trucks world news: August 2008

The world's biggest truck? * UK - 250-ton giant coil carriers must be in

London,UK -Biglorryblog!/Photo by Dennis Child -29 Aug 2008: --

These coil carriers should do nicely reckons Biglorryblog. And the bloke standing in the front should give you some idea of the size of it...And here's where the gigant coil goes in the back. Wonder what the coil is for? Undersea communications cable? Oil Industry? Giant sewing machine? Anyone out there knows who makes them? Krupp perhaps?...

Labels: biggest trucks

PENALTIES * UK - Hauliers' appeals cut stowaway penalties

London,UK -Motor Transport/The Road Transport, by Chris Tindall -27 August 2008: -- Operators are successfully defending stowaway fines after Home Office figures obtained by MT through the Freedom of Information Act show that the average penalty notice is well below the £4,000 maximum... The most up-to-date figures show that during 2007/08, 2,085 penalty notices were served on hauliers and lorry drivers found transporting clandestine entrants into the UK. However, the revenue raised was £1.6m, which equates to an average fine of just £790. The Home Office can charge a maximum of £4,000 per stowaway found: £2000 for the operator and £2,000 for the driver... The figures were even worse in 2006/07, where an average £614 fine was raised for the 2,026 penalty notices issued. It has prompted the Road Haulage Association (RHA) to question why the government's system is such that hauliers can defend fines and have them reduced to around 80% of their original value... Peter Cullum, the RHA's head of international affairs, says the figures suggest that security procedures, or rather the lack of them outside the Channel ports, are allowing hauliers to mount credible defences against Home Office fines. He is now calling for changes in the law to take account of haulier experiences in the real world...

Labels: trucking's fines

TRUCKING INDUSTRY CRISIS * UK - Amtrak's last post?

London,UK -The Road Transport, by Dominic Perry/Motor Transport-27 August 2008: -- Falling volumes are being blamed for the collapse of business-to-consumer parcel carrier Amtrak, which went into administration on 22 August, putting 900 jobs at risk... Although a statement from administrator Ernst & Young says that it is "assessing the financial situation of the business" and warns about service disruption, several depots told MT that the business had ceased trading as of 26 August... However, MT was unable to confirm this as we went to press...

* 60 staff made redundant at Sandy McCracken

London,UK -Commercial Motor/The Road Transport, by Roanna Avison -26 August 2008: -- Sandy McCracken & Son has made 60 staff redundant after calling in provisional liquidators last Friday (22 August)... McCracken, which ran 45 trucks and 55 trailers, called in MLM Insolvency to investigate if it could continue operating and find a buyer, or whether it would have to go into liquidation... MLM partner Maureen Leslie says: "Sandy McCracken is still operating its biggest accounts and we are talking to some interested parties about selling the business which includes a 5.5-acre yard two miles off the M74"... Leslie adds that most of those made redundant were drivers...

Labels: trucking industry crisis

TRUCK MARKETS OPINION * Europe - Volvo: July Deliveries.

London,UK -The World Trucks Blog, by Oliver Dixon -27 Aug 2008: -- AB Volvo's policy of issuing concise, clear delivery reports on a monthly basis is one that we like; it is transparent, and says much about both the health of AB Volvo, and, by extension, the state of the global market(s) going forward... Both brands - Volvo and Renault - are again outpacing themselves in terms of year on year figures; YTD statistics show Volvo putting through 11358 units into Eastern Europe (which includes Russia) against 9958 during the same period last year, whilst Renault has scored 6808 so far this year, over 4776 during 2007. Very good; in sum, AB Volvo has delivered 3432 more trucks into Eastern Europe so far this year than it managed during the same period last year... We say: ... Eastern Europe. It can't decouple from Western Europe, and if Western Europe goes to the wall, then Eastern Europe will follow. And AB Volvo's deliveries? Do we feel foolish? No, but we will refer to the un-named AB Volvo spokesperson who is quoted by Reuters as saying: "The downturn regarding the economic situation in Europe, as well as high fuel prices, continues to affect the truck demand adversely. The demand on the North American market remains at a low level."... AB Volvo might appear to be overdoing the pessimism here... Or is it, in fact, being very cute in managing down expectations ahead of the carnage that we remain convinced will be visited upon the European truck markets - both West and East - as of the fourth quarter? To be in the black at present is a pretty good achievement, and AB Volvo's caution is therefore even more noteworthy...

Labels: opinions

OPINION * UK - The Commoditzation of Transport and the End of Brand

London,UK -The World Trucks Blog, by Oliver Dixon -30 Aug 2008: -- One issue that applies to each OEM in equal measure is that of the diminishing value of brand within the transport sector. This is a philosophical as opposed to a quantitative discussion, and one that does not lend itself to ready measurement, but we make no apologies for posting it here, as it is one of the key developments that we see likely as the Commercial Vehicle industry moves forwards... The consolidation of OEMs, which have, over the past three decades, morphed from small, nationally-focussed assembly operations into regional and, increasingly, global full-line manufacturing businesses has been one of the key trends observed within the Commercial Vehicle industry over the past thirty years... But such consolidation has not just been witnessed on the supply side of the industry. Increasingly, the profile of the end user is changing... Many vehicles are already sold on the basis of guaranteed uptime. Should an OEM enter the market with some means of underwriting cost, it would get a hearing. There seems to be no reason why this OEM should be one with its roots away from the Triad -Europe, North America and Japan -... We make this argument for the simple reason that manufacturing location is no longer an issue in most procurement decisions... A Chinese or an Indian-sourced truck with a guaranteed cost ceiling would be an eminently palatable proposition for any logistics operation... This is a view of a future, and one that may be some way away. However, we see the European truck market - and, by extension - the entire Triad market - as being receptive to one more cohort shift. Today's global logistics industry is populated one the demand side by global companies providing a commodity product. That the supply side should follow suit would seem to be an inescapable conclusion...

Labels: opinions

Blockade's Impact * India - On Kashmir's economic, to continue longer

Srinagar,India -The Economic Times (Gurgaon,Haryana,India) -30 Aug, 2008: -- The impact of the recent economic blockade in J&K is will be quite huge for governor N N Vohra’s administration to handle once normalcy returns to the valley... The Srinagar-Jammu-Pathankot highway is now normal, and traffic has already resumed. Officials say between July 30 and August 29: 16,229 trucks loaded with petrol, food and provisions reached Srinagar. But nobody in the administration is willing to admit that a daily caravan of 524 Srinagar-bound trucks is less than half of the average and the outgoing 103 trucks a day is less than one-fourth of the 2007 average...

Labels: after strikes

TRUCKING MARKETS WORLDWIDE * Bulgaria - 1,200 trucks pass Varna Port a day

Varna,Bulgaria -FOCUS News Agency, by Dimitar DIMITROV -30 August 2008: -- 1,200 T.I.R. trucks pass the Port of Varna a day over the recent days, Varna Port Director captain Danail Papazov told... He thinks this is a sign for the need of new facilities... Captain Papazov added that besides the new container terminal, a modern port grain elevator was also necessary because it would allow the quick processing of ships loaded with grain...

Labels: trucking markets

Trucker's Thought * USA - This is National Truck Driver Appreciation Week.

... But to truck drivers like me, it's a special time when people across the country congratulate me for the hard work I do to keep America moving...

Lanesville,Ind,USA - The Courier Journal (Louisville,KY), by RICHARD W. CROWDER -30 Aug 2008: -- ...Most Americans don't recognize the vital role the trucking industry plays in our everyday lives. There are over 3 million tractor trailers on America's highways, and they're being driven by over 3.5 million truck drivers. In 2006, the trucking industry hauled 10.7 billion tons of freight, representing nearly 70 percent of the total U.S. freight tonnage... Virtually every commodity that we Americans consume, from school supplies to tires to baby formula, is delivered by a truck driver just like me. In fact, over 80 percent of our communities are serviced exclusively by trucks... We like to think of ourselves as the backbone of our nation's economy... Over the past 20 years, there has been a 51 percent increase in registered large trucks and an 84 percent increase in miles traveled by large trucks. Despite the enormous numbers of miles traveled and freight hauled, the trucking industry's safety record is second to none... Truck drivers have families, too, and we all take our commitment to keeping the roads safe very seriously, because it could be our son or daughter on the road. The industry's safety statistics reflect our commitment... The life of a truck driver is not always easy, and it can often be a stressful job. We tend to drive long distances through heavy traffic and spend long periods of time away from our families. But we do our job with pride because we know that our efforts are an essential part of the American way of life... So as you're closing out the summer with one final picnic or yet another trip to your local mall for school clothes and supplies, remember that everything you're eating and buying was delivered by a hard-working truck driver just like me. We don't need a National Truck Driver Appreciation Week to do our job, but it sure is nice to hear someone say "thanks" for a job well done... (Video from YouTube, by bigbcommish -May 19, 2007: "A Truckers Life" - A daily look at a truckers life. Somtimes it isn't all that bad)

Labels: truckers' thought

RECALLS * USA - GM Recalls 944,000 Cars, Trucks for Electrical Flaw

MICH,USA -Bloomberg, by Greg Bensinger -Aug. 29, 2008: -- General Motors Corp., the largest U.S. automaker, recalled 944,000 sedans, sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks worldwide because of a potential short circuit in a system that heats windshield-wiper fluid... The voluntary recall affects 16 models from 2006 to 2008 that have the system, the Detroit-based automaker said in a letter posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Web site. Of the vehicles, 857,735 are in the U.S... There have been three reported fires related to the problem, with no accidents or injuries, GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson said today in an interview...

Labels: recalls

Poll: Truckers livin' better * USA - Healthier lifestyles and access to technology more common

Many of today's truck drivers debunk the myths that have surrounded them for decades

Indianapolis,IND,USA -The Indianapolis Star, by Dana Hunsinger -August 30, 2008: -- They tote laptops and talk on BlackBerrys. They work out at the gym and eat low-fat lunches... In an effort to humanize America's 3.4 million truck drivers, Evansville-based Atlas Van Lines conducted a survey of nearly 600 of its drivers. The questionnaire asked everything from what stretch of U.S. highway is the most boring (I-10 in California) to what antacid gets rid of heartburn the best (Tums)... The survey found truck drivers don't quite live up to the stereotype, but instead are health- conscious, tech-savvy and family-oriented... Other trucking companies also have recognized drivers' desires to be more healthy. Indianapolis-based Celadon recently developed a Highway 2 Health wellness initiative that includes yoga classes and a 12-week Weight Watchers course... But John Wright isn't so sure that's the case. As he stepped off his semi at the Pilot station in Lapel last week, he said he isn't convinced his occupation has changed all that much...

Labels: truckers' way of life

TRUCKING MARKETS * Romania - Top ten largest local trucking companies comfortable with foreign competition

Romania’s joining the European Union and massive foreign investments over the past 10 years prompted a boom in local transportation fleets

Bucharest,Romania -Financiarul -1 Sept 2008: -- Together, the top 10 local trucking companies hold a combined 7,000 trucks and can comfortably cope with competition from international giants, counting on the trump of smaller wages and high labor availability; on the other hand, they are also faced with workforce migration abroad, writes daily Ziarul Financiar in its Aug. 21 issue. According to the paper, truck traffic is the best barometer for economic development... According to Ion Lixandru, vice-president of the National Road Haulers Union (UNTRR), large companies on the market will further grow because high freight amounts will allow them to save on procurement, and adjoined services will bring them new clients, whereas small companies will enter associations. Thus, pressure from more expensive fuels and competition from foreign haulage companies could sieve the players on this segment...

Labels: trucking markets

CLEAN TRUCKS DEBATE * USA - Truckers Grind Gears Over Subsidies

Newcomers get cash for clean vehicles to veterans’ dismay

Los Angeles,CAL,USA -The Los Angeles Business Journal, by RICHARD CLOUGH -1 Sept 2008: -- A recent move by the Port of Los Angeles to spur interest in its fast-approaching program to replace old diesel trucks is drawing outrage from small local motor carriers that believe they are being unfairly driven out of the port freight business... The port unexpectedly approved a pair of incentive programs Aug. 21 that would award as much as $30,000 per truck to motor carriers operating less-polluting new diesel rigs as a way to encourage them to service the port... But since most of the small local trucking companies will have to pay tens of thousand of dollars to buy new trucks, they are at a distinct disadvantage to larger firms, some motor carriers say... The new incentives were prompted, officials said, by concerns that there will not be enough approved short haul trucks when the program starts Oct. 1... On that date, all trucks built before 1989 will be banned from the port. Even cleaner trucks will be required in the future... However, the result has been that at least three big out-of-state motor carriers that have new fleets already meeting the program’s guidelines are in line to receive millions of dollars in subsidies – while taking work away from smaller, local carriers... Meanwhile, smaller local trucking companies say the way the port’s incentives are now structured is tilted in favor of large carriers, some of whom not only may be out of state but may even have never served the ports...

Labels: Clean Truck Program debate

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * USA - Hybrid trucks appeal to municipalities, businesses

Hybrid trucks could become the standard for municipal government and businesses in central Wisconsin if the potential benefits hold true

Mosinee,WIS,USA -The Wausau Daily Herald, by Brian Reisinger -August 30, 2008: -- ... Truck dealer Wisconsin Kenworth displayed its new medium-duty hybrid trucks Thursday for local municipalities and businesses, highlighting fuel savings and lower emissions... The trucks' performance and potential for economic and environmental benefits impressed municipal officials and business owners -- though some are more ready to commit than others, and money remains the major hurdle... The hybrid trucks use an electric motor to help with acceleration and to run attachments such as utility arms with buckets. The trucks are powered by a diesel engine at about 30 mph... The trucks can improve fuel efficiency by between 30 percent and 60 percent, but they also cost up to $40,000 more... Wausau could begin replacing its utility trucks with hybrids within three years, said Don Skare, the city's streets superintendent... (Photo by Butch McCartney/Wausau Daily Herald - Rob Redeker of Wisconsin Kenworth talks about the company’s hybrid utility trucks on Thursday during an event held to showcase the vehicles and educate people about them)

Labels: truckmakers' news USA

Report * USA - Trucking Industry Has High Rate of Workplace Injuries, Costs

Washington’s trucking industry experiences $265 million in claims each year for musculoskeletal disorders

WASH,USA -Occupational Hazards (Cleveland,OH), by Sandy Smith -August 29, 2008: -- Truck drivers experience some of the highest rates of workplace injuries in Washington state, according to a new report from the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I).The report, Preventing Injuries in the Trucking Industry Focus Report, includes information to help employers reduce common workplace hazards... The report covers the years 1997-2005 and concludes that Washington’s trucking industry experiences $265 million in claims each year for musculoskeletal disorders, the general term for injuries to muscles, tendons and joints. Vehicle-collision injuries also are expensive for the trucking industry, averaging $46,500 per claim, though the injuries occur far less frequently than musculoskeletal disorders...

Highlights from the report include:

* The trucking industry accounts for 10 percent of Washington state’s work-related fatalities. There were 63 fatalities among trucking industry employees between 1998 and 2005.

* Among Washington’s truck drivers, 1 in 13 is seriously injured on the job each year, resulting in a workers’ compensation claim for lost work time, as well as medical costs.

* From 1997 to 2005, there were more than 21,000 claims for lost work time and almost 38,000 medical-only claims in Washington’s trucking industry.

Labels: reports

STORMS' TIMES * USA - Gulf Oil Rigs Evacuated as Hurricane Gustav Strengthens

Storm Could Hit Land by Tuesday, Forecasters Say

Arlington,VA,USA -Transport Topics -29 Aug 2008: -- Workers evacuated offshore oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico Friday as Hurricane Gustav strengthened, potentially threatening the same region that Hurricane Katrina devastated three years ago, news reports said... Gustav, which became a hurricane Tuesday but was downgraded to a tropical storm the past few days as it brushed land in Haiti and Jamaica, was upgraded to a hurricane Friday afternoon, the Associated Press reported... Crude oil fell 13 cents Friday to $115.46 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, Bloomberg reported...

Labels: oil and storms

Lenght Limits * USA - North Carolina law eases length limits on some roads

A new law in North Carolina soon will allow longer tractor-trailers on more roads throughout the state

NC,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Keith Goble -August 29, 2008: -- ... State law already allows 53-foot trailers on 5,600 miles of interstates and designated highways. Trucks are limited to 48-foot trailers on all other roadways... Gov. Mike Easley signed a bill into law that increases the length of trailers allowed on the state’s primary roads to 53 feet. From the main roads, trucks will be allowed to travel up to three miles on their tributaries...

Labels: trucks' lenght limits

Transportation Worker Identification Credential * USA - More ports set mandatory TWIC enforcement dates

The Transportation Security Administration has released its plan to phase-in requirements of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential card at specific port locations for drivers and other workers needing unescorted access through secured areas

Grain Valley,MO,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Charlie Morasch -August 29, 2008: -- Dec. 30 will be the deadline for TWIC compliance at port zones in Baltimore, MD; Delaware Bay in New Jersey and Delaware; Mobile, AL; the Lower Mississippi River; the Ohio Valley; Pittsburgh, PA, and San Diego, CA.
That means specific ports at Annapolis, MD; Philadelphia, PA; Camden, NJ; Gulfport, MS; Memphis, TN; Cincinnati, OH; Pittsburgh, PA; and San Diego, CA, among others, will be enforcing the TWIC requirement before 2009... The TWIC program will require more than 1.5 million port employees, longshoremen, mariners, truckers and others who require unescorted access to secure areas of ports to have background checks before being issued cards with their biometric data and residency documentation...

Labels: TWIC

Empty Mile Fuel Surcharge * USA - Trucking company implements new policy to pay for

With fuel prices still above the $4 mark, Daily Express Inc. has started offering a program to help owner-operators offset their fuel costs by offering to pay them for their empty miles

Carlisle,PA,USA -Land Line Magazine -August 29, 2008: -- ... Todd Long, president and chief financial officer of Daily Express, headquartered in Carlisle, PA, told Land Line earlier this summer that the company decided to implement this empty mile fuel surcharge policy because they understand that high fuel costs are a huge burden for owner-operators to bear right now... “We view this as an opportunity to help our owner-operators out right now as fuel prices continue to force so many out of trucking business,” he said. “By paying deadhead miles, maybe we can help relieve some of their stress and make things a little easier for them”... He said the empty fuel surcharge payment is based on the loaded miles the load owner-operators are hauling, not the actual empty miles to the next load. When customers provide the company with backhaul freight, the empty mile fuel surcharge will not apply, nor will it apply on loads to the Midwest states of Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Missouri... (Photo: Daily Express Inc.'s headquarter in Carlisle,PA)

Labels: fuel surcharges

Truck or train * Australia - Transport chiefs fight for handouts

A battle between road and rail has broken out as negotiations continue over the best way to tackle climate change

Sydney,New South Wales,Australia -The Sydney Morning Herald, by Cathy Alexander -August 29, 2008: -- ... Thirty of the country's transport chiefs met the Federal Climate Change Minister, Penny Wong, in Parliament House yesterday to discuss climate change... Railway representatives told a transport forum yesterday they were a clean, green transport mode which deserved a major nation-wide boost... But trucking groups asked for more protection under emissions trading to shield them - and consumers - from higher costs... Emissions trading is due to start in 2010, but Bryan Nye, chief executive of the Australasian Railway Association, said the scheme would favour the trucking industry too much...

Labels: trucks or train

Diesel Exhaust Fluid * USA - DEF infrastructure in good shape

USA -FleetOwner, by Brian Straight -Aug 28, 2008: -- With all the major manufacturers now settled on their engine solutions for 2010 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) compliance, the focus is shifting to the infrastructure for diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) distribution... Asked if the distribution network will be in place by 2010, Dave Uschwald, director of SCR infrastructure development for Detroit Diesel Corporation, says yes. Detroit Diesel has joined other industry leaders in the North American SCR Stakeholders Group, an organization founded a few years ago primarily by the auto industry, and now promoting DEF distribution and education for the trucking industry...

Labels: DEF

TRUCKERS' SHORTAGE * Canada - Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP)

Lethbridge,Alberta,Canada -Trucking Life, by Lyndon Lomanovskis -August 29, 2008: -- To address the critical skill shortage of workers in the Alberta Trucking Industry, the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) will consider an employer’s business case for the select occupation of Long Haul Truck Driver... Please note that on June 19, 2008, the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) became the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP)... What is the AINP? The AINP is an immigration program operated on behalf of the Government of Alberta by the Ministry of Employment and Immigration in conjunction with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to expedite the processing of an application for permanent residence... The AINP is designed to support Alberta's economic growth by attracting labour-market-destined immigrants to the province... Individuals nominated by the Province of Alberta, together with their spouse and dependent children, are eligible to apply for a permanent resident visa through CIC as a Provincial Nominee. CIC expedites permanent resident applications from Provincial Nominees and makes final decisions on the permanent resident applications...

Labels: drivers' shortage solutions

DRIVERS' HEALTH * USA - Poor Vision, Drowsy Driving Deadly

More than 11M Americans have uncorrected vision problems - 85% of information needed for safe driving is visual

USA -PRNewsWire -August 22, 2008: -- Poor vision and drowsy driving just as deadly as poor road conditions and drunk driving. Fatality rate at nighttime (6:00 P.M. - 6:00 A.M.) 3X higher than daytime rate... Vision Council and the National Sleep Foundation joining forces to educate drivers. Get regular comprehensive eye exams from an eye doctor... Always clean and wear prescription eyewear... Wear anti-reflective (AR) lenses to eliminate lens glare ... Get adequate sleep (7-9 hours for most adults)... Schedule breaks every 100-miles/2 hours and arrange for a travel companion...Driver fatigue causes estimated 1,550 deaths, 71K injuries and $12.5B in monetary losses/year...

Labels: Truckers' Health

Study * USA - Following Too Close Indicted in Rear-End Crashes

Rear-end crashes one of most common for most types of fleets

USA -Automotive Digest -29 Aug 2008: -- Following too close is major problem. Make up 17% of all claims, cost over $13K per claim, according to Risk Management News. FMCSA: truck-striking, truck-struck collisions make up 18% of large truck accidents... DriveCam Inc analysis revealed much higher risk of rear-end collisions if vehicles maintain less than 2-seconds following distance. Most driver training programs recommend 3 or 4 seconds following distance. Change in speed, interruption to flow of traffic factors in rear-end crashes... On city streets, more rear-end crashes occur in farthest right lane due to traffic flow changes, left lane next most frequent, center lane least... (Picture: Under harm - New EU laws mean trucks’ underrun bars are stronger – but ADAC test proved that protection is still insufficient)

Labels: studies

TRUCKING INDUSTRY CRISIS * USA - Farmington trucking company to close; 100 to lose jobs

Rochester,NY,USA -The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, by James Goodman -August 29, 2008: -- When Ed Fosdick, vice president of operations for Priority Transportation in Farmington, began to explain why the company with 100 employees is going out of business, he cited the names of several other trucking companies that have also closed down... In addition to the 100 workers who are losing their jobs at Priority's office on Collett Road in the Ontario County community, another 100 employees in Chesterton, Ind., will also lose their jobs, along with about 500 truck drivers... Priority Transportation has run the business in Farmington since 2002... (Photo: When Ed Fosdick, vice president of operations for Priority Transportation in Farmington, began to explain why the company with 100 employees is going out of business, he cited the names of several other trucking companies that have also closed down)

* Celadon to assist Priority with loads

USA -FleetOwner -Aug 27, 2008: -- Citing rising operating costs, Priority Transportation has reached agreement with Celadon Group for Celadon to cover customer loads and assist in the collection of tractors and trailers as well as accounts receivables. Celadon will not purchase any assets under the deal, Celadon said... A Celadon subsidiary signed what the company called a “receivables collection and equipment marshalling agreement” with Priority Transportation, a subsidiary of Priority America. Under terms of the agreement, Celadon has agreed to use “reasonable efforts” to cover certain loads and assist in the retrieval of equipment and collections...

Labels: trucking industry crisis

CONCESSION PLANS' SUIT * USA - IANA backs ATA's lawsuit against L.A.-area ports'

The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) supports the American Trucking Associations' (ATA) lawsuit against the concession plans of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif.

Milwaukee,WI,USA -Progressive Rail Roading -29 Aug 2008: -- In July, the ATA — with the support of its Intermodal Motor Carriers Conference — filed suit in the U.S. District Court in California challenging the concession plans that were approved by the cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and the harbor commissions. The plans call for limiting access to the ports to trucking companies that have entered into concession contracts approved by the port program administrator... They agree in principle with ATA's arguments that, if enacted, the concession plans would result in the unlawful regulation of the port trucking industry, violate the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 and Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, and restrict the ability of the competitive marketplace to determine the way transportation services are delivered...

Labels: concession plans suits

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * USA

* Kenworth Tops JD Power Rankings for Big Trucks

USA -Automotive Digest -29 Aug 2008: -- JD Power releases 2008 Heavy-duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Survey, that measured satisfaction w/ owners of 2-year-old Class 8 trucks... Kenworth ranks highest in over-the-road segment for 4th straight year; Freightliner next. Also Kenworth tops in vocational segment for 2nd straight year; Western Star next. Mack Trucks tops in dealer service; Kenworth, Sterling follow... Satisfaction based on performance, quality, warranty, costs... Other conclusions: Industry facing slump that doesn't appear to end... Owners who "definitely will" purchase new truck at lowest level since 2002... 25% say they will purchase or lease next year. That's down from 41% in 2006 when truck sales at historic highs... Only 54% of fleet owners will add new trucks, down from 63%...

* Kenworth goes green with revamped trucks - Hybrid models becoming popular as fuel prices increase

ASHWAUBENON,WI,USA -The Green Bay Press Gazette (Green Bay,WI), by Nathan Phelps -August 29, 2008: — At first glace, the white T270 Kenworth delivery truck looks like many others you see on the road... But what sets this vehicle apart from others — to the eye — is a gray box about the size of an oversized piece of luggage attached to the chassis frame on the driver's side... That box, and the 340-volt lithium-ion battery pack in it, are part of a diesel-electric hybrid system that Kenworth and other truck manufacturers are rolling out in the face of $4.18 diesel prices (the average in Wisconsin on Wednesday) and tightening environmental expectations... (Photo by Jim Matthews/Press-GazetteKenworth salesman Joe Morris demonstrates the new hybrid utility vehicle technology Wednesday at Wisconsin Kenworth. The new technology allows the vehicle's diesel engine to be shut off while the boom runs on electric power)

Labels: truckmakers' news USA

CORPORATIVE NEWS * USA - National Association of Small Trucking Companies

By David Owen: President - National Association of Small Trucking Companies

Hendersonville,TN,USA -TruckExec, by Joe White -28 Aug 2008: -- Our members represent arguably the largest niche (by carrier) in the trucking industry, i-e., for-hire, full truckload, long haul companies with fewer than 100 power units. Generally speaking, most of them have a simple operating plan that operates on a weekly cycle. Their trucks and drivers are outbound on Sunday evening or Monday morning and back on Friday evening in time for the local high school football game. The trucks go through the maintenance shop on Saturday while the driver restarts with family time... During the Monday through Friday road week, the goal of the company is secure for the truck and the driver, the maximum number of loaded miles with a profitable rate and a fuel surcharge that can be run safely and legally. Our small carriers cannot grow or prosper without giving their drivers consistent loaded miles, and consistent weekend family time, plus consistent weekly maintenance on their rolling stock... Since they must run every week to retain customers and drivers, they must buy over-the-road diesel fuel no matter what the price. Fuel surcharges have helped mitigate the recent unprecedented eighteen month movement of fuel, but there is always a time lag that is seldom recovered and, no one collects a fuel surcharge 100% of the time. Needless to say, the last eighteen months have not been profitable ones for any segment of the trucking business for this reason... Beginning in June however, I feel the dynamics in the market showed some signs of changing for the better...

Labels: corporative news

Alternative Fuels * USA - Long Term Biodiesel Study Results To Date Positive

About a long term biodiesel study that was underway called the Two Million Mile Haul

Washington,DC,USA - American Fuels, by mus302 -August 27, 2008: -- The Two Million Mile Haul is being conducted by Decker Truck Lines and the National Biodiesel Board along with other sponsors and is meant to demonstrate the effectiveness of B20 biodiesel for the over the road trucking industry.The study is nearing completion with about 200,000 miles left. Results to date were released last week and showed positive results... Data collected from each truck’s electronic data recorder this summer shows fuel efficiency for the B20 blend comparable to that of petroleum diesel... Biodiesel acts as an engine lubricant; biodiesel offers significantly higher cetane numbers, reduces harmful emissions and adds national fuel production, and biodiesel offers a fleet the opportunity to market itself as a ‘green’ transporter to today’s environmentally-conscience corporations... These findings mimic fuel efficiency test results released this week by the National Renewable Energy Lab and the National Biodiesel Board, showing comparable mileage between B20 and ultra-low sulfur diesel...

Labels: alternative fuels

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS WORLDWIDE

* China - Largest Truck Company’s Profit Rises 40%

Hong Kong,China -Bloomberg/Transport Topics -28 Ago 2008: -- China’s largest truck maker, Sinotruk, boosted a first-half profit 40% as consumers rushed to buy vehicles before the introduction of a new emissions regulation... Net income jumped to $112.5 million in the first six months of this year, from last year's $80.7 million, the truck maker said in a Hong Kong Stock Exchange statement, Bloomberg reported... Sales jumped 50% to $2.5 billion, Sinotruk said... Sinotruk sold 67,694 heavy trucks in the first six months of 2008 — 57% higher than last year... Sales were more than double the pace of China’s industry-wide vehicle market, as drivers bought vehicles ahead of the implementation of the Euro III standard, which went into effect in July in China...

* USA - ArvinMeritor Dedicates Mexico Plant

USA - Transport Topics -28 Aug 2008: -- Truck components maker ArvinMeritor Inc. said it dedicated a new $30 million manufacturing facility in northern Mexico for trucks built in the United States and Canada... The 400,000-square-foot facility, which eventually will employ 500 people, is already in operation near Monterrey, Mexico, the company said in a statement... The plant will initially produce bevel gearings, where axes of two shafts intersect and the tooth-bearing faces of the gears are conically shaped, and front non-drive steer axle assemblies for U.S. and Canadian truck assembly plants...

Labels: truckmakers news worldwide

TRANSPORT STATISTICS * USA

* Truck Tonnage Gains 4.4% in July

Washington,DC,USA -Transport Topics -28 Aug 2008: -- Truck tonnage jumped 4.4% in July from a year earlier, marking the eighth straight year-over-year increase, American Trucking Associations said... Tonnage fell 0.3% from June, marking the first month-to-month decline since January, ATA said in its monthly seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage index... Year-to-date, the index was up 3.6% compared with the same period in 2007. Tonnage contracted 1.7% and 1.5% in 2006 and 2007 in that seven-month period, respectively...

* NAFTA Surface Trade Jumps 6.6%

Washington,DC,USA - Transport Topics --28 Aug 2008: -- Surface trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico jumped 6.6% in June from a year ago, the Department of Transportation said Thursday... Trade among the North American Free Trade Agreement partners rose to $74.1 billion from a year ago, DOT’s Bureau of Trade Statistics said in its monthly report... Truck imports to the United States slipped 0.2% year-over-year to $24.4 billion, while exports rose 7.9% to $24.8 billion...

Labels: transport statistics

ROAD FUNDS IDEAS * USA - Premium Lanes or Truck-Only Toll Lanes in New Jersey

NJ,USA -Out of Control, by bobpoole -August 28, 2008: -- Now that Gov. Jon Corzine’s plan to “monetize” the New Jersey Turnpike to pay down state debt has been abandoned, the state still faces the need to come up with $2 billion to fund a long-needed widening of 35 miles of the Turnpike’s central section. Two senior legislative leaders have come up with an innovative proposal: let the private sector finance the expansion via premium tolls it could charge if the new lanes became premium lanes, either for congestion-relief (express toll lanes) or specialized truck-only toll (TOT) lanes. As Peter Samuel points out in a recent article, there is a strong case for the TOT lanes alternative... First, the planned widening would follow the same lane configuration that already exists north of that 35-mile section: a so-called dual-dual configuration in which there are two separate three-lane sections northbound and the same thing southbound (3/3/3/3). Currently, the inner three lanes each direction are cars-only, with mixed traffic in the outer lanes. But under a TOT lanes alternative, trucks (and buses) could be required to use the inner lanes, which would be built strong enough to handle the heavy weights and axle loadings. The outer lanes, if reserved for light vehicles (cars, SUVs, pickup trucks), could easily be re-striped to 11 feet instead of the current 12 feet, for a resulting configuration of 4/3/3/4...

Labels: fund roads ideas

NATIONAL DRIVER APPRECIATION * USA - CSXI Celebrates Week

Jacksonville,FLA,USA -MarketWatch -Aug 28, 2008: -- As part of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, CSX Intermodal (CSXI) is paying tribute to its owner-operators with events at many of the terminals where trains exchange containers and trailers with trucks... Truck drivers arriving at many of CSXI's 40 terminals are greeted by banners proclaiming "thank you." Meals are being served and gifts ranging from commemorative caps to sunglasses and tread gauges are being handed out... CSX Intermodal, a subsidiary of CSX Corporation, is the nation's only stand-alone integrated terminal company serving clients from origin to destination with its own truck and terminal operations plus a dedicated domestic container fleet...

* Truck Driver Appreciation

Arlington,VA,USA -Editorial from Transport Topics -28 Aug 2008: -- A good rule of thumb is that you cannot appreciate truck drivers too much. Considering how long the hours, how hard the work, how demanding the enormous responsibility of safely piloting a large vehicle through every imaginable condition imposed by traffic, weather and customer, the job of truck driving rarely earns a full and just reward. But we’re convinced that expression of admiration for what America’s 3.5 million professional drivers accomplish on a daily basis carries a certain value... That’s what National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is all about — a big community hug, a many-handed pat on the back from all of us who depend on what drivers do... In a sense, then, the week and the championships are the embodiment of the respect owed to America’s truck drivers, who drove 400 billion miles last year to deliver the materials of our lives... The drivers richly deserve any reward we can offer...

Labels: drivers' appreciation

Hydrogen Hybrid Technologies * USA - Prepares For Car & Light Truck Aftermarket

Initial Field Trials Successfully Completed

Pickering,ONT,CAN -MarketWatch (CAL,USA) -Aug 28, 2008: -- Hydrogen Hybrid Technologies Inc. and Canadian Hydrogen Energy Company are pleased to announce that, in response to unprecedented demand and in line with its marketing plan, initial field trials have been successfully completed on a Hydrogen Fuel Injection (HFI) system specifically for the Car & Light Truck aftermarket... HFI technology is installed as an add-on to diesel and gasoline engines where it significantly reduces a wide variety of emissions (CO, PM, HC, CO2 and NOx) while simultaneously reducing fuel consumption. Currently, HFI units are being used by long-haul transport trucks, ambulances, municipal buses and other heavy equipment, earning HFI the dominant position as the world's most widely-used on-board electrolysers. The technology is based on electrolysis and the units split water, on-board the ambulance, then vent the hydrogen and oxygen directly into the air intake of the engine. Adding hydrogen significantly improves the efficiency of combustion, in the engine, with significant financial and environmental benefits...

* USA - New Catalyst Boosts Hydrogen as Transport Fuel

OH,USA -The Guardian Unlimited (London,UK), by Alok Jha -21 Aug 2008: -- Umit Ozkan, an Ohio State University professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, has unveiled an inexpensive method of producing hydrogen from biofuel. She and her team have formed a catalyst that enables hydrogen to be produced from ethanol in the absence of high temperatures or costly metals... The discovery could potentially make it easier to manufacture the gas on a wide scale. Ozkan's catalyst is made from common metals like calcium, cobalt, and cerium oxide. Researchers say the catalyst can generate hydrogen with 90 percent efficiency at approximately 350 degrees Celsius, which is regarded as a low temperature industrially. Ozkan notes that the catalyst costs just $9 per kilogram, compared to $9,000 per ounce for a rhodium-based catalyst. Producing hydrogen from ethanol results in waste gases like carbon dioxide, which researchers say can be sequestered and stored, and methane, which can be combusted to provide some of the energy needed for the conversion process..

Labels: hydrogen fuel system

PrePass * USA - Illinois Trucking: Greener Every Day

Illinois DOT Truck Technology Project Reduces Emissions, Boosts Industry Efficiency

Peoria,ILL,USA -PRNewswire/The Earth Times -28 Aug 2008: -- The Illinois Department of Transportation's (IDOT) adoption of PrePass truck technology almost ten years ago has reduced greenhouse gas and related emissions by more than 17,000 metric tons. Based on the program's projected success, PrePass is anticipated to cut emissions during the next decade by an estimated 29,000 metric tons, the equivalent of eliminating all emissions from more than 525 cars per year... PrePass is a sophisticated technology enabling qualified motor carriers tocomply electronically with Illinois weight, safety and credential requirementsat highway speeds... Motor carrier participation is strictly voluntary andcarrier eligibility is subject to strict safety qualifications... Since its deployment in Illinois, PrePass has saved carriers more than$103 million in operational costs, including fuel savings of more than 7.7million gallons. By enabling enforcement personnel to concentrate on thosetrucks most likely to be noncompliant, and by reducing lane-changing andcongestion around weigh stations, PrePass also makes highways safer for all motorists... (Video from YouTube, by tomwiles -January 11, 2008: "Northern Illinois" Driving through Northern Illinois and the west Chicago area)

Labels: PrePass

B TRIPLE TRUCKS * Australia - Plan for giant trucks revealed

Giant B triple trucks could soon be rumbling across Victoria under secret plans to bulk up the state's major freight corridors

Victoria,Australia -AAP/Herald Sun -August 28, 2008: -- The Victorian Government has plotted seven major B triple routes that would span the state, taking in major city and country highways, freeways and tollways... The plan is contained in secret Department of Transport documents leaked to the Opposition... Premier John Brumby said no decision had been made on the proposal, which has been welcomed by industry groups... B triples, a prime mover towing three trailers, already operate between Geelong and Broadmeadows under a licence with Ford... They weigh up to 82 tonnes and are up to 36m long... Australian Trucking Association chief executive Stuart St Clair said B triples boosted productivity by 30 per cent and would cut the number of trucks on the road... (Picture 1. above - Picture 2. below: Proposed route maps. Source: Department of Transport)

Labels: giant trucks

INFRASTRUCTURES * Mexico - Plans huge Baja port for U.S. trade

President Calderon will open bidding for infrastructure contracts Thursday. The project is likely to transform the village of Punta Colonet

Mexico,DF,MEJ -The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles,CAL,USA), By Marla Dickerson -August 28, 2008: -- Mexico's government is setting sail with the largest infrastructure project in the nation's history, a $4-billion seaport that it hopes will one day rival those of Los Angeles and Long Beach... President Felipe Calderon is scheduled to travel to northern Baja California today to open bidding on a development that his administration hopes will catapult Mexico into a major player in North American logistics... Plans call for the construction of a massive port in the tiny coastal village of Punta Colonet, about 150 miles south of Tijuana, along with new rail lines to whisk Asian-made goods north to the United States. Mexico's aim is to snatch some Pacific cargo traffic from Southern California's ports, whose growth is constrained by urban development and environmental concerns... Punta Colonet is expected to have a capacity of 2 million shipping containers annually when it opens in 2014, Mexico's transportation secretariat told The Times. But officials envision it ultimately handling five times that amount. Last year, the ports of L.A. and Long Beach handled 15.7 million containers combined... (Photo by Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times - Claudia Bertelli, a visitor from San Diego, enjoys the view from Punto Colonet. Mexico's government hopes to jump-start the construction of a port at the site that can handle millions of shipping containers annually)

Labels: border infrastructures

Cross-Border Trucking Program * USA - No Anniversary Party for Controversial

Tempe,AZ,USA -The Supply Chain Management, by W. P. Carey -August 27, 2008: -- Congress and President Bush appear to be on a collision course over U.S.-Mexico trucking, but most likely trucks will continue to traverse the border, fostering the flow of international commerce, according to an expert at the W. P. Carey School of Business... Arnold Maltz, professor of supply chain management, says Mexican truckers should be permitted to drive in the United States. To that end, Maltz is beginning a Border Enforcement Grant program to get Mexican drivers better-trained to drive on American roads... At issue in Washington, D.C. is a small but controversial one-year pilot project that has allowed Mexican trucks to travel throughout the United States, although most of such travel has been in the border states... The Bush administration wants to extend the program two years despite bipartisan criticism. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved a bipartisan bill in July to bar the program's continuation. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a similar amendment, aimed at the U.S. Department of Transportation's fiscal 2009 budget, intending to stop the pilot program. Floor votes cannot occur until legislators' summer recess ends in September... But less than a week after the House and Senate panels' votes, the USDOT said it plans to continue the program -- for two more years -- to allow Mexican truckers into the United States... The year-old pilot program for Mexican trucking in the United States is off to a small and controversial start. Bipartisan criticism in Congress may put legislation ending the program on President Bush's desk, and he may veto it. Researchers, international trade advocates and Mexican carriers say the program needs more time to be evaluated. Washington politicians have a tough call to make as they balance free trade, protection of American jobs, traffic safety and border security. Meanwhile the CANAMEX (Canada-American-Mexico Corridor) project, launched a decade ago to increase North American access to Pacific Ocean steamship lines through western Mexico ports, has continued apace and would be aided by liberalized cross-border trucking...

Labels: mexicans' trucks debate

HIGH FUEL COSTS * Canada - Truck industry adapts to

Streamlining and reduced speeds are helping long-haul truckers cope

Montreal,Qbc,CAN -Canwest News Service, by Rene Bruemmer -August 27, 2008: -- Speed limits in the United States are as high as 120 kilometres per hour, but speed reductions are one of several fuel-saving measures the trucking industry has been using since the price of diesel rocketed in the past year... Diesel was selling for about $1.40 a litre in Montreal -- double what it cost 13 years ago... In the face of diminishing profit margins, trucking firms are making their fleets more aerodynamic, putting in generators to cut down on idling costs, and installing speed limiters...The days of bulky, square-nosed trucks with massive radiators and protruding exhaust pipes are slowly being phased out as truck design moves toward more aerodynamic rounded corners and recessed headlights and tanks...

Labels: fuel costs solutions

Clean Truck * USA - National Retail Systems to Comply With Port of Los Angeles' Program

Leading retail logistics provider will significantly expand its pier fleet in 2009 to improve efficiency of import supply chain for customers

Secaucus,N.J.,USA -MarketWatch -Aug 27, 2008: -- National Retail Systems, Inc. (NRS), a leading provider of global logistics services to America's retailers, announced today it has submitted a letter of intent to the Port of Los Angeles committing to a pier trucking fleet that meets the standards of the Clean Truck Program... NRS is fully prepared to comply with new trucking regulations set to take effect on October 1 under the Port of Los Angeles Clean Truck Program. NRS will use company owned and operated equipment that meets the port's restrictions. NRS also plans to significantly expand its environmentally sensitive pier fleet in southern California in the coming year...

Labels: "Clean Trucks" Program

Medical Certification * USA - Truckers' using Chantix, not likely

Washington,DC,USA -Land Line Magazine -August 27, 2008: -- Truckers taking Chantix to help them quit smoking won’t be sailing through the medical certification process... Growing concern on the part of the Food and Drug Administration prompted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to caution physicians against certifying the medical fitness of any trucker taking the prescription medication... The FDA issued a public health advisory early this year on varenicline, the scientific name of the drug commercially sold as Chantix... According to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, in the fourth quarter of 2007 varenicline accounted for 988 serious injuries in the U.S. reported to the FDA, more than any other individual drug. By comparison, the FDA received a median average of five reports of serious injury for 769 different drugs in the fourth quarter...

Labels: truckers' certification

Arkansas * USA - Goes online with drug, alcohol testing results

A new law kicked into effect the first of 2008 that requires Arkansas trucking companies not only to search the database before hiring a driver, but also to report any positive or refused drug or alcohol test results to the state

ARK,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Jami Jones -August 27, 2008: -- No matter if you’re from Arkansas or not, chances are if you have any sort of connection with an Arkansas-based trucking company, your drug and alcohol test results will be reported to the state’s new online database... The new online system went live on the state’s official Web site earlier this week and provides employers access in real time to alcohol and drug test results for commercial drivers... In addition to the reporting responsibilities, the Arkansas law enacted in 2007 requires employers to search the online database before hiring commercial drivers. If a commercial driver is found to have a positive or refused drug or alcohol test result on their record, the employer cannot hire the driver...

Labels: drugs and truckers

BALLOT TIMES * USA - Transportation initiatives address funding needs

Election Day 2008 is a little more than two months away... There are ballot issues in several states that also are of great significance for truckers and others who rely on highways and other roads

Grain Valley,MO,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Keith Goble -August 26, 2008: ... here is a sampling of what was found.

* Colorado - A statewide initiative – Amendment 52 – calls for applying a severance tax for road and bridge work. It is intended to dedicate any additional revenue the state generates from the tax to help pay for repair projects...

* Alaska - The state’s ballot will include a question about whether to borrow $315 million for road work around the state.

* Kansas City, MO - Voters there will decide whether to help fund an $815 million starter light-rail route. The proposal would authorize a three-eighths-cent sales tax increase for 25 years. The revenue would help build a 14-mile connector linking the city to the north and south.

* St. Louis, MO - Another transit initiative is up for consideration in Proposition M on the countywide ballot would authorize a half-cent sales tax increase for public transit. If approved, half of the $80 million that is projected to be generated annually would be used for transit operation and maintenance costs.

* Washoe County, NV - Two transportation questions are on the ballot in Question 2 on the countywide ballot will ask voters whether to increase the general sales tax by one-eighth of 1 percent. If approved, the sales tax question would raise an estimated $280 million to support existing mass transit... Question 5 is an advisory question only. It will ask voters in the county whether to authorize the Washoe County Board of Commissioners to seek state legislation to adjust gasoline and diesel taxes to help offset a shortfall for street repairs, highway and transit systems. It is estimated that the measure would increase the tax paid in the county on a gallon of gasoline by 2 cents per gallon. The county tax paid on a gallon of diesel would increase about 2.4 cents.

* Berkeley County, SC - A countywide ballot question in South Carolina would authorize a special local option sales tax. Voters in will decide on a penny sales tax referendum that would include funding for county roads. It also would make the area eligible for matching state and federal funds.

Labels: transportation initiatives

TRUCKS MARKET * EUROPE - Ifo Data Shows Germany in a Tailspin

The Ifo data for Germany in July is horrible

London,UK -World Trucks Blog -26 Aug 2008: -- It suggests that business confidence is now at a three year low, whilst consumer confidence is now slumped to its worst level in five years. All told, business expectations are now at a low not seen since 1993, when Germany was experiencing its worst recession for two decades... Back in June, we noted that German truck order intake was decelerating ahead of the Ifo figures, suggesting that the German truck buyer was even more pessimistic than his commercial peers. Given that truck order intake tends to mirror Ifo confidence from above, this reversal of the line was - and remains - noteworthy... With Germany now firmly on the slide, concerns about France, well documented problems in Spain, the UK and Ireland, there isn't a whole lot left of Europe in which to have much confidence going forwards. If truck order intake does fall by 60 per cent across the region - and it does now seem to be heading in that direction - then we can only wait and watch the ensuing carnage. Unlike Paccar, we do not see the Eastern European cavalry riding in to rescue this situation. Nor do we see Russia doing much to save the day... In sum, some very fundamental, and extremely painful adjustments would seem to lie ahead...

Labels: trucks markets

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

COMMENT * USA - Navistar, Mahindra and GM...

London,UK -The World Trucks Blog , by Oliver Dixon-26 Aug 2008: -- Could it be that Mahindra - which, along with its partner Navistar (Mahindra International) may just be playing a waiting game here? Navistar had been rather keen to buy GM's MD business. And then it wasn't. GM, which also seemed rather keen to sell its MD business - to Navistar - needs, according to the WSJ, to raise $6.6 billion by the beginning of 2009. By 'needs', we don't mean that it would like to raise $6.6 billion. We mean that it is a commercial necessity; fail to come up with the cash, and presumably taciturn individuals will be turning up and repo-ing the photocopier. GM needs to sell some stuff. In other words, this is a buyer's market... But one that could give rise to a rather pleasing situation, as there seems to be a rather elegant synergy developing here. GM gets rid of Hummer and its MD business, and is therefore able to work with the lights on in Detroit come next January. Navistar and Mahindra add Hummer to Navistar's existing military business, continue to build Kodiak and the like, and then, just for larks, sneak a cheap, cheerful and, naturally, exhaustively road tested Indian-designed commodity pick up in at the bottom of the range... Of course, such a scenario demands a considerable degree of trust and partnership between the two principles: Navistar and Mahindra. Could this come about on a handshake, or would a more formal equity relationship be the appropriate way forward?... (Photo: Mahindra pickup

* Sweden - Volvo truck shipments rise as Asia gives boost

Stockholm,Sweden -Forbes/Reuters, by Niklas Pollard; editing by Sue Thomas -Aug 27, 2008: -- World number two truck maker Volvo said on Wednesday deliveries of its trucks rose 2 percent year-on-year in July as strength in Asia offset weakness on both sides of the Atlantic... The group, which sells trucks under the Renault, Nissan Diesel and Mack brands as well as its own name, said in a statement deliveries in its biggest market, Europe, fell 5 percent and were down 2 percent in North America... But in Asia, currently the firm's second-biggest market following the acquisition last year of Nissan Diesel, deliveries rose 16 percent from a year ago, Volvo said... In total, Volvo delivered 19,243 trucks in July...

* USA - PACCAR reports its Q3 figures on the 20th October

Bellevue,Wash.,USA -The World Truck Blog -25 Aug 2008: -- Will it meet its targets? We've heard much about how overseas markets are shoring up the lacklustre performance of both Kenworth and Peterbilt in the very lacklustre North American market... But, the European market is slowing to a fast halt, and here's news that Australia, one of Kenworth's key other markets is also slowing hard; according to this report, its Australian plant will slash output from 23 trucks per day to just eight, and will get rid of almost ten per cent of the workforce for good measure... All of this has to be analysed alongside DAF's claim that it will boost European output by five per cent after September. It'll be interesting to see if this announcement stands the test of time, or whether DAF's plans may be quietly shelved...

Labels: truckmakers' news worldwide

RULES * USA - New Missouri law bans big trucks from left lane

St. Louis,MO,USA -The Associated Press/KMOV-TV -27 Aug 2008: -- There are some big changes for big trucks on Missouri interstates... Starting Thursday, trucks weighing more than 48,000 pounds can no longer travel in the far left lane on highways in urban areas throughout the state... This applies mostly to semi and heavy-freight trucks... The rules will be enforced in Missouri's urban areas... Trucks will not be banned from the left lane in rural parts of the state...

Labels: trucking rules

BORDER TROUBLES * Turkey/Russia - Turkey Protests Russia Trade Curbs as Trucks Held Up at Customs

Turkey protested to Russia over trade restrictions after trucks were held up at customs posts, hurting exports to Turkey's biggest trading partner

Sofia,Turkey -Bloomberg, by Steve Bryant & Emma O'Brien -Aug. 27, 2008: -- ... Russian customs inspections, which previously took a few hours, are delaying the entry of Turkish trucks for as long as 20 days, an official at Turkey's Trade Ministry said on condition of anonymity. The ministry estimates Turkey could lose as much as $3 billion in exports if the curbs continue, and has sought an explanation from the Russian government, he said... An official at Russia's Federal Customs Service in Moscow said he wasn't aware of measures against Turkish imports... About 100 Turkish trucks are currently held up at the port, and imports from other countries aren't being subjected to the same scrutiny... Turkey's Trade Ministry said it wasn't aware of any reason for the intensified checks. Two incidents of narcotics trading involving Turkish trucks may have been the cause, said Ahmet Calikoglu, a commercial attaché at the Turkish consulate-general in the port of Novorossiyske. ...

Labels: border troubles

SAVING MONEY * USA - Road Rangers reducing hours of operation and number of trucks

The Florida Department of Transportation's popular free roadside service is reducing hours and putting fewer trucks on the road because of state budget cuts

Fort Lauderdale,FL,USA -The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, by Michael Turnbell -August 27, 2008: -- ... On Oct. 1, it will shrink from 12 to 10 trucks on I-95, I-595 and I-75 in Broward. Starting Monday, the service patrol will go from seven to five trucks on Interstate 95 in Palm Beach County. The new hours will be 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays... Officials say 75 percent of past Road Ranger calls and 70 percent of crashes occur during the day on weekdays. But some drivers say they count on the service when problems can happen at the worst possible time... (Photo by Joe Cavaretta/Sun Sentinel - Road Ranger Timothy James Chatigny drives on I-95 past I-595, as traffic whizzes by, Monday, April 14, 2008 in Ft. Lauderdale. The state is debating cutting the program because of tax revenue shortfalls)

Labels: saving money

CONGESTIONS FEES * USA - Debated in US cities

San Francisco,CAL,USA -Today's Trucking -26 Aug 2008: -- The U.S. Department of Transportation is pushing "congestion pricing" as a key way to address congestion issues, but its Urban Partnership Agreement Program, designed to help localities implement these programs, continues to face opposition at the local level... A plan to impose congestion pricing on San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, for example, has been scrapped by local officials; in its place, commuters who park along the routes leading to the bridge will face higher prices during peak hours... In return, San Francisco would agree to impose congestion charges on motorists using the bridge during morning and afternoon peak travel periods... In April, another plan to impose a hefty charge on all vehicles entering Manhattan during peak weekday hours was rejected by state lawmakers, overruling city lawmakers who initially approved of the idea... This past spring, Metrolinx, formerly known as the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority, was floating a proposal that would toll vehicles entering the downtown core. The plan also called for truck restrictions during peak traffic hours...

Labels: congestion pricing debate

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA - Load Board Drops Price

Chicago,ILL,USA -TruckingInfo -27 Aug 2008: -- Chicago-based Vessage, an interactive freight matching website, has lowered the cost to join... Said Martin Anderson, director of communication, "Every day, more and more truckers are losing jobs and more and more trucking companies are declaring bankruptcy. We have to do what we can to help stop the bleeding"... According to Vessage, it now costs 30 percent to 50 percent less than other load boards.Vessage is a load board displaying thousands of loads a day. Vessage.com currently provides load board services for shippers and a simple interface for carriers and shippers...

Labels: trucking industry news USA

STATISTICS * USA - ATA Tonnage Index Falls in July

USA -TruckingInfo -27 Aug 2008: -- The American Trucking Associations' advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index decreased 0.3 percent in July, marking the first month-to-month drop since April... ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said July's tonnage reading matched several anecdotal reports from motor carriers that freight was softer in July than the previous month. Costello cautioned that truck tonnage could be volatile in coming months because the economy is expected to further soften before improving. However, slight declines in fuel prices and tightening capacity could help offset softer freight volumes...

Labels: transport statistics

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS NEWS * WORLDWIDE

Freight Forwarding

* USA - CEVA posts strong underlying performance outside North America
CEVA’s latest quarterly results show a good performance in Asia Pacific and Europe, although the global logistics group was hit by the economic slowdown in North America. [Freight Forwarding]

* Japan - Yusen moves into Indian logistics business
Japanese global freight forwarder Yusen Air & Sea Service has significantly strengthened its presence in India through several recent developments. [Freight Forwarding]

* Singapore - BDP Project Logistics opens delegate office in Tripoli
Singapore-headquartered BDP Project Logistics has opened a delegate office in Tripoli with Libyan-based I.S.A. International Shipping Agency. [Freight Forwarding]

Contract Logistics

* Germany - Fiege takes on reverse logistics for German teleshopping leader
European logistics group Fiege announced last week that it had assumed a new ‘cross-border’ role for German teleshopping company QVC Deutschland. [Contract Logistics]

* USA - CEVA secures Cummins contract in Germany
CEVA Logistics has signed a new contract with Cummins Generation Technologies, a supplier of power solutions for the distributed electrical generation markets, in Germany. [Contract Logistics]

* Germany - Time:matters secures business from Siemens Healthcare
German international courier, sameday and emergency logistics service provider time:matters is delivering time-critical spare parts for Siemens Healthcare. [Contract Logistics]

Express & Mail

* UK - High tech indicator provides good news for express operators
Global sales of semiconductors, an indicator of the strength of high tech industries around the world, are continuing to grow, providing good news for some sectors of the logistics industry in otherwise difficult times. [Express & Mail]

* Austria - Austrian Post reports “good development” in the second quarter
Austrian Post has reported results for the second quarter and first half of 2008 which show increases in both revenue and profit figures compared with 2007. [Express & Mail]

* USA - UPS adds more air package pickup options in US
UPS yesterday (August 18) announced what it claimed were “significant enhancements” to the company’s On-Call Pickup service in the US for air packages. [Express & Mail]

* Holland - TNT completes integration of Indian domestic road express arm
TNT announced yesterday (August 18) that its Indian domestic road express arm, Speedage, was being rebranded with the group corporate name. [Express & Mail]

* New Zealand - Express operator Freightways reports record results
Prominent New Zealand express package delivery company Freightways has reported “record revenues and earnings” for the year ended June 30, 2008. [Express & Mail]

Road Freight

* Germany - Deutsche Bahn half-year numbers reveal a flatter performance
German global logistics group Deutsche Bahn has released a set of 2008 half-yearly numbers that show a mixed picture on growth in its various logistics businesses. [Road Freight]

* USA and Mexican states target faster border crossings
USA and Mexican border states have agreed to develop a plan designed to speed up the crossing times for goods and people moving overland between their two countries. [Road Freight]

* USA - YRC completes acquisition of Shanghai Jiayu Logistics
YRC Logistics has closed its acquisition of Shanghai Jiayu Logistics Co, said to be one of the largest providers of truckload and less-than-truckload ground transportation services in China. [Road Freight]

* Japan - KWE and Unico drop planned Russian joint venture
Kintetsu World Express Inc (KWE) has officially announced the dissolution of a planned new Russian joint venture just two weeks before the operation was due to have started. [Road Freight]

* UK - Freight industry welcomes proposed BAA break-up
The UK Competition Commission yesterday (August 20) recommended that the country’s leading airport owner, BAA, should sell two of its three London gateways and one in Scotland. [Air Cargo]
* UAE - Emirates unveils low-cost solution for temperature-sensitive cargo
Emirates SkyCargo has teamed up with a leading US research institute to develop a “ground breaking” new product for the shipment of temperature-sensitive cargo such as pharmaceuticals. [Air Cargo]

Warehousing

* USA - ProLogis expands industrial warehousing portfolio in Mexico
US-based ProLogis this week announced plans to develop approximately 500,000 sq ft of industrial warehouse space in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. [Warehousing]

* USA - CaseStack adds warehouse in Texas for US-Mexico trade
CaseStack has added a new warehouse location in Texas to support logistics operations between Mexican manufacturing companies and US retailers, especially Walmart. [Warehousing]

Shipping/Ports

* Australia - AMI Australia launches spot rate desk
The Australian division of international freight wholesaler AMI has launched a ‘spot rate’ desk to provide both air and ocean freight quotes to agent customers. [Shipping/Ports]

* The Netherlands - Nippon Vopak acquires two terminals in Japan
Royal Vopak joint venture Nippon Vopak recently agreed with Mitsui & Co to acquire 100% of the assets in two Japanese chemical and oil terminals. [Shipping/Ports]

* Dubai - GAC-Ultramar Network expands South America coverage
GAC-Ultramar Network, part of the Dubai-based GAC global shipping agency network, has added Colombia and Ecuador to its South American coverage. [Shipping/Ports]

* Hong Kong/China - HWL reports 4% increase in port container throughput
Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa Limited’s 2008 first half figures included a 4% improvement in total container throughput at its 47 port operations around the world. [Shipping/Ports]

* Holland - Rotterdam port to start Maasvlakte 2 expansion in September
Work on a long-awaited major expansion of Europe’s leading container port, Rotterdam, is finally due to start next month, it was announced this week. [Shipping/Ports]

IT Solutions

* Germany - DHL and METRO to roll out RFID in France
DHL has announced that beginning in late 2008, it will equip all shipments to 89 Metro Cash & Carry self-service wholesale stores in France with RFID transponders. [IT Solutions]

* USA - Trip Tech acquires Chinese shipping portal
US corporation Trip Tech has acquired a company which owns what is said to be China’s largest shipping portal. [IT Solutions]

* Dubai - E-services boost for Jebel Ali container movements
Dubai Trade has announced the “successful deployment” of additional e-services designed to facilitate easier and faster container movements at DP World’s flagship Jebel Ali port. [IT Solutions]

Labels: transport and logistics news

COMPLAINS * Australia - Trucks hit our roads

Wollondilly,NSW,Australia -The Wollondilly Advertiser -26 Aug 2008: -- Wollondilly can expect an extra 93,750 truck movements per year on our roads from November... The extra 370 trucks will begin daily return trips along Appin and Picton roads when the Port Kembla harbour expansion begins in three months... The figures were released as part of the Sydney Wollongong Corridor Strategy, much to the shock of Wollondilly Mayor Judy Hannan and Camden police crime manager Paul Albury... Cr Hannan said this information made the Maldon-Dombarton rail line more vital than ever... (This photo was snapped in Appin by Cr Norman Jew - Too many trucks: Police are concerned that an extra 370 trucks per day on Appin and Picton Roads could lead to more fatal accidents)

Labels: neighboring complains

PROGNOSIS * USA - Transportation Costs to Rise Further

Think trucking rates are high now? Wait till next year

Washington,DC,USA -The Kiplinger Business Resource Center, by Jim Ostroff -August 26, 2008: -- Despite lower fuel prices next year, truck shipping will cost more for most businesses in 2009 than this year. Rate hikes of 8% to 9% will hammer firms, as the environment shifts from a buyer's market to a seller's market. Sluggish business demand throughout this year has kept rate hikes to a mere 2%, but it's also shrinking the trucking industry. About 3500 firms will shut down, while others are curtailing operations, with many even selling off some of their big rigs to buyers overseas. As the economy starts to pick up in coming years, capacity will be strained... With diesel prices likely to remain over $4 a gallon (though averaging about 15¢ a gallon less than this year), hefty fuel surcharges won't disappear...

Labels: trucking markets prognosis

INFRASTRUCTURE * UK - Europe's largest logistics park

DP World finally starts London Gateway construction

London,UK -Transport Intelligence -26 Aug 2008: -- Port development company DP World has finally commenced building what is projected to become one of Europe's largest logistics facilities on a site to the east of London, England... The Dubai-based organisation last week signed contracts with civil engineering companies Laing O'Rourke and Dredging International. The first tranche of the contract will be worth £400m, with the total cost of the project estimated at £1.5bn... 'London Gateway', as the development is called, will be located on the north bank of the Thames estuary just a few miles downstream from the existing Tilbury container terminal. It will be centred on a huge new port ultimately capable of annually handling 3.5m TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units). In addition to what will be a substantial addition to north-western Europe's port infrastructure, the facility may also offer what DP World claims will be Europe's largest logistics park...

Labels: infrastructures

TRUCKS ENGINE MANUFACTURERS * USA - Cummins Adds to Market Share in 2008 as Caterpillar’s Engine Sales Decline

USA -Transport Topics, by Frederick Kiel -25 August 2008: -- Independent engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. continued increasing its market share in heavy-duty engines during the first half of 2008, while sales by competitor Caterpillar Inc. dwindled, WardsAuto.com reported... Cummins sold 40,329 Class 8 engines in the year’s first six months, accounting for a little more than 40% of the market, up from 32% in roughly the same period last year. Meanwhile, Caterpillar Inc., which last year lost its eight-year hold as the top independent truck-engine supplier, sold 11,906 units for a 12% market share, down from about 20%...

By truck manufacturer

* Daimler-owned Freightliner Trucks bought most of its heavy-duty engines so far this year from Daimler subsidiaries — 53.3% from Detroit Diesel and 25.8% from Mercedes, but also 14.2% from Cummins and 6.7% from Caterpillar, Ward’s reported...

* International Trucks, 54.7% of engines were Cummins, 40.3% Navistar and 5% Caterpillar, Ward’s said...

* Kenworth, 72.3% of buyers chose Cummins and 27.7% of buyers picked Caterpillar...

* Peterbilt, 69.8% were Cummins engines and 30.2%, Caterpillar...

* Mack Trucks come only with Mack engines, while for Volvo, 56.6% of buyers selected Volvo engines and 43.4% picked Cummins...

* The two other Daimler subsidiaries, 39.2% of Sterling Trucks buyers selected Mercedes; 31% Cummins; 15.8% Detroit Diesel and 14% Caterpillar; while 39% of Western Star engines were Detroit Diesels; 36.4% were Caterpillars; 23% used Mercedes; and 1.6% had Cummins engines...

Labels: engine makers

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Australia - Kenworth Trucks to cut 80 jobs

Melbourne,Victoria,Australia -News Limited newspapers /The Age -August 26, 2008: -- Kenworth Trucks has announced it will cut 80 manufacturing staff from its Melbourne factory in a further blow to Australia's automotive industry... Kenworth spokesman Robert Brierley blamed the slowing economy, high fuel prices and interest rate hikes for the job losses... Australian Manufacturing Workers Union shop steward at Kenworth Les Takacs said the job losses would cut production from 23 trucks a day to eight... The company had cut 380 contractors since last year, he said...

* USA - Holland FWAL Aluminum Fifth Wheel For Volvo VN

USA -TruckingInfo -25 Aug 2008: -- Saf-Holland announced that the FWAL aluminum fifth wheel is now an available option for the Volvo VN from Volvo Trucks North America. The Holland aluminum fifth wheel is designed for standard duty applications and forged from the same aluminum alloy as Alcoa's aluminum truck wheels. It's rated for 55,000 pounds maximum vertical load and 150,000 pounds maximum drawbar pull and is backed by Saf-Holland's five-year/500,000 mile performance guarantee...

* USA - Stainless Steel Accessories Available From Western Star

USA -TruckingInfo -25 Aug 2008: -- Western Star Trucks Sales introduced a new line of premium stainless steel accessories featuring more that 300 mirror-finish items designed for Western Star trucks... Manufactured using the highest grade of non-magnetic 304 stainless steel, all of the accessories contain a highly corrosion-resistant property that protects against the extremely corrosive anti-icing agents used on most roads today. All Western Star accessories are laser cut to reduce the sharp edges typically found when stamping out accessory parts on a press... (Photo from Western Star/Owners)

Labels: truckmakers' news worldwide

TRUCKERS' PROTEST * Japan - Thousands, protest high fuel prices

Thousands of truck drivers across Japan held demonstrations Tuesday to protest rising fuel prices and warned they would add surcharges to cover spiraling costs

Tolyi,Japan -AP/The China Post (Pekin,China), by JAY ALABASTER -26 Aug 2008: -- Trucks moved slowly along city streets in convoys, their vehicles adorned with banners saying they would be forced to raise prices, while hundreds of protesters marched and shouted slogans calling for tax cuts on gasoline and lower highway tolls... Organizers from the Japan Trucking Association estimated 20,000 demonstrators participated nationwide. They said it was the first time such protests had been conducted on a national scale... The powerful association stopped short of organizing a strike that could paralyze the country. Tuesday's protests merely slowed down some services... Japan's population is largely packed into its big cities, which depend on truck deliveries each morning to keep stores and restaurants stocked...

Labels: truckers' protests

TAX POLICY * Canada - Feds mull scrapping of diesel tax

Ottawa,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking -25 Aug 2008: -- The hated four-cent excise tax on diesel fuel could be eliminated by the federal Conservatives, according to a report by the Financial Post... There's been discussion among Ottawa brass about scrapping the tax, which according to the Post, generates over a $1-billion of revenue for the federal government... "There still seems to be a fair bit of interest from a political point of view," a source told the paper... The source adds, however, that the proposal is facing headwinds from the Department of Finance, which is reluctant to give up the cash flow. Also, a spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office flatly denied that such a cut in the works, according to the Post...

Labels: taxes policy

TRUCKERS' FATIGUE * Australia - Push on for new Nhill truck stop

The trucking industry says there is a critical need for a new truck stop to be built on western Victoria's major highway

Melbourne,VIC,Australia -ABC Regional Online -26 Aug 2008: -- The Australian Trucking Association has lodged a list of 18 sites across the country where it would like new stops built... One of the sites identified is between Nhill and the South Australian border, which is a notorious fatigue zone... The association's Bill McKinley says new laws being introduced next month makes giving drivers good rest stop facilities more important... "The 18 that we've listed, including the one near Nhill, are in our view the absolute minimum that the industry needs to cope with the introduction of new fatigue laws. So yes, it's right up there in the top category of priorities," he said...

* Transport industry urged to attend new laws information sessions

Parkes,New South Wales,Australia -Parkes Champion Post -25 Aug 2008: -- Local Independent State MP Dawn Fardell has urged members of the heavy vehicle industry to attend the second round of information sessions - including one in Parkes - into the new national heavy vehicle legislation due to come into effect later this year... Mrs Fardell, who has been critical of the proposed changes, said it was vital the industry was properly informed about how the legislation would be applied and enforced... Under the new legislation every party along the transport chain must take reasonable steps to prevent driver fatigue. The industry will have a choice of three fatigue management schemes to allow for greater flexibility...

Labels: drivers fatigue

Houston Medical Testing Company * USA - Helping Texas Tow Truck Operators Comply with New Law

Houston,TX,USA -PRWEB -August 25, 2008: -- Houston Medical Testing and Services, Inc. (HMTS), a Houston based substance abuse program management company, is approved by the state of Texas to assist members of the tow truck and vehicle storage industries comply with a new law that goes into effect September 1, 2008 requiring drug testing for all tow truck operators and vehicle storage employees... Texas tow truck drivers, towing companies and storage facilities around the state are scrambling to comply with a new law that goes into effect September 1st. The Texas Towing Act will require all wrecker drivers and employees at vehicle storage facilities to obtain a license, undergo criminal background checks and undergo random drug testing. To assist towing companies comply with the act, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has approved Houston Medical Testing and Services, Inc. to provide a consortium of drug testing services to companies located anywhere in the state of Texas...

Labels: laws and rules

CLEAN TRUCKS SUIT * USA - Ports of L.A., Long Beach respond to ATA suit

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach filed a 60-page response to the American Trucking Association’s lawsuit

CAL,USA -Land Line Magazine -August 25, 2008: -- ... The ATA lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California claims federal regulations protecting interstate commerce prevent the ports from requiring that truckers be licensed concessionaires in order to enter the ports... In response to ATA’s claims, port attorneys contend that the ports are landlords issuing proprietary rules rather than regulations, and that being landlords negates ATA’s argument that trucks are protected under federal regulations governing interstate commerce... “As we will show, the concession contract aspect of the clean trucks program does not constitute ‘regulation’ as that concept is understood under the market participant doctrine but instead reflects the proprietary action of the Ports in their capacity as commercial enterprises and landlords”... Officials with the ports approved clean truck programs that will require trucks to meet 2007 engine emissions standards by December 2012, although that implementation may be delayed because of legal and regulatory action... The ATA’s suit seeks an injunction to prevent the ports from beginning the concessionaire portion of the clean trucks program... Both sides are scheduled to present their arguments before a federal judge on Sept. 8... The ATA appears to be at odds with at least two major carriers with memberships in the association who signed up this week to be concessionaires at the ports...

Labels: clean trucks suit

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS WORLDWIDE * Japan - Toyota to lift prices on hybrids, trucks

Tokyo,Japan -Reuters -25 Aug 2008: -- Toyota Motor Corp said on Monday it would raise suggested retail prices on some hybrid and commercial vehicles in Japan from next month to help absorb higher prices of steel, crude oil and other raw materials... Prices will increase by 3 percent for the Prius and Harrier hybrid vehicles, and by an average 2 percent on commercial vehicles including some Dyna/Toyoace trucks and Probox vans, it said in a statement... The move by Japan's top automaker is likely to prompt others to follow suit, after executives at rival companies said they would wait for Toyota's lead...

* Serbia - Zastava Trucks soon in Turin

Belgrade,Serbia -BE92 -25 August 2008: -- Automobile Industry Turin experts have redesigned Zastava's light truck model ZK, reports say... They have also ordered the prototype and the first shipment of some 50 vehicles or the Italian market... Work on the prototype, dubbed ZK R1, has already been finished at the Kragujevac-based plant. By the end of September, the Italian company will receive ten of these redesigned trucks...

Labels: truckmakers' news worldwide

TRUCKER'S OPINION * USA - Not too Swift!

In my opinion Swift is one of the root causes of where the trucking industry is today, they take advantage of new drivers in a big way, they’ve been known to black-list drivers that wanted to leave...

USA -truckingblog.net, by Aubrey "Allen" Smith -24 Aug 2008: -- Company fined $14,450 for rig on bridge (phillyBurbs.com) Swift Transportation Co. of Phoenix, Ariz., was fined $14,450 on Wednesday because one of its drivers drove a 28-ton tractor-trailer over the deteriorating, 3-ton-limit, canal bridge on River Road in Upper Makefield, police said"...

Probably close to 40 tons on a 3 ton bridge. I’ve been lost before, and Philly or anywhere in PA isn’t a good place to be lost in. Or maybe someone told him to go that way. In any case, you get what you pay for. (Cheap pay for inexperienced drivers)...

Labels: opinions

OPINION * USA - Truckers being driven out of business

In my opinion, the general public of the United States doesn't know what's happening to lives of people in the trucking industry, which is losing ground daily

Ypsilanti,Mich,USA -mlive.com, by Patricia A. Bunyea -August 23, 2008: -- ... Why is this happening? It's because of diesel fuel costs. Trucks get between 5 and 6 miles to the gallon, meaning they're paying about $1 a mile in fuel cost alone. In addition, they must pay federal highway use tax, be licensed in every state they travel in, pay for all types of permits and other taxes and keep their truck in tip-top shape while keeping records of everything they do up to the minute... Most people don't realize the fact that there's not one thing they have that hasn't been touched by a truck of some sort. Yes, trains and airplanes do also carry freight, but a truck is what gets it to them and then it's again the truck that gets it to the final destination. People would also say that they're paying for this service through higher cost of goods, but it's not the trucker that is getting this increase... I know it to be fact that after the cost of fuel, drivers' wages and brokers' fees there is nothing left for taxes, repairs, cell phones, etc. He has nothing left for his household to pay his mortgage, utilities or food for his family. Many truckers are losing their only way of making a living (their truck) and even their homes that some mortgage again to pay for fuel up front...

Labels: opinions

DRIVERS' SHORTAGE * USA - Area part of nationwide shortage

From tankers to dump trucks, Southeast Texas companies are looking for truckers

Beaumont,TX,USA -The Beaumont Enterprise, by RYAN S. CLARK -August, 24, 2008 : -- The classified ads ballyhoo 401K plans, life and health insurance, signing bonuses of up to $5,000, regular weekday hours and annual salaries topping $100,000. But the help that's wanted has nothing to do with performing surgery, taking lawsuits to trial, selling real estate or being a puppet master for Big Business... This occupation simply is a matter of going from Point A to Point B - in a truck... From tankers to dump trucks, Southeast Texas companies are looking for truckers, with the demand expected to grow with $15 billion in industrial projects under way and the economic ripples already spreading across the land... Robert Foster, a labor market analyst for Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas, said there are more than 220 available truck-driving jobs in the area... He said the Southeast Texas construction industry has been the most affected by the driver shortage... Nationally, the trucker shortage has slowed delivery of food, clothing and gasoline, he said... (Photo)

Labels: drivers' shortage

ALTERNATIVE FUELS * USA - Canola diesel to fuel trucks in N. Carolina

Basset,VA,USA -The Winston-Salem Journal/The Journal Gazzette (Fort Wayne,IND), by FRAN DANIEL -August 24, 2008: -- A group of North Carolina businessmen hopes to create a national network of truck stops that offer more than just coffee and quick meal... Red Birch Energy has created a delivery and production system for biofuel that includes a production plant next door to a truck stop on U.S. 220 in Bassett. The setup integrates all the steps of the biodiesel industry – the farmer, the oil provider, the oil crushers, the biodiesel manufacturers and the retailers – into one step... Nic George, the biofuels-project coordinator for the Energy Crops for North Carolina Project based in the N.C. Solar Center in Raleigh, said that making biodiesel from canola is simpler than making ethanol from corn because it is a chemical process as opposed to a biological process. The canola-based product also can be used in any diesel engine without modification...

Labels: alternative fuels

CLEAN TRUCKS PROGRAM * USA - Big rig retail center opens

Port authorities opened a truck retail center Friday in the heart of America's busiest seaport, offering new, low-emission big rigs at discounts of up to 80 percent

Terminal Island,Long Beach,CAL,USA -The Press Telegram, by Kristopher Hanson -22 Aug 2008: -- ... The center, a series of bungalows and loan offices on Pier S, acts as a "one-stop-shop" for port officials trying to spur the rapid turnover of some 17,000 soot-spewing diesel rigs now serving the harbor... Sweetening the deal : For example, under a plan offered by Long Beach, drivers who own their own trucks are eligible for grants equaling up to 80 percent of the purchase cost of a new rig - which ranges from $95,000 to $200,000... In return, drivers must agree to scrap their old rigs and work in the harbor area for up to seven years, among other stipulations... A different approach is being taken in Los Angeles, where lucrative incentives are being offered to trucking companies that agree to use 2007-compliant fleets and hire employee drivers... The L.A. program is supported primarily by drivers who want to be employees, while the Long Beach loan plan is favored by drivers who prefer working as contract drivers and getting paid by the load... In both cities, after a sluggish start, things have picked up steam in recent days... (Photo: Teamsters and their supporters protest the opening a big rig retail center on Terminal Island)

Labels: "Clean Trucks" Program

Kids enjoy Trucks * UK - One day at the seaside

Forget limousines - dozens of disadvantaged youngsters travelled to the seaside in luxury yesterday after being chauffeur driven aboard a convoy of trucks

Norwich,UK -The Norwich Evening Nerws 24, by SAM WILLIAMS -25 August 2008: -- More than 80 heavy goods vehicles, each carrying a deserving young person from the region, left County Hall in Norwich at 10am for a day out at Pleasurewood Hills theme park at Corton, near Lowestoft, as part of the 23rd annual East Coast Truckers' children's convoy... Hundreds of well-wishers braved the wet weather to cheer on the trucks as they left the city to take youngsters with disabilities and from difficult backgrounds out for a day of entertainment... After a day of fun at the theme park the children were picked up by their drivers to travel on to the Yarmouth seafront before heading back to County Hall in the early evening... (Photo 1: James Bass - Max Porrett-Ward aboard a truck on the East Coast Truckers Convoy 2008 - Photo 2: James Bass - Crowds cheer on the East Coast Truckers Convoy 2008)

Labels: trucks and kids

TRUCKER' AWARDS * USA - Heritage Transport's Dennis R. Shirar Is 2008 National Truck Driving Grand Champion

Robert Romando, FedEx National LTL, Named National Rookie of the Year

Houston,TX,USA -MarketWatch -Aug 23, 2008: -- Dennis R. Shirar, a Heritage Transport, LLC professional truck driver based in Indianapolis, Ind. was named the 2008 National Truck Driving Grand Champion. Shirar's driving skills and knowledge of transportation and truck safety information topped those of 375 other professional drivers from all across the United States in the National Truck Driving Championships, held in Houston, Texas. The 71st annual "Super Bowl of Safety" is sponsored by the American Trucking Associations... In route to his title, Shirar has logged 30 accident and injury free years as a driver, with over 3 million miles behind the wheel...

* YRC Worldwide Subsidiary Drivers Capture two National Champion Titles at the 2008 National Truck Driving Championships

Overland Park,KAN,USA -MarketWatch -Aug 24, 2008: -- The operating companies of YRC Worldwide announced today that two drivers have captured National Champion titles in their respective classes at the 2008 National Truck Driving Championships held August 19-23 in Houston, TX. Herschel E, city driver for USF Holland, was named National Champion in the 5-Axle Class. Vic Wheeler, linehaul driver for Roadway was named National Champion in the 3-Axle Class...

* A 2-million-mile hero

Williamsport,MD,USA -The Hagerstown Morning Herald (Hagerstown,MD) -August 24, 2008: -- Growing up in the trucking industry, Wilbur "Will" Farver occasionally would get the chance to go on the road with his father... More than 16 years ago, Farver began driving for D.M. Bowman. Farver recently received his second consecutive Million Miler Award... He also has received a Highway Angel Award... While driving down a highway one day, Farver came across a car that had been struck by another tractor-trailer. He pulled over to help... Two children and their grandmother were in the car. Farver pulled them from the car, which was being held by a steel guard wire next to a hill...

Labels: truckers' awards

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * UK - Industry sales up, but hauliers make less money

London,UK -The Road Transport, by Christopher Walton -21 August 2008: -- Sales in the transport industry are growing by 6%, down on the 8% growth seen last year, according to Plimsoll Analysis' latest road haulage report... Of the 2,000 companies analysed, 1,335 are holding or increasing sales on last year, but almost half (45%) are making less profit than last year... Some 23% of operators are selling at a loss, while 29% are in more debt now than they were last year...

* Croydon-based waste management company, Hydro-Cleansing, has taken delivery of four Renault Lander and two Renault Master

Croydon,UK -BigLorryBlog -23 Aug 2008: -- Waste management company, Hydro-Cleansing, has taken delivery of four (count them) 6x4, Euro-5, Renault Lander 450.26 trucks and two new 5.5 tonne Renault Master vans, through Renault Trucks Essex... Two of the 26-tonne Renault Landers have been fitted with moving partitions, 6 inch suction booms with 270° rotation and high volume jetting. The remaining two are fitted with 6 inch booms, high volume jetting and have a fixed partition holding 1000 gallons of water, meaning each vehicle can hold a total capacity of 3000 gallons...

Labels: trucking industry news UK

STRIKES & PROTEST WORLDWIDE * USA - Truckers protest Port of Long Beach lease-to-own plan

The program offers financing for truckers to buy new, cleaner models at a third the normal price. Opponents say the added debt could sink independent haulers already struggling with high fuel prices

Los Angeles,CAL,USA -The Los Angeles Times, by Louis Sahagun -August 23, 2008: -- Port of Long Beach officials came under boisterous criticism Friday from about 60 truckers at the grand opening of a Clean Trucks Center where big-riggers can apply for financial assistance to replace their diesel vehicles with new, cleaner models... A crowd of protesters assembled about 20 yards from a stage where Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster praised the Terminal Island center as a "first step toward a much cleaner Long Beach of the future"... The demonstrators verbally attacked his port's lease-to-own program, which they said could put truckers deep into debt... As officials sat impassively in white folding chairs, a dozen Long Beach Harbor Patrol officers barred the demonstrators from approaching the stage with placards that said "I want to drive a clean truck, not buy one!" Some drivers shouted, "Clean trucks, yes! Bankruptcy, no!"... (Photo)

* Pakistan - Truckers' strike cripples business at Pakistan port

Karachi,Pakistan -Reuters -Aug 23, 2008: -- Truck drivers have gone on strike over high fuel costs at Pakistan's main port, virtually freezing business, traders said on Saturday... Traders estimate millions of dollars worth of perishable goods have been stranded by the strike... Protesting drivers have put up picket lines on roads around the port and are not letting trucks through, traders said... Drivers' associations demand the government bring down the price of diesel... (Picture)

Labels: strikes and protests

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS WORLDWIDE

* South Africa - Commercial vehicles group invests to boost SA regional exposure

Johannesburg,SA -Engineering News, by Jonathan Faurie -22 Aug 2008: -- Commercial vehicles- focused group Navistar has invested $40-million in a production and assembly facility in Johannesburg as part of the company’s goal to increase its exposure in the Southern African region... This will be achieved through the newly created Navistar International Trucks Southern Africa (Nitsa) headquarters and production facility, which was unveiled last month... Nitsa COO John Chew reports that although the facility has the capacity to produce 350 trucks a month, the company will be operating below this mark while it is adjusting to the new facility...(Photo Source: Duane Daws - WORKHORSE South Africa’s access to Navistar vehicles will grow as the company increases its exposure in the market)

* USA - Mack, Volvo add disc brake option

USA -Land Line Magazine -August 21, 2008: -- Truckers ordering Mack and Volvo trucks now have the option of spec’ing Bendix disc brakes... Mack Trucks now offers the Bendix ADB22X heavy-duty air disc brakes on the Mack Pinnacle axle forward and Mack Pinnacle axle back models. Volvo is offering the disc brakes on front and rear axles on Volvo VNs and VTs... Both OEMs are offering the Bendix disc brakes on the 12,000-pound front and 40,000-pound rear axles...

* India - Ashok Leyland to launch 35-tonne tractor to boost commercial vehicles sales news

Mumbai,India -domain-b.com -22 August 2008: -- Ashok Leyland Ltd has launched a new 35-tonne tractor with in-line fuel injection pump, today in Hyderabad. The company has lined up more launches, including in the heavy haulage multi-axle segment, over the next few months, said, Rajive Saharia, executive director (marketing) of Ashok Leyland... Ashok Leyland is also working on an expansion plan to increase plant capacity from the existing 84,000 units to 1,34,000 units by 2009...

* India - Volvo Group finalises its deal with Eicher Motors

New Delhi.India -Biglorryblog (London,UK) -21 Aug 2008: -- This splendid looking truck is an Indian-built Eicher Galaxy High-Roof... The Volvo Group has now finalised the long-awaited deal with Eicher Motors which establishes a new Indian joint-venture company, VE Commercial Vehicles Limited. The transaction has been approved by the necessary authorities and 50% of the joint-venture company has been consolidated in the Volvo Group from August 1st 2008. The joint venture will contain all of Eicher Motor's truck and bus operations as well as the Volvo Group's Indian truck sales operations and truck and bus service operations... As previously announced, Volvo Group has paid INR 13,200M (£ 166.5m) as part of the deal...

Labels: truckmakers' news worldwide

DEBATES * USA - Fitch gives toll roads a ‘negative’ rating

A firm specializing in financial statistics and economic outlooks has given toll roads and airports a failing grade just a few months after listing them as stable investments

Grain Valley,MO,USA -Land Line Magazine -Aug. 22, 2008: -- ... Fitch Ratings downgraded toll roads and airports from stable to negative in a report released Wednesday, Aug. 20, titled “U.S. Transportation Assets: Facing a Temporary Decline or a Permanent Change?”... Citing months of volatile fuel prices and other economic factors, Fitch analysts said reductions in airport and toll road traffic were widespread but varied around the country... The analysts gave airports and toll roads a stable rating in March... Officials with the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association said the report shows that a case can be made against tolling as a philosophy to fund transportation...

Labels: toll roads debate

'Clean Trucks' Program * USA - Local Ports Try to Sign Up Truckers for

CA,USA -89.3 KPCC Radio, by Molly Peterson -August 22, 2008: -- In six weeks, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles will stop letting older diesel trucks pick up cargo. That ban is part of the Clean Trucks program. Environmental activists and truck drivers are protesting some of that program's employment rules today during a Clean Truck Center dedication on Terminal Island. The trucking industry is suing over other provisions. That means the port complex is working hard to get trucking companies to participate.

KPCC's Molly Peterson has the story... (Listen )

Peterson: Those tweaks are paying off with bigger motor carriers. Two national trucking companies, Swift and Knight, just announced they'll sign on to L.A.'s plan after the port added incentives for already-clean fleets. But some independent drivers say they're still hanging back.

Rigo Hernandez: Signing up means buying a new truck. Being responsible for a new truck. I bring home like 500, 600 dollars a week, you know?

Peterson: Rigo Hernandez of Torrance has a wife and two kids, with a third on the way. The company he drives for contracts 50 independents like him. Hernandez says he can't afford to sign up at either port. And, he doesn't like the Clean Trucks Center.

Hernandez: From the first person to, you know, to welcome you, to the last one you talk, all they want to do is see how can you get a new truck.

Peterson: At last report, Long Beach has registered nearly 1,000 trucks for its program. After the two major companies signed on, L.A. says 3,000 trucks will qualify there. At least 17,000 trucks move in and out of the port complex right now, so both ports have a lot of work ahead before the October 1st Clean Trucks deadline.

Labels: "Clean Trucks" Program

Diesel Prices Opinion * USA - Industry experts comment on impact of high oil prices on logistics

Even though oil and gas prices have subsided somewhat in recent weeks, current price levels are impacting the playing field for shippers and carriers in ways which may have a lasting affect...

Washington,DC,USA -Logistics Management, by Jeff Berman -22 Aug 2008: -- ... According to two prominent transportation and economic experts. Jeff Rubin, chief economist of CIBC World Markets, and Bob Costello, chief economist and vice president of the American Trucking Associations, shared their views on how fuel prices are impacting world trade and domestic freight conditions in a conference call hosted by the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) yesterday, entitled “Oil Prices and the Cost of Logistics”... CIBC’s Rubin focused on how energy prices have impacted transportation costs and the broader ramifications of those increases are on transportation costs, in terms of global trade and global supply and what the inflationary ramifications may be if shippers move to more localized, regional trading, which is said is “where triple digit oil prices will likely lead us”... The domestic impact: The ATA’s Costello began his presentation by explaining that 69 percent of US tonnage moves by truck, according to the ATA’s “US Freight Transportation Forecast to…2018” which was released in January 2007... “Over the years, we have benefited from logistics as a total percentage of the US GDP coming down,” said Costello. “But we recently have seen it start to go up for a few different reasons”... One reason it has gone up he explained is congestion, which has gotten worse. This has in turn forced companies to hold more inventory, and highway transportation expenses are also adding to overall costs, too, which are also being passed along to consumers and shippers. This percentage also continues to go up in tune with oil prices, according to Costello, due to the fact that oil accounts for a large chunk of shippers and carriers freight transportation budgets...

Labels: opinions

TRANSPORTATION ISSUES * USA - Taking Obama's Measure

Looking at the policies and potential impact of a possible McCain or Obama administration on transportation, trade and the freight movement industry

Washington,DC,USA -Traffic World, by Ari Natter -25 Aug 2008: -- Transportation rarely gets mentioned on the presidential campaign trail. Issues around infrastructure are complicated, after all; the work is expensive and the entrenched view of roads as a local matter means they're often taken for granted in the national debate. In other words, talking about potholes doesn't get presidential votes... But speaking before hundreds of city mayors and other officials at the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors in Miami in June, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama not only embraced the topic but suggested that infrastructure investment would be an important pillar in his campaign... Still, a lot remains unknown about the details of Obama's transportation policies. While Obama has included transportation as an "issue" on his campaign Web site - something McCain has yet to do - many of the details remain vague...

Labels: transport policies

LOGISTICS NEWS WORLDWIDE * Daily

* Holland - Rotterdam port to start Maasvlakte 2 expansion in September
[From Shipping/Ports] Work on a long-awaited major expansion of Europe’s leading container port, Rotterdam, is finally due to start next month, it was announced this week.

* USA - CaseStack adds warehouse in Texas for US-Mexico trade
[From Contract Logistics] CaseStack has added a new warehouse location in Texas to support logistics operations between Mexican manufacturing companies and US retailers, especially Walmart.

* Hong Kong - HWL reports 4% increase in port container throughput
[From Shipping/Ports] Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa Limited’s 2008 first half figures included a 4% improvement in total container throughput at its 47 port operations around the world.

* Germany - Time:matters secures business from Siemens Healthcare
[From Contract Logistics] German international courier, sameday and emergency logistics service provider time:matters is delivering time-critical spare parts for Siemens Healthcare.

* United Arab Emirates unveils low-cost solution for temperature-sensitive cargo
[From Air Cargo] Emirates SkyCargo has teamed up with a leading US research institute to develop a “ground breaking” new product for the shipment of temperature-sensitive cargo such as pharmaceuticals.

Labels: transport and logistics news

Trucker Conference * USA - Underway in Great Falls

The struggling national economy has made 2008 a tough year on the trucking industry as 1,900 trucking companies have shut down since the start of the year

Missoula,MT,USA -KPAX/TV -Aug 21, 2008: -- ... The annual Montana Motor Carriers Conference kicked off on Wednesday in Great Falls and the Chairman of the American Truckers Association spoke about the how companies are reducing their fuel usage... Ray Kuntz is the first Montana-native to serve as chair for the national group, and says the high price of fuel, increasing tolls, and not enough money in the federal Highway Bill are among the problems facing the country's nearly nine million motor carriers...

Labels: corporative news

CONTEST * USA - North America’s Safest and Most Professional Truck Drivers!

TCA’s Driver of the Year contests now accepting applications. First deadline is Sept. 12, 2008

Alexandria,VA,USA -Truck Net, by Craig Zwiener -August 21, 2008: -- Company drivers and owner operators – do you have a superior safety record? Can you represent a positive image of the trucking industry? Do you make an effort to protect the environment and/or give back to your community? If so, the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) wants YOU to enter its 2008 Driver of the Year contests...

Labels: events

CLEAN TRUCKS' SUIT * USA - L.A.-Long Beach Ports Defend Concession Plans In Court Filing

Ports' Opposition Brief

Long Beach,CA,USA -The Cunningham Report -21 Aug 2008: -- The Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach filed their response this morning to the American Trucking Associations' request for a preliminary injunction against the ports' plan to require all trucking companies servicing the port to obtain a concession and agree to a long list of equipment and operational requirements... The ATA filed suit July 28 in U.S. District Court against the ports. The suit seeks to block imposition of the ports' separate concession plans and asks that the judge issue a preliminary injunction against implementation of the plans until the case can be resolved... The ATA contends that the ports' plan to require concessions is an attempt to reregulate an interstate and international industry - something that is preempted by federal law... The ports in their response, however, claim:
* The ports are exempt from federal preemption because the law cited by the ATA does not apply to the tidelands property on which the ports are located.
* The ports are exempt because they are landlords - market participants - that have the right as commercial enterprises to set standards for those who wish to do business there.
* The ports are exempt because the law cited by the ATA does not apply to port actions directed at the safety and security of the ports - one of the major goals of the Clean Trucks Programs concession requirements.
* The ports also claim that the public health benefits of cleaning up the trucking industry outweigh whatever financial interests the industry may have in blocking the plan...

Labels: clean trucks suit

STUDY * Swiss - Why Complex Systems Do Better Without Us

... neighboring lights share their information so that what occurs around one light can affect how others respond, preventing the formation of long traffic jams !!!

Zurich,Swiss -New Scientist (London,UK), by Mark Buchanan -6 August 2008: -- Research by Swiss Federal Institute of Technology physicist Dirk Helbing suggests humans' desire to force complex systems into a regular, predictable model is misguided, and a much better strategy is to cede a certain degree of control and let systems work out solutions on their own. "You have to learn to use the system's own self-organizing tendencies to your advantage," he argues. Helbing and Stefan Lammer at Germany's Technical University of Dresden have considered whether traffic lights could be engineered to reduce congestion by giving the devices the means to adapt their behavior rather than have engineers shape traffic into patterns that seem favorable. The researchers have found that traffic lights, when provided with some simple operating rules and left alone to organize their own solution, can do a better job. Helbing and Lammer have crafted a mathematical model that assumes a fluid-like movement for traffic and describes what happens at intersections. The researchers make the lights at each intersection responsive to increasing traffic pressure via sensors. Lights that only adapt to conditions locally might give rise to problems further away, and to address this the researchers have engineered a scheme in which neighboring lights share their information so that what occurs around one light can affect how others respond, preventing the formation of long traffic jams. Helbing and Lammer have shown through simulation that this setup should substantially reduce overall travel times and keep no one waiting at a light too long, even though the lights' behavior runs counter to accepted human concepts of efficiency...

Labels: studies

BIODIESEL * USA - Early findings of study show biodiesel produces significantly less CO2 emissions

Dallas,TX,USA -Truck News, by James Menzies -22 Aug 2008: -- The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) shared early results of a study on the impact biodiesel has on CO2 emissions at the Great American Trucking Show this week... Two months into a six-month pilot with California-based States Logistics, the NBB says trucks using B100 biodiesel produce 78% less CO2 emissions than those running traditional diesel. The results are being collected and analyzed by Indigenous Energy, developers of an emissions-tracking system... The NBB says biodiesel has a 3.5:1 ration of energy gained to energy use to produce it, meaning for every unit of fossil energy required to produce biodiesel, 3.5 units of energy are produced...

Labels: biodiesel tests

Weight Tolerance * Canada - Nova Scotia takes action to remove it

Halifax,N.S.,USA -Truck News, by Adam Ledlow -22 Aug 2008: -- The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal in Nova Scotia has announced its three-year transition plan for the removal of weight tolerance.A, B, and C train doubles; six-axle tractor semi-trailers on B-train routes; and a number of truck and trailer combinations with six, seven or eight axles who previously had their weight reduced from national standards because of regulated tolerance, had the weight restored to proper levels Jan. 1... There is no gross vehicle weight transition for these vehicles... The maximum weight on All Other Highways was increased from 38,500 kg to 41,500 kg to account for the removal of regulated tolerance. There is no transition for gross vehicle weights greater than 41,500 kg for vehicles on these roads...

Labels: weight allowances

American Driving * USA - Reaches Eighth Month of Steady Decline

The latest figures from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) show a continued decline in miles driven

Washington,DC,USA -Federal Highway Administration Release -13 Aug 2008: -- A continued decline in the number of miles driven on U.S. roadways is translating into decreased revenue for the Highway Trust Fund and necessitates a revampment of the funding structure for improving the U.S. surface transportation network, says U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters... Since last November, 53.2 billion fewer miles have been logged as of the end of June when compared to the same span during the previous year, topping the total decline of 49.3 billion miles experienced in all of the 1970s. The decline is especially marked in rural areas. "We can't afford to continue pinning our transportation network's future to the gas tax," says Peters. "Advances in higher fuel-efficiency vehicles and alternative fuels are making the gas tax an even less sustainable support for funding roads, bridges and transit systems"... Data was gathered by FHWA through a network of more than 4,000 automatic traffic recorders operated by state highway agencies.

Labels: transport statistics

TRUCKMAKERS WORLDWIDE * COMMENTS ABOUT

* Thoughts on Volvo, GAZ and Renault SA

London,UK -The World Trucks Blog -22 Aug 2008: -- We read Neil Winton's views pertaining to Renault SA - go here for the full article in the Detroit News ... Winton refers to the views of Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas, who argues that the margin targets, issued recently by Renault SA, and which see profit margins up to six per cent by 2009 would appear to be dependant upon restructuring. S&P Credit analyst Barbara Castellano argues that: "(The outlook revision) reflects increasing uncertainty on Renault's ability to maintain sound cash generation and to avoid a pronounced weakening of its financial ratios." Credit Suisse are just plain nasty: "(Renault's) guidance lacks credibility" is its view... Restructuring seems to be the word of the moment, and we can think of no better asset of which to be rid of than Renault SA's large stake in AB Volvo. We know that we've been down this road before, but hang on with us... Renault wants to be Europe's most profitable car company with sales of 800,000 units per year, and the aforementioned margin of six per cent... We do not see any real evidence of Renault SA leveraging its stake in AB Volvo in terms that might aid the former in its pursuit of European vehicular supremacy. So, take the money and run would seem to be the best advice, although no doubt McKinsey's would add a few months to that sentence... But the suggestion demands that there is someone with some money who is prepared to join in the game. Hello Oleg; Mr Deripaska has a supposed $28 billion in the kitty, along with a reputation for being - shall we say - businesslike... Deripaska, GAZ and AB Volvo already have links; think licenced Renault engines. GAZ has made no secret of it wishes to sit at the big table in terms of trucks, and, leaving every other comment about the growth potential of the Russian market on one side for the moment, organic growth ain't going to get him - them - it - there. But a 20 per cent piece of AB Volvo might just cause some pulses to quicken some... We know, we've said it all before, but surely here is a situation in which company A has an asset and a need for money, and company B has some money, and the need for an asset. Supply and Demand as one Guy Steele-Bodger explained to us in Lower Sixth Economics. Generally speaking it's a good thing all round... Will it happen? We don't know, but we think that it's far more likely now than ever before. Logic would suggest that money would be better invested in Magic Beans than the automotive business at present, a factor reflected in share prices across the board, and which means but one thing...

Labels: truckmakers' comments

TRUCKERS' STORIES * USA - Pennsylvania trucker wins big honkin' truck makeover

Dallas,TX,USA -The Trucker News Services -22 Aug 2008: -- Precious cargo will be delivered as the winner of the third annual Castrol Tection Extra Big Honkin’ Truck Makeover contest accepted his grand prize truck during the Great American Trucking Show under way here through Saturday... Donald Wolford Jr. of Greencastle, Pa., received his completely revamped 1977 900A Kenworth Friday afternoon during a news conference... Wolford and his 1977 900A Kenworth’s $50,000 truck interior, exterior and communications makeover was completely-customized by The Chrome Shop Mafia and 4 State Trucks, Inc. who have been providing quality new and used parts for the heavy-duty truck industry since 1979... (Photo by Dorothy Cox/The Trucker - The winning 1977 Kenworth 900A owned by Donald Wolford Jr)

* Nearly 90, this driver recalls when diesel was 15 cents a gallon

ARK,USA -The Trucker, By JERRY BREEDEN -22 Aug 2008: -- Those were the days, my friend... Nick Adams remembers very vividly the days when diesel fuel sold for 15 cents a gallon. “I’ve been driving for more than 70 years now and I’m afraid those days are gone forever,” Adams told The Trucker during a recent layover at a Central Arkansas truck stop. “I remember, too, when diesel shot all the way up to a quarter a gallon and we thought then sky was falling. And when it went up to $1 (per gallon) in the 1970s, everybody was so worried that we went on strike for about a week. We thought the world was at end then, and we just knew it was when it went all the way up to $1.50..." (The Trucker/Jerry Breeden - MEMORIES: Nick Adams, who’s been a truck driver for more years than most of those who share his profession have been alive, remembers when diesel was dirt cheap)

Labels: truckers' stories

TRUCKS' PRODUCTS * USA - Utility introduces next generation of D-X

Dallas,TX,USA -The Trucker News Services -22 Aug 2008: -- Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co., a manufacturer of dry freight vans, reefers, flatbeds and Tautliner curtain-sided trailers, today announced the launch of the next generation D-X product, the 4000D-X Composite... The company labeled the product a composite wall trailer... (Photo Courtesy Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co. - Production of the new 2010 model year trailer will begin in January 2009)

Labels: trucks' products USA

EVENT * USA - National Truck Driver Appreciation Week Aug. 24-30

Arlington,VA,USA -The Trucker News Services -22 Aug 2008: -- With National Truck Driver Association Week 2008 next week, the American Trucking Associations is reminding suppliers, vendors, customers, and friends of the industry to mark their calendars for the celebration Aug. 24-30... “National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is about celebrating our professional drivers and letting them know they are valued,” said Elisabeth Barna, vice president of the American Trucking Associations... National Truck Driver Appreciation Week celebrates America’s professional truck driver and recognizes the integral role drivers serve in delivering everything we need safely and efficiently...

Labels: events

OIL NEWS * USA - Oil prices tumble more than $6 a barrel

New York,NY,USA -The Associated Press/The Trucker, by By STEVENSON JACOBS -22 Aug 2008: -- Oil prices tumbled more than $6 a barrel Friday — the biggest one-day percentage plunge in nearly four years — after a rebounding dollar and a Russian troop pullback in Georgia sparked another frenzied sell-off... Crude's nosedive wiped out all the gains from the previous day's big rally and reaffirmed the belief that high energy prices are still cutting into consumer demand for fossil fuels in the U.S. and overseas... (Photo: Oil settled at $114.59 a barrel on the New York exchange)

Labels: oil news

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA

* Chicago's Trucking company leases acreage on Southwest Side

Chicago ,ILL,USA -The Chicago Business, by Eddie Baeb -Aug. 21, 2008: -- Trucking giant Schneider National Inc. has leased 17 acres for truck and trailer parking along with a 15,000-square-foot repair facility on the Southwest Side... Schneider agreed to a 10-year lease for the property at 3600 S. Kostner Ave., just east of the Hawthorne Race Course in Cicero... The Green Bay, Wis.-based company, one of the nation’s biggest trucking firms, moved from an existing yard at 5300 Joliet Road in southwest suburban McCook, a site slated for development...

Labels: trucking industry news USA

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS WORLDWIDE * South Africa - Japanese workhorse leads vehicle manufacturer's SA growth charge

Garden View,South Africa -Creamer Media's Engineering News, by Jonathan Faurie -22 Aug 2008: -- The Quon, a popular extra-heavy commercial vehicle (EHCV) in Japan, is set drive the growth of commercial vehicle manufacturing company, Nissan Diesel, in the local commercial vehicle market, reports the company... Nissan Diesel South Africa COO Johan Richards reports that the Quon is Nissan Diesel's flagship truck in the Japanese EHCV market where the company holds a 26% market share in the heavy truck market with payloads over 8-t... He adds that this can be attributed to the fact that certain aspects of the Quon have been modified to suit South African conditions, and that the vehicle is based on the framework of another popular vehicle in the Nissan Diesel range... (Source: Nissan Diesel South Africa - BIG IN JAPAN Nissan Diesel’s flagship heavy-duty Quon truck has proved popular on the Japanese market)

* Germany - Daimler Trucks has launched the new Mercedes-Benz Actros with a 350-vehicle convoy from its Woerth am Rhein plant

Frankfurt,Germany -DaimlerChrysler Forum -20 Aug 2008: -- Having revealed images and advance information concerning a major update for the Mercedes-Benz Actros in January, Daimler has now announced the German market launch of this heavy truck... A convoy of the vehicles, pairs of which left the world’s largest truck plant every 30 seconds, have set out across the country, each one driven by a dealership salesperson, in preparation for the national launch on 23 August... Until now, Daimler Trucks had stated that the vehicle’s world premiere would be at the Hanover IAA in September... Mercedes-Benz calls this major facelift and re-engineering the ‘third generation’ Actros. The focus of the update is on economy, comfort, safety and environmental friendliness, it states... One of the new vehicle’s innovations is the adoption of the 12-speed Mercedes Powershift 2 automated transmission. This, the firm claims, is the first time such a gearbox has been fitted as standard to a road-going truck... With more than 550,000 units sold in more than 100 countries, the Actros series is acknowledged to be the world’s best-selling heavy-duty truck, Daimler Trucks adds...

* Germany - Daimler denies trucks spinoff being mulled

Frankfurt,Germany -Reuters -Aug 21, 2008: -- Daimler AG denied a magazine report on Thursday that it was considering more job cuts and may spin off its market-leading trucks business as a way to help boost its weak share price... A bourse listing for parts of its commercial vehicles business was "not an issue", the spokesman added... The magazine said deeper job cuts -- primarily at group headquarters -- were part of a cost-saving drive that management is discussing to help counter a market slump that forced the maker of Mercedes-Benz cars to slash its 2008 earnings outlook last month... The savings could also help finance heavy investments in new engine technology, it said, adding Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche would present the proposals to the group's supervisory board on Sept. 25 and 26... One company source called the board meeting next month "routine"... Daimler shares -- which have fallen by nearly half since October, prompting speculation it could become a takeover target -- rose as much as 3.4 percent, and were up 1.5 percent at 40.53 euros by 1000 GMT...(See too Reuter's - Photo: Mercedes-Benz Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche)

* USA - Volvo touts Fuelwatch for better operational fuel economy

Dallas,TX,USA -The Trucker -21 Aug 2008: -- Volvo Trucks North America on Thursday unveiled its Fuelwatch initiative to help fleet managers and truck operators achieve maximum fuel economy... Fuelwatch is designed to be a comprehensive approach to get the most out of each gallon of fuel, encompassing vehicle spec’ing, maintenance, performance monitoring and driver behavior. Volvo introduced Fuelwatch at the Great American Trucking Show here. Volvo's Fuelwatch will allow customers to take the best specifications and use them most efficiently and most productively to drive success, Scott Kress, Volvo senior vice president — sales and marketing, explained...

Labels: truckmakers' news worldwide

DISCUSSIONS & REALITY * USA - Port of Long Beach's clean-trucks loan program is criticized

The plan to replace old, polluting rigs with cleaner ones will put low-income drivers deep in debt, a coalition of groups says

Los Angeles,CAL,USA -The Los Angeles Times, by Louis Sahagun -August 20, 2008: -- A coalition of consumer, immigrant and civil rights groups warned Tuesday that a Port of Long Beach loan program to help thousands of mostly low-income truck drivers replace old, polluting rigs with newer, cleaner-burning vehicles could plunge the truckers into debt... Port officials counter that the loans are a bargain and that truckers would not be able to afford new rigs without them. But the coalition foresees a wave of "foreclosures on wheels"... The coalition urged the port to convert its loan program to one similar to the system Daimler created for the Port of Los Angeles... In that plan, which is strongly supported by the Teamsters and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, investments in new trucks will be handled by trucking companies that employ their drivers. In Long Beach, by comparison, individual drivers are being asked to invest in new trucks... Port of Long Beach spokesman Art Wong said the coalition "had it wrong" with its criticism. He said that the loan program, which requires payments of $500 to $1,000 per month for seven years, was worth about $60,000 to $70,000 for participating drivers... Authorities at both ports on Tuesday blamed general confusion for the low number of drivers now expected to submit applications for vehicle loans by the Sept. 4 deadline...

* Fairness at the ports - The Port of Long Beach is at a big disadvantage with its Clean Trucks program. It's playing fair

Long Beach,,CAL,USA -The Press-Telegram -20 Aug 2008: -- ... That's not the way opponents are playing. A coalition you've probably never heard of, backed by the Teamsters Union, is criticizing the port for trying to lure truck drivers into deep debt and "foreclosures on wheels"... The attack would be laughable if it weren't a potential obstruction to cleaning up port-related pollution... The coalition consists of The Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, The League of United Latin American Citizens and The Consumer Federation of California. This group is pressuring the Port of Long Beach to switch to a program used by the Port of Los Angeles and backed by the Teamsters... The difference between the programs is that Long Beach's port allows either independent owner-drivers or drivers employed by trucking companies, while Los Angeles' port allows only company-owned trucks. The Teamsters don't want to allow the choice, because it would be easier to organize and control an employee-only system... This makes sense only from the Teamsters' point of view, since 90 percent of the truckers who haul containers at the ports are independent operators who, in a survey, made it clear they don't want to give up their independence... The fair thing to do is to allow the choice. But this isn't about fairness... It also isn't about "foreclosure on wheels"... Long Beach's program offers generous grants to drivers who want to buy a $100,000 truck for a third that much, or lease one for as little as $311 a month for the first two years and $511 a month for the next five years. Try that on the open market... The conflict with the Teamsters tends to obscure the benefits of the Clean Trucks program for residents of the region. By outlawing the oldest and dirtiest trucks effective Oct. 1, diesel pollution will be cut in half almost immediately, and cut by 80 percent by the year 2012. It also adds to confusion among drivers, who have until Sept. 4 to apply for vehicle loans... A benefit so important to health is too important to get knocked around in arguments with a union. Long Beach isn't banning employee drivers, it's merely offering a choice. The Teamsters are saying it has to be their way or the highway... The fair thing to do also is the righteous thing to do. The Port of Long Beach is right to stand by its Clean Trucks program...

* A Daimler official told Long Beach officials

Washington & Famington Hills, Mich,USA -DaimlerChrysler Forum -Aug 20, 2008: -- ... A delegation of high-ranking representatives from civil rights, minority, consumer and worker rights advocacy groups, were joined today by several dozen activists carrying signs calling for an end to a predatory lending scheme by Daimler/Mercedes Benz and the Port of Long Beach... Noisy protests at the German Embassy in Washington, DC and Mercedes-Benz’ parent company in the Detroit-area culminated with the simultaneous delivery of a report to company and diplomatic officials entitled “Foreclosure on Wheels: Long Beach’s Truck Program Puts Drivers at High Risk for Default”... Under the terms of the lease-to-own scheme, Daimler will financially back low-emissions trucks (costing $100,000-$200,000 after volume discounts) to any driver whose dirty diesel rig was recently banned by the port, regardless of his/her credit worthiness and ability to pay. Port drivers, before the cost of fuel skyrocketed, netted an average of $11 an hour. The monthly payment for the trucks is between $500-1,000 for seven years, with a balloon payment of $7,000-$15,000 at the end of the lease term... A Daimler official told Long Beach officials in a public forum on June 30 that the company expects “over 40%” of port drivers to have “high difficulty meeting the payments,” a staggering acknowledgement overridden by Daimler’s strength in “managing collections,” i.e., repossessing trucks...

* 2 big haulers sign on to L.A. port's clean-truck plan. Both Arizona firms are both members of an industry group that has sued to block the new rules

Los Angeles,CAL,USA -The Los Angeles Times, by Ronald D. White & Louis Sahagun -August 22, 2008: -- The Port of Los Angeles' clean-truck replacement effort received a significant boost Thursday when two Arizona-based freight haulers signed letters of intent to participate in the program... Both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach have provoked opposition from the American Trucking Assn. over their plans to replace the aging fleet of about 16,800 mostly dilapidated rigs that produce a large portion of the diesel pollution at the nation's busiest cargo container complex... But the potential participation of the two Phoenix-based companies -- Swift Transportation Co., with 37 major terminals in 26 states and Mexico, and the publicly traded Knight Transportation Inc., with nearly half of its fleet consisting of 2008 model trucks -- was seen as a significant development. Both are members of the ATA... The two Arizona companies said that the letters of intent made sense because both already had customers who moved goods through the ports and had expressed concerns about their ability to get their products delivered promptly... (Photo by Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times - The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are trying to reduce diesel emissions from the trucks that serve them. Above, truck traffic at the Port of Long Beach)

Labels: "Clean Trucks" Program

TWIC Card * USA - Port's high-tech IDs are causing concern

Baltimore,MD,USA -Daily Record, by ANDY ROSEN -August 21, 2008: -- ... Randy Wright, a driver for Denver-based Seeger’s Truck Line Inc. who regularly hauls tractors and other heavy equipment between the port of Baltimore and Iowa, said he was going back empty this time. Before he hit the road, though, Wright stopped to sign up for a Transportation Worker Identification Credential, or TWIC, card... The new card, which typically costs $132.50, will be required for unescorted access to Baltimore’s public terminals Dec. 1... It will be phased in at ports around the country by April 2009, and will affect port employees, longshoremen, truck drivers and thousands of other people in maritime trades...A recent survey by private-terminal trade group the Baltimore Port Alliance found that out of about 700 long-distance drivers who stopped at three private terminals in the Port of Baltimore, 2 percent have TWIC cards. Of those who didn’t have a card, 10 percent said they knew what one was. And of the drivers who knew what a TWIC card was, half said they planned to get one... Rupert Denney, who heads the alliance, emphasized that the questions were not directed toward container drivers, many of whom make their living at ports. He said he is confident those drivers will register for TWIC cards. But he said the results for long-haul drivers were beyond what he thought they would be... (Photo 1 (left above): Trucks line up at the Port of Baltimore - Photo 2 (right below): Randy Wright, right, applies for his TWIC card at the Port of Baltimore; Wright, a driver for Iowa-based Seeger’s Truck Line, paid the $132.50 fee out of his own pocket)

Labels: Transportation Worker Identification Credential.TWIC

EVENT * USA - HTUF National Conference and Ride and Drive October 14-16, 2008

Fuel-Saving Hybrid Trucks Focus - More Than 30 Green Trucks and Buses Take Center Stage in South Bend, Indiana

PASADENA,CAL,USA -MarketWatch -Aug 21, 2008: -- CALSTART's Hybrid Truck Users Forum - HTUF ( www.htuf.org) - will hold its 2008 HTUF National Conference, the world's leading medium and heavy-duty hybrid truck forum, October 14-16, 2008 in South Bend, Indiana. The conference will be hosted by Bosch Rexroth and takes place at the South Bend Marriott Hotel and adjacent Century Center, with the world's biggest hybrid truck ride-and-drive at the nearby Bosch Proving Grounds on the final day... This year's forum takes on added importance with national diesel prices at or over $4 per gallon; hybrid systems can cut fuel use from 20 to more than 50 percent in some truck and bus applications, and they are now entering the market... The HTUF National Conference has become the premier event for fleets, truck makers and suppliers to come together around hybrid truck and bus technology and products. The conference is expanding in 2008 to three full days, featuring enhanced fleet educational sessions on hybrids, truck-maker product briefings and the latest performance and purchase information...

Labels: events

New Axle Lube * USA - Peterbilt says: Could save 1 percent on fuel

Dallas,TX,USA -The Trucker -21 Aug 2008: -- Peterbilt Motors Co. said today that customers would receive up to an estimated 1 percent fuel economy savings when PACCAR becomes the first company to make a new, full synthetic axle lube standard on is Class 5-8 models in the U.S. and Canada starting this summer... PACCAR is the parent company for Peterbilt... The announcement came during the annual Great American Trucking Show under way here... Peterbilt will introduce Cognis EMGARD FE 75W-90 into production at its plants in Denton, Texas, Nashville, Tenn., and Ste. Therese, Quebec, Canada... (Photo: The Cognis EMGARD FE 75W-90 synthetic axle lube will be standard on all Peterbilt Class 5-8 trucks)

Labels: lubes

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31.8.08

The world's biggest truck? * UK - 250-ton giant coil carriers must be in

PENALTIES * UK - Hauliers' appeals cut stowaway penalties

TRUCKING INDUSTRY CRISIS * UK - Amtrak's last post?

TRUCK MARKETS OPINION * Europe - Volvo: July Deliveries.

OPINION * UK - The Commoditzation of Transport and the End of Brand

Blockade's Impact * India - On Kashmir's economic, to continue longer

TRUCKING MARKETS WORLDWIDE * Bulgaria - 1,200 trucks pass Varna Port a day

Trucker's Thought * USA - This is National Truck Driver Appreciation Week.

30.8.08

RECALLS * USA - GM Recalls 944,000 Cars, Trucks for Electrical Flaw

Poll: Truckers livin' better * USA - Healthier lifestyles and access to technology more common

TRUCKING MARKETS * Romania - Top ten largest local trucking companies comfortable with foreign competition

CLEAN TRUCKS DEBATE * USA - Truckers Grind Gears Over Subsidies

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * USA - Hybrid trucks appeal to municipalities, businesses

Report * USA - Trucking Industry Has High Rate of Workplace Injuries, Costs

STORMS' TIMES * USA - Gulf Oil Rigs Evacuated as Hurricane Gustav Strengthens

Lenght Limits * USA - North Carolina law eases length limits on some roads

Transportation Worker Identification Credential * USA - More ports set mandatory TWIC enforcement dates

Empty Mile Fuel Surcharge * USA - Trucking company implements new policy to pay for

Truck or train * Australia - Transport chiefs fight for handouts

Diesel Exhaust Fluid * USA - DEF infrastructure in good shape

TRUCKERS' SHORTAGE * Canada - Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP)

DRIVERS' HEALTH * USA - Poor Vision, Drowsy Driving Deadly

29.8.08

Study * USA - Following Too Close Indicted in Rear-End Crashes

TRUCKING INDUSTRY CRISIS * USA - Farmington trucking company to close; 100 to lose jobs

CONCESSION PLANS' SUIT * USA - IANA backs ATA's lawsuit against L.A.-area ports'

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * USA

CORPORATIVE NEWS * USA - National Association of Small Trucking Companies

Alternative Fuels * USA - Long Term Biodiesel Study Results To Date Positive

28.8.08

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS WORLDWIDE

TRANSPORT STATISTICS * USA

ROAD FUNDS IDEAS * USA - Premium Lanes or Truck-Only Toll Lanes in New Jersey

NATIONAL DRIVER APPRECIATION * USA - CSXI Celebrates Week

Hydrogen Hybrid Technologies * USA - Prepares For Car & Light Truck Aftermarket

PrePass * USA - Illinois Trucking: Greener Every Day

B TRIPLE TRUCKS * Australia - Plan for giant trucks revealed

INFRASTRUCTURES * Mexico - Plans huge Baja port for U.S. trade

Cross-Border Trucking Program * USA - No Anniversary Party for Controversial

HIGH FUEL COSTS * Canada - Truck industry adapts to

Clean Truck * USA - National Retail Systems to Comply With Port of Los Angeles' Program

Medical Certification * USA - Truckers' using Chantix, not likely

Arkansas * USA - Goes online with drug, alcohol testing results

BALLOT TIMES * USA - Transportation initiatives address funding needs

27.8.08

TRUCKS MARKET * EUROPE - Ifo Data Shows Germany in a Tailspin

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

RULES * USA - New Missouri law bans big trucks from left lane

BORDER TROUBLES * Turkey/Russia - Turkey Protests Russia Trade Curbs as Trucks Held Up at Customs

SAVING MONEY * USA - Road Rangers reducing hours of operation and number of trucks

CONGESTIONS FEES * USA - Debated in US cities

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA - Load Board Drops Price

STATISTICS * USA - ATA Tonnage Index Falls in July

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS NEWS * WORLDWIDE

26.8.08

COMPLAINS * Australia - Trucks hit our roads

PROGNOSIS * USA - Transportation Costs to Rise Further

INFRASTRUCTURE * UK - Europe's largest logistics park

TRUCKS ENGINE MANUFACTURERS * USA - Cummins Adds to Market Share in 2008 as Caterpillar’s Engine Sales Decline

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

TRUCKERS' PROTEST * Japan - Thousands, protest high fuel prices

TAX POLICY * Canada - Feds mull scrapping of diesel tax

TRUCKERS' FATIGUE * Australia - Push on for new Nhill truck stop

Houston Medical Testing Company * USA - Helping Texas Tow Truck Operators Comply with New Law

CLEAN TRUCKS SUIT * USA - Ports of L.A., Long Beach respond to ATA suit

25.8.08

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS WORLDWIDE * Japan - Toyota to lift prices on hybrids, trucks

TRUCKER'S OPINION * USA - Not too Swift!

OPINION * USA - Truckers being driven out of business

DRIVERS' SHORTAGE * USA - Area part of nationwide shortage

ALTERNATIVE FUELS * USA - Canola diesel to fuel trucks in N. Carolina

CLEAN TRUCKS PROGRAM * USA - Big rig retail center opens

Kids enjoy Trucks * UK - One day at the seaside