port terminal-operating business, overseeing 22 container terminals in 15 countries...

Go Ahead - UK - Court gives OK to DP World/P&O deal

London,UK -Transport Intelligence -3 March 2006: -- Despite opposition, a ruling in the High Court in the UK has sanctioned the schemes under which DP World will acquire all of P&O’s shares. Eller Company, a US operator had argued that the takeover by Dubai-based DP World broke a joint venture deal it had with a subsidiary of P&O... The debate rages in the USA over whether Dubai ports group DP World should be allowed to take over the management of several sea freight terminals...

Anti-terror - Europe - EC to introduce new freight scheme

Brussell,Belgium -Transport Intelligence -3 March 2006: -- Transport security is again proving to be a major political issue, this time in Europe. The European Commission has proposed new security legislation to protect land based freight transport against terrorist attacks... The new security regime will award freight companies which achieve the appropriate standard with ‘Secure Operator’ status for a period of three years... According to the EC, this will enable them to enjoy fast track treatment at security checks both inside the EU (e.g. ports) and at external borders where customs are implementing new security rules...

Controls - USA - TMC to Wait for EOBR Rule

Before Issuing Recommended Practices for the use of electronic onboard recorders
TAMPA, Fla.,USA -TTNews -2 Mar 2006: -- A task force established by the Technology & Maintenance Council to recommend practices for the use of electronic onboard recorders said it will wait until after the government proposes a rule before issuing those guidelines... The group was unable to reach agreement on how law enforcement agencies should protect the data and whether all EOBRs should have the same features...

Fleets Unhappy - USA - With Service From Rail Intermodal Providers

Miami,FL,USA -TTNews -2 Mar 2006: -- Truck-rail intermodal, which many industry analysts have cited as a good way to move freight during the current capacity crunch, is struggling to achieve timely service levels, according to several intermodal customers and service providers... UPS and YRC two of North America’s three largest trucking companies, said they were not happy with service. Separately, FedEx Freight’s CEO told his company never uses rail because the service is too slow to ensure packages are delivered in time...

Against HOS - USA - Public Citizen Sues Again on Rule & Teamsters Join, Legal Challenge to FMCSA

USA -Transport Topics News -27 Feb 2006: -- Five groups including Public Citizen and the Teamsters union filed suit in federal court Monday against federal truck driver hours-of-service rules, challenging the rules on safety grounds... The five asked the court to review the final HOS rule issued Aug. 25 by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and said the rule’s provisions on how many hours truckers may drive before taking a break is flawed and should be changed to help reduce fatigue-related crashes... The legal challenge is separate from a similar suit by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, filed in late January, against the rule’s sleeper-berth provisions... The current HOS rule allows drivers to be behind the wheel for 11 hours in a 14-hour period... Prior to 2003, drivers could drive for 10 hours in a 15-hour period, but could log on and off duty during that time, thus interrupting their time allotments...

Big Preoccupation - USA - Trucker shortage

1

* Raises stakes in recruit search
CHICAGO,Ill,USA-Reuters, by Nick Carey -5 March 2006: -- David Rusch says in 25 years in the U.S. trucking industry he has never seen fiercer competition for drivers, with poaching common as the aging population leaves fewer recruits to go round... "The industry faces a drastic driver shortage," said Rusch, president and chief operating officer of CRST Carrier Group, a unit of privately-owned Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based CRST International Inc., with a fleet of 3,600 trucks and annual revenue of $750 million. "Many companies have elected not to recruit new drivers, but go after drivers trained by companies like us."... He said J. B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. is a case in point... CRST took J.B. Hunt to court alleging the Lowell, Arkansas-based company hired drivers CRST trained for $4,000 apiece while they were under contract and repaying training costs to CRST... The U.S. federal court for the Western District of Oklahoma issued a preliminary injunction February 14 preventing J.B. Hunt from hiring new CRST drivers under contract. J.B. Hunt declined to comment on the ruling...

2 * Trucking groups work to recruit and retain employees
ALEXANDRIA, Va.,USA -Logistics Management -March 3, 2006 — The American Trucking Associations and the Truckload Carriers Association are among 20 groups across industries coming together to work on recruiting and retaining their baby boomer employees... More than 25 million workers will be eligible for retirement in the next decade, a good population to tap to mitigate the driver shortage, said ATA President Bill Graves... The associations have joined the Alliance for an Experienced Workforce, a collaboration aimed at helping employers create workplaces that attract and keep employees ages 50 and older. The Alliance was developed from a National Advisory Council formed to advise AARP on workplace and workforce strategies...

3 * TRUCKING firms lament lack of long-haul drivers
Wilmington,DE,USA -The News Journal -3 March 2006: -- As more older drivers reach retirement age, trucking companies in Delaware, and across the country, are contending with a shortage of qualified candidates...

4 * Truck driver shortage nationwide
Albany,GA,USA -WALB-TV -March 2, 2006: -- One industry just can't get enough job applicants right now and the pay is pretty good. If you don't mind the travel, truck driving might be the job for you. Career Builder ranks it as one of the top 25 jobs for 2006... There's a national shortage of about 20,000 truck drivers, a big focus on those that make long hauls in big rigs. A south Georgia school is helping to fill those seats...

5 * Wanted: Truck Drivers - Shortage Of Drivers Has Companies Scrambling
OMAHA, Neb.,USA -KETV.com -Mar 2, 2006: -- America needs truckers. In the next five years, it is estimated that the shortage of truck drivers will reach more than 100,000... About 2,000 truckers are being sought right now in the Omaha metro area. Employers have seen a high rate of turnover because of retirement, and an exodus of people who don't want to be away from home, according to Rick Sandvig, the head instructor for truck driver training at Omaha's Metro Community College... Sandvig said the trucking shortage has become very serious, and that means trucking companies are willing to go above and beyond to get new drivers in the business. Health and 401(k) plans have been sweetened, and the rigs themselves feel more and more like home...

6* Trucking faces driver shortage - Trend is expected to worsen
Flint,MI,USA -ABC12.com, by Ilse Lujan-Hayes -3 March 2006: -- According to national statistics, there are about seven million Americans out of work. But despite that number, the trucking industry is struggling to find drivers... Trucking associations say currently there is a shortage of about 20,000 drivers and that number is expected to grow. Part of the reason is they believe it's hard to fill those slots because the lifestyle can be grueling... But one Mid-Michigan family is making it work... "It's especially hard on the little kids because they miss daddy," said Jackie Flickinger of Grand Blanc Township... Flickinger says her family is going through some changes. They are exciting but also challenging. Her husband Craig recently became a licensed truck driver. He's been gone for over a week... More than three quarters of all goods in the United States are shipped by truck and with the current shortage, trucking seemed like the logical choice... The driver shortfall is expected to worsen in coming years since many of long-haul truckers are over 55 and are likely to retire soon...

TRUCKINGS' WORLD NEWS

* Interest in hybrid work trucks grows
USA -eTrucker, by Sean Kelley -2 March 2006: Mitsubishi Fuso's diesel-electric hybrid, on display at the Work Truck Show in Atlanta, features a diesel engine, an ultra-slim electric motor/generator and advanced lithium-ion batteries... Diesel-electric hybrids may not be readily available yet, but interest is growing in the United States... Meanwhile, the Eaton Corp. announced it will provide the hybrid power systems for 50 UPS step-van vehicles made by International Truck and Engine Corp. and Freightliner Custom Chassis. The vehicles will be placed into service in Dallas in June...

* Dana Corporation files for bankruptcy protection in U.S.
TOLEDO, Oh.,USA -Truck News, by James Menzies -3 Mar 2006: Dana Corporation has filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code... Today's Chapter 11 filing does not include Dana's Canadian (or other worldwide) subsidiaries. In order to fund its continuing operations while it restructures, the component manufacturer secured $1.45 billion debtor-in-possession financing from several banks...

* Freightliner introduces new M2 Body Builder CD
PORTLAND, Ore.,USA -Truck News, by James Menzies -3 Mar 2006: Freightliner has introduced an updated Body Builder CD for the Business Class M2 product line... The new Business Class M2 Resource CD, Version 3.0 offers an improved interface and functionality, the company says. The CD is designed to help body builders, dealers and customers build the right truck for their specific business needs...

* Vaclav Klaus approves plan to introduce electronic toll for trucks in 2007
R. Czech -Pravda (Russia) -2 Marc 2006: Czech President Vaclav Klaus on Thursday approved the government's plan to introduce an electronic road toll system for trucks in 2007... According to the plan, trucks weighing more than 12 metric tons (13.2 U.S. tons) will be required to pay the toll. The government plans the system to operate on some 2,100 kilometers (1,300 miles) of Czech highways and major roads...

* Refuse Haulers: A Fast-Growing Segment for Natural-gas Vehicles
USA -BusinessWeek -2 March 2006: The use of the greener garbage trucks benefits both the environment and the economy. Haulers in California are leading the way... Refuse trucks are the most rapidly growing natural gas vehicle sector in the U.S., reports INFORM, the national environmental research organization. Use of natural gas-powered refuse trucks increased by 89%, more than four times the overall increase in natural gas vehicle use nationwide... Additionally, INFORM says it found robust growth in the use of alternative fuel refuse trucks internationally...

* No-idle system adds AC, shore power
USA -Fleet Owner -Mar 3, 2006: Fleets looking to reduce engine idling can now offer engine-off AC power to run “hotel loads” for drivers with a new inverter option for the Nite no-idle system... Manufactured by Bergstrom Inc., the Nite system incorporates an independent battery power source to provide electric service for climate control and other electric appliances used by off-duty or resting drivers...

* Wabash acquires Transcraft
USA -Fleet Owner -Mar 3, 2006: Wabash National Corp. today announced that it has completed its acquisition of flatbed and dropdeck trailer manufacturer Transcraft Corp. The acquisition makes Wabash National the largest semi-trailer manufacturer in North America based on combined 2005 unit volume, Wabash said...

* Sterling swings wideby David Cullen, executive editor
ATLANTA,Ga,USA -Fleet Owner -Mar 3, 2006: Here at The Work Truck Show, Sterling Truck Corp. yesterday rolled out its new low-cab-over-engine truck, the Sterling 360.... Based on a Mitsubishi Fuso design, the Sterling 360 will be available at select Sterling dealers. Class 4 and 5 models will arrive this spring and a Class 3 model by mid-2007...

* Clarke Inc. to boost investment in Clarke Road Transport eyes growth
HALIFAX,Canada -Canadian Press -March 4, 2006: Clarke Inc., says its board of directors has approved a higher investment in Clarke Road Transport Inc., its trucking operation, and it is pursuing major acquisitions...

* Iran to start production of Chinese trucks soon
TEHRAN,Iran -MNA -Mar. 4, 2006: Iran Khodro Diesel Company (IKDC) will start production of the Chinese trucks in the next Iranian year (to be started March 21, 2006), Saeed Leilaz, IKDC deputy for purchasing affairs announced on Saturday...

Opinion - USA - Truck sales: Hot, then cold

Allentown,PA,USA -The Allentown Morning Call, by James P. Miller -March 5, 2006: -- The truck sector is gearing up for another boom year in 2006. But the industry's good times likely will be followed by a steep dropoff in 2007, the kind of tumble Wall Street sometimes calls a ''cliff event"... This year's sales surge, and next year's expected slump, are being artificially amplified by the same development: Diesel engines for large trucks must meet stringent new emission standards under federal clean-air regulations scheduled to kick in Jan. 1... Mack Trucks of Allentown has certainly benefitted from the upturn. It sent 42 percent more trucks to dealers in 2005 than the year before. Last year, it started a second shift at its Lower Macungie Township plant to keep up with demand for trash and construction trucks... Mack parent company Volvo is spending $150 million at its Hagerstown, Md., plant to develop engines that pass the new federal standards... The regulatory changes behind the surge call for a dramatic, 90 percent reduction in the amount of health-damaging soot particles that spew out of truck exhaust pipes...

HOS - Australia - Truckies want new State law to go national

Tamworth,New South Wales,Australia -Tamworth Northern Daily Leader -2 March 2006: -- New heavy vehicle fatigue laws that came into effect in NSW this week have met with mixed reaction from the trucking industry... The regulations will mean that a complete driver fatigue management plan will need to be in place for subcontracted and employee drivers whose journey exceeds 500km... NSW Road Transport Association general manager Lyle White who addressed a meeting in Tamworth on Tuesday night said the regulation would "definitely make things better for truck drivers as it puts into place some sort of regulated policies and procedures system that will allow the monitoring of the number of hours a driver actually does"... The Australian Trucking Association said fatigue needed to be addressed on a national level...

Comment - USA - US truck engine makers near end of road?

The dilemma

CHICAGO,Ill,USA -Reuters, by James B. Kelleher -Mar 2, 2006: -- Caterpillar Inc., and Cummins Inc., the two big U.S. diesel engine manufacturers, are at a crossroads, bankers say... To keep their heavy-duty truck engine operations rolling, will they need to align themselves more closely with a single domestic truck maker?... In Europe, the top manufacturers of heavy-duty trucks --Sweden's Volvo Group, and Germany's DaimlerChrysler, and MAN AG-- are vertically integrated, producing both the chassis and engine... But in North America the industry is divided...

Sales big trucks - USA - Sets record in January

Shawnee Mission,KS,USA -Drovers (subscription) -March 02, 2006: -- You’d think record driver shortages, near-record fuel costs, insurance and regulatory headaches and other problems might make trucking companies think twice before upgrading fleets... Instead, many are going on buying binges — record binges, in fact... About 44,000 Class 8 trucks were sold in January, making it the best-selling month ever, said Ken Vieth, senior partner at ACT Research Co. LLC, Columbus, Ind., which tracks truck sales for the industry... About 80% of those trucks are tractors, and 20% are straight-load trucks, Vieth said...

Criminal waiver holders - Canada - Must obtain I-94 just twice per year

OTTAWA, Ont.,Canada -Trucks News, by James Menzies- 2 March 2006: -- The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) says drivers requiring criminal waivers will no longer have to go to secondary inspection and pay US$6 every time they enter the U.S... The clarification stems from complaints that drivers holding criminal waivers were being forced to be processed for an I-94 card at a cost of $6 every time they tried to enter the U.S. from Ontario. The drivers expressed concerns after being told they would have to go through this process every time they crossed the border...

Anti-HOS - USA - Movement gains momentum

More groups file challenges
WASHINGTON,DC,USA -Today's Trucking -28 Feb 2006: -- As they promised, various trucking and public interest groups have filed separate court challenges in opposition to the latest U.S. hours-of-service rules... Despite some ideological differences, several interests are united in asking the United States Court of Appeals to once again review the Federal Motor carrier Administration's HOS regime... The Owner-Operator and Independent Drivers Association, which filed its court challenge earlier this year, is now joined by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Truckload Carrier's Association, as well as the Ohio and California Trucking Associations, which have also filed "motions to intervene" in the petition for review... The current regulations are set up in a way that if a trucker chooses to split up the required 10 hours of off-duty time, one of the two periods must be at least eight hours. That eight-hour rest period stops the 14-hour maximum on-duty clock. The other two off-duty hours can be taken at another time -- either in the sleeper or out -- to fulfill the 10-hour off-duty requirement, but they do not stop the 14-hour clock...

Speed limiter - Canada - It's official, all provincial associations agree on policy

rOTTAWA, Ont.,Canada -Trcuk News, by James Menzies -2 March 2006: -- As expected, the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) has announced all provincial associations are now endorsing the Ontario Trucking Association's (OTA's) speed limiter plan... The announcement came via a press release this morning. Until recently, the Quebec Trucking Association (QTA) had refused to endorse the plan, standing in the way of national unity. Now with the QTA on-board, all provincial trucking associations are prepared to adopt the OTA policy and limit truck speeds in their own provinces to no more than 105 km/h...

HOS Challenge - USA - Support gathers for OOIDA HoS Court

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo.,USA -Treuck News, by: Steven Macleod -28 Feb 206: -- Four groups have joined the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) in a legal challenge of the new hours-of-service regulations for truck drivers... OOIDA filed a court challenge earlier this year requesting that the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit review the hours-of-service, specifically rules involving the 14-hour on-duty clock and split sleeper-berth provisions.-- Recently, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, The Truckload Carrier's Association and the Ohio and California Trucking Associations have filed "motions to intervene" in the petition for review, in support of OOIDA's court challenge...

Limit - Canada - Trucking industry split over speed-limiters

Bid to slow big rigs

Canada -National Post/Financial Post, by Chris Sorensen -Feb 28, 2006: -- The Canadian Trucking Alliance will put forward a proposal this week to limit truckers driving faster than 105 kilometres per hour on the country's highways -- a controversial plan that is pitting large trucking firms against drivers who own their rigs... "We absolutely don't condone speeding and we would welcome tougher enforcement," said Joanne Ritchie, the executive director of the Owner-Operators' Business Association of Canada, which represents about 40,000 independent truck drivers. "But what we're opposed to is government regulation because there is absolutely no need for it."... In addition to the threat of being pulled over by police, Ms. Ritchie says private owner-operators have a strong incentive to drive at reduced speeds since the money saved on diesel fuel goes straight into their pockets...

Higher Weight Limit - USA - Wisconsin Logging Trucks Want

Eau Claire,WI,USA -WEAU/TV 13 -28 Feb 2006: -- There's a difference of opinion on whether increasing the weight limit on state roads will benefit the logging companies and the economy or cause costly damage to Wisconsin highways... A bill allowing logging trucks to weigh up to 98,000 pounds has passed the Assembly and is before a Senate committee. Truckers would need a permit and an additional axle to carry weight up to the 49-ton limit... Local officials are worried the heavier trucks will damage state roads and increase the risk of accidents...

Stories II - USA - Transportation industry finds it difficult to retain drivers

Macon,Georgia,USA - The Telegraph, by Linda S. Morris -Mar. 05, 2006: -- A national trend in the trucking industry - a growing shortage of truck drivers - has some midstate trucking companies fretting... If the trend continues, the industry will need an additional 111,000 drivers nationwide by 2014, according to a 2005 study by the American Trucking Associations, a national trade group for the trucking industry... Among the reasons for the shortage: stress, not enough young people getting into the business and experienced drivers expected to retire within a decade... "It's real hard to find good (drivers) to start with, and we have to be particular to try and pick people ... who are going to be legitimately good truck drivers," said Mike Jones, operations manager for Macon-based C&A Transportation Inc. "Then it's hard to hold on to them. Every trucking company in the business - particularly the big boys - are making some pretty good offers. Two fairly senior guys left this year just simply because of a better insurance package that a bigger outfit was able to offer them."... Virginia-based Wilson Trucking - which has about 2,500 total drivers, with about six in Macon - requires new applicants to have at least one year of experience, he said... Kirkpatrick said he received his first driving experience as a dock worker practicing driving on the lot. Then he took the commercial driver's license test... Jones said C&A Transportation's insurance company requires it to hire only drivers with two years of over-the-road experience. The insurance company wants to "know they are not taking the risk of having an inexperienced driver out there driving an 80,000-pound rig in tight traffic," he said... The trucking industry also is being hit with increased costs of doing business as gasoline and diesel fuel costs have risen dramatically, said Jones with C&A Transportation... Eighteen-wheel trucks hold about 225 gallons of fuel, and at the current Georgia average of $2.28 a gallon, it costs more than $500 to fill up. Most big rigs get about 5 miles per gallon... The increased costs affect more than the trucking industry... "Everything we touch affects the general consumer," Jones said... "When fuel went up, we had to tack on a fuel surcharge. Every miles I run today, we tack on 22 cents per mile simply for fuel."...

Stories - USA - Truckers on road less traveled

No one looked over his shoulder

Bradenton,Fl,USA -Herald Today, by LAURA FIGUEROA -Mar. 05, 2006: -- It was just Charles White and the open road. A blur of destinations from Florida to Texas, from the Midwest to the West Coast... The lure of being his own boss, seeing the country and the camaraderie among truck drivers, all attracted White to enter the trucking industry 50 years ago. Now a broker with Landstar Trucking in Palmetto, White finds those incentives often fall short of what trucking companies nationwide are doing to lure drivers... Satellite televisions inside truck cabins, health-care benefits, and stock options are just some of the incentives being offered by trucking companies today. In Manatee and Sarasota counties, companies have adjusted their business practices to recruit and retain truck drivers. Local fruit and vegetable growers are also feeling the strain of the declining number of truck drivers nationwide... According to a May 2005 study conducted by the American Trucking Association, the trucking industry is facing a nationwide shortage of 20,000 truck drivers. By the year 2014 that number could increase to 111,000 drivers, the study said... "I think the decline has been a definite trend for the past 10 years," said Craig Cappello , regional transportation broker for Target Interstate, a national trucking company with an office based in Bradenton. "It's harder to retain drivers. There's a lot of aggressive recruiting going on."... After working in the trucking industry for 17 years in Germany, Bart Luczynski, of Poland moved to the United States to pursue a career as a driver... Five years ago he opened up his own trucking company based in Chicago called Megasystems. His company works with Target Interstate. About 95 percent of the company's 30 employees are Polish... When he came to the United States in 1995, "the money was an important part" of what attracted him to truck driving, Luczynski said. "But also for the opportunity to travel and see this beautiful country... In Europe you average 250 miles per day. In the United States it's about 800 miles. But the highways are different, they are bigger, and you get to see more. In Germany the roads were smaller . . . it was like sitting in traffic in L.A."... The influx of European drivers has almost warranted the occasional need for a translator, White said. The incentives now being offered go way beyond what he was offered when he started his career... "A heater in the truck," said White laughing. "That was pretty much it. If you had a heater and a radio you were set."...

AUTOS' COMMENTS & OPINIONS

* GM Streamlining for Profit
USA -The Car Connection, by Paul A. Eisenstein -28 Feb 2006: -- General Motors arguably "hasn't been the world's largest car company in 10 to 15 years," suggested the automaker's "car czar," Bob Lutz, during a Tuesday night dinner... "We were a conglomerate of four to five regional companies with relatively little to do with each other. No wonder Honda and Toyota have been cleaning our clocks". The tough-talking veteran said there may be a positive side to the threat of losing sales supremacy. It is a wake-up call for the GM team that it can no longer expect to win without putting up a real fight, Lutz said... Under new global system, specific types of vehicles will be assigned to various regional development centers, no matter where the products will ultimately be marketed. Saturns, for example, will largely be developed in Europe, along with Opel vehicles, according to Lutz. Europe, he noted, does a better job on medium-size passenger cars than the U.S. Large trucks will be the purview of American engineers and designers. Small pickups will be handled by Brazil, while "very small cars" will go to Asia, primarily what used to be the Daewoo operation in South Korea. But Lutz stressed that while development might be focused in one country, "members of the team will look like the United Nations."...

AUTOS' WORLD NEWS

* $115M couldn't rescue Wixom - Ford's rejection of tax credits, incentives shows huge hurdles state faces.
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Bryce G. Hoffman -28 Feb 2006: Ford Motor Co. left at least $115 million in state tax credits and other incentives on the table when it decided to shutter its Wixom Assembly Plant last month, according to documents provided by the governor's office... The rebuff of Gov. Jennifer Granholm's package shows the auto industry's challenges are beyond the control of policymakers, an analyst says. What state offered: MEGA tax credit worth $98.5 million - City tax abatement worth $13.8 million and state tax abatement worth $3.72 million, or a total property tax abatement worth $35 million. - Single Business Tax credit worth between $975,000 and $2.7 million - $2 million in worker training funds... Despite the last-ditch effort, Ford announced Jan. 23 it would close the Wixom factory next year as part of a restructuring of its North American operations. The offer, illustrates the lengths the Granholm administration is going to slow the hemorrhage of factory jobs in Michigan and the uphill battle the state faces...

* Honda Backing Away from Hybrids?
USA - The Car Connection, by Paul A. Eisenstein -28 Feb 2006: Recent reports have suggested that Honda is having second thoughts about hybrid powertrains. While he told hybrids have great potential, he stressed that it will be hard to push the technology into the mainstream "unless (production) costs come down"... The outspoken executive said that while they represent an ecologically-friendly alternative, "there has to also exist a good business equation," and that is hard to justify right now... Besides, he added, the hybrid "is not the only solution." Honda is looking at a variety of other options, including ethanol and diesel powertrains, as well as hydrogen power...

* Chinese Eye Tritec
Brazil -New York Times/The Car Connection, by Fernando Calmon -28 Feb 2006: The Tritec engine factory, in the State of Paraná, has attracted the interest of the Chinese... Lifan, a Tritec client, wants to purchase the plant-and move the factory to Chongqing, in China... DaimlerChrysler and BMW, present owners of the company, deny the story... Tritec supplies all the engines for the MINI, which accounted for 85 percent of the Brazilian plant's production in 2005. However, BMW has chosen to develop another engine for the next MINI with Peugeot; that vehicle is scheduled to debut in 2007. The switch is forcing Tritec to look for other customers, or to be shut down or sold. A $500 million BMW -Chrysler joint venture, Tritec was founded in 1999. Capacity today is for 400,000 engines a year...

* Mercosur Gulf Widens
Brazil -New York Times/The Car Connection, by Fernando Calmon -28 Feb 2006: The common market of South America, Mercosul in Portuguese, has had its biggest momentum from the automotive industry, the sector that has accelerated regional integration... But now, the integration is coming to a halt thanks to a decision by the government of Argentina, where some automakers such as GM and especially Ford have made their biggest production bets... Beginning January 1st, an entirely free market, with no quotas or other restrictions, was to have been enjoined-but the Argentines said no... The impasse, which will not be broken before June, will as a result slow negotiations within the auto industry, both with the European Union and the U.S. via the nascent AFTA (Americas Free Trade Area) Treaty...

* Microsoft, Fiat Launch Blue&Me
USA -Techno Ride, by Bill Howard -Feb 24, 2006: Imagine if your car could provide hands-free calling, offer navigation services, and connect and play music from any device—yes, even iPods—all for the price you pay now for an in-car Bluetooth phone adapter. That's the promise of Blue&Me, a joint development by Microsoft Corp. and the Fiat Auto Group being unveiled at the March 2006 Geneva Auto Show...

* EUROPE: Automotive manufacturers given little credit rating, as little is due
London,UK -just-auto.com -1 Mar 2006: The overall outlook for credit ratings of European automotive manufacturers has shifted from stable to negative, in Moody’s Investors Service’s latest industry outlook for the sector...

* GM Shifts Global Electronics Buys to China
DETROIT,Mich,USA -Global Auto Systems -Feb 27, 2006: U.S. automaker will source most of the electronics for its future vehicles from Asia-Pacific... General Motors reportedly has relocated its global electronics purchasing unit to Shanghai as the U.S.-based auto giant moves to source more components from China and the Asia-Pacific region... China remains the largest and most profitable growth market for GM, in terms of vehicle sales. Much of the electronic components that it purchases in China are destined for GM products that are assembled in China, Korea and other Asian markets, the story said...

* Mazda3 Goes into Production in China
CHONGQING, China -Global Auto Systems(DETROIT,Mich,USA) -Feb 27, 2006: Changan-Ford joint venture building Japanese compact in Chongqing... Changan-Ford has begun assembling the Mazda3 at its plant here in China’s largest inland city, with sales to begin in late March... To date, Mazda vehicles have been produced in partnership with another Chinese automaker, First Auto Works. FAW and its subsidiaries assemble versions of the Mazda6 and Premacy, as well as the old 323 Familia...

* GM To Expand Six-Speed Transmission Production
TOLEDO, Ohio,USA -Global Auto Systems(DETROIT,Mich,USA) -Feb 27, 2006: Automaker to invest $500 million to build Hydra-matic 6L80 at Ohio plant... General Motors said it plans to invest $500 million to expand its transmission plant here to build the Hydra-matic 6L80 six-speed automatic transmission, beginning in late 2008... As GM brings its six-speed transmission production online, competitors such as Mercedes-Benz and Toyota already are building or preparing new seven- and eight-speed automatics...

AUTOS' WORLD NEWS

* $115M couldn't rescue Wixom - Ford's rejection of tax credits, incentives shows huge hurdles state faces.
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Bryce G. Hoffman -28 Feb 2006: Ford Motor Co. left at least $115 million in state tax credits and other incentives on the table when it decided to shutter its Wixom Assembly Plant last month, according to documents provided by the governor's office... The rebuff of Gov. Jennifer Granholm's package shows the auto industry's challenges are beyond the control of policymakers, an analyst says. What state offered: MEGA tax credit worth $98.5 million - City tax abatement worth $13.8 million and state tax abatement worth $3.72 million, or a total property tax abatement worth $35 million. - Single Business Tax credit worth between $975,000 and $2.7 million - $2 million in worker training funds... Despite the last-ditch effort, Ford announced Jan. 23 it would close the Wixom factory next year as part of a restructuring of its North American operations. The offer, illustrates the lengths the Granholm administration is going to slow the hemorrhage of factory jobs in Michigan and the uphill battle the state faces...

* Honda Backing Away from Hybrids?
USA - The Car Connection, by Paul A. Eisenstein -28 Feb 2006: Recent reports have suggested that Honda is having second thoughts about hybrid powertrains. While he told hybrids have great potential, he stressed that it will be hard to push the technology into the mainstream "unless (production) costs come down"... The outspoken executive said that while they represent an ecologically-friendly alternative, "there has to also exist a good business equation," and that is hard to justify right now... Besides, he added, the hybrid "is not the only solution." Honda is looking at a variety of other options, including ethanol and diesel powertrains, as well as hydrogen power...

* Chinese Eye Tritec
Brazil -New York Times/The Car Connection, by Fernando Calmon -28 Feb 2006: The Tritec engine factory, in the State of Paraná, has attracted the interest of the Chinese... Lifan, a Tritec client, wants to purchase the plant-and move the factory to Chongqing, in China... DaimlerChrysler and BMW, present owners of the company, deny the story... Tritec supplies all the engines for the MINI, which accounted for 85 percent of the Brazilian plant's production in 2005. However, BMW has chosen to develop another engine for the next MINI with Peugeot; that vehicle is scheduled to debut in 2007. The switch is forcing Tritec to look for other customers, or to be shut down or sold. A $500 million BMW -Chrysler joint venture, Tritec was founded in 1999. Capacity today is for 400,000 engines a year...

* Mercosur Gulf Widens
Brazil -New York Times/The Car Connection, by Fernando Calmon -28 Feb 2006: The common market of South America, Mercosul in Portuguese, has had its biggest momentum from the automotive industry, the sector that has accelerated regional integration... But now, the integration is coming to a halt thanks to a decision by the government of Argentina, where some automakers such as GM and especially Ford have made their biggest production bets... Beginning January 1st, an entirely free market, with no quotas or other restrictions, was to have been enjoined-but the Argentines said no... The impasse, which will not be broken before June, will as a result slow negotiations within the auto industry, both with the European Union and the U.S. via the nascent AFTA (Americas Free Trade Area) Treaty...

* Microsoft, Fiat Launch Blue&Me
USA -Techno Ride, by Bill Howard -Feb 24, 2006: Imagine if your car could provide hands-free calling, offer navigation services, and connect and play music from any device—yes, even iPods—all for the price you pay now for an in-car Bluetooth phone adapter. That's the promise of Blue&Me, a joint development by Microsoft Corp. and the Fiat Auto Group being unveiled at the March 2006 Geneva Auto Show...

* EUROPE: Automotive manufacturers given little credit rating, as little is due
London,UK -just-auto.com -1 Mar 2006: The overall outlook for credit ratings of European automotive manufacturers has shifted from stable to negative, in Moody’s Investors Service’s latest industry outlook for the sector...

* GM Shifts Global Electronics Buys to China
DETROIT,Mich,USA -Global Auto Systems -Feb 27, 2006: U.S. automaker will source most of the electronics for its future vehicles from Asia-Pacific... General Motors reportedly has relocated its global electronics purchasing unit to Shanghai as the U.S.-based auto giant moves to source more components from China and the Asia-Pacific region... China remains the largest and most profitable growth market for GM, in terms of vehicle sales. Much of the electronic components that it purchases in China are destined for GM products that are assembled in China, Korea and other Asian markets, the story said...

* Mazda3 Goes into Production in China
CHONGQING, China -Global Auto Systems(DETROIT,Mich,USA) -Feb 27, 2006: Changan-Ford joint venture building Japanese compact in Chongqing... Changan-Ford has begun assembling the Mazda3 at its plant here in China’s largest inland city, with sales to begin in late March... To date, Mazda vehicles have been produced in partnership with another Chinese automaker, First Auto Works. FAW and its subsidiaries assemble versions of the Mazda6 and Premacy, as well as the old 323 Familia...

* GM To Expand Six-Speed Transmission Production
TOLEDO, Ohio,USA -Global Auto Systems(DETROIT,Mich,USA) -Feb 27, 2006: Automaker to invest $500 million to build Hydra-matic 6L80 at Ohio plant... General Motors said it plans to invest $500 million to expand its transmission plant here to build the Hydra-matic 6L80 six-speed automatic transmission, beginning in late 2008... As GM brings its six-speed transmission production online, competitors such as Mercedes-Benz and Toyota already are building or preparing new seven- and eight-speed automatics...

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30.3.06

New Rules - Australia - Operators confused by IR changes

After Wreck - USA - Trucking Industry Under Scrutiny

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

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

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

USA - Trucks Allowed to Park on Streets

29.3.06

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

Fell - USA - Group reports drop in trucking shipments

Answer - Canada - Questions on biodiesel

TechnoNews - USA - Bendix developing adaptive cruise control system

Declination - USA - Group reports trucking industry slowdown

Rewards - USA - Trucking coalition against thievery

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

Development - Azerbaijan - Meeting on Motor Trucking

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

Contamination - USA - Trucks dump tainted soil

Orders Surge - Germany - MAN AG first two months

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

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

Purchases - South Africa - Harare goes trucks and car shopping

28.3.06

Purchase - UK - Fraikin Furnishes Toons With New Trucks

Prognosis - USA - Local fleets look at hybrid trucks

Purchase - UK - Renault Trucks & Pollock Rekindle Auld Alliance

Jobs - USA - Schneider National to add 350 workers

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

Jobs - Canada - Sterling Back to Work

25.3.06

Truck Accidents - USA - ATA official questions FMCSA report

Product - Canada - You will like this Cargo van

Products - USA - Cat sticks with ACERT for 2007 engines

Shares down - USA - Trucking firms applying brakes

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

Negligent - Australia - Trucking firm fined $130,000

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

Plenty of Texans are anxiously awaiting corridor impact draft

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

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

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

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

Drivers' lack - USA - RCC revives trucking program

Biodiesel - USA - This Fuel May Not Be the Answer

Acquisition - USA - Stallion Enters Heavy Hauling Market

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

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

Products - USA - Peterbilt Unveils New Lineup

Products - USA - Cummins announces 2007 heavy-duty ratings

Technology - USA - Keeps Trucks Moving Through Storm

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

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

23.3.06

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

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

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

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

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

Stake - Sweden - Volvo buys 13% of Nissan trucks

Certification - USA - Trucks Register With E-Manifest

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

TechnoNews - USA - FLIR launches night vision for trucks

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

Increases - USA - Commercial truck prices rising

Production - USA - BorgWarner Expands China Operations

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

DRIVERS' LACK - USA

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

Product - France - New Map Dataset for French Trucking Industry

Reports - USA - Trucking strong in some districts

Intervention - USA - ATA in hours of service challenge

Products - South Africa - Keep on truckin'

Opposition - Australia - Grows to trucking charge hikes

Prognosis II - USA - Commercial Truck Aftermarket Sales Rising

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