trucks world news: May 2009

AUTOMAKERS' CRISIS * USA - General Motors stock dive: Shares fall under $1s

Opel sold, deal agreed with Magna

Detroit,MICH,USA -The Detroit News, by Robert Snell & Christine Tierney -May 30, 2009: -- Shares in General Motors Corp. sank below $1 Friday on what many investors anticipated would be their last trading day before an all-but-certain bankruptcy filing by the biggest U.S. automaker... GM officials scrambled to conclude deals with creditors and with the United Auto Workers and arrange asset sales in an apparent effort to speed up an anticipated bankruptcy... The UAW said Friday that GM members ratified cost-saving concessions. GM also reached an agreement Friday to sell most of its German carmaker Adam Opel to a group led by Canadian auto supplier Magna International Inc.... The German government will provide $2.1 billion in financing to support the sale... Expectations that a bankruptcy was imminent mounted Friday after GM said CEO, Fritz Henderson, would host a news conference Monday in New York City, where the company is expected to file under Chapter 11 of the U.S. bankruptcy code...

* New Chrysler days from emerging - Quick regrouping from bankruptcy sets example for industry

New York,NY,USA -The Detroit News, by Alisa Priddle-May 30, 2009: -- The fate of the newest incarnation of Chrysler, poised to emerge in Metro Detroit, won't be known until Monday or Tuesday... It marks an unexpected delay in a bankruptcy process that has surprised many for its quickness... Closing arguments on the sale of assets of the bankrupt Chrysler LLC to a group headed by Italy's Fiat Spa continued late Friday with the expectation Judge, Arthur Gonzalez, would rule immediately and not hold the case over into the weekend. But three days of testimony ended with his announcement he would render his decision Monday at the earliest... Once the sale is approved -- as is expected -- the Chrysler Group LLC formation will be official...

* Interesting views in a rapidly developing story. European analysts say: GM may still require bankruptcy, despite rescue

Berlin,Germany -Road Transport (UK), by Lindsay Clark -29 May 2009: -- Dr. Rainer Nitsche, Managing Director of ESMT Competition Analysis, the Competition arm of the Berlin-based international business school, says: ... "The handling of negotiations only confirms the need for a pan-European bankruptcy procedure to match that of the US, to take the politics out of the negotiating room. The web of bankruptcy frameworks currently in place on national lines is no longer fit for purpose. While these are intended to enable the workable rehabilitation of a distressed company, overall these do not give the level of support of Chapter 11, nor do they take account of the emergence of global businesses which require more cohesive support... Until this is changed, the stigma of bankruptcy and fear of insolvency will lead to politicised, protectionist action on the part of European governments, making it difficult to judge the effective and rightful deployment of state aid. The extent of the positive assurances we have seen from Europe's nations in fighting for their national champions, has left them little room to manoeuvre even before discussion talks had begun. European governments needed to keep their cards close to their chest. Instead, the Ace of Spades was handed to Washington long before they even reached the bargaining table."

Labels: automakers' crisis

RULES * Canada - MTO to again use GPS-Satellite records for audit enforcement

MTO will once again use satellite records to enforce HOS in advance of a Canadian EOBR rule

Toronto,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking -29 May 200: -- Beginning the first of July, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) will begin phasing in the use of satellite records for enforcement purposes, the Ontario Trucking Association reports... The new policy applies only to the use of GPS records in the Facility Audit for scoring purposes only and not for investigations or compliance verifications that may result in enforcement action... In August 2008, MTO implemented a moratorium regarding the use GPS/Satellite records as supporting documents in the Facility Audit scoring evaluation for the Hours of Service Profile... At the same time, MTO was in the process of developing a new, modernized facility audit protocol (in place as of April 1, 2009) and evaluating the potential impacts of using satellite tracking records as a “time marker” on the scoring of the hours of service portion of the driver profile of the “new” facility audit...

Labels: rules and regulations

BORDER CONTROLS * USA - Truckers say new regs won't jam borders

Truckers here say they're prepared for the new regulations

Burlington,VT,USA -USA TODAY -30 May 2009: -- Americans returning from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and parts of the Caribbean will need more than a driver's license to get back into the USA beginning Monday — and efforts are underway to prevent that from turning into a truck backlog at the borders... Commercial truckers in this border state, home of one of the nation's busiest border crossings, are among those who will be affected by the more stringent documentation requirements, the latest in a series of anti-terrorism efforts put in place after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C... In implementing the new requirements, the Department of Homeland Security faces a tricky balancing act: trying to secure the nation's 5,000 miles of border with Canada and 1,900 miles of border with Mexico while not disrupting trade. On an average day last year, Customs officers processed more than 70,000 truck, rail and sea containers... The trucking industry is "well prepared" for the change, said Clayton Boyce, vice president of public affairs for the American Trucking Associations... (Photo by Morris Lamont/AP - As new travel documentation requirements are put in place at U.S. border crossings Monday, officials are hoping to avoid scenes like this one: trucks backed up in Canada, 17 miles north of USA border on Sept. 12, 2001, the day after the 9/11 terror attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.)

* Canada - TA boss 'nervous' as border ID rule looms

Ver mapa más grande

Ottawa,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking -29 May 2009: -- Canada's leading trucker rep is waiting anxiously for the new Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative ID rules to kick-in on Monday, June 1... Even though the Canadian Trucking Alliance helped avert potential border chaos this week by convincing US Customs to make some last minute changes to its policy, CTA boss, David Bradley, worries that the message from head office in Washington may not have filtered down to all of the front line officers at land border points... Acceptable forms of ID include a passport, FAST card or a security enhanced drivers' licence... (Map Google)

Labels: border controls

CONTROLS * USA - Passport Requirement takes effect Monday, June 1

Washington,DC,USA -Land Line Magazine, by David Tanner -May 29, 2009: -- Starting Monday, June 1, anyone who crosses the border into the U.S. from Canada or Mexico for any reason will be required to show a passport or another approved document regardless of citizenship... In other words, a verbal declaration of citizenship at the border will no longer be accepted as it has been in the past... U.S. citizens returning to the states by land will be required to produce a valid U.S. passport, passport card, a valid FAST, NEXUS or SENTRI credential, enhanced driver’s license, military identification with travel orders, or a Merchant Mariner document... Canadian citizens have been required since 2008 to show a valid passport, FAST, NEXUS or SENTRI card, or an enhanced driver’s license... (Photo from USA Embassy: Passport required)

* Here’s what CVSA will be checking for June 2-4

Washington,DC,USA -Land Line Magazine -May 29, 2009: -- The annual inspection blitz conducted by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance is set for June 2-4 in the U.S., Canada and Mexico... More than 8,500 inspectors in 1,850 locations will be on the lookout for driver and mechanical violations during the 72-hour event... This year, roadside inspectors will be focusing on the following: driver's license, medical examiner’s certificate and waiver, alcohol and drugs (if applicable), driver's record of duty status (as required), hours of service, seat belt, vehicle inspection report, as well as the brake system, coupling devices, exhaust system, frame, fuel system, turn signals, brake lamps, tail lamps, head lamps, lamps on projecting loads, safe loading, steering mechanism, suspension, tires, van and open-top trailer bodies, wheels and rims, windshield wipers, emergency exits on buses and HM requirements, as applicable; safety belt enforcement; motorcoach and bus safety compliance... Inspectors will also focus on Unified Carrier Registration compliance. In 2005, SAFETEA-LU codified UCR into federal law. It replaced the Single State Registration System (SSRS). All motor carriers (for-hire, private and exempt) – as well as brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies operating in interstate or international commerce – are subject to the new UCR... (Photo from blog.fleetowner)

Labels: passports

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Germany - Truckmaker MAN offers amnesty to employees for information on alleged corruption

Munich,Germnay -Associated Press/The Washington Examiner (USA) -27 May 2009: -- German truckmaker MAN AG on Monday offered amnesty for employees willing to come forward with information regarding alleged illegal commissions paid at the company between 2002 and 2009 and which are being investigated by Munich prosecutors... More than 100 people are being investigated and two have been arrested... Prosecutors said salespeople allegedly paid about euro1 million ($1.35 million) in "bribes characterized as commission payments" to employees of MAN customers, sometimes via the accounts of relatives and friends, sometimes via letterbox firms in Malta, the Bahamas, London and New York... Investigators are now trying to determine who received money and why... (Picture from us-cdn.creamermedia.co.za: Resized MAN trucks)

* Sweden - Volvo to pay $525 million to create health care trust for Mack Trucks retirees

Stockholm,Sweden -Associated Press/The Washington Examiner (USA) -27 May 2009: -- Allentown, Pennsylvania-based truck maker Mack Trucks Inc. has signed an agreement with the United Auto Workers union to create an independent trust responsible for the health care of retirees, Swedish parent company AB Volvo said Monday... Volvo said it will fund the trust with $525 million (euro389 million) in cash, which will be paid in equal installments over a five-year period... If approved, the first payment of $110 million (euro82 million) will be made in the second quarter 2009... (Picture from wallpapersmania: Volvo truck)

* USA - Capacity terminal tractors to use MaxxForce engines

Melrose Park,ILL,USA -Truck News (CAN) -28 May 2009: -- Navistar has inked a deal to supply MaxxForce 7 engines for Capacity shunt trucks... The V8 diesels will be used on Capacity terminal tractors as part of multi-year agreement... The first Capacity trucks to come with MaxxForce 7 engines will be rolled out beginning this fall... (Photo from glasvangreatdane.com: Capacity's, of Texas, truck)

* USA - Mack delivers its first production intent Class 8 hybrid to NYC

New York,NY,USA -Truck News (CAN) -29 May 2009: -- Mack has delivered its first production intent Class 8 heavy-duty hybrid to the city of New York for use in refuse applications... The company handed over the keys during a special ceremony and said the sale marks an “important milestone” in the company’s hybrid commercialization process. The truck is a Mack TerraPro low-entry model refuse truck and is also EPA2010-compliant thanks to the use of selective catalytic reduction (SCR)... New York’s Department of Sanitation will be using the truck and evaluating its performance... (Macks' photo)

* Belgium - WABCO Adds to Intelligent Trailer Program

Brussels, Belgium -WABCO Press Release -May 19, 2009: -- WABCO Holdings Inc. introduced new functions to its Intelligent Trailer Program. OptiLoad, OptiTurn, Tilt Alert and Bounce Control are featured on the E1 version of the company's Trailer EBS E generation, marking the latest innovation in WABCO's Trailer EBS series that was launched in 1998.. . As of 2008, WABCO has sold more than 843,000 trailer electronic braking systems worldwide... New OptiLoad automatically redistributes cargo weight over the truck-trailer combination. As a trailer's cargo is partially delivered along its route, the remaining cargo can exceed the legal maximum weight limit on the truck's rear axle. With new OptiLoad and existing air bellows, the trailer's suspension system redistributes load weight without physically moving any cargo. It helps truck drivers and fleet operators remain in compliance with regulations for maximum weight per axle while preventing axle damage due to excessive weight...

* UK - Schmitz Opens Multi-Product Trailer Assembly Line

Harelaw,Durham,UK -Trailer Body Builders -May 28, 2009: -- Schmitz Cargobull (UK) Ltd’s new multi-product trailer assembly line is now fully operational. The new integrated line, introduced at the company’s UK manufacturing plant at Harelaw, County Durham, allows both curtainsider and refrigerated trailers to be built simultaneously... It has been designed to enable Schmitz Cargobull to manufacture an extensive range of other trailer types at the Harelaw facility and, as a result, the number of products built by the company in the UK will be enlarged significantly... The development of the new production system means that the overall output capacity of the plant has effectively been doubled...

* USA - Schweitzer visits Miralogix in Bozeman

Bozeman,Montana,USA - The Montana's News Station -May 29, 2009: -- Governor Brian Schweitzer, on Friday visited a Bozeman company that may revolutionize the trucking industry... Miralogix is a company that has come up with a more energy efficient way of cooling large delivery trucks... The manager of Miralogix's parent company, Reflect Scientific, showed the Governor the new CB 40 refrigeration system... John Hammerman says the device uses nitrogen to cool refrigerated trucks, replacing the need for noisy, polluting diesel systems...

* Europe - Truckmakers seek help to overcome economic crisis

Brussels,Belgium -European Voice, by Jennifer Rankin -28 May 2009: -- European truck and coach manufacturers are to ask the European Union and national governments for more help to weather the recession... The industry is studying whether schemes that give consumers cash incentives for trading in old cars can be replicated for trucks and buses... ACEA, the European carmakers' association, is working on proposals for “a system that will be semi-equivalent to a scrapping scheme for commercial vehicles,” said Ivan Hodac, ACEA's secretary-general... Truck and coach-makers have been hit hard by the economic downturn. Sales of commercial vehicles dropped by 24% in the last quarter of 2008, worse than the 19.3% fall for passenger cars. Hodac said that he expected sales of commercial vehicles to be 50% down for 2009 as a whole... (Photo: TRICKY TURNS Truckmakers are struggling to cope with the global economic crisis)

Labels: truckmakers' news USA

Lack of Jobs *- UK - Lorry drivers 'hit worst' by slowdown

London,UK -BBC Radio 4's, by Michael Buchanan -26 May 2009: -- An analysis of job vacancies has revealed that lorry drivers have been worst hit by the recession... The conclusions, which looked at the rise and fall in vacancies over the past year, showed there were more than 8,000 fewer vacancies for HGV drivers in April than there were in April 2008... Figures released by the Department of Transport earlier this month showed a sharp reduction in the number of lorries on Britain's roads, down 12% in the first quarter compared to the same period in 2008, and 7% lower on the previous quarter... The figures back up claims from the Road Haulage Association that the industry has been hit hard by the recession... People aren't training anymore, agency work has gone through the floor, which means that many people who would take that route into the industry haven't been able to find work... (Picture from telegraph; Lorries Park lane)

Labels: jobs' cut

TRUCKS NEWS * Europe - REGISTRATIONS: New HGV ones slump

New heavy truck registrations in April amounted to 15,117 units, or 47.0 per cent less than in the same month a year ago

Brusells,Belgium -HGV (Ireland) -29 May 2009: -- With the exception ofthe Dutch and Swiss markets, which expanded by 33 and 22.1 per cent respectively, all others contracted... Cumulative results from January to April show a 42.8 per cent slump... (Picture: media.monstersandcritics: european's trucks)

* UK - Number of trucks travelling to continent falls

London,UK -Logistics Manager -28 May 2009: -- The total number of goods vehicles travelling from Great Britain to the continent fell nine per cent for the year to March 2009, according to the latest figures from the Department for Transport... Some 2.64 million goods vehicles travelled from Great Britain to mainland Europe during the year. Despite the year on year fall, the figure was still 95 per cent higher than in 1992... Some 1.97 million were powered vehicles, down eight per cent, and 676,000 were unaccompanied trailers, down 11 per cent... Much of the drop can be attributed to the first quarter of 2009 when the total number of goods vehicles travelling from Great Britain to the continent fell 19 per cent to 576,000... (Picture from jkvehicles.co.uk: UK and Mainland Europe Vehicle )

Labels: trucks news

TRUCKING NEWS * Ireland - Hauliers vs. VOSA (UK)

* Irish haulier questions accuracy of VOSA statistics

Dublin,Ireland -HGV -24 May 2009: -- A leading Irish haulage company has questioned the accuracy of statistics gathered by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) in the UK with regard to Irish operators... Last week HGV Ireland.com reported that more than three out of 10 Irish HGVs inspected in the UK, failed roadworthiness checks, in the year to the end of April, according to preliminary statistics produced by VOSA... On foot of this article, a leading haulier, who did not want to be named, contacted HGV Ireland.com and called into question the accuracy of the VOSA statistics and pointed to two instances in which two of his vehicles fell fowl of the law in the UK... He concluded: "How many other hauliers have been in the same position and how does our industry look if this is how statistics are gathered and used against hauliers in general?"...(Picture: lorryspotteruk: An irish haulier vehicle)

* AWARD: Reynolds Logistics lands European silver

Dublin,Ireland -HGV -29 May 2009: -- One of Ireland's leading haulage companies and Fleet Transport Haulier of the Year 2008, has received a Silver medal in the inaugural European Transport Company of the Year 2009 awards... Reynolds Logistics, petro-chemical distribution specialists were up against the "best of the best"' from 14 countries across Europe... Reynolds Logistics came a close second to eventual winners Van Maanen from The Netherlands at the finals in Amsterdam on May 7...

Labels: trucking industry news UK and Ireland

Weight Enforcement * USA -. Oregon DOT weighs more than 26,000 trucks in three-day campaign

Portland,OR,USA -The Trucker News Services -29 May 2009: -- The Oregon Department of Transportation Motor Carrier Division recently conducted a three-day intensive size and weight enforcement effort along the Interstate 84 corridor recently, weighing in excess of 26,000 trucks... Officials said 16,914 trucks, or about one truck every 12 seconds, were weighed by ODOT staff at static scales, and 9,428 trucks were weighed in-motion at highway speed by the Green Light weigh station pre-clearance system... About 1.8 percent of the trucks received enforcement warnings or citations.. (Photo: An Oregon Department of Transportation officers checks the weight of a truck during a recent three-day size and weight enforcement campaign)

Labels: trucks' controls

AND NOW !!! Lisa Kelly !!! ... on ... * Canada - ICE ROAD TRUCKERS

Lisa Kelly cuts pretty figure on 'Ice Road Truckers'

Prudhoe Bay,Canada -New York Daily News (NY,USA), by Richard Huff -May 29 2009: ... Lisa Kelly admits she gets a kick out of seeing people do a double take when she slides out of her massive Kenworth W900 tractor-trailer... "I don't have to play it down," says the pretty blond, one of the drivers followed on the new season of History's "Ice Road Truckers."... "I think I've earned where I'm at. They don't just judge me by the cover, and I can get the job done," she says. "I don't need to fit the stereotype. I don't have to be a potty mouth, chew tobacco and be 300 pounds to drive a truck."... The show follows truckers who maneuver icy, snow-covered, narrow roads to deliver goods in Alaska 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle... Kelly, who calls Wasilla home (yes, Sarah Palin's place), is new to the cast...

** Ice Road Truckers Season 3 Preview

Video from YouTube, by historychannel -21 May 2009: -- Season 3 premieres May 31, 2009 at 9pm/8c... In Prudhoe Bay, a network of ice roads in the tundra crisscross river systems & open ocean to connect Americas booming North Slope oil fields to dry land... Every winter truckers have less than three months to shuttle critical supplies over the ice. There's only one way to get to this remote location: 400 miles of ice-covered, mountainous terrain known as The Dalton Highway... !!!

Labels: ice road truckers

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA

* Success stories in trucking are hard to come by these days

Richmond,VA,USA -GLGroup/Intelligently Connected, by John Schulz -29 May 2009: -- The industry is awash with bad news--truckload carrier Swift and LTL giant YRC Worldwide are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, even solidly profitable carriers such as FedEx Freight and Con-way have endured layoffs during the recession and the mere thought of geographic expansion at this time can be met with howls of laughter from executives just trying to hang onto until the recovery comes... Capital expenditures are being cut to the bone. After buying about 260,000 Class 8 trucks in 2006, the industry is expected to buy only about 90,000 this year as fewer carriers are replacing trucks and hardly anybody is expanding... Enter Estes Express. The privately held Richmond, Va.-based LTL carrier does not disclose profits. But judging from its expansion plans, the $1.5 billion carrier is enduring the recession about as well as any LTL carrier in the nation... There must be something in the James River in Richmond that produces good truckers. Home to legendary J. Harwood Cochrane, the founder of Overnite Transportation Co. (now UPS Freight), Richmond is strategically located to capitalize on both Northeast and Southeast freight with gateways to the Midwest and South Central states just a half day's drive away as well... Estes had a 4.4 percent drop in freight tonnage last year, about half the industry average. Some carriers, such as the YRC units, have endured drops in the 20 percent range. It isn't pretty out there right now as shippers batten down and are content to burn through inventory rather than start the inevitable restocking process.. That is what Estes is waiting for. It recently opened a Mexican logistics subsidiary to capitalize on north-south trade when the recovery comes. It also took advantage of YRC's financial woes to work an innovate cash-lease back arrangement in a number of terminals it is taking over from YRC... (Photo: The Great Depression in the United States was a very unlikely time in our nation's history to start a business. But, in 1931, an entrepreneur named W.W. Estes bought one used Chevrolet truck and established a small, local trucking business hauling farm produce and supplies in Southwest Virginia)

* Leading California Hay Exporter Reduces Fuel Costs and Emissions with LNG-Powered Kenworth T800s

Brawley,CAL,USA -Commercial Truck Trader -May 28, 2009: -- For Border Valley Trading, finding a way to lower emissions and fuel costs wasn’t like looking for a needle in a haystack... The Brawley, Calif.-based alfalfa, sudan and klein grass hay producer and exporter recently replaced its fleet of trucks with 15 liquefied natural gas-powered Kenworth T800s... The trucks are equipped with the Westport Innovations LNG fuel system and Westport GX engine, which is based on the industry-leading Cummins ISX 15-liter engine.

The Kenworth trucks use 5 percent diesel and 95 percent liquefied natural gas to power the drivetrain. A typical Class 8 truck using the cleaner burning LNG fuel may reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) and greenhouse gas emissions by up to an estimated 33 percent and 20 percent, respectively, compared to a diesel-fueled truck...

* Volumes shrink for YRC Worldwide, and other trucking companies

Kansas City,MO,USA -The Kansas City Business Journal -May 28, 2009: -- Trucking companies such as YRC Worldwide Inc. faced shrinking shipment volumes last month, on the tail of a plunge in March, the American Trucking Associations said this week... Compared with the prior-year period, April truck tonnages fell 13.2 percent, the largest drop in 13 years, the ATA said...

* For Sale: One Trucking Company's Headquarters. Not Its Business. YRC Worldwide Sells HQ to Load Up More Cash

New York,NY,USA -GLGroup/Intelligently Connected, by John Schulz -May 29, 2009: -- What do you do when almost nothing else has worked? Sell the building. That's exactly what YRC Worldwide, the financially troubled $8.9 billion trucking conglomerate, has done with its Overland Park, Kan., headquarters... In a sale-leaseback arrangement disclosed by the Kansas City Business Journal, YRC could gain as much as $22.5 million from the sale of its 30-year-old building on the outskirts of Kansas City... YRC won't be vacating the premises. Instead, it will lease back at least part of the building for an undisclosed fee...

* USA - Truck shipments decline during stagnant economy

Omaha, Neb.USA -AP/The Tampa Tribune (FL,USA), by TED JACKOVICS -28 May 2009: -- Werner Enterprises Inc., said it trimmed an additional 4 percent of its Omaha, Neb.-based fleet in the first quarter, as slow consumer spending and stalled manufacturing activity took its toll on truckers... Nearly all major trucking companies reported lower first-quarter revenue and falling profits as the recession continued and shipping demand slid... ATA does not reveal actual tonnage figures on a monthly basis to non-members of the Arlington,Va.-based industry group. The ATA said trucks hauled 10.2 billion tons of freight in 2008... The association's reports have shown seven successive percentage declines in truck tonnage since October... And while the dollar value of inventories has fallen, sales have decreased as much or more, resulting in inventories that are still too high for current sales levels, ATA's Costello said... That means it could be a few months for truck freight to hit bottom...

Labels: trucking industry news USA

Will electric trucks succeed ? KC market ... * USA - ... To get a first look

A British company, Smith Electric Vehicles, hopes to transform the U.S. delivery market with electric trucks

Kansas,MO,USA -The Kansas City Star, by STEVE EVERLY -27 May 2009: ... Today, a British company that got its start making milk floats is in the middle of a business drama playing out in the United States — and Kansas City — that is likely to determine whether electric trucks become part of the American landscape... Smith Electric Vehicles is on track to begin building electric trucks in July at a plant near Kansas City International Airport. The company is betting that it will find sufficient demand because the delivery market is ideal for electric trucks... Daily routes are typically less than 100 miles, within range of a big electric battery’s charge and the trucks return to depots where they can recharge overnight... But within the promise lies a worry. If this ideal market can’t be cracked, that will cast doubt about the entire future of electric trucks in the United States... (Photo: A British company, Smith Electric Vehicles, hopes to transform the U.S. delivery market with electric trucks. The company says interest in its trucks is “huge.”)

Labels: electric trucks

Audit Enforcement * USA - MTO to again use GPS-Satellite records for

Toronto,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking -29 May 2009: -- Beginning the first of July, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) will begin phasing in the use of satellite records for enforcement purposes, the Ontario Trucking Association reports... The new policy applies only to the use of GPS records in the Facility Audit for scoring purposes only and not for investigations or compliance verifications that may result in enforcement action...

Labels: GPS devices

STATISTICS * USA - NA truck registrations lowest on record

Southfield,MICH,USA -Today's Trucking (CAN) -28 May 2009: -- New commercial truck registrations (Class 3-8) were down 40 percent for the first quarter of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008, according to the Polk Commercial Vehicle Market Intelligence Report... This is the lowest registration quarter since 1991, and for Class 8 models, March has been the worst month since Polk started keeping these records in 1985. These declines come on the heels of an overwhelming drop in demand... Last year, total registration of commercial vehicles was at 486,800. Registration was down in all fleet sizes and categories... The Canadian market dropped by 37.3 percent from the first quarter of 2008. The index indicates 2009 will see 48,000 units registered in Canada, which is about 42 percent lower than 2006 levels...

* NAFTA - Can-Am truck trade drops over 25%

Washington,DC,USA -Today's Trucking -29 May 2009: -- Surface transportation trade among the three NAFTA nations plummeted again -- this time by 27.9 percent in March from a year earlier... That's the third consecutive month of decline greater than 27 percent, the Department of Transportation reports... U.S.-Canada trade, specifically, fell 34.2 percent to $31 billion. The value of truck imports fell 26.8 percent and truck exports dropped 25.1 percent... Overall, truck imports from both Canada and Mexico to the U.S. dropped 21.5 percent to $18.7 billion, while exports fell 18.9 percent to $18.9 billion... About 90 percent of U.S. trade among NAFTA partners moves by land...

Labels: statistics

Stimulus Funds * USA - District Wants To Replace Old Diesel Trucks

Program Has $15M To Take Vehicles Off Roadways

Fresno,CAL,USA -AP/KCRA 3 -May 26, 2009: -- The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution District has $15 million to help heavy-duty diesel truck owners replace their small fleets with cleaner models... The program is part of the state Air Resources Board's plan to reduce truck and bus emissions and meet federal air-quality standards... The program targets trucks built in 1993 and earlier that are operated 75 percent of the time in California... District officials said they do not have to be based in the San Joaquin Valley to qualify for the funds, but they must have logged at least 30,000 miles the past two years or consumed 4,700 gallons of fuel... The grants are for up to $35,000, depending upon the age of the truck, and are made first-come, first served. The old trucks must be destroyed... (Photo: equipmentready: Used 1988 FORD L8000 Heavy Duty)

Labels: governments stimulus

REPORT * USA - FAST solution to potential border problem

A potential cross-border clearance mess has been averted just days before a new massive, U.S. security policy takes effect

Ottawa,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking -28 Mayt 2009: -- A potential cross-border clearance mess has been averted just days before a new massive, U.S. security policy takes effect... The introduction of a new generation FAST card, coinciding with the June 1 rollout of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) ID rules, had some in the trucking industry predicting trucker backlogs at Canada-U.S. land ports... But fear not, if there are significant border delays next week, it'll be because some truckers and travelers will be without mandatory passport or enhanced drivers' licence credentials; and not due to what appeared to be a possible FAST card mix-up... Part of the problem is that US Customs was not set up to accept older FAST cards. Only new, Generation 2 FAST cards -- most of which have not yet been mailed to drivers -- have the RFID technology that is compatible with the ID readers at ports of entry... U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials met with members of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, todaystrucking.com has learned, and were assured that original FAST cards, as well as Gen 2 FAST cards, will be acceptable identification documents for crossing the border on June 1... (Photo: Thanks to CTA, US Customs will allow both old and new FAST cards on June 19)

Labels: border news

TRUCK SALES * USA - New motto: Any port in a storm

Los Angeles,CAL,USA -Today's Trucking -25 May 2009: -- According to the Los Angeles Business Journal, truck sales are booming in California... Tracey Craik, fleet sales manager at a truck dealer called TEC of California is reported as saying business is “much better than last year.”... Indeed, because business is up by a third compared to the same time last year, the Business Journal reports, the lot is home to four times the normal inventory. Since October, TEC has sold 700 new rigs... Most of the new trucks are being put to work on short hauls into and out of the L.A. Port, which is what Craik attributes the surge in sales to... The port’s stringent Clean Truck Program, while driving some truckers to the dealerships, is driving others out of business...

Labels: trucks sales

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Sweden - Volvo Group posts 63% truck sales decline for April

Stockholm,Sweden -Fleet Owner -May 21, 2009: -- Following the lead of North American truck OEMs, Volvo Truck Group reported worldwide April sales of just 9,196 vehicles-- a 63% decline over April 2008... Following the lead of North American truck OEMs, Volvo Truck Group reported worldwide April sales of just 9,196 vehicles-- a 63% decline over April 2008... Eastern European sales took the largest dive, dropping from 2,896 trucks to 382, an 87% drop. Europe as a whole fell 69% with 4,052 trucks sold. North America sales also plummeted 69% to 1,128 vehicles... Year-to-date, the truck maker said its sales are down 54% to 41,433 units, led by a 62% decline in Europe, its largest market, and 52% in North America...

* India - Tata Motors Unveils New Truck Line. Seeks to Compete With Global OEMs

Mumbay,India -Transport Topics (USA) -28 May 2009: -- India’s Tata Motors said it is unveiling a new line of trucks to be called the “world truck,” the New York Times reported Thursday... It will produce the vehicles in India and South Korea, where it owns the Tata Daewoo Commercial Vehicle Co... Analysts say Tata was revamping its truck lineup to compete with global truck manufacturers such as Sweden’s Volvo AB and Germany’s Daimler AG, which recently started selling trucks in India, and local competitors... The company’s new trucks will have cargo capacity that range from 10 to 75 tons, several times greater than the biggest trucks it currently produces... (Photo: republicaupdate.com: air car)

Labels: truckmakers' news worldwide

TRUCK MARKETS * Europe - European truck-sales drop accelerated on Eastern Europe and Spain in April 2009

Riga,Letonia -The Baltic Course, by Alla Petrova -27 May 2009: -- European heavy-truck sales dropped at an accelerating rate in April 2009, led by Spain, Italy and eastern European countries, as the worldwide recession reduced demand from freight transporters and construction companies... Sales in Eastern European countries dropped 68% to 1,595 trucks as Poland's market, the largest in that region, shrank by 68%, reports Bloomberg/LETA... Delivery declines exceeded 80% in Bulgaria and Romania... Estonia, the smallest eastern European heavy-truck market in April 2008, contracted by 91% and Latvia, the second-smallest, plunged 93%... Deliveries of trucks weighing more than 16 metric tons declined 47% to 15,117 vehicles from 28,510 a year earlier, the Brussels-based European Automobile Manufacturers Association said in a statement today. Four-month sales fell 43% to 64,017 trucks. That compares with delivery drops of 44% in March and 42% in the first quarter... (Daimler's photo)

Labels: trucks markets

SAFETY TRUCKERS WORLDWIDE * Japan - Transport firms to test for sobriety

Transport service companies will be required to conduct sobriety tests on their drivers before they start work for the day

Tokyo,Japan -The Japan Times/Kyodo News -May 26, 2009: -- ... The move to eradicate accidents caused by drunken drivers comes as the transport ministry found that tests by truck, bus and taxi service operators are insufficient, as they do not require a Breathalyzer... The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry is also planning to toughen penalties for operators this fiscal year. The number of professional drivers caught drunk behind the wheel was 463 in 2005 and 477 in 2006, but then declined to 352 in 2007 and 287 in 2008, according to the ministry... Numerous employers have already introduced breath tests independently, following the enactment of the amended traffic law that imposes harsher punishments on drunken driving... (Photo from aysjuicyjapanjunk.com: japanese truckers)

* Canada - Safety at the CORe of new B.C. program

Langley,BC,Canada -Today's Trucking -26 May 2009: -- While many safety developments aim to protect drivers while out on the road, a new safety program in B.C. is planning to focus on everything else... In April 2009, WorkSafeBC approved the B.C. Trucking Safety Council's application to implement a safety certificate of recognition (COR) program for companies in WorkSafeBC's General Trucking and Moving & Storage classification units... A COR program is a major component of WorkSafeBC's voluntary Partners in Injury and Disability Prevention Program (Partners Program), which offers incentives to employers who implement health and safety management systems in their workplaces to reduce injuries and to help injured workers to return to work safely...

Labels: truckers' safety

CLEAN TRUCKS * USA - CARB to get $91M for

CAL,USA -eTrucker -26 May 2009: -- The California Air Resources Board said May 26 it will receive $161 million from a bond sale in the next installment of the 2006 voter-approved Proposition 1B funds for cleaning up emissions from school buses, trucks and port equipment... The Goods Movement Emission Reduction Program will receive $90 million, and the Lowe+r-Emission School Bus Program will receive about $71 million. CARB administers both programs, part of a larger $19.93 billion 2006 Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality and Port Security Bond Act. Last December, CARB suspended implementation of these programs because of the state’s inability to raise bond funds... CARB says the bond money will be used to:
# Clean up port trucks in the South Coast, Bay Area and San Diego;
# Upgrade trucks in the Central Valley and Border Region;
# Install shore-based electrical power for two ship berths at the Port of Oakland.

Labels: governments stimulus funds

SAFETY * USA - SAFE Truckers Act advances

Washington,DC,USA -eTrucker -26 May 2009: -- The full House Committee on Homeland Security last week unanimously approved an amendment to the Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act which includes the SAFE Truckers Act... The SAFE Truckers Act eliminates duplicative and costly background checks, pre-empts states from requiring separate background checks and credentials for drivers transporting hazardous materials, and requires that Canadian and Mexican truck drivers undergo the same security background checks as U.S. drivers... (Photo from woudenburcht: East us trucks)

Labels: truckers' safety

TRUCKING STATISTICS * USA - April Truck Tonnage Plunges 13.2%

Drop Is Biggest in 13 Years; Reading Is Lowest Since 2001

Washington,DC,USA -Transport Topics on Line -27 May 2009: -- Truck tonnage decreased 13.2% in April compared with a year ago, falling to the lowest level in seven-and-a-half years, American Trucking Associations said... The decline in the for-hire seasonally adjusted truck tonnage index was the biggest in 13 years and left tonnage at a reading of 99.2, its lowest level since November 2001... The index fell 2.2% from March, the second consecutive month-to-month decrease, ATA said late Tuesday... Without accounting for seasonal adjustment, the index fell 2.9% from March, while March’s tonnage level had dropped 12.2% from a year earlier... (Photo by maccafan: The US trucks)

* NAFTA Trade Falls 27.9%

Washington,DC,USA -Transport Topics -28 May 2009: -- Surface transportation trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico fell 27.9% in March from a year earlier, the third consecutive month of decline greater than 27%, the Department of Transportation said Thursday... Between February and March, trade with Canada and Mexico rose 6.5%, DOT’s Bureau of Trade Statistics said in its monthly report... Truck imports to the United States dropped 21.5%% to $18.7 billion, while exports fell 18.9% to $18.9 billion... U.S.-Canada trade fell 34.2% to $31 billion. The value of truck imports fell 26.8% and the value of truck exports fell 25.1%... U.S.-Mexico trade fell 15.1% to $20 billion. The value of truck imports fell 15.5% and the value of truck exports fell 6.4%...

Labels: trucking statistics

Road Haulage *USA - Rail rivalry pulls big rigs off the highway

It is one of the defining images of the rural US

New York,NY,USA -The Financial Times (UK), by Robert Wright -May 26 2009: -- ... Across mile upon mile of highway in the plains of the midwest, the rolling hills of the south-east or the forests of New England, huge trucks thunder, carrying goods from producers to customers or from distribution centres to retailers... The names of the biggest trucking lines – JB Hunt, YRC, Schneider National and Ryder – become as familiar as the names of the fast-food chains in the roadside stop-offs... For many truckers, however, in recent years long stretches of highway have been a less familiar home than the gatehouses and cranes of railroad companies’ intermodal yards, where shipping containers move between truck and rail. As the US economic boom was at its most intense two years ago, trucking lines started to make long-distance movements of containers and truck trailers to rail. The containers make only the short journeys to and from the railyard on a truck... With fuel prices high, and drivers both scarce and reluctant to spend days away from home at a time, the system reduced the number of drivers needed, allowed the drivers to operate nearer home and often cut costs. The move also allowed environmentally conscious customers to say they were reducing their greenhouse gas emissions...

Labels: trucks vs trains

TRUCKERS' LIFE * Africa - A Better Life Beckons in Africa

U.S. Downturn Drives Immigrant Professionals Back Home

Kisumu,Kenya -The Washington Post, by Stephanie McCrummen -May 26, 2009: -- With the U.S. economy in turmoil, his job as a truck driver no longer secure and his upwardly mobile life in the Dallas suburbs in jeopardy, James Odhiambo decided it was time for a change... He wanted a healthier lifestyle for his family, less anxiety, fewer 14-hour days. So he recently traded his deluxe apartment, the pickup truck, the dishwasher and $4.99 McDonald's combos for life in a place he considers relatively better: sub-Saharan Africa... While that may seem counterintuitive to Americans accustomed to bleaker images of Africa, recent studies have documented the flight of immigrant professionals from the United States to their home countries. Chinese and Indian workers increasingly say they see better opportunities and lifestyles at home. And diaspora associations of Nigerians, Ghanaians, Kenyans and other Africans say their members -- mostly from middle-class backgrounds -- are joining the exodus, choosing life in the land of slow Internet connections and power outages over the pressures of recession-era America... (Photo by Dominic Nahr/The Washington PostIn - Kisumu, Kenya, home town of former Texas trucker James Odhiambo, traffic jams involve bicycles as often as cars)

Labels: truckers' way of life

BORDER TRUBLWS * R. Dominican/Haiti - Dominican truckers vow blockade of border today

Exporters want quick solution. The truckers say they'll block even pedestrian vendors
(Border gate)Haiti & Santo Domingo -The Dominican Today, by Dile Pedernales -May 26, 2009: -- The president of the truckers union Fenatrado vowed to block the entry of people, foods and vehicles from Haiti starting today, and even the bi-national market held Mondays and Fridays in Dajabón (northwest) and other communities, a measure the country’s exporters oppose... Blas Peralta said those actions are to protest the attitude of truck drivers and some authorities of the neighboring nation to prevent Dominican trucks from crossing into their territory... The decision was disclosed yesterday in a meeting held in San Juan de la Maguana (west) and Peralta said it will be in effect until the Haitian authorities and their truck drivers leave aside their attitude and decide on the dialogue with the Dominicans... Meanwhile Dominican Exporters Association (Adoexpo) president Ricardo Koenig asked the Government to seek a fast solution to the conflict which harms trade with Haiti, and opposes Fenatrado’s decision, affirming it would jeopardize the country’s second largest export market...

Labels: border troubles

Leasing Deals * Slovakia - Shrank by 43 percent in Q1

Cargo transport problems depress leasing of vehicles

Bratislava,Slovakia -The Slovak Spectator, by Jana Liptáková -25 May 2009: -- After several years of consecutive, robust growth in the Slovak leasing market, the global financial and economic crisis has also put a hard brake on this aspect of the country’s economy. While the leasing market grew by 6.5 percent overall in 2008, its new contracts fell by almost 43 percent during the first quarter of 2009... The drop in cargo transport has been reflected in fewer leases of trucks and trailers, with a 70 percent reduction in the volume of new contracts in this segment in the first quarter of the year... Based on developments so far in 2009, when many businesses are cutting costs and are being more careful about potential investments and more businesses are experiencing problems in meeting their current obligations, leasing company representatives in Slovakia expect that their business will show an overall decline this year... Since the end of the previous economic system, leasing has become an inseparable part of the Slovak business environment by helping entrepreneurs to finance and grow their businesses... (Photo from ČTK - Shrinking cargo transport affects the leasing market in Slovakia )

Labels: trucking markets

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * USA - Motorcoach builder's assets sold to truck-maker

Eugene,OR,USA -The Delaware Register-Guard -May 23, 2009: -- Assets of an Oregon maker of motor homes have been sold to the maker of International heavy trucks... Navistar bought the assets of Monaco Coach in a sale ordered in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington. Monaco was known for its bus-like recreational vehicles, although it produced various types of the RVs. Navistar's plans for the company were not disclosed... Monaco fell victim to a severe downturn in business brought on by soaring fuel prices and by the steep recession that followed...

Labels: truckmakers news USA

A Heavy Load * USA - Long-distance truckers don't get paid if they aren't driving

... and they aren't driving as much these days

Winston Sakem-NC,USA -The Winston Salem Journal -May 24, 2009: -- Don't be fooled by Odell Haggerty's serene gaze and placid hazel eyes. The past month has been awful for the long-distance truck driver from Texas... Haggerty, 43, is paid 36 cents a mile, but when he isn't driving his company's big rig -- when he's laid over awaiting a new load -- he doesn't get a dime... And lately, with the recession hammering freight-haulers, he has seen far too much of random truck stops and not enough of the open road... (Los Angeles Times Photo: Odell Haggerty, 43, a long-haul driver from Texas, said he and other truckers have to have patience while awaiting work)

Labels: truckers' demands

NEW REPORT * UK - Reveals contract logistics top ten players

Transport Intelligence announce its annual rankings of the largest contract logistics operators on a Global and regional basis

London,UK -Transport Intelligence, by Joanne Hutchinson -22 May 2009: -- "About Global Contract Logistics 2009": Provides Transport Intelligence's most comprehensive market sizing and forecasting data ever, now covering 70 countries. It provides market shares and top ten rankings in the three major regions: Europe, North America and Asia Pacific as well as on a worldwide basis. It also includes the profiles of 22 global contract logistics providers and a wide-ranging summary of all the major trends and developments affecting the industry... According to Ti’s Chief Executive, John Manners-Bell, the market was relatively calm in 2008 after years of change and upheaval. "With a downturn in volumes and margins being pressurized, contract logistics companies are focusing internally rather than looking for external opportunities. I believe this will continue to be the case in 2009 despite the general perception that ‘distressed’ targets may soon be coming onto the market. As the market picks up in 2010 there is likely to be a surge of mergers and acquisitions activity."... (Photo from bmvbs.de: Freight Transport and Logistics Masterplan)

Labels: transport and logistics reports

TOLLS * USA - Legislation Would Ban Federal Highway Tolls

Hutchison bill challenges public-private partnership for roads

Washington,DC,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by R.G. Edmonson -May 22, 2009: ... The public-private partnership concept could be dealt a blow if Congress approves a bill filed Thursday that would prohibit states, private ventures, or public-private combinations from imposing tolls on users of existing federal highways... The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said that collecting tolls was “fundamentally unfair,” because taxpayers paid twice for the same asset... Hutchison said tolling was a “band-aid solution” to the problem of highway funding that would ultimately lead to congestion and the diversion of traffic onto residential streets... Hutchison said her bill leaves open the option that taxpayers could vote to use tolls to pay for highway improvement or the addition of lanes... The bills could represent a major challenge to the concept of public-private partnerships and toll road leasing as practiced in recent years... (Photo: youthnoise.com: Pictures of Trestles Beach)

Labels: tolls roads debate

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * Ireland

* Reynolds logistics seeks permission to run MEVs

Dublin,Ireeland -HGV -21 May 2009: -- A leading Irish haulage company has made an application to Irish authorities with a view to running its own version of longer, heavier vehicles (LGVs)... Well known bulk fuels hauylier, Reynolds Logistics is seeking permission to run a 10 metre Euro-5 Mercedes-Benz rigid pulling a 13.6 metre semi-trailer, interlinked by a two-axle dolly... The company has applied to run three MEVs (more efficient vehicles) on a set route between Dublin Port and Dublin airport, via the port tunnel... If the application is successful, the three MEVs would reduce truck movements by 4,000 annually, according to the company... (Picture from optrak.co.uk: Reynolds' vehicle)

Labels: trucking industry news UK and Ireland

Prohibition Notices * UK - Irish hauliers top VOSA roll of shame

Thirty six per cent of Irish-registered HGVs inspected by VOSA officers failed random roadworthiness tests...

Bristol ,UK -HGV -21 May 2009: -- More than three out of 10 Irish HGVs inspected in the UK, failed roadworthiness checks, in the year to the end of April, preliminary statistics released by VOSA reveal... VOSA also confirmed that more than a third (34 per cent) of Irish drivers were in breach of Driver’s Hours regulations... The drivers were served with prohibition notices, which can range from an improvement order for the vehicle to, in more serious cases, the impounding of the vehicle... VOSA says that Irish registered vehicles received the highest number of prohibition notices among foreign vehicles on UK roads...

* UK - VOSA keeps RSA up to date on condition of Irish HGVs

Bristol,UK -HGV -21 May 2009: -- The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) is updating the Road Safety Authority (RSA) on the condition of Irish HGVs stopped on UK roads on a monthly basis it has been revealed... The RSA has confirmed that it gets a monthly update from the RSA and acts on the information supplied... RSA checks on 2,087 commercial vehicles found 717 had defects, or 34 per cent. This is almost identical to the failure rate in the VOSA report...

Labels: roadworthiness check

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * USA

* Hino Trucks to Debut Race Recovery Vehicles at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Novi,MICH,USA -PRNewswire -May 22, 2009: -- Hino Trucks announced today that they have teamed up with Jerr-Dan Corporation to debut at least seven tow and recovery vehicles for use at the Indianapolis Speedway. The trucks will be used for all events that take place at the Speedway during the 2009 racing season...

Labels: truckmakers' news USA

Female Truckers Stories * South Africa - Brave the night shift

With HIV taking its toll of male drivers, firms look to women to bring stability

Johannesburg,SA -The Guardian (UK), by David Smith -22 May 2009: -- Eunice Sikhunyane clocks on at 5.30pm for one of the loneliest jobs in the world. The single mother climbs into her cabin, turns on the ignition and spends the next nine hours driving a 16-wheel, 28-tonne truck through the African night... Eunice is part of a growing occupational group in South Africa: the female trucker. Women are in demand for a job once synonymous with masculinity because of the devastating toll of HIV/Aids on male truck drivers... About one in four truckers are estimated to be HIV positive. It is a transient lifestyle notorious for long stopovers far from home and easy access to prostitutes. About 3,000 truck drivers are lost annually to Aids as well as accidents, armed hijackings, alcoholism and other causes. The industry says it needs 15,000 new recruits each year. Women are often seen as more likely to take care of themselves and their vehicles... Eunice, 36, used to drive tractors and fire tenders but joined the Rennies haulage company three years ago because it paid better: 4,700 rand (£350) a month. She has seen the culture of promiscuity among male drivers... "Most of the guys sleep with prostitutes and don't know if she's sick or not sick," she said... "Maybe he will buy a lady and the next day he'll go with his wife. Someone asked me: 'So, will you buy a man?' I said: 'No, I have a boyfriend'."... Happiness Sibisi, 27, became a truck driver after leaving school. She is one of two women drivers, alongside 58 men, employed by Unitrans in Durban. "They treat me like a kid because all of them are very old," she said... She had one terrifying experience when she was being followed. She called her depot and was told to return. "I went faster but they kept following me... "I do worry but a job is a job. My husband wonders whether I'll come back in the morning. When someone wants to steal a truck you give it to them, because a truck can be replaced and you can't."... (Picture: South Africa Illustrations Truckers Against AIDS)

Labels: female truckers, truckers stories

STUDY * USA - Fleets using wireless, GPS more than ever

Palos Verdes,CAL,USA -Today's Trucking -22 May 2009: -- Fleet vehicles, trailers, construction equipment and mobile workers account for about 3.6 million GPS and wireless devices used in the U.S., according to a study by C.J. Driscoll & Associates. This number is expected to increase to more than 6.5 million units by 2012... According to the study, the market for mobile resource management has decreased in 2009 due to the economic conditions, but the market for local fleet tracking is expanding... (Photo from gpsmagazine: Worldnav)

Labels: studies

TRUCKERS' RULES * USA - ATA rallies behind tougher drug test

Washington,DC,USA -Today's Trucking (CAN) -22 May 2009: -- New legislation introduced in the Senate will help close loopholes that allow drug and alcohol users to slip by trucking companies' driver hiring checks... The bill was praised by American Trucking Associations, which has been pushing for improvements to mandatory drug testing programs for drivers... The proposed legislation, the Safe Roads Act, would establish a database of drug-testing information for commercial drivers. It would employ $5 million a year to develop and distribute the database, requiring medical review officers, employers and other service agents to report positive results to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration... Employers would have to check the database before bringing on drivers. The bill would also provide for privacy protections and employee rights of actions...

Labels: drugs and truckers

Transportation Chief * USA - Thinks stimulus spending has been up to speed

LaHood said the department has developed a Mexican truck program

Washington,DC,USA -Government Executive/Congress Daily, by Otto Kreisher -May 22, 2009: -- Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, Thursday said his department is approving stimulus act funds twice as fast as its normal programs and has released nearly $13 billion "that puts wages in people's pockets and gives hope to struggling families and communities."... At a National Press Club speech, LaHood said that despite concerns that the department's share of the stimulus funds was moving too slowly, "every project we announce is an immediate signal for states to advertise contracts and for contractors to begin hiring workers and ordering materials like steel and asphalt."... LaHood was also asked about another sensitive issue, a program to allow Mexican trucks to operate further from the border than has been previously allowed... LaHood said the department has developed a Mexican truck program that he believes will satisfy the members of Congress who used a supplemental funding bill to block the plan, first designed by the Bush administration. He noted that allowing Mexican trucks to carry cargo well north of the border was part of the North American Free Trade Agreement, and suggested the tariffs on U.S. products that Mexico imposed in retaliation is having an effect. He said there was "a good chance" he could get the truck program reinstated "in a way that meets Congress' concerns."...

Labels: Obama's Administration

Clean Diesel * USA - Makes its case to Congress

Washington,D.C.,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr -May 21, 2009: -- To combat its often negative image as a “dirty” and inefficient source of energy, the diesel-fuel advocacy group Diesel Technology Forum (DTF) hosted a special event on Capitol Hill here to bring together members of Congress and elements of the diesel industry and show off how current diesel-based power systems can curb pollution and reduce overall fuel consumption... At the special event – held at the Cannon House Office Building and entitled “Climate, Energy & the Environment: The Role of Diesel” – lawmakers from both sides of the aisle mingled with representatives from Caterpillar, John Deere, Eaton, Cummins, Volkswagen, Daimler, Bosch, Volvo Powertrain and others to review the latest advances in diesel technology... (Video from YouTube: "The benefits of diesel hybrids", by pentontrans - 20 May 2009: Fleets are searching for "greener" trucks that don't compromise on performance yet also generate savings. Eaton's Dontia Warren believes those diesel-electric hybrid meets those fleet demands with here-and-now technology)

Labels: clean engines

Transportation Stimulus * USA - Spending Nears $13B

DOT ahead of schedule pushing money out the door

Washington,DC,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by John D. Boyd -May 21, 2009: -- “As of this week, we’ve made nearly $13 billion available” in Recovery Act funds for infrastructure projects around the country, Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood said... Amid concerns about how fast the government is spending the stimulus money and whether it is enough to spur the economy, LaHood told a National Press Club audience... He said the highway portion of the stimulus law “is flowing at the rate of nearly four billion dollars a month – nearly twice as fast as traditional highway dollars.”... Even before the actual construction gets under way, he said just approving the projects adds a boost. “Every new project we announce is an immediate signal for states to advertise contracts, and for contractors to begin hiring workers and ordering materials like steel and asphalt.”... (Photo from 2.bp.blogspot: )

Labels: governments stimulus funds

FUEL COSTS * USA - No Gas Tax Hike, Says LaHood

Transportation secretary says Obama administration will not push to hike fuel taxes

Washington,D.C.,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by John D. Boyd -May 21, 2009: -- The Obama administration does not favor raising the federal tax on motor vehicle fuels as a way to bolster highway spending accounts, said Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood... LaHood said this is not the time, during an economic downturn, to be talking about raising gas taxes... But since the Highway Trust Fund receipts are low, he said “we need to think outside the box” on ways to fund needed projects, and explore such things as an infrastructure bank, tolling and joint public-private spending efforts... (JoC file photo)

Labels: fuel costs

REGULATOR * Australia - Ministers agree on national truck regs - by 2013

Cairns,QLD,Australia -ATN, by Jason Whittaker -22 May 2009: -- Australia will have a single, national heavy vehicle regulator by 2013 under an “historic” agreement by transport ministers today... The meeting of the Australian Transport Council (ATC) in Cairns adopted recommendations for new overarching agencies to regulate the transport sector, but ministers admit the task of establishing the framework will be arduous... Ministers considered a range of options, including harmonising existing state-based legislation, but have endorsed new overarching bodies for road, rail and sea transport. Transport groups were advocating for this outcome...

Labels: trucks' regulations

REJECTION * Australia - Local truck makers reject US emission standards

Sydney,Australia -ATN, by Michael House -22 May 2009: -- Mandatory vehicle emission standards, as planned for the United States, would be complex and unnecessary in Australia, truck manufacturers say... Federal and state transport ministers are due to consider the US plan which will enforce a standard of 15km per litre on average for heavy vehicles by 2016, compared to the current average of 10km per litre... But the Truck Industry Council (TIC) says while it may be viable for passenger cars, trucks are a different story... Executive Director, Terry Pennington, says although many countries around the world are planning to cut truck emissions, Australia is already doing its part in curbing transport pollution considering its unique transport industry... The Australian Conservation Foundation yesterday called on the transport ministers’ council, to meet tomorrow, to set mandatory fuel consumption standards for Australian-made cars, but did not put any demands in relation to heavy vehicles... (Picture from volvo: Trucks emissions)

Labels: trucks' emissions

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * UK

* McCormick buys Andover trailer for heavy plant transport

County Antrim,Northern Ireland,UK -Road Transport -21 May 2009: -- Civil engineering and plant hire company McCormick Contracts, based in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, has taken delivery of a 12-metre long quad-axle Andover Trailers SFCL 67 step-frame trailer, which will be used to transport the company's specialist heavy plant across Ireland... Operating in conjunction with a Volvo FH12 460 tractor unit, it incorporates a hardwood floor, tool boxes fitted to the trailer chassis, a 300mm stop bar on the top deck, two speed leg gear and hydraulic steady legs, along with slide out safety lights and wide load marker boards...

OPINION * India - Long haul to recovery for truckmakers

New Delhi,India -Reuters, by C.J. Kuncheria -21 May 2009: -- Indian commercial vehicle makers' path to recovery will be longer than that of the broader economy, with customers and lenders seen returning only after the increased activity has significantly ramped up freight movement... Sales of trucks and buses, linked to the pace of economic activity, fell by over a fifth in the year to March 2009, led by steep drops at top firms Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland and Eicher Motors, as slower growth slashed foreign trade and industrial output... There is talk of a recovery in Asia's third-largest economy and India's auto industry body has forecast a 7-10 percent growth in commercial vehicle sales for 2009/10... But many players say much of the talk is driven by sentiment, and sales will continue to be in the doldrums till freight movement rises and financing becomes easier... (Photo: India's heavy duty truck, by Kamaz/Vectra group, JV)

Labels: trucks markets worldwide

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS, Mergers & Acquisitions * WORLDWIDE

Strategic Buyers - International Transactions

* Finland - 13 May: Container Finance Ltd. Oy announced the pending acquisition of the remaining 65.0% of Containerships Ltd Oy. Based in Helsinki, Containerships provides door-to-door transport of containerized cargo in the Baltic Sea area and northern Europe. Terms were not disclosed.

* Greece - 13 May: Anek Lines SA announced the pending acquisition of 33.4% of Hellenic Seaways S.A. for $170.3 million. Based in Piraeus, Greece, Hellenic provides passenger and vehicle ferry service in the Greek Isles.

* France - 15 May: Olano Logistique du Froid announced the acquisition of STLL. STLL provides transportation services in the Bretagne Region of France. Terms were not disclosed.

Financial Buyers

* France - 12 May: IXIS AEW Europe announced the pending acquisition of seven distribution warehouses, totaling ~2.5 million sq. ft., located in the Netherlands and Germany for $163.0 million.

Labels: T and L Mergers and Acquisitions worldwide

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA & Canada

* USA - Texas Allows Overweight Trucks

TX,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by Janet Nodar -May 21, 2009: -- Texas Governor, Rick Perry, signed legislation that will permanently allow trucks to transport overweight freight between the Port of Brownsville and Mexico... The corridor allows trucks carrying primarily break bulk steel but also other cargoes to be loaded to Mexican truck weight limits. Without the corridor, said the port’s Deputy Director, Donna Eymard, shippers would have to use two trucks instead of one and the steel Brownsville handles would move to Mexican ports... Brownsville is one of the U.S.’s largest steel ports, handling more than 2 million tons during 2008. Virtually all of the port’s import steel goes to mills in northern Mexico to be processed. After processing, some of it is then re-exported... (Photo from businessfacilities: Port of Brownsville)

* Radiant Logistics to Buy Back Stock

Bellevue,WA,USA -Transport Topics -20 May 2009: -- Radiant Logistics said that it will repurchase up to 5 million shares of its common stock through 2010... The freight forwarding and logistics firm will use its revolving credit facility and future free cash flow in addition to existing cash for the transactions, it said in a statement Monday. Radiant had 34.7 million shares outstanding as of March 31... The Bellevue, Wash. company will make purchases both in the open market and through negotiated transactions, it said. Securities laws allow the company discretion in timing, pricing and other details of stock repurchasing...

* Canada - Trimac Reports First-Quarter Loss

Canada -Transport Topics -18 May 2009: -- Canada-based transportation firm Trimac Income Fund said it lost C$700,000 in the first quarter, or 5 cents per unit, compared with a profit of C$600,000, or 2 cents, a year ago... Revenue slipped to C$64.1 million, from C$76.8 million, Trimac said in a statement. Transportation revenue fell to C$59.4 million, from C$66.6 million a year ago, the company said... The company’s Bulk Plus Logistics’ unit’s revenue fell by C$700,000, 17.9%, due primarily due to its exiting of a transload management contract in May 2008 and decreased freight brokerage volumes in Canada and the United States...

* USA - Trucking firm’s parent in trouble

Lebanon,OH,USA -The Lebanon Daily News, by STEVE SNYDER -20 May 2009: -- New Penn Motor Express’ parent company is in dire financial straits, leaving the future of the South Lebanon Township trucking firm in doubt... New Penn employs more than 2,000 people and operates a fleet of more than 750 tractors and 1,700 trailers... It is “widely regarded as one of the most efficiently operated carriers in the industry,” according to a YRC statement issued Tuesday in response to questions from the Lebanon Daily News... Late last week, Kansas-based YRC Worldwide Inc. said it will ask for $1 billion in federal bailout funds... Two analysts don’t believe the nation’s largest publicly traded trucking company can survive...

* USA - Elk Co. trucking firm closes

Elk County,PENN,USA -The Courier Exprerss -21 May 2009:; -- A long-established Elk County-based trucking company closed its doors at midnight Wednesday... Owner Albert A. Prechtl said multiple factors led to his decision to phase out Eagle Express Trucking, the trucking portion of his business. Those factors included the state of the national economy, slow consumer spending and stalled manufacturing activity in the local area that "really took a toll on the trucking industry."... Other factors included declining freight rates and his desire to retire. At 78, he said he felt the time is right to finally relax and spend time with family... The closure of Eagle Express Trucking will add about 120 workers to Elk County's jobless rolls...

* USA - Truckers go weeks without pay; company under bankruptcy

El Paso,TX,USA -ABC/7 Anchor, by Celina Avila -May 21, 2009: -- In the midst of our nation's economic turmoil, it's impossible to imagine working without pay. But that's the harsh reality for some borderland truckers who say they've been working for weeks - essentially for free... For years Boyd Logistics -- or B-L-I trucking -- has been hiring truck drivers to deliver loads all across the country. Recently, the company filed for bankruptcy and forgot to tell everyone they do business with, including all of the drivers who say they need their money...

Labels: trucking industry news USA and CAN

TRANSPORT NEWS * World Trade Volume Falls 11.3 Percent

Steepest decline on record in first quarter

The Netherlands -The Journal of Commerce Online, by Alan Field -May 20, 2009: -- World trade volume during the first quarter of 2009 fell 11.3 percent below the fourth quarter of 2008, according to an independent research institute... CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis said the decline amounted to an annualized drop of 38 percent, the steepest fall since the institute began to track data in 1991... Leading the downturn was Japan, whose imports dropped by 16.6 percent, and exports by 28.2 percent during the quarter... CPB said global trade volume during the first quarter of this year was 15 percent lower than during the same quarter last year. Over the 12 months ending March 31, global trade volume was only 2.9 percent lower than a year earlier, CPB said... For 2009, the World Trade Organization has forecast trade will contract by 9 percent... (Photo from 2747.com: Port Marseille, France)

Labels: transport news worldwide

Discrimination * USA - OOIDA member sues New Mexico troopers for racial profiling

Looking around the port of entry office, most of the other drivers were black

Lordsburg,NM,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Charlie Morasch -May 20, 2009: -- Looking around the port of entry office, Curtis Blackwell noticed something common among the drivers waiting to talk to officers at the Port of Entry in Lordsburg, NM... Like him, most of the other drivers were black... Blackwell had been placed out of service for 24 hours after police found unopened beer and liquor in his truck’s tool box accessible from outside the truck. The officer accused him of being on drugs, and made him go through a series of sobriety tests on that mid-August day in 2008... Blackwell – a veteran of the road for more than 40 years – said tension between truckers and officers at the Port of Entry was palpable... Blackwell filed a lawsuit against the New Mexico Motor Transportation Division in early May. The suit names three state troopers for allegedly targeting commercial vehicles driven by black drivers for inspections, searches and detentions in Lordsburg... The lawsuit was filed in federal court in New Mexico, and seeks compensatory and punitive damages, the removal of an alcohol citation from Blackwell’s record, and a declaration that the citation is unconstitutional... Blackwell, who began his trucking career in 1967, hopes the lawsuit will remove the citation from his record and reimburse him for increased insurance expenses since the violation... More importantly, Blackwell says, he hopes the lawsuit will protect drivers from discrimination in the future, at least at the Lordsburg Port of Entry... (Photo from mike-snook: New Mexico State)

Labels: discrimination

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Australia - Mack at the 2009 Queensland Truck And Machinery Show

Brisbane,QLD,Australia -Tachoblog -21 May 2009: -- At the recent Queensland Truck And Machinery Show, Mack Trucks won the Outstanding Truck Manufacturer Display... Along with five other winners and all the other exhibitors, Mack were praised by Mr Brett Wright, CEO of the Commercial Vehicle Industry Association (CVIAQ) for their contribution to what was forecast to be the best show in the 41-year history of the event... So, just what is involved in creating the ‘Outstanding Truck Manufacturer Display’? Well, thanks to time lapse photography, you can see for yourself as 5-days work is compressed into just over 4 minutes… (Video from YouTube, by volvoandmack -13 May 2009: The Mack team have been hard at work preparing the 2009 Queensland Truck and Machinery Show -Brisbane- this is time lapse footage of the 5-day set-up)

* USA - Caterpillar to Sell Articulated Truck Bare Chassis for Specialty Applications

Peoria,IL,USA -Commercial Truck Trader -May 20, 2009: -- Caterpillar has announced they will offer a family of articulated truck bare chassis to support specialty machines not included in the portfolio of Cat products... According to Caterpillar, sales of the bare chassis without the dump bed will be targeted toward Caterpillar Dealers and original equipment manufactures (OEMs) who specialize in such applications as water trucks, high capacity waste, lube & fuel trucks, etc. Cat Articulated Dump Trucks will continue to be sold through Caterpillar... The articulated truck bare chassis product will be available for Cat Dealer and OEM orders during the second quarter 2009...

* USA - Kenworth Former Assembly Plant of the Year Winner Lauded Again

Kirkland,WA,USA -Assembly Magazine -May 14, 2009: -- The Kenworth Truck Co. manufacturing plant here was recently honored by the King County Industrial Waste Program. The plant received the county’s Commitment-to-Compliance Award for five consecutive years of outstanding compliance with the plant’s industrial wastewater discharge permit... The plant won ASSEMBLY magazine’s inaugural Assembly Plant of the Year award in 2004... (Kenworth's Photo: Old assembly plant. Founded in 1923, Kenworth Truck Company, a division of PACCAR Inc, is a leading manufacturer of heavy and medium duty trucks. Headquarters in Kirkland, Wash. and operates manufacturing plants in Chillicothe, Ohio; Ste-Therese, Que.; and Seattle and Renton, Wash)

* India - Eicher's E2 Plus series of trucks launched in Hyderabad

Hyderabad,Andhra Pradesh,India -Wheels Unplugged -20 May 2009: -- ‘E2 Plus’, a new series of light and medium duty trucks, has been recently launched by Eicher Trucks and Buses at Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh. The 'E2 Plus' series of trucks are a result of Eicher’s continuous endeavor to improve andupgrade their products so that these products give more value and more benefits to customers and is available in all standard configurations in BS-II and BS-III models; and are built on the value proposition of improved mileage and performance over the current.

* India - New Heavy Duty Trucks in India from Kamaz and Vectra

Hosur,India -Car Trade India, by Satish Kalepu -April 22, 2009: -- Russian commercial vehicle maker Kamaz formed a joint venture with diversified conglomerate and $800 million Vectra group to manufacture heavy duy trucks in India. Vectra currently manufactures Tetra range of trucks in India which are widely used by the defense services in the country. The JV marks Kamaz’ entry in the Indian commercial vehicle market... The joint venture will produce about 5,000 trucks between two years and three years, which will be later increased to about 15,000 trucks. Kamaz Inc holds 51 per cent in the venture while the rest is with the Vectra Group... Tatra Vectra currently manufactures the Hemang dumper targeted at the mining and power projects but is considering bringing in a bus from Kamaz in chassis form, a small four-wheeler, Binggo and a cargo truck... (Photo from Vectra group: Tatra truck)

Labels: truckmakers news worldwide

Trucking Industry News * USA - Smaller outfits fare worst in recession

Trucking companies struggle - The economy is hitting independent and small trucking firms hard

Marshfield,WIS,USA -The Marshfield News-Herald/Wausau Daily Herald, by Liz Welter -May 20, 2009: ... Larger firms, such as Roehl Transport, in Marshfield, are weathering the recession, but Roehl, too, has fewer trucks on the road... Roehl uses a variety of trucks for hauling cargo. That means the company can transport specialty products such as refrigerated or frozen goods... The economic downturn hasn't just affected the number of trucking jobs available -- it has wreaked havoc on what companies pay truckers to ship goods, said Tom Howells, president of the Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association, which has about 1,100 members... "There's less freight, which means it's more competitive, which means the rates go down," Howells said... As more companies compete for the same loads, there's a strong downward pressure on pricing, Koepel said. Roehl, however, continues to hire and train new drivers in anticipation of an economic rebound, he said... (Photo by Dan Young/Marshfield News-Herald - Roehl Transport mechanic Corey Hayden, left, talks with maintenance manager Steve Drexler about a wiring issue with one of the company’s tractor units. Roehl, because of the variety of freight it hauls, has been able to weather the current economic storm better than most trucking companies)

Labels: trucking industry nerws USA

Economic Crisis * Ireland - IRU addresses EU transport attachés on

The number of bankruptcies in the European road transport sector has doubled in the past year, according to the International Road Transport Union

Dublin,Ireland -HGV -20 May 2009: -- ... IRU General Delegate to the EU, Michael Nielsen, addressed Europe's transport attachés last week and stressed that the time to act to minimise the impact of the economic crisis on the road transport sector is now... Nielsen said that 140,000 jobs have been lost in the EU and the number of newly registered vehicles has fallen by 36 per cent while 72 per cent of companies expect continued reductions in jobs, turnover and profit margins... Participants agreed that the European Commission must act swiftly to mitigate the impacts of the crisis on the EU road transport sector... (Photo from roadtransport: Quinn's cement truck Ireland)

* Romania - There will be many bankruptcies in the road transport business

Bucarest,Romania - RBT -(Originally published) 11 Sept 2007: -- The reputed businessman Dragos Anastasiu, the chairman of the Romanian Private Land Carriers’ Association (Asociatia Carausilor Particulari, in Romanian) is convinced that the lack of the management and technologies is the greatest drawback for the native road transport operators... At the same time, he estimates that, in this activity field there will be many bankruptcies, coupled with market consolidation...

Labels: trucking troubles worldwide

Losing Jobs * Northern Ireland / UK - Hauliers left to carry the can

Belfast,N.I.,UK -HGV -20 May 2009: -- Northern Ireland's haulage industry is haemorrhaging jobs as result of the global recession, the Northern Ireland Exporters Association (NIEA) has revealed... The NIEA, the representative body for many of Northern Ireland's export companies, has expressed its concern over new Department for Transport statistics, which show the exact state of the haulage industry... "The haulage and logistics industry is crucial to cost effective exporting. Other industries have been supported by Government, but the haulage industry has been left to carry the can," an NIEA spokesman commented... (Picture from farm4.static.flickr: DAF Stage Truck sitting under the Lagan and Dargan Bridges)

Labels: jobs' cut

Lawsuit * USA - California Reefer Rule Illegal, ATA Tells Court

Arlington,VA,USA -Transport Topics -18 May 2009: -- California’s transport refrigeration unit rule illegally imposes a national requirement on all motor carriers that enter the state, attorneys for American Trucking Associations and the Truckload Carriers Association told a federal appeals court... The trucking groups asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review the Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of a waiver allowing the California Air Resources Board to begin enforcing the rule requiring emission-control retrofits on refrigerated trucks for engine model years 2001 and older beginning July 17... The rule also applies to refrigerated trailers, shipping containers and rail cars... The EPA decision “authorized a California emission standard that, for the first time in the history of the Clean Air Act, requires the permanent installation of California emissions controls on engines and vehicles from other states as a condition of entering California via the interstate highway system,” the May 11 legal brief said... (Photo courtesy Independent foodservice distributor Pate Dawson Company)

Labels: clean trucks lawsuit

TECHNO NEWS * USA - Fleet begins automatic speed limiter trial

London,UK -Fleet News -19 May 2009: -- Transport for London (TfL) is to run a six-month fleet trial of vehicles fitted with automatic speed limiters... The trials are in advance of introducing the intelligent speed adaptation (ISA) technology to the fleet and general markets... Twenty Toyota Prius hybrids from TfL’s fleet of 26 vehicles will be fitted with the ISA devices, which allow drivers to select between an advisory warning or an automatic option where the car is prevented from exceeding the speed limit... The technology is making use of a new digital speed limit map of London which TfL launched earlier this year... This is the first time all of London's speed limits have been mapped accurately with includes regular updates...

Labels: technonews

FUEL ECONOMY * USA - Obama Calling for a 42 MPG Fleet Average by 2016

Washington,DC,USA -Eco Geek, by Hank Green -18 May 2009: -- ... Now President Obama, finally, taking a stand and will be catching America up to the rest of the world by 2016. The current fleet fuel economy laws require companies to have an average of all their cars at a powerfully inefficient 27.5 MPG. Obama's regulations will bump that up to 42 MPG, something only three cars in America currently beat... Light trucks (read SUVs) will only be required to bump from 24 mpg to 27 mpg by the 2016 deadline. However, the rules would require a total fleet efficiency for cars and light trucks of 35.5 mpg. So if car companies started relying heavily on SUVs, the law would require greater light truck efficiency... The auto industry looks as if it is actually 100% behind this new fuel-saving, greenhouse gas-reducing plan... (Photo from autotips.plentycar: Fuel economy)

* Obama faces tough test with manufacturers - Michigan industry skeptical of president's plans, policies

Washington,DC,USA -The Detroit News, by Deb Price -May 20, 2009: -- Manufacturers in Michigan and throughout the United States are still not sure what an Obama presidency means for them and say that several tests of what was expected to be a rocky relationship lie ahead... So far, manufacturers have given Obama high grades for his handling of the economic crisis, but they're concerned about the president's support for the Employee Free Choice Act -- better known as "card check" -- which makes it easier for workers to form unions. Also of concern are the White House's proposed changes to tax rules on foreign earnings of U.S. companies and a carbon "cap and trade" policy to combat climate change... The stakes couldn't be higher for Michigan, which has lost more than 400,000 manufacturing jobs since 2000, mainly as a result of a failing auto industry... The White House has stepped in to prop up the automakers and suppliers, guaranteeing billions in loans to keep General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC afloat. But in exchange, the automakers shed jobs and dealerships. As a result, Chrysler has filed for bankruptcy and it's feared GM soon will do the same... (Photo by Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press . GM worker Lee Henderson, of Alvarado, Texas, assembles a vehicle at the automaker's plant in Arlington, Texas. The industry is closely watching the president's plans)

* USA - Clean energy bill means higher taxes, more power for EPA

Washington,DC,USA -Land Line Magazine, by David Tanner -May 19, 2009: -- Highway users say a federal bill aimed at curbing climate change would have tremendous consequences for taxpayers... U.S. Reps. Henry Waxman, D-CA, and Ed Markey, D-MA, say the legislation focuses on U.S. energy independence, job creation and pollution reduction... Critics of the bill are concerned about the introduction of a cap-and-trade tax system and increased power afforded to the Environmental Protection Agency. Critics are also concerned that highway users will be footing the bill for so-called “green” initiatives such as bike paths and mass transit programs... Waxman and Markey have said since January that legislation of this size and scope will mark the dawn of a clean energy age in America...

Labels: fuel economy

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Sweden - Volvo's Never-Ending Sales Spiral

Stockholm,Sweden -Forbes (USA), by Javier Espinoza -20 May 2009: -- The truck maker says April sales plunged for the eighth consecutive month - expect more declines to come... Volvo is in a deep hole and can't get out. April marked the eigth consecutive monthly decline in sales at the Swedish truck maker that has been trying to wring out cost-savings by cutting around 21,000 jobs since the start of last year... The truck maker said it delivered 9,196 trucks in the month, down 63% from 24,616 in April last year, and marking a steeper decline than the 51% annual fall in the first quarter of 2009. Deliveries have been continuously dropping since September last year, when they dropped by a mere 8%, year-on-year... (Photo from ferbeminiatures: Volvo's logo)

* India - Tata Motors Surges to 8-Month High on Debenture Plan

Mumbai,India -Bloomberg, by Vipin V. Nair -May 20, 2009: -- Tata Motors Ltd., India’s largest truckmaker, rose to the highest in almost eight months in Mumbai after a credit rating company said the automaker plans to sell 42 billion rupees ($879 million) of debentures... The company, aiming to refinance a bridge loan taken to buy Jaguar and Land Rover, plans to issue the debentures in four tranches, Crisil Ltd. said in a statement dated yesterday on its Web site. The proposal eases concerns about fundraising for the Mumbai-based company, said Amish Shah, a Mumbai-based analyst...

* Belgium - WABCO Introduces Intelligent Trailer Program: Further Enhances Electronic Braking and Air Suspension for Trailers

Brussels,Belgium -PRNewswire -May 19, 2009: -- WABCO Holdings Inc., a global technology leader and tier one supplier to the commercial vehicle industry, today introduced several breakthrough features in its Intelligent Trailer Program, further enhancing WABCO's electronic braking and air suspension functionalities while continuing the company's 10-year track record of technology leadership in electronic braking systems (EBS) and air management for trailers... As a result of the company's deep understanding of its customers' needs, WABCO's new Intelligent Trailer Program improves their daily operations through increased vehicle performance, safer operation, more efficient loading and unloading, and more cost efficient maintenance... As of 2008, WABCO has sold more than 843,000 trailer electronic braking systems worldwide...

Labels: truckmakers news worldwide

STRIKES WORLDWIDE

* Nepal - Truckers strike against containerized cargo movement

Butwal,Nepal -My Republica -May 19, 2009: -- Truckers have launched a strike protesting the government´s new transportation arrangement, which the Department of Customs brought into effect on Friday. The arrangement makes it mandatory for traders to move their goods in sealed containers only when importing and transporting goods to Kathmandu from the four major customs points in Bhairahawa, Birgunj, Biratnagar and Mechi. The strike has brought the transportation of goods across the country to a grinding halt... The Nepal Truck and Tankers Entrepreneurs Federation (NTTEF) have condemned the government´s decision, saying that the new arrangement would adversely affect the truckers´ business and subject to risk truck operators´ investments worth Rs 50 billion... As an alternative to containers, the federation had suggested that the government allow truckers to convert their vehicles into encased carriers that could be sealed and to let them continue business with these modified trucks. But the government denied the request... Moreover, the federation officials are now even angrier because policemen baton charged their members while they were peacefully protesting the new arrangement on Friday. They have demanded that the government take action against the superintendent of police, the chief district offer and the chief of Bhairahawa customs... (Photo phayul: Nepali Police taking away all peaceful Tibetan protestors in a truck)

* South Korea - Government arrests 450 workers as general strike seems imminent

Seoul,S. Korea -Libcom.org/Break the Chains -May 17 2009: -- Police apprehended more than 450 labor activists Saturday after a violent protest in Daejeon which left about 150 injured. Labour unrest is set to escalate this month as truck drivers plan to strike and a major labour umbrella group pledged to join... Thousands of Korean Confederation of Trade Unions members rallied in the city to mark the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising. They mourned a unionized trucker who committed suicide earlier this month in what colleagues said was a protest against the government's policies... The clash erupted when activists marched toward a major transportation company and a police station at 6pm. They attacked riot police with flagpoles and stones, while police fought back with water cannons and batons... About 50 protesters and 104 police officers were injured during the three-hour skirmish, according to the Daejeon Police Agency. The windows of 99 vehicles, including police buses, were shattered, it said. A total of 457 workers were taken to police stations. Police booked all of them and will seek arrest warrants for those who led the protest and were involved in the violence... The labour group said police caused the collision by blocking their parade violently...

* Bangladesh - Workers' strike paralyses goods unloading from lighter vessels

Ver mapa más grande

Karnaphuli River,Bangladesh -The Daily Star -19 May 2009: -- Around 3,000 workers went on an indefinite strike and refrained from unloading imported goods, mostly essential commodities, from lighter vessels anchored at different ghats along the Karnaphuli river yesterday morning demanding pay hike... Lighter vessels after unloading cargoes from mother vessels at outer anchorage arrive at 16 different terminals at Sadarghat, Majhirghat and Bangla Bazar where the ghat workers are engaged in unloading the goods from the lighter vessels to load the waiting trucks. The contractor concerned of each ghat pays Tk 7.20 to workers for carrying per bag of goods. Around 200 workers work at each ghat... However, Vice Chairman of Lighterage Vessel Owners and Contractors Association, Haji Shafique Ahmed, refuted the allegation and said the workers went on a wildcat strike... Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industries (CCCI) president and convenor of Water Transport Co-ordination Cell (WTCC), MA Latif MP, termed the strike 'unexpected' and said it would leave a very negative impact on the inland water transport of cargoes...

Labels: strikes worldwide

Long-haul drivers' * USA - Method of remote steering creating road hazard

Salt Lake City,UTH,USA -KSL TV, by John Hollenhorst -May 18th, 2009: -- There's a method of steering a big truck that's so obscure you've probably never heard of it, but it's considered dangerous enough to be banned i n Utah and several other states.... We watched a parade of five windmill blades in Clearfield. On tight turns, the rear end of each trailer was actually being steered by remote control by the pilot driver in the escort vehicle following the trailer... If an extra long trailer is not steered and is simply pulled through a tight turn, it will cut the corner, which could be disastrous. A steerable rear axle allows the trailer to swing wide enough to make the turn... Traditionally, a so-called "tillerman" rides or walks at the rear end and steers it through a tight turn. On straight-aways, tillermen aren't needed. So, for a few tight turns on a long trip, trucking companies save money if the escort driver doubles up as a remote-control tillerman... A trucking industry spokesman told us regulations across the country are highly confused and need reform, but he says if regulations are too strict it will be too costly..

Labels: extra long trailers

TN Trooper Fired * USA - After failing CDL drug test

How many times a day does a trucker think, “I wish this state trooper was required to pee in a cup?”...

TENN,USA -Land Line Magazine -May 15, 2009: -- As it turns out, many troopers are required to take drug tests – and they don’t always pass... The Tennessee Department of Safety has fired a trooper who worked as a team leader on one of the agency’s drug interdiction squads after he failed a recent CDL drug test... TDS Col., Mike Walker, recommended to Safety Commissioner, Dave Mitchell, that Trooper Mark Williams, be terminated after Williams tested positive for amphetamine and failed to provide a valid medical reason for testing positive... A statement from the Tennessee Department of Safety said Trooper Williams, 41, was recommended for dismissal after he allegedly violated five human resources or safety policies...

Labels: trooper troubleds

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC NEWS * WORLDWIDE

Briefing Weekly News

from Freight Forwarding

* Supply chains at risk from global pandemic
- Whilst the likelihood of a global Swine flu pandemic at this time should not be overstated, the developments of the past two weeks have led to concerns that modern supply chains are uniquely vulnerable to disruption from such an outbreak. Read Full Brief Here

* Germany - DHL announces $13m investment in Hong Kong
- DHL this week reported an investment of over HK$100m (US$13m) in Hong Kong involving a new 120,000 sq ft DHL Global Forwarding office and a ‘DHL Fashion Competency Centre’. Read Full News Here

from Contract Logistics

* USA - CEVA sees sales and profits fall in Q1
- CEVA Logistics managed to stabilise its financial position during the first quarter of this year, despite continuing falls in demand for freight forwarding and automotive contract logistics. Read Full Brief Here

* China - Telecommunications giant Huawei selects Panalpina as prime LSP
- Panalpina has been nominated by global telecommunications company Huawei Technologies as prime logistics service provider for the latter’s China-Brazil end-to-end business. Read Full News Here

* Germany - K+N to provide Audi Volkswagen with built-to-suit logistics centre in Korea
- Automotive manufacturer Audi Volkswagen recently entered into a strategic partnership with global forwarder Kuehne + Nagel for its warehouse management and parts distribution in Korea. Read Full News Here

from Express & Mail

* Germany - DHL Global Mail introduces enhanced parcel service to the UK
- DHL Global Mail this week announced the introduction of Track U.K., a residential parcel service between the US and the UK. Read Full News Here

* USA - UPS expands field stocking location network in India
- UPS this week announced plans to boost its worldwide post sales service options by “significantly expanding” its field stocking location network in India. Read Full News Here

* Italy - Italian company acquires Mail Boxes Etc international network
- A newly-formed affiliate of Italian group Fineffe has acquired the Mail Boxes Etc international network, making it the franchisor outside the US, Canada and India, UPS reported this week. Read Full News Here

from Road Freight

* USA - Freight transport index dropped 3.3% between February and March
- The US Freight Transportation Service Index fell to its lowest level in more than six years, the national Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported this week. Read Full News Here

from Air Cargo

* USA - Atlas Air group announces record Q1 earnings
- Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings Inc, a leading provider of global air cargo assets and services, has reported its operating and financial results for the first quarter of 2009. Read Full News Here

* USA - ATSG unveils strong first quarter earnings
- Air Transport Services Group Inc, a leading US provider of air cargo transportation to other parties including DHL, this week reported 2009 Q1 net earnings of just over $11m. Read Full News Here

* Hong Kong - Air cargo handler reports 22.5% volume drop in April
- Hactl, whose throughput performance is widely regarded as a good indicator of the state of the overall Chinese air cargo market, this week released its April tonnage figures. Read Full News Here

from Shipping/Ports

* USA - DP World deal might herald wider logistics sector investment and consolidation
- DP World has temporarily suspended its shares on the Dubai stock exchange in response to a private equity company’s bid to acquire a stake in the port management group. Read Full Brief Here

* Dubai - DP World and Flinders Ports establish Adelaide JV
- DP World and Flinders Ports have entered a joint venture partnership in DP World Adelaide, South Australia’s main container terminal. Read Full News Here

* France - CMA CGM set to raise Asia-Mediterranean region rates
- CMA CGM has announced two planned developments next month relating to its Mediterranean region trades – a new service from/to north Europe and a hike in rates from/to Asia. Read Full News Here

Labels: transport and logistics news

TRUCKING COSTS * Australia - Fuel increase to add 15k to

Trucking operators may soon be paying close to 10 cents more a litre for fuel, leading to a massive increase in running costs and consumer goods

Brisbane,QLD,Australia -QBR -19 May 2009: -- ... The State Government is considering axing the State’s 8.35 cents per litre Fuel Scheme Subsidy in an attempt to restore the State’s coffers which have been ravaged by the global financial crisis... Premier, Anna Bligh, and Treasurer, Andrew Fraser, have refused to guarantee the future of the $541 million subsidy, prompting concerns for the future of small companies using B-doubles... If the fuel scheme is abolished, the Queensland Trucking Association claims B-double operators’ fuel costs will blow out by $15,000, coinciding with a $3000 jump in registration fees nationwide from July... (Picture: roadtransport: Big lorry by Brian)

Labels: fuel costs

CLEAN TRUCKS * USA - Truckers Challenge Court on

ATA charges district court should have outlawed concession agreements

Los Angeles,CAL,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by Bill Mongelluzzo -May 18, 2009: -- The American Trucking Associations has challenged the April 28 decision by the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles to allow certain provisions in the Los Angeles-Long Beach clean-trucks concession programs to remain in effect... In papers filed at the weekend with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, the ATA charged that the district court should have found the concession agreements in their entirety to be illegal... Judge Snyder enjoined several provisions in the concession agreements, including the main target of the ATA, Los Angeles' requirement that concessionaires eventually use only employee drivers. The Teamsters union, which is attempting to organize harbor truck drivers nationwide, pushed for the employee driver mandate... However, Judge Snyder declined to enjoin a number of other provisions, some of which ATA charges are not responsive to motor carrier safety. ATA charges that in doing so she committed errors of law... Due to those errors, the concession requirements in their entirety should be enjoined, ATA charged... (Photo; jcwinnie.biz - Port of Los Angeles)

Labels: clean trucks lawsuit

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Sweden -Volvo's "TRUCK NATION" keeps on trucking for ten years

Srockholm,Sweden -European Motor News, by AMANDA HIATT & Ian -May 18, 2009: -- 2009 marks the tenth anniversary of the founding of Volvo Truck Nation – the club for operators, drivers and enthusiasts - created by Volvo Trucks in response to requests from drivers who wanted an enthusiasts’ organisation that also catered for the professional trucker... All members enjoy a wide range of benefits with a personalised membership card that offers access to discounts on official Volvo merchandise, a generous reduction on Truckfest tickets, an ever-changing selection of special offers and competitions and a free subscription to ‘Inside Lane’, Volvo’s unique magazine for truck operators, drivers and Volvo Truck Nation members... Amazingly, Volvo Truck Nation annual membership starts at £9.99 – still the same price it was back in 1999 - although there is now a two-year package offering the second year half price for a total of £14.99. In addition to all the benefits mentioned, all new members also receive a free gift to welcome them to Volvo Truck Nation...

* USA - Kenworth GPS Navigation for Refrigerated Hauler’s Drivers

Worthington,MIN,USA -Layover -15 May 2009: -- When Larry Proehl delivers temperature-sensitive cargo to new delivery locations on his regular route to the West Coast, he doesn't have to spend precious time looking for street signs and landmarks... The Smith Trucking driver already knows where he's going, thanks to the Kenworth GPS navigation system in his Kenworth T660. Proehl simply touches the screen on his Kenworth system to call up his next destination, and then listens to the system's turn-by-turn directions through his truck's sound system... By using the Kenworth GPS navigation system, which is standard on Kenworth Class 8 models with the Diamond cab interior, Proehl avoids driving out-of-route miles to make deliveries. The Kenworth system easily locates delivery addresses, multiple drop routes, Kenworth dealer locations, truck stops and other points of interest... Functions include routing, multiple route and waypoint selection and turn-by-turn voice commands.. (Photo: worktruckonline.com: Kenworth)

Labels: truckmakers' news worldwide

TRUCKING TROUBLES * USA - Trucking companies feel pinch from plant closures

Wausau,WI,USA -The Wausau Daily Herald, by Cara Spoto -May 18, 2009: -- When Mike Wanta first started his one-man trucking operation 17 years ago, it was a perfect way to supplement his income... The Rosholt resident was working at Steel King as a second-shift supervisor, and spent his off hours delivering company products around the state. But things started to slow down significantly last spring when the company began laying off people... Things got slower and slower, and as the new year approached, Wanta started thinking seriously about whether he should spend the $7,000 to renew his trucking license and insurance. Then he got the news Dec. 15 that he would be laid off. With no job and little to haul, Wanta pulled the truck off the road Jan. 1... Tom Howells, president of the Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association, which has about 1,100 members, isn't surprised by Wanta's story. He knows many truckers and trucking companies in the state that are having a hard time... According to the American Trucking Association, more than 3,000 trucking companies went out of business in 2008, taking seven of every 100 trucks off the road... (Photo from The Stevens Point Journal, by DOUG WOJCIK - A semi-tractor for sale sits by Jammer Trucking of Rosholt along Highway 66)

* YRC Gets Reprieve

Overland Park,Kan,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by John Gallagher -May 18, 2009: -- YRC Worldwide’s lenders waived a $45 million second quarter earnings requirement in a move one Wall Street analyst says is evidence banks aren’t interested in shutting down the troubled carrier – for now... Analyst Ed Wolfe, of Wolfe Research, also noted he doesn’t expect the less-than-truckload market to “improve materially until either YRCW is shut down or demand materially improves.”.. YRC Chairman President and CEO William D. Zollars said that while volumes that were temporarily diverted to other carriers have started to return, it hasn’t been happening fast enough to avoid violating its covenants with lenders... (Photo courtesy YRCW - Lenders waive $45 million second quarter earnings requirement)

* UPS Looking at Bailout Impact - Extending TARP to trucking industry raises questions

Atlanta,GA,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by John Gallagher -May 15, 2009: -- Transportation giant UPS said it’s studying the issue of federal bailouts for financially ailing trucking companies but wouldn’t comment directly on competitor YRC Worldwide’s request for $1 billion in federal aid... UPS paid $6.1 billion to pay off its pension liability in the Central States multi-employer pension fund in 2007 that covered approximately 40,000 of the company’s 240,000 employees. UPS continues to pay into a new plan set up between the company and the Teamsters union and 20 other Teamster union pension plans... One Wall Street analyst wondered, “If YRC is allowed to get $1 billion from TARP, is UPS allowed to get a $5.1 billion refund?”... (Photo from i.treehugger.com: UPS truck)

Labels: trucking troubles USA

TRUCKS' SIZE * USA - Battle lines drawn over

The battle over whether federal laws should expand truck weights and lengths or keep the present limitations is heating up

Washington,DC,USA -eTrucker, by Jill Dunn -18 May 2009: -- The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, the Teamsters and safety groups support the current limit of 80,000 pounds and 53-foot limits for tractor-trailer trucks on interstate highways of the National Highway System... The NHS covers about 160,000 miles of highway, while interstates represent 44,000 miles... The American Trucking Associations, National Private Truck Council and some shipping organizations favor expanding these limits. They support the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act of 2009 or H.R. 1799. It was introduced by Rep. Michael Michaud (D-Maine) March 30 and was referred to a House subcommittee with 12 co-sponsors... That legislation would allow trucks a maximum gross weight of 97,000 pounds, provided the vehicle has at least six axles, including a tridem axle group with a weight limit of 51,000 pounds. Axle weight increases of up to 2,000 pounds would be authorized at the state's option... The heavier weight limit would be allowed only if approved by a state legislature... On May 4, safety advocates launched the StopBiggerTrucks.org grassroots campaign to ask Congress to reject size and weight increases for trucks... They noted a new national poll by Lake Research Partners, which indicated eight out of ten Americans believe bigger trucks will decrease highway safety. Only 16 percent would support Congress approving bigger overweight trucks and rolling back the 1991 congressionally mandated freeze on longer combination trucks – double and triple trailer trucks... (Photo from tfhrc.gov, vy Peter Samuel - double trailer trucks are at a service area on the Indiana Toll Road)

Labels: trucks sizes

TRUCKS STOPS * USA - Putting Trucking on a Diet

San Francisco,CAL,USA -The New York Times, by ERICA GIES -May 18, 2009: -- The backbone of U.S. commerce, given America’s vast distances and reliance upon highway transportation, is the combined fleet of 500,000 U.S. long-haul trucks. And to many Americans, the macho trucking life holds a certain romance. It has, to be sure, its drawbacks, not least the pollution from all those rumbling diesels. But new technologies are emerging that should at least mitigate some of that... A U.S. safety law requires truckers to rest for 10 hours after 11 of work, and most sleep in their cabs rather than paying for a motel. Traditionally truckers have idled their rigs while sleeping, keeping the engine going to provide heating or climate control and other creature comforts. This practice, along with workday idling, uses more than two billion gallons, or 7.6 billion liters, of diesel fuel a year, according to research at the Argonne National Laboratory, part of the U.S. Department of Energy... Idling diesel engines are noisy and emit nitrogen oxide, volatile organic compounds, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide... As a response to increasing fuel prices and anti-idling regulations introduced by some cities and states, the industry has been exploring various alternatives. These include electrified parking spaces; auxiliary power units, or A.P.U.’s, for trucks, and detached heater or air-conditioner units... Electrified parking spaces, with plug-in electrical hookups for truckers, have increased in number over the past couple of years, sometimes with support from the sale of carbon offsets or government initiatives. They can provide truckers with heat, air-conditioning, electricity, even access to the Internet and satellite TV... In fact, there are not enough regular parking spaces at truck stops for the number of truckers on the road, let alone electrified ones, says Lamont Byrd, director for safety and health for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a union that represents truckers. The result is that truckers frequently just pull off by the side of the road to rest... (IdleAire: Instead of idling their engines while taking breaks from driving, truck drivers are now plugging-in at "electrified" parking spaces)

* Truckers Welcome Again In Mesquite

Mesquite,NV,USA -The Mesquite Local News, by Morris Workman -18 May 2009: ... Mesquite is once again welcoming truckers back to the city they helped create... The move is the brainchild of Gary, Jim, and Mike Black, who previously owned the convenience store and parking lot with their brother, local casino impresario Randy Black... The brothers recently bought out their sibling’s share in the property... Now, the parking lot is open and truckers are once again welcome... With that one bold move, Mesquite’s economy will get a shot in the arm just as the recession nears the bottom of the trough... (Photo courtesy Jeff Christensen - Workers sweep and repair the truck parking lot behind the Virgin Valley convenience store after the concrete barricades were removed late last month. The parking lot along Mesa Blvd. was recently reopened to trucks, providing the only place on the east side of Mesquite where truckers can leave their loads while grabbing a nap or a bite to eat)

* After 54 years, Michigan truck stop closes shop

Dimondale,MICH,USA -The Lansing State Journal, by BARBARA WIELAND -May 18, 2009: -- Over its 54 years in business, Don's Windmill Truck Stop has seen a lot of changes... The roots of the landmark location in Dimondale stretch back to 1955. From that vantage point, the Millisor family that owns the truck stop watched as Interstate 96 was built nearby in 1962 and as Interstate 69 lengthened to meet it in 1992... More recently, the Millisors watched as fuel prices began a steady uptick, peaking at more than $4.50 a gallon last summer... And the family looked on as nationwide chain truck stops opened locations dangerously close to home... But no more... Its restaurant and diesel fuel island closed first, to be followed by the convenience store and gas station... (Photo by midmichigandining)

Labels: truck stops

* Australia - Consumers 'to pay' for fuel subsidy cut

QNLD,Australia -ABC News -May 18, 2009: -- The Queensland Trucking Association warns the price of goods will rise by up to 3 per cent if the State Government scraps the eight cents per litre fuel subsidy... Premier Anna Bligh, says she is considering cutting the scheme, which costs $600 million a year, because the state Budget is under pressure... Association spokesman, Peter Garske, says the move would cost truck drivers up to $15,000, which they would be forced to pass on to consumers... (Picture from ABC, by Graeme Powell - Scrapping the scheme would cost truck drivers up to $15,000 - a figure they would pass on)

Labels: fuel prices

Freight Education * Australia - Queensland launches job creation initiatives

Queensland,VIC,Australia -Lloyd's List DCN, by Rob McKay -May 17, 2009: -- State transport minister, Rachel Nolan ,announced an "Adopt-a-School" scheme on Friday which aims to link schools with freight businesses... The move came after her department saw a state-of-the-art, demonstration semi-trailer filled with interactive displays about road safety and the trucking industry earlier this month... Ms Nolan said the Transport and Logistics Adopt a School program linked an industry employer, a school and a training organisation to offer 15-17-year-olds recognised qualifications in logistics and warehousing and the prospect of further training or employment... (Picture from media.bonnint.net: Discovering truckers )

Labels: education for drivers

MEGATRUCKS * Europe - LGVs get thumbs down in survey

Allowing longer and heavier trucks, so-called megatrucks on all EU roads would cause significant long-term environmental damage, a new study has found

Dresden,Germany -HGV (Ireland) -17 May 2009: -- ... The Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research published its latest survey last week. The study was based on evidence from field tests in Germany and simulations in the UK... At the moment, megatrucks are only permitted in two EU countries, Finland and Sweden, and are not allowed to travel across borders... The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Germany are running tests ahead of their possible introduction... The European Commission is considering allowing trucks weighing up to 60 tonnes instead of the current 40 tonnes on all EU roads to help the bloc to attain its climate goals... A Commission study available since January argues that replacing three traditional trucks with two long and heavy vehicles (LHVs) would bring down both CO2 and toxic emissions...

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31.5.09

AUTOMAKERS' CRISIS * USA - General Motors stock dive: Shares fall under $1s

RULES * Canada - MTO to again use GPS-Satellite records for audit enforcement

BORDER CONTROLS * USA - Truckers say new regs won't jam borders

30.5.09

CONTROLS * USA - Passport Requirement takes effect Monday, June 1

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

Lack of Jobs *- UK - Lorry drivers 'hit worst' by slowdown

TRUCKS NEWS * Europe - REGISTRATIONS: New HGV ones slump

TRUCKING NEWS * Ireland - Hauliers vs. VOSA (UK)

Weight Enforcement * USA -. Oregon DOT weighs more than 26,000 trucks in three-day campaign

29.5.09

AND NOW !!! Lisa Kelly !!! ... on ... * Canada - ICE ROAD TRUCKERS

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA

Will electric trucks succeed ? KC market ... * USA - ... To get a first look

Audit Enforcement * USA - MTO to again use GPS-Satellite records for

STATISTICS * USA - NA truck registrations lowest on record

Stimulus Funds * USA - District Wants To Replace Old Diesel Trucks

28.5.09

REPORT * USA - FAST solution to potential border problem

TRUCK SALES * USA - New motto: Any port in a storm

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

TRUCK MARKETS * Europe - European truck-sales drop accelerated on Eastern Europe and Spain in April 2009

SAFETY TRUCKERS WORLDWIDE * Japan - Transport firms to test for sobriety

CLEAN TRUCKS * USA - CARB to get $91M for

SAFETY * USA - SAFE Truckers Act advances

TRUCKING STATISTICS * USA - April Truck Tonnage Plunges 13.2%

Road Haulage *USA - Rail rivalry pulls big rigs off the highway

TRUCKERS' LIFE * Africa - A Better Life Beckons in Africa

26.5.09

BORDER TRUBLWS * R. Dominican/Haiti - Dominican truckers vow blockade of border today

Leasing Deals * Slovakia - Shrank by 43 percent in Q1

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * USA - Motorcoach builder's assets sold to truck-maker

A Heavy Load * USA - Long-distance truckers don't get paid if they aren't driving

24.5.09

NEW REPORT * UK - Reveals contract logistics top ten players

23.5.09

TOLLS * USA - Legislation Would Ban Federal Highway Tolls

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * Ireland

Prohibition Notices * UK - Irish hauliers top VOSA roll of shame

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * USA

Female Truckers Stories * South Africa - Brave the night shift

STUDY * USA - Fleets using wireless, GPS more than ever

TRUCKERS' RULES * USA - ATA rallies behind tougher drug test

Transportation Chief * USA - Thinks stimulus spending has been up to speed

22.5.09

Clean Diesel * USA - Makes its case to Congress

Transportation Stimulus * USA - Spending Nears $13B

FUEL COSTS * USA - No Gas Tax Hike, Says LaHood

REGULATOR * Australia - Ministers agree on national truck regs - by 2013

REJECTION * Australia - Local truck makers reject US emission standards

21.5.09

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * UK

OPINION * India - Long haul to recovery for truckmakers

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS, Mergers & Acquisitions * WORLDWIDE

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA & Canada

TRANSPORT NEWS * World Trade Volume Falls 11.3 Percent

Discrimination * USA - OOIDA member sues New Mexico troopers for racial profiling

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

Trucking Industry News * USA - Smaller outfits fare worst in recession

20.5.09

Economic Crisis * Ireland - IRU addresses EU transport attachés on

Losing Jobs * Northern Ireland / UK - Hauliers left to carry the can

Lawsuit * USA - California Reefer Rule Illegal, ATA Tells Court

TECHNO NEWS * USA - Fleet begins automatic speed limiter trial

FUEL ECONOMY * USA - Obama Calling for a 42 MPG Fleet Average by 2016

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

STRIKES WORLDWIDE

Long-haul drivers' * USA - Method of remote steering creating road hazard

19.5.09

TN Trooper Fired * USA - After failing CDL drug test

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC NEWS * WORLDWIDE

TRUCKING COSTS * Australia - Fuel increase to add 15k to

CLEAN TRUCKS * USA - Truckers Challenge Court on

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE