User-agent: Mediapartners-Google* Disallow: Trucks World News: December 2010
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Dec 28, 2010

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA - Groups file petition to stop drayage-truck registries

Such “port registries” violates FAAAA, and affects the price, route, or service offered by motor carriers


Grain Valley,MO,USA -Penton Media/Fleet Owner -Dec 23, 2010: -- The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), the New Jersey Motor Truck Association and the Port Drivers Federation 18 have jointly filed a petition with the Department of Transportation (DOT) to prohibit the formation of mandatory drayage truck registries being compiled by various ports as well as one currently used by California Air Resources Board (CARB) since 2007...  OOIDA said the petition aims to prevent what it calls “an unworkable patchwork of local and state laws” that could impede the efficient movement of goods in interstate commerce... The petition filed by the three groups argues that such “port registries” violates Section 209(c) of the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (FAAAA) resulting in a regulatory regime that affects the price, route, or service offered by motor carriers... The petition also requests a determination that additional identification requirements imposed through the use of registries are prohibited by Section 4306 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU)...

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Dec 27, 2010

GREEN NEWS * USA - House Approves Diesel Emissions Reduction Act

"This is the equivalent of taking 13 million of today's trucks off the roads"...

Washington,DC,USA -Work Truck On Line/Shared by Mike Willcockson in World of Trucks (Linkedin) -December 22, 2010:   ...  "When all of today's older diesels have been replaced by new models that meet current EPA standards, at least 110,000 tons of particulate matter (or soot) and 2.6 million tons of smog-forming nitrogen oxides will be eliminated from the nation's air"...   The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) now just needs President Obama's signature for the bipartisan legislation to be reauthorized for five more years as the U.S. House of Representatives approved DERA this morning by a voice vote, according to the Diesel Technology Forum...   DERA is a five-year reauthorization of the highly-successful program created in 2005 to establish voluntary national and state-level grant and loan programs to reduce diesel emissions  upgrading and modernizing older diesel engines and equipment...  DERA is being supported by a unique and diverse coalition of more than 500 environmental, health, industry, labor and government organizations...  DERA funds are used to clean up the nation's older diesels, by retrofitting or replacing them with new technologies that significantly reduce the soot and emissions. EPA estimates there to be an estimated 11 million older diesel trucks, buses, and equipment in use today...

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WEATHER TROUBLES * USA - Winter storm bears down on U.S. East Coast

Icy roads, strict security

San Francisco,CAL,USA -MarketWatch -Dec. 25, 2010: -- A snowstorm moving up the East Coast from the South is threatening air and ground transportation as travelers return home from their Christmas holidays... The storm has prompted forecasters to post a winter storm watch through Monday for the East Coast from Georgia to Maine... It is predicted to dump as much as a a foot or more in some areas by Monday morning, including the Boston area... The weather service was forecasting possible snow for the New York and Boston areas, starting Sunday and continuing into Sunday night, with overnight temperatures in the 20s and wind gusts up to 30 miles an hour... Many travelers across the Midwest are struggling with icy roads. The storm produced a rare white Christmas in Georgia... The National Weather Service said the storm could bring more than 5 inches of snow to the Washington region... The weather is the result of a low-pressure system moving along the Gulf Coast. It is expected to intensify and move northeast on Sunday to the mid-Atlantic states and New England... (Picture from newsoftworld: Amazing pictures ice storm USA)

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Dec 24, 2010

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA & Canada - Truck maker Volvo upbeat on

Stockholm,Sweden -Reuters, by Patrick Lannin and Hans Peters -Dec 22, 2010: -- Truck maker Volvo has seen an improved result in North America and increased its market share, an executive was on Wednesday quoted as saying...  Volvo saw demand dry up during the 2009 downturn, but this year it has recovered strongly...   Volvo's North American truck operations chief Dennis Slagle said that the Volvo brand of trucks had 13 percent market share in the U.S. market in October and November, which was an improvement he thought the company could maintain...  Together with Volvo's Mack brand, the company had a market share of 23 percent, making it the number two in North America. The biggest gains have come in the long distance truck market...  He said Volvo had also been increasing the share of trucks with its own engines, which are more profitable... (Photo from needsspeed.blogspot: The 2010 Volvo FH16 700 Trucks)


* USA - Navistar’s 4Q Earnings Drop; Truck Revenue Jumps

Warrenville,ILL,USA -Transport Topics -22 Dec 2010: -- Navistar International Corp. said Wednesday its fourth-quarter profit fell 55% from a year ago, on higher costs of a new labor agreement...  Revenue for the quarter ended Oct. 31 rose 2% to $3.37 billion, boosted by higher truck segment sales. Net revenue for the truck segment rose to $86 million, from $5 million a year ago... The truck segment reported a full fiscal-year profit of $424 million, up from a 2009 profit of $147 million. Commercial units sold by the company’s U.S. and Canada Class 6-8 truck and school bus businesses rose 11% in 2010...  Navistar said the quarter’s results were in line with its projection that it would deliver more than 17,000 2010-emission compliant vehicles in the United States and Canada... Navistar projected total truck industry retail sales for Class 6-8 trucks and school buses in the U.S. and Canada for the fiscal year ending Oct. 31, 2011, will be in the range of 230,000 to 250,000 units...


* USA - Emissions targets ‘cost jobs in US’

Chicago,ILL / New York,NY,USA -Financial Times (UK), by Hal Weitzman and Jeremy Lemer -December 19 2010: -- Strict environmental controls are costing US manufacturing jobs, according to the head of one of the country’s biggest truckmakers...  In an interview with the Financial Times, Dan Ustian, chief executive of Navistar, the US’s biggest manufacturer of medium-sized trucks by sales, said vehicle emissions targets were set with little consultation with industry...  Mr Ustian said the approach encapsulated how the administration of President Barack Obama was “anti-business”...  The US Environmental Protection Agency implemented truck emissions reductions of 95 per cent between 2007 and 2010. The Obama administration has recently announced plans for further reductions of 10-20 per cent between 2014 and 2018...


* USA - Bendix delivers 100,000th ESP system


TRUCK ELECTRONIC STABILITY PROGRAM

Elyria,OH,USA -Fleet Owner -Dec 23, 2010: -- Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems recently delivered its 100,000th Electronic Stability Program system... “Reaching this milestone, while a significant achievement for Bendix, is also a major step forward in helping fleets and their drivers improve safety on our roads,” said Fred Andersky, director of marketing-- controls... Bendix ESP is a full-stability technology that addresses both roll and directional stability...   The full stability system recognizes and mitigates conditions that could lead to a rollover or loss-of-control situation on both dry surfaces as well as a host of other road conditions, including snowy and ice-covered surfaces, according to Bendix...


* Canada - Cooking with gas !! 50 Peterbilt trucks powered with LNG fuel system

Abbotsford,B.C.,Canada -Hooked Up/Truck News, by James Menzies -24 Dec 2010: -- Vedder Transport just announced it is buying 50 Peterbilt trucks powered by Westport's liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel system...  The trucks are Peterbilt Model 386s with Westport's HD natural gas system. They'll be making deliveries in southern B.C., primarily serving food-grade bulk customers, the fleet announced. Where fueling infrastructure exists, natural gas-powered trucks are proving to be a viable option in regional applications...

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PROGNOSIS * USA - Driver shortage, small fleet survivability will vex all carriers in 2011

Nashville,TN,USA -Fleet Owner, by David Cullen -Dec 15, 2010: -- While large carriers are likely to find 2011 a challenging yet lucrative year, they should keep an eye out for their smaller brethren. That’s because an influential survey indicates that small fleets [under $25 million revenue] -- which provide a large chunk of capacity— are “vulnerable to a sluggish economy and increased fuel prices” unless they get rate relief “quickly and broadly.” In addition, the same study shows carriers of all sizes are very concerned about securing enough drivers and owner-operators... According to Transport Capital Partners, LLC (TCP), which handles transportation M&A as well as capital sourcing and offers advisory services, its latest Business Expectation Survey hasfound that “both drivers and independent contractors (IC) are on carriers' minds.” About three-fourths of the fleets responding to the survey use owner-operators... Of these fleets, 57% saw their IC counts remaining steady, about 29% are using various means to recruit and finance fleet additions, and the balance are seeing declining numbers. “Lease purchase plans by one in ten fleets are popular along with ICs who finance elsewhere or [using] a combination of methods to attract contractors,” said TCP partner Richard Mikes...

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OPTIMISM * USA - Truck sales will “gradually” pick up in ’11, ’12 and ‘13

San Antonio,TX,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr -Dec 15, 2010: -- Sales of new trucks should pick up nicely over the next three years, according to W. M. “Rusty” Rush, president & CEO of Rush Enterprises, which owns one of the largest chains of truck dealerships in the U.S... Yet he cautioned that while motor carriers continue to experience a healthy uptick in freight volumes and rates, it will be slow going for those two critical metrics over the next several years. That means truck sales will be good, but will not necessarily return to the heady peak last seen in 2006... RTC operates 59 dealerships in 14 states and employs between 800 and 900 technicians. Rush Enterprises overall survived the downturn and stayed profitable. It generated $1.2 billion in revenues last year and sold 9,490 commercial trucks, yet remained focused on its goal of growing to $5 billion in revenue with a 20% average return on equity...

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posted by Unknown @ 1:02 PM  0 comments

Dec 17, 2010

TRUCKERS' STORIES * Pakistan - "Deadliest Journeys"

New TV series looks at world’s most dangerous journeys



The Lowari Pass,Pakistan -The Friday Facts (Australia):  --   A new TV series, Deadliest Journeys, uncovers the world's most treacherous roads, where intrepid travellers risk life and limb to reach their destinations... Video from YouTube, by Current -28 April 2010: THE DEATH TUNNEL: The Lowari Pass in Pakistan winds its way through the mountainous region bordering Afghanistan. Ten kilometres of this road, dubbed the 'death tunnel' by locals, cuts straight through the mountain. Landslides and avalanches are common and the tunnel has to be cleared every day for rocks. Drivers like 23 year old Dawood navigate it at their peril. The smallest error can be fatal.

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posted by Unknown @ 6:51 PM  1 comments

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE - Optimism abounds for 2011 as well

* Germany - Daimler, truckmakers see enormous growth this year

Hanover,Frankfurt,Germany -Reuters, by Hendrik Sackmann and Christiaan Hetzner -September 21, 2010: -- Europe's truckmakers anticipate profits will rebound faster than expected in 2010, thanks to emerging markets where "enormous" growth rates pushed aside painful memories of the industry's worst ever slump... Global leader Daimler AG celebrated a 65 percent surge innew vehicle orders for commercial trucks in the first eight months of this year, citing explosive demand in China, Indonesia and Latin America... Renschler said he would give a more precise forecast for earnings at his division, which currently expects earnings before interest and tax of around 1 billion euros ($1.3billion), when Daimler reports third-quarter group figures on Oct. 28... Daimler Trucks has already increased its guidance twice this year from its initial target of about 200 million euros...


* Germany - Daimler Interested in Fiat Unit, Tognum

Berlin,Germany -Businessweek/Bloomberg, by Chris Reiter -December 16, 2010: -- Daimler AG remains interested in acquiring part or all of Fiat SpA’s industrial unit as well as repurchasing former unit Tognum AG, which is 28 percent-owned by the automaker, Manager Magazin reported citing unidentified company officials... Daimler could buy into the Fiat unit that includes truckmaker Iveco after a planned initial public offering, if a deal isn’t reached earlier, the magazine said in an advance release of story in tomorrow’s edition. Daimler had previously offered Fiat about 10 billion euros for the unit that also makes agriculture equipment, while Fiat was seeking between 12 billion and 13 billion euros... (Photo: Tognum’s MTU brand engines in Aiken in the US State of South Carolina)


* Sweden - Volvo Nov truck shipments up 52 pct yr/yr

Stockholm,Sweden -Reuters -Dec 15, 2010: -- World number two truck maker Volvo said on Wednesday shipments of its trucks rose 52 percent year-on-year in November as the market for commercial vehicles extended its recovery... Volvo, which sells trucks under the Renault, Mack, UD Trucks and Eicher brands as well as its own name, said unit shipments rose 76 percent in Europe while they were up 71 percent in North America... In Asia, deliveries rose 23 percent from a year ago... (Picture from fondoscopados: Volvo trucks)


* Germany - MAN SE Finance Chief Says Truck Deliveries Set to Beat Forecast This Year

Hanover, Germany -Bloomberg, by Andreas Cremer - Dec 17, 2010: -- MAN SE, Europe’s third-largest maker of commercial vehicles, said 2010 truck deliveries will probably top an earlier forecast and that sales gains will continue into next year powered by demand from emerging economies... MAN received 5,500 to 6,000 orders per month in October and November at the main commercial-vehicles division, Chief Financial Officer Frank Lutz said. Sales at the German manufacturer rose 21 percent between July and September to 3.76 billion euros while orders surged 40 percent to 3.72 billion euros. Truck orders gained 73 percent. Lutz said MAN aims to raise its share of the European market for trucks weighing six metric tons or more to as much as 18 percent next year from 16.7 percent in 2009... Business in Brazil, where MAN is the leading maker of trucks weighing 6 tons or more, may continue to improve in 2011, especially after government tax subsidies were extended by another year, according to Lutz... MAN bought Volkswagen’s Brazilian truck operations in March 2009. The manufacturer’s deliveries to Latin America surged 45 percent to 17,476 trucks in the third quarter, increasing year- to-date sales to 50,464 units. Sales in Brazil, the region’s biggest market, totaled 12,775 trucks... (Photographer: Jochen Eckel/Bloomberg - MAN SE trucks sit on display at the IAA Commercial Vehicles Show)


* Europa - Truck sales accelerate in November

Paris,France -Reuters. by Helen Massy-Beresford / Erica Billingham -Dec 17, 2010: -- New European commercial vehicle sales rose 16.3 percent in November, industry association ACEA said on Friday, as the truck and van market recovery accelerated after last year's downturn... In the first 11 months of the year, commercial vehicle registrations, including heavy trucks, smaller vans and buses and coaches, rose 7.5 percent...   In November a total of 160,495 commercial vehicles were registered in the European union...   Highly cyclical demand for heavy trucks has grown strongly in the last few months after the worst downturn in decades...  Booming growth in emerging markets such as Asia and Latin America has helped truckmakers while demand has also increased in Europe. But there are also concerns that the eurozone's mounting economic woes could destabilise the recovery...  Light commercial vehicle sales rose 11.6 percent in November, while heavy truck sales increased 69.8 percent...


* China - Foton, Tengzhong to establish special vehicle JV

Beijing,China -Search Auto Parts/Aftermarket Business -Dec 14, 2010: -- Beiqi Foton Motor, one of China's major truck makers, announced on November 25 that the company plans to set up a joint venture called Sichuan Tengzhong Foton Special Vehicle with Chengdu Huarui Special Vehicle, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery (“Tengzhong”), one of China's major privately owned engineering companies. With a registered capital of $11.7 million, the JV will specialize in the production and sale of special vehicles as well as aftesales services... The partnership with Tengzhong will greatly benefit Foton as it will enable the truck maker to meet the increasing demand for trucks in southwest China and enhance its brand reputation there while expanding the market share of its Auman series of heavy trucks in the region by strengthening its localized production capabilities and reducing logistics and sales costs, according to an industry analyst... Noticeably, the large investment by Tengzhong came in the wake of the cancellation of its acquisition of American automobile brand Hummer from General Motors as a result of its failure to get Chinese regulatory approval... (Photo from upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia: Foton Auman truck)


* USA - Nissan releases pricing for NV commercial van

Franklin,TN,USA -Fleet Owner -Dec 15, 2010: -- Nissan North America, Inc. has announced that its 2012 Nissan NV will be sold starting at $24,590. The NV is the company’s first entry into the commercial vehicle market in the U.S... The NV will be produced at Nissan’s Canton, MS assembly plant and is scheduled to go on sale nationwide beginning this spring via a select network of Nissan Commercial Vehicle dealers... All 2012 NV models are equipped with five-speed automatic transmissions... The NV provides exceptional utility, thanks to a long, wide cargo floor, square-top wheelwell housings and nearly vertical sidewalls, stated NNA., "along with maximizing cargo space, the sidewalls accommodate aftermarket storage systems multiple integrated reinforced mounting points for durable installation of cargo customization equipment"..  (Photo from automobilesreview: The NV200 will also offer the possibility to maximise cargo space utility. The smart cargo floor layout allows accommodation of a standard Europallet between the rear wheel arches)


* Japan - Fuso to Sell in Pakistan


Tokyo,Japan -Autoevolution (Romania), by Daniel Patrascu -22 December 2010:  --  Today, German manufacturer Daimler announced its plans of expanding its truck business in Asia, by launching its operations in Pakistan. The path for growth in the region will be set by the Fuso FV Super Great heavy-duty prime mover and the Fuso FE Canter light-duty truck, who will be marketed in the country by Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation (MFTBC)...  The models will be assembled locally in Karachi by Master Motor Corporation, using completely knocked down kits shipped from Japan. Currently, Daimler is looking to create a sales and service network to handle the task of making the models count for something in Pakistan...   Pakistan is part of the market Daimler likes to call Next 11. Comprising countries like Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, South Korea, the Philippines, Nigeria and Vietnam, this market is seen by the German officials as key to the expansion and growth of the group...


* Russia - Renault to start making trucks at Russian plant in April


Yekaterinburg,Russia -RIA Novosti -December 23, 2010: -- Renault Trucks, part of Volvo group, will start making Midlum trucks at the Urals Cars and Motors plant in April, Alexander Kharlov, minister of international and foreign economic relations of the Sverdlovsk region, where the plant is based, said on Thursday... Under a contract between Renault Trucks and Urals Cars and Motors, the Russian company will produce Renault Midlum trucks and use some Renault component parts for Russian trucks...


* UK - BAE extends HybriDrive system to trucks

Farnborough, Hampshire,UK -Gizmag, by Darren Quick -December 23, 2010: -- BAE is developing a parallel version of its HybriDrive system for medium and heavy-duty trucks... The HybriDrive series propulsion system developed by BAE Systems is currently enhancing the fuel efficiency and cutting emissions on more than 3,000 transit buses in cities around the world, including New York and London... The system is specifically suited to the driving patterns of urban transport, which involve low average speeds and frequent stopping and starting. To meet the needs of applications that have higher operating speeds and less frequent stops, BAE is developing a new parallel hybrid propulsion system to bring the fuel-saving benefits of its technology to medium and heavy-duty trucks... BAE Systems says the HybriDrive parallel system is in the final stages of development with the first road trial slated for around Q2 2011, ahead of an expected deployment of the system in 2012...

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Dec 16, 2010

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC NEWS * WORLDWIDE

Briefing Weekly News

(Photo from JOC)


from Freight Forwarding

* Aramex closes key acquisitions and forms joint ventures in Asia and Turkey
- Aramex has announced a series of strategic acquisitions and partnerships in Turkey, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Read Full News Here

from Contract Logistics

* Wincanton boss resigns
- In a surprise announcement, Wincanton PLC, the UK based supply chain solutions provider, has announced the resignation of its Chief Executive, Graeme McFaull. Read Full Brief Here

* Livingston International's transitions Canadian logistics to Schenker
- Livingston International Inc. will transition its North American domestic warehousing and ground transportation business to DB Schenker. Read Full News Here

* Ryder to acquire supply chain solutions provider Total Logistic Control
- Ryder System Inc. will acquire Total Logistics Control (TLC). TLC is a provider of supply chain solutions to the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods manufacturers in the US. Read Full News Here

* The Ford Motor Company extends its contract with Norbert Dentressangle
- The Ford Motor Company, has signed a multi million pound, two-year contract extension with Norbert Dentressangle Transport Services for the distribution of its after sales parts to its 300 UK dealers. Read Full News Here

* PAREXEL announces new facilities in Singapore and Russia
- PAREXEL International Corporation, a leading global biopharmaceutical services provider, has announced that it has opened two new Clinical Logistics Services facilities in emerging regions for biopharmaceutical development. Read Full News Here

* Con-way Freight announces major expansion for San Antonio
- Con-way Freight, a subsidiary of Con-way Inc., has announced a major investment for the San Antonio community as it has begun construction of a new 41,500 sq ft freight service centre. Read Full News Here

* Regal Logistics purchases new distribution centre in U.S. Southeast
- Regal Logistics has purchased a new 351,000 sq ft distribution centre in Charleston, South Carolina. Read Full News Here

from Express & Mail

* UPS rules out buying TNT - seeks smaller logistics businesses in Europe
- UPS appears to be ruling out purchasing its rival TNT, preferring to concentrate on smaller acquisitions which will be easier to absorb. Read Full Brief Here

from Road Freight

* FedEx Freight Canada improves cross-border service
- FedEx Freight Canada reduces transit times from Canadian cities to US cities and regions by providing enhanced cross-border LTL services. Read Full News Here

* Kuehne+Nagel buys Delhi's Cold Chain Logistics firm
- Kuehne + Nagel has acquired RRE, a New Delhi-based cold chain logistics business. The deal marks Kuehne + Nagel's foray into the cold chain logistics business in India. Read Full News Here

from Air Cargo

* Leading airfreight players hitting capacity constraints
- Although the growth in demand for air freight appears to be slowing, both airlines and airports are seeing record volumes of business, volumes that are triggering increased investment. Read Full Brief Here

* LAN Airlines reports increases in passenger and cargo traffic for November 2010
- LAN Airlines reported a 9.6% increase in cargo traffic for November 2010. The increase is due to the growth of Latin American import markets, particularly Brazil and to Europe. Read Full News Here

* DHL expands overnight express service from Europe to the U.S.
- DHL expands overnight express service by establishing two new air routes from Paris and Frankfurt to DHL’s main North America air hub in Cincinnati. Read Full News Here

from Warehousing

* Pacer Distribution Services leases 200,892 sq ft distribution centre within Watson Industrial Centre
- Pacer Distribution Services leases distribution centre in response to increasing West Coast port traffic. Read Full News Here

from Shipping/Ports

* CMA CGM begins direct service from Canada to the West Coast of South America
- On December 12, 2010, the first vessel in CMA CGM's expanded Black Pearl service will inaugurate weekly and direct container service to ports in Panama, Ecuador, Peru and Chile from the South End Container Terminal, operated by Halterm Container Terminal Limited, at the Port of Halifax. Read Full News Here

* TNWA offers direct Vietnam-to-North Europe service
- The New World Alliance, which includes APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), will introduce a direct Vietnam-to-North Europe service for the first time in January 2011. Read Full News Here

from IT Solutions

* Geodis to implement new Transport Management System for its Freight Management division
- SNCF Geodis is implementing a new global Transport Management System for its Freight Management division, Geodis Wilson. The new platform will be developed together with CargoWise, a global leader in logistics software. Read Full News Here

Miscellaneous

* Deutsche Post DHL and UN OCHA extend humanitarian partnership
- The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) and Deutsche Post DHL, have renewed their partnership for another three years. Read Full News Here

* New Chairman of transport charity Transaid urges more active role in Africa
- The new Chairman of transport charity Transaid is urging the transport and logistics industry to play more of an active role in supporting the organisation’s goals. Read Full News Here

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Operation * USA / Canada / Mexico - Safe Driver Campaign

New York,NY,USA -Car Accidents, by Roy S. Hiller -14 December 2010: -- New figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicate that highway fatalities and injuries are on the decline. Still more than 2.2 million people were injured and 33,808 died on America's roadways. Many of these human losses were the direct result of general and commercial vehicle accidents. As a result, several federal agencies, the trucking industry and other organizations have joined together to make our nation's roads safer. Each October, these stakeholders, along with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), take part in the Operation Safe Driver campaign... Launched in 2007, Operation Safe Driver is an initiative developed to combat the staggering number of deaths related to commercial truck, bus, and passenger vehicle crashes. The campaign is an international effort. As part of the annual campaign, several activities are held across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The main goal for Operation Safe Driver is to increase enforcement of safety belt laws, improve driver roadside inspections, enforce traffic and regulatory compliance, as well as implement driver education and awareness programs...

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TRUCKERS' HEALTH * USA - Medically Unfit Truck Drivers

MINN,USA -Minnesota Personal Injury Attorney -14 Dec 2010: -- There are hundreds of thousands of drivers in the United States who carry commercial driver’s licenses and use them frequently. Of the people who have commercial licenses, many who drive tractor-trailers and busses qualify for full federal disability payments while driving. According to a recent safety study of the United States obtained by the Associated Press, many of the drivers have suffered seizures, heart attacks, or unconscious spells... According to a review of the United States trucking industry, truckers violating federal medical rules have been stopped in every state. The study included an analysis of 7.3 million commercial truck driver violations compiled by the Transportation Department in 2006. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas were the states that had drivers sanctioned most frequently for violating medical rules. These infractions included failing to carry a valid medical certificate. These 12 states were responsible for half of all of the violations in the United States...

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posted by Unknown @ 5:32 AM  0 comments

TRUCKS REGULATIONS * Canada & USA

* Canada - Phase 4 of VW&D reform details in the books

Toronto,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking -14 Dec 2010: -- Simplification of weight tables, significant grandfathering for existing vehicles and flexibility for carriers to spec wide single tires all included in the latest phase of Ontario's weights and dimensions reforms, says the Ontario Trucking Association...  The first three phases of the amendments between 2001 and 2006 covered tri-axle trailers, dump semi trailers and multi axle units and b-trains...  Phase 4 comes into effect in 2011 and covers all other trailers. Including flat deck straight trucks with fork lifts attached, cement mixers, and dump trucks pulling trailers...  Meanwhile, a reminder that grandfathering of phase 2, non-SPIF dump semi-trailers ends on Dec. 31, 2010...   As of January 1, 4,500 kg will be subtracted from GVW of a single end dump semi-trailer or open-top hopper for non-SPIF equipment...  Complete details of the changes outlined in phase 4, the official amending regulation 457/10, can be found by clicking here...  (Photo from dgraytrucking: heavy loaded truck in Canada)



* USA - Brake makers welcome copper-cutting laws

Elyria,OH,USA -Today's Trucking -15 Dec 2010:  --  State laws in California and Washington requiring a reduction of the amount of copper allowed in brake friction materials beginning in 2021 is being applauded by truck component manufacturers...  Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake says the laws protect waterways from the runoff of toxic copper brake dust... The California law mandates that brakes contain no more than 5 percent copper beginning in 2021. By 2025, the limit will be reduced to 0.5 percent. Washington’s law is similar, with a 5 percent limit by 2021, and the establishment of an advisory committee to assess the feasibility of lowering the limit to 0.5 percent in subsequent years... Bendix says it is working to reduce the copper content in the small percentage of its disc brake solutions that would not be compliant to the future 2021 regulation. Disc brakes are semi-metallic and pose a greater compliance challenge for all manufacturers, the company says... (Photo from crossley-regis.org: The Layout of Shoes and Springs in the Regis Bendix brakes)

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Dec 15, 2010

WEATHER TROUBLES * Canada - Snowstorm blasts SW Ontario

Sarnia,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking –14 Dec 2010: -- About 300 motorists and truck drivers were stranded on the highway near Sarnia overnight and this morning as severe winter weather pummeled southwestern Ontario... Drifting snow and zero visibility trapped about 360 vehicles, including some commercial trucks, on Highway 402 between Sarnia and County Road 22... According to the CBC, Military helicopters flew to the scene today to airlift stranded drivers – some of who spent 25 hours in their vehicles... There are no reports of serious injuries... As of this morning, Hwy. 402 to the Michigan border was still shut down... As much as 20 cm of snow is expected to fall on the region by Tuesday night...  (Picture from monctonblogger: snowstorm)

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OPINION * USA - Increased trucks' efficiency

Webster,MASS,USA -The Boston Herald, by Daniel Dorr -December 14, 2010: -- Before reiterating misconstrued information from the Sierra Club, Bruin Andrew Ference should study the history of the trucking industry (“Conservation the goal,” Dec. 11). The goal of increased efficiency has been pursued from the beginning. Sixty years ago big trucks got 2 mpg. Today it has improved some 400 percent in the 6 to 8 mpg range... Recently U.S. Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, requested that the industry gain another 20 percent while the Sierra Club wishes for 35 percent. Before demanding lofty goals they should consider the limitations of the physics involved. It is only in their utopian mind-set that perfect changes can be made by fiat... (Photo from freightlinertrucks: Cascadia's efficiency)

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TRUCKING STATISTICS * USA & Canada - 6.2 Million Trucks Cross Eastern US-Canada Border

Cross-border trade grew at a healthy pace in 2010, say bridge operators


(Video by rainmosq -17 April 2009: The end of our journey)
Michigan,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by R.G. Edmonson -Dec 14, 2010:  --  A total of 6.2 million trucks crossed the eastern U.S.-Canada border so far in 2010, with growth across all 10 bridges...  Traffic including passenger vehicles grew 5.7 percent year to date compared with 2009, according to the Public Border Operators Association, a trade group of bridge and tunnel operators in Michigan and New York. Some 32.5 million vehicles crossed the border at 10 bridges and one tunnel since the beginning of 2010...  The three principal crossings for international trade all showed year-to-date increases. Some 2.1 million trucks crossed the Ambassador Bridge at Detroit, a 17.8 percent increase. The Blue Water Bridge at Port Huron, Mich., tallied 1.3 million trucks, a 9 percent increase. The Peace Bridge at Buffalo, N.Y., carried 1.1 million trucks, a 10.4 percent increase over the same period in 2009...  A total for 60,029 trucks, buses and miscellaneous vehicles so far this year have crossed the Seaway International Bridge between Massena, N.Y., and Cromwell, Ont., a 21.1 percent increase over 2009. Truck traffic was virtually flat at the Lewiston-Queenstown Bridge near Niagara Falls with 626,358 trucks crossing since the first of the year...  The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel was the only site to show a year-to-date decline with 51,871 trucks, down 2 percent from 2009...


* USA - Cass Freight Index:  November’s freight expenditures and shipments both increased from the previous month’s activity

Bridgeton,MO,USA -Cass Information System Inc. -15 Dec 2010: -- Monthly year-over-year and month-to-month percent change in Cass Freight Index for freight expenditures...  The November index was up 24.6 percent year-over-year and 42.5 percent higher than the April 2009 index nadir. However, the velocity of year-over-year growth has slowed in this measure of U.S. spending for the third consecutive month... CIS have developed a monthly Volume Index of Freight Expenditures and Shipments that is based upon transportation dollars and shipments of Cass clients. The index is comprised of shippers throughout the United States who participate in the Cass Information Systems Payment Service. Over 1,200 divisions of 400 unique companies representing a broad spectrum of the SIC categories contribute data to the index. Freight expenses, for the index base, consist of participating shippers with volumes ranging from $50,000 to over $500,000,000 annually. This diversity of shippers and range of volume provides a statistically valid cross-sampling of industries in the United States...


* USA  / DC - November 2010. Producer Price Index Report

Washington,DC,USA -Bloomberg, by Kristy Scheuble - Dec 14, 2010: -- The following is the text of the U.S. producer price report for Nov. released by the Labor Department... Transportation and warehousing industries: The Producer Price Index for the Net Output of Transportation and Warehousing Industries moved up 0.2 percent in November following a 1.2- percent increase in the prior month. The main factor in the November advance was a 1.6-percent rise in prices received by the long-distance general freight trucking industry group. The industry indexes for deep sea freight transportation and for used household and office goods moving also contributed to the increase in prices received by transportation and warehousing industries...

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