Trucks World News: March 2013

Mar 27, 2013

DRIVERS SHORTAGE * Canada

* Canada - Truck companies facing decades end shortage

Alberta,CAN -Edson Leader, by Ed Moore -March 22, 2013: -- The truck driving industry across the province is scrambling to replace its aging workforce but the executive director of the Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) isn’t counting on recruitment of younger aged people... Don Wilson said young people generally don’t apply for truck driver jobs because of their lifestyle choices... Wilson said long-distance truck drivers generally sign on for two-week stints and this is something many young people today would not be willing to commit to... A recent study by the Conference Board of Canada, funded by the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), predicts that by the year 2020 Alberta will need 6,200 more truck drivers in order to keep the economy healthy. Nation-wide the study said 25,000 to 33,000 additional drivers will be needed...

Labels: drivers shortage

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* UK - Premiere for new Volvo FM in Birmingham

Birmingham,EN,UK -HGV Ireland -March 24, 2013: -- The new Volvo FM will be unveiled at a press conference at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham, England on April 9th 2013. The new Volvo FM is the all-rounder of the Volvo Trucks range. Thanks to its impressive flexibility and transport efficiency, it covers the needs of most customers... Production of the new Volvo FM will get under way in September. Among its new features are Volvo Dynamic Steering which offers unique driving characteristics, I-See with the potential for cutting fuel consumption by up to 5 per cent and Remote Services which maximises uptime...

* Holland - DAF Trucks launches new PACCAR MX-11 engine

The Netherlands,Holland -ABR -25 March 2013: -- DAF Trucks, the Netherlands-based truck manufacturing firm, has launched the new PACCAR MX-11 engine, which is complaint with Euro 6 standard... The new 10.8L, six-cylinder, in-line engine generates an output between 290hp and 440hp, while offering a total torque of up to 1,550lbft... The MX-11 engine incorporates double overhead camshaft design, a graphite iron (CGI) engine block and cylinder head to improve its durability... Features of the engine include a high pressure common rail fuel injection system, a turbo charger with variable geometry and enhanced technologies such as encapsulated wiring harnesses as well as advanced engine management systems, which are aimed to increase efficiency... The European production of the new engine is scheduled to commence in the fall of 2013 and it will power DAF's Euro 6 CF and XF vehicles, while it is also planned to power Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks in 2015...

* Germany - The Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport Dualiner

Stuttgart,Germany-Fleet Vans (UK) -19 March 2013: ... This particular van is aimed mainly at the retail market – small business owners who are doing well and want to treat themselves – but it does have a couple of fleet uses... For example, it seats five in comfort plus 3.0 cubic metres of cargo space in the back, so if your fleet gets involved in, say, picking up high profile clients from the airport, you couldn’t do it in more style than this... The rear seats can be removed too, although it takes the strength of Samson to do it, so this vehicle could double up as a dedicated van and a people carrier for varying fleet purposes... The Vito Sport Dualiner weighs in at £26,395 inc-VAT and offers as standard six-spoke alloys, metallic paint, air-conditioning, comfort seats, full wall panelling, leather steering wheels, twin side sliding doors, chrome side bars and sport floor mats and tinted glass... As with all Mercedes vans, this model has as standard Electronic Stability Control, plus ABS brakes, acceleration skid control, electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist...

* USA - ACT Research: Truck orders sounding positive note. Class 8 net orders rose to just over 23,000 units in February

Columbus,IN,USA -Fleet Owner -Mar. 25, 2013: -- According to ACT Research (ACT), Class 8 truck orders climbed above 20,000 units for the fifth consecutive month in February. What’s more, a “surge in step-van orders pushed new medium-duty demand above the prevailing trend” ... This latest take on commercial-vehicle order activity was included in the State of the Industry report recently released by ACT. The report covers Classes 5 through 8 vehicles for the North American market... ACT is a leading publisher of new and used commercial vehicle (CV) industry data, market analysis and forecasting services for the North American market as well as the U.S. tractor-trailer market and the China CV market...

* USA - Daimler to lay off about 600. Less than half its original estimate

Louisville,KY,USA -Transport Topics -25 March 2013: -- Daimler Trucks North America said it plans to lay off about 600 factory workers, fewer than half the number it initially projected earlier this year... DTNA President, Martin Daum, said the layoffs were taking place at plants in Cleveland, N.C., and Portland, Ore.... He added that none of the layoffs would involve its medium-duty segment... Daum noted the company had added 3,000 employees during 2012, but had to prepare for reductions as orders slowed. However, a recent uptick in orders led to the decision to limit the reductions to fewer than 600 from its initially announced 1,300...

Labels: truckmakers news worldwide

Mar 26, 2013

WARNING TRUCKERS' SAFETY: "ATA: Administration exaggerated data on fatigue-caused crashes" * USA

* Texas - Dallas Attorney calls on trucking industry to make standard safety upgrades

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Dallas,TX,USA -PRWEB/Digital Journey -March 25, 2013: -- On March 25th, 2013, Dallas injury attorney, Michael Grossman, issued a 'call to arms' to the commercial trucking industry, urging the use of dash cameras and lane-departure warning devices in all trucks. Mr. Grossman's hope is that one day it will be mandatory that all trucks employ these devices... Actual video footage of accidents that occur with the front of the truck would be difficult to dispute on liability, which could have a significant impact on legal expenses like litigation and the increasing fees of transportation experts... The aim of a lane departure system, then, is to warn truckers when their rig begins to drift either across a road’s median or into another vehicle’s driving lane... The endgame for any of the mentioned systems is simple, to warn truckers of a potentially catastrophic pending event...

* DC - Trucking industry says fatigue rule based on bad data

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Washington,DC,USA -Bloomberg, by Tom Schoenberg -Mar 15, 2013: -- The largest U.S. trucking group asked federal appeals judges to throw out limits on driving time that would cost the industry $470 million a year, arguing the Obama administration exaggerated data on fatigue-caused crashes... American Trucking Associations Inc., during arguments today in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, accused the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration of using research that favored the agency’s preferred outcome while setting driver- fatigue rules that it claims would add substantial costs without any safety benefits... Jonathan Levy, a lawyer for the Justice Department, pointed to the fact that the rules were being challenged as both too restrictive and too lenient as being proof that the agency’s work was largely scientific. The Transportation Department said the benefits of the rule are about $630 million... In creating the new rule, the agency said 13 percent of the truck-related crashes were caused by fatigue. The trucking association says that percentage takes into account “whenever truck driver fatigue is present at the time of a crash” and not whether driver fatigue caused the crash. Under current regulations, only about 2 percent of large truck crashes are caused by driver fatigue, the association argued... The agency said the industry based its figure on a study that only considered accidents where there were fatalities...

Labels: truckers' safety, trucking safety

TRUCKING MARKETS: How Big is the Trucking Industry? * USA

* Texas - Statistics About Truck Driving

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Fort Worth,TX,USA- C1GuestBlog -March 21, 2013: -- The trucking industry is a huge sector of the American economy, but often doesn’t get the recognition or respect it deserves... But how big is the trucking industry, exactly?: In 2011, the trucking industry raked in an astounding amount of revenue — $603.9 billion in freight. That’s more than 80 percent of all freight revenue (including air, rail, water, etc). The trucking industry is quite literally what keeps our economy running smoothly... To give you an idea of how much of our nation’s product is actually shipped through truck…

* $118,832,000 (82.7%) of agricultural products
* Over 92% of prepared foods including dairy products and fruit, vegetables, and nut products
* $501,445,000 (65%) of pharmaceutical products
* $168,913,000 (91.9%) of lumber and wood products

* Employment in the Trucking Industry: Nine million people are employed in the trucking industry — that’s one out of 13 people (who have jobs). Of those 9 million, about 3.5 million are professional truck drivers. Nine million people in the industry, 3.5 million drivers, and there’s still a shortage of truckers. Estimates show that the current shortage of 20,000 drivers could increase to 111,000 by 2014 if market conditions don’t improve...

* Trucks on the Road: There are 2 million registered tractor trailers in the United States alone. On average, those trucks consume about 37.2 billion gallons of diesel a year. Those trucks on the road deliver 70 percent of all freight in the country. The American Trucking Association estimates that in about a decade, the demand for trucking services will rise by 30 percent. To accommodate for the rise in demand, the amount of heavy trucks on the road will rise by 20 percent, putting an additional 600,000 tractor trailers on the nation’s highways... As you can see, we’d be in a pretty big bind of trucks stopped moving...

* Ohio - Trucking industry continues smooth ride in February

(Photo: Delivery trucks loading into sand movers)
Dayton,OH,USA -The Dayton Business Journal, by Joe Cogliano -Mar 25, 2013: -- The trucking industry continues to gain speed... The American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index rose 0.6 percent in February, marking the fourth consecutive month of increases. That hasn’t happened since late 2011... Kevin Burch the president of the Dayton-based Jet Express Inc., a truckload carrier, said the latest report could be a sign an upturn better news might be coming for the overall economy... Burch cited a combination of factors that played into four consecutive months of tonnage increases including:
• Companies are keeping a much better control on inventories. When warehouses have inventories that get depleted, truck tonnage naturally increases;
• Many companies were worried and to some degree still are with the effects of the “Fiscal Cliff” issues. Orders were probably delayed;
• The “feel good”effect that consumers have with respect to their 401K’s and personal stock portfolios are having a good effect on tonnage increases; and
• The housing market has improved and tonnage moves in the same direction.

The ATA says trucking serves as a barometer of the U.S. economy, representing 67 percent of tonnage carried by all modes of domestic freight transportation, including manufactured and retail goods... Trucks hauled 9.2 billion tons of freight in 2011...

Labels: trucking markets

TRUCKERS' HEALTH: 'Vital Signs' * USA

* Idaho - Roady's Truck Stops teams up with DDME to host 'Vital Signs'

New Plymouth,ID,USA -PRWEB -March 20, 2013: -- Roady's Truck Stops and DDME have joined forces to develop a revolutionary idea that will benefit professional truck drivers across the nation... "We continually hear from drivers and companies that they need more information on the industry trends and FMCSA mandates, plus how to stay healthy on the road," says Roady's Truck Stops President Bob Lee... Lee says Vital Signs will become a tremendous asset for professional truck drivers. Our first service will address the high cost of treating sleep apnea in the trucking industry. Additional services will be added, such as finding doctors to going through random drug screenings and more... DDME brings 40 years of experience in developing and marketing sleep lab technology to the medical market. The T3 Sleep Apnea Monitor provides a Chain of Custody as required by proposed FMCSA quidelines, as well as providing the physician information on other medical conditions such as Central Apnea and Bruxism along with other advanced features not common in most mail-order devices...

Labels: truckers health

TRUCKING INDUSTRY: 50% tax credit on the price differential between natural-gas and diesel-powered trucks * USA

* Illinois - Obama proposes tax credits to promote natural-gas use in trucking industry

(Photo: Freightliner 1st Natural Gas-Powered Truck)
Chicago,ILL,USA -Transport Topics -20 March 2013: -- President Obama has proposed giving those who buy trucks powered by natural gas a 50% tax credit on the price differential between natural-gas and diesel-powered trucks... Trucks that use natural gas can cost at least $40,000 more than trucks powered by diesel... The tax credits are part of Obama’s Energy Security Trust, a comprehensive climate and energy proposal unveiled March 15, the same day he visited the Argonne National Laboratory outside Chicago... Argonne, a nonprofit research laboratory operated by the University of Chicago for the U.S. Department of Energy, is conducting research that could lead to battery-powered trucks...

* New York - Truckers ocnsidering natural gas over diesel say transition costs still too high

(Photo from MotorTrend: Trucks at natural gas fueling station)
NY ,USA -International Business Times, by Malik Singleton -March 22, 2013: -- The alternative fuel industry faces a Catch-22: Manufacturers are pressuring their distribution partners to ship their products using natural gas trucks because they're far less expensive to run than diesel fuel trucks... However, the distributors are pushing back, arguing three major reasons that natural gas trucks are still too expensive to adopt... First, natural gas trucks cost distributors an extra $40,000 to $80,000 per truck over typical diesel trucks, which begin at about $100,000. Some federal and state incentive programs are in place to help shipping companies transition, but those amounts have so far proven insufficient for many shippers. They still expect to bear most of the costs... Second, shippers stand to incur costs when refueling since natural gas fueling stations are still so few. Truckers lose precious time and burn extra fuel when they have to go out of their way to find natural gas fueling stations...

Labels: trucking industry news USA

Mar 25, 2013

DAIMLER's FREIGHTLINER VANS RECALL * USA

* Oregon - Freightliner Vans Recalled

Portland,ORE,USA -Light and Medium Truck -18 March 2013: -- Daimler Trucks North America is recalling up to 2,825 Freightliner step van chassis because of possible cracks in their fuel tanks, te National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said... The recall includes MT45G and MT55G van chassis that were made between Feb. 15, 2010 and April 30, 2012... Daimler told NHTSA that cracks in the fuel tanks could lead to leaking gasoline and vapors. And a fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may lead to a vehicle fire, the March 4 recall notice said... The chassis are used for step-vans most commonly used in deliveries. The recall begins April 29...

Labels: trucks recalls

CAFFEINE MAY REDUCE AUTO ACCIDENTS * Australia

* NSW - Go On, Have Another Coffee Cup

(Photo: Truckers' coffee)
-The Car Connection, by Richard Read -Mar 22, 2013: -- If you like coffee as much as we do, this Friday is about to get a whole lot better. Not only does java make a great eye-opener, but according to a report in BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal), it could also keep you safer on the road... That claim comes from researchers in Australia, who interviewed 1,047 long-haul truck drivers -- 530 of whom who had been involved in a collision within the previous year, and 517 who hadn't. They also asked drivers' about their caffeine consumption and divided respondents into three groups: low, moderate, and high. Folks in the "low" group consumed under 200 mg of caffeine per day, which is roughly equivalent to two cups of coffee or a couple of energy drinks. Those who downed 200-400 mg of caffeine were put in the "moderate" group, and those above 400 mg were in the "high" group... After correcting, for other factors, the scientists reached a clear conclusion: Consumption of caffeinated drinks can reduce the risk of crashing among long distance commercial motor vehicle drivers by 63% compared with drivers who do not report taking caffeinated stimulants for the purpose of staying awake while driving...

Labels: trucks accidents warning

DANGEROUS DRIVERS: New moms !!! ... * USA

* New York - Report: New moms among the most distracted drivers

New York,NY,USA -The Car Connection, by Suzanne Kane -Feb 26, 2013: -- New mothers aren't immune to the dangers of distracted driving. In fact, with the demands of driving with a newborn baby on board, new moms may be among the most distracted drivers on the road... A recent survey of new moms that was conducted by American Baby and Safe Kids Worldwide points out how prevalent distracted driving is among new moms. The key evidence is that while the majority of moms surveyed said they are being more cautious in their driving habits since the birth of their child, their answers to other survey questions implies the direct opposite... In short, new moms are driving while fatigued (sleeping an average of 5 hours, 20 minutes per night), not paying attention to the speed limit, turning around to tend to the baby, three out of four moms are using their phones to text or call or read messages or emails, and doing other kinds of distracted behavior – all with baby on board... Worse yet is the statistic that almost 10 percent of new moms surveyed had an accident with their baby while driving. That’s nearly three times the rate in the general population...

Labels: dangerous drivers

* Europe - FORD MOTOR LOST 1.75 BILLION IN

* Belgium - Why Is Ford Motor Company Losing in Europe?

Brussels,Belgium -The Motley Fool -March 24, 2013: ... Ford Motor Company is doing quite well here in the U.S., but it's another story in Europe. The company lost $1.75 billion in the Old World last year, the brutal result of a protracted car-sales slump that has hit the entire industry very hard... That rethink led to a comprehensive turnaround plan, announced by Ford CEO Alan Mulally last October. The plan, intended to restore Ford Europe to profitability by mid-decade, is well thought out and comprehensive. Most analysts gave it a good chance of succeeding, and Ford's stock rallied in the days after the announcement... Under the plan, Ford will close a factory in Belgium and two in the U.K., eliminating more than 5,000 jobs and saving as much as $500 million a year. Ford will also sharply expand its European lineup, drawing on its strong global product portfolio to expand its offerings of SUVs and commercial vehicles in Europe. The expanded product lineup should allow Ford Motor Company to capture additional sales in segments it hasn't previously contested in Europe, at minimal cost...

* USA / Michigan - Surging Chrysler targets BMW with brawny luxury 300 SRT8

(Photo: by Scott Olson/Getty Images - A Chrysler 300 SRT8 during the press preview at the North American International Auto Show on January 10, 2012 in Detroit, Michigan)
Detroit,MICH,USA -Bloomberg, by Mark Clothier, Craig Trudell & Keith Naughton - Mar 22, 2013: ... The new Chrysler 300 SRT8 is out to change that... With a sticker price that can top $60,000 and a souped-up Hemi engine that kicks out 470 horsepower, the 300 SRT8 is getting rave reviews reminiscent of its 1950s and 1960s muscle- car days. Road and Track magazine called the 300 SRT8 a “brute in a suit” ... Wired magazine deemed it “a nearly perfect car,” while the New York Times said it “delivers 90 percent of the German cars’ performance for barely half the price” ... Those are heady notices for a company that sells just 1 percent of its vehicles in the rarefied $50,000-and-above price range...

Labels: automakers news worldwide

SEXY NEW SPORTS CAR: Detroit Electric's first product * WORLDWIDE

* USA / Michigan - As Detroit Struggles, a New Auto Emerges

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Detroit,MICH,USA -The Motley Fool, by Sara E. Murphy -March 23, 2013: ... Detroit Electric's first product to market will be a limited-edition, two-seater sports car that will cost "in the neighborhood" of $135,000. That sounds a lot like Tesla's now-discontinued Roadster!... But the similarities don't end there. Detroit Electric will use Lotus platforms for at least its first two vehicles... So on the face of things, it looks as though Tesla's dominance of the high-end EV market may have just come under serious threat... While Detroit Electric is starting with a sexy new sports car, it plans to offer a "diverse family of all-electric production cars," which seems to suggest that the company won't confine itself to the expensive top of the pyramid. EVs' success will live and die on the development of a battery-charging infrastructure to support them, and such development will be spurred only by broad adoption of EVs. Investors may be betting that high-end purveyors like Tesla Motors Inc will be buoyed by Detroit Electric's potential offering of more affordable vehicles...

* USA / DC - Could cut vehicles' fossil fuel use, emissions by 80% by 2050

(Photo from Mercedes: The Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL is the first hydrogen-electric vehicle the German manufacturer is making available to individuals)
Washington,DC,USA -Highway 1, by Ronald D. White -March 19, 2013: -- A new National Research Council report says the U.S. may be able to reduce fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 in light-duty cars and trucks... The highly ambitious goal could be reached, the report says, through a combination of more efficient vehicles and the use of gasoline and diesel alternatives such as bio-fuels, electricity and hydrogen... The Research Council is discussing a reduction on an entirely more dramatic scale. It's the kind of scale that would require the rough equivalent of taking President Obama's goal of 54.5 miles per gallon for the U.S. vehicle fleet by 2025 and then doing the same increase again, and again... The Research Council said that part of the solution would be improvements on several good starts, such as the Toyota Prius hybrid; plug-in hybrid electric vehicles such as the Chevrolet Volt; and battery-powered electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf... Also required would be advancements in technologies such as those used in hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles, like the Mercedes F-Cell, scheduled to be introduced about 2014; and in compressed natural gas vehicles, such as the Honda Civic CNG...

* India - Mahindra’s e2o EV is ready. The electric car has been launched with much fanfare, though its viability in the domestic market remains questionable

New Delhi,India -Hybrid EV -21 March 2013: -- Earlier this week, Mahindra and Mahindra launched the e2o electric vehicle at an event in New Delhi. The e2o is the flagship product of Mahindra REVA Electric Vehicles, a company formed after Mahindra acquired REVA, a Bangalore (Karnataka) based niche electric car company, in 2010... The vehicle is launched at an on-road price of INR5,96,000 in Delhi, according to Mahindra... The top model has a few extra features including an in-built infotainment system and reverse camera, along with standard equipment including power windows, AC, wheel caps and defogger... Mahindra e2o may well be the cheapest of all the commercial electric cars sold world over, but over INR6,00,000 for a vehicle that charges overnight and travels only 100km may not sound attractive to most... Mahindra also plans to begin exporting e2o to the European market later this year... Mahindra could follow suit with the e2o even as its prospects in the home ground remain doubtful...

Labels: electric vehicles EV

Mar 22, 2013

CARMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Germany - VW sees record profit, leads Toyota and GM

(Photo by Guenter Schiffmann/Bloomberg: An Audi employee carries out the final inspection on a row of Audi A3 automobiles, produced by Volkswagen AG's Audi brand, as they move along the production line at the company's plant in Ingolstadt, Germany, on Monday)
Stuttgart,Germany -Bloomberg News/The Detroit News (USA), by Christoph Rauwald and Chris Reiter -March 21, 2013: -- Volkswagen AG Chief Executive Officer, Martin Winterkorn, can check one thing off his to-do list: beat rivals in profit... VW, which six years ago set out to become the world's biggest carmaker and a leader in profitability by 2018, reported record operating income of 11.5 billion euros ($15 billion) for 2012. That surpassed General Motors Co.'s $7.9 billion and Toyota Motor Corp.'s 1.06 trillion yen ($11.1 billion) for the year... When Winterkorn set the growth targets in 2007, VW didn't look much like a world-beater. It had just gone through a disruptive round of job cuts, its namesake brand was barely breaking even, and Toyota earned about $10 billion more than VW... Winterkorn vowed to raise pretax profit margins to 8 percent from just 1.7 percent in 2006. And he said VW would boost deliveries to more than 10 million vehicles from 6.2 million in 2007 — in effect adding the sales of a carmaker almost as big as Hyundai Motor Co...

* Michigan/USA - Chrysler, Carhartt team up for special edition '13 Chrysler 200 S

(Photo from Chrysler: Carhartt and Chrysler have teamed up for this special edition of the Chrysler 200 that they say "personifies hard work and rugged perseverance")
Auburn Hills,MICH,USA -The Detroit News, by Karl Henkel -21 March 2013: -- Chrysler Group LLC has teamed up with Detroit-based Carhartt Inc. workwear maker to make a special edition 2013 Chrysler 200 S... The two local companies, which started their relationship last year by developing a USA Carhartt/Imported From Detroit clothing line, have paired up for the special-edition midsize sedan, which will be featured next week at the New York International Auto Show... The $28,870 car — excluding destination charge — includes black, water-resistant fabric selected by Carhartt, Carhartt seat accents and black-painted finishes. The car will have a Pentastar V-6 engine, which will get 283 horsepower...

Labels: carmakers news worldwide

AUTOS RECALLS: GM's: Cadillac, and Buick * USA

* DC - GM recalling 28K Cadillac SRX, Buick LaCrosse models for software fix

(Photo: 2013 Cadillac SRX GM)
Washington,DC,USA -The Detroit News, by David Shepardson -21 March 2013: -- General Motors Co. said it is recalling about 28,000 Cadillac SRX and Buick LaCrosse vehicles to reprogram software that could allow the vehicles' automatic transmission to slip from manual to automatic mode unexpectedly... According to documents posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website, the issue was discovered in January as GM was working on the 2014 Cadillac SRX engineering development vehicle. There are no reported customer cases, nor are any crashes or injuries related to the condition known. GM changed the software to ensure the issue doesn't affect the 2014 model...

Labels: autos recalls

Mar 21, 2013

* CHINA - IMPOSED STRINGENT FUEL ECONOMY

* China - Unveils tougher fuel economy standards

Beijing,China -Reuters/AW -20 March 2013: -- China imposed long-debated stringent fuel economy standards on Wednesday, making life tougher for cash-strapped small domestic brands that are already struggling amid a slowdown of the world's biggest auto market... The rules, jointly issued by five government bodies including the National Development and Reform Commission, would improve passenger cars' average fuel consumption to 6.9 liters per 100 kilometers (34.4 mpg) by 2015 and further to 5.0 liters (47.7 mpg) by 2020... The latest data on passenger car fuel consumption in China was not immediately available. It stood at 7.8 liters per 100 kilometers (29.5 mpg) in 2009, said John Zeng, Asia Pacific director of consultancy LMC Automotive... The new rules come at a time when environmental complaints have sparked unrest and even riots in some parts of the country... Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang, pledged on Sunday that his government would show even greater resolve in tackling China's pollution crisis...

Labels: fuel economy

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * Europe

* Germany - Deutsche Post owes its growth in 2012 to transport and logistics activities

(Photo)
Bonn,Germany -WK Transport et Logistics, by Anne Kerriou -15 March 2013: -- Deutsche Post DHL group showed an increase of 9.4% in operating income in 2012, sales rose 5.1%. Growth driven by transport and logistics activities together under the DHL brand... The transport and logistics activities of DHL grew by 6.9% in the group Deutsche Post... The transport and logistics activities have clearly pulled up the results of the 2012 Deutsche Post Group, facing a sluggish mail activity... They in fact generate a turnover of 42.8 billion euros, an increase of 6.9% compared to 2011, while revenues remained stable in the mail nearly 14 billion... Overall, Deutsche Post DHL recorded a turnover of 55.5 billion euro, up 5.1% compared to 2011. Meanwhile, operating profit (EBIT) rose by 9.4% to 2,665 million and consolidated net profit jumped 42.6% to 1,658 million euros...

* France - ID Logistics signe avec Go Sport

Cavaillon,Vaucluse,Alpes-Côte d'Azur,France -WK Transport et Logistics -20 March 2013: -- The group ID Logistics has released its contract with Go Sport to ensure its entire logistics until 2022. A new 50 000 m2 site dedicated to all Go Sport stores must become the reference preparation detail... For this contract, signed on 7 February 2013 for nine years, bring ID to Go Sport, covering the reception, transit, inventory management, warehousing, order picking and shipments... For storage, ID Logistics will design a tailor-made platform for Go Sport to improve the handling and storage of products... The new site of 50 000 m2 will be built in the town of Boves in Picardy. It will bring together the logistics of all the Go Sport stores and employ more than 220 people...

* France - Society CIS failure

(Photo: Jacques Bills -center- says renounce transport demand, too versatile and exposed to cabotage)
Auxerre,Yonne,France -The Official Carriers, by Slimane Boukezzoula -19 March 2013: -- Industry Trade Company Service (CIS) has filed for bankruptcy in February 2013 with the Commercial Court of Douai. This specialist transport demand has not survived the fall of the automotive market... CLC has obtained an observation period of 6 months. This company specializes in transport demand belongs to Bils Deroo... It also controls three other companies: Simastock (30 M € turnover, 380 employees), logistics specialist; STIL International (industrial transport and logistics solutions: -12 M € turnover, 90 employees), the former PPI logistics sells transportation solutions related logistics services and transport solutions "packaged" and Douai Transport, garage for VI (3 M € turnover)... It is an understatement: the fall of the CIS is closely linked to the drastic decline in auto sales in 2012. The company based in Waziers (North) had attempted to reduce its dependence on the turn but was not enough (yet 35% of its sales in 2012)... Since 2009, the company chaired by Jacques Bils faced a double erosion of its sales and profitability. The year 2009 was completed on a turnover of € 25.3 million and a net loss of $ 6.7 million. In 2010, sales had fallen to 23.7 million euros and net profit to 1.7 million. Income remained stable in 2011 before falling in 2012 (-9%), with a loss of 1.3 million...

* France - Reform license made little waves in carriers

(Photo: The provisional licenses issued in France between January 19 and September 16, 2013 will be redeemed)
Paris,France -The Official Carriers, by AR -21 March 2013: -- Reform license implemented since January 19, 2013 seems rather well received in road transport. Only a few points remain problematic and should be taken into account by companies... Reform license is "an evolution, not a revolution" for businesses, according to Christian Demarque, designer pole conduct road freight for the training organization AFT-IFTIM... The main change is the creation of the new C1 license for vehicles weighing between 3.5 and 7.5 t, and C1E for these vehicles with trailers... 30,000 truck drivers would drive without a license...

Labels: trucking industry worldwide

TRUCKS & ENGINE MAKERS * USA and Canada

* Kentucky - Volvo Trucks unveils 600-hp VNX model for extreme weight applications

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Louisville,KY,USA -Truck News (CAN) -21 March 2013: -- Volvo Trucks has unveiled a powerful option for North American extreme gross weight applications with the launch of the Volvo VNX. The VNX is powered by Volvo's newly introduced D16 engine with 600 horsepower, 2,050 lb.- ft. torque and Volvo's I-Shift automated manual transmission... Developed for applications up to 225,000 pounds, the Volvo VNX is aimed at long combination vehicles, heavy equipment hauling, aggregate, low-boy, logging, oil field and mining operations. The VNX is available with 385 wide- base, 425 and 445 tires to match front axle load capacity. Available rear axles range from 46,000 to 52,000 pounds in regular, dual-track and wide-track tandem configurations are available. Dual steering gears and a 20,000-pound steerable pusher axle are also available as options...

* Kentucky - Navistar's 13L SCR engines on schedule

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Louisville,KY,USA -Trucks News, by James Menzies -Mar 20, 2013: -- The very first International ProStar tractors with MaxxForce 13-litre engines with SCR are on display at the Mid-America Trucking Show... The trucks rolled off the assembly line last week, with shipments to customers expected to commence by the end of April, officials said... The MaxxForce 13 with SCR is available with 365-475 hp and 1,250-1,750 lb.-ft. of torque. Customers have welcomed the reunification of the ProStar and Cummins ISX15 engine...

The same Cummins SCR system that is instaled on the ISX has been used on trucks with International’s own MaxxForce 13 engines...

* Kentucky - Kenworth touts benefits of MX-13 engine, adds mid-roof sleeper to T680

(Photo: The new Kenworth T680 with mid-roof sleeper)
Louisville,KY,USA -Truck News (CAN) -Mar 20, 2013: -- As it celebrates its 90th anniversary, Kenworth took a moment at the Mid-America Trucking Show to reflect back on a good 2012, which saw it set a new Class 8 market share record at 15%... It’s medium-duty market share in the US and Canada came in at 8%, with the increasing penetration of the Paccar MX-13 engine. There are now 17,000 Kenworth trucks with the MX-13 engine deployed in North America... A new 500-hp rating should win the MX-13 some new fans. The engine offers a weight savings of up to 100 lbs and a 3.5% improvement in fuel economy over alternatives... At the Mid-America Trucking Show, Kenworth added a new 52-inch mid-roof sleeper to its T680 model. Kevin Baney, chief engineer with Kenworth, said the new mid-roof sleeper offers “a big package in a small footprint” ...

* Kentucky - Peterbilt unveils new vocational truck

(Photo: The new Peterbilt Models 567)
Louisville,KY,USA -Truck News (CAN), by James Menzies - Mar 20, 2013: -- Peterbilt has introduced a new vocational truck. The Model 567 features an aluminum cab and other attributes that are designed to withstand the harshest vocational environments. Among these are a Metton crack-resistant three-piece hood a stainless steel oval mesh grille that retains the traditional Peterbilt styling... The truck has improved visibility, thanks to redesigned A-pillars with extra reinforcements, which allows them to be 13% narrower than traditional designs providing drivers with a better view of their environment. Forward visibility has also been improved by 12%, the company claims... The new Model 567 will be available in a 121- and 115-inch BBC, as a day cab or with a detachable sleeper. Sleeper sizes of 44, 70 and 80 inches are available on the truck... It is also available in a set-back axle configuration for improved maneuverability. Peterbilt says the truck has a wheel cut up to nine degrees better than competitive models and has reduced its curb-to-cub turning radius by up to nine feet...

* Kentucky - Freightliner Trucks muscling into driver wellness with handy in-cab exercise system

(Photo: A Freightliner Coronado Cab truck)
Louisville,KY,USA -Truck News (CAN) –Mar 20, 2013: -- Making the case that driver fitness needs to be viewed as part of the total cost of operation for a trucking fleet because healthy drivers tend to make for happier and more productive employees, Freightliner Trucks today unveiled the first-ever OEM designed and integrated in-cab exercise and flexibility system... The Freightliner In-Cab Training (FIT) System provides drivers with a simple to use full body strength-and-conditioning workouts right in their own cabs. Available as a factory-installed option in all Freightliner Cascadia and Coronado sleeper cab models and for retro-fitting in Century Class and Columbia sleepers, the system was developed in collaboration with Rolling Strong – a provider of driver wellness programs...

(Photo: A in-cab exercise system)
Recent studies by The Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Daimler Trucks North America and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health revealed that approximately 90 percent of truck drivers in the United States are overweight or obese, and many also suffer from chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and sleep apnea...

Labels: engine makers, truckmakers news USA and Canada

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