User-agent: Mediapartners-Google* Disallow: Trucks World News: September 2009
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Sep 30, 2009

STATISTICS * USA - NAFTA Surface Trade Falls 28% in July

Washington,DC,USA -Transport Topics -30 Sept 2009: -- Surface transportation trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico plunged 28% in July from a year earlier, though rose from June, the Department of Transportation said Wednesday... The downturn was the seventh straight year-over-year monthly decline of at least 27% among the North American Free Trade Agreement partners... Trade rose 1.6% in July from June, DOT’s Bureau of Trade Statistics said in its monthly report... Total truck imports to the United States fell 21.4% to $18.1 billion, while exports fell 20.8% to $18.8 billion... (Images hankstruckpictures, by Len Rogers: Transport trucks)

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posted by Unknown @ 5:40 PM  0 comments

Anyone for a cone? * USA - New, automated system to make the job of laying traffic cones safer

Leominster,MA,USA -HGV UK -September 30, 2009: -- Highways chiefs have begun testing a new, automated system designed to make the job of laying traffic cones safer, quicker and more cost-effective... Mounted on a stretched 4×2 Mercedes-Benz Econic chassis, the cone-handling technology was jointly developed by Leominster-based specialist Highway Care and a partner based in the United States... Typical road maintenance closure can entail laying 450 cones, which, because the contractor is invariably working to a tight deadline, must be set in place as quickly as possible... Standard UK-specification cones are also taller and heavier (at 9kg) than those used in Europe and America, so the risk of injury to the two- and three-man crews who have to perform the task manually by dropping cones from the backs of trucks, is high... (Photo: Mercedes truck)

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TRUCKING INDUSTRY * Ireland - Haulage operator hits out at cost of doing business in

One of Ireland’s leading haulage companies has hit out at the cost of doing business in the Republic

Dublin,Ireland -HGV Ireland - September 25, 2009: ... Eugene O’Reilly of O’Reilly Transport says that Ireland needs to reduce its cost base if it is to regain competitiveness... “Every economist is telling us that we are not cost effective in this country and as someone who operates businesses in Northern Ireland, England and the Republic I could not agree more,” he said... O’Reilly cites road tax as a case in point. Annual road tax on a truck on six axles running at a gross vehicle weight of 44 tonnes in Ireland is €2415.00. O’Reilly says road tax in the UK for the equivalent truck is £1200.00 or €1,332 at today’s exchange rate... O’Reilly singles out Dublin City Council for criticism. When the permit system for five-axle trucks came into force in February 2007, permits cost €5. The rate is now €7, an increase of 40 per cent in a little over two and a half years... (Image from oreillytransport.ie)


* Ireland - Distribution sector at low ebb

Dublin,Ireland -HGV Ireland -September 30, 2009: -- Business sentiment in the distribution sector remains at a low ebb, but some positive signs are beginning to appear, according to a study conducted by the Small Firms Association (SFA)... In the Autumn Business Sentiment Survey, distribution companies showed the highest negative rating at 78 per cent, followed by services at 73 per cent and manufacturing at 69 per cent... However, the equivalent figures for expectations in three months time are distribution at 63 per cent, manufacturing at 59 per cent and services at 58 per cent... Similar levels of ‘average’ or ‘good’ ratings can be seen in the manufacturing (26 per cent) and services sector (25 per cent) for the last three months with a slightly lower level for distribution (20 per cent)... (Picture from ggeorgemullinstransport.ie: Equine Express Trucks)


* Ireland - RSA criticises insurance industry over HGV insurance

Dublin,Ireland -HGV Ireland -September 30, 2009: -- The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has criticised the insurance industry for covering HGVs that don’t have an up to date Certificate of Roadworthiness... Chief Executive, Noel Brett, said the insurance industry could be more vigilant when insuring HGVs. “Trucks that do not have current commercial roadworthiness certificates should not be insured,” he said... Brett said he did not expect the insurance industry to take on the role of the Gardai but he said they could do more “in making it more difficult those who use vehicles that are simply unroadworthy and dangerous”... (Photo from hankstruckpictures: Ireland Transport truck. GAZ-66. Russian truck is an extremely rare truck and has an Irish registration plate)

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TRAVELING WITH TRUCKER TOM * USA - West Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania…



New York,NY,USA -Video from Youtube, by tomwiles -24 April 2008: -- Traveling through West Virginia, upstate New York and Pennsylvania. Exploring "Jim's Truck Stop" in the Buffalo, New York area...
P.N.: Hi.. !!! any body has more nice traveling videos, send us ... we do publish they

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TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Germany - Daimler Trucks sees Brazil upturn, keeps U.S. plant

Frankfurt/Hamburg,Germany -Reuters, by Michael Shields & Jan Schwartz -Sep 30, 2009: -- Daimler will hire 800 more staff for its Brazilian commercial vehicles business and keep open a U.S. truck plant as the two key markets show signs of reviving, the world's biggest truckmaker said... The moves offer a glimmer of hope for commercial vehicle manufacturers slammed by the global economic crisis and could signal a broader uptick because truck sales often act as a leading indicator of economic health... But industry officials have warned against expecting any quick rebound for truckmakers until the global economy accelerates and boosts demand for goods transport... More than 12,600 people work at the Sao Bernardo do Campo plant there, Daimler's biggest heavy truck plant outside Germany... (Photo: Aerial view Mercedes Benz do Brasil Ltds's Sao Bernardo Plant)


* USA - Oshkosh Corp. Gets $801M Military Order For Trucks

Oshkosh,WIS,USA -AP -Sep 29, 2009: -- The defense division of Oshkosh Corp. has signed a roughly $800 million deal with the Pentagon to deliver nearly 2,500 new and rebuilt military vehicles... Oshkosh Defense said Tuesday it will provide more than 1,450 new trucks and trailers. It will also deliver more than 1,000 tactical trucks that have been restored to like-new condition after being damaged in warfare... The Oshkosh, Wis.-based company says it expects the work to be completed by May 2011...


* Saudi Arabia - Zahid Tractor supplies 100 Volvo trucks to Al-Theyab Transportation

Saudi Arabia -AME Info -30 Sept 2009: -- Al-Theyab Transportation, one of the biggest transportation companies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has signed a contract with Zahid Tractor Commercial Vehicle Division for the supply of 100 Volvo trucks... The first batch of the order has already been delivered as part of Al-Theyab's fleet expansion plan...



* UK - LCV of the year

London,UK -HGV UK -September 30, 2009: -- Citroën’s Berlingo continues its award-winning ways with the announcement on that the new Berlingo Crew Van has been voted the Institute of Transport Management’s LCV of the year... This recently launched addition to the Berlingo range appealed to the Institute of Transport Management’s (ITM) panel of judges for its green credentials, low CO2 emissions, ultra-flexible combination of passenger and load capacity and excellent value-for-money... The ITM judges were impressed by the Berlingo Crew Van’s flexibility, with its innovative sliding/folding rear seat and bulkhead... A further impressive feature of the Berlingo Crew Van was the inclusion of Trafficmaster Smartnav and Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking system – which is unique in this LCV sector. The Berlingo Crew Van is competitively priced and the VAT is fully reclaimable by UK-registered businesses... (Picture: The Berlingo)

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posted by Unknown @ 6:59 AM  0 comments

Computers & Cell Phones * USA - Truckers Worried About Government Involvement in Communication Rules

Computers and cell phones have usurped CB, or citizens band radio, creating efficiencies in the trucking industry that save time and money

Lakeland,FL,USA -THE LEDGER, by Eric Pera -September 29: ... The new technology has come under assault by critics who argue that truckers are no different from the rest of the motoring public when it comes to distractions from cell phones and other portable communication devices... Parties on both sides of the debate will convene in Washington today to address the need for federal legislation that would distinguish devices that are safe from those that should be banned... A focus of the talks, hosted by the Transportation Department, is the use of computers and satellite systems that have been adapted for use in the cabs of tractor-trailer rigs... Marion Hampton, an owner/operator parked Tuesday morning at a roadside truck stop near Auburndale, said more laws aren't the answer; common sense should rule... Hampton, a burly cross-country trucker who keeps a laptop computer in his cab for e-mails and instruction from his primary employer, a frozen seafood supplier, said the wireless technology is much safer than hand-held phones... (Photo by PIERRE DUCHARME - THE LEDGER - Marion Hampton, Hampton Transport Services in Austell, Georgia, at a truck stop off of I-4 in Auburndale, Florida, on September 29, 2009)

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posted by Unknown @ 6:45 AM  0 comments

CRIME & DOCKS * Australia - On the waterfront

Melbourne,Australia -The Age, by NICK MCKENZIE AND LINTON BESSER -September 30, 2009: -- To the outsider, Panayi appeared to be nothing more than a well-connected entrepreneur, comfortable with officialdom... But Panayi was cultivating other connections as well, revealed during a police operation in 2004. A later court case resulting from the police sting would reveal allegations that Panayi was involved in an attempt to get a drug-filled container off Port Botany... Maureci and Panayi were later charged over their alleged roles in the drug trafficking conspiracy. Maureci was eventually sentenced to 16 years in prison. Prosecutors withdrew criminal charges against Panayi, who has maintained his innocence. There is no suggestion he was more extensively involved... ''There are some real problems on Melbourne's wharves,'' says a senior police source who believes law enforcement agencies are losing the fight against drug importers. ''We know criminals have their tentacles at the wharves. The question is, how do we deal with it?''... (Photo by Jessica Shapiro - Australia’s docks are still fertile territory for crime networks, which remain entrenched despite security measures)

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posted by Unknown @ 6:30 AM  0 comments

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA - 5 Ideas to Cut Freight Costs and Improve Your Bottom Line Profit

Merrillville,IN,USA -PR Inside (*) by Nicole Alarid -29 Sept 2009: -- Freight101 (Small Business Transportation, Inc.) offers free advice and cost saving tips to help small business and consumers when shipping cargo and freight... As a small business owner, every single dollar spent on freight cuts right into the profit margin. Here are some tips to help the understand freight shipping costs, which will help improve your bottom line:

1) Understand different trucking services and how they are priced...

2) Be aware of Reweighs and Reclassifications...

3) Use a freight broker for 20-30% savings...

4) Avoid the extra “Accessorial” charges...

5) Insurance

(*) About the author. Nicole Alarid is the online marketing manager of Freight101.com, owned by Small Business Transportation, Inc. where they help customers get the most cost-effective freight solutions. (Photo from hankstruckpictures)

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STIMULUS FUNDS * USA - States covet stimulus grants

Cash-strapped states are getting in line for a share of federal stimulus funds to pay for transportation projects

MO,USA -Land Line Magazine, by David Tanner -September 28, 2009: ...The U.S. Department of Transportation announced that all 50 states have applied for a share of $1.5 billion in grants under the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER, program... States have submitted 1,400 projects so far that would total $57 billion. Approximately half of the projects are highways or bridges with the rest focusing on transit, railroad, port infrastructure or multimodal applications, DOT officials announced. Preference will be given to innovative projects, Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, stated... The U.S. DOT will announce the winners of the federal stimulus grants in January or February. The TIGER grant program is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act approved by Congress and the Obama administration earlier this year... (Photo from credit : stimulus funds to be put to work)

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Sep 29, 2009

SEX &TRUCKS * USA - Truck Owners Pick Trucks Over Sex, Spouses

They feel their truck is an extension of their personality

Chicago,ILL,USA -PickupTrucks.com/Tristate home page -Sep 28, 2009: -- Pickup truck owners tend to make strong bonds with their vehicle... Nearly two-thirds of adults taking part in a new survey for PickupTrucks.com admit they feel their truck is an extension of their personality... Just under 60-percent would pick their truck over sex, for more than half their truck is more important than their house, and 28-percent rate their truck as more important than their spouse... Over 40-percent note they've slept in their truck... Pickup truck owners will also pour money into personalizing the vehicle... While 45-percent of respondents have spent at least one-thousand-dollars customizing the truck, 17-percent note they've dropped more than three-thousand on the vehicle... (Photo from 2.bp.blogspot: funny sex truck sign)

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STIMULUS FUNDS * USA - Road Project Tests Power of Stimulus

California's Inland Empire -Hard-Hit by Recession- Counts on Interstate-Widening Work to Pave Region's Path to Recovery

San Bernardino,CAL,USA -The Wall Street Journal, by TAMARA AUDI-29 Sept 2009: ... The Inland Empire -- a vast swath of suburbia reaching into the desert east of Los Angeles -- is counting on an $800 million road project that will add lanes and reconfigure exit and entry ramps... With a federal stimulus grant of $128 million, the San Bernardino project is the country's fourth-largest stimulus investment in a road project. Without the stimulus money, the Interstate 215 project would have been another victim of California's budget crisis. Other partially finished road projects have stalled as the state slashed its budget... The project will test whether a dollop of government stimulus can make an impact in a region hit hard by the housing crisis and where more than half the home sales are foreclosures... (Photo from Associated Press - Road workers start construction along Interstate 215 in San Bernadino County, Calif., on Sept. 14. The project is getting $128 million in stimulus funds, making it the fourth-largest stimulus investment in a road project. The initiative is expected to directly employ 450 to 600 workers on construction sites for four years)

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posted by Unknown @ 6:18 PM  0 comments

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* USA - Nav-Cat alliance seeks major Chinese merger

Chicago,ILL,USA -Today's Trucking (CAN) -29 Sept 2009: -- Caterpillar and Navistar's global alliance is looking to make a big footprint in China and is talking to Chinese automaker with Anhui Jianghuai Automobile to build and sell commercial trucks in that part of the world... NC2 Global LLC, which is owned by Caterpillar and Navistar, said that talks are under way to establish a jointly owned operation for medium and heavy-duty trucks, according to Dow Jones Newswires... JAC sold about 10,000 medium and heavy-duty trucks in 2008, along with 100,000 light-duty trucks and some 45,000 sport utility vehicles and cars... For Caterpillar, the venture would be an opportunity to expand its existing manufacturing and distribution network in China for engines and construction machinery, while for Navistar, the deal signifies its first significant step in that market... (Photo from JAC catalogue)


* China - Market edges down, but JAC go up

Shanghai,China -The Shanghai Daily, by Ding Yining -29 Sept 2009: ... Shanghai's key stock index closed lower today, with steel producers dropping and investors uncertain of the market ahead of the long National Day's holiday... Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co, the Chinese truck maker, increased 1.01 percent to 8.04 yuan after it said it will own a 50-percent stake in a 2-billion-yuan joint venture with Caterpillar Inc and Navistar International Corp...


* USA - Freightliner to stay open in Portland

Portland,OR,USA -KGW TV -September 28, 2009: -- A truck factory scheduled for closure in Portland is getting a second chance... Daimler Trucks North America informed employees Monday it will keep the Swan Island Freightliner-Western Star truck manufacturing plant open after a big military contract came in... The cuts at Daimler Trucks North America were originally part of a restructuring plan as the German automotive company expected to shed 9 percent of the workforce at its heavy truck division last fall... (Photo: Freightliner plant saved)


* USA - Peterbilt to Permanently Close Tennessee Truck Assembly Plant

Denton,TX,USA -Business Wire -September 28, 2009: -- Peterbilt Motors Company announced today it is realigning its North American manufacturing operations which will result in the permanent closure of its Madison, Tennessee truck assembly plant, effective December 1, 2009. Production of Peterbilt vehicles will continue at other facilities. The Madison plant has not built trucks since July 2008... “This was a difficult, but necessary decision,” said Bill Jackson, Peterbilt General Manager... (Photo from truckswallpapers: 2008/09 Peterbilt)


* Russia - IzhAvto looks to state conglomerate for help

Moscow,Russia -just-auto.com (UK) -29 September 2009: -- Russian carmaker IzhAvto is in talks with state-owned Rostekhnologii on becoming part of the industrial conglomerate's Rosavto automobile holding, according to business daily Vedomosti... The newspaper cited Oleg Radionov, Industry Minister of the constituent republic of Udmurtia where IzhAvto is based. Rostekhnologii plans to transfer its auto assets, including 25% in the country's largest carmaker AvtoVAZ, and 37.8% in truck maker Kamaz, into Rosavto... Earlier this month, IzhAvto was declared bankrupt...

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posted by Unknown @ 5:27 PM  0 comments

RULES * USA - California's CARB diet, not so good for the trucking industry

Gold to Green: Cali-bound truckers readying for CARB diet

Sacramento,CAL,USA -Today's Trucking (Vancouver,BC,CAN) -28 Sept 2009: -- A steady diet of CARB regulations could have California-bound truckers tightening their belts very soon as they swallow the costs to comply with tougher environmental rules... They say that whatever rule they cook up in the staunchly "green" Golden State, usually ends up turning into a national standard somewhere down the road, so even if you're not hauling south on the Pacific Highway, cross-border truckers might want to pay close attention... The California Air Resources Board (CARB), a world leader of intertwining enviro regs, recently approved the Heavy-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Regulation, which legislates a phased-in compliance schedule for the purchase and/or retrofit of fuel-efficient tractors and trailers, as well as reefer units... Any truck heading into the state will have to comply with the regulation, regardless where they call home. The fines will likely be steep and it's no secret the bankrupted state can use all the extra coin it can get these days... The rules, some of which kick-in Jan. 1, 2010, will require tractors and any coupled 53-foot or longer box-type trailer to meet certain fuel-efficiency standards, including the use of aerodynamic technology and low-rolling resistance tires and a CARB-approved diesel particulate filter... (Pholto from largecarforsale: Heavy Duty Truck Kenworth W900 Pictures)


* USA - Truck OEMs required to report GHG emissions output

Washington,DC,USA -Today's Trucking (CAN) -28 Sept 2009: -- The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a final rule requiring large emitters of greenhouse gas emissions, including manufacturers heavy-duty trucks and engines, to report emissions data annually... However, thanks to lobbying efforts by the trucking industry, for-hire trucking companies will not be required to report their GHG emissions output... Mandated reporting of carbon dioxide emissions for heavy-duty truck and engine makers will begin with model year 2011 equipment... The following year, manufacturers will report methane emissions as well. Manufacturers must report nitrous oxide emissions in 2013, but this only applies to those that use NOx aftertreatment technology... The initiative is part of a larger reporting requirement that applies to about 85 percent of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions. It will cover fossil fuel and industrial suppliers, motor vehicle and engine manufacturers, and facilities that emit 25,000 metric tons or more of carbon dioxide equivalent per year... (Photo from cleanenergyfuels)

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posted by Unknown @ 4:26 PM  0 comments

Driven to Distraction * USA - Truckers Insist on Keeping Computers in the Cab

New York,NY,USA -The New York Times, by MATT RICHTEL -September 27, 2009: -- Crisscrossing the country, hundreds of thousands of long-haul truckers use computers in their cabs to get directions and stay in close contact with dispatchers, saving precious minutes that might otherwise be spent at the side of the road... The trucking industry says these devices can be used safely, posing less of a distraction than BlackBerrys, iPhones and similar gadgets, and therefore should be exempted from legislation that would ban texting while driving... Clayton Boyce, spokesman for the American Trucking Associations, who said the industry does not condone texting while driving, said computers used by truckers require less concentration than phones... But Robert D. Foss, a senior researcher at the Highway Safety Research Center at the University of North Carolina, said the dispatch computers and texting devices present the same potential for distraction... The legislation will be discussed at a conference on distracted driving in Washington, starting Wednesday, organized by the Transportation Department... (Photo by Mark Schiefelbein for The New York Times -September 28, 2009: Truckers Say Computers Are Needed in Cab. Like many truckers, Kurt Long uses a dispatching computer. “We’re supposed to pull over,” he said, “but nobody ever does")

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Sep 27, 2009

Women Truckers * Canada - Drive home trucking careers

Free training program aims to help women who experience violence gain self-esteem and economic self-sufficiency

Toronto,ONT,CAN -Inside Toronto, by TAMARA SHEPHARD -Sep 26, 2009: -- Driving trucks is in Michelle Chandler's blood... Since the age of 18, the native Barbadian drove every truck in the fleet of her family's construction business. In fact, she was the only female truck driver on the entire island... In 2004, the positive, high-energy, no-nonsense single mother came to Canada for better educational opportunities for her son, Morgan, now 12... An honours graduate from Humber College's Humber Transportation Training Centre, she earned an "AZ" licence to drive the 'big rigs,' tractor trailers... After 13-hour days doing long hauls throughout the U.S., Chandler shopped her resume door-to-door. Now she's in her second summer driving a shiny, new, red automatic triaxle, hauling sand and stone to construction sites across the GTA for James Dick Construction Ltd. in Bolton, Ont. where she is one of four women drivers... It's not a 9 to 5 job. Often, she hits the sheets by 8:30 p.m. for the 5 a.m. shift... But she loves it... (Photo from ANICE WONG - Women drive home trucking careers. Michelle Chandler takes the wheel of her truck at James Dick Construction Ltd. in Bolton. She's an honours graduate from the Humber Transportation Training Centre. The centre has partnered with the Community Microskills Development Centre and Rexdale Women's Centre to offer women who have experienced violence a chance to get their 'DZ' licence, in hopes the opportunity will improve their self-esteem and economic self-sufficiency)

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posted by Unknown @ 7:18 AM  1 comments

Fuel rebates for truck operators ? * It's a do-it-yourself job

"Proper driving is the only way, to get a rebate!! "

London,UK -MAN/BigLorryBlog, by Des Evans -September 26, 2009: -- MAN's ebullient boss Des Evans, has just posted up a comment on Bigloryblog to remind me: "Brian, check out www.yourfuelrebate.com as the MAN /Microlise ABC driver report is now available Check out the site. Proper driving is the only way, to get a rebate!! Regards, Des." And at a time when a fuel rebate is the last thing on the Governemnt's mind operators looking to cut costs need to take matters into their own hands. This website is a great starting point for those who genuinely want to save money... (Picture: MAN TGX 26 540 6x2-2)


* The Solution: HGV Truck and Microlise MTU

London,UK -Microlise -26 Sept 2009: -- The Microlise Tracking Unit is fitted into the Truck – it reports vehicle location and usage and, by being connected to the Truck’s CANBus, via the vehicle’s FMS adaptor, specific driving style information such as: Fuel Consumption, Speed, Revs, Greenband, Idling, Cruise Control, Braking - can be monitored and the information used to identify good driving behaviour as well as identify areas where driver training is required... Driver identification can be provided in the cab either via connection to the digital tacho or by the driver touching a unique key fob to a small reader fitted on the dash... The system has been so successful that it has been adopted by MAN Truck & BUS (UK) Limited and the Ford Motor Company in America, both MAN and Ford offer the Microlise system as an optional extra and new and used vehicles...

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posted by Unknown @ 6:56 AM  0 comments

ANALYSIS * USA - Slowly but Surely, Truck Tonnage on the Road Back

This is going to be a U-shaped recovery, not the hoped-for V-shaped jet job

New York,NY,USA -The Gerson Lehrman Group/Intelligently Connecting, by John Schulz -September 25, 2009: -- That's the message from the latest truck tonnage index reported by the American Trucking Associations. Its August seasonally adjusted index rose 2.1 percent in August, the same increase reported when July 2009 numbers were released... It may not be much, but in fact this is the best reading since February of 2009. This is certainly good news for the top-flight truckload carriers... ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello, who oversees the month ATA truck tonnage index, says he's optimistic the worst of the trucking downturn is over. Still, he is warning against any rapid surge in freight demand. Rather, shippers and manufacturers are replenishing inventory on an as-needed basis, cautiously putting their toes in the waters of the economic recovery... That means the fourth quarter is unlikely to produce the cumulative 4.3 percent gain that the truck index has registered in the past two months. Truckers I speak with say they would be satisfied with perhaps that much increase, as long as it were part of a long, prolonged economic recovery in 2010 and beyond... (Photo from roadtransport : Hey, it could I now to change my truck... ??)

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posted by Unknown @ 6:36 AM  0 comments

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * Australia - WA trucking industry hits slump

"We're earning about 40 per cent of what we were last year and some would be lucky to be earning that"

Perth,WA,Australia -The Perth Now/The Sunday Times, by Cortlan Bennett -September 26, 2009: -- WA'S trucking industry has hit the skids, according to owner-drivers, as the economic crisis bites hard... It's a far cry from a year ago, when the resources boom created a driver shortage and a flurry of new-truck sales... Drivers say the double whammy of the global financial crisis and the end of the Beijing Olympics - which had created a huge resource demand for infrastructure projects - have forced many out of business and others to ruthlessly undercut each other... Mr Swift said bigger companies were also squeezing out smaller operators... Linfox confirmed this week that it had secured the transport contract for the Gorgon gas project, but there were no jobs for WA drivers yet. However the company said that would change as the project got closer... Transport Workers Union WA spokesman, Tim Dawson, said there was no doubt truckers were "doing it hard'', but he was hopeful new resources projects would create more work... (Photo from roadtransport: Tubing)

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