trucks world news: February 2007

* Spain - Nissan in deal to boost output of light trucks from plant in

Tokyo,Japan -XFN, Asia/Forbes (NY,USA) -27 Feb 2007: -- Nissan Motor Co said the provincial government of Castilla y Leon, the Avilla City Council and unit Nissan Motor Iberica have signed a deal aimed at boosting output of light commercial vehicles from Nissan's plant in Avila... Under the agreement, the provincial government will develop logistics infrastructure and services, the Avila City Council will provide a minimum of 11 hectares of land for the infrastructure, and Nissan Motor will lead the project... In a statement Nissan said it is aiming to boost production capacity at the plant to 29,000 light commercial trucks this year from just under 22,000 last year and it expects to produce 40,000 a year in future...

Labels: production

AUTOMAKERS NEWS

* USA - Mississippi officials joyous over new Toyota plant
Washington,DC,USA -The Detroit News, by David Shepardson -Feb 27, 2007: -- Toyota officials said Tuesday they chose a site near Tupelo, Miss., for the company's newest manufacturing plant that will begin building SUVs in 2010... The $1.3 billion plant on 1,700 acres will be able to build 150,000 Highlanders a year starting in 2010. It will be Toyota's eighth North American assembly plant and will create 2,000 new jobs. The site was selected over finalists in Tennessee and Arkansas...

Labels: automakers news

* USA - Global Vehicle Technologies Unveils Next Generation Solenoid Valves

For High-Temperature Applications

Seattle,Wash,USA -Layover -Feb 27, 2007: -- As heavy-duty truck manufacturers and engine makers have worked to comply with tougher federal guidelines for emissions controls, they have faced rising temperatures under the hood... The Seattle-based manufacturer of custom-engineered products developed the Next Generation Solenoid Valves (NGSV) to stand up to hotter engine compartment conditions, more aggressive road salts and increasing environmental compliance requirements...

Labels: technonews

* USA - Oshkosh Truck awarded $878 million Army contract

Oshkosh,Wis,USA -The Trucker -Feb. 23, 2007: -- Oshkosh Truck Corp. has been awarded an $878 million contract by the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) to continue producing the family of heavy tactical vehicles (FHTV) that is currently in use by the Army... The FHTV contract, according to a Feb. 23 company news release, covers new production of the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT), Palletized Load System (PLS) vehicle, and PLS trailer... Under the contract, Oshkosh will deliver 1,857 new vehicles and 2,599 new trailers...

Labels: sales

* USA - Navistar suspends production of Ford diesel engine

The carmaker has "stopped honoring the terms of agreement under which the engines were built"

WARRENVILE, Ill. -Today's Trucking -26 Feb 2007: -- Navistar International says it's halting production of the Power Stroke diesel engine that it builds for Ford Motors F-Series pickups because the carmaker has "stopped honoring the terms of agreement under which the engines were built"... The two long-time partners have been embroiled in a major contract dispute over commercial terms and production of these engines. As a result, says Navistar, production for Ford will cease indefinitely at its Indianapolis, Ind., and Huntsville, Ala. facilities...

Labels: production

* Canada - Trucking giant posts record result

Toronto,ONT,CAN -The Toronto Star -Feb 27, 2007: -- Acquisitions drove Canada's largest trucking company, TransForce Income Fund, to a record-setting financial performance in 2006... Full-year profit rose to $151 million from $147.3 million while revenue rose 21 per cent to $1.8 billion, from $1.5 billion in 2005, the company said yesterday...

Labels: profits revenues

Products * USA - Business advisors set up shop for truckers

Lawrence,Kan,USA -The Trucker -Feb. 27, 2007: -- Truckers trying to keep an eye on finances and on the highway have new help: Higher Roads, the Center for Business Advancement, has opened for business. Working with independent trucking professionals, Higher Roads — founded by trucking veteran Jack Milligan — provides the financial services, support and training needed to stay the course, according to the center’s opening news release...

Labels: products

* Canada - Fuel crunch threatens truckers

'Perfect storm' prolongs shortage

Toronto,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking (CAN) -27 Feb 2007: -- A growing number of Ontario trucking carriers are finding it harder to fill up as the fuel supply across the province is deteriorating, says the Ontario Trucking Association... While it hasn't yet received reports of truckers having to park power units, "the situation appears to be growing worse day by day" for both highway customers and carriers that own their own bulk storage, OTA says... Running on Empty: Some truckers haven't been impacted by the fuel crunch yet, but the situation could get dire soon...

Labels: fuel shortage

* USA - Picky Chrysler Gets Ready For Suitors

Pity poor Chrysler

Detroit,Mich,USA -Forbes, by Joann Muller -26 Feb 2007: -- It is locked in a loveless marriage that doesn't fulfill its needs. Mercedes doesn't want it, and it can't survive on its own in the toughest market in the world... Starting next week, a parade of potential suitors will meet with parent DaimlerChrysler and its adviser, J.P. Morgan Chase, to review the Chrysler Group's prospectus, says a source close to the situation. Each will receive an in-depth look at the division's assets, liabilities and financial projections, as well as a glimpse of future Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles... Fewer than a dozen automakers and private equity firms will hear the presentation, the source says. Rumors are flying about who will get a peek under the tent at Chrysler, which lost $1.5 billion last year and has launched a recovery plan to return to profitability next year. Among the likely investment candidates: Cerberus Capital, Apollo Management, the Carlyle Group and the Blackstone Group...

* COMMENT: USA - Captain Kirk, meaning Kirk Kerkorian, Please Report To The Bridge
NY,USA -Forbes, by Jerry Flint -23 Feb 2007: -- As I read these stories about Chrysler, I cannot help thinking of Mark Twain's famous cable to The Associated Press 110 years ago: "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."... Yes, things look bad for Chrysler... The Germans on the ruling Supervisory Board at DaimlerChrysler seem determined to get rid of the U.S. company, the bankers are eyeing the fees and all the momentum points to a sale. The old saying applies here; once these things get started, they tend to have a life of their own... The sad thing is that Chrysler really is not in horrendous shape. OK, a $1.5 billion loss sounds scary, unless you remember the $12 billion loss of Ford last year and the $10 billion loss at GM the year before. The auto industry is a cyclical business. I figure that DaimlerChrysler lost at least $5 billion on its silly little Smart car, and it has yet to bail out of that boondoggle... Will it happen? If the buyer is not one of the auto companies, there are still plenty of scavengers and vultures looking to make some money by breaking up the company. Right now, General Motors may be the only car company seriously looking at possible deal with Chrysler... Chrysler has faced more than one crisis in its history, and something always comes along to save the company... Ah, where is Captain Kirk, meaning Kirk Kerkorian, when we need him?

* USA - Chrysler workers get $100K to go - Early retirement, buyout packages are part of plan to cut 11,000 jobs; some say it's not enough money
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Josee Valcourt -27 Feb 2007: -- DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group said Tuesday it will offer union workers up to $100,000 to leave the company as it moves to cut 9,000 hourly jobs in the United States... Some workers, however, said they were disappointed the offers weren't more generous and didn't include a voucher for the purchase of a new vehicle... Chrysler announced a deep restructuring two weeks ago and has already detailed buyout and early retirement offers designed to cut 2,000 hourly positions in Canada and 2,000 U.S. salaried jobs...

* Germany - DCX OKs Chery deal - China likely to approve plan to sell its cars here
Frankfurt,Germany -Associated Press/The Detroit News, by Matt Moore -27 Feb 2007: -- DaimlerChrysler AG, seeking to cut costs and boost sales in North America, said Tuesday it will start selling Chinese-made cars in that market and western Europe as it tries to meet demand for smaller, more economical vehicles... The world's fifth-largest automaker said its supervisory board approved the framework of a limited partnership that will see China's Chery Motor Co. build the cars in China...

Labels: automakers news

* USA - South Bay Expressway tolls will be $11.25 for trucks

CAL,USA -Land Line Magazine -Feb 27, 2007: -- The builder and operator of a private toll road in the San Diego area has announced that truckers will pay three times more than four-wheelers to use the road... Trucks with five axles will be charged $11.25 to travel the length of the 10-mile South Bay Expressway when the toll road opens in the summer. That’s three times the $3.75 rate that four-wheelers will be charged, according to the operator’s Web site...

Labels: toll roads

‘Passenger Responsibility’ * USA - Indiana bill advances

IN,USA -Land Line Magazine -Feb 26, 2007: -- In hopes of preventing needless deaths along roadsides, the Indiana House unanimously approved a bill that would require passengers of vehicles to act and call police in life-or-death situations. It now heads to the Senate... Sponsored by Rep. Tim Neese, R-Elkhart, bill would require passengers to help injured or trapped drivers and immediately report the incident to law enforcement. All people involved in wrecks who are at least 15 years old would be required to attempt to notify someone for aid. Failure to act could result in up to 60 days in jail and as much as $500 in fines... Neese is pursuing the effort in response to the death of Thomas Hoopingarner in November 2005... Hoopingarner, a 17-year-old, died after two passengers in his vehicle left him trapped while the vehicle was inverted and underwater in a pond in northern Indiana, The Associated Press reported... The two teenage passengers left him there without seeking aid and did not report the wreck, The Truth of Elkhart reported...

Labels: Passenger Responsibility

Faulty sensor * USA - Leads to overcharges on Florida toll road

FL,USA -Land Line Magazine -Feb 26, 2007: -- Motorists and truckers with SunPass accounts in Florida overpaid $90,000 in tolls in January, according to company officials who also said full refunds have been issued... Drivers with SunPass pay their tolls using an electronic transponder and a pre-paid debit account... A malfunctioning sensor at the Commercial Boulevard exit on the Florida Turnpike led to 30,000 incorrect readings from late December 2006 until Jan. 25 of this year... One motorist was quoted in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel as saying he was charged $6 at a toll booth that normally costs 50 cents... The faulty sensor has been replaced, the newspaper reported... SunPass is used on 450 miles of Florida toll roads, according to the Turnpike Web site...

Labels: toll roads

Ticket Quotas Stalls * USA - Utah bill to outlaw

Utah,USA -Land Line Magazine -26 Feb 2007: -- A bill has stalled in the Utah Legislature that was intended to prevent law enforcement officers from going on ticket-writing sprees... “I was with (my) daughter and we got pulled over. I asked the officer if he’s under a quota system. He said they really don’t call it a quota system, it’s more of a performance-based evaluation system,” Rep. Neil Hansen, D-Ogden said at a recent hearing on the bill in the House... As part of that system, the officer told him, he’s required to write eight tickets a day... Supporters of the measure said there’s a difference between telling officers to write a certain number of tickets and telling them to write all the infractions they see... Hansen said that if chiefs have officers who refuse to write tickets, the problem is with the officers who refuse to enforce the laws – not the lack of a ticket quota.

Labels: debate, Police

"Hot Fuel" * USA - Pump technology could solve troubles altogether

The warmer liquid gets, the more it expands, right?

Valley Grain,MO,USA -Land Line Magazine, by David Tanner -Feb 26, 2007: -- To put it simply – if the fuel that flows from the nozzle of a gas/diesel pump is too warm, you don’t get as much Btu bang for your buck... For years, consumers have been ripped off by fuel sold at temperatures warmer than the national standard of 60 degrees, according to plaintiff groups involved in five lawsuits filed in December 2006 in federal courts... The consumer plaintiffs want to change that because, according to an investigative series in The Kansas City Star, hot fuel costs consumers between $1.7 billion and $2.3 billion per year... The devil is in the details, and while a little piece of pump equipment known as a temperature-compensation device does not change the temperature of the fuel, it does “compensate” for warm, expanded fuel. So why don’t fuel pumps in the U.S. all have one?... Plaintiff groups in the five U.S. District Court lawsuits in California, New Jersey, Missouri and Kansas want to see temperature compensation become mandatory at the federal level... The groups of plaintiffs, all seeking class-action status, include owner-operators and OOIDA members... OOIDA Foundation Project Leader John Siebert is contributing research to the legal teams... "Temperature compensation is available, it is the correct way to do it, it is the equitable way to do it, and it is going to happen,” Siebert says with confidence. “They will try to slow down the train as much as possible, but they won’t stop it.”...

Labels: hot fuel

Trucking Jobs * Canada - See: "Truckopolis"

Are you looking for an administrative, dispatcher, sales or accounting career in Trucking? Are you looking for a mechanic or technician job?

Toronto,Ont,CAN -Truck News -26 Feb 2007: -- You can find your ideal job here: www.trucknews.com/truckopolis... TRUCKOPOLIS, Canada’s employment website exclusively for Office and Technician Careers in Trucking...

Labels: trucking jobs

Production * Japan - PM meets Russian colleague

Tokyo,Japan -RIA Novosti (Moscow,Russia) -Feb 28, 2007: -- Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with his Russian counterpart Wednesday and said he would pay a return visit to Russia in the first half of 2007... Speaking at a news conference following talks with Mikhail Fradkov, on the second day of his visit to Tokyo, Abe said: he had a "useful exchange of opinion" with the Russian premier, in which they reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate in a number of sectors... Earlier Wednesday, Russian car manufacturer Severstal Avto and one of Japan's leading truck producers, Isuzu, signed an agreement to produce trucks in Russia...

Labels: production

Mexican Truckers * USA - To Get Full Access to US Roads

BAD IDEA!! - Unions, Safety Groups Oppose Mexican Trucks on US Roads

USA -immigrationwatchdog.com, by GuardDog/News VOA -Feb 28, 2007: -- “It is a real concern of ours from a safety standpoint and, frankly, from a security standpoint,” he said. “We do not know what is coming over these borders. They claim they are going to look at each truck and inspect each truck, but they try to do that now and they cannot even do ten percent of the trucks that come over the border.”... The Teamsters Union and highway safety groups in the United States are among those opposing the plan. VOA’s Greg Flakus has more from Houston... Allowing Mexican trucks to travel across the border and to all parts of the United States sounds like a great idea to Sarah Sanchez. The interim executive director of San Antonio’s Free Trade Alliance says her city, which sits a little over 200 kilometers from the border, would benefit greatly by becoming a logistical hub for U.S.-Mexico trade... But what might be good for San Antonio’s business leaders may not be good for the rest of the country and could pose a threat to motorists on U.S. highways, according to the Teamsters Union... The Teamsters say Mexican trucks are not up to the standards of U.S. trucks and that Mexican drivers are often pushed by their employers to drive longer hours than is safe... “We do not know what is coming over these borders. They claim they are going to look at each truck and inspect each truck, but they try to do that now and they cannot even do ten percent of the trucks that come over the border.”…

* More criticism comes for Mexican truck program
Grain Valley,MO,USA -Land Line Magazine -Feb 26, 2007: -- Just days after it was announced, more groups weighed in with heavy criticism of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s pilot program that will allow Mexican trucks further into the U.S. than ever before... a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, questioned how the United States could afford to send inspectors to Mexico when only a small portion of U.S. trucks are inspected each year... Joan Claybrook, president of safety advocacy group Public Citizen, hit on the hours of service compliance angle. She said in a statement that even if inspections do happen, they’ll be meaningless because inspectors will have “no way of telling how many hours these (Mexican) truck drivers have been driving before they get to the U.S.”... The U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation is planning a hearing on March 8 to determine whether the program meets safety requirements...

Labels: mexican's trucks

Truck Driving II * USA - The Deadliest Occupation ?

COMMENT 1:
USA -From: forums.motortrend.com, by tyrsmkr -26 Feb 2007: -- Situation:
1. Truck driving has highest fatality rate of any occupation
2. On average, 900 truck drivers killed on job each year
3. Turnover rates estimated at 130% per year, highest of any occupation
4. Truck drivers do not receive adequate training
5. Unyielding delivery deadlines, winter storms create unsafe roadways for truckers
6. Also for other motorists on roads w/ them
Significant Points
1. Pressure to keep driving has taken hold in last 5-10 years
2. Just-in-time deliveries eliminate need for maintaining inventories
3. But create ever greater pressure on truck drivers to take risks

COMMENT 2:
USA -From: forums.motortrend.com, by RMcG -26 Feb 2007: -- Its a very tough job and truckers frequently quit for other occupations. I am actually surprised how decent most truckers are. Sure you will get the occasional, but for the most part they are courteous providing you dont act like an idiot. I think the biggest problem is fatigue... The time pressure causes them to drive more than they legally should at times...

COMMENT 3:
USA -From: forums.motortrend.com, by Jahmills -26 Feb 2007: -- I was driving on the PA turnpike last night, in the middle of a snow & ice storm, and got passed by three big rigs (they were in the right lane!)... First they were going about 75mph, the road was very slick, my DSC light was blinking constantly, and second I watched a car merge in between two of these trucks where there was clearly not enough room. I was thinking about these drivers probably needing to keep on schedule and having to deal with idiots in cars, but they were also driving too fast for the conditions. It was a crazy situation on the roads here last night and I couldn't wait to get off that highway, I was actually scared, and I'm never scared when I'm driving...

Labels: dangerous job

Truck Driving I * USA - The Deadliest Occupation ?

USA -forums.motortrend.com -27 Feb 2007: -- Talking about total number of workplace deaths then, indeed, truck driving is the deadliest job. (See right)

But, in terms of fatalities rate per 100,000 people, in other words, your odds of being killed on the job, truck driving doesn't even make the top ten: (See left)

Labels: dangerous job

DEBATE * USA - Is the Wall Street Journal Playing Semantic Games in Its on Mexican Trucks Editorial?

USA -BizzyBlog, by TBlumer: This item from an OpinionJournal.com editorial Tuesday looks too clever (bolds are mine) -Feb 27, 2007: -- According to the Transportation Department, 32% of Mexican trucks were pulled from the road for safety violations in 2001. Last year that number fell to 21%. Meanwhile, 21% of U.S. trucks failed safety inspections in 2001, versus 23% last year. Mexican drivers are less likely than their U.S. counterparts to be in violation of the law — 1.2% in 2006, versus 7% for U.S. truckers... Is there a difference between “pulled from the road” and “failed safety inspections” (i.e., you can fail a safety inspection but not be “pulled from the road” — at least not immediately)?... And are Mexican drivers much less likely to be “in violation of the law” because, as Mexicans and not US citizens, they don’t fall under the jurisdiction of US law?... If either of the above answers is “yes,” the Journal is playing semantic games to downplay the potential safety impact of the Bush Administration’s plans to allow Mexican trucks on all of the roads in America (vs. the current situation of forcing them to off-load within 25 miles of the border)...

Labels: mexican's trucks

Business * Sweden - Volvo pays $1.3bn for Ingersoll Rand unit

Stockholm,Sweden -Financial Times (UK), by David Ibison -Feb 27 2007: -- Volvo, the Swedish manufacturer of trucks, buses and construction equipment, on Tuesday continued its buying spree with the $1.3bn (€983m) acquisition of the road construction business of Ingersoll Rand of the USA... The purchase follows last week’s $1.1bn takeover bid for Nissan Diesel, the Japanese truck maker, and comes ahead of an expected investment in Dongfeng Motor, a Chinese truck group...

Labels: business

Business * Germany - VW may put whole trucks business into MAN/Scania

HANOVER,Germany -Reuters, by Christiaan Hetzner -Feb 26, 2007: -- Volkswagen might put its entire commercial vehicles division into a combined MAN/Scania group if MAN and Scania can agree on a friendly merger, it said on Monday... In the past, talk has focused on including only VW's Brazilian heavy trucks business into a combined group that would be the European truck market leader...

Labels: business

PURCHASES * USA - Modine Wins $6.2 Million Order from Oshkosh Truck

To Supply Powertrain Cooling for New U.S. Marine Corps Heavy-Payload Trucks

Racine,Wis,USA -BUSINESS WIRE -26 Feb 2007: -- Modine Manufacturing Company, a diversified global leader in thermal management technology and solutions, announced today it has received a six year order valued at more than $6.2 million in the aggregate from Oshkosh Truck Corporation, to provide the powertrain cooling modules for the next generation U.S. Marine Corps’ heavy-payload truck fleet. Modine will supply a module, including a radiator, charge air cooler, and two oil coolers for each of the new Logistic Vehicle System Replacement (LVSR) trucks. The Marine Corps could purchase up to 1,900 of the new cargo, wrecker and fifth-wheel LVSR variants over the next six years.

Labels: purchases

"GREEN" NEWS * USA - Electronic car tests pollution on the go

USC and UCLA researchers team up to collect samples to analyze L.A. air near freeways, neighborhoods

Los Angeles,CA,USA -The Daily Trojan Online, by Hannah Kim -26 Feb 2007: -- At first glance, USC assistant professor Scott Fruin's vehicle looks like something out of "Back to the Future"... But far from being stolen out of a Hollywood backlot, the electric vehicle actually performs an important function: measuring concentrations of harmful particles on freeways and in nearby residential areas... Carbon dioxide was one of the gases being monitored in the research... the monitoring would continue until the end of the first full week of March. They would then collect data in the spring, summer and fall in order to obtain data for each season... (Photo by Michael Sugarman, Daily Trojan / Media Credit: On the go Kathleen Kozawa, USC doctoral candidate, adjusts equipment in the state-of-the-art SUV she uses to conduct pollution research around Los Angeles)

Labels: green news

Trucking Regulations * USA - Should Apply to All For National Security’s Sake

Ridgewood,NJ,USA -Family Security Matters, by Joan Messner -25 Feb 2007: -- In 1986, the 99th Congress passed the Commercial Motor Vehicles Safety Act. It was an Act designed to help secure the safety of all of us... The first regulation in the CMV Safety Act dealt with driver’s licenses: it ruled that no one who operates a commercial motor vehicle shall have more than one driver’s license. It further states that the minimum information required will include the “social security number of such operator”... Further, the general rule written in this act is that the Secretary of State shall disqualify for life from operating a commercial vehicle:
- anyone who has committed more than one violation while driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance;
- anyone who has committed more than one violation of leaving the scene of an accident;
- anyone who has used a commercial vehicle in the commission of a felony.
... There are some who object...their excuse is “privacy”. That is a red herring and it stinks...

Labels: regulations

AUTOMAKERS' NEWS * UK - Daimler may purchase minority stake in GM

London,UK -The Gulf News (Dubai,UAE)/Reuters/Financial Times -27 Feb 2007: -- DaimlerChrysler AG is considering taking a minority stake in General Motors as payment for Chrysler if a deal between the two automakers takes place... Such an all-share option was being weighed up by the firm, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the situation... Other possible options included a sale of DaimlerChrysler's struggling US arm to private-equity or industry investors, and a flotation of Chrysler...

Labels: automakers news

Business * UK - Volvo trucks set to rumble into Asia

Big ambitions...

London,UK -The Gulf News (Dubai,United Arab Emirates-UAE) -26 Feb 2007: -- Patiently, and at times with dogged perseverance, Leif Johansson, Volvo's Chief Executive, has asked the truckmaker's shareholders to sit back and wait for him to implement his vision... Johansson told them he was a dealmaker by nature and reminded them that Volvo, having absorbed Renault Trucks in Europe and Mack Trucks in the US, was not shy of making acquisitions... Johansson promised that the next step would be into Asia, the world's fastest-growing region... Last week's acquisition of Nissan Diesel by Volvo delivered control of a significant Japanese producer and, with it, a base for exports into neighbouring Asian countries. Combined with an expected deal with Dongfeng, a Chinese truckmaker, the plan could also put Volvo within striking distance of replacing DaimlerChrysler as the world's biggest manufacturer of heavy-duty trucks... The acquisitions form just one part of Johansson's vision. The other side of the equation is the combination's ability to generate savings and synergies... It is this area that forms the rationale behind any automotive industry merger. In practice, the cost savings can be notoriously difficult to realise. Johansson's track record in tricky area is, however, established. Since his company's purchases of Mack and Renault Trucks, the group has reduced the number of platforms it uses on its new engine range from 18 to just two...

Labels: business

DEBATE * USA - Border opening about two months away

Grain Valley,MO,USA -Land Line Magazine -Feb. 23, 2007: -- After years of roadblocks that all but prevented Mexico-domiciled trucks from operating throughout the U.S., the border will be opening to 100 Mexican motor carriers in two short months... One of the biggest sticking points keeping the border closed to Mexican-domiciled trucks has been who will inspect the trucks and where they will be inspected before they are allowed into the states... OOIDA officials learned the Department of Transportation already has a pretty good fix on 100 motor carriers for possible approval into the program... Of the 100 motor carriers, 70 already operate in the U.S. commercial zone – leaving 30 Mexican-domiciled carriers being considered with no experience operating on U.S. soil... Utilizing FMCSA data, OOIDA officials determined the agency shows there were more than 4.65 million incoming trucks to the US from Mexico in 2005. Those 4.65 million trucks represent the entire vehicle population that could be subjected to an inspection... Simple math indicates that the inspection rate of the entire available vehicle population is 3.9 percent. To put it another way, a Mexican truck has a 96.1 percent of not being inspected at any border crossing in the country... OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer said, the safety and security of U.S. motorists and truckers sharing American highways with trucks from Mexico can no more be assured now than it could in 2002 when Congress overwhelmingly told the Bush administration that safety had to be assured before the border opens... Spencer said not only are U.S. regulations on Americans more stringent in terms of verifying that a driver has been tested, but U.S. licenses can also be verified to show driving history, violations and compliance of any vehicle driven going back even a decade or longer. When enforcement officials run a Mexican CDL, the only information he can access will be that of previous operation in the U.S., not Mexico where a driver might have a rap sheet as along as your arm... Mexico has never had specific drug testing regulations or hours-of-service rules for its drivers that could be verified or enforced and still doesn’t... Spencer pointed out while Congress directed that states adopt laws on trucks with international shipments, few have done it and not a single state enforces these laws nor have their law enforcement officers ever been trained on what to enforce and how to assure compliance with U.S. law...

* Canada - Comment: The Mexicans are coming – but not everyone in the US is pleased
Washington,DC,USA -Truck News (CAN), by James Menzies -25 Feb 2007: -- ... The US government announced last week it would allow Mexican carriers to operate in the US. Those trucking firms would be subjected to inspections by US inspection officers. Currently, Mexican trucks are only allowed to operate within 20 miles of the US, where they must swap loads with US carriers... “This program will make trade with Mexico easier and keep our roads safe at the same time,” US Transportation Secretary, Mary Peters said. Mexican trucks could take to US highways as soon as 60 days from now under the ruling... OOIDA also said US enforcement officers cannot see a Mexican driver’s home record when they swipe a Mexican CDL – only their driving performance in the US will appear... “When enforcement officials run a Mexican CDL the only information he can access will be that of previous operation in the U.S., not Mexico where a driver might have a rap sheet as along as your arm,” added Spencer... The owner/op group is calling on Congress to put an end to the pilot project...

* Mexican trucks coming - Safety, smog concerns in trade test program
Washington,DC,USA -Los Angeles Daily News (LA,CAL), by LISA FRIEDMAN -24 Feb 2007: -- U.S. and Mexican leaders announced a test Friday to allow Mexican trucks full access to the state and the rest of the nation, a move that alarms air quality regulators who believe it will foul Southern California's air and crumble its roads... The one-year program allows an unlimited number of trucks from 100 Mexican companies to carry cargo beyond the current 25-mile border zone... Estimates vary widely on how much pollution would be generated by a sharp increase in the number of polluting diesel engines on the freeways... But one study predicted that Mexican trucks could add 50 tons per day of smog-forming emissions - more than the pollution generated by the region's 350 biggest industrial sources combined...

* Safety Advocates Say Move Endangers Motorists
San Diego,CA,USA -The Insurance Journal, by Leslie Miller -Feb 26, 2007: -- The news that Mexican trucks will be allowed to haul freight deeper into the United States drew an angry reaction Friday from labor leaders, safety advocates and members of Congress... They said Mexico has substandard trucks and low-paid drivers that will threaten national security, cost thousands of jobs and endanger motorists on the northern side of the Mexican border...

* India - Mexico to open new market for US
India -Fibre2fashion.com -Feb 26, 2007: -- U.S. trucks will for the first time be allowed to make deliveries in Mexico under a year-long pilot program that expands cross border trucking operations with Mexico, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters announced during a visit to truck inspection facilities in El Paso, Texas... U.S. trucks will get to make deliveries into Mexico while a select group of Mexican trucking companies will be allowed to make deliveries beyond the 20-25 mile commercial zones currently in place along the Southwest border. Secretary Peters said the new demonstration program was designed to simplify a process that currently requires Mexican truckers to stop and wait for U.S. trucks to arrive and transfer cargo. She said this process wastes money, drives up the cost of goods, and leaves trucks loaded with cargo idling inside U.S. borders...

* Mucho Mexican Trucks
Sherman Oaks,CA,USA -RushLimbaugh.com (subscription) -Feb 26, 2007: -- Well, this is going to tick you off if you haven't heard about it. "Mexican trucks will be allowed to haul freight deeper into the United States," according to the plans being hatched in Washington... They've been out there for quite a while, but the news has only recently been made public, and it "drew an angry reaction Friday from labor leaders, safety advocates and members of Congress," not to mention the people in this country are upset over the open borders policy of much of the immigration proposals that are now flirting, percolating around in Congress... do "safety advocates" because you have trucks coming from Mexico. They're not governed by global warming emissions, transmission emissions, transmission rules...

Labels: mexican's trucks

Health * USA - Truckers be wary

Truckers among those at higher risk for bladder cancer

Grain Valley,MO,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Clarissa Kell-Holland -Feb 2007: -- Ironically, for one OOIDA member, the dreaded routine DOT physical saved his life... It wasn’t until his regular DOT physical a few months later, which included a routine urine test, that Bill Hainline, of Lawrenceburg/KY, found out there were still traces of blood. The doctor doing the DOT physical recommended Bill see a urologist who, through a battery of tests, confirmed that Bill had bladder cancer and needed surgery to remove a tumor... The treatment was successful and Bill is back out on the road. He and his wife, Betty, drive team for an Ohio-based carrier... After his cancer was diagnosed, Bill said he researched it and found that truck driving was considered to be one of the higher-risk professions for bladder cancer. Bill said that wasn’t too much of a surprise when he considered the fuel fumes and exhaust he has been exposed to during his career as a trucker...

Labels: drivers' helth

Police's Stories * USA - Trucker says sheriff’s deputies shocked him with stun gun seven times

Miss,USA -Land Line Magazine, By Charlie Morasch -Feb 23, 2007: -- Larry Works is looking for anyone who may have witnessed a July 29 incident at a Missouri Petro... Works, an OOIDA member from Holladay, TN, told Land Line he was pepper sprayed, shocked multiple times with a Taser gun and arrested for an argument with a sheriff’s deputy on July 29, 2006, in Joplin, MO... However, some facts about that night vary, depending on the source... Works says a disagreement with an off-duty Newton County Sheriff’s deputy needlessly escalated. Ultimately, Works was arrested on charges of first-degree assault on a law enforcement officer... The incident started when Works pulled into the Petro on Interstate 44 in Joplin... The man climbed on to the truck’s driver’s side step and tried to open the door, which Larry had locked. The man then fell to the parking lot, drew his pistol and told Larry to get out of his truck... Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland told Land Line that Deputy Steve Cathers has since taken a job in Jasper County, MO. Copeland wouldn’t say whether he disciplined Cathers or any other employees in relation to Larry’s arrest... Cathers didn’t return phone messages left by Land Line at the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department... The Sheriff’s department has a policy for use of Taser guns, but Copeland declined to describe or reveal the policy and wouldn’t show Land Line the use of force report. “I don’t want to try a case in a magazine before it gets to court,” Copeland said...

Labels: DEBATE about Police

A “flawed idea” * USA - ‘Ag fees’ on border blasted

Washington,DC,USA -Land Line Magazine (Grain Valley,MO) -Feb 23, 2007: -- A high-ranking American politician has joined a lot of Canadian truckers in blasting the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s plan to slap fees on inbound trucks at border crossings... In a statement, U.S. House Rules Committee chairwoman Louise Slaughter, D-New York, said the fees are a “flawed idea” and a “heavy-handed response to a narrow problem.”... On Thursday, Feb. 22, the government announced that it was delaying the implementation of the fees – which will supposedly help pay for beefed-up inspection of agricultural products – for 90 days...

Labels: fees

Punishing the Police * USA - Trucker files federal civil rights suit against

SC,USA -Land Line Magazine (Grain Valley,MO), by Coral Beach -Feb 23, 2007: -- A 74-year-old South Carolina trucker who spent several months and thousands of dollars fighting DUI and drug charges that were eventually dropped has filed a federal lawsuit against the Hoover, AL, Police Department... Victor Angeline was hauling a load of emergency hurricane relief supplies on Nov. 3, 2005, when police pulled him over on Interstate 65 near the Alford Avenue Exit in Hoover, AL. The police had reportedly received a call about a trucker driving erratically in the area... In a suit alleging that his constitutional rights were violated, Angeline contends his truck was illegally searched and that he was falsely arrested and imprisoned. The case was filed Feb. 13 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama... During the months following his arrest, Angeline spent thousands of dollars to defend himself while his ability to earn a living was in limbo... Finally, in February 2006, the drug charge was dismissed, but it took until May 2006 for the alcohol-related charge to be dismissed, even though the breath test showed Angeline’s blood alcohol content was 0.00... Angeline is seeking a jury trial and monetary damages to pay for the legal fees he has incurred and to replace the income he lost as a result of the actions of the Hoover police. He is also asking for punitive damages to punish the police department, Police Chief Nicholas C. Derzis, the officers involved and the city of Hoover for allowing the “false arrest” and failing to take appropriate steps to remedy the situation...

Labels: Punishing the Police

Fuel shortage * Canada - Continues to impact Ontario

TORONTO,Ont,CAN -Truck News, by James Menzies -26 Feb 2007: -- Although CN workers have returned to the job, a shortage of gas and diesel continues to plague Ontario... An independent Web site, torontogasprices.com, shows diesel was going for as much as 97.9 cents per litre in the GTA. Some stations were closed over the weekend as they ran out of fuel. The shortage has been blamed on the CN strike as well as a Feb. 15 fire at an Imperial Oil refinery... Petro-Canada says it has increased production of gas and diesel in Ontario by 500,000 litres per day to help cope with the shortage. Several Petro-Canada and Esso stations were closed over the weekend as they ran out of fuel...

Labels: fuel shortage

Fuel shortage * Canada - Continues to impact Ontario

TORONTO,Ont,CAN -Truck News, by James Menzies -26 Feb 2007: -- Although CN workers have returned to the job, a shortage of gas and diesel continues to plague Ontario... An independent Web site, torontogasprices.com, shows diesel was going for as much as 97.9 cents per litre in the GTA. Some stations were closed over the weekend as they ran out of fuel. The shortage has been blamed on the CN strike as well as a Feb. 15 fire at an Imperial Oil refinery... Petro-Canada says it has increased production of gas and diesel in Ontario by 500,000 litres per day to help cope with the shortage. Several Petro-Canada and Esso stations were closed over the weekend as they ran out of fuel...

Labels: fuel shortage

EVENTS * Canada - Strategy Institute summit to focus on GTA traffic solutions

TORONTO,Ont,CAN -Truck News (CAN), by Adam Ledlow -23 Feb 2007: -- The Strategy Institute will be focusing on solutions for relieving traffic congestion at the 5th Annual GTA Transportation Summit at the Holiday Inn on King in Toronto March 7-8. Other discussion topics will include:* The gridlock behind funding - * Establishing a governance structure that makes sense- * Long term visioning for the GTA- * Creating congestion relieving strategies- * Addressing sustainable infrastructure and land intensification issues...

Labels: events

DEBATE * USA - Cross-Border Trucking Plan Draws Criticism

Transportation Dept. Defends Its Safeguards
Washington,DC,USA -The Washington Post, by Leslie Miller/Associated Press -Feb 24, 2007: -- The news that Mexican trucks will be allowed to haul freight deeper into the United States drew an angry reaction yesterday from labor leaders, safety advocates and members of Congress... They said Mexico has substandard trucks and low-paid drivers that will threaten national security, cost thousands of jobs and endanger motorists on the northern side of the Mexican border... The Bush administration Thursday announced its plan to have U.S. inspectors oversee Mexican trucking companies that carry cargo across the border... Mexico responded to the U.S. announcement by saying it would allow trucks from 100 U.S. companies to travel across the border... The American Trucking Association said it supported the program but wanted to make sure that U.S. and Mexican truck companies were held to the same standards...

Labels: mexican's trucks

"Dinosaurs-Trucks" * USA - A couple of Continental twin

London,UK -TNN/Biglorryblog (UK) -23 Feb 2007: -- I was sent these pictures from 'The Boss' who was obviously on the other side of the water at the time and decided these yellow Kenworth behemoths -I rather prefer dinosaurs- were worthy of a blog. And so they are... (Picture: Biglorryblog on ...courtesy of 'The Boss' out on the road)

Labels: trucks

The very last * UK - Scania's T-Cab to be sold in the UK!

UK -TNN/Biglorryblog -23 Feb 2007: -- Take a good look at this because it's a rare beast indeed... It's the very last right-hand-drive T-Cab Scania to be sold in the UK since the Swedish truck maker decided that the numbers on its bonneted behemoth simply didn't add up and it axed back in 2006... (And Biglorryblog has the exclusive picture...naturally)

Labels: trucks

TRUCKS * Germany - A Man Who's Driven the Big Vee MAN

...And is very impressed...

Germany -TNN (UK)/Biglorryblog -23 Feb 2007: -- And so to the MAN-ERF 'Editor's Dinner' on Tuesday night where, having asked when we'll finally see the German truck maker's long-awaited big vee-eight engine which has been jointly-developed with the crane maker Leibherr, I find myself chatting to one of the rising stars of the organisation. And much to my surprise (and envy) he tells me 'I've already driven a truck with one in it...and I can say that the feeling it gave me in my stomach was good' ... However, Biglorryblog reckons that 640hp is the likely rating and that we'll definitely be seeing it 'officially' launched at the RAI Show in Amsterdam in the Autumn...

Labels: trucks

Off-Road Grade Diesel Fuel * Canada - Ontario Truckers Call Upon Feds to Allow

To Be Used in Trucks on Temporary Basis
Toronto,ONT,CAN -CNW -Feb. 22, 2007: -- The Ontario Trucking Association is calling upon the federal government to temporarily allow the production and distribution of diesel fuel used in off-road applications to be used in trucks... OTA made the request in writing to federal environment minister, John Baird last night following a day of diesel fuel rationing, pump and station closures and double digit price increases brought on by supply problems at Imperial Oil...

Labels: Off-Road Grade Diesel Fuel

DRIVER HERO * USA - Rescues 4 victims of early-morning wreck

USA -eTrucker, by Coy O'Neal -23 Feb 2007: -- John Christner Trucking, a refrigerated fleet based in Sapulpa, Okla., is proud of one of its drivers, the first to respond to an early-morning highway accident in January... On Jan. 26, Jim Hoffman, eastbound on I-84 near Scranton, Pa., was flagged down by a young woman standing 200 feet in front of him. The woman had been in an accident and had badly injured her leg. Hoffman helped the woman into his truck, applied pressure to her bleeding leg, and called 911... As they waited for the paramedics, the woman told Hoffman three other victims were involved. Hoffman grabbed his flashlight and began to search, despite an outside temperature of about 2 degrees. He found the three young men and the vehicle several hundred feet off the road near the westbound lanes. One of the men had been thrown from the vehicle and believed that his legs were broken. Hoffman used his favorite blanket, purchased in Saudi Arabia while he was in the military, to cover up the man and make him as comfortable as possible. He took a second man back to his truck and tended a third at the scene. Hoffman ran back and forth from his truck to the accident scene, trying to make sure that everyone was OK until the paramedics arrived...

Labels: driver hero

DEBATE * USA - DOT announces prescreening program for Mexican trucks

El Paso,TX,USA -KTEN (Denison,TX) -23 Feb 2007: -- USA and Mexican officials say they'll try prescreening trucks bound for each others interiors to open U-S road to Mexican trucking... U-S Transportation Secretary Mary Peters announced today in El Paso that D-O-T will begin a one-year pilot program to let U-S and Mexican trucks cross their shared border more freely...

* It's official: Mexican trucks coming100 companies will have unlimited access to U.S. roads
USA -TTNews.com/WorldNetDaily.com (Grants Pass,OR,USA), by Jerome R. Corsi -Feb 23, 2007: -- One hundred Mexican trucking companies will have unlimited access to U.S. roads to haul international cargo as part of a year-long pilot program, the Department of Transportation announced today... In return, 100 U.S. trucking companies will be allowed to operate in Mexico but at a later date...

* Hoffa Blasts Bush Plan to Open Border to Unsafe Mexican Trucks - Calls for Congressional Hearings, Prevent Repeat of Dubai Ports Debacle
Washington,DC,USA -PRNewswire-USNewswire -23 Febb 2007: -- The Bush administration is expected to announce today it intends to open the U.S. border to unsafe Mexican trucks in the next six to eight weeks for a one-year experimental pilot program. The border has remained closed, except for transfers within a 20-mile commercial zone, since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) because of the Mexican government's failure to meet the truck safety and driver training requirements of NAFTA... The Teamsters Union has led efforts to keep the border closed for the past twelve years. Just two years ago, the Department of Transportation Inspector General found that the Mexican government and Mexican motor carriers did not meet congressionally mandated requirements. An Inspector General audit report is due in the next couple of months, raising serious questions as to why President Bush is pushing this experimental program ahead of that report...

* Cross-border plan sets off reactions in DC
Grain Valley,MO,USA -Land Line Magazine -Feb. 23, 2007: -- ... The leadership of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure waded into the fray on Friday, shortly after Secretary Peters announced the DOT’s plan... Rep. James L. Oberstar, D-MN, and Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-ID, both were quick to voice concerns over the DOT’s action. Oberstar is the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and DeFazio is chairman of that committee’s Subcommittee on Highways and Transit... “It is impossible to know how many hours or days a driver has been behind the wheel of a truck in Mexico, without rest, prior to crossing the border and entering our highways. Anecdotal evidence from news reports suggests that working hours for truck drivers in Mexico go far beyond anyone’s estimate of a safe, reasonable limit,” Oberstar said... “Drug and alcohol testing is another essential element. Without oversight and established controls at collection sites, compliance is very difficult to gauge."... DeFazio had similar concerns...

* Cross-border trucking plan receives cold reception
USA -eTrucker, by Jill Dunn -23 Feb 2007: -- Congressional transportation leaders attacked the U.S. Department of Transportation’s pilot cross-border trucking program, which DOT Secretary Mary Peters says will allow American truckers into the Mexican marketplace as well... In about 60 days, when the initial safety audits are done and proof of insurance verified, the first Mexican trucks authorized under the pilot program will begin traveling beyond the border areas, Peters said at a Feb. 23 news conference...

* Bush decision to let Mexican trucks far into U.S. criticized
Washington,DC,USA -News 8 Austin (Austin,TX) /AP -23 Feb 2007: -- The news that Mexican trucks will be allowed to haul freight deeper into the United States drew an angry reaction Friday from labor leaders, safety advocates and members of Congress... They say Mexico has substandard trucks and low-paid drivers that will threaten national security, cost thousands of jobs and endanger motorists on the northern side of the Mexican border...

Labels: mexican's trucks

* Germany - DaimlerChrysler trucks business sees 2007 profit

Stuttgart,Germany -Reuters -Feb 23, 2007: -- DaimlerChrysler's market-leading trucks business will make an operating profit this year despite a sharp U.S. market contraction, division head Andreas Renschler told reporters on Friday... "Earnings before interest and tax will be positive, even in the United States," he told reporters, although he acknowledged his business would not be able to match the record 2.02 billion euros ($2.65 billion) in operating profit it made in 2006... He said his division would hit its target of generating an 11 percent pretax return on net assets this year...

Labels: profits revenues

Production * Indonesia - Hyundai to produce trucks and buses in Indonesia

Jakarta,Indonesia -ANTARA News -Feb 24, 2007: -- South Korean automotive giant Hyundai will start producing trucks and buses in Indonesia as of March this year with an investment of US$23 million... Hyundai in cooperation with Korindo Group would set up PT Kostramas Jaya in the building of trucks of above 8.5 Gross Vehicle Weight and large buses... The new plant which will be built in Balaraja, Tangerang, Banten, West Java, will have a capacity of producing around 300 buses and 200 trucks a month...

Labels: production

AUTOMAKERS' NEWS * USA

* GM recalls Outlooks, Acadias for air bag fix
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News -Feb 24, 2007: -- General Motors Corp. is recalling almost all of its new 2007 Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia sport-utility vehicles because front air bags may fail to deploy in a crash. The recall includes 13,032 of the SUVs built from August to this month, the automaker told the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration...

* GM temporarily idles two Michigan plants
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News -Feb 24, 2007: -- General Motors Corp. will temporarily shut down assembly lines at two Michigan plants Feb. 26 as part of planned production cuts. The Orion plant, which makes the Pontiac G6 sedan, will be idled for three weeks and the Lansing Grand River plant that makes the Cadillac CTS and STS sedans, and SRX crossover sport- utility vehicle, will be closed for one week, GM spokesman Tom Wickham said Friday...

* UAW approves plant rules at 37 facilities
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News -Feb 24, 2007: -- Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler union members at 37 U.S. plants have approved new agreements that require more flexible hours and fewer workers as they try to keep factories from closing amid slipping car and trucks sales... Ford, Chrysler and General Motors Corp. have national contracts with the UAW that expire Sept. 14. The drive for improving factory operations is happening separately from those negotiations as the automakers press their case at individual plants...

* Ford warns of difficult transition as thousands of workers leave
Dearborn,Mich,USA -The Detroit News (Detroit,Mich), by Bryce G. Hoffman -Feb 23, 2007: -- Ford Motor Co. is warning its managers that the next several months will be difficult as the company figures out how to cope with about a third fewer workers in the United States... Ford is completing white-collar buyouts aimed at eliminating approximately 10,000 salaried positions by 2008...

Labels: automakers news

AUTOMAKERS DANCE * usa -

* DaimlerChrysler rises amid private equity buyout talks
San Francisco,CAL.USA -MarketWatch, by Shawn Langlois -Feb 23, 2007: -- DaimlerChrysler shares on Friday added 48 cents to $70.46 to lead a slight advance in the auto sector following reports the German-American car maker is in talks with at least four private equity groups over the sale of its Chrysler division... Apollo Management, Blackstone, Carlyle and Cerberus Capital Management were contacted by DaimlerChrysler last week, according to the Financial Times. General Motors has also had talks with Chrysler while others, such as Volkswagen, Hyundai and Renault-Nissan, have said they aren't interested in buying the troubled U.S. automaker...

* COMMENT: Desperation In Detroit
NY,USA -Forbes, by Jonathan Fahey -16 Feb 2007: -- It seems like at this point Detroit executives will discuss anything as they grope for a way to survive. The latest long shot: General Motors buys DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group... It's unclear, though, how this latest reputed plan would do anything positive for either company, or the U.S. auto industry... About the only constituents it would help would be the DaimlerChrysler shareholders hoping against hope to ditch the Chrysler Group on anyone who will take it... Chrysler is everything that General Motors is trying not to be--overly reliant on light trucks and beset with overcapacity and losses in North America... The case for a merger, meager as it is, could go something like this: buy Chrysler for almost nothing, spin off Jeep or Hummer, absorb the minivan operations and a few other product lines, like the Chrysler 300 rear-wheel-drive platform. And then fire a lot of people. Were this merger to happen, the companies would likely see job losses on a scale that would make Chrysler's announcement to cut 13,000 from its payroll look quaint...

* Investors circle Chrysler - Handful to get secret data as DCX shops automaker around
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Bill Vlasic -Feb 24, 2007: -- The bidding process for the Chrysler Group will begin as soon as next week, when private investors and automakers are expected to receive confidential data on the U.S. division of DaimlerChrysler AG... Distribution of the detailed prospectus is the first step in a lengthy process that could lead to the sale of Chrysler to a private-equity firm or a rival automaker such as General Motors Corp... Only a limited number of potential buyers will be given the document prepared by J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., the investment banker hired by DaimlerChrysler to manage a possible sale... (Photo by Daniel Mears / The Detroit News - Sources say DaimlerChrysler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche, right, with CFO Bodo Uebber, hopes to offer a progress report on Chrysler at the German automaker's annual meeting on April 4 in Stuttgart)

Labels: automakers news

Opinion * Canada - 10 reasons why the transportation world is becoming increasingly flat

Ont,CAN -Truck News, by Dan Goodwill (*) -23 Feb 2007: -- In Thomas Friedman’s award winning book “The World is Flat,” he describes how the world’s competitive playing field has been leveled by a series of historic events. In this article I would like to outline the top ten developments that are flattening the transportation world for shippers and carriers:
1. Increased Customer Demands for Speed to Market and Supply Chain Reliability...
2. Increasing Requirements for Security
3. Ongoing Capacity Shortages
4. Fuel Cost Increases
5. Increase in Global Trade, specifically trade with China
6. Outsourcing
7. Expansion of Carrier and Logistics Company Service Portfolios
8. Logistics Industry Consolidation
9. Technological Innovation
10. U.S. Currency Devaluation
(*) Dan Goodwill is president of Dan Goodwill & Associates Inc. He has over 20 years of experience in the logistics and transportation industries in both Canada and the United States. Dan has held executive level positions in the industry including president of Yellow Transportation’s Canada division, president of Clarke Logistics (Canada’s largest Intermodal Marketing Company), general manager of the Railfast division of TNT and vice president, sales & marketing, TNT Overland Express.

Labels: opinion

Carbon Credits * USA - Hot Air Only in California

How a truckmaker plans to lose money on each sale--and make it up trading carbon credits

Ontario,CAL,USA -Forbes (NY ,USA), by Jonathan Fahey -12 March 2007: -- How's this for a business plan: buy a huge battery for $75,000, build an electric truck around it, sell the truck for $45,000. That's what Phoenix Motorcars, an aspiring automaker in Ontario, Calif., is planning to do starting this summer, when it will deliver an all-electric pickup truck about the size of a Chevrolet Colorado to fleet customers. Phoenix thinks it can sell 500 this year and 6,000 next... So what's the catch?: The company thinks it can turn a profit by exploiting California's auto emissions program. Chief Executive Daniel Elliott wants to amass emission credits it will get from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for selling zero-emission vehicles and then sell them to other automakers in danger of falling short of minimum requirements... This scheme may be a quirky California creation now, but if Congress decides to set a cap on carbon emissions nationwide, this kind of horse-trading could become commonplace...

Labels: carbon credits

Bills * USA - Washington state bill would change intrastate truck rules

Wash,USA -Land Line Magazine (Grain Valley,MO) -Feb 22, 2007: -- Unsafe trucking companies are the subject of a bill in the Washington Legislature... Rep. Ruth Kagi, D-Lake Forest Park, has introduced a bill that would make it easier to shut down trucking operations in the state with faulty trucks and people who drive them recklessly... The House Transportation Committee approved a bill that would authorize the Washington State Patrol more authority to monitor, inspect and penalize intrastate carriers...

Labels: bills

Stories * Sweden - More Scania eXc/Longline...

... and a chance to see rare footage of it in action on youtube

Stockholm,Sweden -Biglorryblog (UK) -23 Feb 2007: -- The short video clip of the Longline (nee eXc) on the youtube site (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvS25AfVfbk) really shows it off to its very best - in particular the height in the extended cab and how easy it was to get out of the driving seat and just walk back into the living/sleeping area. The blonde guy featured in the film as the driver was (I think) the project leader on eXc and I'm sure I met him in Sodertalje when I first drove it over in Sweden...

Labels: trucks

* Sweden - Praise for Scania's much-missed Longline

Sweden -Biglorryblog (UK) -23 Feb 2007: -- ... the answer was provided when Scania launched the Longline...or eXc as it was originally called---what you see below is the first production eXc which had an R Series cab, stretched by around 1.3m, and based upon the wheel plan of a bonneted T-cab 6x2.

.. The space (for a cabover) was phenenomal yet everything from the B-post forward was bog-standard R Series Topline. And here's a picture to prove it. .. The bed on the left runs the LENGTH of the cab in the Longline not across like in a normal sleeper. What you also got was a fully-fitted kitchinette and wash basin and extra arm chair to watch the telly (far left). Put it underneath a regular 13.5m long trailer and the rig was still shorter (by just under a metre) than a maximum length of an18.75m long drawbar. And driving the longer eXc/Longline wasn't an issue either---indeed I had decent spells behind in both the eXc and the Longline in Sweden and Germany on some pretty rural roads as well as city centres. And apart from winding the steering back a bit to avoid the cut-in on the trailer of the longer outfit I couldn't see the difference between it and a normal 16.5m artic...

Labels: trucks

Laws * USA - Trucking group fighting snow, ice proposal

Penn,USA -Land Line Magazine (Grain Valley,MO), by Red Black -Feb 21, 2007: -- The Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association is lobbying against a proposed law that would let police ticket drivers whose vehicles shed snow and ice, regardless of whether anyone’s injured... Under current Pennsylvania law, fines are only given if snow or ice flying off of a vehicle actually injures or kills someone... Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association Safety Director Don Siekerman told that there’s no widely available technology for cleaning snow and ice off trailers – and that a ladder and broom just doesn’t cut it...

Labels: regulations

New program * USA - Allows FMCSA to safety audit Mexican firms wanting to haul in U.S.

Monterrey,Mexico -The Trucker (USA) -Feb. 22, 2007: -- Truck safety inspectors working for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will be able to travel to Mexico to conduct extensive safety audits on companies interested in hauling cargo into and out of the United States as part of a new program announced today by Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters... Peters, who visited a local trucking company in Monterrey, Mexico, to announce the program with Mexican Secretary of Communications and Transportation Luis Téllez, said this step is needed before the United States can allow trucks from Mexico to operate beyond the currently existing border commercial zones that include cities like San Diego and El Paso...

Labels: auditing firms

Business * Sweden - Volvo aiming for 20-25% of Asian truck market

Sweden -Automotive World (UK) /Reuters-21 Feb, 2007: -- AB Volvo is reportedly targeting 20-25% of the Asian heavy duty truck market, a dramatic increase from its current market share of 5-10%, reported citing Jorma Halonen, the company's executive vice president...

Labels: business

Faulty Trucks* USA - UPS under Attorney General investigation after lawsuit claims

Syracuse,NY,USA -News 10 Now, by Brian Dwyer -22 Feb 2007: -- UPS mechanic Dan Peterson was not only fired once from his job, but twice. He's currently on this third stint with the company... Peterson is now suing UPS because he said he was fired for being a whistleblower... In his lawsuit, Peterson claims he began finding UPS trucks with "severely rusted, cracked and sometimes broken chassis frames"... When the trucks were taken to repair shops, the work was "performed in a careless, shoddy, substandard and unworkmanlike manner"... In March of 2006, Peterson "red tagged" four trucks, saying they were unfit for the road. He claims the next day, UPS had them back on the streets with no repairs... That same day, he removed the vehicles' inspection stickers so they couldn't be driven... He was suspended and then fired for what UPS says was, "falsification of company and legal documents, poor workmanship in the repairs you made to the vehicles and failure to follow methods and procedures"...

Labels: faulty trucks

Attention * India - Trucking to experience gold rush

London,UK -Logistics Manager -21 Feb 2007: -- Third-party logistics in India is set for double digit growth, according to a report from Datamonitor. It predicts that the Indian logistics industry is expected to reach a market size of over $125 billion in year 2010... Hauliers with fleets smaller than five trucks account for over two-thirds of the total trucks owned and operated in India and make up 80 per cent of revenues. The freight forwarding segment is also represented by thousands of small customs brokers and clearing forwarding agents, who cater to local cargo requirements...

* The Dark Side of the Moon:
The Downside to India's Economic Rise

Philadelphia,PA,USA -Knowledge@Wharton/The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania -Feb 23, 2007: -- (The Rise of India, a new book written by Niranjan Rajadhyaksha) -- India will have to deal with myriad challenges in the years ahead if it is to ensure that it remains on its current growth trajectory and also if it is to help more and more of its citizens become active participants in the global economy. Five issues stand out: poverty trends, income inequality, energy, employment, and infrastructure... One of the troubling misconceptions in India is that only large-scale industry can create jobs. Few seem to care than manufacturing continues to shed jobs the world over, as labor productivity increases by leaps and bounds in factories. The mainstream view is that India has had jobless growth in recent years. That is not quite true, but the ability of the Indian economy to create new jobs has undoubtedly diminished in the past 15 years. One unit of economic growth created 0.384 jobs in the 1980s and 0.312 jobs in the 1990s, according to estimates by Ifzal Ali, chief economist of the Asian Development Bank...

Labels: attention

* USA - Truckers must file e-summaries of cargo at borders

USA -National Journal's Technology Daily/ GovExec.comby Winter Casey -Feb 20, 2007: -- The Customs and Border Protection agency has moved forward with a plan to require all truckers entering the United States to file electronic summaries of cargo... As of Jan. 25, all truck carriers entering through Arizona, Washington and seven ports in North Dakota must file electronic manifests through the Automated Commercial Environment, a processing system being developed to enhance national security and facilitate legitimate trade... An e-manifest requires the trucker to provide details of the trip, vehicle, shipment, passengers and driver. All of the data goes into the ACE databank or a national CBP database, CBP spokesman Eric Blum said...

Labels: regulations

DEBATE: 97-foot-long multi-truck * USA - A Four-Way Stop Sign

The safety of the traveling public demands no less, but it remains to be seen whether actually protecting voters is truly a priority for the new majority party

Washington,DC,USA -TomPaine.com, by Steven Hill (*) & Dmitri Iglitzin (*) -Feb 21, 2007: -- ... Most of the candidates are currently serving in Congress, where they could demonstrate their populism through concrete legislative action. It is noteworthy, therefore, that on at least one populist issue—the safety of the nation’s highways—all of these candidates have remained silent... The Federal Highway Administration, which oversees our nation's highway system, is about to issue a regulation allowing 97-foot-long multi-truck monstrosities to roar up and down our nation's streets. These vehicle combinations, called "saddlemount vehicle transporter combinations," or simply, "four-ways," consist of four trucks linked together, with only the first truck maintaining both its front and rear wheels on the ground. On the three other trucks, only the rear wheels touch the ground, the front resting on the truck preceding it. From the side, if one roars by you on the road, they look like elephants holding each others' tails with their trunks—only much, much larger and more dangerous... As one veteran truck driver with 40 years of driving experience put it, in testimony submitted to the FHA: "The notion that a saddlemount load, 97 feet long and consisting of four semi tractors, is safe is absurd. All four-way configurations have the tendency to cause the fourth truck to whip and sway to a certain degree. It can quickly become a very dangerous situation..." (* ) Dmitri Iglitzin is a labor law attorney with the Seattle, Wash., firm of Schwerin Campbell Barnard & Iglitzin and an Affiliate Professor of Law at the University of Washington School of Law.(*) Steven Hill is director of the political reform program at the New America Foundation and author of 10 Steps to Repair American Democracy.

Labels: multi-truck

HOS DEBATE * Australia

* No blockades against fatigue laws, say Trucking Association

Australia -Australasian Bus and Coach -21 Feb 2007: -- The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) today warned against blockades and ‘go slows’ in response to new fatigue regulations... "While we understand the frustration of operators at these new laws, we urge them not to take the law into their own hands and consider how they can play a part in ensuring state governments implement the laws in a sensible, uniform way," says ATA Chief Executive Stuart St Clair. St Clair’s comments came in response to the unanimous approval of the National Transport Commission’s Heavy Vehicle Driver Fatigue regulations by Australia’s state and federal Transport Ministers with variations in implementation flagged by some states. The new laws will see working hours for most drivers cut from 14 to 12 hours with fines of up to $50,000 under Chain of Responsibility laws...

* Transport operators threaten to blockade NSW borders
Australia -Australasian Bus and Coach -23 Feb 2007: -- Road transport industry groups are calling for calm as a significant number of mainstream operators threaten to blockade roads into and out of New South Wales in response to a regulatory burden that they believe is spiraling out of control... In Victoria operators are incensed about the Bracks Government’s intention to exclude reasonable steps defences for drivers and operators under the proposed new national heavy vehicle driver fatigue reform laws... The Government has also refused to support the "split rest" provision specifically written into the fatigue reform model legislation developed by the National Transport Commission (NTC) for operators who meet the audited Basic Fatigue Management (BFM) standard... And in Queensland over a hundred operators and drivers have decided to park up on March 1, to protest against the State’s new fatigue regulations and demerit point rules... Organised by the Owner Driver Steering Committee, the meeting at Rocklea Show Grounds will discuss further actions the group will take to protest the new rules... Organisers of the event say this could be the beginning of an indefinite campaign against new fatigue regulation and demerit point rules for logbook offences...

Labels: HOS debate

Storm * USA - Put big squeeze on trucking

Harrisburg,PA,USA -The Patriot-News, by SHARON SMITH -Feb 21, 2007: -- Trucks are moving, people are back at work and commerce is flowing... That wasn't the case last week when a winter storm crippled Pennsylvania, bringing traffic on many of the state's highways to a standstill. The cost of the storm on the state economy has not been determined, according to Gov. Ed Rendell's office... While the numbers are still being crunched, one thing is certain: The storm produced winners and losers... Jim Runk, president and CEO of the Camp Hill-based Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, couldn't put a price tag on what the storm cost the state's trucking industry. He said it most likely is in the millions of dollars...

Labels: Cold Weather

Tax break * USA - Trucking firm gets

Parsons,KS,USA -The Parsons Sun, by Jamie Willey -21 Feb 2007: -- Thomasville, N.C.-based Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. will get a tax break as an incentive to add to its facility in Flynn Industrial Park... City commissioners on Monday approved a 10-year property tax abatement on the new portion of the nationwide trucking company's facility here. Old Dominion will pay no property taxes on the expansion for five years. The company then will pay 20 percent of its taxes on the addition in year six and 20 percent more each additional year until year 10, when Old Dominion will begin paying its full share of taxes...

Labels: tax break

Fuel Shortage * Canada - Ontario Trucking Association Says Members Feeling Impact of

Says industry needs diesel fuel to stay in business and customers should be prepared for spike-up in surcharges

Toronto,ONT,CAN -CCNMatthews -Feb. 21, 2007: -- The Ontario Trucking Association says the current fuel supply problems at Imperial Oil are starting to have an impact on trucking companies in the province. David Bradley, OTA president says that his association has been hearing from members today that they are already experiencing the effects of the shortage. Some have not been able to find fuel and others are seeing prices spike by as much as 10% to 20%. Others have reported independent fuel outlets refusing to honour discount cards and demanding cash from truck drivers...

Labels: fuel shortage

DEBATE * USA - Trucking industry divided over speed limiters

Washington,DC,USA -The Arkansas News (Little Rock,AR), Fred Love -Feb 21, 2007: -- A proposal requiring truckers to make use of devices that limit their speeds to no faster than 68 mph has caused a split within the trucking industry... Nine large trucking companies including J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., of Lowell, have asked government agencies to force the use of speed limiters in virtually all commercial tractor-trailers. Along with the American Trucking Associations, the companies last October joined with Road Safe America, a safety advocacy group, in filing a petition with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration... A similar petition was submitted to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration... Bill Graves, president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations, said speed limiters improve highway safety and increase fuel efficiency... But smaller trucking firms and owner-operators scoff at the reasoning, saying the devices in some instances make the highways less safe by limiting driver maneuverability. Todd Spencer, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, called the petition "a matter of public relations" for larger firms to eventually gain permission to haul larger loads than are currently allowed (see new entry above)... "The petition is designed to mask their true intent which is bigger and heavier trucks," Spencer said. "This was a public relations thing to somehow spin these companies as the safe companies willing to pay a little price for safety"... Capping the maximum speed of large trucks at 68 mph reduces the likelihood and severity of accidents, Graves said, while allowing trucks to keep up with the flow of traffic... But Spencer said speed limiting devices may hinder truck drivers' ability to maneuver and put themselves and other motorists in danger...

Labels: speed limiters

* Venezuela - To provide for cheap fuel to subsidize bus fares for London's poor

London,UK -AP/Canadian Press, by Jennifer Quinn -Feb 21, 2007: -- Mayor Ken Livingstone signed an agreement Tuesday with Venezuela's state-owned oil company to provide discounted fuel for the city's iconic red buses, praising the idea as the brainstorm of the country's leftist leader, President Hugo Chavez... Livingstone - a committed socialist known locally as "Red Ken" - met last year at city hall with Chavez to discuss the deal to provide cheap oil to London in exchange for advice on urban planning in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital... Venezuela has signed similar agreements with cities in several other countries, including the United States. Analysts call it "oil diplomacy" - and say it is designed to embarrass U.S. President George W. Bush, who Chavez has repeatedly mocked...

Labels: vnezuelan oil

Business * Sweden - Scania signs MoU to acquire GM Powertrain's Sodertaelje plant

Stockholm,Sweden -AFX/Forbes (USA) -21 Feb 2007: -- Scania AB said it signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to acquire GM unit GM Powertrain's production plant in Soedertaelje, Sweden... Scania said the acquisition will enable it to increase engine component production capacity and to start production of injection systems for engines...

Labels: business

TRUCK SALES * Russia - Ural exports 221 trucks to Syria

London,UK - Automotive World, by Zoran Samardzic -20 Feb, 2007: -- Russian heavy truck manufacturer Ural, which operates within the GAZ group, has delivered 221 Ural-4320 (6x6) vehicles to Syria. The trucks, which will be operating under adverse climate and road conditions, are powered by diesel engines manufactured...

Labels: sales trucks

Solution * Canada - N.B. invention solves anti-idling problem for truckers

New Brunswick,Canada -CBC News -Feb 20, 2007: -- A Moncton truck driver and inventor says he's come up with a solution to a problem raised by increasing anti-idling legislation in the States... Rodney Foreman, who runs six trucks for Midland Transport that head to the U.S. every week, says that's a problem... But Foreman says he has the solution. Trailers used to transport perishable cargo have temperature-regulating units attached to them, to keep things a safe temperature... After months of testing, Forman says he's found a way to use the units to keep drivers comfortable as well, hooking a truck's cab heater to the unit, instead of an idling engine...

Labels: anti-idling

Problems on the Road Ahead * USA - For Metal Haulers

USA -33Metalproducing -February, 2007: -- Rising fuel costs, driver shortages, tangling regulations, and indadequate infrastructure haven't brought on a transportation crisis, … yet... The recent boom in U.S. manufacturing boom brought into sharper focus a number of inadequacies in the country's transportation systems. Harbor bottlenecks, congested highways, lacking infrastructure maintenance, and shortages of qualified personnel are among the friction points resulting in costly inefficiencies and delays for U.S. metal industries... (Photo: Barge transportation is hindered by inadequate dredging and load-carrying capacity)

Labels: inefficiencies and delays

AUTOMARKETS NEWS * China - By the Numbers

London,UK -Edmund's Auto Observer, by Michelle Krebs -21 Feb 2007: -- Everyone knows China’s automobile industry is booming. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers confirmed that in today’s report that showed China’s auto industry made a profit equivalent to $10 billion (U.S.) in 2006, up 46 percent from the previous year... In contrast, Ford Motor Co. alone lost more than that; it lost $12.7 billion last year, Chrysler lost $1.4 billion and GM has yet to report earnings but lost $10.6 billion in 2005... China car sales totaled 7.22 million vehicles in 2006, up 25 percent. Higher sales resulted in China overtaking Japan as the world’s second largest auto market. Sales should surpass 8 million this year, and analysts predict it will be the world’s largest market in another decade... But buried in the CAAM’s glowing report China’s auto industry is the fact that the good fortunes don’t trickle down to car dealers, with 40 percent losing money. China has 1,800 franchised auto dealers, of which 700 are unprofitable and of those 300 have been merged or edged out of the market. Another 20 percent are on the brink of red ink. The reason: fierce competition...

Labels: automarkets

AUTOMAKERS' NEWS

* USA - Most-Recalled Cars -
USA -Forbes, by Dan Lienert -19 Feb 2007: -- ... This is an example of a recall at its most serious: a grave problem affecting a large number of vehicles, prompting the automaker to spring to action and immediately contact owners... Other recalls, on the other hand, are not so grim... Indeed, while some recalls can affect tens of thousands of cars, many can affect a small number of models. One of the Sonata's 2006 recalls--a problem with the headlights--potentially affected only 500 vehicles... Small and minor recalls are just two things that make them imperfect indicators of vehicle safety, even though recalls can teach us a lot about major trouble spots...

Some, though, say the number of recalls issued each year is too high...

* Germany - Volkswagen doubles profit in 2006
Wolfsburg,Germany -The Detroit News (USA)/Bloomberg News -Feb 20, 2007: -- Volkswagen AG, Europe's largest carmaker, said 2006 profit more than doubled after new Audi and Skoda models attracted buyers and a tax gain added to earnings, reported today... The auto maker's shares rose to an 8 1/2-year high... Net income increased to 2.75 billion euros ($3.61 billion), or 7.07 euros a share, from 1.12 billion euros, or 2.90 euros, a year earlier, the Wolfsburg, Germany-based carmaker said. Sales rose 12 percent to 104.9 billion euros...

* USA - Toyota Tundra Triumphs over Chevrolet and Nissan in Edmunds’ Inside Line Half-Ton Truck Comparison Test
Santa Monica,CAL,USA -BUSINESS WIRE -Feb 20, 2007: -- Edmunds’ high-speed online car magazine and the most-read automotive enthusiast Web site, today announced that the 2007 Toyota Tundra squeaked by the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado to win the 2007 Half-Ton Pickup Truck Comparison Test...

Labels: autos' news

AUTOS' DANCE * USA - Chrysler Talk Revs Up

No smoke without a fire?
London,UK -Forbes (USA), by Parmy Olson -19 Feb 2007: -- From General Motors to Nissan to Hyundai to private equity groups -- the number of parties that are reportedly interested in buying Chrysler Group is growing every day, making the picture of suitors sniffing around the struggling unit of DaimlerChrysler all the more plausible... Any sale or spin off could take several months, though according to Germany's Handelsblatt business newspaper, DaimlerChrysler will make a clear decision about what to do with the unit before the end of 2007. The paper added that Daimler's management was leaning towards an outright sale...

* Report: GM-Chrysler deal a 50/50 chance, analyst says
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News /Bloomberg -Feb 20, 2007: -- General Motors Corp., the world's largest automaker, stands a 50 percent chance of buying DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler unit and may seek the purchase as a "defensive maneuver," Merrill Lynch analyst John Murphy said today... "Given the transformation the U.S. industry is beginning, we would not rule out a tie-up," Murphy, who is based in New York, said in a note to investors today. "GM may view the acquisition as a defensive maneuver to box out new competition"...

* Opinion - Chrysler's White Knight Against Foreign Invaders?
London,UK -Edmund's Auto Observers, by Michelle Krebs -21 Feb 2007: -- Last week's rumors that General Motors was in discussions to buy the Chrysler Group were immediately dismissed from Wall Street to Main Street as nonsense to sheer lunacy... But may be the idea isn't so crazy after all for GM. Maybe GM is playing defense, not offense... If a foreign automaker – particularly one from China or Korea – were to make a bid for Chrysler, GM could sweep in like a knight in shining armor and save the damsel in distress – not Chrysler, but itself... GM faces significant risk if a Chinese or Korean automaker buys Chrysler and gains instant access to its coast-to-coast dealership network to widely distribute vehicles that can be priced below the competition because they come from low-cost production sources... Ford would be hurt as well, but it's broke, so it can't put up a solid defense. GM, however, is in reasonably good health to put the brakes on such a foreign invasion...

Labels: autos' news

* USA - The Clean-Truck Paradox

Arlington,VA,USA -TTNews -20 Feb 2007: -- For anyone who operates a commercial truck, there is little doubt about the importance of the vehicle’s fuel efficiency — especially in this era of historically high diesel and gasoline prices... If only the federal clean-air agency would keep that in mind when it prepares emission-controlling regulations... The technology has extracted a price, which must be paid by the truck buyer and operator. Not only is the new equipment more expensive, it is less fuel-efficient than the industry’s high marks... Truckers used to buy vehicles that got 10 miles per gallon. Today, with the addition of the clean-air technology, the average is more like 6 mpg, according to ATA officials... Perhaps this is the classic “two steps forward, one step back” syndrome. But does it have to be this way? ATA wants regulators to consider that question the next time they draw up emission-reduction targets...

Labels: clean trucks

HOS DEBATE * USA - ATA Official Says Responses Prepared to Pending Rulings

Arlington,VA,USA -TTNews, by Sean McNally -21 Feb 2007: -- With a pair of lawsuits challenging federal driver work rules still pending, American Trucking Associations officials have begun preparing responses to the rulings... “What we did . . . is to look at the possible legal outcomes,” said Warren Hoemann, ATA senior vice president of councils and conferences, who spearheaded the effort...

Labels: HOS debate

* USA - ATA’s Graves Criticizes Privatization Trend

VA,USA -TTNews -21 Feb 2007: -- American Trucking Associations President Bill Graves criticized the growing trend of privatization of toll roads on CNBC’s “Street Signs” program Tuesday... Graves said politicians should not “leverage the future with get-rich-quick schemes” and should be held accountable to make roads more accessible. He said more expensive toll roads could lead to more traffic taking other routes, compromising safety... ATA was among several groups that earlier this month formed a coalition to oppose the trend toward privatizing U.S. toll roads...

Labels: privatization toll roads

Incentives * USA - Key Senator Backs they for New Truck Engines

Arlington,Va,USA -Transport Topics News, by Howard S. Abramson -20 Feb 2007: -- The new chairman of the Senate Finance Committee told directors of American Trucking Associations last week that he supported creation of federal financial incentives to help fleets purchase new, cleaner-burning diesel engines and auxiliary power units... Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said, “I’m looking at a couple of things” to help truckers acquire the new equipment, which is designed to trim diesel emissions...

Labels: Incentives

* Sweden - Volvo Agrees to Buy Nissan Diesel for $1.1 Billion

Gothenburg, Sweden -Bloomberg, by Naoko Fujimura & Chad Thomas -Feb. 20, 2007: -- Volvo AB, the world's second-largest truckmaker, agreed to buy Nissan Diesel Motor Co. for 7.5 billion kronor ($1.1 billion) to gain a regional brand name and add production in Asia, the world's fastest-growing economic area... The maker of Volvo, Mack and Renault brand trucks follows DaimlerChrysler AG, the world's largest truckmaker, in buying a Japanese manufacturer to increase production in the region. Volvo last year sold 7 percent of its trucks in Asia. Nissan Diesel also offers technology that can reduce engine emissions as countries tighten pollution standards...

Labels: business

AUTOS' NEWS

Tentative Agreement * USA - Honda settles suit over defective odometers - Plan includes Acura; customers will be reimbursed for repairs, warranties will be extended

Washington,DC,USA -The Detroit News, by David Shepardson -Feb 20, 2007: -- About 6 million Honda and Acura owners will get extensions of leases or warranties, or in some cases refunds, as part of a $16 million-plus settlement stemming from faulty odometers, which chalked up miles too quickly... Because of the defective odometers, warranties expired earlier than they should have... As part of a tentative class-action settlement, American Honda Motor Co. will: * Extend by 5 percent the mileage-based coverage period of its warranties. * Extend mileage allowed in leases by 5 percent. * Reimburse customers for repairs made just after their warranties expired. * Refund $6.1 million in fees for exceeding mileage limits to about 25,000 former leaseholders -- who will receive $265 each...

* South Korea - Hyundai Motor plans to assemble vehicles in
Seoul,South Korea -Associated Press /The Detroit News, by Kelly Olsen -Feb 20, 2007 -- Hyundai Motor Co., the world's sixth-largest automaker, said Tuesday it plans to export vehicle parts and components to be assembled at a locally owned plant in Brazil... Hyundai will cooperate with Sao Paulo-based Caoa Montadora SA, which distributes Hyundai vehicles as well those of Ford Motor Co. in the South American country, said Hyundai spokesman Jake Jang...

* USA - Volkswagen’s US SOS
USA -The Truth About Cars, by Justin Berkowitz -Feb 20, 2007: -- The automotive media have their hands full chronicling the slow motion train wreck known as The Big 2.5... But there's another pile-up in progress. Here in the States, Volkswagen of America (VWoA) has transformed itself from a highly profitable purveyor of mesmerizing motors to a struggling brand with an ugly, overpriced and unpopular lineup. To properly parse this fall from automotive grace, let's start with the Phaeton...

* North Korea - Bans Japanese cars
N. Korea -edmunds.com (USA), by Bob -Feb 20, 2007: -- This is just too goofy. Is there a full moon out, or what? First news of the possible Chrysler auction, and now this...North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has ordered the seizure of all Japanese-made cars in the communist country after he spotted a broken-down model blocking a road... The funny thing most cars in North Korea—are Japanese! This should be fun to watch...

* USA - Hyundai - Chrysler?
USA -edmunds.com (USA), by Bob -Feb 20, 2007: -- With the news that the Chrysler Group could be up for sale, there are bound to be a bunch of rumors flying around of possible suitors... The latest is a story coming out of the UK is that Hyundai may be interested in buying Chrysler. The TimesOnline is reporting that Hyundai is very interested in having access to Chrysler's dealer network. The report goes on to say that besides Hyundai there were several other potential buyers, including Chinese groups and private-equity firms...

Labels: autos' news

Long-Haul Trucking * USA - Shortage is a problem

Driving drivers away - Stagnant pay, lonely lifestyle prompt many to leave for construction jobs

Kansas,TX,USA -The Kansas City Star, by RANDOLPH HEASTER -Feb. 20, 2007: -- Current estimates are that the U.S. is shy 20,000 long-haul drivers. A recent industry study said the shortage could rise to 111,000 drivers by 2014... Despite demand, wages have stagnated, and turnover in the industry is running more than 100 percent. Potential drivers have migrated to construction jobs, where the pay has been better and they don’t have to be constantly away from home... At some point the shortage will mean delivery delays and higher prices for consumers... Bill Graves, a former Kansas governor and now chief executive of the American Trucking Association, said: “Fleet operators listed the driver shortage as their number one concern.”... Once a headache mostly for large national truckload companies, the problem now hampers the small trucking companies that make up most of the industry’s employers... Driver turnover rates exceeded 100 percent for both large and small truckload carriers in the third quarter of 2006, according to an industry survey. Small-truckload firms, whose annual revenues are less than $30 million, reported 100 percent turnover rates for the past four quarters... (Photo: by FRED BLOCHER/ The Kansas City Star - Training is required before drivers can take to the road. Jennifer Rogers of Overland Park practices parking a tractor-trailer at a Kansas driving school)

Labels: drivers shortage

Code of Practice * Australia - ATA develops industry truck and dog

Australia -Australasian Transport News (subscription) -19 Feb 2007: -- The Australian Trucking Association’s (ATA) Industry Technical Council is working on a draft Truck and Dog Trailer Combinations Code of Practice... The Code is being developed by the ATA to promote good design practices for truck and dog trailer configurations... Research commissioned by the ATA determined that the key factors that influence vehicle dynamic stability for truck and dog trailer combinations are:
- truck wheelbase
- trailer wheelbase
- coupling rear offset
- trailer centre of gravity.

Labels: Code of Practice

Story * Canada - Woman thrives in a man's world

Kate Lulloff runs trucking firm, constantly hustling work

Manitowoc,CAN -The Herald Times Reporter, by Charlie Mathews -Feb 19, 2007: -- Kate Lulloff believes it can be an obstacle to be a woman in what is considered to be a man's world — the trucking industry... But she said a little charm, as well as intelligence and persistence, will go a long way toward making sure her fleet of dump trucks are full of 20 tons of asphalt or sand... Lulloff said she loves being able to work from home, even when dealing with factors beyond her control, like fuel prices, availability and demand for work, and the weather... She said she has a good crew of drivers who will work the overtime required in the summer months, and don't mind being laid off in the winter... (Picture by Jeremy Hodges/HTR - Kate Lulloff poses by one her dump trucks. She strives to keep her fleet busy, combining persistence, expertise and keeping cool under pressure)

Labels: enterprises' stories

Awards * Australia - Nominate top drivers for 2007 trucking industry awards

Australia -Australasian Transport News (subscription) -20 Feb 2007: -- Last year’s top driver is urging companies to nominate their outstanding steerers and staff for the 2007 National Trucking Industry Awards... 2006 National Professional Driver of the Year Lloyd George says operators should recognise excellence in the industry... The winner of the 2007 award, presented by the Australian Trucking Association (ATA), will undertake this year’s Tarcutta to Tamworth safety drive with ATA chief Stuart St Clair... Nomination forms for the 2007 National Trucking Industry Awards are available at the Convention website...

Labels: award

Flying Ice * USA - Drivers Warned About

Norwalk,Conn,USA -The Stamford Advocate (Stamford, Conn)/Layover -18 Feb 2007: -- Emergency personnel are reminding motorists to clean snow and ice off their vehicles after a driver sustained facial injuries from ice that fell off a passing truck and smashed through the victim's windshield Friday... The Westport Fire Department, issued a news release Friday that urged drivers to maintain a proper distance between vehicles while on the road and reminded them to scrape ice off their vehicles... "The ice flies up about 50 feet in air, somersaults and hits cars about three or four cars out," Will Leinert, owner of Ace Auto Glass in Norwalk, said. "If you see a car with ice on its roof, I'd say you need to stay back at least 300 feet, otherwise you're at a high risk of getting hit and injured"...

Labels: Cold Weather

Air Management Controls * USA - Introducing Chassis-Mounted Valve Pack for

Seattle,WASH,USA -Layover -19 Feb 2007: -- When a major heavy-duty truck manufacturer wanted to redesign its cab and reduce the clutter behind the dashboard, Global Vehicle Technologies (GVT) engineers tackled the challenge. The result: GVT developed a chassis-mounted modular solenoid valve assembly for air management controls that gives OEMs greater feature management and flexible manufacturing... By moving valves from under the dash to the chassis where they are closer to individual applications such as fifth wheel, auxiliary axle and power take-off (PTO), GVT's Air Solenoid Accessory Pack (ASAP) also makes it easier for technicians to detect costly air leaks...

Labels: products

PROGNOSIS * USA - Cummins expects fall in heavy-duty truck engine sales in 2007

USA -Automotive World (UK)Reuters -16 Feb, 2007: -- Diesel engine supplier Cummins expects North American heavy-duty truck engine sales to fall by as much as 50% this year due to increased buying ahead of new emission standards, reported... "We are expecting sales to be down 30%-40%"...

Labels: prognosis

Commercial Truck Business * UK - The Samuelsson effect

London,UK -Automotive World (subscription), by Michael Hinks-Edwards -19 Feb, 2007: -- If you scan the business data for the last twelve months, almost everywhere you look in the commercial truck industries you will see record new truck total market... In the American context, consider the case of Navistar, massively exposed to the 2007 downturn in medium and heavy-duty truck demand in NAFTA. ...

Labels: opinion

* Ireland - Dublin city centre truck ban in force

A ban on five-axle trucks in Dublin city centre has come into force

Dublin,Ireland -RTE.ie -19 Feb 2007: -- The ban means truckers need a permit to drive through the city-centre between 7am and 7pm. They are required to use the motorway and port tunnel to access Dublin Port... Hauliers have agreed to work with the measure but have predicted chaos on the M50. They want a review if traffic build-up on the motorway becomes unmanageable... AA Roadwatch says that earlier delays on the M50 have now eased and traffic is moving normally... The city council says the M50 can cope with an extra 2,000 trucks and that motorway traffic is relatively light at the times truckers will be using it... (Dublin Port TunnelAccess for HGVs to Dublin Port)

Labels: restrictions

The Back Roads * USA - Waylaid by weigh stations, truckers take to

Danbury,CT,USA -The Danbury News Times, by Mark Langlois -Feb 19 2007: -- If the state starts its crackdown against overweight or unsafe tractor-trailer trucks, more trucks may take to the back roads to avoid inspections... Truckers will go around a weigh station if sitting in line is going to take a lot of time, said Hodge, who has had an interstate trucking license since 1986, when he was driving theatrical scenery between the Gateway Playhouse on Long Island and the Candlewood Playhouse in New Fairfield. Trucks drive through New Fairfield and Danbury streets to avoid the weigh station on Interstate 84 at Exit 2... New Fairfield First Selectman John Hodge said a legitimate driver with a well-maintained truck, who faces no problems by being weighed and inspected, can't afford to spend too much time waiting in line at a weigh station...

Labels: back roads

Business * Germany/USA - German shares higher midday, led by Daimlerchrysler on M&A speculation

Frankfurt,Germany -Forbes (NY,USA)/AFX News Limited -19 Feb 2007: -- German shares were higher early afternoon in relatively low volume trade, led by DaimlerChrysler as speculation over a sale of its Chrysler unit heated up, while rumours a Qatari investment group might purchase a major stake in EADS boosted it to the top of the MDAX, dealers said...

* USA - GM, DCX talks serious - Nation's top automaker could absorb Chrysler
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Bill Vlasic and Christine Tierney -Feb 19, 2007: -- General Motors Corp. has been in talks for two months with DaimlerChrysler AG about acquiring all of the troubled Chrysler Group and folding its operations into GM, according to people familiar with the discussions... The first contact occurred in December, when GM Chairman Rick Wagoner and DaimlerChrysler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche met in Detroit to discuss the blockbuster idea of GM buying Chrysler from its German parent company... While a deal is far from certain, at least four meetings have taken place involving Wagoner and GM's chief financial officer, Fritz Henderson, and Zetsche and DaimlerChrysler's CFO Bodo Uebber. Talks are said to be ongoing, primarily between Henderson and Uebber...

* OPINION/USA - GM-Chrysler deal would be frightful
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Daniel Howes -Feb 19, 2007: -- A tie-up between the two longtime rivals would be a tough pill for Metro Detroit... The folks at Chrysler, gutting through another restructuring as their company is in play, probably can feel his pain. The signals coming from the German mother ship suggest they've been written off, too. Worse, they're suggesting Detroit's No. 3 automaker should be acquired by its No. 1 crosstown rival... That would be a disaster for this town, for the United Auto Workers, for this state and for its largest automaker's efforts to stay focused and methodically fix its own problems... Michigan's numbing job losses likely would mount, not slow, as the new entity rationalized operations to keep up with nimbler rivals. Product lines, if not entire brands, would be killed, with all that portends for people and long-suffering dealers. More tax-generating real estate likely would stand empty... In a bid for market share, GM would get saddled with an estimated $18 billion in new health care liabilities from Chrysler, after spending the past two years trying to reduce its own crushing liabilities. GM would get more dealers when it needs less; more plant capacity when it needs less; more North American capability in engineering it arguably doesn't need...

Labels: business

SAFETY * USA - Radar signs coming?

Covington,OH,USA –The Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati,OH), by MIKE RUTLEDGE -18 Feb 2007: -- Kentucky transportation officials may install permanent radar-detecting signs along northbound Interstates 71/75 at Covington’s “cut-in-the-hill,” hoping to slow traffic and avoid wrecks on the expressway... The signs would simultaneously show the speed limit and display the speeds driven by approaching cars and trucks... “The ‘cut-in-the-hill,’ speed is a factor there, and we believe if we can reduce speed, we can improve safety,” said Kentucky Transportation Cabinet spokesman Mark Brown... (Photo: by PATRICK REDDY/THE ENQUIRER - Kentucky officials are considering erecting signs similar to this one at the Lytle Tunnel on northbound I-75/71 at the Covington cut-in-the-hill.)

Labels: safety

Business * Germany - Volkswagen said to consider Netherlands as future trucks HQ

Wolfsburg, Germany -Monsters and Critics.com (Glasgow,UK)/Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung -Feb 18, 2007: -- Volkswagen, the German automotive group, is considering locating a joint-venture truck-making subsidiary in the Netherlands, a report Sunday in the German newspaper said... Incorporating the company in the Netherlands would be a token gesture to Scania's major Swedish shareholders who resent all talk of a German takeover, but might accept ownership from a third country. They have already rejected a takeover bid from MAN... A head office in the Netherlands would also be advantageous for tax reasons and to steer clear of a German legal requirement to grant board seats to labour representatives, the newspaper said...

Labels: business

DANGEROUS TRUCKS * USA - Trucks Through Town

Council to discuss problems with air, traffic

Carlisle,PA,USA -The Carlisle Sentinel, by David Blymire -Feb 18, 2007: -- Debbie Jussel of Carlisle has seen all sorts of trucks go by her house, from large log-bearing rigs to trucks hauling potentially hazardous chemicals such as chlorine... A resident of the 200 block of West South Street, she wonders what these bulky vehicles are doing in a residential neighborhood several blocks away from the state routes through the borough... Meetings scheduled... A special meeting of Carlisle Borough Council to address truck traffic, the 2007 community development block grant budget and sandwich board signs in the commercial district begins at 6 p.m. Thursday... (Photo by Jason Malmont/The Sentinel: Tractor-trailers are driving right through Carlisle’s efforts to create a more people-friendly downtown)

Labels: dangerous trucks

Never seen a Storm like this * USA - Trucks plow 24 hours straight

City and county worked nonstop to clear roads

Marion,IN,USA -The Marion Chronicle Tribune, by BARRY WILLIAM WALSH -18 Feb 2007: -- Rod Mowery has spent the past 15 years working for the Grant County Highway Department. During those 15 years, he'd never seen a storm like the one that pounded Grant County with 14½ inches of snow, howling winds and whiteout conditions... "Twenty-four hours straight during that bad part," he said. "Tuesday night was real rough because it was so windy. We just stayed out there so people could get home from work. There was a lot of snow, a lot of blowing and the roads would just cover back in after you got them done"...

Labels: Cold Weather

Gas Jam * Trinidad & Tobago - Steelband trucks caught in

Port of Spain,Trinidad and Tobago -The Trinidad News - Feb 18 2007: -- Long lines early yesterday morning at three gas stations located in the vicinity of Skinner Park, San Fernando, created problems for several 40-foot trailer trucks bringing in their instruments to the venue, for last night’s historic National Panorama Finals... As word spread yesterday of the protest action there was a mad rush in gas stations across the country to fill up tanks. Ronald Hosein, a worker at Rahamut’s Gas Station, Cross Crossing, San Fernando, told that up to 3 pm yesterday afternoon the situation at his gas station was still the same. He said the supply of super and premium gas they had received was going fast but the station was without diesel. Although tank wagons were seen distributing fuel in the city, long lines remained at gas stations around San Fernando... (Photo: 'PRESSURE FOR GAS: Heavy traffic pile-up at the Rahamut's Gas Station in Cross Crossing, San Fernando, after there was a gas shortage scare following)

Labels: Gas Jam

PRODUCTION * India - After two-wheelers, Xenitis eyes cars, trucks

Chinsurah,Hooghly,West Bengal,India -The Times of India (New Delhi,India), by Subhro Niyogi & Falguni Banjerjee -18 Feb, 2007: -- Kick-starting the first two-wheeler plant in West Bengal, Xenitis group chairman and MD Santanu Ghosh said Global Automobiles would graduate from scooters and motorcycles to cars, trucks and buses over the next eight-nine years. "We will explore the entire sprectrum of products that joint venture Chinese partner Guangzhou Motor Group Co has on offer. That is the natural progression for any auto company," he said... Guangzhou, the fourth-largest automaker in China, manufactures scooters, motorcycles, passenger cars, light/heavy trucks and buses. It has a tie-up with Honda Motor Co, Japan...

Labels: production

Acquisitions * USA - MTC acquires stake in chilean logistics firm

San Francisco,CAL,USA -CalTrade Report (Los Angeles,CAL) -17 Feb 2007: -- Bay Area-headquartered logistics service company MTC International has acquired a stake in Transtainer SA, a logistics company based in San Antonio Port, Chile, and its terminal operating subsidiary, Seaport SA.Transtainer SA operates a fleet of trucks specialized in container transportation and a fleet of reach stackers, forklifts and side lifters. Seaport SA handles not only Chilean import and exports, but also provides transit cargo operations for shippers in Argentina and other South American countries...

Labels: acquisitions

DRIVERS' * USA - He's parking his truck for good

Evansville,IN,USA -The Evansville Courier & Press (subscription), by GARRET MATHEWS -Feb 18, 2007: -- Friedman Senning is retiring tomorrow after more than 58 years of driving trucks for a living. No more getting up at 2:30 a.m. No more putting his grandchildren on hold... "I figured I might as well end it on my 76th birthday," the Evansville man says. "I've got close to 5 million miles. That's enough"... He's looking at property in Florida. And then there are his eight grandchildren... "It's getting harder and harder for me to roll the tarp back over my load. That's one thing. I've never turned a truck over. Never put a dent on somebody else's vehicle. Never been laid off. Never got more than about five speeding tickets. It's been a good run"... Senning started out hauling grain in 1948 around his native Washington, Ind... Senning's first grain truck -a used Chevrolet - set him back $1,800. The 1998 Peterbilt that he'll fire up today for the last time cost $120,000. Add another $32,000 for the trailer... "I'm usually home by 2 p.m. I don't run nearly as hard as some of the men"... Has he ever taken pills to stay awake? "Maybe six bennies in my whole life. I never got into the amphetamines, but there is definitely a lot of dope in trucking. At some of the scale houses, they have drug-sniffing dogs"... Any regrets?... "Over the years, I've probably put out a dozen fires along the side of the road. Maybe a family car. Maybe another truck. Just get out the fire extinguisher and start spraying... "I don't think I ever saved a life or anything, but I sure took care of the blaze. And nobody ever said thank you. Just took off"... COMMENT: Posted by fortbranchin on February 18, 2007: Being a truck driver myself and knowing the love hate relationship with being a trucker i say to Friedman Senning thank you for a job well done... (Photo: Friedman Senningis retiring today after spending 58 years on the road)

Labels: drivers' stories

Monitoring Truck Ban * Ireland - Cameras in Dublin will doit

Dublin,Ireland -The Sunday Business Post, by Nicola Cooke -18 Feb 2007: -- Tomorrow will see almost 200 cameras ensuring five-axle trucks do not enter Dublin city centre from 7am to 7pm without permits... The cameras will be monitored by Dublin City Council staff. There will be 170 CCTV cameras in the city centre and 23 newly-erected cameras along the limits of the city centre which runs along the Royal and Grand canals...

Labels: truck ban

The Weekend Economic Wrap up * USA - 20 percent decline in heavy-duty truck production

Washington,DC,USA -Manufacturers' Blog -Feb 18, 2007: -- Last Thursday, the Federal Reserve released its report on industrial production for the month of January. The report showed that overall industrial production fell by 0.5 percent in January. The manufacturing component, which accounts for more than three quarters of industrial output, declined by 0.8 percent...the fourth decline in the past five months... Despite solid gains in aerospace and computer and electronics production, the January downturn was led by a 1.3 percent decline in durable goods production. The cause? A precipitous 20 percent decline in heavy-duty truck production -- the largest monthly decline in 16 years --, probably resulting from new regulatory standards for trucks that went into effect January 1, was largely responsible for the January downturn... In recent years, heavy truck production has been increasing at double-digit rates. Industry has been forward buying trucks in advance of the new 2007 EPA regulation, which makes trucks more expensive. I expect we will see continued downturns in truck production going forward in the year...

Labels: production

Truck Driver Story * USA - Recounts life on the road

Sapulpa,OK,USA -The Sapulpa Daily Herald, by Jami Mattox -Feb 17, 2007: -- Robert “Popeye” Anderson has seen many changes in the trucking industry over the years... And in his 42 years of driving a truck, Anderson said he has had to fix plenty... Anderson, 64, has spent the past 15 years driving for Sapulpa-based John Christner Trucking, and he was recently awarded –– along with driver William Kemp –– for driving two million miles accident-free... “It’s the pride Popeye has (for his job), and it shows in how he includes the extras when doing his job, making it look seamless with no wrinkles,” said freight planner and driver manager Ron Higgins. “He would be the one that helps the driver that is broke down along side the road, offering assistance or giving food and blankets to someone who would be stranded in the snow, then walk away expecting nothing in return, but this is normal for him"... Anderson said he attributes his accomplishment to staying aware of his surroundings on the road and knowing when to take a break. “In this business, you pace yourself,” Anderson said. “A person knows how long they can go without endangering others"... But Anderson said he has had some close calls in his years on the road. “One time, I was coming off a mountain and lost my brakes,” Anderson recalled. “I came off a hill at 125 miles per hour. I drove through a rest area that was on the uphill and managed to stop. Then I had to hop out of the cab with a fire extinguisher because my brakes were on fire”...

Labels: drivers' stories

Rule * USA - Would slow big trucks

Input sought on requiring electronic speed control
Charleston,SC,USA -The Charleston Post Courier (subscription), by PETER HULL -Feb 17, 2007: -- How fast is too fast for a tractor-trailer?... For the next five weeks, the public can have their say on whether the top speed of medium and large trucks - a common sight on Charleston's highways and byways - should be limited... Under a proposed regulation, built-in electronic speed governors set at a maximum of 68 mph would be required on trucks manufactured after 1990 and weighing more than 13 tons. The equipment is already standard on trucks built after 1991. The new rules would regulate the setting of those devices... Steve Owings cofounded Road Safe America in honor of his 22-year-old son, Cullum, who died when his vehicle was hit by a speeding truck. He is calling on the public to support the measure. Every year, 5,000 people die and more than 130,000 are injured in trucking accidents, according to his group. "The 80-mph commercial truck has no place on our highways," Owings said... Rick Todd, president of the Columbia-based South Carolina Trucking Association, said regulating the top speed will be fairer for trucking companies and could give the industry a public relations boost. He stressed that under any regulations it's critical that a truck's engine is capable of maintaining 68 mph on inclines. Todd pointed out that the main reason truckers tend to accelerate as they reach a downhill slope is to gain momentum for the subsequent uphill climb... In an industry where time is money, there will always be drivers who wants to reach their destination quicker than anyone else. But the proposed regulation will likely improve the industry's image and level the playing field for all trucking companies, he said...

Labels: speed limits

DEBATE * USA - Leasing toll roads is the wrong fix for state money woes

By Bill Graves: Former governor of Kansas, is president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations

Salt Lake City,UT,USA -The Salt Lake Tribune -16 Feb 2007: -- I have a photo, from 1956... In those days a toll road was one of very few options available to states to build a freeway. Fifty years later toll roads are surging in popularity, but as a quick fix for state financial woes... With state budget shortfalls and a general unwillingness to raise taxes, state politicians are flocking to private investors for the highway equivalent of the payday loan... It is easy to see why politicians are tempted by this new scheme. The nation's highway system needs to grow and be maintained, but states are facing crushing debt loads. Funds to relieve these problems must come from somewhere... But the United States cannot maintain a national highway network if key segments are leased to the highest bidder. More than money is at stake. Leasing roadways allows states only to postpone, not solve, their budget problems, and without understanding the long-term implications... Privatization is dismantling the nation's interstate highway network. It's happening with the support and encouragement of the U.S. Department of Transportation and, until recently, without congressional review...

Labels: privatization toll roads

RESEARCH * UK - Transport Research Laboratory and Heriot Watt University want to hear from you

Do you want to run longer, heavier vehicles like the ones featured in the recent Institute of Road Transport Engineers event? Would you like to see LHVs trialed in the UK? Could LHVs reduce congestion on Britain's roads and improve the productivity of the road transport industry?

London,UK -Biglorryblog -17 Feb 2007: -- If you answered yes to any of those questions, and you're a UK truck operator, then the good folk at Transport Research Laboratory and Heriot Watt University want to hear from you... They've been charged by the Department for Transport to do research into the likely advatages (or otherwise) of running LHVs in the UK and they clearly need feedback from the very people who could end up running them--UK truck operators. And to give them your views from the sharp end all you have to do is go to http://www.trl.co.uk/lhv_survey/ and use the simple on-line questionnaire, especially if you think LHVs are a good idea, or would be beneficial for your business...

Labels: research

Marine highways? * USA - The cure for traffic congestion

USA - Layover, by Aaron Huff -16 Feb 2007: -- Recent studies suggest that moving more freight to rivers could alleviate congestion along some of the nation’s busiest freight corridors, such as Interstate 95 on the East Coast and the Ambassador Bridge crossing between the United States and Canada at Detroit... On Feb. 15, the U.S. House's Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation subcommittee, chaired by U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., held a hearing on short sea shipping (SSS) as a viable alternative to shipping freight by truck. The purpose of the hearing, Cummings said, was to determine whether government help is necessary for SSS to become a solution to traffic congestion...

Labels: Marine highways

BIOFUEL * USA - Delphi Builds Global Expertise in Biofuel Compatibility

Luxembourg -Auto Spectator (USA) -16 Feb 2007: -- A combination of research programs and world-leading field experience is helping Delphi ensure that its fuel systems customers are ready for rapid growth in the use of biofuels in every region... Delphi Corporation has stepped-up its global research into the many engineering challenges underlying the rapid growth in biofuel usage. The intention is to ensure that all Delphi fuel injection and fuel handling technologies meet the requirements of vehicle manufacturers for compatibility with high biofuel ratios ahead of market and legislative demand... The company has already supplied ethanol-compatible components for approximately 2.5 million vehicles worldwide and has uprated its diesel injection systems to be compatible with a 5 percent bio mix...

Labels: biofuels

* USA - Judges balk at suit over tire pressure

Federal appeals court takes hard look at law requiring tire inflation monitoring systems

Washington,DC,USA -The Detroit News, by David Shepardson -17 Feb 2007: -- A three-judge federal appeals court panel Friday questioned the legitimacy of a lawsuit that challenges a new federal regulation requiring tire pressure monitoring systems on all new vehicles starting this fall... Tire makers and auto safety group Public Citizen claim in their lawsuit that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's regulation falls far short of what Congress intended when it passed a 2000 law requiring that all vehicles be equipped with such monitors by Sept 1. The legislation came in the wake of a recall of 13 million tires on Ford Explorers and other vehicles that were linked to nearly 280 deaths...

Labels: security

AUTOS' NEWS

* USA - 5,500 Mich. jobs to be lost
Aulburn Hills,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Josee Valcourt -15 Feb 2007: -- Metro Detroit dodged a major plant closure in the Chrysler Group's massive restructuring, but the area will still bear the brunt of the automaker's job cuts... Chrysler will slash more than 3,600 factory jobs in the Detroit area by eliminating a shift at its truck plant in Warren and cutting work at engine plants, stamping plants and other facilities... (Photo by Steve Perez / The Detroit News: "It's not good news for Michigan at all," says Debra Morton, an assembler in the body shop of Warren Truck. "It's really hard on families when there are job cuts, loss of benefits, health and dental care.")

* USA - GM turns up $200M in earnings - Carmaker, which is working to straighten out accounting issues, restates finances after reviewing '02, '06 statements.
Detroit,Mich,USA - The Detroit News, by Sharon Terlep -Feb 17, 2007: -- General Motors Corp. has turned up an additional $200 million in earnings previously unaccounted for between 2002 and 2006 in a review of its financial statements that is almost complete, according to a Friday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission... The automaker, which has restated results seven times in the past two years, said it may request a 15-day extension of the March 1 SEC filing deadline. GM was initially expected to announce its 2006 results on Jan. 30...

* USA - DCX to sell U.S. brands in China
Detroit,Mich,USA - The Detroit News/Bloomberg News -Feb 17, 2007: -- DaimlerChrysler AG will start selling Dodge cars in China as it aims to expand in the world's fastest-growing auto market... Chrysler will introduce its first Dodge model, three Jeep models and one Chrysler vehicle in China later this year, the company said in an e-mailed statement Friday... DaimlerChrysler and its partners are spending 1.5 billion euros ($1.9 billion) in China on increasing capacity in a bid to win market share. Sales of the company's Mercedes-Benz sedans trail behind Volkswagen AG's Audi and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, which have both built cars locally for at least two years...

* USA - 2006 Ram pickups recalled by Chrysler
Detroit,Mich,USA - The Detroit News -Feb 17, 2007: -- DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler unit is recalling some 2006 Dodge Ram pickup trucks because their front-wheel bearings may not have enough grease... The action includes as many as 86,333 of the pickups built between Nov. 7, 2005, and April 27, 2006, the company told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration... The problem can cause noise and vibration that, if not addressed, could lead to a loss of control and a crash, the agency said...

Labels: autos news

"GREEN" NEWS

* USA - Plug And Play Car
NY,USA -Forbes, by Dan Lienert -9 Feb 2007: -- The issues of climate change and energy independence are prompting increasingly serious research into hydrogen cars... Earliest out of the gate? Ford Motor claims it has a milestone: the world's first drivable, hydrogen/electric, plug-in hybrid car, one that combines a hydrogen fuel cell generator with lithium-ion batteries to deliver more than 41 miles per gallon with zero emissions. The vehicle is a prototype version of Ford’s Edge SUV, equipped in this case with what Ford calls “HySeries” Drive...

* USA - Getting Green for Going Green
NY.USA -ForbesAutos.com, by Bonnie McGeer -7 Feb 2007: -- Bank of America is offering its employees an unusual benefit — $3,000 in cash for buying a new hybrid vehicle... A rebate on a new car is a common incentive from manufacturers. But hybrids are prompting a twist on that practice: An increasing number of environmentally minded companies outside the auto sector, including Google, are helping to incent sales. They are offering employees a bonus of sorts for getting a hybrid instead of a less fuel-efficient alternative...

* USA - Ports Seek LNG Trucks
Los Angeles,CA,USA -Los Angeles Business Journal (subscription), by ALLEN P. ROBERTS Jr. -16 Feb 2007: -- The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have issued a joint request to truck manufacturers and fleet management candidates to build and manage a new fleet of heavy duty trucks that would be powered by liquefied natural gas, instead of diesel... The effort is part of the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan, approved late last year, that seeks to reduce by 90 percent the particulate matter and nitrogen oxides produced by diesel engines...

Labels: green news

PROFITS, REVENUES & LOSSES

* USA - Goodyear Posts $358 Mln. 4Q Loss on Strike Impacts
USA -TTNews -16 Feb 2007: -- Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. reported Friday it lost $358 million in the fourth quarter due to a strike at 16 of its plants that reduced sales... The world’s largest tire maker’s loss was $2.02 per share, on sales of $4.98 billion. It had taken a $51 million loss, or 29 cents a share, on sales of $4.94 billion in the previous fourth quarter...

* France - Michelin Reports Lower Profit in 2006
Paris,France -TTNews -15 Feb 2007: -- Tire maker Michelin said Thursday it earned about $750 million or $5.20 a share in 2006, down from $1.17 billion or $8.04 in 2005... Michelin cited higher costs to close plants and to purchase raw materials as the main reasons for the drop in profits...

* USA - Carterpillar to Buy Back $7.5 Bln. in Stock Over Five Years
USA -TTNews/Bloomberg -15 Feb 2007: -- Diesel engine manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. plans to repurchase $7.5 billion of its stock in the five years, its fourth buyback since 1995, the company said Thursday... Caterpillar said it had returned $8.5 billion to stockholders through stock repurchases in the past 12 years...

Labels: profits revenues

Privatization * USA - ATA Testifies On NJ to reject it

USA -TTNews -15 Feb 2007: -- ATA and the New Jersey Motor Truck Association (NJMTA) testified before the New Jersey Assembly Transportation and Public Works Committee Thursday on the issue of privatization... Governor John Corzine, in his 2007 State of the State speech, raised the possibility of "monetizing" state assets. Legislation was introduced in early February authorizing the lease of the NJ Turnpike and Garden State Parkway. NJMTA's Executive Director Gail Toth and ATA Senior Vice President Tim Lynch urged Chairman Wisniewski and members of the committee to reject privatization of New Jersey's valuable highway assets and to protect the long-term interests of the public.

Labels: privatization toll roads

"DANCING IN THE TITANIC" ?? * USA

DaimlerChrysler shares surge on report of GM talks
San Francisco,CAL,USA -MarketWatch, by Gabriel Madway -Feb 16, 2007: -- DaimlerChrysler Ag shares surged more than 5% to $73.85, while shares of General Motors Corp. slipped around 1% to $36.12 after a news report surfaced that GM is in talks to buy Chrysler Group... According to a report in the industry trade publication Automotive News, which cited unnamed sources in Germany and the U.S., high-level talks are taking place between GM and DaimlerChrysler executives. DaimlerChrysler said Wednesday that all options are on the table as it restructures its U.S. unit...

* COMMENT: 1- An Independent Chrysler? No, But A Smaller One
New York,NY,USA -Forbes, by Jerry Flint -6 Feb 2007: -- Despite denials from headquarters in Germany, rumors keep popping up in Europe that DaimlerChrysler is about to sell or spin off its American Chrysler operations. This talk helped move its DCX stock past $63 recently... What is going on? Well, American Chrysler is losing money--$1.5 billion in the third quarter--and it is clear that some Germans, maybe even some on the key management and supervisory boards, would like to dump Chrysler. They consider the American cars lowbrow money losers compared with their ritzy Mercedes models wearing the three-pointed star... Of course, there are precedents for such a move. Daimler had control of Japanese Mitsubishi and gave it up. The Germans had a chunk of Korean Hyundai, too, and gave that up. BMW dumped Rover, and General Motors unloaded its pieces of Fiat, Suzuki, Subaru and Isuzu. Ford seems poised to sell Aston Martin. And for those of you with long memories, in 1964 Volkswagen bought a majority stake in Audi from Mercedes... History aside, I do not think that Mercedes will get rid of Chrysler anytime soon. The main reason is that the boss does not want to sell. Dieter Zetsche, chief executive of DaimlerChrysler, has said to more than one person that “Chrysler is not for sale.” I doubt there could be any breakup as long as he runs the parent company... There is history here too. Zetsche personally took over American Chrysler in 2000 and led a turnaround at the America company. His heroic performance here helped him win the top post at the parent firm... Still, you have to ask, could Chrysler and Daimler separate? The American company is using Mercedes technology in a number of models, even a diesel engine in its Jeep Grand Cherokee. I do not see this as a deal-breaker... An independent Chrysler, particularly if privately held, probably would be fast and aggressive with new models and global ambition. At least for now, Chrysler is likely to stay part of Mercedes, but it is interesting to speculate about the future...

* COMMENT: 2 - Will GM really buy Chrysler ?
Detroit,Mich,USA - The Detroit News, by Josee Valcourt & Sharon Terlep -17 Feb 2007: -- ... The question is whether GM has the appetite for a wholesale acquisition of Chrysler, which has an estimated $18 billion in health care liabilities and won't be profitable until 2008 at the earliest... One key labor leader at GM's Adam Opel AG subsidiary in Germany said a Chrysler acquisition is the last thing GM needs... "These are rumors and I hope, by God, GM wouldn't do anything like this," said Klaus Franz, who serves as deputy chairman of Opel's supervisory board. "We are on the right way to come back on track with the right products."...

* COMMENTS : 3- DaimlerChrysler shares rally on reports of GM talks
San Francisco,CAL,USA -MarketWatch, by Shawn Langlois -Feb 16, 2007: -- The speculation follows a busy day at the rumor mill Wednesday after DaimlerChrysler Chairman Dieter Zetsche said "all options are on the table."... "Nothing's changed," said GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson. "It's just speculation and we're not going to comment." Chrysler didn't immediately return calls... To Austin Ligon, former president and CEO of used-car seller CarMax, Inc., the whole idea makes no sense... "One always hesitates to underestimate GM's ability to shoot itself in the foot, but it seems inconceivable to me," he said. "What they need is fewer dealers, fewer models, and more sales per model and per dealer, and this does nothing to help that."... Wall Street Strategies analyst David Silver, who pointed to GM as a potential suitor a day earlier, said he'd be surprised if it happened this fast. "I thought this would wait at least until after the UAW talks," he said. "[GM CEO] Rick Wagoner worked too hard to free the company from debt and to bring back profitability, it just doesn't make sense to take on Chrysler right now."... Chrysler and GM have been mulling a possible alliance relating to large SUVs for six months, a discussion that probably evolved into something much more, according to Silver. "They were probably talking about an SUV deal and then figured 'let's just go all the way,'" he said. "DaimlerChrysler will get rid of Chrysler, I'm just not sure GM will be the buyer."... Burnham Securities analyst David Healy said that it makes more sense for the two rivals to work together on a single product than it does for them to combine... "I think that GM has a very full plate at the moment, and it's unlikely they'll even want to take on Chrysler," he said...

Labels: autos' news

"GREEN" NEWS * Canada - Canadian Trucking Alliance Welcomes Federal Environment Initiatives

Ottawa,ONT,CAN -Cantruck.com -Febr 15, 2007: -- The Canadian Trucking Alliance is giving a cautious “thumbs up” to today’s announcement in Trois Rivieres, QC, from federal transport minister, Lawrence Cannon, of a $61 million, four year program to help reduce the environmental and health effects of freight transportation. The program, dubbed the ecoFreight Program, is part of the Government of Canada’s overall environmental strategy and consists of six initiatives, two of which are specifically designed for the trucking industry, while the others are spread across all the modes...

Labels: green news

PROGNOSIS * USA - Cummins CEO warns of decline in truck sales

Naples,FL,USA -Reuters/CNN Money -Feb 15 2007: -- ... Cummins Inc., the U.S. diesel engine maker, expects North American heavy-duty truck sales could fall as much as 50 percent in 2007, thanks to a surge of buying ahead of new emissions standards, the company's top executive said Thursday...

Labels: prognosis

PRODUCTION * Argentine - Tata-Fiat alliance to make pick-up trucks

Mumbai,India -The Calcutta Telegraph (Calcutta,India) -Feb 14, 2007: -- The alliance between Tata Motors and Fiat Auto will now have global footprints. The companies have jointly started an industrial project that will make pick-up trucks in Argentina at an investment of $80 million... While the trucks will carry the Fiat brand name, they will be designed on the new generation Tata pick-up truck and manufactured at Fiat’s Cordoba unit in Argentina... The trucks will roll out of the Cordoba plant in 2008...

Labels: production

* USA - Big Orange Gets the Green Light to Operate in China

Shanghai,China & Green Bay,WIS,USA -Layover - Feb. 15, 2007: -- Schneider National, Inc., a premier provider of transportation, logistics and intermodal services today announced the company has been granted authority to operate as a domestic carrier and logistics services provider in the People's Republic of China... Schneider Logistics (Tianjin) Co. Ltd. has been established under the new authority to provide these services in China. Obtaining licensing, a critical component of the company's international strategy, makes Schneider the only North American truckload provider to establish a domestic business in China...

Labels: trade

SALES * Egypt - Oshkosh Truck Signs Contract To Provide Medium Tactical Trucks

To Egyptian Ministry of Defense
OSHKOSH,Wis,USA -Business Wire -Feb 14, 2007: -- Oshkosh Truck Corporation, announced today that the company has been awarded a contract by the Egyptian Ministry of Defense to provide specially designed military trucks for its logistics and transport requirements. The contract is valued at $4.9 million, covers 30 Medium Tactical Trucks (MTT), and is the first major international order for this model...

Labels: sales

TRUCKS

* Ireland - DAF gives better off-road trucking features - DAF has improvements to its truck range to make them more suited to working inn construction sites
Galway,Ireland -The Galway Independent -14 Feb 2007: -- DAF is introducing a number of new features to the CF truck models for the construction industry. The improvements give better driver comfort, ease of use and enhanced off-road characteristics... (Left picture)

* UK - A Debut from Volvo at the CV Show 2007

UK -TNN -15 Feb 2007: -- Volvo Truck and Bus will once again be exhibiting at the Commercial Vehicle Show to be held at the NEC, Birmingham from 24th to 26th April 2007 ... In addition to a comprehensive display of new trucks and even a ‘green’ Volvo Hybrid diesel–electric D7 engine on its stand at the CV Show in 2007, Volvo Trucks is also placing a big emphasis on its aftermarket business which will benefit all customers using the company’s Dealer Network through a programme called ‘Genuine Volvo Service’... (Right picture)

Labels: trucks

DOT’s Transportation Services Index * USA - Declines for 2006

Dip is First Since 2001; December Reading Climbs
USA -TTNews -14 Feb 2007: -- The U.S. Transportation Department’s transportation services index fell 0.4% in 2006, its first annual decline since 2001, DOT said Wednesday.The TSI is a combination of freight and passenger indexes. The freight level fell for a second straight year, dipping 2.3% following a 0.3% downturn in 2005. The 2006 falloff was the biggest drop since a 7% decline in 2000...

Labels: transportation indexs

Demand Grows * USA - For Transportation Sales Agents

USA -TTNews -15 Feb 2007: -- A time-honored axiom of business is that everything begins with a sale. It’s a truism that seems especially apt in the transportation industry... After all, motor carriers need to find freight to fill their trailers. Shippers need to find carriers to haul their commodities. Logistics firms and other transportation intermediaries must find freight and the means to haul it... Helping each of these parties get what they need is the job of a transportation sales agent... Sales agents have long been a part of the transportation business, often representing individual carriers or shippers and specializing in certain kinds of freight, such as rail intermodal or refrigerated truckload shipments...

Labels: transportation sales agent

SALES * USA - Medium and Heavy Truck Sales Down 2%

USA -Layover -13 Febr 2007: -- Medium and heavy trucks declined 2% in January, according to figures compiled by Wards Communications... Dealers sold 44,617 trucks with GVW ratings above 10,000 pounds during the month, compared to 45,371 in January 2006... Class 6 trucks led the way with an increase of 29% when compared with January 2006 sales. Class 8 was down 4% and Class 7 was down 7%... Overall, sales were down less than 1% -- 616,245 this January compared to 617,935 in January 2006... Brisk sales of light-duty trucks (GVW ratings of 10,000 pounds or less) boosted the overall market. Retail sales of Class 2 trucks were up 10%, from 146,372 to 161,346...

Labels: sales statistics

TECHNONEWS * USA - Trucking firm turns to RFID to fill black hole

Uses active tags to track containers to North Pole

Framingham,MA,USA -Computerworld, by Marc L. Songini -Febr 13, 2007: -- Horizon Lines Inc. has turned to radio frequency id

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28.2.07

* Spain - Nissan in deal to boost output of light trucks from plant in

AUTOMAKERS NEWS

* USA - Global Vehicle Technologies Unveils Next Generation Solenoid Valves

* USA - Oshkosh Truck awarded $878 million Army contract

* USA - Navistar suspends production of Ford diesel engine

* Canada - Trucking giant posts record result

Products * USA - Business advisors set up shop for truckers

* Canada - Fuel crunch threatens truckers

* USA - Picky Chrysler Gets Ready For Suitors

* USA - South Bay Expressway tolls will be $11.25 for trucks

‘Passenger Responsibility’ * USA - Indiana bill advances

Faulty sensor * USA - Leads to overcharges on Florida toll road

Ticket Quotas Stalls * USA - Utah bill to outlaw

"Hot Fuel" * USA - Pump technology could solve troubles altogether

Trucking Jobs * Canada - See: "Truckopolis"

Production * Japan - PM meets Russian colleague

Mexican Truckers * USA - To Get Full Access to US Roads

Truck Driving II * USA - The Deadliest Occupation ?

27.2.07

Truck Driving I * USA - The Deadliest Occupation ?

DEBATE * USA - Is the Wall Street Journal Playing Semantic Games in Its on Mexican Trucks Editorial?

Business * Sweden - Volvo pays $1.3bn for Ingersoll Rand unit

Business * Germany - VW may put whole trucks business into MAN/Scania

PURCHASES * USA - Modine Wins $6.2 Million Order from Oshkosh Truck

"GREEN" NEWS * USA - Electronic car tests pollution on the go

Trucking Regulations * USA - Should Apply to All For National Security’s Sake

AUTOMAKERS' NEWS * UK - Daimler may purchase minority stake in GM

Business * UK - Volvo trucks set to rumble into Asia

DEBATE * USA - Border opening about two months away

Health * USA - Truckers be wary

Police's Stories * USA - Trucker says sheriff’s deputies shocked him with stun gun seven times

A “flawed idea” * USA - ‘Ag fees’ on border blasted

Punishing the Police * USA - Trucker files federal civil rights suit against

Fuel shortage * Canada - Continues to impact Ontario

Fuel shortage * Canada - Continues to impact Ontario

EVENTS * Canada - Strategy Institute summit to focus on GTA traffic solutions

26.2.07

DEBATE * USA - Cross-Border Trucking Plan Draws Criticism

24.2.07

"Dinosaurs-Trucks" * USA - A couple of Continental twin

The very last * UK - Scania's T-Cab to be sold in the UK!

TRUCKS * Germany - A Man Who's Driven the Big Vee MAN

Off-Road Grade Diesel Fuel * Canada - Ontario Truckers Call Upon Feds to Allow

DRIVER HERO * USA - Rescues 4 victims of early-morning wreck

DEBATE * USA - DOT announces prescreening program for Mexican trucks

* Germany - DaimlerChrysler trucks business sees 2007 profit

Production * Indonesia - Hyundai to produce trucks and buses in Indonesia

AUTOMAKERS' NEWS * USA

AUTOMAKERS DANCE * usa -

Opinion * Canada - 10 reasons why the transportation world is becoming increasingly flat

Carbon Credits * USA - Hot Air Only in California

Bills * USA - Washington state bill would change intrastate truck rules

23.2.07

Stories * Sweden - More Scania eXc/Longline...

* Sweden - Praise for Scania's much-missed Longline

Laws * USA - Trucking group fighting snow, ice proposal

New program * USA - Allows FMCSA to safety audit Mexican firms wanting to haul in U.S.

Business * Sweden - Volvo aiming for 20-25% of Asian truck market

Faulty Trucks* USA - UPS under Attorney General investigation after lawsuit claims

Attention * India - Trucking to experience gold rush

* USA - Truckers must file e-summaries of cargo at borders

DEBATE: 97-foot-long multi-truck * USA - A Four-Way Stop Sign

HOS DEBATE * Australia

Storm * USA - Put big squeeze on trucking

Tax break * USA - Trucking firm gets

Fuel Shortage * Canada - Ontario Trucking Association Says Members Feeling Impact of

DEBATE * USA - Trucking industry divided over speed limiters

* Venezuela - To provide for cheap fuel to subsidize bus fares for London's poor

21.2.07

Business * Sweden - Scania signs MoU to acquire GM Powertrain's Sodertaelje plant

TRUCK SALES * Russia - Ural exports 221 trucks to Syria

Solution * Canada - N.B. invention solves anti-idling problem for truckers

Problems on the Road Ahead * USA - For Metal Haulers

AUTOMARKETS NEWS * China - By the Numbers