trucks world news: January 2007

DANGEROUS TRUCKS * Nigeria - At Least 35 People Died after a Truck Turned over in

Abuja,Nigeria -Focus News (Sofia,Bulgaria) /EFE-30 Jan 2007: -- At least 35 people were killed after a truck turned over in the Northern part of Nigeria... The truck was transporting cement and 72 people. In order not to pay for transportation local people usually use cargo trucks for transportation... The reason for the incident was a flat tire, the agency adds...

Labels: dangerous trucks

SALES

* Switzerland - Volvo Trucks to supply over 100 trucks to postal company
Swiss -Automotive World (UK) -29 Jan, 2007: -- Volvo Trucks says it will supply over 100 trucks to PostLogistics, the Swiss postal company... The order is said to include both Volvo FH and Volvo FM trucks for national transport and the Volvo FL for regional distribution. According to Volvo Trucks, a...

* Germany - Bundeswehr orders 500 trucks from MAN
Frankfurt, Germany -BusinessWeek (USA)/The Associated Press -Jan 29, 2007: -- German truckmaker MAN AG said Monday that the German armed forces, known as the Bundeswehr, ordered 500 of its TGA trucks...

Labels: sales

GREEN NEWS * USA - EPA proposes onboard diagnostic systems for heavy-duty trucks

Washington,D.C.,USA -Automotive Body Repair News -Jan 29, 2007 — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed new rules for the 2001 Clean Diesel Trucks & Buses program. The new proposal will require advanced emissions control systems. These control systems will include catalyzed diesel particulate filters (DPF) and catalysts to help reduce harmful nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions... The advanced emission control systems will be required to be monitored by onboard diagnostic systems. All passenger cars have been equipped with OBD systems since the mid-1990s. OBD systems monitor the functioning of emission control components and alert the driver of a vehicle to whether or not there is any need for emissions-related repairs. Manufacturers will be required to install the OBD systems and to also provide available repair and maintenance information to the service and repair industry...

Labels: green news

PROGNOSIS * USA - Suppliers spin around global trucking predictions

Will a 'global' truck ever catch on in North America?

Las Vegas,NE,USA -Today's Trucking -01/29/2007: -- ...Globalization, in fact a lot of 'tions' -- everything from harmonization to vertical integration -- were the hot topics at last week's Heavy Duty Dialogue and Aftermarket Week in Las Vegas... Despite increased talk that heavy-duty truckmakers are looking more and more towards proprietary powertrains, several engine makers and other top-tier suppliers don't seem to be particularly worried... While some form of vertical integration among truck OEMs is inevitable as manufacturers look for ways to reduce costs and increase productivity, several suppliers agreed that many don't have the core competencies, enough unit volume, or the research and development capital for a completely integrated truck... (Photo: Truck and component makers try to squeeze as much standardized technology around the world they can)

Labels: prognosis

Lack * Australia - Trucking firm questions roadside facilities

Australia -ABC Regional Online -29 Jan 2007: -- A trucking company operator has complained about a lack of roadside facilities for drivers... Hervey Bay's Peter Schuback says governments should provide rest areas with shower and toilet facilities so truck drivers can pull over and sleep... Mr Schuback says trucks cannot stop overnight in cities and towns...

Labels: lack roadside facilities

PROFIT & REVENUES * USA - Cummins: Third Consecutive Year of Record Sales

Columbus,IN,USA -Inside INdiana Business (press release - Indianapolis,IN,USA ) -29 Jan 2007: -- Columbus-based Cummins, Inc. is reporting record fourth quarter and full-year 2006 sales and earnings, marking the company's third consecutive year of record financial results. The company says in the fourth quarter earnings were $189 million, or $3.75 per share and for the full-year, earnings rose 30 percent to $715 million, or $14.21 per share...

Labels: profits revenues

Monster Trucks * Germany - Come on to

Berlin,Germany -Spiegel Online, by Christian Wüst -Jan 29, 2007: -- Will 60-ton tractor-trailers soon be roaring down the German autobahn? These extra-long "gigaliners" could reduce truck congestion and save gas, but are controversial -- especially with advocates of rail transport... Three of these giant gigaliners, which at 25.25 meters (83 feet) are 6.5 meters (21 feet) longer than a conventional tractor-trailer, are currently involved in a one-year trial throughout Lower Saxony, the first German state to politically support the new generation of trucks. Three other German states, North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg and Bremen, have followed suit and are now also conducting similar trial runs.... Europe's logistics sector could easily follow the example of the Australian system, where giant trucks with multiple trailers routinely roar through the outback. Tractor-trailers like giga-liners have already been used in Sweden and Finland for years... (Photo: DPA - German roads could soon see an invasion of gigaliners)

Labels: monster trucks

Alcohol * USA - Stricter open container provision advances in Wyoming

Grain Valley,MO,USA -Land Line Magazine -Jan 29, 2007: -- An effort to toughen the open container law in Wyoming is halfway through the statehouse... Senators voted 26-3 to advance a bill to ban the consumption and possession of open containers of alcohol in vehicles traveling public roadways in the state... Under Wyoming law, drivers are barred from having an open container of alcohol, but passengers 21 years of age or older are not. Supporters say the current rules are difficult to enforce because drivers can just hand the container to passengers if pulled over...

Labels: alcohol

Discrimination * USA - Rhode Island bill attempts to curb racial profiling

Bill supporters say statistics show that minorities continue to face a disproportionate number of traffic stops

Grain Valley,MO,USA - Land Line Magazine /Associated Press -Jan 29, 2007: -- A legislative effort in the Rhode Island General Assembly is intended to prevent racial profiling by law enforcement officers during traffic stops. It is also designed to protect immigrants and juveniles... The legislation is in response to incidents during the past year that supporters contend were racially motivated... The legislation would prohibit police from asking passengers of vehicles for identification after traffic stops... Officers also would be barred from asking about immigration status, except in certain circumstances... Officers would be prohibited from using minor traffic violations as a pretext for stopping vehicles for other reasons... Police also would be prevented from inquiring about someone’s immigration status or demanding documentation when stopped for minor traffic violations...

Labels: discrimination

Traffic Ticket Revenue * USA - Missouri bill would further limit locals’ ones

Grain Valley,MO,USA -Land Line Magazine -29 Jan 2007: -- A bill offered in the Missouri House is intended to curtail communities in the state that pad their budgets with speed trap revenue. This is the second straight year the effort has been offered in the state... Supporters who are hopeful there fortunes have changed say the effort isn’t intended to punish local governments. They want to rein in cities that use their police departments to “pester” nonresident drivers with unreasonable ticketing... In 1995, Missouri lawmakers approved legislation limiting the amount of traffic fine revenue municipalities can keep. Under that law, cities or towns that receive more than 45 percent of their total annual revenue from fines for traffic violations must turn over any amount in excess of that 45 percent to the Department of Revenue... Nance’s bill would reduce the amount to 35 percent...

Labels: Traffic Ticket Revenue

TOLL ROADS

* USA - Macquarie bidding on several Texas ones
Grain Valley,MO,USA -Land Line Magazine -29 Jan 2007: -- The Australian investment company Macquarie believes there’s money to be made in Texas these days. Not only did Macquarie’s media division buy 40 community newspapers last week, but its infrastructure division is bidding on several toll road projects in the Lone Star State... According to the Texas Department of Transportation Web site, Macquarie Infrastructure Group of Australia is the dominating name on a list of about two dozen companies bidding on toll road projects, five in all. The companies are packaged together in corporate conglomerations of four or five, and the groups carry a variety of names... Macquarie Infrastructure Group is the name of a consortium bidding to build a toll road in northern Dallas – a 23-mile extension of state Highway 121 to U.S. 75. Macquarie’s name also appears on three other toll road bids...

* USA - Mississippi bill would use tolls as new revenue source
Grain Valley,MO,USA -Land Line Magazine -29 Jan 2007: -- A Mississippi state lawmaker has renewed his push for legislation that would create tolls along some roads and bridges in the state and give the state another tool to raise revenue... The newest effort, offered by Sen. Charlie Ross, R-Brandon, would authorize the Mississippi Transportation Commission, county boards of supervisors and city officials to contract with private industry to construct roads and bridges and collect tolls to pay off the work...

Labels: toll roads

Canadian truck anti-pollution program audited

Grain Valley,MO,USA -Land Line Magazine /Natural Resources Canada -29 Jan 2007: -- A federal program in Canada to reduce harmful emissions from large trucks – partly by reducing idling – is now embroiled in controversy... The group that administers the program, has ordered a new round of internal audits of the $32 million grant project... Meanwhile, the program director has been fired and at least one grant agreement has been cancelled... The agency says it has new procedures in place for issuing grants in the future...

Fog * India - Police blame, ignore trucks

New Delhi,India -The Times of India -28 Jan, 2007: -- Two collisions involving 12 vehicles on the Noida-Greater Noida expressway on Saturday left one dead and 10 injured... A police official said a dumper truck had stopped on the expressway, close to the Bakhtawar underbridge, about 6 km from the Noida end of the expressway... In the fog, a virtually blinded truck driver drove into the dumper, followed by yet another truck, two Santro cars and a Zen car in quick succession. The Santro driven by a 25-year-old student, Sonali, was hit the hardest, from both behind and front...

Labels: fog

Haulers' Lament * USA - Federal rules could have a big impact on truck drivers...

... many of whom are illegal immigrants...

Long Beach,CAL,USA -The Chicago Tribune/Press-Enterprise (subscription - Riverside,CAL), by STEPHEN FRANKLIN & DARNELL LITTLE -Jan 27, 2007: -- ... Fanning out from the mammoth ports, the drivers, nearly all of them Latino, crisscross Southern California's congested highways in their worn trucks, carrying freight that will make its way to every part of the country... But a number of the drivers are illegal immigrants, and they may soon find themselves out of work. So freight may begin backing up... That's because the federal government, in its drive to boost port security, is on the verge of issuing guidelines for checking identities of the nation's 750,000 port workers, including 110,000 or so who work as haulers... (Photo: The Press-Enterprise -Truck driver Salvador Abrica hooks up his first load at a warehouse in Wilmington. Many drivers who haul cargo from Southern California ports struggle to get by)

Labels: drivers illegal immigrants.

Slower isn’t safer * USA - OOIDA claims in speed limiter fight

Grain Valley,Mo,USA -Truck News (CAN) -28 Jan 2007: -- The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has accused the US feds of pandering to big business by considering mandating speed limiters on heavy-duty trucks... The group was responding to a Jan. 26 announcement that the US Department of Transportation would consider requiring speed limiters on all large trucks, limiting them to 68 mph. The announcement, according to OOIDA, was "just one more example of how big business controls the national agenda to the detriment of many... Since very few highway accidents involving trucks take place at speeds greater than 68 mph, you don't have to be a highway safety expert to conclude a singular focus on truck speed could hardly produce a safety breakthrough," said OOIDA executive vice-president, Todd Spencer... OOIDA says the large carriers that are behind the movement towards speed limiters are using the issue as a smoke screen... He said carriers are free to govern their own trucks, but it should not be an industry-wide requirement... "They want a government mandate to do it, however, because they know their drivers, whom they pay only for miles driven, would move to another company with a less restrictive speed policy," Spencer said. "And they want to deny shippers the option of choosing trucking companies that place a higher priority on on-time service"...

Labels: speed limiter

Story * USA - Less Lee's 3 trucking companies deal with growth

Chattanooga,TN,USA -The Chattanooga Times Free Press, by Jason M. Reynolds -Jan 28, 2007: -- Chattanooga businessman Less Lee says his truck companies have grown so much, and offer the potential for more, that he has reached a crossroads... The three companies' 2006 gross revenue of just under $200 million is a record for the businesses, Mr. Lee said. His companies' uncollected accounts receivables are less than one-tenth of one percent, he said. International Truck has told Lee-Smith it's among the top 10 percent of dealers based on units sold and delivered, even though Chattanooga isn't one of the largest markets, he said... The goal is to accelerate the interns' learning curve, Mr. Lee said, and in 10 years have them at the level where Lee-Smith's managers were at age 40. Other Lee-Smith workers are being moved up the ranks as well, he said, and Lesco Logistics is using mentoring to create experienced managers...

Labels: company stories

LAYOFFS * USA - Freightliner do it

RALEIGH,NC,USA -The Vancouver Province (subscription -Vancouver,BC,Canada) -28 Jan 2007: -- Truck manufacturer Freightliner LLC said Friday it would lay off up to 1,180 workers at its assembly plant north of Charlotte because of falling orders...

Labels: layoffs

New Tax Policy * USA - State's could send the trucking industry fleeing

San Antonio,TX,USA -The San Antonio Express-News, by David Hendricks -26 Jan 2007: -- The state's new margin tax will drive away headquarters of Texas-based trucking companies to other states unless the law is changed to allow more payroll deductions, a national association warns... Other industries reliant on independent contracting also may be staggered by huge state tax bills. In short, the new tax will penalize companies that hire workers as independent contractors instead of employees...

Labels: taxes policy

Parking's Shortage * USA - Big Rigs: Numbers Growing...

... & Parking sparse for truckers

Tulsa,OK,USA -The Tulsa World, by D.R. Stewart -27 Jan 2007: -- Commercial truck traffic is growing in the United States, and so is the shortage of legal parking spaces for the 80,000-pound tractor-trailer rigs, industry officials say... Executives at the American Trucking Associations in Alexandria, Va., the Oklahoma Trucking Association and the Arkansas Trucking Association said truck traffic has increased to the point that commercial truck plazas, truck stops and rest areas no longer have the capacity to handle it... As a result, officials said, when commercial drivers reach their legal limit of 14 consecutive hours of driving, they are parking their rigs along roadway shoulders, at weigh stations and inspection stations and along entrance and exit ramps to freeways and rest areas... Bob Costello, chief economist for the American Trucking Associations, said more commercial trucks are parking along roadways and ramps because the existing rest areas and truck plazas can't handle the increased traffic... the Arkansas highway department study found: "The total number of truck parking spaces available during the 2006 survey period changed very little from the 2003 survey. However, a significant change was recorded in the number of trucks that were parked during the 2006 survey period. The 31 percent increase in the number of trucks that were parked during the survey can be attributed to the overall increase in the numbers of trucks and to "time in service" rule changes that were implemented nationally since 2003."... Costello, the economist for the American Trucking Associations, said the situation is projected to worsen... "By 2011, we expect the number of trucks on the road to be 3.4 million," Costello said. "By 2017, the numbers will be close to 3.8 million."... If the projections are accurate, commercial truck traffic will grow 21.4 percent in the next four years and 35.7 percent in the next decade... (Photo by JAMES KUCINSKAS / Tulsa World - Jam-packed parking areas like this one in west Tulsa are causing more truckers to park on highway entrance and exit ramps)

Labels: parking's shortage

Checking out heavy trucks * USA - Stafford Sheriff's Office on the look out for dangerous trucks

... trucks as "80,000- to 100,000-pound loaded missiles" waiting to strike moms in minivans carrying children...

Fredericksburg,VA,USA -The Free Lance-Star, by KELLY HANNON -27 Jan 2007: -- Deputy Lee Peters shuts down a dangerous truck in Stafford at least once a week... The reasons vary. In one case, 11 of a truck's 14 brakes are shot. In another, the driver isn't medically fit to operate a vehicle. And still others, the enormous load of gravel onboard isn't secure... Peters of the Stafford County Sheriff's Office described these trucks as "80,000- to 100,000-pound loaded missiles" waiting to strike moms in minivans carrying children... That thought motivates him, and the department, to regularly inspect the growing number of commercial trucks in Stafford... Peters did full inspections of several trucks... He wheeled under a truck's chassis on a dolly, gingerly wedged under the enormous vehicle. His only protection were a few chock blocks under the tires, and his trust in the driver... (Photo by MIKE MORONES/THE FREE LANCE-STAR - Stafford County sheriff's Deputy Lee Peters inspects the load in a dump truck at a checkpoint Thursday on Shelton Shop Road in North Stafford)

Labels: anti-big rig

Anti-Big Rig * USA - Borough is on board with resolution

Princeton,NJ,USA -The Princeton Packet, by Courtney Gross -26 Jan 2007: -- Effort to take Route 206 and 27 off list of permitted roads follows action by Princeton Township... Following the township's lead, the Princeton Borough Council approved a joint resolution Tuesday evening urging the state Department of Transportation to exclude so-called treacherous truck traffic from the borough's "main streets."... (Photo by Mark Czajkowski - A tractor-trailer makes its way through the intersection at Nassau Street and Route 206 on Wednesday afternoon)

Labels: anti-big rig

Road widening * USA - Keeps trucking

Officials with the county and cities along Race Track Road expect to be pleased with the results

Oldsmar,FL,USA -St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg,FL), by Tamara El-Khoury -26 Jan 2007: -- Race Track Road is getting wider. And officials from both sides of the well-traveled corridor couldn't be happier... Hillsborough County's more than $65-million project to widen Race Track Road to up to six lanes continues this week with the start of construction between Countryway Boulevard and Linebaugh Avenue... That section of the road will be expanded from two lanes to four... And the final product will make life much easier, Valdez promised. There won't be any more traffic jams to let people cross to and from the parking lot as races are starting and ending...

Labels: infraestructures

MARKET SHARES * USA - Analyst Sees Tough 2007 for Heavy Trucks

New York,NY,USA -MSN Money/AP) -26 Jan 2007: -- A JPMorgan analyst on Friday initiated coverage of several heavy truck manufacturers, saying that 2007 will be a challenging year for the sector... Stephen Volkmann said that the stock have held up very well considering Wall Street's overall negative view of the sector, but said that view is largely justified... Truck companies and other heavy equipment manufacturers stocked up on diesel engines toward the end of 2006, in anticipation of stricter emissions standards that became effective in 2007. The standards also made the engines more expensive... Although the first half of 2007 could be tough, Volkmann said that the truck-related stocks should be strong performers compared with the rest of the larger heavy machinery sector... Volkmann rated named Paccar Inc. as its top pick in the group and rated it "Overweight," along with Navistar International Corp...

Labels: market shares

MARKET * China - Heavy-duty truck output rebounds in China

Beijing,China -China Economic Net, by Liang Guangli -26 Jan 2007: -- In 2006, having shaken off the downturn of 2005, China heavy truck industry realized its stable and modest growth. From January to October of 2006, 247.1 thousand heavy trucks (with a weight of over 14 tons) had been sold out, and the annual sales volume was predicted to be 300 thousand. Compared with 235.8 thousand in 2005, the growth rate would be over25 percent year on year... In 2006, heavy truck platform products and quasi heavy truck platform products had the equal shares in the market... From the view of 2007, the production and sales volume of heavy trucks will increase steadily... What's more, as the overseas development of domestic large heavy truck producers are steadily pushed forward, and the technology of heavy trucks in China is increasingly improved, the expansion of domestic enterprises into foreign markets will be speeded up. ... in 2007 the total demand in domestic heavy truck market is about 310 thousand, a little growth over the prediction of 300 thousand in 2006. According to incomplete statistics, in 2007 the planned sales volume of domestic large heavy truck producers has totaled to about 380 thousand, up 23 percent over the prediction of 310 thousand... In 2007, the development of heavy trucks in China will still step towards large tonnage, and quasi heavy truck platform users will transfer the interest into heavy truck platform; as a result, the market demand for heavy trucks will continue to be enlarged... In 2007, the engine will become the focus of competition between heavy truck companies... From the view of products, in 2007 the development of dump truck will transfer towards heavy truck platform with large tonnage; the market shares of dump truck of quasi heavy truck platform will continue to be reduced; the market share structure of dump truck will be readjusted... In 2007, domestic heavy truck producers will increase the investment in special trucks market. The competition in domestic special trucks field will be tougher...

Trucks Top List * USA - Of Most Stolen Vehicles in Texas

Data Shows Texas Goes Against National Trend

Houston,TX,USA -MyFox Houston -25 Jan 2007: -- At the western wear and boot store where he works, Mike Macias offers a theory on why pickup trucks are the most stolen vehicles in the Lone Star State... When criminals in Texas buck the law by stealing cars, they're also bucking a national trend. Little bitty imports such as Honda Civics and Toyota Camrys typically top the national lists of most stolen vehicles... But in Texas, thieves prefer gas-guzzling pickups and SUVs. In 2006, six of the top 10 stolen vehicles were pickups or SUVs, with Ford, Chevy and Dodge pickups occupying the top three spots, according to Texas Department of Public Safety figures released Wednesday...

TRUCKS' PURCHASE * UK - Stobart orders 500 new 'green' trucks 25 January 2007

Norfolk,England,UK -Norfolk Eastern Daily Press -25 Jan 2007: -- Iconic haulage firm Eddie Stobart has placed an order with Swedish truckmaker Scania for 500 new trucks in a move set to help it cut exhaust emissions... The Carlisle-based group confirmed yesterday that the vehicles would be used to both replace existing trucks as well as expand the group. However, it said no further details were available at this stage... The trucks, due to be delivered from March, will take advantage of Scania's EGR - exhaust gas recirculation - technology... EGR recycles exhaust emissions into the engine to help reduce nitrogen oxides during the high temperature combustion process in engines...

"GREEN" NEWS * USA - EPA Certifies New Clean Diesel Trucks

USA -autoserviceworld -25 Jan 2007: -- The Diesel Technology Forum today announced that all major heavy-duty truck and engine manufacturers have met new Environmental Protection Agency standards for emissions cuts and have been certified by EPA for full production... Manufacturers now certified by the EPA include Caterpillar, Cummins, Detroit Diesel Corp., International, Mack and Volvo, meaning each is compliant with the most stringent diesel emissions standards in the world...

REPORT * USA - Trucks less than 10% of vehicle crashes

Truckers buckle up, drink less
Washington,DC,USA -Today's Trucking -25 Jan 2007: -- Commercial truck drivers continue to be at fault at a much lesser rate than their passenger vehicle counterparts in truck-car accidents, according to the latest Large Truck Crash Overview published by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration... According to the 2005 report, in fatal crashes involving large trucks, driver related factors were cited for only 39 percent of the large truck drivers, compared to 66 percent of passenger vehicle drivers involved in fatal crashes... In all motor vehicle crashes, large trucks in general represented only 8 percent of vehicles involved in fatal crashes; 3 percent in injury crashes; and 5 percent of vehicles in property-damage only crashes...

Study * USA - New HDMA’s Truck Maintenance, Now Available

Akron,OH,USA -The Tire Review -Jan 25, 2007: -- The 2007 Heavy Duty Truck Maintenance in the USA, the recently concluded Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association’s annual research study, is now available... The study analyzes heavy-duty truck user repair factors, truck use, buying-pattern shifts and service work performance. HDMA said the new report includes more information than past efforts, and new sections include in-depth reports on international motor vehicle parts, exports of used trucks and supply chain relationships in the heavy-duty aftermarket...

PRODUCTION * China - North-Benz invests in Chongqing

Chongqing,China -chinadaily.com.cn, by Su Yue -25 Jan 2007: -- North-Benz Heavy-duty Truck Co Ltd has invested 480 million yuan (US$61.7 million) to build a new heavy-duty truck production base in Chongqing, Southwest China... The new company for this base, recently re-registered as Chongqing North-Benz Vehicle Co Ltd, was reshuffled based on the former Chongqing Tiema Heavy-duty Vehicle Co Ltd... The Tiema heavy-duty truck has achieved an annual output and sales volume of 1,700 units, more than double the previous figure. The company's annual sales revenue has topped 500 million yuan (US$64.3 million)...

ECOLOGICAL DEBATE

* USA - More trains but less pollution? - Experts debate BNSF planned rail hub’s environmental impact on High Desert air quality
Victorville,CA,USA -The Victorville Daily Press, by Hillary Borrud -Jan 25, 2007: -- ... Trains and heavy duty trucks both currently run on diesel fuel. While trains are more efficient and produce less net air pollution than trucks for the same amount of cargo, some characteristics of rail transport reduce its cleanliness. While the multimodal facility could take some heavy duty trucks off the roads, less obvious inefficiencies of trains could eat away at the reduction in truck pollution... More trains mean increased vehicle congestion at railroad crossings and trains usually spend a lot of time idling, said Annette Kondo, spokeswoman the Coalition for Clean Air...

* Canada - Could your local, trucked-in potatoes spew more C02?
Toronto,Ontario,Canada -Now Toronto, by ADRIA VASIL -25 Jan 2007: -- Q My prof says local food is not that eco-friendly greenhouse-gas-wise, arguing that ships are the least harmful way to transport products. He also says imports help developing nations. Your take?... And ships, well, they're not as earth-friendly as you'd think. While they may only suck up 2 or 3 per cent of the world's fossil fuels, they use the dirtiest, cheapest petrol around (literally bottom-of-the-barrel scrapings from the fuel refining process). One lone cargo ship belches out as much pollution as 2,000 diesel trucks, according to a report by Bluewater Network. Stuff like smog-inducing nitrogen oxides and sulphur. The U.S. shipping sector alone spews 600,000 tons of greenhouse gases a year. (We can, of course, re-evaluate all this if the whole shipping biz jumps on biodiesel options being pilot tested by Environment Canada.)...

TRUCKS * USA - Isuzu unveils new N-Series

Las Vegas, NV,USA -Fleet Owner, by Wendy Leavitt -Jan 25, 2007: -- Dealers, fleet customers and members of the media had the opportunity to see Isuzu’s new 2008 model year N-Series during Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week here. It was a high-energy moment by any measure, signaling not only the launch of an all-new product line but also what Todd Bloom, marketing vp for General Motors Isuzu Commercial Truck, LLC, called a “turning point” for the compan

* Sweden - Volvo: Mack Launches New Truck in Construction Segment
Stockholm,Sweden -The Auto Channel (USA) -25 Jan 2007: -- AB Volvo’s subsidiary Mack Trucks, is launching a new truck model in the construction segment, the TerraPro™ Cabover. Mack holds a leading position in the US as a supplier of trucks in this segment. The model is a further development of Mack’s popular MR series and is adapted specially for handling concrete pumping...

* USA - International Workstar and Paystar trucks to offer new options
USA - Automotive World (UK) -25 Jan 2007: -- International Truck and Engine has announced that it will offer two new options, Bendix ABS-6 advanced with RSP stability system and Hendrickson Primaax suspension, on its Workstar and Paystar series trucks... According to the company, the Bendix ABS-6...

* USA - Kenworth Adds Caterpillar C9 Engine For Vocational Trucks To Lower Operating Cost, Enhance Productivity
Las Vegas,NV,USA -Layover -Jan 25, 2007: -- Kenworth Truck Company will offer the Caterpillar C9 engine for its W900S and T800 vocational models to help customers lower operating cost and enhance productivity by reducing weight and increasing payload... Kenworth is exhibiting its latest products for the vocational market at the annual World of Concrete Show this week in Las Vegas...

* USA - National Biodiesel Board applauds US energy strategy

Washington,DC,USA -Truck News (CAN), by James Menzies -25 Jan 2007: -- ... Bush said the US must increase the supply of alternative fuels by setting a mandatory fuel standard to require 35 billion gallons of renewable and alternative fuels in 2017... Proponents of biodiesel were quick to applaud the strategy... “We are glad to see that the President’s Twenty in Ten plan includes strong steps toward renewable energy, energy conservation and diversification, and carbon reduction,” responded Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board. “We hope Congress will work with the Administration in a bipartisan way to enact this kind of bold new energy policy for the good of all Americans”...

* USA - Weights and Measures Council to vote on ‘hot fuel’ proposal

OOIDA made major progress Wednesday in the ongoing battle over “hot fuel”
Grain Valley,Miss,USA -Land Line Magazine -Jan 25, 2007: -- At a meeting of the National Council of Weights and Measures in Florida, members decided to vote this summer on an important recommendation that could affect fuel retailers... The proposal calls for providing retailers that want to install temperature-compensation devices with guidelines and procedures that would make the installation fair for consumers and sellers alike... Under the proposal, it would be all or nothing for each retailer – all pumps at any given retail location would have to be temperature-compensated or all would not... There is also a clause that says once turned on, temperature-compensating devices cannot be turned off for 12 months. And, in states that allow for voluntary temperature compensation, all stations would be required to have signage explaining that the pumps are or are not temperature compensated...

* USA - Arkansas bill to require minimum wait after wrecks advances

Grain Valley,Miss,USA -Land Line Magazine -Jan 25, 2007: -- The Arkansas House has unanimously approved a bill that would require drivers involved in wrecks to remain at the scene for at least 30 minutes... The effort is intended to keep people at the scene of any wreck that results in injury, death or damage to vehicles in case a law enforcement officer is en route...

* USA - North Dakota bill would ban cell phone use for young drivers

Grain Valley,Miss,USA -Land Line Magazine/AP -Jan 25, 2007: -- Young drivers in North Dakota would have to put away their cell phones if a state lawmaker gets his way... Rep. Lawrence Klemin, R-Bismarck, has introduced a bill that would prohibit drivers under age 18 from talking on cell phones – even “hands-free” devices – while behind the wheel. Emergency calls would be exempted... The bill is intended to ban talking, text messaging and using e-mail while driving, Klemin told...

TRUCKING PROFITS & REVENUES * USA

* Swift Reports Lower 4Q Earnings; Full-Year Profit Rises
Truckload carrier Swift Transportation Co. said late Wednesday its fourth-quarter profit fell from a year earlier due to a “soft freight environment"...

* Schneider Reports Higher Revenue for 2006
Truckload carrier Schneider National said Thursday it had $3.7 billion in revenue last year, up from $3.4 billion in 2005...

* Knight Reports Record Fourth-Quarter, ’06 Income, Revenue
Truckload carrier Knight Transportation said late Wednesday that its revenue and income for the fourth quarter and full-year 2006 reached records...

* USA Truck’s Fourth-Quarter Earnings Plunge on Lower Tonnage
Truckload carrier USA Truck on Thursday reported its fourth-quarter profit plunged to $1.2 million or 11 cents a share, from $4.3 million or 37 cents a year earlier, on lower tonnage and demand...

* Celadon’s Fiscal Second-Quarter Earnings Rise
Truckload carrier Celadon Group said late Wednesday it earned $6.1 million or 26 cents a share in its fiscal second quarter ended Dec. 31, up from $4.8 million or 21 cents in the same quarter a year earlier...

* Union Pacific’s Income, Revenue Jump for 4Q, Full Year
Western freight railroad Union Pacific Corp. said Thursday its fourth-quarter profit jumped to $485 million or $1.78 a share, from $296 million or $1.10 cents for the same quarter a year earlier...

From: TTNews Express (Alexandria,VA,USA) -25 Jan 2007

Go Green, Get Rich * USA - 8 technologies that can save the world

These futuristic projects promise to make the world greener, while making entrepreneurs some green
1. Home Hydrogen Fueling Station

Atlanta,GA,USA -CNN/Business 2.0 Magazine, by Saheli Datta & Todd Woody -25 Jan 2007: -- What could be greener than a hydrogen car in your driveway? Try a solar-powered hydrogen fueling station in your garage. Australian scientists have developed a prototype of such a device. It's about the size of a filing cabinet and runs on electricity generated by rooftop solar panels. The first version is expected to produce enough hydrogen to give your runabout a range of some 100 miles without emitting a molecule of planet-warming greenhouse gas. Road trips are out of the question, but it's enough juice for running errands or powering fleets of delivery trucks. Tests of the home fueling system began early this year with commercial trials two years off...

Go Green, Get Rich * USA - 8 technologies that can save the world

These futuristic projects promise to make the world greener, while making entrepreneurs some green
2. Environmental Sensor Networks

Atlanta,GA,USA -CNN/Business 2.0 Magazine, by Saheli Datta & Todd Woody -25 Jan 2007: -- Call it the networked environment. Picture tiny - we're talking small as a dime - wireless sensors lining lake beds and ocean floors, buried in the ground, and floating in the sky. All the time they are sniffing the air, water, and soil for pollutants and detecting changes in temperature and pressure. The payoff: real-time data on a variety of phenomena that affect the economy and society - climate change, hurricanes, air and water pollution. Cooler yet are solar-powered sensors that hover in the air. Virginia tech company Ensco is developing a beach-ball-size gadget that gets its juice from thin-film solar panels and would measure weather patterns...

Go Green, Get Rich * USA - 8 technologies that can save the world

These futuristic projects promise to make the world greener, while making entrepreneurs some green
3. Toxin-Eating Trees

Atlanta,GA,USA -CNN/Business 2.0 Magazine, by Saheli Datta & Todd Woody -25 Jan 2007: -- Plant a forest, clean up a Superfund site. That's the idea behind phytoremediation, a technology that uses vegetation to absorb hazardous waste. The technique is old, but now there's a new twist that promises to make toxic dumping grounds green in more ways than one. British researchers have identified bacteria living in the roots of poplar trees that produce an enzyme that zaps residue from RDX, a chemical compound used by the military and industry. The scientists hope to genetically engineer the enzyme to boost the tree's ability to suck up toxic waste. So don't be surprised if you start seeing forests sprouting up on old military bases...

Go Green, Get Rich * USA - 8 technologies that can save the world

These futuristic projects promise to make the world greener, while making entrepreneurs some green
4. Nuclear Waste Neutralizer

Atlanta,GA,USA -CNN/Business 2.0 Magazine, by Saheli Datta & Todd Woody -25 Jan 2007: -- Forget Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Homer Simpson. Nuclear energy is now being touted as a greenhouse-gas free solution to global warming. But one big problem remains: What to do with untold tons of radioactive waste that will be red-hot for hundreds of thousands of years? The answer: Recycle it. But not with current technology, which leaves behind an unfortunate by-product - weapons-grade plutonium. Instead, U.S. government scientists are devising a chemical technology called Urex that allows four times as much waste to be packed into nuclear burial grounds. The technology encases the plutonium in other elements, rendering it all but useless to terrorists, North Korean dictators, and other evildoers...

Go Green, Get Rich * USA - 8 technologies that can save the world

These futuristic projects promise to make the world greener, while making entrepreneurs some green
5. Autonomous Ocean Robots

Atlanta,GA,USA -CNN/Business 2.0 Magazine, by Saheli Datta & Todd Woody -25 Jan 2007: -- The world's seas are in an ocean of trouble: climate change, vanishing fish, coral bleaching. Just keeping tabs on an airless environment that covers three-quarters of the earth's surface is a bit like exploring a distant planet. Which means it's best to send in the robots. Unfortunately, today most oceangoing bots are big, dumb, and expensive. But not the Starbug. Under development in Australia, the 4-foot-long robot operates autonomously and is highly maneuverable, thanks to its innovative thruster technology and robotic vision. Starbug will monitor water quality, map fish habitats, and survey threatened coral reefs. Initially costing about $24,000, Starbug should start rolling off the assembly line late this year...

Go Green, Get Rich * USA - 8 technologies that can save the world

These futuristic projects promise to make the world greener, while making entrepreneurs some green
6. Sonic Water Purifier

Atlanta,GA,USA -CNN/Business 2.0 Magazine, by Saheli Datta & Todd Woody -25 Jan 2007: -- Here's a sci-fi solution for an age-old problem that leaves 1.1 billion people without access to clean water: Beam ultrasound waves into polluted water, blowing up the cellular walls and carbon bonds of contaminants. What's left is a cool drink of fresh H2O. Ultrasound waves have already been used to break up sewage in sanitation systems. Now that the probes that produce the sound waves are getting more powerful, however, scientists are retooling the devices to decontaminate large tanks of water, a process called sonolysis. Portable sonolysis machines could be deployed to isolated villages in developing countries. In urban areas, sonolysis could treat water tainted with industrial pollution...

Go Green, Get Rich * USA - 8 technologies that can save the world

These futuristic projects promise to make the world greener, while making entrepreneurs some green
7. Endangered-Species Tracker

Atlanta,GA,USA -CNN/Business 2.0 Magazine, by Saheli Datta & Todd Woody -25 Jan 2007: -- Old: Save the whales! New: Web 2.0 those whales, and then clone 'em! There are more than 16,000 known threatened animal and plant species... Conservationists are looking to tag endangered animals with radio frequency ID tags and GPS sensors, and then use Web 2.0 mashup techniques to overlay their locations and map details of their habitats and habits with other landscape features to design better wildlife preserves. In 2003, scientists cloned an endangered banteng cow, and Colorado company XY Inc. has developed sperm-sorting technology that could one day be used for sex selection in endangered species to boost captive breeding programs...

Go Green, Get Rich * USA - 8 technologies that can save the world

These futuristic projects promise to make the world greener, while making entrepreneurs some green
8. The Interactive, Renewable Smart Power Grid

Atlanta,GA,USA -CNN/Business 2.0 Magazine, by Saheli Datta & Todd Woody -25 Jan 2007: -- California utility Pacific Gas & Electric is developing the electricity grid of the future, one that will look more like the Internet - distributed, interactive, open-source - than the dumb, one-way network of today that pushes dinosaur molecules from a carbon-spewing power plant to your home. Here's some of the technologies and energy sources that utilities will tap: solar power stations; solar buildings with solar cells integrated into rooftops, walls and windows; wind power; wave power; cow power (methane gas extracted from cow manure powers electricity-generating turbines); car power (plug-in hybrid cars that not only have rechargeable batteries but also feed power back to the grid); clean-coal plants; and smart grids that communicate with household appliances...

AUTOS' NEWS WORLDWIDE

* USA - Ford May Post Record Annual Loss on Trucks, Costs
New York,NY,USA -Bloomberg, by Bill Koenig -Jan. 24, 2007: -- Ford Motor Co. probably will report a fourth-quarter loss tomorrow, capping its worst year ever... The quarterly loss at the second-largest U.S. automaker will be 95 cents a share excluding some costs, according to the average of 13 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. That would translate to more than $1.5 billion. A loss of just $400 million would push Ford's deficit for the year past its record $7.39 billion in 1992...

* South Korea - Hyundai says profit falls for fourth straight quarter
Seoul,S.Korea -The Detroit News (Detroit,Mich,USA) -25 Jan 2007: -- Hyundai Motor Co., the world's sixth-largest automaker, said Thursday that its net profit fell for the fourth straight quarter amid strength in the South Korean won and production losses due to strikes...

* Italy - Fiat net profit soars as automaker promises the first dividend since 2002
Milan,Italy -The International Herald Tribune (France)/Associated Press -Jan 25, 2007: -- Fiat SpA reported Thursday that its net profit soared in the fourth quarter as the core auto division posted a nearly five-fold earnings gain, allowing the automaker to pay a dividend for the first time since 2002... The Turin-based maker of cars and trucks said net profit in the fourth quarter of 2006 ended Dec. 31 was €452 million (US$587 million), from €38 million a year earlier, lifted by one-time asset sales...

Joint Venture * USA - Monaco Coach to build chassis

New York,NY,USA -Reuters -Jan 25, 2007: -- Recreational vehicle maker Monaco Coach Corp., said on Thursday that it would form a joint venture with International Truck and Engine Corp. to manufacture rear engine diesel chassis... Monaco will own 49 percent and International 51 percent of the newly formed company called Custom Chassis Products LLC, according to a news release... Plans call for the joint venture to manufacture more than 5,000 diesel chassis in the first year...

TRUCKS SALES * Sweden - Scania Gets British Order for 500 Trucks

Stockholm,Sweden -Associated Press/Forbes -24 Jan 2007: -- Swedish truckmaker Scania said Wednesday it won an order for 500 trucks from British trucking company Eddie Stobart Ltd... Scania has been embroiled in a fight to stave off a hostile takeover attempt by German rival MAN AG, but MAN said Tuesday it was dropping its euro10.3 billion (US$13.3 billion) bid in favor of friendly talks about a possible linkup...

A little bit of everything * USA - ... from trucks to turkeys to toe jam

Concord,MA,USA -The Reading Advocate, by Melanie Sidman -Jan 24, 2007: -- ... There are several streets in Reading with “no truck” signs. The “no truck” signs mean no trucks on that road…duh. My street has one of those signs, and I have trouble understanding why, even with that sign there, trucks still barrel down our road at 900 miles per hour, taking out innocent pedestrians as they stroll down sidewalks. I don’t like waking up and cleaning various body parts off of my lawn. There are certainly other things I could be doing. There are also other ways trucks can get around without having to speed down the streets they aren’t allowed to be on. Why isn’t this enforced more ?...

* USA - A bleg re: trucks idling their engines
Seattle,WA,USA -Grist Magazine, by Roz Cummins -24 Jan 2007: -- Verizon trucks sometimes come and idle their engines all day long in front of my house (sometimes several trucks for several days), and I am told that because they use their engines to power their equipment, they are exempt from EPA guidelines for idling engines... Is there any energy source I could ask them to use instead of running their engines all day? Also, I have asked them to tell me when they are going to be coming so I can plan to work elsewhere that day, but they refuse to do so. Does anyone know if there are any precedents for requiring some kind of notice about work that is obviously scheduled maintenance and not emergency repair work?...

* Canada - AUD1.4 Million in Funding for LNG Truck Evaluation

Westport Awarded from Australian Government
Vancouver,BC,CAN -CCNMatthews (Toronto,ON,Canada) -Jan. 24, 2007: -- Westport Innovations Inc., a global leader in gaseous-fuelled power technologies, today announced the award of AUD1.36 million (C$1.27 million) from the Australian Government's Alternative Fuels Conversion Programme (AFCP) for a project to evaluate the use of LNG as a fuel for heavy-duty highway trucks in Australia... Mitchell Corp., Sands Fridge Lines and Murray Goulburn Cooperative, who each operate large fleets of long-distance trucks, will acquire four new Kenworth T404SAR trucks powered by 2008 model Cummins 15-litre engines incorporating Westport's LNG fuel technology. Emissions and performance tests will be performed to quantify greenhouse gas, noise, and regulated emissions benefits while demonstrating the performance and economic advantages of LNG in real world use in Australia...

Trade * China - Light-duty truck exports grow fast

Beijing,China -chinadaily.com.cn, by Su Yue -24 Jan 2007: -- China's total truck export in the January-October period of 2006 reached 128,110 units, with export value totalling US$788 million... About 90 percent of the export volume was contributed by light-duty trucks with a payload under five tons. Heavy-duty trucks with a payload above 20 tons enjoyed fast growth, increasing by 145.3 percent over the same period the year before... The top five importers of Chinese trucks are Syria, Iraq, Algeria, Iran and Russia. Truck exports to the European Union continued to rise, registering a sales volume of 762 units and export value of US$3.05 million, an increase of 107 percent and 115.6 percent from the previous year respectively...

OVERLOAD * USA - Our grain feeds the world...

but... Shipping it is destroying our roads

Joliet,IL,USA -The Joliet Herald News, by Cindy Wojdyla Cain -Jan 24, 2007: -- Requests for overweight truck permits are skyrocketing in Will County... This presents a huge dilemma for county officials who have to balance the intricacies of foreign trade with microlocal concerns over wear and tear on county highways... If county officials clamp down on overweight trucks, they could hurt area granaries that truck their product to BNSF Logistic Park in Elwood. If they don't, taxpayers could pay the price as county roads crumble under heavier loads... (Photo, by STEVE BUYANSKY: The number of overweight truck permit requests almost doubled from 825 in November to 1,566 in December)

* Denmark - Copenhagen and Frederiksberg are pushing for cleaner air

By reducing deadly diesel exhaust particles

Copenhagen,Denmark -The Copenhagen Post -24 Jan 2007: -- Copenhagen and Frederiksberg's city governments are preparing to go on the offensive against diesel engine exhaust particles, considered to be one of the deadliest forms of air pollution... A new proposal will set the goal of a 20 percent reduction in the release of particle pollution from diesel-fueled vehicles by 2010. The plan is aimed at lorries - the worst offenders - and will required the vehicles to have particle filters installed if they operate within designated 'environmental zones', which would include all of Frederiksberg and most of Copenhagen... The plan requires older lorries to be immediately fitted with the filters and then replaced by new trucks before 2010, at which time all lorries will be required to have the filters... The new law would also be expensive for the trucking industry... 'Besides investing in particle filters and new lorries, we expect huge expenditures on having trucks periodically out of service due to technical problems with the filters,' Ove Holm, chief economist for the Transport Operators Guild of Copenhagen, stated on the organisation's website... Holm believes total expenses for the branch under the new proposal would reach DKK 1 billion by 2010, while the governments of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg have estimated the cost to be less than half that figure...

Key proposals & Comments * USA - Bush's State of the Union address

Baltimore,MAR,USA -The Baltimore Sun -Jan 24, 2007: -- ENERGY: Cut U.S. gasoline consumption 20 percent by 2017 by boosting mandates for production of ethanol and other alternative fuels and raising fuel-efficiency standards for passenger cars, light trucks and SUVs... GLOBAL WARMING: Cut emissions from cars and light trucks by 10 percent over 10 years. Stop the growth of greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. vehicles by 2017... EDUCATION: Renew the No Child Left Behind Act...

* USA - Washington pushes Big Three to change - Bipartisan plans for fuel efficiency, energy independence mean Detroit must move fast
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Daniel Howes -24 Jan 2007: -- Every day of every week, Detroit's automakers theoretically push to become more competitive, to build the cars and trucks Americans want, to rescue themselves from financial oblivion -- in effect, to chart their own future... But this week is different, at least in the nation's capital. This week, coastal Democrats led by new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are vying with the Bush Administration for bragging rights on who's pushing Detroit Auto hardest on fuel efficiency and alternative technologies and who's serious about delivering national energy independence...

* USA - Bush Seeks Vast, Mandatory Increase in Alternative Fuels and Greater Vehicle Efficiency
Washington,DC,USA -The New York Times (NY,USA), by EDMUND L. ANDREWS & FELICITY BARRINGER -Jan 24, 2007: -- Vowing to reduce the nation’s thirst for foreign oil, President Bush called on Tuesday for a huge government-mandated increase in renewable fuels — mainly ethanol — and tougher mileage standards for cars and light trucks... It was the second year in a row that Mr. Bush made “energy security” a focal point of his State of the Union address, but his proposals on Tuesday were modest, and perhaps less achievable, than those he made a year ago when he said the nation was “addicted to oil.”... The centerpiece of Mr. Bush’s proposal, which he said would cut the projected use of gasoline by 20 percent over the next decade, was a nearly fivefold mandatory increase in the production of ethanol and other alternative fuels for cars and trucks. The most obvious beneficiaries would be makers of ethanol and other biofuels, but it could also promote the production of liquefied coal... Mr. Bush called for a mandatory requirement that makers of fuel produce 35 billion gallons of alternative fuels a year by 2017, replacing about 15 percent of the projected gasoline use in that year... A second major plank of Mr. Bush’s energy proposal calls for increasing fuel-efficiency standards of cars and trucks by 4 percent a year — about one mile per gallon — starting in 2010 for cars and 2012 for trucks...

"GREEN" NEWS

* USA - Federal and California Exhaust and Evaporative Emission Standards for Light-Duty Vehicles and Light-Duty Trucks

USA -EPA (Press Release) -24 Jan 2007: -- The following tables of exhaust emission standards attempt to consolidate federal and California standards and implementation rates to facilitate comparison and to provide a one-stop resource for these emission standards... However, these tables are not a substitute for the official federal or California regulatory text... Complete Document (includes all of the following tables, notes, and definitions) (EPA420-B-00-001, February 2000)[ 72K PDF] or [ 175K MS Excel 5 workbook]

HOS * Canada - Westerners, Ontarians put in more hours

Ottawa,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking (CAN) -24 Jan 2007: -- Workers in the Prairie provinces and Ontario punched out later at work in 2004 than their counterparts in other regions of Canada, according to a new Stats Canada on regional differences in work hours... The study, based on data from the 2004 Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics, found substantial differences in the average patterns of working hours across Canada... According to the study, which examined a sample of about 19,500 workers in the prime working-age group of 25 to 54, workers in Alberta averaged 1,880 hours a year, the highest in the country... In contrast, workers in British Columbia averaged 1,790 hours. Those in the Atlantic region put in 1,780, while workers in Quebec reported the lowest, 1,750 hours, according to the study... While differences in working hours between Canada and other nations have generated a substantial body of research, this study shows that working hours can also vary quite widely within a country, StatsCan points out...

"Highway Angel" * USA - Tanker driver recognized as

USA -eTrucker -24 Jan 2007: -- The Truckload Carriers Association has recognized United Petroleum Transports driver Brian "Brownie" Brown of Eskridge, Kan., as a Highway Angel for rescuing a woman trapped in a burning vehicle... While traveling west on Highway 470 in Topeka, Kan., Brown noticed an SUV about 300 yards ahead of him start to veer back and forth on the road... Then the vehicle took a hard right, drove off the road down an embankment, crashed into trees and burst into flames. "I wondered if I was going to sleep tonight if I didn't stop," Brown recalled. "My wife was in a bad accident about a year ago, so when I saw that happen, I got goosebumps and I knew I had to help.”...

* USA - Uniform trucking port licences advocated in

After a licensing system brought some stability back to the Vancouver Port, U.S. ports want to try it too

Washington,DC,USA -Today's Trucking (CAN) -24 Jan 2007: -- A "taxi-style" licensing proposal for container truck drivers who access U.S. ports is being touted by two transportation researchers... According to the American Shipper, a planner at the US Department of Transportation's Volpe Center says mandatory licences for container haulage companies could lead to more compensatory rates and a more professional and efficient shuttle transport system... As was argued in Canada before a similar licensing scheme was implemented at the Port of Vancouver, drayage drivers are paid low piece rates to move containers to and from local warehouses and rail yards without any adjustment for congestion, fuel spikes, night shifts, or delays at the terminal or receiving dock...

ATA president * USA - The more recorders, the better, and ... "68 mph is fast enough"...

USA -eTrucker, by Avery Vise -24 Jan 2007: -- Rather than limit the productivity of the trucking industry as some fear, eventual widespread adoption of electronic on-board recorders actually could improve the management of trucking companies, American Trucking Associations President Bill Graves said in a speech to the Heavy Duty Dialogue, an annual meeting of the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association. Currently, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration isn’t proposing a broad mandate. Rather, it seeks to target “bad actors” in the industry, an approach ATA endorses... Graves also defended ATA’s position that the speed of large trucks should be limited at 68 mph at point of manufacture. “I think 68 mph is fast enough, and we can effectively move the commerce of this country at that speed.”...

Federal Court Ruling * USA - Princeton governing bodies raise alarms over big rigs

Princeton,NJ,USA -The Princeton Packet, by Courtney Gross -23 Jan 2007: -- Both the Princeton Township Committee and the Princeton Borough Council are gearing up for battle against double-trailer and 102-inch wide trucks barreling down Route 206 and Nassau Street... The result of a federal court ruling that found the state's former trucking regulations violated the U.S. Constitution by inhibiting interstate commerce, the state's transportation department drafted new guidelines currently open for public comment on the New Jersey Register... The proposal designates certain roadways within a national network, mostly New Jersey's major highways, and others within a local network for the big rigs. The local roads may be used when trucks are en route to delivery or pick up locations...

TRUCK MARKETS NEWS * Europe - MAN Makes Nice

NY,USA -Forbes, by Parmy Olson & Chris Noon -23 Jan 2007: -- The German truckmaker MAN said Tuesday it was pullling its hostile takeover bid for Swedish rival Scania and would instead seek a friendly linkup... Talks with Volkswagen, a major shareholder in MAN and Scania, indicated that a friendly cooperation between the German and Swedish companies would be preferable to the hostile bid, which VW had rejected... All parties seem to have welcomed the prospect of a friendly combination of MAN, Scania and Volkswagen Heavy Trucks...

* USA - National ID to Be Privatized

Activist Says He Has Docs
USA -rinf.com, by Ryan Singel & Kevin Poulsen -Jan 23, 2007: -- A program to standardize state driver’s licenses to create a de facto national I.D. should use a third-party — most likely a private contractor — to verify that a person is eligible for a driver’s license or state identification card, according to a document provided to 27B by a privacy activist. The document appears to be a portion of the rules that Homeland Security is proposing for the program, which are currently being evaluated by the Office of Management and Budget before they are presented to the public for comment... REAL-ID compliant licenses will also have some machine-readable component — perhaps a bar-code or an RFID — but Homeland Security — which was handed the decision authority on this matter hasn’t yet ruled on what that will be. This year will likely see widespread challenges to the law from both Congress (one bill repealing the rules was introduced by Democratic Senator Daniel Akaka in December as a warning shot) and from states, who see the rule as an unfunded mandate. States to watch include New Hampshire, Maine, Arizona and Georgia...

Production Chess * Malaysia - GM romancing Asia's Proton

Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Christine Tierney -23 Jan 2007: -- Beyond the borders of Malaysia, Proton isn't a household name. But the south Asian carmaker was thrust into the limelight this week when General Motors Corp. confirmed that it was in talks on a possible deal... And GM isn't the only major automaker eyeing Proton, whose full name is Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional... DaimlerChrysler AG, Volkswagen AG and France's PSA Peugeot Citroën have shown interest in the automaker at various times to establish a presence in one of the largest south Asian markets. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. was a shareholder until 2004...

"GREEN" NEWS

* USA - Clean fuel technology takes stage as Bush speaks to nation
Washington,DC,USA -The Detroit News, by David Shepardson -23 Jan 2007: -- The chorus of voices calling on automakers to put their environmental initiatives into high gear will grow even louder tonight when President Bush delivers his annual State of the Union address... Bush is expected to repeat his call for reforming fuel economy measures for passenger cars, which haven't been raised since 1985. He is also expected to call for more money for advanced battery research, needed to power fuel cells and other alternative powertrains, and raise the target for renewable fuel use to as much as 60 billion gallons of ethanol by 2030 -- up from 5 billion in 2006...

* USA - DCX diesel trucks will beat emissions deadline - Zetsche says, and critiques fuel standards
Washington,DC,USA -The Detroit News, by David Shepardson -Jan 23, 2007: -- DaimlerChrysler AG chairman Dieter Zetsche confirmed Tuesday that the company will meet 2010 diesel emissions standards with its Dodge Ram heavy duty 2500/3500 pickup truck and will begin selling them in about a month... He also criticized the emphasis on existing standards, known as Corporate Average Fuel Economy, saying reforming the fuel economy system makes "far more sense than just picking a number out of the air" and said policymakers shouldn't favor hybrids over diesel and other clean technologies... But asked about global warming, he didn't equivocate: "It's a fact," and it must be dealt with, he said...

* USA - Getting Hydrogen Cars To Live Up to Their Hype
Washington,DC,USA -The Washington Post, by Sholnn Freeman -Jan 23, 2007: -- The Ford Edge gliding along the George Washington Memorial Parkway doesn't have spinning rims or a booming sound system. The bling in this SUV is the technology. The vehicle runs almost silently. It needs no gas and releases no polluting exhaust... The HySeries Edge, which is to be unveiled at the Washington Auto Show today, is a plug-in hybrid with an electric drive powered by a battery and a hydrogen fuel cell. Its arrival intensifies the competition to manufacture a mass-market electric hybrid that reduces reliance on gasoline and curbs the emission of greenhouse gases... But the futuristic Edge vehicle is Ford's only one, and it cost $2 million to build. To get a car like this into the showroom for sale to the public will require the automotive and energy industries to leap high technological hurdles. The infrastructure to deliver alternative fuels such as hydrogen is in its infancy, and engineers are puzzling over how to mass-produce a lightweight, inexpensive and safe electric battery... (Photo, by Ford: When the lithium-ion batteries run down, a fuel cell powered by the central hydrogen tank takes over in the HySeries Drive of Ford's Edge)

* India - Tata Motors Profit Rises on Trucks, Exchange Gain

Mumbai,India -Bloomberg (USA), by Santanu Choudhury & Archana Chaudhary -Jan. 23, 2007: -- Tata Motors Ltd., India's biggest maker of trucks and buses, posted an unexpected 12 percent increase in third-quarter profit after demand for commercial vehicles rose and it had a foreign-exchange gain... Net income in the three months ended Dec. 31 rose to a record 5.13 billion rupees ($116 million) from 4.6 billion rupees a year earlier, the Mumbai-based company said in a release today. That exceeded the median net income estimate of 4.48 billion rupees in a Bloomberg survey of 15 analysts. It's the 15th straight gain in quarterly profit for Tata Motors...

Development Plan * China - Major heavy-duty truck producers

For 2007
Beijing,China -chinadaily.com.cn, by Su Yue -22 Jan 2007: -- China's heavy-duty truck market entered into a stable development era in 2006 after severe ups and downs in previous years. Major heavy-duty truck producers have mapped out new development plans for 2007... FAW Jiefang will expand with independently-developed trucks FAW Jiefang Automobile Co Ltd plans to launch its new proprietary Jiefang J6 truck model in the second quarter of 2007... Dongfeng Motor will prioritize special vehicle production Dongfeng Tianlong heavy-duty trucks entered the market in May 2006. The brand has evolved from the initial nine types to the current number of over 100 types under 36 models. The company plans to further increase the brand to over 300 types under 80 models... Sinotruk aims to reach international levels. The China National Heavy Duty Truck Group (Sinotruk) will continue to enhance the technical contents of its HOWO brand to approach advanced international levels. Meanwhile, major relevant truck products including suspensions, axles and tyres will be upgraded. Sinotruk plans to provide high-quality and fuel efficient engines and be able to provide China's top-level engines within two to three years...

* China - Dongfeng Motor, Volvo May Form China Truck Venture
Beijing,China -Bloomberg (USA), by Irene Shen -Jan. 22, 2007: -- Dongfeng Motor Group Co., China's third-largest automaker, said Volvo AB may replace Nissan Motor Co. as its large commercial-vehicle partner after the Swedish company bought Nissan's stake in a truckmaking affiliate. Shares of Volvo rose to a record... Volvo, Europe's second-biggest truckmaker, may invest in Dongfeng Motor Co., a venture between Dongfeng Motor Group and Nissan, the Shiyan, China-based automaker said in a statement without elaboration. Nissan will remain as Dongfeng Motor's passenger-car and light commercial-vehicle partner...

Report * Canada - Must embrace China or risk falling behind

China's economy has nearly doubled since it joined the World Trade Organization just over five years ago and is now the World's leading importer of oil and raw materials like steel and metals...

Toronto,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking -23 Jan 2007: -- Canada can benefit from China's rapid emergence as an economic powerhouse, but must do a better job of forging a Sino-Canadian economic relationship, says Dr. Sherry Cooper, chief economist of BMO Capital Markets... In a report released today on the powerful shifting forces in China and the global economy, Cooper states China's re-emergence in the economic world has the potential of being an enormous boon to long-term Canadian growth and prosperity, but Canada's inability to adapt beyond U.S.-related trade is hurting us... "While China could soon become the most important trading partner of the U.S., we remain fixated on yesterday's strategy -- bolstering economic activity with the U.S. to the exclusion of almost all others," she wrote. "Rather, we should be diversifying our foreign markets and developing economic ties with Asia, the fastest-growing region in the world."... It's no secrete China is booming. But why is Canada so shy about getting a piece of the action? Dr. Cooper noted that the Canadian government's mission to China last week as a positive development, but added the country needs a more "comprehensive strategic approach to China as well."..

Trucking technology * USA - Finding wider audience

Las Vegas,NEV,USA -Today's Trucking - 23 Jan 2007: -- The cyclical nature of trucking means commercial vehicles sales will always sway up and down, but a group of industry suppliers see steady growth opportunities in a number of other key industry technologies... That was one of a handful of major themes at this year's Heavy Duty Dialogue, a full day of trucking, economic, and manufacturing-related discussions, which precedes Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week in Las Vegas... While the consensus among OE manufacturers and suppliers is that we're in the beginning stages of a severe downturn (30-40 percent lower from '06 records) in class 8 truck sales, a core of innovative add-on technologies are starting to emerge and give the trucking industry a welcomed boost, say representatives from companies like ArvinMeritor, Bendix, Eaton, and Qualcomm... (Photo: At one time, technology like this what only the big boys could afford to have. Times are changing, suppliers say)

Markets Analysts * USA - Trucking Companies

The bend after '07 looks clear for trucking after this year

New Yoirk,NY,USA -The Houston Chronicle (Houston,TX)/The Associated Press -Jan. 22, 2007: -- Analysts expect mostly lackluster fourth-quarter earnings from trucking companies, since the industry's annual peak season never materialized and demand further waned amid a general economic slowdown... Truckload carriers could report particularly depressed results, as pricing power diminished alongside demand... "The combined effects of a slowing economy, tighter inventory management, and slackening truckload capacity have begun to yield difficult earnings comparisons following several years of ideal operating conditions," said Art Hatfield, an analyst at Morgan Keegan & Co., in a recent note to clients...

* USA - Trucking slow, but faces long-term grow
Alexandria,Va,USA -Today's Trucking, by Patricia Smith -22 Jan 2007: -- The trucking industry may be facing a slowdown this year, but the longer term outlook is still something to feel good about, according to Bob Costello, the American Trucking Associations’ chief economist and vice president... The industry got a jolt when ATA’s for-hire tonnage index for November fell 8.8 percent from the same period a year ago, but tonnage isn’t the whole story, Costello told participants in “Navigating the Economy and Capital Markets,” an audio conference sponsored recently by the Truckload Carriers Association’s Truckload Academy...

Hazmat Trucks * Singapore To Equip They With Remote Control Devices

Singapore -WCSH-TV (Portland,ME,USA), by Matt Bush -22 Jan 2007: -- Singapore is hoping to safeguard trucks from being used in terrorist attacks. Starting in April, the government is going to equip trucks that carry hazardous materials with devices that would allow authorities to remotely shut down the engines... The one-year trial period starts in April. Since July 2005, the government's been using global positioning devices to track the exact locations of all vehicles carrying toxic, corrosive or flammable materials...

TRUCKS * Sweden - Volvo: Renault Trucks Launches New Version of Lightweight Truck

Stockholm,Sweden -Autochannel (USA) -22 Jan 2007 -- AB Volvo’s subsidiary Renault Trucks is now launching a new version of Renault Mascott, a lightweight distribution truck that is available with two engine alternatives... The Renault Mascott is one of Renault Trucks best sellers in its segment, with nearly 15,000 vehicles sold during 2006. Deliveries of the newest version are expected to start at mid-year 2007...

* Sweden - Volvo: Renault Trucks Signs Distribution Agreement with Nissan Motor Regarding Light Trucks
Stockholm,Sweden -Business Wire -Jan 23, 2007: -- AB Volvo's subsidiary Renault Trucks has signed a distribution agreement covering the Renault Maxity light duty vehicle with the manufacturer Nissan Motor. An agreement in principle regarding the distribution agreement was signed in February 2006...

Irish Roads * Ireland - Labour urges Govt to implement ban on 'super-trucks'

Cork,Ireland -The Evening Echo -22 Jan 2007: -- The Labour Party is criticising Minister for Transport Martin Cullen for failing to ban so-called 'super-trucks' from Irish roads... The party says the number of these trucks operating in Ireland is on the increase and most don not fit in the Dublin Port Tunnel... Labour TD Roisin Shorthall says the Government promised to introduce a ban on such vehicles four years ago, but nothing has yet been imposed... She is demanding that Mr Cullen act on that promise and ensure that these large trucks cannot use residential streets...

Truckers * USA - New passport rules take effect Tuesday

Washington,DC,USA -Land Line Magazine (Grain Valley, Miss) -Jan 22, 2007: -- As of Tuesday, all air travelers coming into the United States – including returning U.S. citizens – will be required to have a passport... Until now, travel to the U.S. from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean didn’t require a passport... According to the Department of Homeland Security, the passport requirement will apply to truckers and four-wheelers entering the U.S. from Canada or Mexico as early as January 2008, although many are speculating that the date may end up being pushed back...

* USA - Cell phone use, seat belts are the focus of efforts in Arkansas

ARK,USA -Land Line Magazine (Grain Valley, Miss), by Keith Goble -Jan 22, 2007: -- ... State Sen. Kim Hendren, R-Gravette, introduced two bills early this month that are intended to ban hand-held cell phone use while driving – for all drivers. Talking on a phone equipped with a "hands-free" accessory would still be permitted... Another bill, would require drivers of all ages to possess a hands-free device in their vehicles when using a cell phone. The second bill, would require drivers to use a hands-free device when talking on the cell phone... Another safety-related effort that could draw consideration would allow police to pull over drivers solely for not wearing their seat belt...

* USA - Bill would clear Florida’s left lanes

FL,USA -Land Line Magazine (Grain Valley, Miss) Jan 22, 2007: -- A Florida state lawmaker has renewed his effort to keep most drivers out of Florida’s fast lanes. This is the fourth year in a row the bill has been offered in the state... Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, is hopeful this is the year it will be approved. The bill is intended to combat aggressive driving on the state’s multilane highways by reducing the number of drivers in the far left-hand lane... Dubbed the “Highway Safety Act,” it would give law enforcement more authority to ticket drivers who block traffic, even if they are driving the speed limit in the left lane. A failure to stay to the right would be included as one of the offenses that make up “aggressive careless driving.”...

* USA - Minnesota ups weight limit for winter weather

Minn,USA -Land Line Magazine (Grain Valley, MO) -Jan 22, 2007: -- In a sure sign that winter has arrived, Minnesota has increased its weight limits for trucks in the southern part of the state... According to the state’s Department of Transportation, limits had already been raised in the northern part of the state, where colder temperatures had hardened highway sub-surfaces... The winter load weight limits in Minnesota allow truckers to go 10 percent – or 8,000 pounds – over the normal limit on state highways and nine-ton county roads without a permit... Permits are required for overweight trucks on the interstates...

PRODUCTION * China - DaimlerChrysler Expands in China With Heavy Trucks

BEIJING,China -Edmunds.com/Inside Line (Santa Monica,CA,USA) -19 Jan 2007: -- DaimlerChrysler is expanding its relationship with Beijing Auto as a springboard into the medium- and heavy-truck market in China... The German automaker said it has received approval from the central government here to take a 24 percent stake in BAIC subsidiary Beiqi Foton Motor, which makes trucks and SUVs primarily for the Chinese market... DaimlerChrysler reportedly will supply Foton with modern commercial vehicles to sell in China, including trucks and vans... (Photo courtesy of Beiqi Foton - DaimlerChrysler is expanding its reach in the China market by buying into truckmaker Beiqi Foton Motor in a $100 million deal. Pictured is one of the company's current products)

RECALLS * USA - Toyota recalls half a million trucks, SUVs

San Antonio,TX,USA -The San Antonio Express, by Sean M. Wood -19 Jan 2007: -- Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling 533,000 Tundra pickups and Sequoia sport utility vehicles built in Princeton, Ind... The recall is due to steering problems that might have led to 11 accidents and six injuries, according to the company. Vehicles affected include some 2004 to 2006 model-year Tundras and some 2004 to 2007 model-year Sequoias. It doesn't include the 2007 Tundras being built in San Antonio... The recall could be troubling news for Toyota, which is launching its redesigned, San Antonio-built Tundra pickup next month. It's another recall for a company viewed as a model of quality and reliability but plagued by recalls in the past two years...

Opinion * USA - Truck solution vital

Improving traffic safety and efficiency in and around the state-run port is fast becoming a critical issue, and things are only going to get worse

Savannah,GA,USA -The Savannah Morning News -Jan 21, 2007: -- The Georgia Department of Transportation and state lawmakers should put the pedal to the metal on a solution to the danger of having so much port-related truck traffic alongside passenger cars in the Savannah area... Container shipping is booming... The Georgia Ports Authority reports that the number of trucks that haul containers into and out of the port has doubled in the past five years. The current number is expected to double over the next five... More trucks also mean more traffic bottlenecks on area roadways... The risk of accidents involving trucks and cars has increased, too... Statewide, trucking accounts for 9 percent of the traffic on all of the state's roads... So, the sooner the DOT chooses an option to move traffic around the fast-growing port, the sooner motorists will find relief... (Photo: Fort Pulaski,Savannah,GA, National Monument)

Report Questioned Practices * USA - Assistant state attorney reviewing tax collector audit

Also, Scott Trucking is finding Nassau County to be too expensive

Nassau,FL,USA -The Florida Times-Union ( Jacksonville,FL), by KEVIN TURNER -Jan 20, 2007: -- Nassau Tax Collector John Drew's attorney submitted findings from an audit and investigation of operations at the office under previous Tax Collector Gwen Miller to the State Attorney's Office in Jacksonville in October... Corporate attorney Stephen Durant with Durant & Schoeppell submittal included a review by an auditing firm hired by the law firm and the results of his own investigation... The report questioned practices such as accepting partial tax payments, borrowing tax revenue to temporarily fund office operations, failing to collect delinquent tangible personal property taxes and allegedly conducting illegal tax auctions... Trucking company's relocation: Managers of Louis Scott Trucking in O'Neil said in August that while they'd like to move to the Yulee International Tradeplex, they couldn't get permission to do so...Management hoped the County Commission would provide an exception for new businesses at the tradeplex. Without it, Scott Trucking will likely move to Jacksonville...

New Rules * USA - Squeeze Profits

Federal guidelines require diesel engines to be cleaner burning

Rockford,IL,USA -The Rockford Register Star, by Thomas V. Bona -Jan 20, 2007: -- Local truckers say cleaning the air is cleaning out their wallets... Federal guidelines required this year’s crop of diesel engines to be cleaner burning. The new engines, along with low-sulfur fuel that became available nationwide last fall, are expected to release 5 percent to 10 percent of the particulate matter the old ones did... But both the engines and the fuel cost more, and trucking companies wonder whether they’re getting less bang for their buck... The new trucks typically cost about $5,000 to $7,000 more and the gas costs about 5 cents a gallon more, according to industry officials... (Photo by GARY L. CARLSON / ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR - Clarice Posley gets ready Thursday to check mileage at Dre-Vo Trucking. She keeps track of the fuel-mileage tax for the business, which is putting off buying new vehicles because of new federal guidelines for diesel engines)

HOS DEBATE * USA - Feds seek comments on EOBR proposal

Comments are being accepted on the proposed regulation that would mandate the use of electronic on-board recorders for carriers that have chronic HOS violations

Grain Valley, Mis,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Jami Jones -Jan. 18, 2007: -- The proposal also offers incentives for carriers that voluntarily use the so-called "black boxes"... The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration unveiled its "notice of proposed rulemaking" on the use of EOBRs, now officially been printed in the Federal Register and the 90-day comment period is open... FMCSA Administrator John Hill told that agency officials are hopeful truckers on the road who will feel the impact of this regulation will be active in the comment period... The proposed reg isn't sitting well with the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association... OOIDA officials say the proposal to require EOBRs on some trucks is a misdirected attempt to deal with the root causes of hours-of-service violations... "The FMCSA's solution to hours-of-service enforcement goes long on Big Brother and short on the real issue. FMCSA continues to ignore the inescapable fact that such devices are no more capable than paper logs in providing an accurate record of a driver's compliance with the hours-of-service rules," OOIDA Executive President Todd Spencer said... OOIDA officials have a different idea than FMCSA about the reasons behind driver fatigue. The real issue is not the time spent behind the wheel driving, which is the time that can be monitored by recorders. It's the 30 to 40 or more hours drivers spend each week on loading and unloading docks that will not be captured by these devices that is the issue... Drivers who are almost always paid only for miles driven, have no ability to change "this colossal waste of their time," according to OOIDA officials. And, shippers, receivers and carriers have little or no incentive to address this waste since it costs them nothing – and it can even be a profit center for some... Hill said that the agency anticipates having a final EOBR regulation sometime in the next 18 months to two years... Where to send comments...

Future Layoffs * USA - Volvo reduces number on list of

A board at the Dublin plant read 1,075, but now the tally is 885, a union spokesman said

Roanoke,VA,USA -The Roanoke Times, by Angela Manese-Lee -19 Jan 2007: -- Ever since Volvo Trucks North America announced in November plans to reduce staffing at its Dublin plant, employees have kept an eye on a bulletin board that hangs in an aisle leading to the facility's front office... The bulletin board tracks the number of people expected to be let go... Originally it read 1,075... Now, said Gary Hamrick, hourly bargaining chairman for United Auto Workers Local 2069, the board's tally is 885.

RECALLS * USA - Toyota do it, with 533,000 Trucks for Failed Ball Joints

USA -ConsumerAffairs, by Joe Benton -Jan 19, 2007: -- Toyota Motor Co. is recalling 533,000 trucks and SUVs because of possible steering and suspension problems caused by faulty ball joints... The recall marks a sudden shift in policy for the Japanese automaker after repeatedly denying consumer complaints about ball joint problems and failures in the Tundra and Sequoia...

PRODUCTION * Pakistan - Tata Daewoo trucks to be assembled in

Karachi,Pakistan -IANS/Telugu Portal (Chennai,India) -Jan 19, 2007: -- A Pakistani vehicle- manufacturing firm has entered into a tie-up with the Tata Group to assemble heavy-duty trucks at a new plant in Karachi... Afzal Motors Pvt Ltd has commissioned a new truck and bus assembly plant in Karachi to assemble Tata trucks, the company said in a release here Friday... It has signed an agreement with the Tata Group's Tata Daewoo Commercial Vehicle (TDCV) Co. Ltd, South Korea, for technical assistance...

DEBATE * USA - Privatization or not ?

Several Northeast States Take Steps Toward Privatized Highways, New Tolls

Washington,DC,USA -TTNews, by Andrea Fischer -18 Jan 2007: -- As the federal government moved last week to help states promote private transportation investment, several states in the Northeast took initial steps toward adding toll roads or privatizing existing highways... Several state trucking executives said it looked as if the trend would continue and that their associations were watching developments closely... “If we don’t stop this . . . pretty much the entire route between the Northeast and the Midwest will be privately owned,” said Gail Toth, executive director of the New Jersey Motor Truck Association... The U.S. Department of Transportation issued “model legislation” Jan. 8, meant to “help states reduce or remove barriers to private-sector investment in transportation infrastructure.”...

Fees on Drivers * USA - Virginia Transportation Plan Would Boost Costs to Truckers

VIR,USA -TTNews /The Washington Post -19 Jan 2007: -- A new transportation plan by Virginia state Republicans would raise fees on drivers and boost costs to truckers... The measure would divert $250 million from other state programs, raise fees on drivers, increase costs for truckers and depend on billions in borrowing, according to a draft of the plan... Virginia is led by Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine (D), who made transportation a centerpiece of his campaign in 2005, but both of its legislative houses are controlled by Republicans...

BORDER NEWS * USA - ACE to Be Required at Entry Points in California, Texas, N. Mex.

Washington,DC,USA -TTNews -19 Jan 2007: -- The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said Friday Federal Register that truck carriers entering the United States at all land border ports of entry in California, Texas and New Mexico will be required to present advance electronic cargo information through the Automated Commercial Environment truck manifest system... CBP said in a Federal Register notice published Friday that the rule would be effective 90 days from the publication date of the notice, which would make the compliance date April 19...

Safe Travel * USA - Utah bill focuses on speed limits,

UT,USA -Land Line Magazine (Grain Valley,Miss) -Jan 18, 2007: -- A Utah Senate panel has approved a bill that includes provisions to allow drivers to travel faster and more safely... The Senate Transportation and Public Utilities and Technology Committee voted 5-0 to approve a bill that would increase the speed limits by 5 mph on state highways and interstates... Truckers and others traveling on rural interstates and other limited access routes would be cleared to drive 80 miles per hour – up from the current 75 mph limit. The speed limit along urban interstates and other roads would increase from 65 mph to 70 mph...

Traffic Safety * Sweden - Premiere for Volvo trucks breathalyser on Stena Line ships

Gothenburg,Sweden -AutoCorse.it (Italy) -18 Jan 2007: -- On 16th January, Stena Line and Volvo Trucks showed the first breathalyser to be installed on the Stena Scandinavica ferry that operates between Gothenburg (Sweden) and Kiel (Germany). The breathalyser allows drivers to quickly and easily test themselves to verify that they are fit to drive in Sweden... And is part of the companies’ determination to heighten awareness of the risks of alcohol and increase interest in traffic safety...

PRODUCTIONS

* India - M&M to roll out 49-tonne trucks and 16-25 tonne buses from Pune
Pune,India -The Financial Express (Bombay,India) -Jan 17, 2007: -- Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) has gone back to the drawing board to work on fresh designs for trucks in the 49-tonne gross vehicle weight (GVW) category and buses in the 16-25 tonne range with its joint venture (JV) partner International Truck and Engine Corp (ITEC)...

"Closing the Gap" * Canada - Industry wants national driving standard

Call for tuition subsidies

Ottawa,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking (CAN) -16 Jan 2007: -- After studying how next generation drivers are being prepared for the industry, driver trainers and trucking carriers are calling for enhanced training programs, improved licensing standards, and new policies for distributing training funds. The recommendations follow a Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council (CTHRC) initiative, called "Closing the Gap," which involved eight provincial and territorial roundtable meetings, and culminated with a national meeting of industry stakeholders last November. “This is where we can make lasting, positive change to an industry that has not seen it for over two decades,” CTHRC Chairman Roy Craigen said, noting how the trucking industry is facing a growing shortage of skilled workers....

MARKETS * Canada - Mfg shipments rebound in most sectors after major low

Ottawa,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking (CAN) -18 Jan 2007: -- A strong showing in the transportation equipment sector helped Canadian factory shipments bounced back in November after hitting their lowest level in nearly two years in the third quarter of 2006... Thanks to a strong transport equipment market -- driven mainly by the introduction of new model launches and a 13.7-percent rise in motor vehicle shipments -- durable goods increased for a second consecutive month following three months of decline, rising 3.1 percent to $26.8 billion...

* Germany - DaimlerChrysler Trucks posts record global sales in 2006
Frankfurt,GER -Automotive World -18 Jan, 2007: -- DaimlerChrysler Trucks Group says its global sales in 2006 grew by 1.4% to 537,000 units, driven primarily by the introduction of new models as well as sales brought forward by new emissions limits in the US and Japan...

PRODUCTS

* Canada - Do you know where your workers are? GPS surveillance of employees can help efficiency, but raises privacy concerns
Toronto,Ontario,Canada -The Globe and Mail, by TREENA HEIN -18 Jan 2007: -- Ryan Vending, a Victoria-based company, wanted to know whether its drivers were receiving fair compensation for the hours and kilometres they logged on their delivery routes. So last fall, the company installed GPS devices into a portion of their 30-vehicle fleet and saw immediate benefits: The technology helped the company confirm its pay calculations were fair and balanced... Furthermore, Ryan Vending also discovered the technology improved their service-call response times, saved them money on fuel and stopped employees from abusing the privilege of taking company trucks home at night... Called telematics, the technology goes beyond simply providing businesses with vehicles' locations -- it can also supply data on things like when a vehicle's doors are open, when engines are turned on or when cargo has been picked up. What's more, the technology can also enable a business to remotely control a vehicle by turning off its engine, locking a door or disabling the ignition...

* UK - BT Europe to get trucking on updated Lawson M3 systems
Dartford,Kent,UK -Manufacturing Computer Solutions -18 Jan 2007: -- Truck manufacturer BT Europe, part of Toyota Industries, is to upgrade its Intentia Movex ERP system to the new Lawson M3 Java-based Lawson M3 5.2 version, due to go live at the end of next year...

* Netherlands - DAF Trucks to offer soot filter for CF and XF models
Netherlands -Automotive World -18 Jan 2007: -- DAF Trucks is introducing a soot filter suitable for retrofitting to CF and XF models with Euro III engines, the company states... DAF uses a 'passive' soot filter for the retrofit on both 9.2 litre PE and 12.6 litre XEC Euro III engines. According to D...

Trucking Injuries... * Canada - ...and Fatalities: Are still notably high.

Vancouver,BC,Canada -Today's Trucking (Toronto, ON,CAN) -18 Jan 2007: -- ... According to the B.C. Forest Safety Council: trucking injuries and fatalities are still notably high... Serious injuries and fatalities in other trucking and equipment servicing were still notably high, said the council... In an attempt to reduce the high number of trucking-related injuries and fatalities among log haulers in the region, WorkSafe B.C. proposed a series of changes late last year to provincial safety regulations...

DONATIONS

* USA - Big Trucks Drive Out Hunger
DaimlerChrysler Financial Services and Freightliner Deliver Mini-fleet of Three Trucks to Forgotten Harvest

Southfield,Mich,USA -The Auto Channel -Jan. 17, 2007: -- Engines revving and horns blaring, the convoy of three brand-new trucks arrived with much fanfare at the headquarters facility of Forgotten Harvest in Southfield. Klaus Entenmann, President and CEO of DaimlerChrysler Financial Services Americas LLC, piloted the first truck on snow-covered roads... DaimlerChrysler donated a mini-fleet of three 2007 trucks with 18-foot refrigerated van bodies to the non-profit organization, including one Freightliner M2 and two Sterling Acterra trucks. Forgotten Harvest provides perishable food to those in need...

* Canada - Big donations enable better opportunities
Nanaimo,British Columbia,Canada -Nanaimo News Bulletin -Jan 18 2007: -- It’s one thing to donate tools to a trades program at Malaspina University-College but it is quite another to donate an excavator weighing several tonnes... Something like a Catapillar 330 Excavator with extensive fire damage must be creatively hauled out of the bush and onto a flatbed truck before arriving to the grateful instructors at Malaspina’s Heavy Duty/Commercial Transport Mechanics program... Earlier last year the students and instructors faced such a challenge... If you have a machine, engine or other services you’d like to donate to the Heavy Duty/Commercial Transport Mechanics program, call Paul Mottershead at 740-6123 or email him at mottershp@mala.bc.ca...

Fees for transport * USA - Virginia bills include new tolls,

USA -Land Line Magazine, by Keith Goble -Jan 17, 2007: -- The new legislative session opened a week ago in Virginia with transportation funding dominating discussion... As the Republican-led House and Senate work to find common ground for how to pay for work on roads, rail and mass transit, several funding efforts have been offered to provide some relief... Among the efforts that could draw consideration during the 45-day session is a bill from Delegate Robert Marshall, R-Prince William, that would require the Commonwealth Transportation Board to impose a fee on trucks and combination vehicles for use in maintaining state highways... The fee and method of payment would be determined by the board. Fees would be imposed on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis...

FREEZE's TROUBLES * USA - Ice, snow cause road problems across the nation

USA -Land Line Magazine, by Reed Black/XM Satellite Radio /The Associated Press -Jan 17, 2007: -- On Monday, snow and ice in western Texas forced the closure of a long stretch of Interstate 10, while scores of other state and U.S. highways throughout the state were also shut down as weather conditions made driving treacherous throughout much of the Longhorn State... For the most part, the rest of the nation is finally free of wintry precipitation... However, it was reported that in the aftermath of the storm, at least 54 people are dead in nine states – mainly from traffic accidents...

DEBATE * USA - Privatization or not ?

Lawmaker wants to rein in Indiana’s privatization
USA - Land Line Magazine, by Reed Black /XM Satellite Radio -Jan 17, 2007: -- An Indiana lawmaker has come up with legislation that could slow down – or even stop – any future attempts to privatize the state’s highways... State Rep. Joe Micon, D-West Lafayette, plans to propose a bill that would require a 15-member committee to review all privatization proposals, and would call for public hearings to be held before a deal is signed... Micon’s bill would also limit the length of any private lease a governor signs to the length of the governor’s term... Micon told “In terms of the 75-year lease, the governor who will preside over the end of that lease probably won’t even be born for 20 years yet,” he said...

Safety * USA - Wyoming flunks watchdog group’s test

USA -Land Line Magazine -Jan 16, 2007: -- Wyoming is the worst state in the nation when it comes to passing highway safety laws, according to a new study by a highway safety watchdog group... The group, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, blasted Wyoming for not having a primary seat belt law, a motorcycle helmet law, an open container law, or a sobriety checkpoint law... However, an official with the Wyoming Highway Patrol told local media the report doesn’t take into account the state’s low population and how that affects the need for certain laws...

Top Truck Drivers * USA - "The captains of America's Road Team"

Drivers Represent Industry and Deliver Trucking's Highway Safety Message
Alexandria,Va,USA -PRNewswire-USNewswire -17 Jan 2007: -- The American Trucking Associations today announced the professional drivers named to the2007 - 2008 America's Road Team. The premier group of million-mile,accident-free professional truck drivers will spend the next two years representing the trucking industry and delivering its highway safety message to the motoring public...
* DRIVER - COMPANY - HOMETOWN
Albert Adams Roadway your way Berlin Center, OH
William Burton Jevic Transportation Kentland, IN
Wayne Crowder FedEx Freight Lanesville, IN
Dennis Day Con-way Freight Lawrenceville, GA
William Kent Durant Roadway your way Cheney, KS
Steve Eckhoff Hogan Dedicated Services Stover, MO
Steve Fields Yellow Transportation Independence, MO
Jose Franco UPS Freight Avondale, AZ
Clarence Jenkins, Jr. UPS Freight Poca, WV
Dellonzo "Mack" McAdory FedEx Ground Rialto, CA
Richard Scholl Roadway your way Irondale, OH
Chris Serviss Wal-Mart Transportation Greensboro, MD
Larry Shelton Old Dominion Freight King, NC
Anthony Sifford FedEx Ground Hillsville, VA
Tony Spero ABF Freight System, Inc. Stratford, CT
Rick Whittle Bulldog Hiway Express Summerville, SC

Union says * Australia - Petrol prices impacting trucking industry

NT,Australia -ABC Online -Jan 18, 2007: -- The Transport Workers Union (TWU) is pushing for the ACCC to be given more powers in a bid to stamp out petrol gouging... The TWU says many trucking companies are on the brink of financial ruin because of the high cost of transporting goods... The union's Northern Territory spokesman, Alex Gallagher, says the effect of petrol profiteering by oil companies is having an enormous impact on the industry... A survey conducted by the union late last year shows about 90 per cent of the owner drivers in the trucking industry believe petrol profiteering is causing them financial stress...

JOBS?? * UK - Get trucking with Scania

Want a new job this year? Scania Driver Experience
London,UK -Channel 4 News -16 Jan 2007: -- Truck- and coach-maker Scania is running training programmes in the UK, the only such scheme operated by a leading commercial vehicle manufacturer. The Scania Driver Experience is offered at locations with dedicated facilities in Bristol, Purfleet, Sheffield and Edinburgh, and promises instruction from experienced, registered professionals... Drivers can train for the Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) and Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) driving licences, as well as the new driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) and light van/trailer tests. Instruction on using digital tachographs is also offered, as well as advice on the European Working Time directive, and instruction in both articulated and rigid-axle vehicles...

"GREEN" NEWS

* USA - Cleaner Diesels Help Ford Clear the Air
USA -Auto Spectator -Jan 15, 2007: -- North America is on the cusp of a clean-diesel revolution, driven by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) mandated move to ultra-low sulfur diesel, which was launched Oct. 15... Ultra-low sulfur diesel has a sulfur content of 15 parts per million (ppm), compared with low sulfur diesel at 500 ppm. Reducing the sulfur content will allow automotive manufacturers to build clean-diesel-powered cars and trucks that can meet the government’s stringent new emissions regulations... "Removing the sulfur enables reduction of particulate matter by over 90 percent," says Peter Misangyi, fuels and lubricants specialist for Ford Motor Company. "As a normal customer, you won't see the telltale black smoke coming from the exhaust pipes anymore. In addition, NOx emissions are cut in half"... In fact, the EPA estimates that by 2030, when the entire fleet (on and off highway) has been turned over, nitrogen oxide emissions will be reduced by 4 million tons yearly, and cancer-causing particulate matter will be reduced by 250,000 ton per year...

* USA - Needs better ways to ship ethanol fuel
New York,NY,USA -Scientific American, by Timothy Gardner/Reuters Summit -Jan 16, 2007: -- The United States will need to make big improvements in shipping ethanol from the U.S. heartland -- perhaps even building pipelines from the Midwest to the coasts -- to transport the fuel to markets, the head of a U.S. ethanol industry group said on Tuesday... High oil prices, decreasing domestic crude production and growing demand for fuels that emit less greenhouse gases have pushed the U.S. government to increase incentives for making ethanol... The U.S. Department of Energy has set a goal of boosting ethanol production from current output of about 5 billion gallons per year (19 billion liters) to 60 billion gpy (227 billion liters) by 2030... (Photo, by Jason Reed/REUTERS: U.S. needs better ways to ship ethanol fuel U.S. President George W. Bush (L) walks past a fuel pump advertising E85 ethanol at the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama September 28, 2006. The United States will need to make big improvements in shipping ethanol from the U.S. heartland to transport the fuel to markets, the head of a U.S. ethanol industry group said on Tuesday)

RECALLS * Japan - Mitsubishi Fuso do it with trucks over hub defect

Tokyo,Japan -The Yomiuri Shimbun -16 Jan 2007: -- Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corp. has announced it will recall tens of thousands of its large trucks because of concerns over a potential defect in the wheel hub, company sources said Tuesday... The wheel hub in question is a new type introduced following a large-scale recall in 2004. However, fractures and cracks in the hubs have been discovered in a number of cases since October... According to the company, about 150,000 large vehicles weighing between 20 and 25 tons, produced between 1995 and 2005, are equipped with the F hubs...

PRODUCTION * India - M&M to invest Rs 2,500-cr in trucks plant

Mumbai,India -The Financial Express (Bombay,Ind) -Jan 16, 2007: -- Automotive major Mahindra & Mahindra on Tuesday said it would set up a Rs 2,500-crore greenfield facility at Pune in Maharashtra to manufacture commercial trucks. For this, M&M will use its joint venture with US-based International Truck and Engine Corp. This JV, which would have an initial manufacturing capacity of 250,000 units, will produce medium and heavy commercial vehicles as well as other M&M products, the company said. Of the total production, 40,000 to 50,000 vehicles will be exported to the rest of Asia and parts of Africa...

Longer trucks * USA - Allowed on Hwy. 26 near Mitchell

Bend,OR,USA -KTVZ.com -Jan. 16, 2007: -- Following standard testing protocols, the Oregon Department of Transportation on Tuesday announced revisions to restrictions regarding truck transport on US Highway 26 between Mitchell and Dayville, including the section through Picture Gorge... Effective immediately, this reclassification upgrades this section of US 26 allowing unlimited access for truck tractor/semi trailer combinations operating with up to a 53-foot trailer...

SAFETY

* Canada - BC, industry look to clamp down on chainless trucks
Kamloops,B.C.,CAN -Today's Trucking/Canadian Press -16 Jan 2007: -- British Columbia truckers are working with Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon to reduce winter highway collisions and closures... Falcon told that the trucking industry wants government to crack down on truckers that are not chaining up... Truckers that disobey the rules where chains are required on icy highways "end up plugging the highways and creating real problems not only for the travelling public, but the ability of maintenance equipment to get to the roads and get them cleared"... Falcon and the B.C. Trucking Association have opened talks on the issue...

* Canada - Safety blitz targets small-truck clunkers - Those vehicles often not maintained: Minister
Toronto,ONT,CAN -The Toronto Sun, by JACK BOLAND -Jan 17, 2007: -- Spend a little to save a lot -- or a life -- was the message driven home to truckers in a province-wide safety blitz yesterday by ministry officials... Ontario Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield was on hand at the Arrow Rd. Ministry of Transportation service yard to watch inspections of small commercial trucks... "The smaller vehicles are the ones we need to do the blitzes on because we are finding they have challenges around maintenance.".. Brian Patterson, president and general manager of the Ontario Safety League, pointed to a refuse truck hauling a container as a prime example of these maintenance challenges...

Older motorists * USA - Michigan law allows drivers to be offered insurance price break

Older motorists in Michigan soon could get a financial perk for sharpening their driving skills

Mich,USA -Land Line Magazine -Jan 15, 2007: -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm has signed a bill into law that allows automobile insurance companies to offer a premium discount to drivers who are 50 and older. The benefit would only apply to personal vehicles... The new law, provides for the discount if a driver successfully completes a certified traffic safety course. The safety discount would last for three years. To extend the discount, people would need to retake the course... “This bill provides two key benefits,” Rep. Michael Nofs, R-Battle Creek, said in a written statement. “First, it helps ensure that we have safe drivers on the road. Secondly, it allows those who take the initiative to keep their driving skills up-to-date, to receive a discount on their auto insurance”...

DEBATE * USA - Privatization or not ?

Group opposes private toll loop around Indianapolis

West Lafayette,IN,USA -Land Line Magazine -Jan 15, 2007: -- Opposition is mounting against a proposal by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels for a private investor to design and build a 75-mile tolled loop around Indianapolis... About 300 people met last week in Martinsville, IN, according to one of the toll road opponents, Steve Bonney of West Lafayette, IN. More meetings are scheduled to take place later this week... Bonney was one of the plaintiffs last year who files a lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of Daniels’ “Major Moves” transportation plan, which included the 75-year lease of the Indiana Toll Road to private investors... Bonney and others are on record on the Web site majormoves.org as being opposed to privatization of roads and the possible sale of the state lottery...

Drivers say... * USA - Trucks and cars share blame for recent accidents

Waco,TX,USA -The Waco Tribune Herald, by Tim Woods -Jan 15, 2007: -- Several major accidents in the Waco area involving 18-wheelers in the past few months have raised important questions for local drivers, truckers, law enforcement and transportation officials... Are such major wrecks becoming more frequent? What are the causes of such accidents? Is Interstate 35 too congested? Who is to blame: truckers or drivers of passenger vehicles?... While these questions may not have easy answers, law enforcement officials say there are two simple things motorists can do to safeguard themselves: pay close attention to traffic and conditions and slow down as speed limits and conditions mandate... “I think the major cause of these wrecks we’ve been seeing is speed too fast for the conditions, whether that be traffic, weather conditions, road conditions,” said Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Cpl. Charlie Morgan. “For everyone, if they’ll pay attention and look down the road, we’ll see a lot less of (the major highway accidents). At highway speeds, you’re going to need to look up to a quarter-mile down the road”... Morgan stressed the importance of such “aim-high steering,” noting that a vehicle traveling 65 mph in good weather and road conditions takes about 300 feet to come to a complete stop... Though such advice seems easily heeded, there remains disagreement about whether truckers or passenger vehicle drivers are to be blamed for the recent wrecks...

* Australia - Government not enough done to combat truck driver fatigue, says operator

Queensland,AUS -ABC net -Jan 16, 2007: -- A Queensland truck company operator says governments have not done enough to address fatigue issues in the transport industry... Peter Schuback says rest stops with toilet and shower facilities are not provided on the roadside to allow truck drivers to pull over and sleep... Mr Schuback says council parking restrictions impose limits on how long trucks can stop in towns and other regulations affect truck drivers' ability to pull over and rest...

OPTIMISM * USA - 'Geographic smoothing' the path for major supplier

Troy,Mich,USA -Today's Trucking -15 Jan 2007: -- If late 2006 was underscored by anything, it was the rapidfire announcements of cutbacks. Freightliner, Volvo, Navistar --one OEM after the other told the world that they'd be curtailing manufacturing at plants around North America. The pre-buy was taking its toll, they said... Mike Pennington, Global Marketing Communications and Industry Relations for truck component supplier ArvinMeritor Commercial Vehicle Systems, says that since so many fleets purchased new trucks in the pre-buy of '06, companies like his are being forced to re-examine their aftermarket end of the business... When it comes to the aftermarket, he says, "Grow it if you have it. While we expect the market to be somewhat softer in the next few years due to the large number of new vehicles purchased prior to '07 (and a corresponding drop in average vehicle age), we do have many new and focused programs to continue the excellent growth that we have seen in recent years"...

* Pakistan - Chinese firm shows interest to invest in automobile sector

Islamabad,Pakistan -APP/Associated Press of Pakistan -15 Jan 2007: -- China National Heavy Duty Truck Corporation (CNHDTC), one of the largest heavy duty truck manufacturers in China, has shown interest for invesment in the automobile sector of Pakistan... “There are great opportunities in automobile sector in Pakistan and we would like to benefit from these,” said President, CNHDTC, Zhang Zhen in a meeting chaired by Umar Ahmed Ghuman, Minister of State for Privatization and Investment here on Monday... Umar Ghuman, who is also Chairman Board of Investment, while briefing the Chinese delegation said that Pakistan’s investment policies were the most liberal ones in the entire region...

ANALYST * USA - As the economy goes, so do heavy truck orders

New York,NY,USA -Today's Trucking -15 Jan 2007: -- Preliminary numbers for December Class 8 orders in North America are modestly lower than expected now that last year's "pre-buy" is all but over, say market analysts Bear Stearns of New York. .. Class 8 net new orders for the last month of '06 were 17,700 (vs. the firm's 18-20,000 forecast), which is down 54 percent y/y... Class 8 monthly net new orders to go lower, stay down longerThe firm suggests orders was driven partly by exports (again) but this time also from a Freightliner dealer stocking program that ended in early January. Under this program, a dealer that orders two trucks receives a $4,500 net promotion credit, a $2,900 retail credit, plus flooring interest reimbursement for up to 90 days, to help offset new model introductory expenses...

MARKET SHARES * China - Truck maker eyes HK listing

Beijing,China -China Knowledge Online (Singapore)/China Securities Journal –Jan. 15, 2007: -- China National Heavy-Duty Truck Corp (CNHTC), the country's third-largest truck maker and a partner of Volvo AB, plans to raise between HK$2.34 billion and HK$3.9 billion by listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange... CNHTC will file a listing application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange next month... JP Morgan...

PRODUCTION * USA - North American Truck OEMs Bringing Engine Production In-House

Rockaway,NJ,USA -Manufacturing.net, by Tom Granahan -Jan 15, 2007: -- PACCAR's announcement last week that it will build a new $400 million powertrain facility in the Southeast United States continues what appears to be a trend among U.S. truck OEMs: in-house engine production... PACCAR cited strong demand for its DAF, Peterbilt and Kenworth brands in announcing that the manufacturing and assembly facility should be complete in 2009...

SALES * Japan - Hino starts exports of Dutro hybrid truck

Australia the first market

Tokyo,Japan -Automotive World (UK)/Nikkei(Japanese business daily) -15 Jan 2007: -- Hino Motors plans to introduce its 2-4 tonne diesel-electric Dutro Hybrid truck in Australia later this month... Without citing sources, Nikkei added that the OEM aims to triple its overseas truck sales...

"GREEN" NEWS * New Zealand - Trucking Industry Wants Bigger Payloads

To reduce carbon emissions
Havelock Nth,Hawkes Bay,New Zealand -newswire.co.nz -16 Jan 2007: -- The trucking industry is calling on the Government to allow trucks to carry heavier loads to reduce carbon emissions... The Road Transport Forum says the government is dithering over the issue, despite ministers saying they want to prioritise the reduction of greenhouse gasses... It says if trucks were allowed to carry the loads they are designed for, there would be fewer on the road and carbon emissions could be drastically reduced... The forum says there is no logical reason for the Government's failure to act...

BORDER DNEWS * Canada/USA - CTA welcomes ACI funding announcement

Ottawa,Ont,CAN -Truck News (Canada), by James Menzies -15 Jan 2007: -- The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) is giving a thumbs up to some border initiatives recently announced by the federal government, including the automation of truck manifests... Federal Public Safety Minister, Stockwell Day, recently announced $400 million in funding for border projects that will improve the movement of freight into the US. Included in the project is an initiative by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to help develop the Advance Commercial Information (ACI) project. An electronic truck manifest will be created that will allow carriers to submit cargo, conveyance and crew information to CBSA in advance of arriving at the US border...

Calling * Canada - CTHRC and friends, for a national training standards

Ottawa,Ont,CAN -Truck News (CAN), by James Menzies -16 Jan 2007: -- The Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council (CTHRC) has recently wrapped up a series of roundtable meetings with industry stakeholders across Canada, concluding that the trucking industry requires enhanced training programs, improved licensing standards and new policies for distributing training funds... The roundtable discussions were part of the CTHRC’s Closing the Gap initiative, which aims to properly prepare Canada’s next generation of truck drivers... The CTHRC has already begun developing national standards for professional drivers. It now plans to identify the testing and licensing standards in each province in hopes of developing a standardized model that will be used right across Canada. Part of a new standard may include pre-screening candidates, to ensure they have a high chance of success upon completion of a training program...

SPECIAL REPORT * USA - OOIDA to GAO: Some boneheaded stuff going on

Security in trucking is getting more and more attention from the federal level. But, is any of this attention really making the nation more secure?

Grain Valley, MO,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Jami Jones -Jan. 10, 2007: -- That was the tough question tackled by several representatives for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, including Executive Vice President Todd Spencer, Director of Regulatory Affairs Rick Craig and Regulatory Specialist Joe Rajkovacz, as well as OOIDA Foundation Director Tom Weakley and Foundation Project Leader John Siebert... The Jan. 8 meeting, which was requested by federal officials, was at the Association's headquarters in Grain Valley, MO, with representatives from the U.S. Government Accountability Office... During the discussions, the OOIDA representatives pointed out that the time when truckers and trucking equipment is most vulnerable is when the trucks are parked... GAO officials learned about the concerns of limited parking spaces and the lack of security in what parking is available... "Terrorists aren't going to go to school and get a CDL and a hazmat endorsement," Craig said. "They're going to knock some trucker over the head and steal his truck."... In addition to parking, OOIDA representatives also discussed the impact of load tracking, CDL fraud, inequities in background checks required for U.S. drivers versus foreign drivers, border clearance initiatives, carrier security reviews, and Highway Watch on the nation's security... GAO officials asked if Highway Watch improved security. OOIDA representatives pointed out many shortcomings in the program including quality of alerts issued, training and reporting mechanisms. "Drivers will never embrace calling a third-party service to report something they see right now. They will want to call someone close that is in a position to respond," Spencer said...

SURVEY * USA - Slightly more than half of fleets to purchase 07 engines this year

Just over half of fleets surveyed said they will buy trucks like this one, equipped with 2007 engines

Columbus,OH,USA -Truck News (Canada), by James Menzies -10 Jan 2007: -- A survey of US truck fleets suggests 51% plan to order trucks with 2007 engines by the end of the year... The report was issued by CK Commercial Vehicle Research, but included responses from just 48 trucking companies. According to the survey, about one-third of respondents who plan on purchasing 2007 engines this year will do so before the end of March. Most, however, say they will place their orders between July and September 2007... Forty-nine per cent of respondents said they won’t be buying trucks with 2007 engines at all this year...

Trucker warns others * Canada - Doing hard time for being drug mule

Vancouver,BC,Canada -The Winnipeg Sun, by CP -Jan 15, 2007: -- It was an offer the married father should have refused... Take your truck, cross the border, pick something up and bring it back. You won't get caught, but you will get paid -- tens of thousands of dollars... Police say such offers are turning more and more B.C. truckers into international drug mules as organized crime looks to the road to transport drugs across the border... Trucker Bob Smith (not his real name) drove his rig to the U.S., fully expecting to drive it back with something illegal inside. He says he never knew exactly what his cargo was until it was loaded... Hours later, Canadian authorities discovered a large quantity of cocaine in his vehicle and Smith, a first-time offender with no criminal record, was under arrest, charged with importing cocaine and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking...

"GREEN" NEWS * USA - Permanent biodiesel tax incentive introduced

Dodge City, KS,USA -The High Plains Journal -15 Jan 2007: -- The National Biodiesel Board applauded Representatives Earl Pomeroy, D-ND, and Kenny Hulshof, R-MO, for introducing the Renewable Fuels and Energy Independence Promotion Act. It was their first legislation in the 110th Congress, which convened at noon Jan. 4. The legislation would make the federal excise tax credit for biodiesel permanent. If adopted, the move would likely lead to dramatic and sustained growth of biodiesel use... The tax credit took effect in 2005 and is currently set to expire in 2008...

SALES * USA - Phoenix books 75 orders for their SUT

USA -Autobloggreen, by Sam Abuelsamid -Jan 15, 2007: -- Phoenix Motorcars has their first firm orders for their upcoming electric pickup truck. They have received seventy-five firm orders from municipalities and one utility. Phoenix is the first automotive company to commit to using the Altairnano NanoSafe lithium ion battery. According to the Phoenix press release, they also have a three-year US exclusivity agreement and they got a 16.6 percent equity stake in Altairnano. The agreement has certain restrictions which could make it difficult for GM to consider these batteries for the Volt. Phoenix has to meet sales levels to keep the exclusivity. The release also says it's exclusive for all-electric vehicles, but since the Volt has an engine, it may depend on the exact wording of the agreement. Phoenix has 16 trucks in progress right now, and wants to have federal safety testing done with these vehicles done in time to sell 500 trucks before the end of the year...

CONGESTIONS * Australia - Trucking boom to strangle city roads

At or near choke point already, Sydney's roads will be jammed by a trucking boom tipped to outstrip growth in private car use, a federal government study warns...

Sydney,AUS -The Sydney Morning Herald, by David Humphries -Jan 16, 2007: -- While congestion encourages commuters to shift to train travel, transport operators starved of rail freight options will clog city roads... The report to the federal Department of Transport and Regional Services says NSW data suggests the number of commercial vehicle trips on main Sydney roads will double to 2.4 million a day by 2026... Car trips will increase by a quarter to 9.9 million a day, of which 1.7 million would be squeezed into the two-hour morning peak... This increase would be proportionate with the forecast population growth to 6.1 million in greater metropolitan Sydney, which includes the Hunter and Illawarra... According to the report, the numbers gathered from the Roads and Traffic Authority and other NSW agencies demonstrate "a significant proportion of the strategic network is either over capacity, at capacity or nearing capacity"...

DISCUSSIONS * USA - Eugene leaf blower ban lacks support on City Council

Eugene,OR,USA -The Register Guard, By Edward Russo -Jan 14, 2007: -- ... Eugene City Councilor Betty Taylor last year asked the council to consider banning leaf blowers from the city limits. Instead, Taylor's council colleagues directed city staff to put the noisy, two-stroke, gas-powered blowers on a list of machines that can't be operated from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m... Taylor also wanted the council to consider keeping trucks that blow bark mulch out of neighborhoods. But that idea didn't get anywhere with the council. The proposed ordinance does not include any restrictions on the use of the trucks...

PROGNOSIS * USA - New emissions standards could hurt truck manufacturer sales

Next regulations will take effect in 2010
Fort Wayne,YX,USA -nwitimes.com (Munster,IN,USA) -Jan 14, 2007: -- The air should get significantly cleaner in the coming years as diesel trucks run on cleaner engines and low-sulfur fuel. But the change doesn't come without some costs... Based on new federal Environmental Protection Agency laws, commercial diesel engines produced after Jan. 1 must produce 95 percent less chemical nitrogen oxide from the exhaust. The engines also must eliminate 90 percent of soot and ash... The new requirements are one of a set of three increasingly stringent emissions requirements. The first requirements took effect in 2002, and the next ones will take effect in 2010... Because engines manufactured before 2007 do not have to comply with the new regulations, many truck companies bought more trucks and equipment last year than they needed. The demand created a mini sales boom of sorts for manufacturers, but some of those same companies are now cutting production -- and laying off or buying out workers...

TRUCKINGS' MARKET SHARE * USA - Analysts Expect Bad News, Good News

Springdale,AR,USA -The Springdale Morning News, by Ben Boulden & Kim Souza -Jan 13, 2007: -- If the trucking sector in 2007 performs as some in the industry expect, then it may look just as plain as a median stripe between two lanes of blacktop... "Executives today are planning for a flat economy in '07 but are better positioned to take advantage of what freight there is out there than they were during the last big slowdown in 2000 and 2001," said Lane Kidd, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association... "In many case, they had too much equipment (before)... "The slowdown in freight demand that began in late 2006 likely will continue in the near term but could pick up in the bottom half of 2007", Donald Broughton, senior transportation analyst with A.G. Edwards in St. Louis, said in December... Some individual companies though are better positioned than others to profit through the year... J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. is expected to see its 2007 earnings grow by 6.12 percent compared to 2006 and by 21.87 over 2005, according to estimates published by Stephens Inc. on Dec.15...

* USA - YRC Worldwide shares could reach $60-Barron's
New York,NY,USA -Reuters -Jan 14, 2007: -- Shares of trucking company YRC Worldwide Inc. could climb above $60 if the U.S. economy can resume decent growth and if promised cost cuts and global initiatives bear fruit, Barron's reported in its Jan. 15 edition... YRC -- the former Yellow Roadway -- is a solid generator of cash, and could earn $5.75 to $6 per share in 2007, unless there is a recession, the business news weekly said, citing portfolio manager John Neff...

DEBATE * USA - Privatization or not ?

Turnpike plan worries trucking companies
Harrisburg,PA,USA -The Evening Sun (Hanover,PA,USA), by RICHARD FELLINGER -14 Jan 2007: -- Hanover's L&H Trucking Co. has about 25 trucks on the Pennsylvania Turnpike most days, and as state officials eye plans to privatize the toll road, company president Glenn Longstreth hopes they proceed with caution... Longstreth is one of many people in the trucking industry who are wary of Gov. Ed Rendell's plan to explore the possibility of selling or leasing the 530-mile turnpike... "We're just afraid things might go in the wrong direction," Longstreth said...

REPORT SOLICITATIONS * Canada - Hotline allows insiders to anonymously tip off border cops

Drug lords prey on trucking industry

Vancouver,British Columbia,Canada -The Vancouver Province (subscription), by Matthew Ramsey -Jan 14, 2007: -- A new toll-free hotline will allow truckers with intimate knowledge of cross-border drug smuggling to tip off police... The number, 1-888-598-4602, features services in English and Punjabi. It officially came online yesterday and will be evaluated after three months... In a Province exclusive, Cpl. Norm Massie of the RCMP E Division Border Integrity Unit said the hotline is designed to allow truckers who know of compromised colleagues, and drivers who may themselves have been approached to run drugs, to call anonymously...

* USA - Will truck lanes unclog our roads?

One fix many experts suggest: truck-only travel lanes

Okahumpka,FL,USA -The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando,FL), by Kelly Griffith -Jan 14, 2007: -- Keith Osborne stretches his legs and fetches a snack at the Okahumpka Service Center at the northern end of Florida's Turnpike after the most-dreaded stretch of a cross-state drive in his tractor-trailer rig -- through Orlando... Hauling loads of grain to St. Cloud, Okeechobee and Fort Pierce takes him through the traffic congestion he hates most -- that of Interstate 4 in O-town... America's interstate system, much of it nearly 50 years old, is clogging up in cities such as Orlando with too many cars and large trucks sharing the road, experts say... (Photo by ROBERTO GONZALEZ/ORLANDO SENTINEL - Trucks and cars mix on their drive West on Interstate 4)

DRIVERS' SHORTAGE * Australia - Trucking industry defends plan to employ foreign drivers

Australia -ABC Online -Jan 14, 2007: -- The Northern Territory branch of the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has rejected claims by the Transport Workers Union that employing foreign drivers would jeopardise safety... The ATA at the national level has a long-standing request in to the Federal Government to bring in drivers from overseas on special working visas to fill industry shortages... ATA Northern Territory executive officer Peter Goed says, employing foreign drivers it is not an immediate solution, but it will help address the skill shortage... The ATA is preparing a submission to a Senate transport industry inquiry that is looking at a range of solutions to the shortage problem...

Huge crater * Brazil - Opens at subway site, swallowing dump trucks and possibly minibus

Sao Paulo,Brazil -The San Diego Union Tribune (San Diego,CA,USA)/AP -Jan 13, 2007: -- A hole being excavated for a new subway station collapsed, opening a huge crater that swallowed cars and dump trucks, and firefighters aided by dogs searched the site Saturday looking for a missing minibus that was feared under the dirt... A bus cooperative reported a minibus carrying as many as eight people was missing and may have tumbled into the crater Friday when part of a street adjacent to the site slid in, said Etrusco Juarez of the Security Department in Sao Paulo, South America's largest city...

MARKETS * UK - Leyland Trucks are kings of road

Preston,England,UK -The Lancashire Evening Post -13 Jan 2007: -- Leyland Trucks has helped keep its parent company as the top truck-maker in the country... The company's factory, which employs 1,200 people in Farington Moss, Leyland, has produced more than 11,000 of the 14,577 DAF Trucks which were sold in the UK last year... It helped DAF stretch its share of the national market to 26.2%, an all-time record for the company, and produce its second-highest volume in 18 years...

BORDER NEWS * Canada/USA - Canada unveils border security plan

Windsor,Ontario,CAN -The Houston Chronicle (Houston,TX,USA)/Associated Press, by BETH DUFF-BROWN -Jan. 12, 2007: -- Canada unveiled a major border security and prosperity initiative Friday, saying it would spend more than $368 million over the next five years to protect its border from terrorist, economic and environmental threats... Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day made the announcement at the Canada-U.S. border crossing between Windsor and Detroit, where one-third of the $1.6 billion in daily trade between the North American neighbors passes...

DISPUTE * USA - Ford sues Navistar on truck engines

Breach of supply contract alleged

Chicago,IL,USA -The Chicago Tribune, by James P. Miller -12 Jan 2007: -- A contract dispute between Ford Motor Co. and Navistar International Corp. became public Thursday when the automaker sued Navistar in state court in Michigan for allegedly refusing to live up to terms of a long-standing supply accord... For a decade, Warrenville-based Navistar has been the sole supplier of the diesel engines that Ford puts into its heavy-duty pickup trucks... Now, however, the automaker and its key supplier have locked horns over the price Navistar is charging Ford, and also over the extent of Navistar's financial obligations in warranty claims involving its engine... Ford's claims are "totally without merit," a Navistar spokesman said, adding that the maker of trucks and diesel engines intends to "vigorously respond in court."...

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31.1.07

DANGEROUS TRUCKS * Nigeria - At Least 35 People Died after a Truck Turned over in

SALES

GREEN NEWS * USA - EPA proposes onboard diagnostic systems for heavy-duty trucks

PROGNOSIS * USA - Suppliers spin around global trucking predictions

Lack * Australia - Trucking firm questions roadside facilities

PROFIT & REVENUES * USA - Cummins: Third Consecutive Year of Record Sales

Monster Trucks * Germany - Come on to

30.1.07

Alcohol * USA - Stricter open container provision advances in Wyoming

Discrimination * USA - Rhode Island bill attempts to curb racial profiling

Traffic Ticket Revenue * USA - Missouri bill would further limit locals’ ones

TOLL ROADS

Canadian truck anti-pollution program audited

29.1.07

Fog * India - Police blame, ignore trucks

Haulers' Lament * USA - Federal rules could have a big impact on truck drivers...

Slower isn’t safer * USA - OOIDA claims in speed limiter fight

Story * USA - Less Lee's 3 trucking companies deal with growth

LAYOFFS * USA - Freightliner do it

New Tax Policy * USA - State's could send the trucking industry fleeing

Parking's Shortage * USA - Big Rigs: Numbers Growing...

Checking out heavy trucks * USA - Stafford Sheriff's Office on the look out for dangerous trucks

Anti-Big Rig * USA - Borough is on board with resolution

Road widening * USA - Keeps trucking

MARKET SHARES * USA - Analyst Sees Tough 2007 for Heavy Trucks

MARKET * China - Heavy-duty truck output rebounds in China

26.1.07

Trucks Top List * USA - Of Most Stolen Vehicles in Texas

TRUCKS' PURCHASE * UK - Stobart orders 500 new 'green' trucks 25 January 2007

"GREEN" NEWS * USA - EPA Certifies New Clean Diesel Trucks

REPORT * USA - Trucks less than 10% of vehicle crashes

Study * USA - New HDMA’s Truck Maintenance, Now Available

PRODUCTION * China - North-Benz invests in Chongqing

ECOLOGICAL DEBATE

TRUCKS * USA - Isuzu unveils new N-Series

* USA - National Biodiesel Board applauds US energy strategy

* USA - Weights and Measures Council to vote on ‘hot fuel’ proposal

* USA - Arkansas bill to require minimum wait after wrecks advances

* USA - North Dakota bill would ban cell phone use for young drivers

TRUCKING PROFITS & REVENUES * USA

25.1.07

Go Green, Get Rich * USA - 8 technologies that can save the world

Go Green, Get Rich * USA - 8 technologies that can save the world

Go Green, Get Rich * USA - 8 technologies that can save the world

Go Green, Get Rich * USA - 8 technologies that can save the world

Go Green, Get Rich * USA - 8 technologies that can save the world

Go Green, Get Rich * USA - 8 technologies that can save the world

Go Green, Get Rich * USA - 8 technologies that can save the world

Go Green, Get Rich * USA - 8 technologies that can save the world

AUTOS' NEWS WORLDWIDE

Joint Venture * USA - Monaco Coach to build chassis

TRUCKS SALES * Sweden - Scania Gets British Order for 500 Trucks

A little bit of everything * USA - ... from trucks to turkeys to toe jam

* Canada - AUD1.4 Million in Funding for LNG Truck Evaluation

Trade * China - Light-duty truck exports grow fast

OVERLOAD * USA - Our grain feeds the world...

24.1.07

* Denmark - Copenhagen and Frederiksberg are pushing for cleaner air

Key proposals & Comments * USA - Bush's State of the Union address

"GREEN" NEWS

HOS * Canada - Westerners, Ontarians put in more hours

"Highway Angel" * USA - Tanker driver recognized as

* USA - Uniform trucking port licences advocated in

ATA president * USA - The more recorders, the better, and ... "68 mph is fast enough"...

Federal Court Ruling * USA - Princeton governing bodies raise alarms over big rigs

23.1.07

TRUCK MARKETS NEWS * Europe - MAN Makes Nice

* USA - National ID to Be Privatized

Production Chess * Malaysia - GM romancing Asia's Proton

"GREEN" NEWS

* India - Tata Motors Profit Rises on Trucks, Exchange Gain

Development Plan * China - Major heavy-duty truck producers

Report * Canada - Must embrace China or risk falling behind

Trucking technology * USA - Finding wider audience