trucks world news: July 2009

DANGEROUS DRIVER * USA - Texting, talking NY trucker hits car, pool

Tow truck driver was texting on one cell phone while talking on another...

Lockport,NY,USA -AP -30 July 2009: -- Police say a western New York tow truck driver was texting on one cell phone while talking on another when he slammed into a car and crashed into a swimming pool... Niagara County sheriff's deputies say 25-year-old Nicholas Sparks of Burt admitted he was texting and talking when his flatbed truck hit the car Wednesday morning in Lockport, which is outside Buffalo... The truck then crashed through a fence and sideswiped a house before rolling into an in-ground pool... Police say the 68-year-old woman driving the car suffered head injuries and was in good condition. Her 8-year-old niece suffered minor injuries... Sparks was charged with reckless driving, talking on a cell phone and following too closely. It couldn't be determined Thursday whether he has a lawyer... (AP Photo/Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, Stephen Wallace - Sgt. Kevin Locicero, left, and Capt. Bruce Elliot, of the Niagra County Sheriff's Department, examine a flatbed towing truck that drove into a swimming pool in Lockport, N.Y. on Thursday, July 30, 2009. Police said that the Buffalo-area tow truck driver was juggling two cell phones, texting on one and talking on another, when he slammed into a car and crashed into the swimming pool)

Labels: dangerous drivers

TRUCKER'S STORY * USA - Henryville truck driver passes prestigious 2 million miles safety mark

Jack L. Walker, is a road warrior

Henryville,IND,USA -The News and Tribune, by Richard Gootee -July 30, 2009: ... A line-hauler for Con-way Freight for almost a quarter of a century, the 48-year-old eclipsed the 2 million mile mark with the company in June — all accident free. While more than 1,500 drivers have passed the million mark, only about 90 have gotten to the same plateau as Walker... He said he spends a lot of his daily trek listening to the radio, but doesn’t have a comfort snack on the road nor a favorite truck stop. And while he said he never has a desire to just park his rig and take a few minutes to check out the sights while working, Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley and the Gen. George Patton Museum in Fort Knox, Ky., have all caught his eye as places he’d like to visit, if he finds himself on his route during a day off... (Photo: Jack L. Walter: He’s all miles)

* Canada - Truckers find freedom on the road

Calgary,BC,CAN -The Calgary Herald, by David Parker -July 30, 2009: -- With traffic slowed down to a crawl on a recent drive back from Lake Louise, I began to feel for the poor truck drivers who make a living on the road... Yet truckers seem to enjoy what they do and according to Gary Hercun, vice-president of operations at Kings Transfer Van Lines, they take most delays in their stride. He says it's a career that can be rewarding and one that allows a lot of freedom, and he's been in the industry for 40 plus years. Like many others, Hercun started as a swamper. At 14 years of age, he got a job helping pack and load furniture trucks and says he enjoyed it so much that despite being offered two football scholarships in his teens, he decided trucking was what he wanted to do. He went on to be a long-distance driver, a job he relished until an injury put him in the office... Unfortunately, today's economic climate has not been good to truckers and, despite the number of units one sees on the highway, too many rigs are idle... (Photograph by: Stuart Gradon, Calgary Herald - With traffic slowed down to a crawl on a recent drive back from Lake Louise, I began to feel for the poor truck drivers who make a living on the road. Yet truckers seem to enjoy what they do)

Labels: truckers' stories

Trucks Weight * USA - Pilot Project Moves Forward In Senate

Trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to operate the full length of the interstate highway system in the state

Maine,USA -MPBN -30 July 2009: -- A Senate Appropriations sub-committee has given approval to a pilot project proposed by Maine’s Congressional delegation allowing trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to operate the full length of the interstate highway system in the state... Under the proposal, truckers with the loads weighing above 80,000 pounds will be able to use all of the interstate instead of being required to leave the interstate north of Augusta for a year to allow a study to see if allowing the greater weight poses a safety issue... The measure is part of an appropriations bill and faces further votes in the full Senate and the House...

* Hundreds of angry truckers protest Bossier law

Shreveport,LOU,USA -Shreveport Times, by Drew Pierson -July 30, 2009: -- Hundreds of angry truckers descended on a somewhat impromptu Bossier Police Jury meeting Wednesday in Benton to express their displeasure with a recently enacted parish law against overweight trucks... Bossier Parish's commercial vehicle enforcement unit consists of only one enforcement officer who has authority to drive throughout the parish, pull over trucks he suspects of being overweight and weighing them. The parish spend months notifying local companies of the program, which began July 20... But the truckers at Wednesday's meeting said many of their trucks routinely weigh more than the state's and parish's maximum load limit, which is 88,000 pounds, because of the type of equipment they haul... The cost of a permit from the parish in addition to one from the state, plus the concern that other parishes soon might start enforcing programs of their own, is too much, said Glenn Beaty, head of Beaty Logging Co... The parish reports having lost more than $8 million, four bridges and countless hours trying to repair damage in only the past three or four years from overweight trucks, particularly saltwater trucks, which are needed for the "fracking" process used to extract natural gas from the shale. Parish staffers have heard reports of saltwater trucks weighing as much as 160,000 pounds driving on local roads... To date, no tickets have been issued by Bossier...

Labels: higher trucks weight

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA - YRC Worldwide suffers another big quarterly loss

Overland Park-based YRC Worldwide is struggling to survive amid the recession and a huge debt load

Kansas City,MO,USA -The Kansas City Star, by RANDOLPH HEASTER -30 July 2009: -- Another big quarterly loss Thursday for YRC Worldwide Inc. magnified the importance of next week’s vote by its union workers on whether to accept more cuts... The Overland Park-based trucker, struggling to survive amid the recession and a huge debt load, saw revenues plunge as the company continued downsizing to match the industry’s declining volumes... Including special charges, YRC lost $309 million, or $5.20 a share, for the three months that ended June 30. Excluding charges related to reducing and merging trucking operations, the loss was $3.53 a share... Revenues plummeted 45 percent for the quarter to $1.33 billion, compared with $2.40 billion in the same quarter last year. Quarterly revenues had fallen 33 percent in the first quarter...

Labels: trucking industry news USA

TRUCKMAKERS' STORY * Holland - 60 years of DAF truck production

"The first in series produced truck chassis from N.V. Van Doorne’s Automobile Factory in Eindhoven was unveiled yesterday to a fanfare of publicity", reported the Dutch Transport Courier on 29 July 1949

Eindhoven,Holland -HGV (UK) -29 July 2009: -- In the factory under construction, 2,000 trucks were planned to be manufactured in 1950, a sharp contrast with the total of more than 65,000 trucks that left the DAF production facilities in Eindhoven and Leyland (United Kingdom) in 2008... At the end of the 1940s, DAF seized on the large demand for transport material. Founded in 1928 by Hub van Doorne and having made a name for itself for the production of trailers since 1933 (Van Doorne’s Aanhangwagen Fabriek), the company delivered its first truck chassis on 28 July 1949. A further 500 trucks would be built that year... With the new factory beginning operations in January 1950, the production could be raised to 2,000 and later 4,000 trucks per year... The delivery programme initially comprised exclusively 3 and 5 ton models. The vehicles consisted of chassis, engine, axles and the renowned grille with seven chrome stripes; local, independent body builders took care of the cab and specific superstructures. From 1953 also the cabs were supplied ‘ex-factory’, whereby the luxury version was distinguished by its interior lighting and a second windscreen wiper. On May 3 of that year the 10,000th truck chassis was delivered...

(Picture: DAF's trucks factory today) At the end of the eighties around 18,000 trucks were produced in Eindhoven each year and at the end of the nineties this had become about 25,000. In the first few years of the new millennium the production in Eindhoven rose to almost 31,000 trucks in 2004. The company piled up record on record. In 2008, almost 40,000 medium and heavy duty trucks were produced in Eindhoven. In addition, over 12,000 trucks from the LF series and over 12,700 trucks from the CF and XF105 series were assembled at Leyland Trucks in the UK, leading to a total production of almost 65,000 units...

Labels: truckmakers' stories

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * Africa - KRA steps up the war on dumping of transit goods

Nairobi,Kenya -The Business Daily, by Zeddy Sambu -July 29 2009: -- The war against dumping of transit goods in the Kenyan market has intensified with the tax collector introducing an electronic cargo tracking solution to monitor movement of goods between Mombasa port and Busia and Malaba border points through which goods enter the landlocked Great Lakes Region... Kenya Revenue Authority’s (KRA) new solution, known as Hi-G-DataSeal, will be installed by a radio frequency identification (RFID) solution developer... The system will replace the conventional mechanical seal. It will also do away with the current cumbersome escort of cargo to Kenya’s borders, which has previously not been effective... Even with the escorts, the taxman has not been able to seal loopholes as importers ride on the inefficiency to dump goods destined for neighbouring countries in Kenya... According to Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), there is a shortage of trucks to transport goods meant for the local market because KRA does not allow transit trucks to carry Kenyan cargo... (Photo: Goods on transit to Uganda. KRA’s new system is meant to track cargo movement along Kenya’s main transportation route — the Mombasa/Malaba Highway)

Labels: trucking industry worldwide

NEW TRUCKERS* USA - White collar workers find new gigs in big rigs

For some, that means trying a career they'd never dreamed of - driving a truck

Seattle,WASH,USA -KING 5 News, by JANE MCCARTHY -July 28, 2009: -- A lot of unemployed workers are turning their job loss into an opportunity... Truck driving schools across the country are reporting an increase in enrollment... At Bates Technical College in Tacoma, they have just added an extra class and still have a waiting list that's longer than ever. Some of their current students include former bankers and Microsoft employees... Loran Sawyer is just about to graduate from Bates Technical College commercial truck driving program... Bates Technical College truck driving instructor, Dan French, says while the economy has also whittled away the number of truck driving jobs, his students are finding work. In the last few months, he's even seen an upswing... Several companies say most of the openings right now are for long-haul drivers... (Photo from KING - Loran Sawyer used to be a yacht broker, until the economy sunk his yacht-selling career) - SEE VIDEO

Labels: truckers' job

ELECTRIC TRUCKS * USA - AT&T Accepts Keys to Next Generation All-Electric Cargo Truck

Purchase Follows AT&T 10-Year Commitment to Spend up to $565 Million on Alternative-Fuel Vehicles

Washington,DC,USA -PRNewswire-FirstCall -July 28, 2009: -- AT&T today accepted the keys to its new all-electric cargo truck. AT&T, along with three other companies, received one of six trucks delivered by Smith Electric on Capitol Hill today - the first in a series of next-generation, all-electric commercial vehicles entering service across the United States. The vehicle, known as the Smith Newton, is the world's largest electric battery-powered truck and the first commercial all-electric truck to achieve new vehicle emissions certification in California. Acceptance of the vehicle comes on the heels of AT&T's announcement in March of a 10-year, $565 million commitment to deploy more than 15,000 alternative fuel vehicles in its fleet.. (Photo from greenmachines: Smith electric vehicles/Smith Newton)

Labels: electric trucks

TRUCK SALES * Greece - Athens chooses the ecofriendly Mercedes-Benz Econic NGT

Stuttgart,Germany /Athens,Greece -TreeHugger/WebRidersTV (Male,CAL,USA) -July 24, 2009: -- The city of Athens has placed a big fat Greek order of Mercedes-Benz’s Econic compressed natural gas trucks to use in the city’s waste management collection fleet. Compared to gasoline and diesel equivalents, the Econic produces 90 percent less particualte matter and 25 percent less carbon-dioxide emissions. Each of the 108 trucks ordered runs more quietly than the current diesel models and meets the Enhanced Environmentally-Friendly Vehicles emission standards... The Mercedes-Benz Econic NGT – the ecofriendly special-purpose vehicle for municipal services, collection operations and distribution – keeps city centres cleaner and more pleasant thanks to its low-emission drive system...

Labels: trucks sales

TRUCK BUYERS BEWARE * USA - It could haunt truckers purchasing used trucks

Florida,NY,USA -Land Line Magazine -27 July 2009: --While out on the road recently, OOIDA member Jim Cancel of Florida, NY, found a used truck in Tennessee he was interested in buying... Cancel said that on the surface the deal seemed too good to pass up. The truck was in good condition, the dealership was eager to negotiate, his bank seemed willing to work with him on the loan, but that something still wasn’t sitting right with him... Then Cancel said he remembered reading an article in the June issue of Land Line Magazine about some OOIDA members who have had their Highway Vehicle Use Tax – HVUT – applications rejected after purchasing a used truck because the previous owner owes back HVUT. If that truck has run in New York before and the previous owner owes back HVUT, the lien follows the truck’s Vehicle Identification Number, not the previous owner... One phone call to the New York State Taxation and Finance Department confirmed that the used truck was not “free and clear” at all...

Labels: used trucks

MEXICANS' TRUCKS * USA - New truck rules please U.S. business

U.S. businesses await end to ban, retaliatory tariffs

Washington,DC,USA -The Washington Times, by Steve Miller -July 27, 2009: -- A plan containing guidelines on getting Mexican trucks back on U.S. highways has gone through bureaucratic review, the first step toward ending Mexican tariffs on $2.4 billion worth of U.S. goods... Implementing the plan would quell growing dissent among U.S. businesses that are hurt by Mexico's tariffs and that continue to besiege Washington with claims that doing nothing will result in job losses... Earlier this year, representatives from several parties with interests in the fate of the trucking program, including officials from the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), the Teamsters union, and state trucking inspectors, were called to meet with Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood... As the weeks ticked by with no action on a plan to relaunch the trucking program, growing seasons for some affected agricultural producers have come and gone... Some of the 2,200 unionized employees of Appleton Papers are getting closer to layoffs... (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images - OTAY MESA, CA - MARCH 24: Trucks coming from Mexico prepare to enter the highway after crossing the border March 24, 2009 in Otay Mesa, California. Mexico last week slapped higher tariffs on an estimated $2.4 billion worth of goods entering the country from the U.S. in response to a move by Congress to end a pilot program allowing Mexican trucks to operate in the U.S.)

Labels: mexicans' trucks

Regulation Barriers * Canada - Block greening of trucking industry

Times may be tough, but that doesn't mean that truckers aren't seeing green of another shade

Toronto,ONT,Canada -Today's Trucking -27 July 2009: -- Ontario trucking companies, according to a recent survey of members by the Ontario Trucking Association, are ready to embrace aftermarket technology that improves fuel efficiency and reduce GHG emissions... The OTA survey revealed that close to three quarters of respondents have introduced in-cab heaters into their fleet to avoid having to run the engine to keep cabs warm in the winter... Plus, the current incentive programs do not include the full scope of proven fuel efficiency technologies, such as wide-base single tires (49% of OTA carriers say they are introducing them)... Also, new trailer skirts (9% of fleets said they had introduced them) and rear of trailer aerodynamic devices, commonly referred to as boat tails (only 2 percent) are other technologies that could be accelerated, but in the case of the latter, only smaller models are allowed, unlike the U.S.... (Photo: Envirotrucks are fuel efficient power units with single tires, boat tails, trailer skirts, and speed limiters)

Labels: rules and regulations

Shippers Fight * USA - Truck Regulation Rewrite

Letter to Congress opposes attempts to exempt harbor drayage from preemption

Washington,DC,USA -The Journal of Commerce, by Thomas L. Gallagher - -Jul 27, 2009: -- More than 30 shipper organizations sent a letter to Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., chairman of the House Committee on Transportation, urging him and his colleagues in Congress to reject efforts to re-write federal trucking rules in the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act... The groups oppose new legislation proposed by the Port of Los Angeles and others that would exempt harbor drayage from preemption under the FAAAA. The port and its allies want to persuade Congress to grant to local governments the ability to regulate the harbor drayage industry to address environmental and port security matters, and thereby eliminate the federal pre-emption of state and local regulation of foreign and interstate commerce... The shippers groups say that they support efforts to improve air quality and port security but that the change in federal preemption of interstate commerce is really an attempt to overturn losses in the federal courts restricting local regulation of truck drayage services... The ATA requested a preliminary injunction which was sustained in part by both the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Those courts determined that the ports' concession plans regulate interstate trucking "prices, routes, and services" and thus are unconstitutional and preempted by the FAAAA... (Photograph by Ric Francis/Associated Press - Emissions from the Port of Los Angeles at San Pedro Bay reach all the way up to downtown Los Angeles, more than 20 miles away)

* Harbor Commission to ask Congress to let ports set trucking standards

Oakland,CAL,USA -The Trucker —28 July 2009: -- According to the American Trucking Associations, the unions are asking the commission to vote to ask Congress to change federal transportation law “to effectively nullify the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision and the federal law that protects motor carriers, shippers and consumers from unnecessary and costly state and local regulations”... The Oakland, Calif., Harbor Commission last week gave its initial approval of a resolution urging Congress to update transportation policy “to clearly state that ports have the authority to set and enforce trucking industry standards,” according to an E&E Publishing report. The commission is expected on July 30 to approve a final resolution... So, ATA once again finds itself in the position of defending its efforts to get the owner-operator ban removed at the Port of L.A. and clarifying and re-stating its position of being in favor of port efforts to institute cleaner, less polluting trucks...

* Clean Trucks Handle Most LA/LB Moves

Los Angeles,CAL,USA -The Journal of Commerce, by Bill Mongelluzzo -Jul 27, 2009: -- Clean diesel and liquefied natural gas trucks now handle 52 percent of the containers moving through the Port of Long Beach, according to a study released by the port... The neighboring Port of Los Angeles recently reported similar numbers as most of the trucks serving the Southern California port complex work at both ports... In the week ending July 21, the report noted that there are 15,753 trucks serving the harbor. Of those, 4,888 meet or exceed federal Environmental Protection Agency standards for 2007-model clean-diesel trucks... Some 31 percent of the harbor trucking fleet now meets the strict emission requirements contained in the ports' clean-trucks program. That number is considered to be impressive as the program was launched 10 months ago on Oct. 1, 2008... Diesel trucks handled 96 percent of the container moves in the harbor. Both ports this year are encouraging truck owners to purchase vehicles powered by alternative fuels. There are 436 LNG-powered trucks in the harbor and 110 are powered by biodiesel... On Jan. 1, 2012, all trucks serving the harbor must meet or exceed 2007 emission standards... (Photo from Port of Los Angeles: Electric truck)

* So. Calif. Ports Expected to Approve Program to Speed Purchase of 500 More LNG Trucks

Sacramento CAL,USA -Transport Topics, by Eric Miller -27 July 200: -- Harbor commissioners at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., are expected to approve a plan next month to spend $46.5 million in new grant funding from the state to fast-track the purchase of up to 500 new liquefied natural gas trucks, officials with both ports said... The trucks would be an addition to the estimated 5,000 “clean” diesel and LNG trucks currently registered at the nation’s busiest port complex... (Photo from purchasing: LA logistics pierpass)

Labels: rules and regulations

DANGEROUS DRIVERS * USA & Canada - The Dangers of Texting While Driving

* USA - Study: Texting Lifts Crash Risk by Large Margin

Blacksburg,VA,USA -The New York Times, by MATT RICHTEL -July 27, 2009: -- The first study of drivers texting inside their vehicles shows that the risk sharply exceeds previous estimates based on laboratory research — and far surpasses the dangers of other driving distractions... The new study, which entailed outfitting the cabs of long-haul trucks with video cameras over 18 months, found that when the drivers texted, their collision risk was 23 times greater than when not texting... The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, which compiled the research and plans to release its findings on Tuesday, also measured the time drivers took their eyes from the road to send or receive texts -see too: How the Driving Tests Were Conducted-... In the moments before a crash or near crash, drivers typically spent nearly five seconds looking at their devices — enough time at typical highway speeds to cover more than the length of a football field...Even though trucks take longer to stop and are less maneuverable than cars, the findings generally applied to all drivers, who tend to exhibit the same behaviors as the more than 100 truckers studied, the researchers said. Truckers, they said, do not appear to text more or less than typical car drivers, but they said the study did not compare use patterns that way... Preliminary results from that study show risk levels for texters roughly comparable to those of the truck drivers. By comparison, several field and laboratory studies show that drivers talking on cellphones are four times more likely to cause a crash than other drivers. And a previous Virginia institute study videotaping car drivers found that they were three times more likely to crash or come close to a crash when dialing a phone and 1.3 times more likely when talking on it... (Photo from Virgina Tech Transportation Institute: A truck driver texts while at the wheel, top left, with other angles see) (See video)

* USA - Texting while driving: national ban?

Washington,DC,USA -Land Line Magazine, by David Tanner -July 29, 2009: -- Sending text messages or e-mails while driving could someday be banned under a proposal by U.S. Senate Democrats... If passed, the bill would “ban any driver from sending text or e-mail messages while driving a car”... Early reports concerning the legislation did not specifically mention commercial vehicles... If passed, the legislation would require states to enact a text-message ban while driving or risk losing federal transportation funding...

* Canada - Truckers are less likely to be at fault in fatal collisions: study - Drivers of other vehicles are three times more often to blame for crashes

Ladner, B.C.,USA -The Delta Optimist, by Sandor Gyarmati -July 25, 2009: -- Speed, fatigue, inattention and impaired driving were some of the key contributors to crashes involving big rigs in this province, according to a new report examining safety in B.C.'s trucking industry... Released last month, Best Practices for Truck Safety was written by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation and commissioned by the B.C. Trucking Safety Council... The study examined the causes and characteristics of fatal and injury collisions from 2000 to 2006 involving heavy trucks and compared them with other regions in Canada... At just under 19 per cent, B.C. truckers were more often at fault in fatal collisions than their counterparts in the rest of the country, according to the report. However, the drivers of other vehicles involved in fatal trucking crashes were still more often at fault than the truckers, including 57 per cent of the time in B.C... Overexertion was identified as the top cause of accidents, while most fatal collisions involving trucks happened on undivided highways and in poor road conditions... Some of the recommendations in the report include an independent review of the commercial vehicle driver licencing standards and testing procedures, developing policies on pre-trip driver inspections and implementing a fatigue management program. The recommendations also include developing and implementing a valid driver recruitment, selection and training process... Paul Landry, president of the B.C. Trucking Association, noted much work also needs to be done in educating the public on sharing the road with trucks and understanding their ability to stop and maneuver...

* Canada - The battle for public perception in BC

Vancouver,BC,Canada -Today's Trucking -30 July 2009: -- BC Trucking Association boss Paul Landry, knows that no matter how impressive a safety record the trucking industry produces, it doesn't matter at all until the general public believes it... Things really heated up last month, though, when the BCTA launched a partnership with WorkSafeBC in an effort to improve truck safety in the province... One of the first tasks of this joint B.C. Trucking Safety Council was to determine the current safety level of trucks and their drivers in the province. A 166-page study was commissioned and conducted by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF)... The study, titled “Best Practices for Truck Safety” was released and shortly after an article appeared in the Vancouver Sun with the front-page headline reading, “B.C. has Canada’s worst truck drivers."... The BCTA has since demanding an apology and retraction for the story but it, according to the association, did not receive a satisfactory reply. So, the BCTA has filed an official compliant with the self-governing BC Press Council... (Picture: The BC media seems to give truckers a bad rap. So, kudos to the BCTA, which always fights back)

Labels: dangerous drivers

TRUCKERS' PORT DELAYS * USA - Frustrating. Endure shrinked hours during recession

In McIntyre's line of work, time is money. He gets paid based on the number of loads he picks up or delivers each day, and his paycheck will shrink with every missed assignment

New Orleans,LA,USA -The Times-Picayune, by Jen DeGregorio -July 26, 2009: -- Edward McIntyre woke before dawn Tuesday, ready for a routine day of work behind the wheel... As McIntyre passed through the port gate toward the Mississippi River, he learned that work would have to wait. Ports America, one of two companies that run the port's container terminal, slashed its operating hours to deal with the recession. The company shaved five hours off of its 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule on Tuesdays and Fridays, staying closed until noon on those days... In McIntyre's line of work, time is money. He gets paid based on the number of loads he picks up or delivers each day, and his paycheck will shrink with every missed assignment... The narrower hours at Napoleon Avenue have proved a drain on Wells' finances. He counts on moving about eight or nine containers during a typical day, driving back and forth between the port and various industrial yards in the New Orleans area. With the new hours, though, Wells is down to about four loads per day, cutting his paycheck in half... Truck drivers -- of which there are more than 5,000 in the New Orleans area -- are the latest victims of a national recession that has put unemployment at a staggering 9.5 percent. In Louisiana, unemployment stands at 6.8 percent... (Photo by ELIOT KAMENITZ/THE TIMES-PICAYUNE - Robert Wells Jr., a trucker, waits Tuesday at the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal. Wells said that with the port's narrower hours, drivers line up to be the first served when the terminals open. Just a few months ago, Wells said he could get his truck in and out of Napoleon Avenue within 45 minutes, a task that now takes hours)

Labels: trucks delays

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* USA - Navistar to tack on $8,000 for 2010 emission-compliant equipment

Warrenville,ILL,USA -Land Line Magazine -July 28, 2009: -- International trucks with a MaxxForce 11, 13 or 15 under the hood will cost $8,000 more in 2010 thanks to the new emission standards... Jim Hebe, senior vice president of North American sales operations for Navistar, said the additional cost would be offset by lower operating costs and fuel efficiency of the company’s EGR engines. He also said since the MaxxForce engines won’t use diesel exhaust fluid, that will cut back on operating costs as well... Both Volvo Trucks and Mack Trucks had previously announced that their diesel trucks equipped with engines that meet the EPA’s 2010 standards will come with a $9,600 surcharge...

* USA - Cummins’ Second-Quarter Profit Plunges

Columbus,IN,USA -Transport Topics -30 July 2009: -- Diesel engine maker Cummins Inc. said Thursday its second-quarter profit plunged 81% due to sharply lower sales volumes... The company’s net income fell to $56 million, or 28 cents a share, from $293 million, or $1.49, a year ago, while sales fell 37% to $2.43 billion... Engine segment sales fell 45% to $1.31 billion, while the unit lost $4 million before interest and taxes, compared with a profit of $221 million a year ago... The engine segment’s joint ventures earned $15 million, or 47%, less in the quarter compared to last year, Cummins said...

* Europe & Asia - Truck maker losses mount, outlooks steadier

Paris,France/Tokyo,Japan -Reuters, by Helen Massy-Beresford & Chang-Ran Kim -30 July 2009: ... German truck maker MAN SE said on Thursday it saw no sign of an upturn as it posted a plunge in second-quarter operating earnings in line with market expectations... Truck makers such as MAN and its Swedish rivals Volvo and Scania have equally been hit hard by plummeting demand over the past year as the economic downturn has run its course...

* USA - Oshkosh Narrows Loss in 3Q

Providence,RI,USA -Transport Topics -30 July 2009: -- Specialty truck maker Oshkosh Corp. said Thursday it lost $26.6 million, or 36 cents per share, in its fiscal third quarter, compared with a loss of $1.2 million, or $16.65, a year ago... Sales fell to $1.2 billion, from $1.9 billion last year, for the quarter ended June 30, the company said in a statement... (Reuters) But Oshkosh will rehire 500-600 workers to meet a deadline to produce 2,244 military vehicles by year's end...

* USA - Arvin says drum brakes meet stop distance reg changes

Troy,MICH,USA -Today's Trucking (CAN) -29 July 2009: -- Truck components and systems manufacturer ArvinMeritor is touting its Meritor Q Plus drum brakes to meet the stringent stop distance braking standard issued last week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.. The new standard requires that a tractor-trailer traveling at 60 mph come to a complete stop in 250 feet. The old standard required a complete stop within 355 feet -- a difference of about 30 percent... The new rule applies only to new truck tractors, and does not include single-unit trucks, trailers and buses. It will be phased in over the next four years beginning with 2012 models...

Labels: truckmakers' news worldwide

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA

* June Truck Tonnage Falls 13.6%

Washington,DC,USA -Transport Topics -28 July 2009: -- Truck tonnage decreased 13.6% in June compared with a year ago, American Trucking Associations said late Monday... The decline in the for-hire seasonally adjusted truck tonnage index left tonnage at a reading of 99.8. The decrease surpassed May’ 11% year-over-year decline, ATA said... June's drop was the largest year-over-year decline in the current cycle, ATA said... The index fell 2.4% from May, but the decrease did not offset the 3.2% April to May gain... Without accounting for seasonal adjustment, the index gained 5.2% from May, but the improvement was not enough to offset the 6.7% cumulative reduction from March and April... ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said that tonnage will likely be “hoppy”in the coming months... (Photo from farm4.static.flickr)

* USA - NAFTA Surface Trade Declines In May

Washington,DC,USA -Transport Topics -30 July 2009: -- Surface transportation trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico fell 35.4% in Mayfrom a year earlier, the largest year-to-year drop on record, the Department of Transportation said Thursday... The downturn was the fifth consecutive year-over-year monthly decline of at least 27% between the North American Free Trade Agreement partners... (Photo from farm4.static.flickr, by forever nomad : ... a lonely road in Wyoming...)

* Pacer to sell heavy-haul trucking business

Concord,CAL,USA -Reuters -July 27, 2009: -- Transportation and logistics provider Pacer International Inc said it has entered into an agreement to sell its specialized, heavy-haul trucking business to Universal Truckload Services Inc for an undisclosed sum. Pacer said Universal Truckload will assume two real property leases and equipment leases for tractors and trailers used in the operation, along with customer, contractor and agent lists... Universal Truckload, an asset-light provider of transportation services, expects the deal to contribute about $30 million to $40 million in revenue...

* Covenant Transportation Group Announces Second Quarter Financial and Operating Results

Chattanooga,TENN,USA -PRNewswire/FirstCall -July 27. 2009: -- For the quarter, total revenue decreased 31.0%, to $144.1 million from $208.7 million in the same quarter of 2008. Freight revenue, which for these purposes excludes fuel surcharges, decreased 19.4%, to $129.2 million in the 2009 quarter from $160.5 million in the 2008 quarter. The Company measures freight revenue because management believes that fuel surcharges tend to be a volatile source of revenue and the removal of such surcharges affords a more consistent basis for comparing results of operations from period to period...

Labels: trucking industry news USA

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Germany - World's Largest Truck Maker Loses $716 Million - Sales slump 56 percent for Freightliner parent Daimler Trucks

Stuttgart,Germany -The Journal of Commerce, by Bruce Barnard -July 29, 2009: -- Daimler's truck business, the world's largest, swung to a second quarter loss of $716 million from an $857 million year-earlier profit on plunging global sales and restructuring costs in the United States and Japan... Truck sales fell 56 percent to 54,134 units in the three months to June 30 from 122,809 units in the 2008 period, but Daimler said it boosted market share in nearly all its major sales regions... Revenue from sales of Mercedes Benz, Freightliner, Western Star and Mitsubishi trucks shrunk 43 percent to just under $6 billion from $10.4 billion in the second quarter of 2008... Stuttgart-based Daimler said restructuring of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck in Japan and its U.S. operations reduced second quarter earnings by $288 million and $18.3 million respectively... (Photo courtesy Freightliner)

* USA - Paccar Profit Dives 92 Percent. Lower margins, plant shutdowns, reduced build rates slash earnings

Bellevue,WA,USA -The Journal of Commerce, by Thomas L. Gallagher -Jul 28, 2009: -- Truck manufacturer Paccar earned $26.5 million in the second quarter compared to $313.5 million earned in the comparable period a year ago. The 92 percent dive was the result of lower gross margins, temporary plant shutdowns and reduced build rates, the company said. Second quarter net sales and financial services revenue added up to $1.85 billion compared to $4.11 billion in 2008... Without a one-time pretax gain of $47.7 million, which offset an operating loss from the truck segment of $36.5 million, Paccar would have been in the red... (Photo from wikipedia: "Seattle Car and Foundry Renton Works 1916")

Labels: truckmakers' news USA

Cell Phone Regs * USA - Approved for Texas trucking

Houston,TX,USA -Examiner/Houston Truck Industry Examiner, by Mary Davis -July 25, 2009: -- Changes to regulations for drivers idling engines while in sleeper berths and using cell phones are just some of the new mandates from this year's session of the Texas Legislature, according to information from the Texas Motor Transportation Association (TMTA)... John Esparza, president and chief executive officer of TMTA, said, "Five of the most significant alterations impacting drivers are changes to sleeper berth idling, no longer allowing cell phone use in a school zone, rules regarding post office box use for receiving CDLs (commercial driver licenses), a lifetime ban on a CDL due to an offense involving transportation of an illegal alien, and state and employer notification of a conviction of a motor vehicle traffic violation"... TMTA has posted information about the new regulations on its web site at www.tmta.com... (Photo from media.idahostatesman: Local trucker cell standalone)

Labels: trucker and cell phones

INFRASTRUCTURES * USA - Missouri could be testing ground for truck-only lanes

Missouri could be the first to put it to the test on a large-scale

Joplin,MISS,USA -The Joplin Globe, by Derek Spellman -24 July 2009: -- Even before last month’s deadly turnpike crash in Oklahoma, transportation planners across the country were talking about how to go about separating cars from trucks... A study charged with exploring needed long-term improvements to Interstate 70 recently recommended the state add four truck-only lanes to the stretch between Kansas City and St. Louis as the best option... That proposal calls for construction of two truck-only lanes and two or more general-purpose lanes in each direction along the existing I-70 highway... During discussions about how to do that, Bob Brendel, the Missouri Department of Transportation’s project manager for the I-70 study, said, the public indicated it did not like the growing number of trucks on the highway. That number is projected to jump from 10,000 per day now to 20,000 by 2030... If implemented, the truck-only lanes on I-70 “would be a demonstration of an innovative concept that could have other applications in the United States,” he said... But the cost of the truck-only option is formidable: Up to $4 billion, according to the study... That compares with a cost of up to $3.5 billion to rebuild and widen I-70 to six lanes, although the truck-only option would mean a total of eight lanes throughout I-70... (Video from YouTube, by MoDOT video: 21 April 2008: The idea of separating trucks from other vehicles on interstates and highways is gaining national attention)

Labels: infrastructures

CLEAN TRUCKS PROGRAMS * USA - NY-NJ Port Funds Truck Replacement

Program meets with support from shippers, carriers

NY,NJ, USA -The Journal of Commerce, by Joseph Bonney -Jul 24, 2009: -- The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey authorized $28 million to help truckers finance the replacement of up to 636 of the oldest, most polluting trucks serving the port... New York-New Jersey officials hope their plan will help the port avoid the kind of controversy that has accompanied clean-air initiatives in Los Angeles and Long Beach, where litigation resulted from the ports’ requirements that truckers obtain operating concessions... Peter Keller, chief operating officer of NYK Line (Americas), commended New York-New Jersey officials for working with the private sector to reduce pollution from trucks. Keller is a leader in the Coalition for Responsible Transportation, which has led a private-sector initiative that has led to the replacement of 4,000 older trucks at Southern California ports... (Photo from njbiz: Trucks on Turnpike slider)

* Oakland, Agencies Provide $22 Million for Clean Trucks - Public, private program to replace, retrofit trucks to reduce pollution

Oakland,CAL,USA -The Journal of Commerce, by Bill Mongelluzzo -July 29, 2009: ... The Port of Oakland is partnering with government agencies to provide $22 million in subsidies to motor carriers for the retrofitting or replacement of old, polluting trucks... Grants of up to $50,000 per vehicle are available to replace pre-1994 trucks. The port estimates some 200 trucks will have to be replaced because they are too old for retrofit devices that trap particulate matter emissions... Grants of about $15,000 per vehicle are available to retrofit 1994 model year and newer trucks. The traps will reduce PM emissions by 85 percent on an estimated 800 vehicles...

Labels: Clean Trucks Program

Traffic Congestion *- Viet Nam - Dogs southern port

Ho Chi Minh City,VietNam -VNBusinessNews -Jul 25, 2009: -- Ho Chi Minh City’s infamous traffic congestion is creating problems at Cat Lai Port, the city’s busiest port. For the last three days, the two-lane Highway 25B that leads to the port has been at a virtual standstill, with little cargo able to be loaded and unloaded at the port... The poor condition of road and a slight increase in cargo transport are contributing to the blockage, said Ngo Minh Thuan, deputy director of port manager Tan Cang Saigon Company... Thuan said the traffic congestion on the highway has been steadily worsening for the past few weeks, affecting the operations of the port, which carries about 85 percent of the cargo shipped into and out of HCMC... To resolve the traffic problem, port authorities are planning to send rescue vehicles and police to improve the flow traffic along Highway 25B, he said... (Photo from vietnam.vnanet: Traffic congestion, a pressing problem of Hanoi)

Labels: traffic congestion

Electronic Tachograph * Azerbaijan - EU demand to become compulsory since 2010

Baku,Azerbaijan -Fineko/abc.az -24 July 2009: -- The Association of International Motor Freight Forwarders of Azerbaijan (ABADA) has informed that the European Union’s toughened requirements on exhaust gas norms have told on international motor carriages by its members... ABADA chairman, Tofig Nurullayev, says that only separate truck hauliers of Azerbaijan carried cargo with destination in the EU countries... “They, as a rule, have quite new trucks and toughened exhaust requirements did not close a road to Europe for them. At the same time the EU is going to introduce compulsory demand on equipping of trucks with electronic tachogpaphs, and this can have impact on access of trucks from Azerbaijan to highways of Europe,” Nurullayev said... Major part of the national hauliers transport cargo to Russia...

Labels: tachographs

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA

* UPS Profit Falls 49 Percent. Weak economy cuts into shipping demand

Atlanta,GA,USA -The Journal of Commerce -Jul 23, 2009: -- UPS saw its net profit fall 49 percent in the second quarter, to $445 million, and the company said it expected the economy that has cut deeply into shipping demand to remain just as weak in the coming months... Overall revenue at UPS fell 16.7 percent in the three months ending June 30 from the same period a year ago as volume across its domestic and international operations fell 4.7 percent. But UPS also said its free cash flow — an increasingly important measure of financial health in a tight credit environment — grew $195 million in the first half of 2009... UPS’s operating profit fell 38.4 percent compared to the second quarter a year ago as a 14 percent cut in operating expenses partly offset the drop in revenue, which fell from $13 billion last year to $10.8 billion in the most recent quarter... Revenue at the domestic parcel business was down only 12 percent, but that was partly because declining fuel prices have cut into fuel surcharges. The operating profit in that domestic package business dropped 47 percent, to $476 million... (Photo courtesy UPS)

* Saia Posts 2Q Loss

Johns Creek,GA,USA -Transport Topics -24 July 2009: -- Saia Inc. said Friday it lost $1.7 million in the second quarter... The per-share loss for the quarter was 13 cents, compared with a profit of $5.3 million, or 46 cents per share, in the same quarter last year... Its operating loss was $0.4 million, compared with operating income of $10.9 million a year ago... Revenue fell 21% to $218 million, the company said in a statement. Saia is the parent company of less-than-truckload carrier Saia Motor Freight Line... (Photo from hankstruckpictures: Saia motor freight)

* Universal Truckload Services’ Income Falls

Warren,MI,USA -Transport Topics -24 July 2009: -- Universal Truckload Services said its second-quarter net income plunged 62.8% to $1.3 million, or 8 cents per share, from $3.5 million, 22 cents, a year ago... Revenue fell 40% to $119.9 million, the company said in a statement...

* Knight Transportation Keeps Grip on Profit

Phoenix,AZ,USA -The Journal of Commerce, by William B. Cassidy -Jul 24, 2009: -- Net income drops only 1 percent as truckload carrier tightens operations, claims market share gain... Lower fuel costs and an increase in freight helped truckload carrier Knight Transportation keep its net income from falling more than 1 percent in the second quarter, despite a steeper drop in revenue... The Phoenix-based carrier reported $12.6 million in net income, down from $12.7 million a year earlier. It’s total revenue fell 21.4 percent to $162.1 million, compared with $206.1 million a year ago... (Photo from hankstruckpictures: Trucks road trip)

Labels: trucking industry news USA

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Japan - Hino, Isuzu Likely to Show ¥20 Billion Quarterly Loss

Tokyo,Japan -Nikkei/Road Transport (UK), by Oliver Dixon -July 22, 2009: -- Isuzu Motors Ltd. and Hino Motors Ltd. are believed to have each generated operating losses of around 20 billion yen (US$ 200 M aprox) on a consolidated basis for the April-June quarter as a result of anemic truck sales... While the figures would be mostly in line with their preliminary projections, they would represent the first quarterly losses for the companies since they began compiling such data... Tanking sales in their mainstay truck operations are mainly to blame for deteriorating earnings at Isuzu and Hino, whose sales are likely to have dropped 50% on the year to around 200 billion yen and roughly 160 billion yen, respectively. Domestic truck sales fell by the same pace, with Isuzu selling around 6,000 vehicles and Hino roughly 4,000 units... For the full term ending March 31, 2010, Isuzu expects an 18 billion yen group operating loss, while Hino projects a 15 billion yen operating loss...

* Italy - Rumors Abound: Who Isn’t Interested in CNH and/or Iveco?

Milan,Italy -Diesel Progress On Line (USA) -July 15, 2009: ... Rumors abound in the agricultural press of a merger between CNH Global and AGCO, spawned by a Reuters report in which AGCO President Martin Richenhagen said "if we could do a major deal in North America, we would be very interested in doing something like that”... Of course, everyone is taking that to as a signal of a possible CNH and AGCO link-up... And Bloomberg.com, citing a report in the Italian newspaper Il Giornale, said Fiat may be in talks to sell its CNH construction equipment to John Deere, as well as selling Iveco to someone. None of the reports cited anything or anyone definitively, save the apparent Richenhagen comment... Sometimes where there is smoke, there’s fire. Other times, there’s just rumors. And with business like it is, the rumor mill may be the busiest part of the industry right now..

* Sweden - Scania says output to rise after Q2 profit plunges

Stockholm,Sweden -Reuters, by Niklas Pollard and Victoria Klesty -Jul 23, 2009: -- Truck maker Scania barely stayed profitable in the second quarter, hit by a worse-than-forecast plunge in sales due to the economic downturn, sending its shares down nearly 5 percent on Thursday... But inventory cuts and firmer orders meant Scania would raise its daily production rate in the third quarter, echoing its larger domestic rival Volvo which said this week it would raise output towards the year-end... Scania's operating earnings evaporated to 17 million crowns ($2.23 million) from 4.03 billion a year ago and well below the 536 million mean forecast in a Reuters poll of analysts...

* Germany - Earnings Preview: Daimler Q2 results

Stuttgart,Germany -AP/FORBES, by GEORGE FREY -24 July 2009: -- German car and truck maker Daimler AG reports earnings for its second quarter on July 29... OVERVIEW: Daimler is one of the world's leading luxury carmakers with brands including Mercedes-Benz and Maybach, and is the world's largest truckmaker by sales with its Mercedes Benz, Freightliner, and Mitsubishi Fuso brands...

* India - Default Indian Truck Maker Woos Divested Chrysler Dealers

USA -IndustryWeek, by Jill Jusko -16 July 2009: -- Today's online version of the Detroit Free Press is reporting that Indian truck maker Mahindra & Mahindra is planning a quick move into the U.S. market by aligning with former Chrysler dealerships... An interesting detail in the article is one that talks about how the trucks will get to the U.S. for sale. Initially they will be imported, the article says, citing a Mahindra official, but eventually "Mahindra plans to assemble them through a contract manufacturing partner in the United States by mid-2010"... (Comment Added for wesdavidson) Makers of medium and heavy vehicles are doing well in the US, however the makers of light trucks abandoned this market some time ago. Despite demolition derby advertising by some makers. Purchasers of detroit products of today reqire a fair number of modifications to new vehicles to make them usable...

Labels: truckmakers' news worldwide

STRIKE * India - Indefinite transport strike in Kolkata from Friday

Kolkata,West Bengal,India -Breaking News 24/7 -July 23, 2009: -- Commercial vehicle operators will go on an indefinite strike in the city from Friday, after a meeting between the strikers and the West Bengal government failed to break a deadlock over the decision to ban all commercial vehicles that are over 15 years old... With the government expressing its determination to implement a high court order banning such vehicles, at least 17 associations of commercial vehicle operators declined to withdraw the indefinite transport strike call... The strike will be indefinite in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area, while operators in the rest of the state have called for a day’s strike Friday. Taxis will also be on a day’s strike Friday... (Picture from static.indianexpress: Truckers strike)

Labels: strikes worldwide

RULES * USA - NHTSA sets new braking one

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today, July 24, issued a long-awaited regulation to tighten the stopping distance standards on heavy-duty tractors

Washington,DC,USA -eTrucker, by Avery Vise -24 July 2009: ... The new standard generally requires a tractor traveling at 60 miles per hour come to a complete stop within 250 feet when loaded to its gross vehicle weight rating. The old standard required a complete stop within 355 feet. For a small number of very heavy, severe service tractors, the stopping distance requirement will be 310 feet under these same conditions. And the final rule requires that all heavy truck tractors must stop within 235 feet when loaded to their “lightly loaded vehicle weight.”... Three-axle tractors with GVWRs of 59,600 pounds or less must meet the reduced stopping distance requirements by Aug. 1, 2011. Two-axle tractors and tractors with GVWRs above 59,600 pounds must meet requirements by Aug. 1, 2013... Manufacturers can use any of several options to meet the requirement, including installation of enhanced drum brakes, air disc brakes or hybrid disc/drum systems, NHTSA said...

Labels: rules and regulations

MEXICANS' TRUCKS * USA's Companies Form Alliance To Urge Resolution To Trucking Dispute

More than 150 U.S. manufacturers, companies and agricultural interests announced today that they had formed the Alliance to Keep U.S. Jobs

Washington,DC,USA -The Cattle Network -23 July 2009: ... The group will press the Obama administration and Congress to resolve an ongoing U.S.-Mexico trade dispute that has hampered U.S. firms ability to sell some $2.4 billion worth of manufactured and agricultural products bound for Mexico... U.S. industries ranging from cherry farmers to carbonless paper manufacturers joined the Alliance because they had become innocent victims of a lengthy political dispute, said Steve Mulder, the Alliance's spokesman. As Mulder explained it, these industries, and nearly 90 others, were subjected to tariffs by the Government of Mexico only days after the U.S. Congress terminated a U.S. pilot cross-border trucking program, an act that put the United States in violation of the North American Free Trade Agreement... Mexico has said it will not remove the tariffs until the U.S. Government reinstates the cross-border program or otherwise adheres to the NAFTA accord, under which Mexican trucks are permitted to enter the U.S. and U.S. trucks may likewise enter Mexico... (Photo from farm1.static.flickr: Trucks in line for USA)

Labels: mexicans' trucks debate

TRUCKING INDUSTRY WORLDWIDE * Canada - Trucking firms hit by recession in Q2

Laval,QUE,CAN -The Montreal Gazette -July 23, 2009: -- The recession that has slowed the manufacturing and oil and gas sectors hit Laval-based TransForce Inc., Canada's leading independent trucker, in the second quarter. TransForce said Thursday revenue fell to $454 million from $596 million a year earlier and earnings were $18 million or 21 cents a share, down from $19.3 million or 22 cents a share in the 2008 period... CEO Alain Bedard said debt reduction remains top priority and TransForce expects to repay $100 million this year. The company financed its recent expansion in Western Canada mainly with debt... Toronto-based Vitran Corp., another trucker and logistics firm, reported earnings of $400,000 or 3 cents a share for the second quarter, down from $4.6 million or 34 cents a share a year earlier. Revenue fell 19 per cent to $159 million (including special items)... (Photo from hankstruckpictures - This is the current colours of Cabano Kingsway. Photo taken at Sarnia, Ont., January 2002. Cabano Kingsway changed it's name to Transforce Inc. in April, 1999.)

* India - TCI Profit Surges 35 Percent - State-owned logistics provider gains despite marginal decline in revenue

New Delhi,India -The Journal of Commerce -Jul 24, 2009: -- Net profit for state-owned Transport Corp. of India surged 35 percent to $1.6 million in the first fiscal quarter, despite a marginal decline in overall revenue... Income from operations totaled $64.7 million, down from $65.5 million in the same quarter the previous fiscal year... Operating profit for the April-June period increased 14 percent to $3.4 million, the company said in a statement on Wednesday...

Labels: trucking industry news worldwide

Economy * Canada - Bellwether Trucking Industry Sees Signs That Worst May Be Over for

But Ontario & US Yet to Hit Bottom

Toronto,ONT,USA -Marketwire -July 23, 2009: -- The trucking industry is one of the best leading indicators of economic activity there is. Truckers, who haul virtually everything that individuals and businesses consume and produce everyday, are usually first in and first out of economic cycles. So, if the latest Ontario Trucking Association Business Pulse e-Survey is any indication, there may be some light trickling into the end of the recessionary tunnel after all. The survey of trucking companies conducted between July 6th and July 20th, 2009 indicates that the bellwether industry is less pessimistic heading into the third quarter. The gap between the proportions of responding trucking companies (or carriers) that are pessimistic versus those who are optimistic about the industry's prospects over the next three months has virtually vanished at 32% each. (In the second quarter survey the gap between the pessimists (43%) and the optimists (27%) was 16 percentage points. In the first quarter survey the gap was a whopping 35 percentage points). Still, there is a lot of uncertainty. An almost equal share (35%) of the respondents remains unsure about prospects for the next quarter, compared to those that are either optimistic or pessimistic... (Video from YouTube, by dylanwinter1 - 21 Febrero 2007: "Big Trucks in the Canadian West" - Big Log trucks on dirt roads in British Columbia - Volvo, Pacific, Hayes, Kenworth, Peterbilt. Now look at "Three Truck Tow" - three 500 hp trucks moving one 150 tonne load. Probably the best off road truck drivers in the World... Music from BC guitar legend Doug Cox -http ://cdbaby.com/cd/coxbutler...)

Labels: trucking industry Canada

Truckers' Complain * Canada/BC - They're pushed beyond safe limits

Drivers report driving too long, faking logbooks

BC,Canada -CBC News -July 21, 2009: -- Three B.C. truck drivers have come forward to warn that public safety is at risk on North American highways as drivers are pushed to stay behind the wheel longer than the law allows... In written complaints to federal and provincial authorities, the drivers claim the company they worked for compelled them to drive beyond legal time limits... "I was threatened with suspension if I didn't do it," said truck driver Ray Bouliane... He drove tractor-trailer units for Kerver Trucking Ltd., a subcontractor that owns and operates more than a dozen trucks for DCT Chambers Ltd. of Vernon, B.C.... (CBC's photo: Ray Bouliane's employer hauled wood chips for DCT Chambers Ltd.)

Labels: truckers' complain

TROOPERS' TRUCKERS * USA - Troopers Become Truckers In Undercover Operation

56 percent of all wrecks that involve a tractor-trailer and a passenger car or truck are caused by the driver of the car

Indianapolis,IND,USA -The IndyChannel 6News, by Ericka Flye -July 22, 2009: -- Undercover Indiana state troopers are watching drivers from an unsuspecting seat -- one in the cab of a tractor-trailer -- in hopes of curbing wrecks involving big trucks and cars... Indiana State Police said 56 percent of all wrecks that involve a tractor-trailer and a passenger car or truck are caused by the driver of the car... Truckers contend that cars on interstates are constantly cutting them off, riding in their blind spots and are simply careless... (-see video-)

* ANY DOUBT ABOUT THE ABOVE, please check the following one, from a female truck driver blog:

Charleston,West Virginia,USA -THANKS TO Gi Gi Roxx -July 2009: ... Of course, while weenie wagging is a dangerous event, so are the following Top Ten drivers' seat distractions that I have in fact seen as I've been driving along the highways and byways of these great States.

1) a guy playing a banjo (my personal favorite so far)

2) a woman utilizing a breast-milk pump

3) an elderly woman eating soup from a bowl with a spoon (as if old folks aren't bad enuf drivers)

4) a guy with his laptop sitting on the steering wheel, typing feverishly

5) a person (sex undetermined due to lack of proper line of sight) reading a news paper

6) a woman giving her small lap dog a brushing

7) a woman talking on two, yes two!, cellular phones

8) a woman turned around facing the backseat tending to a baby in a car seat. NO eyes whatsoever on the road ahead, no one occupying the passenger seat to act as a warning system, it was appalling!

9) a guy furiously mating with himself (times three now)

10) a woman holding her cellular in one hand and coffee in the other looking directly at her passenger for nearly two miles worth of road

Labels: dangerous drivers

TRUCKERS FIGHT * USA & Canada - OOIDA and others fight truck restrictions on NY roads

Trucking associations, industries and business groups have banded together to fight a proposal that would ban trucks on seven upstate New York routes

New York,NY,USA -Land Line Magazine -July 22, 2009: -- The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and more than 20 other business and industry associations have signed on to endorse a letter from the New York State Motor Truck Association urging Gov. David Paterson not to move forward with the “Reasonable Access Highway Regulation”... When tolls increased on in May 2005, a task force of upstate residents put pressure on lawmakers and the New York Department of Transportation to deal with an increased number of New York City trash haulers on local roadways... NYDOT brought the proposal forward in 2008, and it now sits on Paterson’s desk for consideration... OOIDA leadership says the proposal lumps trucking operations together in a negative light and takes away alternatives to the tolled Thruway... (Picture from albanyaerialphotos: NY's Thruway)

* Canada - Ice road trucker gets frosty treatment

Yellowknife,NWT,CAN -Today's Trucking -21 July 2009: -- He’s made his reputation hauling goods across Canada’s frozen north and he’s certified to inspect tankers... But when one of his employees misread a number on the side of a tank, Alan Scraba had no less than 15 dangerous goods charges thrown at him... According to a report in the local media, Scraba, the owner of ARS Trucking and Welding, received a ticket in February 2009, citing him with 15 violations relating to an inspection from a Department of Transportation inspector – two years earlier... Scraba ended up pleading guilty to one of the charges of transporting fuel in an improper fuel container and paying a $3,000 fine.The Crown withdrew the other charges... And all that happened at that time was an employee misread a gauge on a tank and he pressurized it for 10 minutes instead of the requisite 30 when he was testing it for leaks... (Picture from roadtransport/big-lorry-blog: DAF aid)

Labels: truckers' fight

TRUCKS' BAN * Philippines - Lobregat formalizes truck ban

Ver mapa más grande

Zamboanga City,Philippines -The PhilSouth Angle, by Vic Larato -July 22, 2009: -- Zamboanga City Mayor, Celso Lobregat, has issued an executive order formalizing an earlier temporary transport ban on six-wheeler cargo trucks from using/plying the major thoroughfares in the city... Lobregat’s EO 272-2009 specifically prohibits six-wheeler cargo trucks of more than five gross tonnage, trailers and container vans on major streets within the seven-kilometer radius of city from six o’clock to nine o’clock in the morning and from four o’clock to seven o’clock in the afternoon...

Labels: trucks ban

TRUCKING IDEAS * USA - Vintage advertising: Cosmetics company's message goes on road

El Paso,TX,USA -El Paso Times, by Vic Kolenc -21 July 2009: -- Wayne Beckley is always looking for ways to promote his cosmetics products... That led him to an El Paso truck stop earlier this year in search of a tractor-trailer rig... Beckley, 65, founder and owner of Merlot Skin Care, an 8-year-old El Paso company, which, he said, now has sales of about $8 million a year, had an idea for a fairly inexpensive way to reach a national audience to promote his line of grape-seed-based cosmetics... The products are sold nationwide at Walgreens stores, at airport and hotel gift shops, and through the company's Web site... After about a 30-minute search at a Petro truck stop, Beckley found what he was looking for: A nice-looking white truck with a white trailer. He talked to the driver, the driver talked to the truck's owner in Florida, and that led to the 53-foot-long Merlot ad displayed on both sides of the trailer. It shows Merlot's products, its Web site address, and the fact the products can be bought at Walgreens stores... The truck, which covers 125,000 to 150,000 miles a year from coast to coast, is seen by thousands of people daily... (Photo Courtesy of Merlot Skin Care - Wayne Beckley's company pays $250 a month to the owner of this truck, which travels 125,000 to 150,000 miles a year from coast to coast, to place the Merlot ad on both sides of the trailer. The ad production cost about $5,000)

Labels: ideas for trucks

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Sweden - Volvo: Not As Bad As It Seems

Stockholm,Sweden -FORBES (London,UK), by Javier Espinoza -22 July 2009: -- Swedish truckmaker Volvo has been stuck in the mud recently: Sales have dropped almost 60%, order intakes have fallen 50% year-on-year, and it swung to an operating loss on Tuesday thanks to the sharp deterioration in consumer demand. But some are still positive on the stock... Analysts at Nomura expect an long-term improvement in the business, despite big demand drops in Volvo's leading markets... Nomura also said that Volvo's liquidity position has been enhanced thanks to undrawn credit lines... "We maintain that Volvo's geographical sales mix offers greatest exposure to those regions where demand should pick up first. Earnings momentum in 2010 and 2011 is likely to be the strongest in the peer group," Nomura said... On Tuesday, the world's second-largest maker of trucks said it saw signs of demand stabilizing, but it stuck to its previous forecast that the market for heavy trucks would drop by 30-40% in its North American market and by at least 50% in Europe... (Video from YouTube, by VolvoTrucks - 29 June 2009: "Volvo Trucks - North America The Value of Safety" At Volvo Trucks, safety isnt an option. Its our standard way of building the best—and safest—trucks on the road. Volvo Trucks has focused on vehicle safety since the earliest days of the company. And over the last 80 years, Volvo Trucks has been responsible for a long list of safety innovations. Most famously, Volvo Trucks invented the three-point seatbelt. In 1974, the first Volvo truck with safety belts as standard equipment was delivered to the US. It continues to be standard on every Volvo truck)

* Germany - Daimler's "Shaping Future Transportation"

Stuttgart,Germany -The Auto Channel -July 22, 2009: -- Shaping the future of transport on a sustainable basis is more than just an economic or technical challenge for Daimler and its well-known brands as the world's leading commercial vehicle manufacturer – it is a social responsibility. "Shaping Future Transportation" is the name of an initiative that takes a comprehensive approach to place the focus on both environmental aspects and safety... (Picture from roadtransport/big-lorry-blog: Brazilian MB's Actros 4844 eight-legger)

* USA - Augusta Resource Corporation purchases mine truck fleet for USD82.2m

Vancouver,BC,Canada -Trading Markets -July 22, 2009: -- Base metals company Augusta Resource Corporation declared on Tuesday that the company has entered into an agreement for the acquisition of 23, 250-ton Caterpillar 793F haulage trucks for approximately USD82.2m... (Picture from pjstar: Cat unveils new mining truck)

Labels: truckmakers' news worldwide

STRIKE * India - Truckers stay away from July 24 strike

Kolkata,India -The Times of India -21 July 2009: -- Truck operators will not join the indefinite strike call given by Banijjik Paribahan Bachao Committee (Save Commercial Transport Committee). This will come as a relief to Kolkatans who face a tough time from July 24 when private buses and taxis will go off the roads in protest against the government's drive to phase out old vehicles... Goods carrier organizations are part of the committee that called on the strike, but on Monday truck operators held a meeting and decided to give the government more time to consider their demands... The federation of West Bengal Truck Operators Association will meet on July 28 to decide on its next course of action... The truckers demand an extension of the phase-out period and a financial package for new vehicles... The government has issued a notification to ban pre-93 commercial vehicles in a bid to clean up the city's air. But transport operators have gone on the warpath against this green drive, insisting that the government enforce stricter emission norms rather than scrapping old vehicles. The committee a forum of 17 transport bodies of the state sprung a surprise on the government late on Sunday night by announcing an indefinite strike from July 24... (Picture from news.bbc.co.uk: India truckers strike)

Labels: owner operators strikes

TOLLS * USA - Oklahoma to Raise Tolls 16% in August

OKL,USA -AP/Transport Topics -20 July 2009: -- Tolls on Oklahoma's turnpikes will increase by 16% beginning Aug. 4, the Associated Press reported. The increase will bring in about $21 million a year to the state's Turnpike Authority, which had previously reported a budget shortfall of that amount, the Oklahoman newspaper reported. The authority approved the increase last week, the Oklahoman said. Tolls are the only source of revenue for the Turnpike Authority, which operates 10 turnpikes throughout the state.

Labels: toll hikes

TOLL ROAD * Ireland - IRHA calls for cuts

"We are being forced to pay several times over for the same roads"

Dublin,Ireland -HGV -22 July 2009: -- The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has renewed its call for a cut in road roads on the M50 motorway around Dublin, which was brought back into state ownership last August... IRHA president, Vincent Caulfield, said: "With the current difficulties in the transport industry there must be a reduction in the costs for commercial vehicles"... "Hauliers, have no option but to use these roads and pay these increased added costs. We are being forced to pay several times over for the same roads"... (Picture from uk-roads.org, gallery)

Labels: toll roads debate

Policy Decisions * UK - Review of Driving Hours Rules

London,UK -HGV (Ireland) -22 July 2009: -- UK Transport Minister, Paul Clark, has launched a wide-ranging consultation on the hours many van, bus and other professional drivers can worked... Drivers' hours rules set daily driving and duty limits, and in some instances break and rest requirements, in order to improve road safety, promote good working conditions and ensure fair competition between operators... The consultation covers the UK domestic drivers' hours rules. As well as van and many bus drivers, these apply to refuse collection and breakdown vehicles and a range of other professional drivers. They do not apply to lorries or buses on longer routes, which come under the scope of European Union drivers' hours rules... The consultation is part of a comprehensive review of the domestic rules and although it proposes no legislative changes the responses will be used to inform future policy decisions...

Labels: Driving Hours Rules, HOS regulations

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * EUROPE

* UK - Stobart wins £25m Tesco contract

Teesport, Middlesbroug,UK -Road Transport, by Ian Tonkin -22 July 2009: -- Eddie Stobart has won a distribution contract for Tesco's new 910,000ft2 purpose-built import centre at Teesport, Middlesbrough... The agreement, worth in the region of £25m annually, will see Stobart move the bulk of Tesco's non-food products to distribution warehouses throughout the UK...

Labels: trucking industry news Europe

Transport Policies * New Zealand - Govt hampering debate on heavy trucks

Auckland,NZ -The New Zealand Herald Tribune, by Mathew Dearnaley -Jul 21, 2009: -- Pro-rail campaigners say the Government is seeking public support for heavier trucks without producing evidence of economic benefits to justify the extra wear on the country's roads... The Campaign for Better Transport in Auckland says submissions due by Friday on a draft rule change allowing truck loads to be increased to 53 tonnes or more have been hampered by the Ministry of Transport's refusal to provide a report on claimed productivity benefits from Canterbury road trials... Transport Minister Steven Joyce, said last month in announcing the proposed change that the trials and other research indicated productivity gains of 10 per cent to 20 per cent, offering a potential annual increase in gross domestic product of $250 million to $500 million... (Photo: Critics say the move to allow truck loads to be increased will take freight away from rail)

Labels: trucking policies

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE

span style="font-size:130%;">* USA - Mack to idle workers for 2 more weeks. Truck sales are down 38 percent, prompting company to halt production in August

Lower Macungie,PA,USA -The Morning Call, by Tyrone Richardson -July 22, 2009: -- The lackluster economy is forcing Mack Trucks to schedule two more weeklong production shutdowns at its Lower Macungie plant, bringing it to 13 so far this year, officials said... Mack spokesman, John Walsh, said production will be stopped during the weeks of Aug. 24 and 31 at the Lower Macungie Township plant, which produces vocational rigs like garbage trucks and cement mixers and employs about 425 workers. The workers are eligible for unemployment benefits during the duration... Mack reported that trucks delivered in June were 1,160, down 21 percent from the same month a year ago. June was the largest production month so far this year for Mack, but the company is still on track to have one of its lowest production years since at least 2000. Through June, the company has produced 5,173 rigs, down more than 38 percent from the same time a year ago...

* Russia - Truck maker KamAZ posts $1.8 mln net profit in Q2

Moscow,Russia -RIA Novosti -July 21, 2009: -- Russia's largest truck producer KamAZ announced on Tuesday net profits under Russian Accounting Standards of 54.96 million rubles ($1.8 million) in April-June 2009... KamAZ, based in the Volga Republic of Tatarstan, posted a loss of 1.68 billion rubles ($54 million) in the first quarter of this year... KamAZ attributed its positive financial result in the second quarter of this year to asset revaluation resulting from exchange rate differences... KamAZ produces more than 30 models of trucks, as well as trailers, buses, tractors and spare parts. It also manufactures engines, power units, and components... The company has assembly facilities in Poland, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Vietnam and Ukraine... (Photo from automoblog: KamAZ heavy-duty trucks have won the Paris-Dakar rally on several occasions... )

* USA - GM to halt medium-duty truck production

Detroit,MICH,USA -Reuters, by David Bailey & Soyoung Kim & Gerald E. McCormick -22 July 2009: -- General Motors Corp., which filed for bankruptcy protection a week ago, said on Monday that it would cease production of medium-duty trucks by July 31 after attempts to sell the operation failed... GM plans to cease production of Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC Topkick medium-duty trucks by July 31. The automaker sold about 20,000 of the vehicles last year, down from roughly 30,000 in 2007, as the U.S. economy sank into a deep recession... (Photo from irancar Images Gallery: Chevrolet Kodiak)

* Sweden - Volvo focuses on life saving technology

Stockholm,Sweden -HGV (Ireland) -22 July 2009: ... Volvo Trucks launched safety systems that are unique in the industry and that prevent two of the most common causes of accidents: drowsiness and inattentiveness... Volvo Trucks is also in the lead when it comes to stability systems or systems that help the driver maintain control over the truck in difficult driving conditions... Volvo Trucks is the only manufacturer with a system that stabilises a rigid truck hauling one or more trailers... The company is also the only manufacturer in the industry that can offer a vehicle-integrated Alcolock that prevents the truck from being started unless the driver performs a breathalyser test by blowing in the instrument's nozzle and passing the test... The next big step in technological development is a system that make the vehicles even more intelligent like, for instance, by communicating with one another and with the surrounding traffic. In the longer term, these V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle) and V2I (Vehicle to Infrastructure) systems can pave the way for technology where two oncoming vehicles can, for example, 'converse' with each other and avoid a frontal collision if the drivers fail to react... As part of an EU project called HAVEit (Highly Automated Vehicles for Intelligent Transport), Volvo Trucks is participating in the development of a digital co-pilot for trucks. This 'virtual guardian angel' would keep an alert watch on the road and surrounding traffic, ready to help or to step in should the driver lose control....

Labels: truckmakers' news worldwide

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA - Charlotte project converts FedEx trucks to hybrids

Memphis,TENN,USA -The Charlotte Business Journal -July 21, 2009: -- FedEx Corp. has added 92 hybrid-electric trucks to its delivery fleet. The trucks were converted into hybrid vehicles in Charlotte over the past six months, creating 50 temporary jobs in the area... FedEx developed the hybrids with Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. and Eaton Corp., which provided the hybrid-electric systems... The project boosts FedEx’s fleet of hybrid-electric vehicles by more than 50 percent to 264... The newly retrofitted delivery trucks will be placed into service in California, primarily in the Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco metropolitan areas... (Photo from inboundlogistics: FedEx Branded Fleet)

* Virginia adds truck parking to offset 18 rest area closures

VA,USA -Land Line Magazine -July 21, 2009: -- Finding a place to park in Virginia may be a little trickier with the closure of 18 rest areas – but the state says some changes were made so truck parking overall in the state did not take a hit... The Virginia Department of Transportation made short work of closing 18 of the state’s 42 rest areas starting late in the day Monday, July 20, and finishing up the task by the early morning hours of Tuesday, July 21... The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has been critical of VDOT’s closure plan, highlighting the dilemma that truck drivers face in finding appropriate, safe parking facilities in order to comply with hours of service regulations... OOIDA’s efforts, along with those of its members, mitigated the damage VDOT’s plan could have had on truck parking...

* Old Dominion’s Second-Quarter Profit Declines

Thomasville,NC,USA -Transport Topics -22 July 2009: -- Old Dominion Freight Line said Wednesday its second-quarter profit fell to $10.7 million, or 29 cents per share, from $23.9 million, or 64 cents, a year ago... Revenue fell to $316.2 million, from $417.8 million a year ago, the less-than-truckload carrier said in a statement...

* Knight’s 2Q Income Flat from a Year Ago

Phoenix,AZ,USA -Transport Topics -22 July 2009: -- Truckload carrier Knight Transportation’s second-quarter profit was about even with a year ago at $12.6 million, or 15 cents a share, compared with last year’s $12.7 million, or 15 cents per share... Revenue fell to $162.1 million, from $206.1 million a year ago, the company said late Wednesday. Revenue excluding fuel surcharges fell 6.8% to $144.3 million...

* Hub Group’s 2Q Income Drops

Downers Grove, IL,.USA -Transport Topics -22 July 2009: -- Hub Group Inc. said late Wednesday its second-quarter net income fell to $8.3 million, or 22 cents a share, from $15 million, or 40 cents, a year ago... Revenue fell 26% to $363 million, said the company, which also has third-party logistics and freight brokerage operations... Hub Group attributed the decline to a 10% volume decrease and an 18% decrease related primarily to fuel...

* Arkansas Best Reports 2Q Loss

Fort Smith,ARK,USA -Transport Topics -22 July 2009: -- Arkansas Best Corp. reported a second-quarter loss of $15.4 million, or 62 cents a share, compared with a profit of $16.2 million, or 63 cents, a year ago... The loss follows an $18.2 million first-quarter loss. Revenue fell to $362.7 million from $498.5 million a year ago, a per-day decline of 26.7%, the company said Wednesday... Less-than-truckload unit ABF Freight System had an operating loss of $26.8 million compared with operating income of $25.5 million a year ago...

Labels: trucking industry news USA

CLEAN TRUCKS * USA - Long Beach port expands LNG truck fleet

Long Beach,CAL,USA -Energy Current -21 July 2009: -- The Port of Long Beach recently awarded subsidies for 100 new trucks, of which 98 were alternatively fueled liquefied natural gas (LNG) models. The trucks will add to a growing local fleet of less polluting vehicles which, under the Port's Clean Trucks Program, will reduce truck-related air pollution by 80 percent by 2012... Since the program began in late 2008, nearly 5,000 "clean" trucks have registered to work at the Port. The clean trucks now carry more than half of cargo containers in and out of the Port. By 2012, trucks that do not meet the strict 2007 federal "clean" truck emission standards will be banned from the ports. The 100 new truck subsidies were awarded through a lottery on July 7 from more than 1,200 applicants that included trucking companies and independent operators... (Photo from arabiansupplychain pictures gallery: Port LongBeach California)

Labels: Clean Trucks Program

TRUCKING PRODUCTS * USA - Cobra To Bow Trucker PND

Chicago,ILL,USA -Twice, by Amy Gilroy -July 21, 2009: -- Cobra Electronics will deliver in September a portable GPS device for truck drivers that will include a database of points of interest (POI) specifically aimed at professional drivers, said the company... Cobra said it partnered with TruckDown Info International and ProMiles Software Development to develop the database that includes listings of travel centers, fueling stations, heavy-duty towing services, truck-repair shops, truck-friendly hotels, weigh scales, etc... The new personal navigation device (PND) also offers routing specifically aimed at trucks whose access to certain roads may be restricted... (Photo from cobra: nav-one-5000: Portable navigation system)

* UK - Aero trailers get boost in Ricardo report

UK -Road Transport, by Dominic Perry -22 July 2009: -- Aerodynamic trailers, like Don-Bur's Teardrop and slope-fronted double-decks, have received a massive boost after a DfT-commissioned report suggests they offer a cost-effective way of cutting CO2 emissions. The report from consultancy Ricardo, published last week, will be used to inform the government's low carbon transport strategy and may encourage the government to incentivise the uptake of different technologies or introduce new training programmes...

Labels: trucking products

New Study * USA - Shows Need For New Regulations For Clean Air, Worker Safety, And Economic Stability

Washington,DC,USA -Common Dreams -July 21, 2009: -- As the United States Congress considers the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009, which aims to establish national regulatory reforms for American ground transportation, a newly published study details the widespread failures of port trucking deregulation. Port Trucking Down the Low Road: A Sad Story of Deregulation, published by Demos, a national public policy research center, chronicles the industry's downslide since the Federal Motor Carrier Act of 1980.

Key findings of the report include:

* Highway travel has become more hazardous since port trucking deregulation: 77.8 percent of New Jersey port truck drivers reported receiving an unsafe chassis in the last 12 months; on average, 40 percent of containers at Miami's port were overweight in 2006, and in some weeks that figure reached 70 percent.
* The port trucking system has not kept pace with advances in clean truck technologies, creating an increasing environmental crisis: Diesel emissions, especially from older trucks, cause significant harmful health impacts, releasing particles into the air that are carcinogenic and dangerous to the environment and the health of nearby residents.
* The quality of jobs for port truck drivers has decreased substantially: Drivers are on the job five days a week, from 10 to 12 hours a day, earning an average annual income of $28,000 in 2008. As "independent contractors", they do not receive health care or any contributions to a retirement fund and are responsible for all collateral maintenance, taxes, insurance and other costs.
* Deregulation has shifted significant costs to the public, costs previously shouldered by the shipping industry: Diesel emissions cause significant harmful health impacts, estimated by one study to cost the state of California $20 billion annually. More than 25 percent of New Jersey port drivers surveyed rely on public clinics or emergency rooms for health care.
* The goods movement system in the U.S. has become increasingly inefficient. Business logistics expenses for the port trucking industry increased for a fourth straight year in 2007, by $91 billion over the 2006 total. The system does not incentivize warehouse companies to build facilities closer to ports or distribution centers, and a poor communications infrastructure hinders incoming and outgoing container movement.
* The failure of the deregulated port trucking system has also been recognized by three separate North American port agencies that have taken some action to mitigate the problems caused by the Federal Motor Carrier Act of 1980.

Port Trucking Down the Low Road includes a series of reforms and policy recommendations, including:

* Improve quality of trucking jobs by cracking down on employer abuse of misclassifying port truck drivers as independent contractors in order to avoid compliance with employment laws;
* Improve air quality and reduce public health hazards and associated costs by establishing stricter federal diesel emission standards;
* Protect the driving public by enforcing highway safety standards, including weight restrictions and the new 2008 chassis standards for container trucks.

"As demonstrates, re-regulating the terms of port trucking could reverse the vicious circle. Raising standards and certifying only carriers that met them could turn the drivers back into regular employees and create incentives for carriers to modernize their equipment," said David Bensman, Professor of Labor Studies and Employer Relations at Rutgers University... And Bensman added that "as Congress and the Obama Administration debate the timing and contours of updating our nation's laws and policies governing goods movement, this new study identifies key areas in desperate need of regulatory reform to ensure we create a modern, efficient, sustainable, and equitable freight transportation system for the 21st century"... (Picture from media-cdn.tripadvisor, by B&B Nahuel, Ushuaia, Argentine: View down the street)

Labels: clean ports

BORDER RULES * USA/Canada - Trucks Take Security Upgrade in Stride

Customs sees no fallout from Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative

Washington,DC,USA -The Journal of Commerce, by John Gallagher -Jun 12, 2009: -- Trade moving by truck across the U.S.-Canadian border is so far unaffected by the start of the latest security upgrade two weeks ago... The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which took effect June 1, requires drivers entering the United States from Canada to have a valid passport or other special form of identification, such as a NEXUS or FAST card... Initial concerns of delays and diverted freight resulting from the new requirement have so far not materialized, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection... Joanne Ferreira, a CBP official said, that truck drivers arriving at the border without the appropriate credentials “may face a delay as officers confirm citizenship, but they will not be denied entry"... (Photo form media.photobucket: CBP official CBP mottopin)

Labels: rules and regulations

BORDER INFRASTRUCTURES * Canada/USA - Canada Buys Land for New Detroit-Windsor Bridge

Windsor,ONT,Canada -The Journal of Commerce, by Courtney Tower -Jul 20, 2009: -- Canada on July 20 put up the cash to bring a publicly-owned bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, "one step closer" to fruition despite legal and lobbying challenges from the U.S. owner of the present Ambassador Bridge... After years of dispute and controversy, the governments of the United States, Canada, Michigan and Ontario decided to build a replacement bridge two miles from the 80-year-old Ambassador Bridge, owned by industrialist Manuel Moroun of Grosse Point, Mich. They chose the site over the opposition of Moroun, who is trying to go ahead with his own construction of a six-lane twin span to the Ambassador, connecting the existing plazas of Detroit and Windsor... (Photo by John in Mich @ Fickr: Canadian government plans new span despite dispute with owner of Ambassador Bridge)

Labels: border infrastructures

"GREEN" NEWS * USA - Diesel emission projects given funds

Several diesel emission reduction projects have been boosted by a funding hand-out from the US Environmental Protection Agency

USA -The Green Car Website (UK) -21 July 2009: -- It announced awards totalling more than $4.2million in Recovery Act funding for three projects:

* - The Kentucky Association of General Contractors has been rewarded $2million to retrofit and repower diesel powered construction equipment in Kentucky. It will retrofit 87 pieces of diesel powered construction equipment with the funds and promote the adoption of idling practices at 100 construction sites state-wide.

* - New Jersey and New York has been granted $1.4million to clean up a number of long-haul trucks based in the area. The funds go to Cascade Sierra Solutions, which is a not-for-profit trucking organisation that partners with truckers to equip 789 long-haul truck trailers based in the two states. They will be equipped with aerodynamic technologies and gap reducers that should help to lower emissions and fuel consumption.

* - The city of Phoenix will pick up $829,697 aimed at reducing diesel emissions through the retrofitting and replacement of city owned equipment. The funds will go towards 45 pieces of city owned equipment with diesel particulate filters and oxidation catalysts to be used as well as the replacement of an ageing garbage hauler. The vehicles will use ultra-low sulphur diesel with 20 per cent biodiesel.

Labels: green news

Hybrid Truck Industry * USA - Set to Lead Worldwide

Washington,D.C.,USA -VOA News, by Rosanne Skirble -20 July 2009: -- Berjerone Mason has been a FedEx courier in Washington, D.C., for the past 11 years. He begins his workday at the FedEx station around 5 a.m., checks his truck and sorts and loads his packages. When the fleet heads out a few hours later, he's on his own. He'll make some 70 deliveries by the end of the day... Mason gets good service from his truck. While it looks exactly like every FedEx delivery van, it is actually one of just three in the Washington fleet equipped with a hybrid, diesel-electric engine... FedEx was the first in its industry to put a hybrid truck on the road and now operates 200 worldwide, with the largest active fleet in North America. Mason was assigned the hybrid three years ago, and he says he notices the difference in how it drives... (Photo above: The diesel electric truck that FedEx courier Berejone Mason drives improves fuel economy by 42 percent, reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent and cuts particulate pollutants by 96 percent )

Labels: hybrids trucks

BIODIESEL * Sweden - Södra running long-term biodiesel test

Södra has commenced a two-year project in which RME biodiesel, rape methyl ether, is being tested in six vehicles

Växjö Suecia -Lesprom Network (Moscow,Russia) -Jul 15, 2009: -- The project aims to show the environmental and economic benefits of a transition to RME biodiesel as well as its effect on the actual vehicles, the company reports... The fuel meets the EN14214 standard and is produced and delivered by Energigårdarna from its plant in Eslöv in southern Sweden. The rape is grown on local fields. Energy needed for the RME process is provided by a straw boiler along with on-site windpower, and the fuel is also used in the vehicles that deliver RME to filling stations... The test began in January this year when the first vehicles were filled with 100% RME. Three Södra lorries are involved in the project, two Scania and one Volvo. Three fork-lift trucks are also included in the project in conjunction with Volvo Penta. The six vehicles operate in the Mörrum, Älmhult, Ullared and Värö districts, all within reasonable distance for filling with the RME diesel which is produced locally in Skåne...

Labels: biodiesel tests

Reports * USA - Indicate positive trends in trucking M&A activity

Chicago,ILL,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr -Jul 20, 2009: -- Trucking merger and acquisition (M&A) deals continue at a steady pace despite more restricted access to credit and loans, indicating to at least one analyst that the industry is on the road to recovery... According to a new report by BMO Capital Markets, the volume of M&A activity in the transportation sector as a whole remained comparatively strong in 2008 and continued to hold up though the first half of this year...

Labels: freight reports

TRUCKING & CONSUMERS * USA - ATA: 'Climate laws will hurt trucking, consumers'

Climate change legislation will impose significant costs on both the American trucking industry and American consumers

Arlington,VA,,USA -MTD -20 July 2009: -- ... The American Trucking Associations (ATA) recently told at the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works... Ray Kuntz, chairman of the ATA's executive committee, said that "any substantial cost increases imposed directly or indirectly on trucks by climate change legislation will curtail the delivery of vital consumer goods across the nation such as food, medicine and clothing"... According to ATA research, a one cent increase in the average price of diesel costs the trucking industry an additional $390 million in fuel expenses. "Petroleum suppliers indicate that climate change legislation could increase the cost of gasoline by 77 cents per gallon and 88 cents per gallon for diesel fuel. As trucking companies struggle with already miniscule margins, additional costs for fuel would be passed on to shippers of goods and materials, and ultimately, to consumers"...

Labels: researchs

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* USA - Navistar Finishes Field Tests On 2010 Engines After 18 Months

Warrenville,ILL,USA -Transport Topics, by Frederick Kiel -20 July 2009: -- Navistar Inc. said it has completed 18 months of laboratory and field tests of its “advanced” version of exhaust gas recirculation engine technology that will be used to meet 2010 federal emission requirements... Navistar, the only truck maker that will meet the 2010 rules with EGR, said the tests included “cold-weather testing in northern Minnesota”... Company spokesman Roy Wiley, told, he could not say when Navistar planned to submit the engine for certification to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency... Navistar said the next phase of “final validation testing” will take place “at high altitude and high temperature”...

* Sweden - Volvo losses deepen in Q2, stands by market outlook

Stockholm,Sweden -Reuters, by Niklas Pollard & Victoria Klesty -Jul 21, 2009: -- World number two truck maker Volvo posted a deeper than expected second-quarter loss on Tuesday and stood by its forecast that the economic downturn would see its main markets shrivel this year... But the drain of cash from the group slowed considerably in the quarter compared with the previous three months while the Swedish vehicles maker said it had managed to cut inventories further as it adjusted to the plunging demand...

* Sweden - Little let-up seen for truck makers

Stockholm,Sweden -Reuters, by Victoria Klesty -July 20, 2009: -- Sweden's heavy-duty truck makers were seen posting another batch of weak quarterly results this week with demand for commercial vehicles in their key European market yet to shows signs of recovery... With lots filling up with unsold trucks and burdened with an ailing construction equipment unit, Sweden's Volvo is likely to yet again be hit hardest among Europe's top players, according to Reuters polls... Volvo is seen posting a pretax loss -- its third quarterly loss in a row -- of 5.62 billion Swedish crowns ($721.4 million) including restructuring costs that analysts expect will come in at 979 million crowns... Scania, with a smaller base of fixed costs, has so far fared less badly than its larger Swedish rival and analysts expect it to have remained profitable in the second quarter with pretax earnings of 273 million crowns, down 94 percent year-on-year... Scania's truck sales are seen down 42 percent year-on-year in the second quarter...

* USA - Volvo Completes First 2010 Truck

Dublin,VA,USA -Transport Topics -20 July 2009: -- Volvo Trucks North America said Monday that its first 2010-compliant truck has been driven off the assembly line... The truck, a VN670, uses Volvo’s selective catalytic reduction system to comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s emissions standards that take effect in 2010, VTNA said in a statement... The new truck was assembled at Volvo’s New River Valley plant in Dublin, Va., and rolled off the line July 2... Main production on 2010 model trucks will begin in the fall, Volvo said...

* China - Beijing Auto eyes Daimler van partnership - source

Shanghai,China -Reuters -Jul 21, 2009: -- Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corp is in talks with Fujian Motor Industry Group to replace it as the local partner in a commercial vehicle tie-up with Daimler AG in southeast China, a source said on Tuesday... Beijing Auto, which already makes Mercedes-Benz cars in partnership with Daimler in China, wants to take the 50 percent stake held by Fujian Motor in its van manufacturing venture with the German automaker, said a source, briefed on the matter...

* Italy - Fiat to edge back to profit in Q2, debt still weighs

Milan,Italy -Reuters, by Jo Winterbottom & Massimo Gaia -Jul 17, 2009: -- Italian automaker Fiat is forecast to have returned to profit in the second quarter when car sales benefited from tax breaks, but analysts looking under the bonnet say trucks and tractors are still troubled... Chief executive Sergio Marchionne has said this year will be the toughest he has faced but is still predicting a trading profit of more than 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion) and debt being cut below 5 billion euros... Analysts at Cheuvreux expect Fiat to be the only mass-market carmaker in profit in the first half of 2009...

* USA - Caterpillar’s Profit Drops; Boosts ’09 Forecast

Peoria,ILL,USA -Transport Topics -21 July 2009: -- Heavy equipment and diesel engine maker Caterpillar Inc. said Tuesday its second-quarter profit fell by two-thirds, but boosted its full-year earnings forecast... Caterpillar earned $371 million, or 60 cents per share, down from $1.1 billion, or $1.74, a year ago. Sales fell 41% to $7.98 billion, while engine sales fell 32%... The boosted its 2009 outlook, predicting sales to be $32 billion to $36 billion, with a profit of 40 cents to $1.50 per share, including redundancy costs of about $700 million, or 75 cents per share... (Photo from downloadmunkey: Cat2 view of the other trucks...)

Labels: truckmakers news worldwide

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA

* Werner Q2 profit falls 30 pct

Omaha,NE,USA -Reuters -Jul 20, 2009: -- Werner Enterprises Inc., a trucking and logistics company, posted a 30 percent drop in quarterly profit, hurt by lower revenue from its trucking and value added services segments... For the second quarter, net income was $12.7 million, or 18 cents a share, compared with $18.1 million, or 25 cents a share, a year ago... Revenue fell 30 percent to $403.1 million...

* YRC to provide home delivery

Kansas,MO,USA -The Kansas City Star, by Randy Heaster -July 20, 2009: -- YRC Worldwide's national trucking company will offer home-delivery service for large items like furniture, TVs and exercise equipment... YRC Inc. has launched YRC Residential Solutions, geared toward retailers needing shipping services for big items to homes or work locations... YRC, the trucker created through the combination of Yellow Transportation and Roadway, is partnering on the service with STI, a residential delivery specialist...

* Truckload Fleets Slash Driver Pay to Trim Expenses

Washington,DC,USA -Transport Topics, by Rip Watson -20 July 2009: -- About one-third of truckload fleets have cut driver pay over the past 12 months as carriers strive to trim expenses during the extended freight recession, a new survey has reported... The average pay reduction was about 2.6 cents a mile, or 7%, for drivers with three years’ experience when they start work at a new carrier, according to the latest National Transportation Institute survey, released July 13... The quarterly survey continued a pattern of driver pay cuts that first began as early as 2007, when freight tonnage growth began to flag. Driver pay cuts since then have totaled 9.4%... Trucking industry employment has been falling for the past 14 months, federal statistics show, and truck tonnage has dropped more than 10% since early last year, the latest time industry employment increased...

* Nevada laws make several changes to truck rules

Reno,Nevada,USA -Land Line Magazine -July 20, 2009: -- Several new laws on the books in Nevada are of note to the trucking industry. Among them are changes to trip permits, vehicle depreciation, and size and weight checks... As of July 1, commercial vehicles with a combined gross vehicle weight rating of 10,001 pounds or greater not registered in Nevada must obtain a 24-hour temporary trip permit before entering the state. Previously, vehicles could travel to the nearest available vendor to purchase permits... Trucks registered through the International Registration Plan and apportioned to travel in Nevada do not need to purchase a permit... Also included in the law are provisions for administrative fines. Those fines are to be handed out in addition to any applicable criminal penalties, if a vehicle or combination of vehicles is determined to weigh greater than its registered weight... Vehicles cited must be reregistered at their maximum weight, as specified by the vehicle’s manufacturer...

Labels: trucking industry news

LEGAL BATTLE * Canada - Trucking firm wins legal secrecy fight

Lawyers for a Canadian trucking company that's suing the state of New Hampshire over a fatal 2007 crash on an icy highway have won a legal battle to open police reports that state officials had fought to keep secret

Montreal,Quebec,CAN -The Gazzette/Canwest News Service, by Randy Boswell -July 20, 2009: -- ... In a case that could have major implications for government snow-clearing agencies across the U.S., Quebec transport firm Fidele Tremblay is seeking $2.5 million from the state... The lawsuit is over a collision between a car and one of the company's trucks that killed six-year-old Brendon Mahoney along a slippery stretch of Interstate 93 near the New Hampshire-Massachusetts border... The company and its driver, Francis Hammond, have already agreed to pay the boy's mother, Kimberley Kyle, $2.5 million in a settlement reached last year... But the Rimouski-area firm is blaming New Hampshire's Department of Transportation for "recklessly" failing to respond on the day of the accident to repeated requests from police to salt or sand the treacherous roadway, which one state trooper described as an "ice rink" when the crash occurred on Feb. 15, 2007... But pointing to e-mail evidence of a dispute between police and transportation officials about the state of the highway at the time, Hammond's lawyers argued the records could bolster their case that Interstate 93 was a death trap that day due to the state road crews' neglect...

Labels: lawsuits

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC NEWS * WORLDWIDE

Briefing Weekly News

from Freight Forwarding

* Polar Logistics joins BDP Global Network
- Swedish Polar Logistics AB has joined the BDP Global Network, an alliance of small to mid-sized logistics firms. Read Full News Here

* Expeditors results to be below analyst expectations
- Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. has announced that its results will be below market expectations. Read Full News Here

* Agility wins project forwarding contract for gold mine
- Agility Project Logistics is to provide freight management services for Lihir’s Million Ounce Plant Upgrade (MOPU) in Papua New Guinea. Read Full News Here

from Contract Logistics

* New report highlights opportunities in re-structured global auto logistics market
- The latest report from Ti, Global Automotive Logistics 2009, concludes that despite the catastrophic meltdown the market has endured, opportunities exist for the logistics companies who can react fast enough to a savage rationalisation of the auto industry. Read Full Brief Here

* Dentressangle extends kitchen appliance contract
- Groupe SEB, the manufacturer of small domestic equipment, has extended its contract with European logistics company Norbert Dentressangle. Read Full News Here

* Graco Inc. selects Kuehne + Nagel in Australia
- Kuehne + Nagel has won a new contract for the provision of integrated logistics services for the Australian operations of Graco Inc. Read Full News Here

* General Motors awards CEVA contract extension
- CEVA Logistics has won a contract expansion with General Motors (GM) in Brazil adding two new operations. Read Full News Here

* Rhenus chosen by Mohawk Fine Papers
- Rhenus Contract Logistics Netherlands has been selected as the European logistics provider for Mohawk Fine Papers Inc. in the EMEA region. Read Full News Here

* Agility DGS wins Afghanistan logistics contract
- Agility Defense & Government Services (DGS) has been awarded a task order for logistics support in Afghanistan under its existing LOGCAP IV contract. Read Full News Here

* CEVA launches Inbound Manufacturing Contract for Ford
- CEVA Logistics has launched the operation of an inbound manufacturing support facility for Ford Motor Company's Kentucky Truck plant in Louisville, USA. Read Full News Here

from Road Freight

* Heartland Express reports revenues for second quarter
- Heartland Express, Inc. has announced financial results for the last quarter showing operating revenues for the quarter decreasing rapidly. Read Full News Here

* YRC Worldwide announces progress on recovery plan
- YRC Worldwide Inc. says it has made progress on its plan to realise efficiencies and restore financial strength. Read Full News Here

* UK road freight market ‘shows signs of improvement’
- The UK road transport market is showing signs of improvement according to new findings from Teleroute. Read Full News Here

* USA Truck sees no recovery in 2009
- USA Truck has seen revenues fall by a fifth and sees no upturn for the rest of the year. Read Full News Here

from Air Cargo

* Signs of growing stability in Air Cargo market
- Two of the world’s leading air cargo terminals have said that they detect signs of stabilisation in the market over the past month. Read Full Brief Here

* American sees air cargo revenues fall 42.6%
- AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines, Inc., has reported a fall in revenues, partly driven by a meltdown in air cargo volumes. Read Full News Here

from Warehousing

* ProLogis develops Dutch facility for LG Electronics subsidiary
- ProLogis is to develop a new distribution facility in The Netherlands for Hi-Logistics, a wholly owned logistics subsidiary of LG Electronics. Read Full News Here

* AMB leases distribution centre in Seattle to Kimberly-Clark
- AMB Property Corporation has leased a facility to Kimberly-Clark at its East Valley Warehouse in the Kent Valley region of Seattle. Read Full News Here

from Shipping/Ports

* Ports see a stabilising of demand ahead
- Speaking yesterday (16/7/2009) on the publication of its half-yearly figures, the management of the Port of Rotterdam said that it sees the recession in maritime trade levelling out despite a severe fall in volumes over the past six months. Read Full Brief Here

from IT Solutions

* UK courier network implements new IT solution
- UK courier delivery network, Hermes, is adopting a new mobile communications solution to track, trace and report on the delivery of all parcels. Read Full News Here

* Schneider Logistics sells Czech freight audit and payment business
- Schneider Logistics has announced the sale of its Olomouc, Czech Republic, freight audit and payment operation to ExlService Holdings, Inc. Read Full News Here

(Photo from galawallpapers: Virgin Atlantic)

Labels: transport and logistics news

TRUCK SALES * Canada - Class 8 orders spike in June, but NA activity remains weak

Columbus,IND,USA -Today's Trucking -17 July 2009: -- In June, Canada posted its highest net orders of Class 8 trucks since last November, but North American orders remained 51% lower than June of 08, according to the latest figures released by ACT Research... ACT’s State of the Industry report showed North American Class 8 orders reached a six-month high in June, but the positive results were largely offset by a high rate of cancellations... The research group said medium-duty orders remained weak in June...

Labels: truck sales USA and Canada

INFRASTRUCTURES * China - Paving Roads with Old Circuit Boards

With an eye to recycling, circuit boards are being used in asphalt

Shanghai,China -Scientific American (USA), by Mark Fischetti -June 2009: -- Millions of printed circuit boards from discarded electronics are tossed into landfills every year. In addition to the volume of waste, the material can leach chemicals into the soil. As an alternative, researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China are finding various ways to reuse the panels, including as an additive in asphalt... Xu Zhenming and his colleagues stripped the boards of all components, pulverized the remains into a powder and used an electrostatic separator to remove fine bits of any remaining metals, leaving a pulp of glass fibers and resin. They then added those remnants to warmed asphalt, to see if the pulp would act as a binder. Binders such as ground tire rubber and charcoal are typically added to improve asphalt’s stiffness at high temperatures (to reduce rutting) and its pliability at low temperatures (to prevent cracking). The pulp improved both properties, especially when the powder grains were made as small as possible... Zhenming’s team is testing the modified asphalt to check how it holds up to outdoor conditions over time. It is also experimenting with forming the pulp into sheets that could be made into structures such as park benches and fences...

Labels: "green" infrastructures

REGULATIONS * Ireland - Gardai get ready to focus on drivers' hours

Dublin,Ireland -HGV -19 July 2009: -- The Gardai is planning to target haulage operators in a bid to crack down on tachograph offences... The Gardai has advertised on the Government e-tenders website and is seeking new technology to crack down on digital tachographs infringements, using laptop computers... The move is aimed at tackling breaches of regulations particularly in relation to drivers' hours... (P.N.: garda (gardai) gaar-du. Usage: Ireland. Policeman or policewoman) - (Picture from hgvireland gallery)

Labels: rules and regulations

* UK's most irritating road users?: Tailgaters are

London,UK -HGV - 19 July 2009: -- Tailgaters are the UK's most irritating road users and more needs to be done to tackle the menace of 'close following' according to a new campaign, launched today to improve the standard of driving... The habit of driving too close to the vehicle in front was voted as the most irritating behaviour of other drivers by 36 per cent of road users in an AA/Populus survey of over 14,500 AA members, conducted to launch the Autocar/AA Drive Better Campaign... And not only is tailgating extremely annoying, it's also very dangerous... The AA says that 'detailed analysis of police accident causation figures has shown that close following is a particular problem, contributing to 16 per cent of motorway accidents' ... However, the AA says that it's difficult to judge the scale of close following accidents on lesser roads, 'mainly because many more of the collisions will not involve injury and therefore not be recorded in studies'...

Labels: dangerous drivers

DONATIONS * USA - Conservative Group Hit Up FedEx in UPS Dispute

Report says group asked for donation in exchange for endorsement in labor dispute

Washington,DC,USA -The Journal of Commerce -Jul 17, 2009: -- A major conservative interest group asked FedEx for a $2 million to $3 million donation in exchange for the group’s backing in a legislative battle with UPS... Politico, a Washington-based publication, saying it had received a copy of the letter from the American Conservative Union, reported FedEx did not respond to the request. The conservative group since then has endorsed UPS and its call for Congress to change the way FedEx is covered under federal labor law... FedEx is fighting a measure in Congress that would move coverage of the operator’s air express business, now under the Railway Labor Act, to the National Labor Relations Act, which could make it easier for labor unions to organize FedEx Express workers at individual terminals... Politico quoted an official at the American Conservative Union who said the group did not receive money from UPS...

Labels: FEDEX vs UPS

SCR vs. EGR * USA - 'At-the-Pump' DEF

Pilot announces diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) schedule, locations

Knoxville,TEN,USA -CSP -July 20, 2009: -- Pilot Travel Centers, the nation's largest retail operator of travel centers with more than 350 owned or licensed retail interstate locations in 41 states, has announced installation plans for the rollout of 100 diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) "at-the-pump" locations. The company was the first travel center chain to make the commitment to offer DEF at the pump, it said, and will carry prepackaged supplies of DEF at all 350 Pilot retail stores... Pilot's initial plans call for the installation of 100 bulk dispensing pumps at locations spread out nationally and at a rate of 25 pumps per quarter beginning in the third quarter of 2009 through the second quarter of 2010... Virtually all of the heavy-duty engines in volume production today, that will continue to be sold after the new standards take effect, will use SCR to comply with the new 2010 standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). SCR technologies optimize engine function and, in turn, reduce fuel consumption and improve reliability and driveability for their owners...

Labels: EGR vs SCR

RULES * USA - Drivers adapting to new ones

Highway Patrol issuing only warnings for now for failing to turn on headlights with wipers

Columbus,OH,USA -The Columbus Dispatch, by James Nash -July 19, 2009: -- Starting July 1, truckers got to drive faster on rural interstates, drivers were instructed to move over for stopped tow trucks and other service vehicles, and headlights became a requirement when windshield wipers are running... The new traffic rules haven't resulted in a flurry of enforcement, according to data from the State Highway Patrol, or in any significant change in driver behavior... Sgt. Chip Moser, a 22-year patrol veteran assigned to the West Jefferson post, said he and his colleagues are keeping a close eye on trucks. Although most have boosted their speed since the higher limit took effect, they aren't taking too many liberties, he said... (Photo by SHARI LEWIS/DISPATCH - Ohio increased the speed limit for big rigs on rural interstate highways July 1. Although it's too soon to draw conclusions, the State Highway Patrol has written fewer speeding tickets to truckers than last July)

Labels: rules and regulations

TRUCKMAKER LAWSUIT *- USA - Trucking Firm Files Lawsuit Over Fire

A Batesville trucking company charges that a defective design in a Kenworth Truck Co. vehicle started a fire in October that caused more than $230,000 in damage

ARK,USA -The Arkansas Business News, by Mark Friedman -20 July 2009: -- ... Bill Davis Trucking Inc., which is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, said that in October, one of its employees parked a 2007 model truck it bought from Paccar Inc. of Bellevue, Wash., which does business as Kenworth, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court... The employee then left Bill Davis' parking lot and the truck caught fire, also causing damage to another one of Bill Davis' 2007 Kenworth trucks, which was parked next to it, the lawsuit said... "The cause of the fire was the defective design and installation of the battery cable," the lawsuit said. The fire caused $236,070 in damage... Bill Davis is suing for negligence and breach of expressed and implied warranties... A Paccar spokesman was unavailable for comment... (Photo from classytrucks.org: Kenworth 1998 T600)

Labels: truckmakers news

MEXICANS' TRUCKS * USA - Time to end the dispute with Mexico

Over trucks and tariffs on U.S. products

Seattle,WASH,USA -The Seattle Times, by Kate Riley -16 July 2009: -- Nothing good comes from neighbors feuding. Bound by proximity, they must find ways to work things out... Nevertheless, Congress and President Obama did the rough equivalent of blocking the neighbor's driveway by ending a pilot project permitting Mexican trucks to bring cargo into the United States — a practice authorized in the North American Free Trade Agreement. Congress enacted and Obama signed in March a spending bill that stopped funding the experiment that, by many accounts, including a federal report, was successful... Mexico retaliated with steep tariffs on more than 90 U.S. products, which is squeezing Washington potato and pear, apricot and cherry producers, among others... The roiling trade dispute between Mexico and the United States is bad for business and counterproductive as the two countries attempt to improve border security and solve escalating violence related to drug cartels... I hope it's not later than that. One Mexican official familiar with the two countries' discussions said Thursday that if progress isn't made in resolving the dispute by the end of summer, Mexico likely will impose tariffs on a second round of U.S. products... Time to end this neighborhood dispute before it escalates further... (Photo from errantbodies.org: active trucking)

Labels: mexicans' trucks debate

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31.7.09

DANGEROUS DRIVER * USA - Texting, talking NY trucker hits car, pool

TRUCKER'S STORY * USA - Henryville truck driver passes prestigious 2 million miles safety mark

Trucks Weight * USA - Pilot Project Moves Forward In Senate

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA - YRC Worldwide suffers another big quarterly loss

30.7.09

TRUCKMAKERS' STORY * Holland - 60 years of DAF truck production

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * Africa - KRA steps up the war on dumping of transit goods

NEW TRUCKERS* USA - White collar workers find new gigs in big rigs

ELECTRIC TRUCKS * USA - AT&T Accepts Keys to Next Generation All-Electric Cargo Truck

TRUCK SALES * Greece - Athens chooses the ecofriendly Mercedes-Benz Econic NGT

TRUCK BUYERS BEWARE * USA - It could haunt truckers purchasing used trucks

MEXICANS' TRUCKS * USA - New truck rules please U.S. business

Regulation Barriers * Canada - Block greening of trucking industry

Shippers Fight * USA - Truck Regulation Rewrite

DANGEROUS DRIVERS * USA & Canada - The Dangers of Texting While Driving

TRUCKERS' PORT DELAYS * USA - Frustrating. Endure shrinked hours during recession

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA

29.7.09

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

Cell Phone Regs * USA - Approved for Texas trucking

INFRASTRUCTURES * USA - Missouri could be testing ground for truck-only lanes

CLEAN TRUCKS PROGRAMS * USA - NY-NJ Port Funds Truck Replacement

Traffic Congestion *- Viet Nam - Dogs southern port

Electronic Tachograph * Azerbaijan - EU demand to become compulsory since 2010

24.7.09

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

STRIKE * India - Indefinite transport strike in Kolkata from Friday

RULES * USA - NHTSA sets new braking one

MEXICANS' TRUCKS * USA's Companies Form Alliance To Urge Resolution To Trucking Dispute

TRUCKING INDUSTRY WORLDWIDE * Canada - Trucking firms hit by recession in Q2

Economy * Canada - Bellwether Trucking Industry Sees Signs That Worst May Be Over for

23.7.09

Truckers' Complain * Canada/BC - They're pushed beyond safe limits

TROOPERS' TRUCKERS * USA - Troopers Become Truckers In Undercover Operation

TRUCKERS FIGHT * USA & Canada - OOIDA and others fight truck restrictions on NY roads

TRUCKS' BAN * Philippines - Lobregat formalizes truck ban

TRUCKING IDEAS * USA - Vintage advertising: Cosmetics company's message goes on road

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

22.7.09

STRIKE * India - Truckers stay away from July 24 strike

TOLLS * USA - Oklahoma to Raise Tolls 16% in August

TOLL ROAD * Ireland - IRHA calls for cuts

Policy Decisions * UK - Review of Driving Hours Rules

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * EUROPE

Transport Policies * New Zealand - Govt hampering debate on heavy trucks

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA - Charlotte project converts FedEx trucks to hybrids

CLEAN TRUCKS * USA - Long Beach port expands LNG truck fleet

TRUCKING PRODUCTS * USA - Cobra To Bow Trucker PND

New Study * USA - Shows Need For New Regulations For Clean Air, Worker Safety, And Economic Stability

21.7.09

BORDER RULES * USA/Canada - Trucks Take Security Upgrade in Stride

BORDER INFRASTRUCTURES * Canada/USA - Canada Buys Land for New Detroit-Windsor Bridge

"GREEN" NEWS * USA - Diesel emission projects given funds

Hybrid Truck Industry * USA - Set to Lead Worldwide

BIODIESEL * Sweden - Södra running long-term biodiesel test

Reports * USA - Indicate positive trends in trucking M&A activity

TRUCKING & CONSUMERS * USA - ATA: 'Climate laws will hurt trucking, consumers'

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA

LEGAL BATTLE * Canada - Trucking firm wins legal secrecy fight

20.7.09

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC NEWS * WORLDWIDE

TRUCK SALES * Canada - Class 8 orders spike in June, but NA activity remains weak

INFRASTRUCTURES * China - Paving Roads with Old Circuit Boards

REGULATIONS * Ireland - Gardai get ready to focus on drivers' hours

* UK's most irritating road users?: Tailgaters are

DONATIONS * USA - Conservative Group Hit Up FedEx in UPS Dispute

SCR vs. EGR * USA - 'At-the-Pump' DEF

RULES * USA - Drivers adapting to new ones

18.7.09

TRUCKMAKER LAWSUIT *- USA - Trucking Firm Files Lawsuit Over Fire