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Sep 30, 2007

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS WORLDWIDE

* Sweden - Market body says VW can up Scania stake

Stockholm,Sweden - Reuters -Sep 28, 2007: -- Sweden's securities council said on Friday it has given German auto giant Volkswagen permission to raise its stake in truck maker Scania without needing to make a bid for the whole firm... The council said a law firm had submitted a request on behalf of Volkswagen, the biggest owner of both Scania and German rival MAN, to be allowed to buy more shares in the Swedish truck maker without triggering a compulsory bid... Volkswagen, which owns 36.4 percent of Scania's voting rights and 20 percent of its capital, already has permission to own as much as 49.99 percent of the voting rights without making a bid, the council added in a statement...


* Sweden - Volvo Trucks suffers sales fall, especially in the US

Stockholm,Sweden -New Europe/The Local -29 September 2007: -- Not all businesses are prospering. Volvo Trucks saw deliveries fall in the first eight months of the year, with a downturn in North American sales cancelling out improvements in almost every other market... The company sold 135,781 trucks between January and August, four percent down...


* USA - Cummins to build engines in Vietnam
Columbus,Ind,USA -AP/wlfi/News Channel 18 -September 29, 2007: -- Cummins Incorporated and a Vietnamese partner have agreed to collaborate on a joint venture to make diesel engines for highway use in the Southeast Asian nation... Cummins Chairman Tim Solso and a representative of the state-owned Vietnam Motors Industry Corporation signed the agreement Friday in New York... The company did say the venture first will assemble imported engine kits and later include locally made components as supplies become available... About half of Cummins' sales occur outside the U.S...



* Canada - Truck maker Paccar of Canada Ltd. to lay off 250 at Quebec plant
Montreal,QUE,CAN -The Canadian Press, by Andy Blatchford -September 26, 2007: -- Truck manufacturer Paccar of Canada Ltd. will lay off 250 workers at its Quebec plant on Oct. 12, a union representative said Wednesday... Richard Walker of the Canadian Auto Workers. which represents Paccar’s Quebec employees, said workers at the Sainte-Therese facility, north of Montreal, were advised of the cuts in August... But he added the truck manufacturing industry projects sales to rise next year...


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TRUCKS PURCHASE * USA - Oshkosh Truck gets $16.8M order from U.S. Army

Milwaukee,WIS,USA -The Business Journal of Milwaukee -September 27, 2007: -- Oshkosh Truck Corp. has been awarded a $16.8 million contract to provide heavy equipment tractors and trailers to the U.S. Army, which made the order on behalf of a foreign military or international organization, the U.S Department of Defense said Wednesday... Most of the work on the M1070 heavy equipment transporter systems will be performed in Oshkosh, with additional work performed in Princeton, Ky.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Indianapolis; and Egypt. The work is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2009...

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Hazards and Headaches * USA - On a Mountain Road in Connecticut

AVON, Conn.,USA -The New York Times, by KEN BELSON -September 30, 2007: -- This picturesque New England town is filled with white churches, lush lawns and high-end boutiques. It has also developed a reputation for thickening truck traffic and some of the deadliest accidents in the state... The stretch of Route 44 that rolls west from Hartford, over Avon Mountain and into this town of 17,000 is Connecticut’s version of Dead Man’s Curve. Since 1995, 14 people have died in accidents on the road... About 23,000 vehicles a day make the trek in both directions, including more than 1,100 trucks, which are a constant cause for concern because of their size and the 10 percent grade of the mountain. Truck traffic has grown because more stores keep just-in-time inventories that demand constant replenishing. Increasingly, the truckers delivering the goods are unfamiliar with the local roads... Trucking companies agree that banning their vehicles on a major road like Route 44 will not only clog other roads but also raise the cost of delivering goods. They also say that by not widening roads, Avon’s traffic will only worsen... (Photo by Christopher Capozziello/NYT - Marcia Goldberg in her family’s furniture store in Avon, Conn. This month, an out-of-control truck crashed into the shop)

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* Pakistan - HTVs an added menace to traffic

Heavy transport vehicles (HTVs), trucks, oil tankers, dumpers and loaders, bring chaos to the already troubled traffic of the city...

Rawalpindi,Punjab,Pakistan -The Daily Times (Lahore,PAK), by Imran Asghar -30 Sept 23007: -- ... Nearly four years ago, the Punjab Government had declared the timing of the entry of HTVs to be limited to 8:00 pm to 8:00 am in the city... This decision did not apply to oil tankers and other loaders because it did not specify this category of vehicles as well... Moreover, there were some spots in Rawalpindi which were used to get into the city illegally during daytime by the drivers of the HTVs... The HTVs had been the major cause of traffic jams and accidents in the city. The illegal entrances increase air pollution, pressure horns confuse drivers of other vehicles and create noise pollution...

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Truckers Complain * USA - They claim route won’t work

Some Enid truckers see too many problems arising from an established truck route that took effect Aug. 26.

Enid,OK,USA -The Enid News & Eagle, by Cass Rains -September 29, 2007: -- The ordinance passed during the July 17 Enid City Commission meeting establishing the route as U.S. 412, U.S. 81, 30th from U.S. 412 to Willow, Willow from 30th to Van Buren and 4th from Willow to U.S. 81... Among the problems truckers foresee are increased traffic and congestion, loss of time due to the route and a planned widening project at Garriott and Van Buren, the two most major thoroughfares of the established truck route... Enid trucker Will Meyer said the truck route is costing him money because of the time he loses by not being able to take Garland or Rupe...

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Red-light cameras * USA - Also snaring Police

More than 520 tickets have been issued to public agencies since operation began

Houston,TX,USA -The Houston Chronicle, by MATT STILES -Sept. 28, 20074: -- Houston police commanders say the city's red-light camera enforcement program should increase safety at intersections by prompting "behavior modifications" in motorists... Not all of their own employees are getting the message, however... More than 100 Houston police vehicles moving through intersections without emergency lights were cited in the first year of the cameras' operation, according to ticket data... (City of Houston - A red-light camera catches a sheriff's vehicle)

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Pension Deal * USA - UPS and Teamsters, Near

NY,USA -The Wall Street Journal, by Corey Dade -29 Sept 2007: -- United Parcel Service Inc. and the Teamsters union are closing in on a labor agreement that would restructure and possibly lower the company's pension obligations... The two sides are trying this weekend to finish hammering out a deal in which the Atlanta package-delivery giant would pull out of the Central States Pension Fund, the largest multiemployer program in the trucking industry...

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Fuel Pricing * USA - Michigan bill target predatory one

MI,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Keith Goble -September 28, 2007: -- A bill that could draw consideration would make it illegal for fuel stations to limit the amount of fuel sold to customers... Rep. Jeff Mayes, D-Bay City, said the bill is intended to prohibit fuel stations from discriminating against consumers and protect against predatory pricing... The protections in the bill wouldn’t apply during emergencies declared by the governor... (Images from: michigan.gov)

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Speed Limits * USA - Wyoming to test variable

The state of Wyoming is hoping to introduce a first-of-its-kind speed limit system on its interstates

WYO,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Reed Black -September 28, 2007: -- ... It’s called a “variable speed limit,” with the speed limit changing in response to weather and road conditions... Wyoming currently has a uniform speed limit for trucks and cars – and that won’t change... But in heavy rain or snow, digital speed limit signs will slow all traffic down, and speed it back up when conditions permit... Wyoming Department of Transportation Spokesman Vince Garcia told there will be a pilot program this winter on a six-mile stretch of Interstate 80 between Rawlins and Laramie... If the program goes well, Garcia said state officials hope to gradually introduce the variable speed limit statewide... (Photo from mostlyanecdotal.org: Road to Evanston Wyoming)
* Wyoming DOT looking for road condition reporters
WYO,USA -Land Line Magazine -September 28, 2007: -- The state Department of Transportation in Wyoming is seeking volunteers to call in real-time road reports... After a pilot program last winter, DOT officials say regular motorists who volunteered to call in reports did a good job of reporting road conditions... Now the program is going state-wide...

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MEXICANS' TRUCKS * USA - OOIDA doubts benefits of satellite tracking of cross-border trucks

Grain Valley,MP,USA -Land Line Magazine -September 28, 2007: -- Leaders of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association expressed skepticism in response to the FMCSA’s announcement to establish a satellite tracking system as part of the cross-border trucking pilot program with Mexico... In a press release, officials from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration claimed that the system will monitor whether drivers are complying with driving time limits... However, OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer, commented that the agency cannot even currently do this with U.S. drivers, not without checking paperwork or other records... FMCSA Administrator John Hill did not elaborate on how a satellite tracking system would ensure that trucks and drivers from Mexico are in compliance with U.S. safety regulations or any other U.S. laws...

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CARB’s proposed mandates * USA - OOIDA concerned by

California officials want trucks and trailers to be equipped with aerodynamic fairings and automatic tire inflation systems. They also want every truck stop parking space to be electrified and they want to triple fines for violations of next year’s five-minute idling limit

CAL,USA -Land Line Magazin,By Charlie Morasche -30 Sept 2007: -- The California Air Resources Board is scheduled to consider those strategies and 41 others in the agency’s greenhouse gas reduction plan at next month’s board meeting... CARB staff presented the amendments at a workshop Monday and acknowledged the rapid adoption process of regulations that the agency has discussed little with trucking companies, trade associations and others who will be affected by the rules... CARB also plans to beef up anti-idling enforcement and triple the agency’s $100 fines to $300 for drivers caught violating the five-minute idling limit, which is set to take effect Jan. 1, 2008... CARB is fast-tracking requirements that trucks traveling in the state be retrofitted with cab fairings, gap fairings, trailer skirts and single-wide tires to improve fuel efficiency, and plans to require some type of tire inflation monitoring or automatic inflation system by 2010... The draft plan regulation said the agency could phase in the faring requirement until 100 percent of trucks would meet the requirement by 2013... CARB estimates that adding either shore power or IdleAire-like direct access of heat and air conditioning to California’s remaining 6,600 truck stop spaces and 1,300 Caltrans rest area spaces would cost between $49.5 million and $132 million... California ranked 47 out of 49 states in its ratio of commercial parking spaces in a 2002 study by the Federal Highway Administration... Other early action measures include requiring electric-powered reefers at distribution centers and grocery stores and requiring electric hybrid medium and heavy-duty trucks and cars and light duty trucks. Those measures are considered to be not ready for implementation until after 2010, though CARB can speed up those time frames... (Photo Gallery from liloazngurlspice: Island farm truck)

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Sep 29, 2007

Oil fee * USA - Would hurt locally owned truck stops

Here's yet another unintended consequence for Wisconsin if the proposed oil assessment fee is passed as part of the state budget

Madison,WIS,USA -The Capital Times, by James J. Goetz, vice president, Goetz Cos. -27 Sept 2007: -- ... Wisconsin's locally owned and operated truck stops and travel plazas would be unable to compete with truck stops and travel plazas in surrounding states... And big oil? They won't feel a thing... Experts who understand the petroleum business will tell you the oil assessment fee, if approved by the Legislature, would ultimately be passed on to consumers... Currently, truckers pay taxes under the International Fuel Tax Agreement, meaning they pay the prevailing tax in the states in which they travel. This helps ensure truckers don't bypass fuel stops in high-tax states. Unfortunately, the oil assessment fee would not be "IFTA eligible"... Ironically, the biggest unintended consequence is that the state would never collect the oil assessment fee dollars that they are counting on from diesel fuel because interstate truck drivers would not purchase fuel in Wisconsin. Clearly, everyone loses in the proposal except big oil... (Photo by businessinsurancespecialists.com: Truck stop of Madison, Wisconsin.)

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AWARDS * USA - Ohio Trucker Picks Up Two State Safety Awards

Cleveland,OH,USA -BUSINESS WIRE -September 28, 2007: -- The Ohio Trucking Association presented Dedicated Transport, LLC with both the 2006 Fleet Safety Award and the prestigious 2006 President’s Award at the Association’s Allied Industry Banquet held in Mason, OH on September 11th... The awards recognize Dedicated Transport’s outstanding dedication and accomplishments in the area of highway safety, said Frank Wagner, Dedicated Transport’s President & CEO. In 2006 the Company’s truck drivers logged over 3.5 million miles in the State of Ohio without a single recordable accident...

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Engines of Change 2007 * USA

Engines dominated equipment news in 2007, but that’s only the start of improvements underway

USA -Logistics Today, by Walter Weart -September 2007: -- ... The trucking industry is being buffeted from many directions with problems ranging from soft demand with resultant price pressures, record fuel prices and intense environmental scrutiny at all levels. If that was not enough, a driver shortage has required that trucking companies look to creature comforts in their trucks as one way to retain these employees... In addition, improvements are being made in a number of areas—from aerodynamics to “creature comforts” to fuel efficiency. None of these areas are receiving more attention though than fuel economy and greenhouse gas minimization... According to a 2002 study by Argonne National Laboratory, Class 8 trucks use 18 billion gallons of fuel per year. This usage is much higher than any other class of commercial trucks so it is understandable why efforts are being directed towards this area... Through a combination of new and old technologies, truck efficiency and comfort are clearly on the road to major improvements that will provide benefits for drivers, fleet operators, and the environment... (Photo by truckaccessoryguide.com: A 540 HP Turbine Truck Engine Prototype )

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Trucks only! * USA - ... On I-70 ?

USA -Fleet Owner -Sep 28, 2007: -- As a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) "Corridors Of The Future" program, developed to study innovative ways to reduce congestion and improve freight delivery, four states will study adding dedicated truck lanes to a portion of I-70... Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio will receive $5 million for the study, including $2 million specifically for Missouri to supplement its existing I-70 study to consider the truck lanes concept... (Maps from: www.i-70-hotels.com/maps/USA_I-70.gif)

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S. Calif. Truck Plan * USA - Major industry groups ask FMC to investigate

Two major shipping and freight industry groups have asked the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission to take immediate action against a controversial port trucking re-regulation plan being proposed by Southern California port authorities

CAL,USA -American Shipper+ Shippers' NewsWire -27 Sept 2007: -- ... In what may be the first public salvo of industry action against the $1.8 billion truck plan, the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association and the National Industrial Transportation League have asked FMC officials to examine the ports’ plan for what the groups describe as “legal, logistical and anticompetitive impacts that will cause immediate economic harm”... In the 14-page letter to the federal agency requesting the review, the two groups also detail their assertions that the ports, during development of the truck plan, have violated portions of the federal Shipping Act... The ports’ Clean Truck Program, slated to start Jan. 1, would ban access to the ports’ terminals by truckers not obtaining a license from the ports... Port-licensed pre-2007 model year trucks would pay a “truck impact fee” for each gate entry at the terminals... The ports claim that the plan, if fully implemented, would eliminate up to 45 percent of port-generated truck emissions by 2012. Trucking firms must also agree to hire only employees, not independent owner-operators, to obtain a port license... In their letter, the PMSA and NIT League point out that the ports’ agreement with the FMC “is entirely silent on one of the most intrusive and anticompetitive portions of the Clean Truck Program -- the prohibition of independent owner-operators”... John Husing, a prominent Southern California economist, said that truck driver positions, support jobs and back office staff would all suffer under the ports’ truck plan. Husing’s analysis, which was presented to port officials several weeks ago, found that 376 trucking companies would vanish if the ports’ plan was implemented, along with just over 2,250 back office and support jobs. A calculation using numbers in the analysis suggests that at least 4,400 driver positions would be eliminated by the ports’ plan. An American Shipper analysis of the plan in July found that 6,150 driver positions would be lost because of the plan, along with close to 1,500 support positions... In addition, Husing told the audience that implementation of the program will likely result in more than a 50 percent short-term reduction in the port truck fleet, an 80 percent increase in shipping costs for surviving firms and “a slowly building crisis as lack of drivers and trucks means containers are not delivered on time"... (Picture from www.alwaysbeta.com - Los Angeles air pollution)



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* USA - Push to Keep 55 MPH Speed Limit for Trucks on Illinois Highways

From the Office of Governor Rod Blagojevich

Chicago,Ill,USA -illinoischannel.spaces.live.com -28 sept 2007: -- Governor Rod R. Blagojevich’s top transportation officials were joined today by traffic safety and law enforcement advocates in urging legislators to sustain the Governor’s veto of Senate Bill 540, which would have raised the speed limit for trucks in Illinois to 65 miles per hour... The Governor has fought to keep the 55 mph speed limit in place for trucks on Illinois highways for the safety of everyone who travels our roads... During Gov. Blagojevich's administration fatalities on state roads have dropped by 200 a year, the lowest levels since 1924... Other traffic safety measures signed into law by the Governor include:
* Chemical testing required for those arrested for hit-and-run;
* Harsher sentencing for causing a death while driving impaired; and
* Tougher penalties for driving on a DUI-revoked license.
(Pictures from www.islaiscreek.org: Truck Traffic on Illinois Street)

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TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS WORLDWIDE

* Japan - Nissan adds diesel hybrid option to Atlas delivery trucks

Tokyo,Japan -Autobloggreen (USA), by Sam Abuelsamid -Sep 28, 2007: -- As part of it's Nissan Green Program 2010, the Japanese company is adding compressed natural gas and diesel hybrid variants to it's Japanese-market commercial delivery trucks... The CNG version is a pretty straightforward example, running on natural gas and getting low emission vehicle certification. It also gets an automatic start/stop to eliminate idle emissions. The diesel hybrid is a little more complex. It uses two separate drive mechanisms for the diesel and electric motor with a power take off. This allows the vehicle to continue running even if the electric drive has a problem...

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Sep 28, 2007

Aluminium Bodies * UK - Thompson tips its hat at the aluminium tipper body market

Lancashire,England,UK -Biglorryblog -27 Sept 2007: -- Not content with cornering the steel tipping body market, Thompsons is now making a concerted drive into the market for aluminium bodies. And to support this thrust its upping its current production capacity to handle a new range of ally bodywork for 18, 26 and 32-tonne trucks... Thompsons' number one product for the aluminium market will be its Sandmaster, a body with one-piece pressed sides and top rail design that closely follows its steel Loadmaster body. However it says: "Improved features for aluminium bodywork are already being designed"...

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AWARD * USA - Con-way Freight Wins Industry's Top Safety Award from ATA

Irvine, CA,USA -Trucking Info -28 Sept 2007: -- Con-way Freight, a leading less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation company and a subsidiary of Con-way Inc., is the recipient of the 2007 President's Trophy award for the Large Fleet category from the Safety & Loss Prevention Management Council of American Trucking Associations (ATA)... Officials honored the company at its Safety & Human Resources National Conference in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Sept. 21... Winners of the President's Trophy award have achieved superior safety records and demonstrated outstanding commitment to safety industry-wide and among all highway users... Con-way Freight previously won the President's Trophy in 1997, 2002, 2005 and 2006...

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Enhanced Security * USA - Most Trucks To Be Tagged At Port For

Starting Dec. 1, nearly every truck moving through the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles will have a “TruckTag”

Long Beach,CA,USA -Gazette Newspapers, by Kurt Helin -27 Sept 2007: -- The 25,000 trucks that usually move through the ports each day will be tagged soon... That tag is scanned and instantly can check a vehicle’s security clearance and time of arrival and departure. The program will be run by PierPass, the company that set up and oversees the nights/weekends port hours that began two years ago... The United States Department of Homeland Security has pushed for this program for some time... (Photo from defenseindustrydaily.com: American Science and Engineering's Z-Backscatter Vans)

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MEXICANS' TRUCKS * USA - Qualcomm System to Monitor Trucks

Washington,DC,USA -AP/The Houston Chronicle (Houston,TX), by DAN CATERINICCHIA -Sept. 27, 2007: -- Chip maker Qualcomm Inc. will provide a satellite-based tracking system for all trucks participating in a U.S.-Mexico pilot project that for the first time allows the vehicles unlimited access to the other nation's roads... But critics of the trade agreement on Thursday questioned how the Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will pay for the technology since both houses of Congress separately voted to cut off funding for it... FMCSA said the tracking plan is being developed in conjunction with Mexican officials after both countries agreed to explore satellite technology as an enforcement tool... The systems will be installed at no cost to the trucking companies and will be used to enforce safety requirements, including hours of service and direct shipping standards, said FMCSA Administrator John Hill... (Picture by bbc (UK): Mexican trucks are currently tightly restricted north of the border)

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Truck Insurance Claim * USA - What to Know When Making one

It is important to be aware of the process involved in making a truck insurance claim, as well as procedures to be followed on the scene of the accident

USA -Domains&Finance, Internet-and-Businesses-Online/fer-domain.blogspot.com, by Joe Trzepla -27 Sept 2007: -- While most truck drivers are very careful, various circumstances can lead to accidents and truck damage claims. This is, after all, the reason why truck insurance exists... In the end, the claims process is relatively simple. The driver files a claim and the truck insurance provider sends a claim adjuster to inspect damages, after which the truck insurance claim is processed and payments are made. In order for the claims process to go smoothly, it is important to have five pieces of information for your truck insurer: your story, the stories of other drivers involved in the accident, the police report, eyewitness accounts, and physical damage at the scene. To be sure to gather this information for your truck insurance company, follow these five steps... (Photo from: fer-domain.blogspot.com)

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Shocking Revelations * Canada - About Truck Driving Schools Leaving Many Concerned

They're sometimes called the knights of the road. But if you believe a new report, some of them may be more like nightmares.

Toronto,Canada -CityNews.ca -September 27, 2007: -- They're improperly trained truck drivers who pilot those big rigs that barrel past you on the highway. And according to the current rules, almost anyone can get a license to drive one without actually stepping behind the wheel of a full-sized tractor trailer to prove their competence... Licensing for big rigs is unregulated in Ontario, and many believe an influx of unskilled drivers is leading to tragic results on the roads... The driver has been charged in that case, although it's not clear where he learned his craft... But just days after the accident comes the revelation that there are a number of 'licensing mills' in the province and that getting a permit to drive one of the rigs can be as easy as taking a test using only a pickup truck hauling a horse trailer...

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Hit the Road * USA - Blog Tour Looking For Volunteers

Blog Tour USA will roll again in 2008

USA -blog-tour-usa, by joker -28 Sept 2007: -- Do you want to roll with it? Here’s your chance to get away, have some fun and create something... We are looking for 2 or more fools volunteers to hit the road and record their experiences on video and in blog posts. All expenses paid. Send us your ideas for your road trip. It can be on any topic or theme— it does not have to be real estate related... Let’s roll...

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Complains * USA - Truckers Not Playing By the Rules

Trucking companies based in Beaumont are warning motorists about the dangers of trucks operated by out of state competitors

Beaumont,Texas,USA -KFDM/TV News, by Ashley Rodrigue -September 26, 2007: -- ... The locals say many out of state truckers are not playing by the rules, and they claim that puts you at risk on the roads... Rodger Allen says he and his workers travel the highways and byways in Beaumont several times a day. Every time, they do it legally, as opposed to some out-of-town companies that Allen claims are constantly breaking the law... (Photo from www.blogtourusa.com)

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TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS WORLDWIDE

* UK - MAN unveils trucks for distribution and haulage

London,UK -Logistics Manager -27 Sept 2007: -- MAN has launched new ranges of trucks for distribution and long distance haulage. It has invested 100 million euros in the new trucks, designated TGS for distribution and TGX for long distance haulage. The models are equipped with D20 and D26 EGR common rail engines at ratings of 320 to 480hp... The trucks feature a lightweight design, including lightweight front axle suspension for the TGX. This contributes to an overall payload reduction of up to 120kg. Three cab options are available for both models..


* USA - Donaldson awarded Freightliner Masters of Quality Award
USA -eTrucker -27 Sept 2007: -- Donaldson Co. received the Masters of Quality Award from Freightliner LLC... The award recognizes three Donaldson manufacturing facilities in the areas of accounting, marketing, purchasing, engineering and quality control. Freightliner has presented this award to the top two percent of its more than 1,800 supply base for the last 20 years. The Masters of Quality Award is the highest recognition that Freightliner gives to its suppliers, representing the best of the best among suppliers providing parts and components to Freightliner businesses...



* India - Piaggio zips ahead on four wheels

New Delhi,India -Daily News & Analysis (Mumbai,India), by Sindhu Bhattacharya -September 27, 2007: -- With the launch of a sub one-tonne truck and plans to establish a greenfield diesel engine facility, Piaggio Vehicles has kick-started its transformation from a three-wheeler maker to a complete light transportation vehicle (LTV) company... Piaggio, which set up shop independently in the country eight years ago, has also expanded its three-wheeler range by adding CNG cargo variant; LPG and CNG passenger variants are also being launched... (Photo: Piaggio 4 wheeler quadr



* USA - Freightliner considers moving jobs - The truck maker says it is looking into moving a "small fraction" of white-collar jobs out of Portland
Portland,ORE,USA -The Oregonian, by BRENT HUNSBERGER -September 20, 2007: -- Freightliner is considering moving portions of its white-collar work force out of Portland to the eastern United States, the company said Wednesday... The Portland-based commercial truck maker said it is studying moving several corporate functions to "an Eastern location," closer to Freightliner's branded truck manufacturing plants and its customers... It was not immediately clear what division or how many jobs might be affected, or when any move might occur...


* USA - Sterling Ranks Highest for Dealer Service in J.D. Power Study
Irvine,CAL,USA -Trucking Info -27 Sept 2007: -- Sterling Truck Corp. has received the highest overall ranking for Heavy-Duty Truck Dealer Service in the J.D. Power and Associates Heavy Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study... Sterling was the highest scoring brand for both the dealer facility and service price factors...




* Venezuela - To Build Plant for Russian Trucks Production



Caracas,Venezuela -Russia Info Centre (Moscow,Russia) -19 Sept 2007: -- Venezuela intends to build a joint plant for manufacturing Russian KAMAZ trucks, according to Venezuelan vice-president Jorge Rodriguez... This became known yesterday, September 18, at a press-conference within the framework of Russia-Venezuela business forum...

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DRIVERS' AWARDS * USA

* UPS Freight driver earns national honor
USA -eTrucker -27 Sept 2007: -- UPS Freight driver William Gray Jr. of Cumberland, Md., has been named the American Trucking Associations' 2007 National Truck Driver of the Year.. The announcement came Sept. 21 at the ATA Safety and Loss Prevention Management Council's Fall Conference in Pittsburgh... Gray has driven more than 2.7 million accident-free miles in his 28-year career... ATA's National Truck Driver of the Year is selected from professionals nominated by state trucking associations... (Photo: William Gray Jr. also has coached youth softball and basketball)


* CFI honors drivers for reaching 3 million miles
USA -eTrucker -27 Sept 2007: -- Contract Freighters has honoed three of its drivers -- Charles Beaty, Jon Smith and Larry Trexler -- for traveling 3 million miles. With these three honorees, only eight drivers in CFI's history have reached this career milestone... Beaty, who resides in Seneca, Mo., has been a CFI driver since 1981 and has been driving professionally for 36 years. Smith, a Joplin, Mo., resident, began his career with CFI in 1984. Trexler, a professional truck driver for 38 years, has been with CFI since 1979 and lives in Rockwell, N.C...


* Roadway driver reaches 3 million safe miles
USA -eTrucker -27 Sept 2007: -- Roadway professional driver Al Adams has achieved the elite status of driving 3 million miles without a preventable accident. The 59-year-old has been with Roadway for 35 years. He is a long-haul driver working out of the Roadway service center in Copley, Ohio, and a member of Local 24 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters... Adams is a 2007-08 America’s Road Team Captain, is a member of the Roadway Road Team, and was the 2003 Driver of the Year for the Ohio Trucking Association...

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TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA

* Nerman receives truck Blue Book’s 2007 Achievement Award
USA -eTrucker -27 Sept 2007: -- Jerome Nerman, co-founder of Arrow Truck Sales Inc., received Truck Blue Book’s inaugural Industry Achievement Award during ceremonies at Truck Blue Book’s 2007 Workshop, held in San Antonio... Nerman started Arrow in 1950 from a small used truck lot in downtown Kansas City, Mo. Today, Arrow operates 18 retail locations across North America... Due to the significance of this award, it will only be given periodically to truly outstanding candidates within the industry...


* Bay & Bay Transportation acquires D&T Trucking
Rosemount,Minn,USA -eTrucker -27 Sept 2007: -- Bay & Bay Transportation, a national transportation and logistics company has purchased D&T Trucking Co. of Little Canada, a northern suburb of St. Paul, Minn... The family-owned business has specialized in reefer and dry freight transportation since 1959. The acquisition, terms of which were not disclosed, includes D&T’s brokerage company, Virtual Transportation...


* Schneider Logistics honored for 3PL performance
USA -eTrucker -27 Sept 2007: -- Schneider Logistics Inc. has been recognized as a Top 100 3PL Provider for 2007 by Inbound Logistics magazine. This is the 10th consecutive year the Schneider National unit has received the award and marks the sixth year in a row the company has placed among the top 10 providers...

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posted by Unknown @ 6:41 AM  0 comments

Safety changes * USA - On Avon Mountain

Hartford,CT,USA -WTNH, by Mark Davis -27 Sept 2007: -- The Department of Transportation revealed its plan for Avon Mountain today and officials say it will be completed by the end of the year... The DOT told truckers that they have rejected the idea of a traditional runaway truck ramp of gravel, similar to one on the Mass Pike in western Massachusetts. Instead, the plan calls for a narrow runaway truck lane with extra high barriers and a series of heavy-duty nets connected to cables on pulleys...

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posted by Unknown @ 6:36 AM  0 comments

PRODUCTS & SERVICES * USA - Automated Software for Drivers License Background Reports

Corra Group recognizes the increased need for trucking and transport companies to source out their drivers’ DMV/MVR reports

Los Angeles, CA,USA -PRMinds (press release -Palaiseau,France) -27 Sept 2007: -- Corra is now providing an automated software system to trucking companies in need of DMV/MVR and CDL background checks. The California based company has recognized the increased demand in the trucking and transport industry... "As their insurance companies are no longer willing to provide for their policy holders Department of Motor Vehicle Records the trucking and transport industry is turning to background checking companies like Corra,” said Nick Gustavson, Co-Founder of Corra... "As trucking companies turn to us, we found it best to train them on our state-of-the-art automated system so that they can access driving records 24/7. With the software, they will have a permanent database of every driving record. The records are usually retrieved within minutes in most states,” he continued... Gustavson pointed out that many of Corra’s trucking clients elect to also run other background checks, including social security traces and criminal records... (Picture: Biglorryblog -UK-)
* Idle Free Systems Jordan's, not a finalist in Forbes.com's Boost Your Business contest
USA -eTrucker -27 Sept 2007: -- Robert Jordan, Overdrive magazine’s 2006 Trucker of the Year, was one of 20 entrepreneurs in the semifinals of Forbes.com’s first Boost Your Business contest... Jordan has built his business, Idle Free Systems, around a patent he owns. Jordan’s invention is an aftermarket device that makes a Class 8 tractor run somewhat like a hybrid. Energy generated by normal engine use is stored in five sealed, absorbed glass mat batteries, housed beneath the sleeper’s bunk. That reserve power then runs heating and air conditioning when the truck is stopped. The reserve batteries also can be charged by shore power and by reefer engines... Mack Trucks offers Jordan’s system as an option... Jordan says Chiquita Brands Inc. is testing his product, and he now offers a new hybrid system...

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posted by Unknown @ 6:19 AM  0 comments

Sep 27, 2007

TRUCKS' MARKETS

* Nigeria - Russia worries Western "propaganda" scares Africa off from trade opportunities

Nigeria -African News Services/Trade Africa, by Chido Makunike -September 26, 2007: -- Russia's truck manufacturers say they're ready to do more business in Africa but their country's image problem may be getting in the way... "I am not sure that Africa pays enough attention to Russia," says Professor Vladimir Shubin, deputy director of the Moscow-based Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute for African Studies. "I think a good reason for that is the influence of Western propaganda based on events in Russia linked to Chechnya and the mafia, doing its best to portray Moscow as the backyard of Europe... From Angola to Tunisia, KAMAZ has been exporting trucks to more than a dozen African countries since the 1980s with growing potential in other regional markets...

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posted by Unknown @ 4:54 AM  0 comments

Reducing Truck Traffic * USA - Morris planners offer ways to

New Jersey,USA -NJ Blog, by Al Frank -September 25, 2007: -- Morris County transportation planners today proposed a number of options to reduce truck traffic, including redeveloping environmentally tainted land near highway interchanges into new warehouse and distribution centers and extending rail freight lines... The county employs more than 63,000 people in industries that depend on the delivery of freight. Those job sectors, which include warehousing, retail and wholesale industries, are expected to grown an average of 12 percent during the next decade, the planners said in a report... To handle the load, the report recommends developing "freight villages" to concentrate the business in convenient and secure locations close to major highways and rail lines... The report notes one box car can hold three to four times as much as a single tractor trailer can carry... (Photo, from geocities.com: A Freight Car)

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posted by Unknown @ 4:37 AM  0 comments

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Disc-Lock tests its Safety Wheel Locking Nut at Mid-America Trucking & Commercial Vehicle Show

+Los Angeles,Cal,USA -Ferret (Australia) -25 Sept 2007: -- Disc-Lock has tested its patented Safety Wheel Nut and improved Locking Lug Nut for Trucks live in front of all attendees at the mid America Trucking show earlier this year... Demonstrations on the Disc-Lock stand using a Junker Vibration machine shows how a standard two-piece wheel nut (Lug Nut) can be shaken loose in less than one minute by means of a Junker vibration test machine, while the DISC-LOCK Safety Wheel Nut remains secure...

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posted by Unknown @ 4:22 AM  0 comments

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA

* Hub to buy intermodal trucking company
USA -Fleet Owner -Sep 24, 2007: -- Comtrak Logistics, a subsidiary of the third party logistics company Hub Group, is buying DNJ Transportation for $12.1 million... Founded in 1975, Cicero, IL-based DNJ is a privately held intermodal trucking carrier – primarily focused on international drayage for the intermodal sector – that employs 116 drivers, 60% of whom are owner-operators. Hub said DNJ’s revenue in 2006 reached some $14 million and should add 3 cents a share to Hub’s earnings...


* West Motor Freight Acquires Sanger Trucking
Boyertown,Pa,USA -Trucking Info -25 Sept 2007: -- West Motor Freight, has acquired the assets of Sanger Trucking, headquartered in Fredericksburg, Pa. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed... The acquisition adds drivers and equipment and extends the reach of West's flatbed business. Forty tractors will be added to West's fleet, bringing the total number of tractors operated by West to 275... Since 2003, West has doubled the size of its fleet and currently offers services from five locations...

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posted by Unknown @ 4:15 AM  0 comments