Trucks World News: May 2014

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * India

* India - Commercial vehicle-makers expect better sales in the second half of 2014-15

(Photo: Overloadad truck on India roads)
New Delhi,India -The Hindu Business Line, by S RONENDRA SINGH -May 28, 2014: -- The medium and heavy commercial vehicles industry has been a sad story for over many quarters, but the companies now expect some revival in the next few months, especially with the new Government expected to rejuvenate the economic environment... However, at the moment, the manufacturers say macroeconomic conditions are their main concerns... According to latest report by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, domestic sales of total medium and heavy commercial vehicles declined by 17 per cent to 15,429 units in April 2014, as compared to 18,610 units in April 2013...

Labels: truckmakers news India

TRUCKS RECALL * USA - Mack`s

* Pennsilvania - Mack recalls 44,000 trucks over faulty lights

(Photo: Mack_trucks)
Allentown,PA,USA -Today`s Trucking -May 28, 2014: -- Mack Trucks is recalling over 44,000 trucks because of a possible failure of the hazard warning lights, causing reduced visibility and increasing the risk of a crash... Mack is recalling trucks manufactured Feb. 28, 2006 through Nov. 8, 2013 that are equipped with the Hamsar Electronic Flasher... The truck maker is recalling another 490 model year 2014-2015 CXU trucks manufactured Feb. 1, 2013, through Jan. 27, 2014 that are equipped with a vertical wet tank, also known as a supply air tank, for the brake system... In the affected trucks, the pressure relief valve may not have been installed in the tank during manufacturing. Without a pressure relief valve, the air tank could rupture from being over-pressurized, increasing the risk of injury...

Labels: trucks recalls

TRUCKERS STRIKE * Canada

* Vancouver - Port to pay for wait time

(Photo: Port Metro Vancouver )
Vancouver,BC,CAN -By Go By Truck News -May 26, 2014: -- Nearly two months after container truckers on strike at Port Metro Vancouver returned to work, mediator Vincent Ready has released his recommendations for wait time payments... To that end, Ready provided a formula for wait time payments along with several requirements for the port terminals and trucking companies. Starting May 28, all per trip drivers will be paid for wait time exceeding 90 minutes. The first payment, at 90 minutes, is $50. After that, drivers get paid every 30 minutes. At two hours and two-and-a-half hours, drivers receive $25. For every thirty-minute period exceeding two-and-a-half hours, the drivers receive $20. Ready stipulated that while terminals will send the payments to trucking companies, the companies will be required to pass them on to the effected drivers...

Labels: truckers strike

HOS REGULATIONS * USA

* DC - ATA lobbies against HOS funding

Washington,DC,USA -Go By Truck News -May 26, 2014: -- In its attempt to beat back the restart provision in the hours of service rule, the American Trucking Associations is lobbying Congress to cut off funding for that part of the regulation. The association says the restart is an impediment to trucking companies and that it does not improve safety... ATA is not attacking the entire HOS rule. Its efforts are focused on the provision that requires drivers to take off two consecutive 1-5 a.m. periods and the provision that restricts the use of a restart to once per week. The Association is trying to get Senators and Representatives to write into an existing bill a new provision that would cut off funding for the enforcement of these two regulations... While the HOS restart has been a contentious effort since it was first implemented in 2013, not everyone supports ATA’s methods in Congress...

Labels: HOS debates

* Canada - Car driver vs. truck drivers

* Saskatchewan - Who is more aggressive behind the wheel: car driver or truck driver?

(Photo from CBS - Trucks are popular in Saskatchewan)
Saskatchewan,CAN -CBC News -May 28, 2014: -- There are more pickup trucks than ever on the roads in Saskatchewan and there is a perception that those drivers are too aggressive... For some, the perception comes from the sheer size of some trucks... Figures from Statistics Canada show that trucks, and other large vehicles (including vans and SUVs), accounted for 78 per cent of new vehicle sales in Saskatchewan in 2013. Passenger cars made up the other 22 per cent... SGI, Saskatchewan auto insurance provider, keeps track of reported accidents... According to data from 2012, trucks made up 21 per cent of all registered vehicles in Saskatchewan and accounted for 24 per cent of collisions... No matter what one drives, Saskatchewan is set to increase fines for speeders and distracted drivers, on June 27...

Labels: drivers safety, trucking industry news CAN

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * Australia: Women´s in trucks

* Australia - Women take the wheel in the trucking sector

(Photo courtesy of Lyndal Denny, she started driving trucks at age 55)
Jakarta,Indonesia -The Jakarta Globe, by Neena Bhandari -May 25, 2014: -- Growing up on a farm in the resource-rich, rugged landscape of Western Australia, Mel Murphy would often dream of driving the mammoth trucks that went whizzing past her property. Today, the 38-year-old drives a FH 540 Volvo truck and is amongst a growing number of women who are boldly entering Australia’s massive mining sector as truck drivers. Accounting for over 10 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), Australia’s resource sector – primarily iron ore, coal, uranium and gold – is one of the largest in the world, but when it comes to employment equality the industry falls short, with women making up a mere 15 percent of the mining workforce. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) labour force estimates for February 2014, only 40,079 out of a total of 271,237 persons employed in Australia’s mining industry are women...

Labels: womens in trucking

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA: Werner Enterprises'

* Nebraska - Gloria Werner's hard work a big part of trucking company's success

Omaha,NEB,USA -Omaha World-Herald, by Paige Yowell -May 24, 2014: -- Gloria Werner was always known as creative and tenacious... The co-founder of the Werner Enterprises transportation company was never afraid to do what was necessary to see the business succeed in its early days, when cash was tight and she juggled multiple roles... Gloria Werner died Tuesday after a 17-month battle with lung cancer. She was 79... She and her then-husband, Clarence L. Werner, founded Werner Enterprises in 1956 with one truck. She worked there until she retired from the business in 1984. Werner Enterprises now operates internationally and has about 13,000 employees and independent contractors...

Labels: trucking industry news USA and CAN

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA: Best MPG trucks

* New York - 8 trucks with best-in-class MPG for 2014

NY,USA -Wall St. Cheat Seat, by ERIC SCHAAL -MAY 25, 2014: -- To help with the effort, Fueleconomy.gov compiles stats on all the vehicles on U.S. roads in order to let drivers know which are offering the best gas mileage in each class. Even though cars get far better Best MPGmileage than larger vehicles, every dollar and bit of carbon counts. Here are the eight trucks with the best-in-class mpg for 2014... Note: The EPA classifies all SUVs, pickups, vans, wagons, and multi-purpose vehicles as trucks...

1. Toyota RAV4 EV (76 MPGe): Best Small SUV

2. Toyota Highlander Hybrid (28 mpg): Best Standard SUV

3. Ford Transit Connect Wagon (25 mpg): Best Special Purpose Vehicle

4. Mazda 5 (24 mpg): Best Minivan

5. Ram 1500 2WD (23 mpg): Best Standard Pickup

6. Toyota Tacoma (23 mpg): Best Small Pickup

7. Chevy Express 1500 (14 mpg): Best Passenger Van (tie)

8. GMC Savana 1500 (14 mpg) : Best Passenger Van (tie)

Labels: fuel economy

TRUCKS RECALL * USA: GM´s

* Michigan - GM recalls 500 new trucks, SUVs for flawed airbag sensor

(Photo: GM last week recalled 1,402 2015 Escalades because of a problem with the passenger airbag) Detroit,MICH,USA -Automotive News, by Mike Colias -May 23, 2014: -- General Motors is recalling about 500 new pickups and SUVs to fix a potential flaw in the sensor that controls the airbags... The recall is to fix "a potentially faulty supplier part in the sensing and diagnostic module that controls the vehicle air bags" on 2014 and 2015 Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, Chevy Suburban and Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL models, GM said in an e-mailed statement... It's unknown how many of the trucks are on dealership lots or in customer hands. Trucks in dealer inventory will be repaired before they're delivered to customers, GM spokesman Alan Adler said...

Labels: trucks recalls

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA: Detroit Engine's

* Michigan - Detroit to offer integrated powertrain in 2015

(Photo: Detroit's new integrated powertrain package)
Detroit,MICH,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr -May 22, 2014: -- A new integrated powertrain package – linking together a proprietary engine, automated transmission and axles – will be rolled out by the Detroit division of Daimler Trucks North America starting in January next year... Initially available only for the Freightliner Cascadia Evolution Class 8 tractor and then later in 2015 for the Western Star 5700, Detroit’s new integrated powertrain combines a DD15 engine with a new “downspeed” rating of 400 hp and 1750 lb.-ft. of torque with the company’s DT12 automated transmission and axle products...

Labels: truckmakers news USA and Canada

MILITARY TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA

* New York - Marines increase truck fleet, sparing vehicles From shredding

(Video from YouTube, from AiirSource/American Forces Network Afghanistan, by Airman 1st Class Thomas "Kellen" Carr -May 13, 2013: Members of the 508th MP Company perform various daily MRAP M-ATV drive missions. During these missions they are responsible for the transportation, safety and security of their passengers)
NY,USA -The Wall Street Journal, by BOB TITA -May 23, 2014: -- The race to spare armored trucks in Afghanistan from the cutting torch before the U.S. military's withdrawal received a lift from the Marine Corps' decision to keep more trucks than originally anticipated... The Marines want 1,200 additional mine-resistant ambush-protected trucks, or MRAP, on top of the nearly 1,300 trucks the Corps had planned to retain. The Marines decided to take more trucks after recently re-evaluating their long-term vehicle needs, a Marine spokesman said. The Marines' larger fleet drops the number of surplus MRAPs—pronounced "em-raps"—in Afghanistan that still need new homes to about 700, from about 2,000 trucks last year... There are about 4,000 MRAPs still in service in Afghanistan... Croatia's military recently obtained more than 100 trucks, some of which were built by Navistar. Pakistan is considering whether to purchase a large number of new trucks, acquire used trucks free or opt for a combination of new and used vehicles, according to people close to the situation... Meanwhile, the State Department is recommending that Mexico be allowed to purchase 3,335 Humvee utility vehicles from AM General of South Bend, Ind., for $556 million... Iraq also is purchasing 200 Humvees for $101 million for its military... About 160,000 of them remain in service with U.S. forces, even as the Pentagon continues to develop an armored utility truck that would replace the Humvee in combat roles. About 50,000 Humvees are already in use by more than 60 foreign militaries...

Labels: military trucks

TRAILER MAKERS * USA

* Iowa - April trailer orders rise 20.2%

(Photo:Shogun truck traile)
Iowa City,IOW,OSA -Transport Topics, by Seth Clevenger -23 May 2014: -- Trailer orders rose 20.2% in April as demand for new equipment continued to surpass year-ago levels, ACT Research reported... U.S. manufacturers received 26,389 net trailer orders last month, up from 21,954 in April 2013... However, April’s total declined 10.2% from the 29,373 new orders placed in March as the industry approached the summer months, which are typically slower for order activity... Through four months, trailer orders have totaled 111,317 in 2014, up 43.8% from 77,395 in the same timeframe last year...

Labels: trailer makers news

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * India: Tata Motors´/ BharatBenz´s

* India - Tata Motors launches 'Ultra' trucks

(Photo: Tata´s truck model 4928 S 03)
Chennai,India -The Hindustan Times -22, May 2014: -- Automobile major Tata Motors today launched its Ultra trucks range, aiming to garner more share in the intermediate and light commercial vehicle segment... The vehicle offers low cost of operation, driver comfort, durability as well as power steering, said Ravi Pisharody, Commercial Vehicle Business Executive Director, Tata Motors Ltd... The base variant of Ultra 812 is priced at Rs. 10.53 lakh and the Ultra 912 at Rs. 10.94 lakh (both ex-showroom, Chennai, he said... The company had displayed the two products at Auto Expo 2012, he added...

* India - New BharatBenz multi-axle heavy haulage truck spotted testing

Perungudi,Chennai,India -Gaadi -19 May 2014: -- BharatBenz, a unit ofDaimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), is posting impressive growth in the India medium and heavy vehicle segment that is witnessing a downturn... The German CV giant is in the process of filling gaps in its product portfolio in order to have a strong presence in every important sub-segments of the market. As of now, BharatBenz has haulage, tipper and tractor models ranging from 9T to 49T but there exists a scope of further products within this range... We recently spotted a camouflaged BharatBenzmulti-axle test mule which was doing its routine run on theChennai-Bangalore highway. The prototype had four rear axles with the one near the cabin being a part of articulation setup i.e. in 4×2 configuration. From the spyshot, it’s difficult to say with absolute certainty but we expect one of the three rear most axles to be a lift-axle...

* India - Omax Autos forays into truck assembly

New Delhi,India -The Hindu -May 19, 2014: -- Auto component maker Omax Autos Ltd today announced its foray into full-fledged truck assembly with plans to roll out 10,000 units in three years from its Bangalore plant... The firm has completed deliveries of an order of 20 vehicles for an undisclosed original equipment manufacturer... A focussed assembly cell has been created at the company’s Bangalore plant, where the truck is assembled... The company manufactures a range of components for automobiles ranging from two-wheelers, three-wheelers, Off- Highway, passenger cars, commercial vehicles and railways...

Labels: truckmakers news India

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE: MAN´s / Volvo´s / BharatBenz´s

* Germany - MAN moves bus production to Turkey

Berlin,Germany -Reuters -May 20, 2014: -- German truckmaker MAN SE will shut its sole bus factory in its home market and shift production to lower-wage Turkey, responding to poor demand in core European markets... The 420 workers affected will be offered new jobs at a German division of MAN parent Volkswagen... Assembly of coaches and public-service buses will be moved from the plant in Plauen, Germany to Ankara, Turkey, by March 2015, the company said...

* Sweden - Volvo April truck shipments drop on weak S.America demand

(Photo: A Custom made Volvo´s pickup truck)
Stockholm,Sweden -Reuters -May 21, 2014: -- World number two truck maker Volvo posted a surprise drop in deliveries of its trucks in April on weaker demand in South America, where shipments fell twice as much as expected... Total shipments at the maker of Volvo, Mack, UD Trucks and Renault trucks were down one percent year-on-year against a mean forecast in a Reuters poll of analysts for an increase of 4 percent...

* Sweden - Volvo Group to experiment with “electric roads”

(Photo thanks to Volvo Group) Gothenburg,Sweden -Fleet Owner - 22 May 2014: -- In collaboration with the Swedish Transport Administration (STA), the Volvo Group plans to study the potential for building what it calls “electric roads,” whereby city buses can be charged with electricity from within the road itself with the bus simultaneously in full operation... Volvo said it hopes to build a 300 to 500 meter (a roughly 984 to 1,640 foot) electric road for test operations in central Gothenburg, Sweden, sometime next year...

* EU - Truck legislation to be put on hold

(EU legislation has not been passed) Dublin,Ireland -Irish Trucker -22 May 2014: -- Both countries are looking to protect national manufacturers Renault and Volvo. The legislation, which would also open up the European truck market to US competition, will only come into force in 2025 because of the lobbying by France and Sweden, according to documents seen by the Financial Times... “Given the importance of this legislation to the industry, it needs to be done in the correct way matched with appropriate timing for planning and preparation,” said Volvo, which is separate from the car brand of the same name. “Redesigning the cab is quite complex and costly, and you have to bear in mind that product cycles in our business are 15, maybe 20 years long...

Labels: truckmakers news Germany, truckmakers news Sweden

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA:

* Alaska - A. West Express awarded for safety

(Video from YouTube, by LyndenInc - Feb 2, 2012: Alaska West Express provides truckload transportation throughout the United States and Canada, specializing in your shipment to and from Alaska, where we are the leader in transporting liquid- and dry-bulk products, hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals and petroleum products. With terminals in Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska, as well as Tacoma, Washington, our fleet can handle all of your shipping needs)
Anchorage,AK,USA -Today´s Trucking -May 22, 2014: -- Alaska West Express won the Alaska Safe Truck Fleet of the Year Award from the Alaska Trucking Association (ATA) at its annual awards banquet this spring. Alaska West Express provides truckload transport of liquid- and dry-bulk products throughout the U.S. and Canada and specializes in trucking to Alaska with terminals in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Tacoma...

* Iowa - Class 8 trucking company begins dual-fuel natural gas deployment in up front

(Photo: Freightliner Cascadia 113 CNG Daycab)
Dubuque,IOW,USA NGT News -May 21, 2014: -- Foodliner, a heavy-duty carrier serving the bulk-food industry, has deployed its first five dual-fuel natural gas Freightliner Cascadia trucks in partnership with Diesel 2 Gas Inc. (D2G), Fitzgerald Glider Kits and Agility Fuel Systems... The sleeper-cab trucks can run on up to 60% compressed natural gas (CNG) and 40% diesel with the D2G DualFlex+ system, the company says. Other equipment on the vehicles includes CNG tanks from Agility paired with Detroit Diesel Series 60 engines rated at 500 hp. The five Cascadias are also equipped with D2G's integrated electronic cruise control... D2G says the 60% gas substitution will result in "one of the lowest-fuel-cost trucks in America while maintaining all of the original diesel performance." The DualFlex+ system defaults to 100% diesel in the absence of CNG, the company notes...

* Illinois - Stateline trucking companies in need of drivers

Rockford,ILL,USA -My State Lines, by Phillip Reed -22 May 2014: -- Rockford- Trucks are parked at R.L Leek’s parking lot with nobody to drive them because the company says they are short-staffed. The owner, Ron Leek, says, “What we are not able to do is take on new business, [of] which there is an abundance of business right now because of the shortage [of drivers]” ... The shortage of truck drivers is happening all across the country. Leek says the baby boomers are retiring and young people don’t want to drive trucks, or deal with the job’s tough schedule... His company will be at Spirit CDL’s transportation job fair on June 18th looking to hire workers...

Labels: truckers shortage, trucking industry news USA and CAN

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA: Ford´s / Navistar´s

* Illinois - Power Stroke vs. Cummins rivalry is atepping up to even bigger trucks

Warrensville,ILL,USA -Truck Yeah Jalopnik, by Andrew P Collins -19 May 2014: -- Ford and Navistar had been collaborating since 2001. Nav had the factory, Ford had the money, and they each got their own brand of medium-duty commercial trucks out of the deal. But Ford's broken off to go proprietary, and just like that former friends become rivals... The joint venture, "Blue Diamond Truck Company, LLC," produced Class 6 and 7 Medium Duty commercial trucks (bigger than a pickup, smaller than a semi-truck) sold as Internationals by Navistar and F-650s and F-750s by Ford. Navistar made the bodies and engines, each company did their own thing with cabs and design... The deal effectively made Ford into Navistar's biggest customer... For 2015, Ford's next-gen F-650s and F-750s will be made by Ford at their Ohio facility, with Power Stroke diesel engines from the company's plant in Mexico and no Navistar components whatsoever... Ford's new offerings look strong, but Navistar still has a big lineup of Cummins ISB engines in their International trucks which gives them a pretty deep following... Power Stoke and Cummins are both names with substantial weight in the diesel world, and once the 2015 Ford F-650 and F-750 drop they'll have a whole new market to fight over. I'll be curious to see what kind of impact the commercial-level popularity of one over the other has in the light-duty market, if any...

* Michigan - Construction recovery apurring medium-suty aales

(Photo Ford: 2015 Ford F-Series Super Duty)
Dearborn,MICH,USA -Work Truck -May 20, 2014: -- A recovery in the construction industry is powering increased demand for medium-duty trucks, which has led to increased sales, especially of Ford's F-750 Super Duty truck... Through April, Ford has seen a 2-percent increase in sales of Class 6-7 trucks, which represents the same growth rate for all of 2013. Ford held 30 percent of the market share in those classes in 2012, according to Todd Kaufman, marketing manager at Ford... Kaufman added, "and in the past eight months has seen medium-duty sales improve" ...

Labels: truckmakers news USA and Canada

TRUCKERS´STRIKE * Canada

* British Columbia - Mediator releases recommendations for Port Metro Vancouver: "Drivers must be paid for wait times or serious repercussions will occur"

(Photo by: Ric Ernst/The Vancouver Sub: Trucks enter and leave the port of Vancouver at the McGill street entrance Monday. The truckers’ union is not saying where picketing might take place)
Port Metro Vancouver,B.C.,CAN -Truck News, by Carolyn Gruske –May 21, 2014: -- Vincent Ready has released his recommendations in light of the strike by container truck drivers working out of Port Metro Vancouver... Ready was appointed to mediate the situation by the federal and B.C. provincial governments as part of their Joint Action Plan (JAP)... In releasing his recommendations, Ready acknowledged just how complicated the situation is at the port, and how difficult it will be to implement fixes... Ready provided a formula for paying drivers for wait times, and established that the fee must be forwarded to drivers, and not retained by the trucking companies...

Labels: truckers strike

TRUCKERS JOBS - USA: YRC Wordwide´s

* Kansas - Recruiter looks for drivers for trucking giant YRC Worldwide

(Photo courtesy of YRC Worldwide)
Overland Park,KS,USA -The Kansas City Star, by Mark Davis -May 21, 2014: -- The newest hire at trucking company YRC Worldwide Inc. is a recruiter whose job is to find drivers... Chief executive, James Welch, revealed the hiring Wednesday during an industry panel discussion held in New York by Wolfe Research. He said it was the first time the Overland Park company had put a recruiter for drivers on its payroll... YRC, which operates with 26,000 members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, has far fewer drivers to replace each year than many other companies...

Labels: truckers jobs

SAFETY ROADS * USA: Dangerous truckers

* Pensilvania - Trucker column provokes strong reactions

(Photo by Chris Knight/THE MORNING CALL: Three people were killed in this fiery crash on Interstate 78 in Berks County last week when a tractor-trailer in the passing lane smashed into a row of cars from behind) Allentown,PA,USA -The Morning Call, by Paul Carpenter -May 20, 2014: ... "A truck will be in the right lane, then swing out into the left lane in front of a car to pass another vehicle, forcing the car in the left lane to hit the brakes" ... That "is because once [truckers] hit the brakes and lose momentum, it can take them a very long time to build that speed up again … and eat up a lot of fuel." He called on car drivers to just stay out of the way. "Simply back off," TruckerMike said. "Show a little thoughtfulness" ... One of the best ways to reduce dangerous driving by salaried company truckers (independents have incentives of their own to be responsible) might be to heed Shotko's simple and incisive point: Reduce the motive for truckers to be hellbent on bullying everyone out of the way. Require that they be paid by the hour, as done years ago, instead of by the mile...

Labels: dangerous trucks news, safety roads

MILITARY TRUCKMAKERS * USA: Oshkosh´s

* Illinois - Oshkosh Corp. works to develop driverless military trucks

Oshkosh,ILL,USA -The Journal Sentinel, by Rick Barrett -May 12, 2014: -- Oshkosh is displaying some of its autonomous vehicle technology — such as sensors and computer systems that can control driverless trucks — at a trade show in Orlando, Fla., sponsored by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International... The truck manufacturer is working with the U.S. Office of Naval Research to produce an unmanned vehicle that would be used by the Marines Corps in supply-line convoys, including trips into combat zones... Ground-penetrating radar and other mine detection systems are being incorporated into the vehicle to counter the threat of roadside bombs that have killed many troops in Iraq and Afghanistan... The Pentagon wants the unmanned vehicles, often at the front of a convoy, to detect — or absorb the damage from — improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, saving the lives of troops in vehicles that follow...

Labels: military trucks, truckmakers news USA

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * South Korea: Volvo's

* South Korea - New Volvo trucks make Asian premiere in Seoul

(Photo from Volvo Trucks Korea: Volvo Trucks executives pose with the Volvo FH in a press event held at W-Seoul Walkerhill in Seoul on Monday. From left are Kim Young-jae, Volvo Trucks Korea president; Christophe Martin, senior vice president of Volvo Group Trucks Asia Oceania; and Joachim Rosenberg, executive vice president of Volvo Group)
Seoul,SK -The Korea Herald, by Lee Ji-yoon -12 May 2014: -- Volvo Trucks, the world’s second-largest truckmaker, held the Asian unveiling of its new flagship trucks ― the Volvo FH, FM and FMX ― in Seoul on Monday in a move to renew commitment to its biggest market in Asia... The three new models have been fully revamped after 11 years. According to the Sweden-based company, key features include the new Volvo Dynamic Steering, which allows for effortless handling, and the intelligent gear-changing system, the I-Shift. Prices of the new models range from 140 million won to 240 million won ($136,000-$234,000)... Volvo is the latest among a slew of foreign-brand truckmakers that are upping the ante in Korea, a key market in Asia but dominated by the powerful Hyundai Motor. But foreign players have received a fresh boon recently as the Korean carmaker is struggling to meet the soaring demand... Scania of Volkswagen Group is expanding its service network to elevate its annual unit sales to some 1,000 vehicles, while Daimler Trucks has announced new investment plans, including its own 52 billion won parts delivery center, due to be completed in June... Navistar International, the largest truckmaker in the United States, launched its first truck models in Korea in February with the aim of taking advantage of tariff cuts under the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement...

Labels: truckmakers news worldwide

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * WORLDWIDE

* Philippines - Manila suspends daytime truck ban

(Photo, by EDD GUMBAN: Cargo trucks in Manila’s Port Area, where a daytime truck ban has significantly cut daily trips, resulting in cargo congestion and shipping backlogs)
Manila,Philippines -The Philippine Star -May 13, 2014: -- The daytime truck ban in Manila has been suspended effective today until May 20 as part of preparations for the country’s hosting of the World Economic Forum (WEF)... Manila Mayor, Joseph Estrada, ordered the suspension, upon the request of Public Works Secretary, Rogelio Singson, and Cabinet Secretary, Jose Rene Almendras, who want to clear the huge backlog of containers at the Port of Manila...

Labels: trucking industry worldwide

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA / Mexico

* Arizona - Low participation plaguing cross-border trucking program with Mexico

(Photo: Arizona Customs border port)
Nuevo Laredo,TAM,MEX -Over Drive, by Jill Dunn -May 12, 2014: -- Five months remain in the pilot cross-border trucking program with Mexico, which has continued to report few safety violations but low participation: Just 13 carriers have authority, compared to the nearly 50 FMCSA said it would need... The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s program, through its third year, has the same number of participating carriers as the end of its second year (13). It finished its first year with nine participants... A total of 17 companies have cleared the FMCSA’s Pre-Authority Screening Audits, conducted on applicants to verify program compliance... The U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General also has said low participation could result in a data sample inadequate to assess Mexican carriers’ impact on safety...

Labels: border crossings, trucking industry news USA

TRUCKERS´RESPECT * USA: FMCSA´s prohibit coercion rule

* DC - FMCSA unveils rule to prohibit coercion of drivers by carriers, shippers, brokers

(The agency's prohibit 'driver coercion rule')
Washington,DC,USA -Over Drive, by James Jaillet -May 12, 2014: -- The agency’s proposed ‘driver coercion rule’ will prohibit carriers, shippers, brokers and others from threatening drivers with loss of work as a coercion tactic to get them to operate in violation of federal safety regulations... A proposed rule prohibiting carriers, shippers, brokers and others from coercing drivers to drive beyond hours of service limits or in contravention of other federal rules has been released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration... In addition to the prohibition of coercion and threatening drivers to exceed hours limits, the rule puts in place procedures for drivers to report coercion to the agency and procedures for the agency to respond to the allegations... The rule is in some ways related to the March-released proposed electronic logging device mandate, whose predecessor — the 2011 limited electronic onboard recorder mandate — was tossed in court due to FMCSA’s failure to address the issue of driver harrassment as part of the rulemaking...

* Minnesota - Truckers ask other drivers for a little respect

(Photo by Richard Sennott, Star Tribune)
Minneapolis,MN,USA -Star Tribune, by TIM HARLOW -May 12, 2014: -- Nathan Wick logs thousands of miles a year driving a semitrailer truck for UPS Freight. The hours are long and demanding, but the most stressful part of his job is the driving behavior of other motorists... Wick says motorists have lost respect for big rigs, and as a result put themselves and his fellow truck drivers at risk. The Drive recently went for a ride with the 2012 Minnesota Trucking Association’s Driver of the Year and it didn’t take long to see why he feels that way... On our short trip on Interstate 35W from Blaine to Forest Lake in blinding rain, drivers changing lanes failed to give ample clearance when pulling in front of Wick. Others tailgated or drove in his blind spot for extended periods. A few got too close for comfort, all behaviors rife with dangers...

Labels: truckers' safety

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May 31, 2014