Heavy Truck * New Zealand - Trial a success

Otago,New Zealand -Otago Daily Times -29 Jun 2009: -- Heavier trucks could be on the road by 2010 if an amendment is passed following a successful trial, Transport Minister, Steven Joyce says... The amendment would create a permit system allowing some trucks to carry up to 50 tonnes on specified routes. The statutory limit is currently 44... A trial that ran from last year showed productivity increased between 10 and 20 percent, trip numbers reduced by 16 percent and fuel use dropped 20 percent, Mr Joyce said... Reduced freight costs would help exporters and New Zealand "grow faster out of the current global recession".. (Picture from roadtransport: anihino1)


* Truck move seen benefiting milk, logs and aggregate

Auckland,New Zealand -NZPA/The National Business Review -June 30 2009: -- Fonterra and movers of aggregate, fuel and logs are among the companies expected to chase productivity gains -- estimated to be up to 20 percent -- from using heavier trucks... Transport Minister Steven Joyce is seeking feedback on a plan to introduce a permit system allowing trucks to carry up to 50 tonnes on specific routes. The statutory limit is currently 44 tonnes... A trial that ran from last year showed productivity increased between 10 and 20 percent, trip numbers reduced by 16 percent and fuel use dropped 20 percent, Mr Joyce said... The change does not require legislation. According to officials, the permit system will ensure that the heavier trucks do not travel over roads and bridges that can't take them and councils are involved in permit approval. Trucks carrying up to 53 tonnes will be allowed... Permits could be issued from early next year. The system is expected to evolve over time... (Picture from longveld: Fonterra tanker)

TRANSPORT INTELLIGENCE * USA - New York/New Jersey port launches second shipper incentive program

New York,USA -Progressive Railroading -29 June 2009: -- Last week, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s (PANYNJ) board of commissioners approved an incentive program aimed at encouraging shippers to transport cargo via new rail routes — the authority’s second intermodal incentive program of the year... PANYNJ will provide $25 per container to any company booking cargo on a railroad to or from a new ExpressRail origin or destination that was launched after Jan. 1. For example, Norfolk Southern Railway recently began offering service from the Port of New York and New Jersey to Harrisburg, Pa., a move traditionally handled by trucks, the authority said... In January, PANYNJ began offering shippers a $25-per-container incentive for each container transported by rail above the total volume they registered the previous year... (Photo by farm4.static.flickr: GWB Administrative Building, The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey)

‘Speed limiter’ * Canada - Fines begin July 1 in Ontario, Quebec

Two Canadian provinces will begin handing out fines Wednesday, July 1, to truckers who do not have a speed limiter activated on their rigs

ONT & QUE,CAN -Land Line Masgazine - June 29, 2009: -- Laws in Ontario and Quebec require that all trucks 1995 and newer grossing at least 26,000 pounds have a computerized speed limiter activated at or below the maximum of 105 kilometers per hour, or 65 mph. Yes, the law affects trucks from the rest of Canada and from the U.S. that travel in Ontario or Quebec... The minimum fine according to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation is $250 for a truck found not to have a working speed limiter or if the “anti-tampering” provision has been violated. Maximum fines can reach $20,000... An Ontario commercial enforcement official told Land Line on Friday, June 26, that officers will be writing roadside tickets for $310 but a surcharge and court costs will increase the total to $390... Although implementation actually took effect Jan. 1 of this year, the provinces started with a six-month grace period to educate truckers and the public...

Truck Stop Electrification * USA - Truckers, air to benefit from $2 million ARRA state grant

Memphis,TEN,USA -The Memphis Business Journal -June 29, 2009: -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gave a $2 million American Reinvestment and Recovery Act discretionary grant to the Tennessee Department of Transportation to begin equipping truck stops across the state with truck stop electrification technology... Truck stop electrification systems provide heating and cooling for sleeper cab compartments and power to run electrical appliances, such as computers and microwaves... TEE systems also allow trucks outfitted with on-board equipment to plug in to operate necessary systems without idling the engine... (http://www.dep.state.fl.us/secretary/post/2006/10images/truck_line.jpg)

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA - Trucks Take Security Upgrade in Stride

Customs sees no fallout from Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative

Washington,DC,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by John Gallagher -Jun 12, 2009: -- Trade moving by truck across the U.S.-Canadian border is so far unaffected by the start of the latest security upgrade two weeks ago... The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which took effect June 1, requires drivers entering the United States from Canada to have a valid passport or other special form of identification, such as a NEXUS or FAST card... Initial concerns of delays and diverted freight resulting from the new requirement have so far not materialized, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection...


* NJ trucking firm pays $141K in overtime lawsuit

Newark,N.J.,USA -Philly/The Associated Press -Jun. 29, 2009: -- A New Jersey trucking company has agreed to pay nearly $141,000 to more than 100 employees to settle an overtime lawsuit brought by the U.S. Labor Department... S. Cooper Brothers Trucking Inc., of Newark, provides street sweeping and garbage removal services for several cities. It was accused of failing to pay overtime and keep proper wage records for employees working more than 40 hours a week from February 2005-07... Cooper Brothers did not acknowledge guilt in the deal announced Monday... In December, the company won a $600,000 street sweeping contract from Newark...


* New Jersey’s snow-free vehicle mandate moves to governor

NJ,USA -Land Line Magazine -June 29, 2009: -- In the span of only a few hours the New Jersey Legislature overwhelmingly backed a push to get tough with drivers who fail to clear snow and ice off their vehicles. The rule would apply to commercial and noncommercial vehicles... The action at the statehouse angered the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and countless truck drivers who have long opposed what they say is legislation that sets truckers up to fail... State law now prohibits car and truck drivers from being fined for driving a snowcapped vehicle. However, if a piece of ice falls from a vehicle and causes injury or property damage, car drivers face fines between $200 and $1,000, while truck drivers could be fined $500 to $1,500... (Images from inmagine)

EVENT * USA - Great West Truck Show 2009

Las Vegas,NV,USA -Truck Drivers News -28 June 2009: -- Well, I guess this year’s Great West Truck Show in Las Vegas, NV is winding down... Trucker Desiree, was at this year’s show in Las Vegas, from the pictures she sent it looks like she had a great time... The Great West Truck Show (formerly known as the “Truck Show Las Vegas”) ran from June 25 through June 27 of 2009... The GWTS is sponsored by the California Trucking Association and hosts both association and educational seminars... One of the attractions at GWTS this year was the Overdrive’s Pride and Polish truck beauty competition... Look at these beauties !!!

Depressed Truckies * Australia - 'As lethal as drunks'

Study: Depressed truckies are as dangerous on the road as drivers with a blood alcohol level over the legal limit

Sydney,NSW,Australia -The Sydney Morning Herald, by Leesha McKenny & Jennie Curtin -June 28, 2009: -- University of Queensland researchers found that unlike stress or anxiety, severe depression in heavy vehicle drivers increased the risk of an accident more than fatigue. "Depressed drivers are equally hazardous as alcohol-impaired drivers," the study said... Based on a survey of 1324 truck drivers, it found many were unaware they were heading off on long-haul trips with the equivalent impairment of a person with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08... The co-author, Michael Hilton, said mental health problems in long-haul truck drivers could be made worse by the lack of access to medical support... Using National Road Transport Commission figures, the study found "there could be 10,950 impaired, at-risk drivers operating heavy machinery at high speeds". One in five deaths on Australian roads involves a truck, Australian Transport Safety Bureau figures show... The Transport Workers Union plans to use the findings to lobby for more government funding for services such as a phone-based mental health line for truck drivers... (Photo: Glenn Campbell - Stressful lifestyle . . . long-haul truckie Steve "Steady" Halse)

Heavier Trucks * New Zealand - To hit roads

Heavier trucks are set to be allowed on the roads. The Government says will lessen trip time, reduce fuel costs and improve productivity

Auckland,NZ -The New Zealand Herald, by Patrick Gower -Jun 29, 2009: -- A rule change taking the maximum load to 50 tonnes from 44 tonnes will be put out for public consultation this week... Transport Minister, Steven Joyce, said the rule change allowed for trucks to be slightly longer, but not for them to be any wider... Mr Joyce said the heavier loads would be allowed via a "permit system", where a company applied to carry them along a particular route. It was estimated to cost $85 million to $100 million to strengthen bridges and roads to get the full benefits of the permit system... Mr Joyce hoped the rule change would be in place by the end of this year... (Picture from roadtransport: Big Kiwi Kenworths hauling combine harvesters)

TRUCKERS WORLDWIDE ... THOSE BAD DAYS !!!

1. A female truck driver, made worse by having a cop right behind you filming it


Knoxville,TN,USA -Biglorryblog (UK), by Rikki Chequer, on June 27, 2009: -- Video from YouTube, by hockeyham on 12 April 2007: "Tractor trailer runs off Schaad road" - The tractor trailer in this video was making a right turn onto Schaad Rd from Western Ave (Oak Ridge Highway), and having seen 3-4 tractor trailers fall off in to the ditch in the last year, I figured this "guy" wouldn't make it, so I got my cell phone at the ready... I had to come back to pick up my work ID and found out it was a female truck driver after the fact...


2. A whole new meaning to the phrase: "Boss- I just missed the Ferry"


Patra,Greece -Biglorryblog (UK), by Rikki Chequer, on June 27, 2009: -- Video from YouTube, by morbiula, on 4 May 2008: "Greek driver throws truck at the Port of Patra" - talentia

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA - FedEx Loses $876 Million

... But Sees Better Economy !!

Memphis,TENN,USA -Transport Topics, by Rip Watson -22 June 2009: -- FedEx Corp. last week reported a quarterly loss of $876 million linked to one-time charges, but company leaders forecast better economic conditions that could improve results in the months ahead... The corporation’s loss for its fiscal fourth quarter, which ended May 31, included $1.08 billion in one-time charges, and profit excluding costs was 64 cents a share, down 56%. Revenue fell 20% to $7.85 billion... Weaker regional pricing was attributed to lower fuel surcharge revenue, included in LTL freight rates, while FedEx national freight pricing was hurt both by lower base rates and by reduced fuel surcharge collections, Chief Financial Officer Alan Graf Jr. said... (Photo from wikipedia.org: FedEx DC10)

FEES & TAXES * USA - DeFazio has a better idea

... Instead of more taxes at the pump, we should be taxing oil speculators!

Detroit,MICH,USA -The Detroit Trucking Examiner, by Linda Sunkle-Pierucki -June 26, 2009: ... The Highway Trust Fund need its usual six-year authorization for funding in the near future. Everybody agrees there has to be a better way to fund transportation improvements and repairs but nobody knows how it should be done... Part of the problem is that economic conditions have limited the money coming into the fund that keep it solvent. Part of the trust fund shortfall is due to decreased miles traveled and less fuel consumption... Truckers and the American Trucking Association fully expect to have to pay more fuel tax just to get critical repairs completed... Rep Pete DeFazio, D-OR proposed a method of funding the shortfall that we can only hope gets some play in Congress: His idea is that, instead of more taxes at the pump, we should be taxing oil speculators! ... DeFazio suggests imposing a 0.02% tax on all oil futures contracts. Two cents per hundred dollars sounds like a pittance but many of these contracts total into the billions of dollars... (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

TRUCK PURCHASES * USA - Pentagon nears award on new trucks for Afghanistan

To buy 5,244 vehicles for $12 billion in fiscal 2009 and 2010

Washington,DC,USA -Reuters, by Andrea Shalal-Esa -June 25, 2009: -- The Pentagon is nearing a contract award to one of four teams bidding to build thousands of armored off-road vehicles for use in Afghanistan, a program potentially worth billions of dollars to the winner... BAE Systems, Oshkosh Corp., Navistar International Corp. and Force Dynamics LLC, a joint venture between Force Protection Inc. and General Dynamics, are competing for the lucrative contract... The Pentagon appears likely to meet its goal of awarding a contract by the end of June, said defense consultant Jim McAleese. He said the Pentagon expected to buy 5,244 vehicles for $12 billion in fiscal 2009 and 2010... (Image from 1.bp.blogspot: Vehicle Concept-Experimental Large)

TRUCKING STATISTICS * USA - May Truck Tonnage Plunges 13.2%

Truck tonnage decreased 11% in May compared with a year ago, but increased when compared to the previous month

Washington,DC,USA -Transport Topics -26 June 2009: -- American Trucking Associations said Friday: The decline in the for-hire seasonally adjusted truck tonnage index left tonnage at a reading of 102.3. Even though the decrease was smaller than April's 13.2% plunge, May's decrease is still “historically large” ... The index increased 3.2% from May, the first increase since February, ATA said late Friday... Without accounting for seasonal adjustment, the index gained 0.4% from April, while April’s tonnage level had dropped 13.2% from a year earlier. May's improvement wasn't enough to offset the 6.7% cumulative reduction from March and April, ATA said... ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said that though the month-to-month increase is encouraging, tonnage will not likely see a surge anytime soon... (Photo from delivery.superstock: SuperStock)

INCREIBLE TRUCK DRIVER * USA - The impossible U-turn

TXS,USA -BiglorryBlog, by Colin Barnett -June 25, 2009: -- Biglorryblog's man in Texas, Oliver Dixon, poses the following question...

- Question: How do you do a U-turn with a 40ft trailer on a 35ft road?

- Answer: You don't, but you do get a $12,200 fine!

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * USA - Paccar plant delays opening a year

Bellevue,WASH,USA -The Dispatch, by Neal Wagner -June 26, 2009: -- Adverse economic conditions and a decrease in demand have delayed the expected opening date of the more than 400,000-square-foot Paccar engine plant near the Golden Triangle Regional Airport, according to company officials... Although the Lowndes County Paccar plant originally was scheduled to begin operations late this year, the facility likely will not open until “late in 2010,” said Alan Treasure, director of marketing... Once completed, the $400 million Lowndes County plant will construct 12.9-liter diesel engines for Peterbilt, Kenworth and DAF trucks. Paccar officials in 2007 signed a contract with the state to provide 500 jobs at the plant by 2013...


* Cummins Says No to SCR. Until 2014. In Australia

Columbus,IND,USA -Road Transport (UK), by Oliver Dixon -24 June 2009: -- Cummins will not introduce its SCR variants of ISM, ISX and Signature to Australia and New Zealand until 2014, according to reports in the Australian media. In order to comply with ADR80/03, the company will retain its EPA 07-type EGR DPF approach... Before you kick off, Shine, a couple of points to bear in mind. 1) Australia is NOT North America. 2) ADR80/03 is the equivalent of Euro V or EPA 07. Not EPA 10... For reference, a table may be found here... (Photo thanks to Cummins: The 2007 ISM)

"GREEN" NEWS * UK - M&S goes green AND saves 23% on fuel

Believe it or not, there's money to be made at this environment game

London,UK -The Road Transport, by Dominic Perry -June 10, 2009: -- Just look at latest corporate sustainability report: How we do business 2009. This highlights the progress it's made towards the targets set as part of its ambitious Plan A programme, launched in January 2007... That means that despite the serious levels of investment the company has made - those Teardrop trailers don't come cheap after all - it is still seeing its initiatives save it money... Of course in the real world not everyone has the capital available to replace their trailer fleet with swish new aero models, nor would everybody find them appropriate... Revised schedules have lead to a 23% reduction in fuel per drop on its food operation and a fall of 20% in non-food. By any measure, those are impressive figures... Now imagine what cutting your fuel bill by 20% could mean for your bottom line... Remember - being environmentally friendly isn't just about investing millions to cut CO2 emissions. There's also something to be said for going green in order to stay in the black...

TAX POLICYS * UK - FTA: Focus on carbon, not fuel duty

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has called for the freight industry to focus its lobbying on carbon emissions, rather than just fuel duty

London,UK -RoadTransport/Motor Transport, by Lindsay Clark -24 June 2009: -- ... Speaking at the FTA's Cutting Carbon, Cutting Costs conference last week, James Hookham, policy and communications director for the FTA, said the industry needs to put together a coherent alternative to fuel duty, which ties in with the climate change agenda, instead of tackling the tax head-on... The Road Haulage Association (RHA) welcomed the FTA's stance. "Anything that highlights what a clean and efficient industry this is has got to be good news," says Kate Gibbs, RHA head of communications... The government introduced the Climate Change Act in 2008, which commits the UK to an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 1990 levels...


* OPINION - Should we use climate change to lobby on fuel duty?

(Picture from wikipedia: Freiston Shore low tide)

London,UK -RoadTransport, by Lindsay Clark -June 25, 2009: -- As Isotrak's, Craig Sears-Black talked about moving cauliflowers from the Fens to Westminster, I wondered how long vegetable supplier Marshalls would be working from the area... Sears-Black was speaking at the Freight Transport Association (FTA) conference about carbon emissions on the same day the Met Office produced worrying forecasts on the effects of global warming in the UK - among them rising sea levels. Marshalls ships cauliflowers out of a Boston, Lincolnshire distribution centre, which sits in the middle of a mass of reclaimed land, close to current sea level. Beyond sea defences, a few miles away, the ocean is rising at an alarming rate, according to the Met Office... (Picture from Wikipedia: Tollesbury Managed Realignment site in Essex, the first large scale attempt at saltmarsh restoration in the UK)
Some nearby farmland has already been given back to the sea, in a process dubbed 'managed retreat'... The point of Sears-Black's talk was to show that, by sharing data online, hauliers can cut the miles they run without cargo. This is something UK firms have become good at largely because of the extortionate fuel duty levied by the government... And this is where the industry is missing a trick, says the FTA's managing director of policy and communication, James Hookham. While fuel duty has forced efficiency, the industry hasn't told many people. Instead, protesters threaten blockades and don't endear hauliers to the public. Fuel duty may be unfair, but the government has calculated the electorate doesn't care how much hauliers pay... So, instead of confronting the government head-on about fuel duty, Hookham says, it's better to highlight how transport can help combat global warming... In an industry where cash equals fuel equals carbon, cutting emissions can help the planet... and your bank balance. Hookham says it's time to engage in this 'green' debate. And it's time that the industry backed him...

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * Europe

* Germany - Daimler Fights for its Future... Will Daimler be the next Opel? (Read this interesting article)

Stuttgart,Germany -Spiegel International, By Dietmar Hawranek -24 June 2009: -- For years, Daimler allowed itself to be guided by illusions and neglected its core business. As a result, the current economic crisis struck one of Germany's model companies with full force. To survive, it will have to save billions, while simultaneously investing in its own future...


* CV production collapses as recession bites

London,UK -RoadTransport, by Lindsay Clark -22 June 2009: -- Production of commercial vehicles in May fell by 73% compared to the same month last year, the largest drop ever recorded, according to the Society of Motor Manufactures and Traders (SMMT)... Compared to April, the number of commercial vehicles - trucks and vans - leaving the factory gates in the UK during May fell by 39%, the industry body also found ... "Commercial vehicle production is severely affected by low business confidence and economic uncertainty," said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive...


* Italy - 'Small' gets bigger

Rome,Italy -Waste Management World (UK) -25 June 2009: -- Italian manufacturer Ecofar is one of the first waste collection equipment suppliers to take advantage of the latest generation of Isuzu chassis, built in Portugal... Traditionally, aside from a few selected markets, Isuzu has tended to concentrate its marketing efforts on trucks up to 10 tonnes gross weight. But with what now amounts to a 'World Truck' programme (with chassis designs up to - and shortly perhaps above? - 18 tonnes gross weight), Isuzu is making a bid to win orders away from the more established producers of 'heavies'... This marketing approach is in tune with a operator's demands in a growing number of countries for suitable truck chassis to meet the requirements for dedicated foodwaste collection services for example, where a chassis of between 11 and 15 tonnes gross weight offers an ideal balance of a useful payload working with a waste stream that, by virtue of a high water content can be heavy, while at the same time, retaining the low cab entry height and the manoeuvrability of a seven to ten tonne truck... (Images from pennnet)

MEXICANS' TRUCKS * U.S./Mexico - Border should be open to all truckers

Mexico,DF,MEX -Fleet Owner (USA), by Brian Straight -Jun 25, 2009: -- Despite the escalation in rhetoric over the cross-border trucking debate, a lawyer for the National Chamber of Autotransporte de Carga (CANACAR), the Mexico’s trucking lobby, told Fleet Owner that a compromise is still possible to avoid further damage to the U.S.-Mexican trade relationship... Pedro M. Ojeda Cárdenas who filed a $6 billion suit under NAFTA Chapter 11 rules against the U.S. on behalf of CANACAR, said if the U.S. restarts the controversial cross-border trucking program in some form it “could open the door to compromise” of the suit... While Ojeda said a new program would not necessarily mean the suit would be dropped, it could open the door to negotiations. After all, he pointed out, the Mexican trucking industry just wants what the U.S. trucking industry has – free access...

TECHNO-NEWS * Sweden - Super-light trucks are coming

Goterborg,Sweeden -Fleet Owner, by Brian Straight -Jun 25, 2009: -- Engineers for years have searched for ways to reduce weight in vehicles of all types. The most success has been had in the airline and space industry, where lightweight materials are common. For example, Volvo Aero has taken advantage of these technologies in its aircraft engine components... Now, those same technologies may be opening doors for super-light trucks of the future. Volvo Technology, the research arm of Sweden’s AB Volvo, parent firm of both Volvo Trucks North America and Mack Trucks, sees the truck of the future as being as much as 20% lighter in as few as 10 years... “We are creating the super-light vehicles in a computer program that simulates how hundreds of thousands of small construction alterations can reduce the vehicle’s total weight without affecting other key characteristics in the vehicle, such as crashworthiness or the ability to bear loads,” said Carl Fredrik Hartung, project manager at Volvo Technology... The advantages of lighter trucks are obvious – smaller engines, reduced fuel costs and higher payload capacities resulting in more productive commercial vehicles. A challenge facing engineers, Volvo said, is that super-light materials that are as durable as current materials are more expensive, meaning large volumes must be produced to attain economies of scale. Hartung said the company is looking at ways to reduce sheet-metal thickness first, but when that attempt is exhausted, other materials, such as aluminum and carbon fiber, will be investigated... (Photo from Volvo)