Trucks World News: February 2009

Feb 28, 2009

Regulators * Australia - All-in-one truck tracker possible

Governments may this year approve an all-in-one monitoring system capable of simultaneously recording route and fatigue management compliance

Melbourne,Australia -Supply Chain Review -February 12, 2009: -- ... Transport Certification Australia (TCA) is currently looking at whether to incorporate electronic work diaries and the Intelligent Access Program (IAP) into one device... The government body has been tasked by the Australian Transport Council (ATC) to develop rules for an electronic reporting scheme in line with IAP specifications and has flagged a comprehensive compliance system as an option... The ATC will decide at the end of the year whether to adopt the scheme...

Labels: rules and regulations

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Germany - Mercedes-Benz delivers record number waste trucks

Stuttgart,Germany -ATN (Australia) -1 March 2009: -- As if to prove a good design will sell regardless of the economy, Mercedes-Benz sold over 1,500 of its Econic waste services trucks in Germany last year... Purpose-built for municipal service work the Econic features a number of design innovations making it first choice in its segment...

Labels: truckmakers news worldwide

Clean Trucks Program * USA - Could New Jersey port adopt California one?

NJ,USA -Fleet Owner,by Justin Carretta -Feb 27, 2009: -- The average vehicle age for trucks servicing the Port of New York/New Jersey is more than a decade old and the port is unable to maintain a strong labor force due to low pay and operational inefficiencies, according to a new study completed by professors David Bensman and Yael Bromberg of Rutgers University’s School of Management and Labor Relations... According to the report, the average port trucker drives a vehicle that is 11 years old because they cannot afford to buy or lease low-emission, high-efficiency diesel trucks... The older vehicles pollute at least ten times more than modern trucks while consuming more fuel, costing more to maintain and requiring more frequent repairs... With the California ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach implementing its Clean Trucks Program (CTP), requiring that trucks servicing the ports release fewer emissions, calls have come to implement similar plans at other U.S. ports...

Labels: clean trucks plans

TRUCKERS' FIGHT * USA & Canada

* USA - For Taxpayer Dollars

When it comes to taking it on the chin from the railroads over the fight for government funding, the trucking industry is apparently mad as hell and they're not going to take it anymore

Washington,DC,USA -Traffic World, by John Gallagher -24 Feb 2009: -- ... That's the message gleaned from a new ad campaign from the American Trucking Associations countering a long-running railroad campaign boasting that a ton of freight moving over the rails gets 436 miles to the gallon - four times farther than it can move by truck... But trucking seeks to one-up the railroads by creating a message that resonates directly with consumers... "The railroad industry talks a lot about fuel efficiency per ton," the ATA ad states. "Unfortunately, being fuel efficient in a straight line doesn't get food to grocery stores, supplies to business, or life's essentials to the home."... The ATA's ad points out that 80 percent of American communities rely solely on trucks to deliver goods to hospitals, schools, homes, and grocery stores... (Photo: Truck traffic)

* Canada - All systems go for speed-limiter protest Monday in Ontario

ONT,CAN -Land Line Magazine -28 Feb 2009: -- Truckers are gathering Monday, March 2, to call attention to a law they say will hurt small-business truckers and highway safety in the province of Ontario... The provincial government began enforcing regulations Jan. 1 that require speed limiters to be set at a maximum of 105 kilometers per hour, or 65 mph, on all heavy trucks manufactured since 1995, regardless of where they are base plated... The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and Owner-Operators Business Association of Canada filed comments and testified against the law on grounds that it will limit competition and violate rules of fair trade inside and outside the province... OOIDA member Scott Mooney, an owner-operator from Cambridge, Ontario, organized the grassroots protest, saying the Liberal Party government has ignored repeated testimony that mandatory speed limiters will hurt trucking... He is hoping truckers can gain the attention of lawmakers to repeal or at least amend the law...

Labels: truckers' fight

Troopers and Truckers * USA - Team Up for Traffic Blitz Along Interstate 85

Montgomery,AL,USA -WSFA 12 News -Feb 27, 2009: -- If you traveled along Interstate 85 along, there is a good chance you saw a swarm of state troopers... They were participating in what's known as "TACT". That stands for targeting aggressive cars and trucks. Troopers teamed up with the Alabama Trucking Association to put a trooper in a big rig with a radar. That trooper would then notify other troopers to set up down the road when someone was breaking a traffic law... WSFA 12 News has learned at least 62 people were pulled over. More of these trooper-trucker team ups are expected later this year...

Labels: safety blitz

New PNP * Canada - Truckers not included

Toronto,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking -27 Feb 2009: -- ... Still considered a pilot program, the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is now named Opportunities Ontario. Like similar programs across the country, its goal is to help companies recruit and sponsor foreign workers to come to Canada in order to work in industries that face serious shortages... It has been expanded to welcome 1,000 applicants -- twice as many as before. But while the government boasts that there's now a broader range of qualifying categories (up from only 20 occupations previously), truck driving still isn't recognized as a "skilled" profession under the program... Ontario only accepts skill types 0, A or B from the National Occupation Classification (NOC), which includes supervisors for construction and transportation -- as well as butchers, bakers, and arts performers -- but not truck drivers...

Labels: foreign drivers

HME * USA - One Check, Not Two, for Truckers

The federal government should eliminate a rule that forces some truck drivers to undergo duplicate, costly security checks

Washington,DC,USA -The Journal of Commerce, by William B. Cassidy -27 Feb 2009: -- The Small Business Administration targeted a Transportation Security Administration rule that requires truckers who already hold a Transportation Worker Identification Credential to undergo a second background check when they apply for a Hazardous Materials Endorsement for their commercial driver's licenses. Those checks cost nearly $100 per applicant, and cost the trucking industry up to $30 million a year, the federal agency said... As many as 300,000 truck drivers apply for an HME each year, according to the American Trucking Associations. Without one, they cannot haul hazardous materials... (IMAGE)

Labels: HME Hazardous Materials Endorsement

Shutting off the engines * USA - New law limits how long buses, trucks can idle

Clearing the air

Reading,PA,USA -The Reading Eagle, by Darrin Youker -27 Feb 2009: -- A new state law limits how long large diesel-fueled vehicles can sit without drivers shutting off the engines... And that includes school buses... Environmentalists say it will reduce greenhouse gases... Truckers say they need to run their engines to power electrical equipment in their cabs... (Reading Eagle: Ben Hasty
Tractor-trailers, like these at the Frystown All American Plaza truck stop in Bethel Township, can sometimes pay for a service while parked that provides electricity, cable TV and the Internet)

Labels: idling reduction

Feb 27, 2009

INFRASTRUCTURES * USA - The Bridge to Smart Technology

Smart technology that makes infrastructure safer and more efficient is ready just in time for a flood of government spending

Minneapolis.MN,USA -Bussines Weeks -19 Feb 2009: -- The new replacement for the highway bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis in 2007 is replete with sensors and other electronics that continually monitor the structure and automatically operate a winter anti-icing system. "The technology is about speed, it's about quality, and it's about efficiency," says civil engineer Jon Chiglo, who managed the $234 million project for the Minnesota Transportation Department... With the United States set to spend more than $500 billion on infrastructure in the coming five years, this sort of bridge is likely to become much more common, though there are disagreements over how much technology should be packed into the infrastructure... Meanwhile, some people are skeptical of whether tech-heavy infrastructure is the best use of stimulus money or whether the emphasis should be on producing as many jobs as possible as quickly as possible...(InfoImage by David Foster - The new St. Anthony Falls Bridge crossing the Mississippi River in Minneapolis has a half dozen types of sensors embedded in it. Here's what they measure)

* USA & France - NIST And French Lab to Study Weathering of Advanced Composites for Bridges And Piers

USA /France - NIST Tech Beat -24 Feb 2009: -- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is working with France's Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées (National Scientific and Technological Institute, abbreviated LCPC) to look at implementing fiber-reinforced polymer composites in civil infrastructure applications such as wind turbines, piers, and bridges.. The first planned project is to use NIST's SPHERE (Simulated Photodegradation via High Energy Radiant Emission), which produces high-intensity ultraviolet rays that accelerate outdoor weathering of polymeric materials and composites, to test long-term weathering effects on different materials... (Photo: Weather SPHERE: Researchers from France's National Scientific and Technological Institute and NIST will work together to learn more about the effect of weathering on fiber-reinforced polymer composites that may be used in bridges and piers. NIST's SPHERE (Simulated Photodegradation via High Energy Radiant Emission) accelerates outdoor weathering of test materials)

* USA - As Suspension Bridges Age, a Search for Failures

New York,NY,USa -The National Public Radio, by Joe Palca -23 Feb 2009: -- Engineers at Columbia University are attempting to develop a technology that will enable transportation officials to more effectively gauge the condition of suspension-bridge cables. Typically, inspectors visually examine cables a couple of times annually... Engineers in charge of the project feel that there is a more precise way of determining the status of bridges, so they have created an experiment involving the placement of sensors within the cables. The sensors will continuously track a cable's condition and also determine how long the cables will last...To ensure that the sensors provide accurate information, the researchers are placing a 20-foot piece of bridge cable inside of a chamber for six months and testing different weather conditions, such as heat and water, on it. "We are trying to create conditions that are more aggressive than the ones out there because otherwise the system will not be tested," says Raimondo Betti, an engineer involved with the project... (Photo 1: In July 1922, the Brooklyn Bridge was closed to automobile traffic after inspectors identified a slipped cable. Bettmann/Corbis - Photo 2, by Joe Palca/NPR: Engineers created this weather simulation chamber, which has heat lamps, artificial rain and salt, to test the accuracy of their sensors embedded in the cable)

Labels: infrastructures

Haulage Industry in Trouble * Latvia - Hauliers claim

Latvian hauliers are calling on the Government to provide the aid for the industry

Riga,Latvia -HGV Ireland -25 Feb 2009: -- In a letter to Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis last week, hauliers drew attention to the fact that international freight haulage sector, represented by over 3,000 companies, which operate nearly 12,000 trucks and employ around 20,000 workers, is facing difficult times... The global economic crisis has had an impact also on foreign markets, the demand for the trucking companies' services are decreasing and so are these companies' incomes, the hauliers claim. Road hauliers are struggling to settle their payments with banks, leasing companies, fuel and services providers and many are close to going bankrupt... According to the truckers, the freight turnover volume in January decreased at least by 50%. Freight carriers are forced to limit their activities, to make drivers redundant or to ask them to take unpaid vacations for indeterminate period of time, the hauliers claim...

Labels: trucking industry troubles worldwide

TRUCKER HERO * USA - Driver avoids major disaster as truck burns

Ripon,CAL,USA -The Manteca Bulletin, by Glenn Kahl -Feb. 27, 2009: -- With flames leaping some 75 feet into the early morning sky, a long haul truck driver prevented a possible catastrophe at the Flying J Truck Stop in Ripon Thursday... He told officers he had pulled into the Stop at about 5 p.m. Wednesday night to have dinner, planning to spend the night before driving into Stockton Thursday morning, officers said... It was about 4 a.m. when other truckers saw his truck was on fire and banged on the side of his sleeper unit telling him to get out. A box truck carrying a load of wine was parked next to his, and also caught on fire, but was quickly extinguished by firemen... Police said the back door of the trailer of his 18-wheeler was reportedly open, and fire was coming out the rear of the vehicle when the other truckers were trying to wake the driver. It was at that location that the bolt cutters were later discovered, firemen said... As others called 911, the trucker started up his vehicle, and steered it successfully out of the truck stop driving it west bound away from the facility to a point about a city block from Highway 99 where flames could be seen by early morning motorists... Firemen and police alike applauded the efforts of the driver from preventing a fire that could have spread to the many other trucks parked for the night at the facility as well as the danger in the nearby gas pumping operations... (Photo by GLENN KAHL/The Bulletin - Ripon firemen Justin Morris and Captain Neil Green position “hot dog” runoff tubing to contain caustic liquids still draining from a burned out truck trailer to prevent contamination in the storm drains following a spectacular early morning fire. The rear door of the trailer was open when other truckers discovered the blaze, police said. Flames leaped to an estimated 75 feet high as the driver steered his truck away from the trucking facility and its gas pumps)

Labels: truckers hero

Magnesium Parts * USA - TxDot suspicious of dangerous metal

Waco,TX,USA -KXXV/TV 2, by Brian Collins -Feb 27, 2009: -- Several recent big rig fires have Texas Department of Transportation officials suspicious of trucks being built with more magnesium parts as truckers drive the 18-wheelers across Central Texas... Many big rig under-carriages have magnesium parts because magnesium is lighter and stronger than other metals. Magnesium will ignite if heated and touched by fire... Because magnesium takes longer to extinguish, cargo and fuel are more likely to catch fire. Roads can also be damaged by the extremely hot metal...

Labels: dangerous trucks

ALTERNATIVE FUELS * UK - Sainsbury supermarkets add biogas-fueled trucks

"Running on Rubbish"

London,UK -Refrigerated Transporter (Overland Park,USA) -Feb 25, 2009: -- Sainsbury’s supermarkets in the United Kingdom are adding five more trucks with hybrid systems that use a combination biomethane fuel and diesel fuel. It is the latest step in the company’s ongoing commitment to reduce its emissions from road transportation... The trucks will use Genesis Dual Fuel combustion technology from Clean Air Power... The Genesis system, which is retrofitted, allows up to 50% of a vehicle’s diesel to be replaced by natural gas or biogas. This cuts emissions by about 30% and "significantly" reduces fuel costs, yet maintains diesel engine performance and efficiency, said Clean Air Power officials... A renewable fuel, biomethane is most commonly produced from organic wastes using biogas. Biogas, a mixture of methane and other gases produced from decomposition of organic materials, is captured, processed, and compressed into a vehicle fuel...

Labels: clean alternative fuels

Govn't Administration * USA - DOT chief commends trucking for strides in safety, technology

Washington,DC,USA -The Trucker -26 Feb 2009: -- Noting that trucking is “critical to the health of our national economy,” Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood commended the industry for its efforts in safety and technology and called for the government and private businesses to examine “all options and develop a workable plan” to fund improvements in the country’s infrastructure... Safety is one of the four emphasis areas LaHood said he shared with Congress during his confirmation hearings... The others were economic recovery, livability and sustainability... Livability includes improving the quality of life for truck drivers... As for highway funding, LaHood said the country must be “innovative" ... “Tolling and privatization me be part of the solution, but I support this mainly for new construction,” he said. “Fuel taxes may also be part of the mix, but we need to examine all options and develop a comprehensive, workable plan.” ... LaHood updated the ATA board on regulatory issues. He said:
• The Medical Certification Rule that combines the medical certificate and the Commercial Driver’s license went into effect Jan. 30 as scheduled
• The New Entrant Rule after review was allowed to proceed as scheduled and went into effect Feb. 17.
• The Intermodal Chassis Rule is moving forward and will be effective June 17, and
• The Electronic On-Board Recorder Rule, which was at the Office of Budget and Management and at the direction of the White House was recalled, is still under review.

LaHood said the rule establishing a national drug and alcohol testing database was moving forward and that he anticipated a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking later this year...

Labels: Obama's Administration

CLEAN TRUCKS PROGRAM * USA - SC port begins truck emissions reduction program

A new program at the Port of Charleston should mean cleaner air and save trucking companies at the pump

Charleston,S.C.,USA -AP/Live 5 News -February 25, 2009: -- The South Carolina State Ports Authority on Wednesday announced the program through which truckers serving the port can recover some of the costs of installing smaller generators that reduce idling... The program, funded in part by an Environmental Protection Agency grant, also allows truckers to recover some costs of using fuel-saving single-wide. They are also eligible to have trucks fitted with aerodynamic kits which can result in an estimated 5% fuel savings... Truckers may apply until the end of next month. Selected owners will be notified in May with the upgrades to be completed by the end of November... (Photo: Charleston Region by Air - This is Denton Shipyard, which utilizes former Navy Base space)

Labels: Clean Trucks Program

Clean Alternative Fuels * USA - Gains at Container Shipping Ports

Washington,DC,USA -TruckingInfo -26 Feb 2009: -- U.S. and international container shipping ports are among the biggest sources of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, because of their reliance on diesel fuel. But progress toward reducing harmful emissions by switching to clean alternative fuels is gaining momentum worldwide, according to a new study... "Container Ports and Air Pollution," published by Energy Futures Inc., found that natural gas is currently the leading alternative fuel for goods movement at U.S. container ports, while hybrid electric vehicles are gaining popularity in Asia... The new Energy Futures study updates and expands on a report titled "U.S. Container Ports and Air Pollution: A Perfect Storm," which was published in February 2008. That study identified environmental protection alternative fuel programs at each of the top 10 U.S. container ports, including their use of natural gas, biodiesel or hybrid electric vehicles...

Labels: clean alternative fuels

TAX & FEES * USA - Congressional Commission Recommends Mileage-Based User Fee

Washington,DC,USA -TruckingInfo -27 Feb 2009: -- Calling the current federal motor fuels tax unsustainable over the long term, a bipartisan, Congressionally created commission is recommending that the U.S. shift to a mileage-based usage fee by 2020... Culminating nearly two years of study and deliberation, the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission offered its consensus view and roadmap for sweeping reform of the nation's transportation infrastructure funding approach with the release ofits final report, "Paying Our Way: A New Framework for Transportation Finance," Thursday... Charging vehicle drivers a mileage fee embodies the "user pays" principle and more accurately aligns the costs and benefits of the surface transportation system to those who are using it... More transparent charges for using infrastructure may also spur drivers to use the system more efficiently, reducing the overall investment need...

* Commission recommends tolls and taxes, but no reform

Grain Valley,MO,USA -Land Line Magazine -February 26, 2009: -- As if truckers and highway users aren’t paying enough in taxes, fees and tolls to run on America’s highways, a federal commission is recommending that Congress adopt a sweeping array of new and higher user fees... Critics, including OOIDA, say the report does not address the way transportation money is spent nor does it call for reform... OOIDA and other highway user groups remain strongly opposed to the tolling of existing highway capacity... Trucks make up only 7 percent of traffic on the nation’s highways, but highway-use taxes that truckers pay amount to more than 36 percent of the total money contributed to the federal Highway Trust Fund according to OOIDA... “Truckers are already paying more than their fair share,” Spencer said... OOIDA acknowledges that a vehicle-miles tax may someday replace the fuel tax, but for now, the fuel tax remains viable as the fairest and easiest way to fund transportation...

* Colorado House OKs road funding bill; tolls, truck fee increases included

CO,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Keith Goble -February 26, 2009: -- The Colorado House has narrowly approved a bill that includes the option of charging tolls to access existing free routes... By a margin of 34-31, House lawmakers voted to advance the bill, which is intended to raise at least $250 million a year to fix the state’s crumbling roads and bridges... Officials with the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association point out that truckers and others already pay federal taxes and user fees that contribute to the upkeep of interstate highways. The Association, therefore, opposes the tolling of roadways because it amounts to double taxation for truckers... OOIDA also opposes the long-term leasing of existing roadways to private business. Association officials oppose the idea of these private companies being guaranteed profitable toll increases on the backs of highway users...

Labels: fees and taxes

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA & Canada

* USA - Schneider National Grows in 2008

Green Bay,Wis,USA -Layover -26 Feb 2009: -- Schneider National, Inc., a premier provider of transportation, logistics and intermodal services, today announced its 2008 financial results. The company posted revenues of $3.7 billion in 2008, up from $3.4 billion in 2007. In addition to growing revenue, Schneider achieved its earnings plan in 2008, continuing the company's 74-year track record of positive financial results... That said, the freight transportation market environment has been, and will continue to be, in a deep recession...

* Canada - Contrans and Mullen increase revenue despite troubled economy

Woodstock,Ont,Canada -Today's Trucking -27 Feb 2009: -- Two of Canada’s largest trucking operations managed to increase revenue during 2008, despite the troubled economy... The Alberta-based Mullen Group Income Fund generated record consolidated revenues of approximately $1.3 billion, which the company attributes partly to the success of its acquisitions... Contrans Income Fund meanwhile, wasn’t hurt by keeping its income fund status in tact and increased revenue in 2008 to $488.8 million, up from $485.9 million in 2007... Other contributing factors included the strong performance by the Trucking/Logistics Segment; the strong demand for services related to the transportation of fluids and servicing of oil wells; and the strong demand for specialized services related to the build out and servicing of projects related to the extraction of oilsands deposits...

Labels: trucking industry news USA and CAN

"GREEN" TRUCKS * USA - All-electric port trucks ready to roll

Balqon locally builds rigs that haul containers 30 to 70 miles on a charge

Harbor City,CAL,USA -The Press Telegram, by Kristopher Hanson -24 Feb 2009: -- Nestled within earshot of America's busiest seaport, the world's first assembly line dedicated to the production of all-electric heavy- duty trucks rolled out its first rig Tuesday... The zero-emission rig, which will haul cargo containers from local marine terminals to area railyards, is the first of 25 such trucks being built by a team of about 50 line workers, engineers and craftsmen at the Balqon Corporation factory here... Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa test-drives a new zero-emission truck built by Balqon in Harbor City on Tuesday, in one of Southern California's few remaining automotive production plants... (Photo by Steven Georges - The all-electric trucks are suited for hauling of cargo from marine terminals, and, depending on load weight, can travel up to 70 miles on a single charge)

Labels: green trucks

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* USA - Navistar still interested in acquiring GM medium-duty trucks?

USA -Reuters (UK)/Autoblog, by Michael Harley -Feb 24, 2009: -- Even though a deal with Navistar International Corp dissolved over the summer, the commercial truck maker remains interested in possibly acquiring General Motors' medium-duty truck unit. Dan Ustian, Navistar's chairman, chief executive and president, told the Reuters Manufacturing Summit in Chicago that, "...we're always looking to grow and that compliments us pretty well."... In fact, he added, if the current downturn continues, the company may be forced to slow or stop production in their own existing heavy-duty truck plants in Mexico and Canada... While Navistar waits "to see how the economy materializes," maybe Isuzu will step up to the plate

* Mexico - Daimler opens new Cascadia plant in Saltillo

Stuttgart,Germany/ Saltillo,Mexico -The Trucker News Services -27 Feb 2009: -- Daimler Trucks North America LLC has opened its new manufacturing plant in Saltillo, Coahuila, in northern Mexico, the company said Friday... The facility, which was built with an investment of $300 million, is expected to create 1,400 direct jobs and 200 indirect ones. In addition, it will generate 1,100 jobs within the local supplier industry... (Photo: The new Daimler plant in Saltillo, Mexico, will produce Freightliner’s new flagship, the Cascadia heavy-duty Class 8 truck. The plant can produce up to 30,000 Cascadia trucks annually for sale in the US, Canadian, and Mexican markets)

* USA - Mack Trucks to sell Pa. headquarters building

Allentown,Pa,USA -AP/The Evening Sun -24 Feb 2009: -- Mack Trucks has agreed to sell its 38-year-old office complex in Pennsylvania as it relocates its headquarters to North Carolina... Terms were not disclosed but Mack says it has reached an agreement with New Jersey-based J.G. Petrucci Co. to buy the Mack World Headquarters complex in Allentown. J.G... Mack is undergoing a restructuring that includes moving 580 jobs from the Allentown area to Greensboro, N.C. Mack's parent company, Volvo AB, has its Volvo Trucks North America facility in Greensboro... (Photo by trucktype.com: Mack truck grill)

* Sweden - Volvo to make big investment in new trucks-paper

Stockholm,Sweden -Reuters -Feb 26, 2009: -- World No. 2 truckmaker Volvo's is to make its largest single investment in a project to develop new truck models, Swedish daily Dagens Industri said on Wednesday... The paper quoted Volvo Chairman Finn Johnsson saying the investment was "the biggest single investment that has ever been decided on by Volvo's board." ... Johnsson would not give further details... The paper said the five-year project would see the development of new models for Volvo's truck brands, such as Renault, Mack, Nissan Diesel and Eicher... (Photo: Volvo Concept truck)

* USA - Oshkosh receives $477 million Army vehicle order

Oshkosh,Wis,USA -Associated Press/FORBES -25 Feb 2009: -- Oshkosh Corp. said Wednesday it has received a $477 million order from the Army for more than 1,350 new and rebuilt trucks and more than 1,000 armor-ready trailers... With the latest order for Oshkosh's defense division, the value for the Oshkosh, Wis.-based company's heavy tactical vehicles III contract has increased to more than $2.1 billion, the company said... Rebuilding used Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks saves money, Oshkosh said. The vehicles are returned to Oshkosh, stripped to the frame and rebuilt to like-new condition, the company said...

Labels: truckmakers news worldwide

TRUCKS SALES * Turkmenistan - To buy 1,000 trucks from Kamaz

Ashgabat,Turkmenistan -Reuters (India), by Marat Gurt & Simon Shuster & Erica Billingham-Feb 24, 2009: -- Russian truck maker Kamaz, which is struggling to clear its stockpiles, will sell more than 1,000 vehicles to Turkmenistan for $100 million, an official of the Central Asian state told Reuters on Tuesday... Kamaz, in which Germany's Daimler took a 10 percent stake in December, has been forced to idle its assembly lines three times since November as it tries to sell its stockpiles before producing more trucks... Russia's construction firms and heavy industries, where Kamaz finds most of its customers, have been forced to scale back production and cancel projects amid the global financial crisis... Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov signed an order last week to buy the trucks for government use, the government official said on condition of anonymity... Kamaz has supplied around 10,000 trucks to Turkmenistan in the past few years and has opened the region's largest servicing centre in its capital Ashgabat...

Labels: truck sales

Feb 26, 2009

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA - Mack Truck suffers big drop in January orders

Allentown company blames global recession for lowest monthly totals in 9 years

Allentown,PA,USA -The Morning Call, by Tyrone Richardson -February 25, 2009: -- Mack Trucks saw January deliveries plummet to 624 trucks, its lowest monthly level in at least nine years, the Allentown company announced Tuesday... The last time Mack had such a large monthly drop was in April 2007 when it delivered 844 rigs, according to a company chart showing deliveries since 2000... The reason for the drop that time was the change in federal emission standards that raised price tags by as much as $7,500 per $100,000 truck... In January 2002, the truckmaker delivered 911 rigs, a decline linked to a recession that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks...

Labels: truckmakers' news USA

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS, Mergers & Acquisitions * WORLDWIDE

Strategic Buyers - International Deals

* Turkey - 13 Feb: VANET Ticari Yatirimlar Gida Sanayi Tur. Iç ve Dis Tic. A.S. announced the pending acquisition of 99.4% of Metro Turizm Seyahat Organizasyon Ve Ticaret AS for $69.9 million. Based in Istanbul, Metro Turizm provides bus transportation in Turkey and internationally.

* Russia - 13 Feb: Depozitarno-Kliringovaya Kompaniya ZAO announced the acquisition of an additional 13.6% stake of Aeroflot - Russian Airlines. Based in Moscow, Aeroflot provides passenger and cargo air transportation services in Russia and internationally. Terms were not disclosed.

* Japan - 17 Feb: Senko Co., Ltd. announced the acquisition of an additional 46.0% of Tokyo Nohin Daiko Co., Ltd. ("TND"). TND provides trucking and warehousing services from its base in Tokyo, Japan. Terms were not disclosed.

* UK - 18 Feb: Addison Lee PLC announced the acquisition of The Premier Transport Group. Premier provides courier and passenger transport services from its base in London. Terms were not disclosed.

* Kazakhstan - 19 Feb: Kazakhstan Kagazy Plc announced the acquisition of the remaining 10.0% of Astana Contract JSC for $6.4 million. Astana operates warehouses and container terminals from its base in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Financial Buyers

* Abu Dhabi - 14 Feb: Mubadala Development Company and Abu Dhabi Investment Company announced the pending acquisition of 34.2% of Emirates Ship Investment Company LLC. Based in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Emirates operates tankers, dry bulk carriers and LNG/LPG vessels. Terms were not disclosed.

* Canada - 19 Feb: Bluehill ID AG announced the acquisition of Syscan International Inc. Based in Dorval, Canada, Syscan provides RFID supply chain technology services for the food, pharmaceutical and health care sectors. Terms were not disclosed.

Labels: T and L Mergers and Acquisitions worldwide

Manufacturers Ask * USA - How far will we fall?

Manufacturers are feeling a bit like bungee jumpers these days, with both likely asking themselves, "How much farther do I have to fall?"...

Chicago,ILL,USA -Reuters, by Scott Malone -Feb 23, 2009: -- Chief executives of several top U.S. companies told the Reuters Manufacturing and Transportation Summit on Monday that while they are cutting costs and focusing on generating cash, the challenge is to know how deep to cut as they face the sharpest economic downturn in decades... "This is something that the industry hasn't seen before," said Dan Ustian, CEO of Navistar International Corp., a maker of heavy trucks and diesel engines. "The length of this being down has not been seen in my career, and I've been around over 30 years". CEOs' worries also extend beyond this downturn to what the economy will look like when it eventually recovers... Even the trucking industry -- which was braced for a downturn since 2007 -- has been caught off guard by the severity and duration of this recession... "A recovery in the second half of the year is possible, but it's more likely in 2010," said Bill Zollars, CEO of No. 1 U.S. trucking company YRC Worldwide Inc. "Until then we're going to have a rocky road"...

* Trucking firm imposes pay freeze

Milwaukee,WIS,USA -The Journal Sentinel, by Rick Romell -Feb. 23, 2009: -- Schneider National Inc. saw revenue rise in 2008 but, now facing a nationwide recession and a soft freight market, the firm said Monday it will freeze pay across the board this year and defer funding of retirement plans and 401(k) matches until the end of 2009... Based in Green Bay, Schneider is one of the country's largest trucking firms, and also operates a logistics unit and a growing intermodal business. The company employs 21,400 people... The fortunes of the trucking industry as a whole rise and fall with the U.S. economy. But as tough times weed out the least competitive carriers - trucking company failures idled a record number of trucks in the first three quarters of 2008 - shippers may turn to larger, well-established firms such as Schneider...

Labels: truckmakers USA and Canada

Improve Inefficiencies * USA - To kickstart ‘road to recovery’

Helping truckers avoid waiting hours at a time to load and unload, however, can save the economy billions right now without costing a dime, OOIDA told a Congressional panel

Washington,DC,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Charlie Morasch -23 Feb 2009: -- This past week, Joe Rajkovacz, OOIDA regulatory affairs specialist, told a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure about the Association’s concerns with freight transportation in Southern California... Specifically, Rajkovacz pointed members of Congress to the untold numbers of hours drivers are forced to waste because of waiting to load and unload at ports and warehouse docks... Rajkovacz cited recent research submitted by the FMCSA titled ”Motor Carrier Efficiency Study Update”, which showed inefficiencies listed as “time loading/unloading” and “empty miles” as the two greatest factors contributing to inefficiencies in trucking today...

Labels: inefficiencies and delays

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC NEWS * WORLDWIDE

Briefing Weekly News

from Freight Forwarding

* New Ti Confidence Index reveals strongest and weakest logistics markets
Ti’s new monthly Global Logistics Business Confidence Index has revealed that business confidence for February 2009 is highest in the ‘Pharmaceutical/healthcare’ and ‘Intermodal’ logistics sectors. This contrasts with sentiment in the ‘Road freight/trucking’ and ‘Express’ sectors. Of the key geographies China has the strongest confidence, whilst at the other end of the spectrum North America respondents were the most downbeat. Read Full Brief Here

* Panalpina inaugurates new Singapore logistics centre
Swiss global forwarder Panalpina last week formally inaugurated a major new 11,277 sq m distribution and logistics centre in Singapore. Read Full News Here

* Aramex reports 21% profit rise in 2008
Major Middle East-based global express, forwarding and logistics service provider Aramex has published its financial results for 2008. Read Full News Here

from Contract Logistics

* M&A activity holds up in transport and logistics sector PricewaterhouseCoopers has just published the findings of a survey covering transport/logistics sector merger and acquisition activity in 2008. Read Full Brief Here

* DHL targets South Asia fashion logistics market
DHL yesterday (February 17) announced a development designed to significantly strengthen its position in the estimated $3.9bn South Asia fashion logistics industry. Read Full News Here

* CEVA starts new operation for Renault in Brazil
CEVA Logistics this month announced it had started a new operation for automotive manufacturer Renault in Brazil which included handling imported parts from all over the world. Read Full News Here

* WWL establishes subsidiary in India
Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL), an international logistics provider owned by Wallenius Lines of Sweden and Wilh. Wilhelmsen of Norway, has set up a new subsidiary in India. Read Full News Here

from Express & Mail

* Integrators strengthen their presence in China's domestic express sector
In a positive sign that the global integrators are continuing to make investments despite the present challenging worldwide economic environment, both DHL and TNT are further expanding their express activities in China. Read Full Brief Here

* TNT acquires domestic express company in Chile
TNT this week announced it had acquired 100% of Chilean company LIT Cargo as part of its stated strategy to become the intra-regional express leader in South America. Read Full News Here

* DHL Express extends guaranteed inbound delivery service
DHL Express this week announced an extension of its Import Express shipping and billing capability, initially from major centres in Europe and Asia to the Middle East. Read Full News Here

* DPD and Forward Group launch cooperation in China
German international express/parcel delivery operator DPD has reported the conclusion of a co-operation agreement in China between DPD China and Hong Kong-based Forward Group. Read Full News Here

from Road Freight

* TNT survives year of two halves
Netherlands-based global express and mail group TNT today (February 16) announced its 2008 fourth quarter and full year figures. Read Full Brief Here

from Air Cargo

* Lufthansa Cargo confirms short-time working from March 1
Lufthansa Cargo, one of the world’s leading air cargo carriers, has now confirmed previously-indicated plans to put some 2,600 staff in Germany on short-time working, effective March 1. Read Full News Here

from Shipping/Ports

* TSA withdraws proposed agreement amendment
The US Federal Maritime Commission last week reported that shipping group the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement had decided to withdraw a proposed agreement amendment. Read Full News Here

* APL agrees $26m payment to settle US military shipment fraud allegations
APL has agreed to pay the US government $26.3m to resolve allegations that it submitted false and inflated cost claims for containerised cargo shipments to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read Full News Here

from Intermodal

* US freight transport services index fell 3% in 2008
The US Freight Transportation Services Index declined 2.3% in December from its November level, the national Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported last week. Read Full News Here

Labels: transport and logistics news

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Feb 28, 2009

Regulators * Australia - All-in-one truck tracker possible

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

Clean Trucks Program * USA - Could New Jersey port adopt California one?

TRUCKERS' FIGHT * USA & Canada

Troopers and Truckers * USA - Team Up for Traffic Blitz Along Interstate 85

New PNP * Canada - Truckers not included

HME * USA - One Check, Not Two, for Truckers

Shutting off the engines * USA - New law limits how long buses, trucks can idle

Feb 27, 2009

INFRASTRUCTURES * USA - The Bridge to Smart Technology

Haulage Industry in Trouble * Latvia - Hauliers claim

TRUCKER HERO * USA - Driver avoids major disaster as truck burns

Magnesium Parts * USA - TxDot suspicious of dangerous metal

ALTERNATIVE FUELS * UK - Sainsbury supermarkets add biogas-fueled trucks

Govn't Administration * USA - DOT chief commends trucking for strides in safety, technology

CLEAN TRUCKS PROGRAM * USA - SC port begins truck emissions reduction program

Clean Alternative Fuels * USA - Gains at Container Shipping Ports

TAX & FEES * USA - Congressional Commission Recommends Mileage-Based User Fee

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA & Canada

"GREEN" TRUCKS * USA - All-electric port trucks ready to roll

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

TRUCKS SALES * Turkmenistan - To buy 1,000 trucks from Kamaz

Feb 26, 2009

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA - Mack Truck suffers big drop in January orders

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS, Mergers & Acquisitions * WORLDWIDE

Manufacturers Ask * USA - How far will we fall?

Improve Inefficiencies * USA - To kickstart ‘road to recovery’

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC NEWS * WORLDWIDE