Trucks World News: June 2014

Jun 27, 2014

TRUCKS SALES * France: Renault trucks

* Renault Trucks bags vehicle supply contract from Doha, Qatar

Saint Prist,Lyon,France -ABR -26 June 2014: -- French truck manufacturer Renault Trucks has secured a vehicle supply contract from Doha, the capital city of Qatar... The contract will see Renault Trucks supply 190 vehicles of the Renault Trucks C and Renault Trucks D ranges to the capital city... Completion of the contract is expected to make the France-based truck manufacturer a market leader in Qatar by the end of 2014... As per terms of the deal, the company will deliver 180 Renault Trucks C 320 rigids 4×2 and 10 Renault Trucks D 18t rigids 4×2 equipped with compactor bodies with capacities of 16m³ for the C range and 12m³ for the D range...

Labels: trucks sales worldwide

RECALLS * USA: GM's

* Michigan - GM's Barra says more recalls possible as automaker reviews data

(Photo from REUTERS, by Jeff Kowalsky: The General Motors logo is seen outside its headquarters at the Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan August 25, 2009)
Detroit,MICH,USA -Reuters, by Susan Heavey -June 26, 2014: -- General Motors Chief Executive, Mary Barra, said on Thursday more recalls are possible as the No. 1 U.S. automaker grapples with a series of safety problems that have prompted the recall of 20 million cars... Barra's comments in an interview with NBC came a day after GM issued its latest in a string of recalls, this one for 33,000 Chevrolet Cruze sedans with potentially defective air bags made by troubled Japanese supplier Takata Corp... Barra, a 30-year GM veteran, has become the public face of the once-bankrupt automaker as it struggles to address safety issues that have plagued the company since early this year. GM has issued 44 recalls covering about 20 million vehicles globally so far in 2014...

Labels: recalls

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA: Volvo's

* Virginia - Volvo Trucks plans $69m investment in Dublin plant

((Photo: WAW !! ... what a job for only one VOLVO truck !!... )
Dublin,VA,USA -AP -26 June 2014: -- Volvo Trucks North America says it will invest $69 million in improvements at its New River Valley plant in Dublin... Improvements announced Thursday include upgrades to the truck assembly plant's paint facility and a redesign of various work areas. New racking and storage systems, docks and lifting devices also are planned... The company says in a news release that the enhancements will improve manufacturing efficiency and vehicle quality...

Labels: truckmakers news USA

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * China: Foton's Auman

* Beijing - GTL Heavy-duty trucks use clean technology

(Photo: Two Auman 9 series 6x4 tractors with Weichai engine, Auman 9 series 6x4 and 4x2 tractors with Cummins engines, shown at the Beijing Foton Cummins Engine Factory)
Beijing,China -BUSINESS WIRE/The WSJ (USA) -June 26, 2014: -- Auman GTL heavy-duty trucks with Cummins heavy-duty ISG engines were unveiled in front of an elated crowd on June 7, 2014 in the Beijing Foton Cummins Engine Factory. During the ceremony, Beijing Foton Motor Company and Cummins, Inc. signed an amended joint venture agreement to collaborate on "Euro VI emissions standards and the LNG Clean Energy Technology Innovation Project" ... Foton Daimler Automotive, Cummins, Inc. and Foton Motors collaboratively build all Auman GTL heavy-duty trucks. These trucks meet European standards and are found globally in high-end, heavy-duty truck markets...

Labels: truckmakers news China

NEIGHBORHOOD COMPLAINTS * USA

* West Virginia - Downstream Strategies: Heavy trucks play a part in greenhouse gas emissions

(Photo: Heavy truck makes a wide turn onto the Walnut Street Bridge in downtown Morgantown) Morgantown,VA,USA -The State Journal, by Krista Baker -Jun 26, 2014: -- If you're in the Morgantown area, near Walnut and Spruce Street, chances are you're going to see a large truck. And loud noises are one of the biggest headaches for citizens concerned with the trucks... The noise complaints don't only come from residential neighborhoods but from businesses that say the noise interferes with meetings... The environmental consulting firm Downstream Strategies did a Community Greenhouse Gas Inventory for Morgantown. It's the first study about greenhouse gas emissions for the city. The Project Manager said the trucks play a part... "The high number of trucks that go through the city," started Jeff Simcoe, Project Manager with the Energy Program at Downstream Strategies. "I believe the trucks contribute to the congestion on the roadway which also increase the greenhouse gases emitted due to transportation because the roads can't handle that much traffic..."

Labels: neighboring complains

TRUCKS' MARKET * USA: ACT Research

* Indiana - Volume of used Class 8 trucks sold in May dropped 12 percent

(Photo: Route 66 start in Joliet, Illinois)
Columbus,IND,USA -The Trucker -26 June 2014: -- The volume of used Class 8 trucks sold in May dropped 12 percent below April’s volume, according to the latest release of the State of the Industry: U.S. Classes 3-8 Used Trucks, published by ACT Research.. “The volume drop was expected, since sales usually slow during the summer months,” said Steve Tam, vice president-commercial vehicle sector with ACT... That even though fleets and dealers alike are now beginning to talk about fleet expansion, they are not necessarily trading in the same number of trucks that they are buying...

Labels: trucks markets

Jun 26, 2014

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * Turkey / Syria

* Turkey pays steep price now for letting jihadis into Syria

(Photo, by ANDREA BRUCE / THE NEW YORK TIMES - Truck drivers wait in a long line to cross the border into Iraq from Turkey, though some trucking companies have stopped transporting goods into Iraq since 31 truckers were kidnapped in Mosul) Habur Border Gate, Turkey -The New York Times (USA), by Ben Hubbard and Ceylan Yeginsu -June 25, 2014: -- In normal times, hauling 50,000 pounds of frozen chicken into Iraq is a routine job for Turfan Aydin, a Turkish trucker who has been working the route for years. But the cross-border trade has suddenly all but halted, locked up by the insurgent offensive in Iraq and the kidnapping of 80 Turkish citizens... Once this border was wide open, as Turkey allowed rebel groups of any stripe easy access to the battlefields in Syria in an effort to topple President Bashar Assad. But that created fertile ground in Syria for the development of the Sunni militant group that launched a blitzkrieg in Iraq this month, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)... The kidnappings have terrified communities that rely on cross-border trade. Doruklu, a village of 1,300 people where some residents still live in mud-brick homes and most men become truckers as soon as they reach adulthood, counts four men among the captive truckers...

Labels: trucking industry news worldwide, trucking troubles worldwide

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA: USPS' troubles

* DC - How aging trucks could doom nationwide mail delivery

(Photograph by Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg)
Washington,DC,USA -Bloomberg Business Week, by Devin Leonard -June 24, 2014: -- Postmaster General, Patrick Donahoe, has been saying for three years that his agency is in danger of running out of money because of declining mail volume. And since bills and greeting cards continue to be delivered six days a week, it’s little surprise that Congress has largely ignored his call for sweeping postal reform legislation... Now time may be running out. There are expensive projects that the USPS isn’t tending to because it doesn’t have the funds. The agency’s inspector general predicted earlier this month that unless the USPS replaces its aging fleet of trucks, it might not be able to deliver mail throughout the country after 2017... The USPS has nearly 190,000 vehicles, one of the largest fleets in the U.S., of that number, according to the report, 142,000 are custom-built mail delivery trucks expected to last 24 years. Many are approaching or have passed their expiration date. The inspector general says the current fleet consists of delivery vans that are “now between 20 and 27 years old.” ... Naturally, there are risks involved when postal workers make their rounds in 27-year-old trucks. The report notes that many of those vehicles lack the kind of safely features people now take for granted, such as front air bags, backup cameras, blind-spot warning systems, daytime running lights, seat belt reminders, and anti-lock brakes... The inspector general estimates that the USPS would have to spend $452 million to replace the entire fleet, and there’s no money for new vehicles at an agency that reported a $5 billion loss last year. The USPS has debated two plans to replace smaller numbers of vehicles and found those unaffordable as well. The sole exception came earlier this year, when the USPS approved a plan to purchase 3,509 vehicles to honor its contract with rural letter carriers...

* DC - Trucks continue to lead trade parade with NAFTA partners

(Photo from Associated Press: Trucks are shown crossing the Ambassador Bridge into Canada)
Washington,DC,USA -The Trucker -26 June 2014: -- Two of five transportation modes – pipeline and trucks – carried more U.S.-NAFTA trade in April 2014 than in April 2013 as U.S.-NAFTA trade value rose to $100.1 billion, according to the TransBorder freight data released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)... The increases came in two modes that combined carry more than two-thirds of total U.S.-NAFTA trade. Trucks, at 60.3 percent of the April trade, and pipeline, at 8.6 percent, carried a total of 69.0 percent of the trade... Trucks carry three-fifths of U.S.-NAFTA trade and are the most heavily utilized mode for moving goods to and from both U.S.-NAFTA partners. Trucks carried 60.3 percent of U.S.-NAFTA trade in April 2014, accounting for $30.6 billion of exports and $29.8 billion of imports...

* DC - Professional drivers write letter to DOT chief Foxx supporting FMCSA’s Ferro

(Photo: Anne Ferro)
Washington,DC,USA -The Trucker -23 June 2014: -- FMCSA Administrator, Anne Ferro, “gets it,” wrote 12 drivers with a combined 245 years driving experience in a letter to DOT Secretary, Anthony Foxx, late last week. And the reason, they said, is because Ferro sees the relationship between non-compliance and sub-standard pay... On most jobs, explained 48-year career driver Jerry Fritts, 68, a spokesman for the group, employees are paid more for producing more. In trucking, however, drivers went from hauling 45-foot trailers in 1982 to 53-foot trailers, the weight they pull increased by 10 percent, miles increased from 450 miles a day to 750, yet truckload drivers last year averaged $37,700 in earnings while in 1982 they were averaging $48,000 a year... Fritts, one of the 12 drivers who signed the letter to Foxx, said Ferro is “our best hope” to get driver pay where it needs to be... They wrote that Ferro’s mission has been to raise the bar of safety for both drivers and carriers and eliminate the “race to the bottom mentality” that cuts corners on safety...

* New York - Task Force makes recommendations to improve Port of N.Y. and N.J. movements

NY,USA -Truckinginfo -June 25, 2014: -- Nearly 100 port partners representing all sectors of the industry, including the New York Shipping Association, International Longshoremen’s Association, National Retail Federation, ocean carriers, importers and exporters, terminal operators, chassis providers and trucking companies, developed the recommendations over the past six months following extensive analysis, discussion and collaboration, according to the port authority... The Task Force was created by the port authority in conjunction with the New York Shipping Association in December 2013 to identify challenges and examine broad long-term recommendations to improve service reliability and efficiency in the port...
The task force also explored ways to address more immediate issues. The recommendations include:
- Development of a model to improve the management of truck chassis in the port.
- Development of a truck management system to meter truck arrival rates, which would reduce congestion and resulting air emissions, decrease truck turn times and improve terminal productivity.
- The coordination of gate hours at all of the privately operated terminals serving the port.
- The use of radio-frequency identification, or RFID, technology to measure and report on various truck movement times, including turn times on the terminal, queue times at terminal entrance gates and traffic on port roadways.
- Improved customer service at the terminals to assist truckers with transactions and other questions...

Labels: trucking industry news USA

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * Canada: Vancouver Port strike

* Ontario - Truckers slam increasing U.S. Border Fees

(Photo: A Bottleneck at the border are taking a toll on USA-Canada trade)
Toronto,Ontario,CAN-TruckingInfo -June 24, 2014: -- Canadian truckers have blasted a U.S. proposal that would greatly hike some fees at the border... The fleet group, the Canadian Trucking Alliance, says it strongly objects to a proposal from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to substantially raise the Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service fees... According to CTA, the APHIS program exacts a heavy toll on all U.S.-Canada trade. APHIS fees are applied to all trucks crossing the border, regardless of whether the goods being imported are food and agriculture-related or not, or whether the trailer is loaded or empty... Under the plan, transponder fees would increase from $105 to $320 per year, per truck, a 205% increase. Including the $100 CBP portion, the total cost would be $420 per truck. Trucks without a transponder will see an increase from $10.75 to $13.50 per crossing, or 52%... Since there is no thought to gradually introducing the increases over time, it will be next to impossible for motor carriers, who operate under very tight margins, to pass any reasonable portion of the increased costs along to the customer, said CTA in a release...

* British Columbia - Port truck drivers eye another strike in Vancouver

(Photo: Striking container-truck drivers sit at a picket line as a truck leaves Port Metro Vancouver in Vancouver, B.C., on March 10)
Port of Vancouver,BC,CAN -Land Line, by Charlie Morasch -23 June 2014: -- Port truck drivers that serve Canada’s largest port are again threatening to stop working, while port officials are threatening to remove access for trucking companies that don’t treat drivers fairly... Operations at the Port of Vancouver, B.C. were hampered in March when the truck drivers walked off the job for 28 days. That work stoppage resulted in the crafting of the port’s Joint Action Plan – an agreement stipulating truck driver pay rates... Drayage drivers are concerned that trucking companies are already undercutting the newly agreed upon pay rates... Port Metro Vancouver and the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation jointly launched a whistle-blower hotline that truckers can call or email when companies don’t pay the contractually-bound rates... The Globe and Mail reported that Gavin McGarrigle of Unifor-Vancouver Container Truckers Association estimated about “one-third of trucking companies are not fully complying,” with the Joint Action Plan – which requires pay rates on a round-trip basis... The Port of Vancouver sees about $184 billion in goods annually moved through its container terminals...

* Ontario - Feds update dangerous goods regs, safety marks

(Photo: A tanker truck)
Toronto,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking -Jun 23, 2014: -- Lisa Raitt, federal Minister of Transport, announced new regulations for identifying and labelling dangerous goods transported by truck or rail in Canada... The new rules will be synched with U.S. and United Nations rules for easier cross-border compliance. A harmonized system is better for emergency first responders, too, Raitt said... The new regulations clarify how the danger placard is to be used to identify shipments of certain classes of dangerous goods, such as pool chemicals, propane and acetone, contained in small packages. They also introduce new safety marks to identify organic peroxides, marine pollutants and other dangerous goods transported in limited quantities...

* Ontario - Overhaul of temp. Foreign Worker Program will hurt trucking

Ottawa,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking -Jun 25, 2014: -- The changes the Canadian government has announced to the Temporary Foreign Work Program will likely mean more parked trucks... Jean-Marc Picard, the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association (APTA)’s executive director said: “The Conference Board of Canada released a document in 2013 highlighting the driver shortage that we are facing today as well as what to expect in 2020. Up to 33,000 drivers will be needed for our industry by 2020 and you can certainly review that number now because of the Temporary Foreign Program being almost inaccessible” ... Employment Minister, Jason Kenney, told CBC Radio Saturday that he’s phasing out the “low-skilled stream” of the program after having considered shutting it down completely...

* New Scotia - Feds: Here’s $240K to attract women into trucking

Halifax,NS,CAN -Today's Trucking -Jun 25, 2014: -- The federal government said they’ll give $242,721 to help attract more women into the trucking industry in the Atlantic provinces... The Trucking Human Resource Sector Council Atlantic will receive $242,721 in funding for its three-year project to increase the recruitment and advancement of women in the trucking industry in Atlantic provinces... Trucking Human Resource Sector Council Atlantic is a non-profit organization made up of carriers and industry stakeholders in Atlantic Canada who are helping the trucking industry with different HR platforms...

Labels: trucking industry news Canada

Jun 24, 2014

TRUCKING INDUSTRY WORLDWIDE * UK / Pakistan / Afghanistan

* UK and Pakistani freight forwarding and logistics groups sign up to secure Afghani cargo routes

(Photo: A trucks convoy through the Kyber Pass)
Karachi,Pakistan -Handy Shipping Guide -23 June 2014: -- It is essential that well forged military supply chain links remain open for commercial traffic after cessation of hostilities... Few outside the international supply chain realise the importance of logistics when it comes to assisting the troubled nations around the globe, both supporting during the times of conflict and, just as crucially, aiding the recovery when the warring factions are withdrawn or reduced. Now freight forwarding outfit Allseas Global Logistics has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Raaziq Logistics and Supply Chain Management, a firm which claims, with some justification, to be Pakistan’s leading company in the field. A decade ago the Pakistani organisation opened two Afghan routes on behalf of NATO’s International and Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the northern route via the Khyber Pass into Kabul, an eight-day truck drive, and the shorter, three-day route into the Afghani southern regions, both of which also had a small commercial cargo element. Now the intent is that these two critical supply chain corridors are maintained by the new cooperation as the country rebuilds after years of conflict. The routes were established by Raaziq to facilitate the transport of supplies from Port Qasim, Karachi, to military bases in Afghanistan. Raaziq also owns and operates 13 staging stations located strategically along the routes; these secure compounds provide the full range of services for up to 40 trucks each day, including toilet and washing facilities, sleeping areas, fuel and lighting and full life support. Raaziq’s services also include arranging and escorting truck convoys along these transport corridors...

Labels: trucking industry news worldwide

DRIVERLESS TRUCKS * USA

* Nevada - Robot truck convoy tests. Driverless trucks before cars, and before the end of the decade

Carson City,NV,USA -Global Economic Analysis, by Mike "Mish" Shedlock -23 June 2014: -- Self-driving trucks before the end of this decade used to seem like a remote possibility. It now seems very likely, if not a given... Moreover, driverless truck convoys will be safer and more fuel efficient than human-driven trucks... Driverless trucks are looking more and more likely before the end of the decade. Millions of jobs will vanish when it happens...

Labels: driverless trucks

HOS RULES DEBATES * USA

* Pennsylvania - Trucking rules creating problems

Robeson Township,Berks County,PENN,USA -Reading Eagle, by Eric Arnold -June 22, 2014: -- I have spent 24 years in the trucking industry, 13 of which were spent with the federal Department of Transportation... The new hours of service rules, which the Collins amendment proposes to suspend, are not reducing crashes and very well may be causing more crashes... The Tracy Morgan accident was a tragedy, but it had nothing to do with the 70-hour rule. The truck driver was found by the National Transpiration Safety Board to be within his limit on hours. No evidence has been produced backing the claim he had not slept for 24 hours... You make it sound as if we truckers would kill your family to make an extra dollar. That is insulting and blatantly false. We care just as much about safety as the government does... Starting in 2009, truck-crash fatalities and injuries have risen every year. During the same time, the Department of Transportation has been the most aggressive, hyper-regulatory regime. With this level of overregulation, accidents should be plunging. They are not. They are going up... You argue it is because there are not enough rules. Hogwash. This blizzard of rules is having the opposite of its intended effect...

* How to make big trucks safer: Trucker safety has improved — and can get better

Chicago,ILL,USA -The Chicago Tribune -June 23, 2014: -- What does it sound like inside an 18-wheeler rolling down the highway? ... The truck's dashboard-mounted computer, warning in a robotic, female voice: "You have 9 hours and 22 minutes of remaining drive time" ... About 35 percent of interstate truckers use an electronic logging device that performs a critical task designed to make roads safer. This onboard computer, synched to the engine, keeps track of driving time to prevent truckers from staying on the highway too many hours and possibly falling asleep at the wheel. Plenty of drivers still fill out paper logs, which any trucker will tell you are easy to fudge. It's much harder to fool the computer: It knows exactly how much time is left on the clock before reaching the federally mandated 11-hour maximum daily driving time...
No rule-making will eliminate accidents. The Wal-Mart driver reportedly hadn't slept for more than 24 hours, but he apparently hadn't violated driving time rules. The National Transportation Safety Board reported Thursday that he had driven for 9 hours, 37 minutes that day, less than the 11 hours allowed by federal limits. He had been on duty for 13 hours and 32 minutes, just under the limit. Other drivers think he mismanaged his off time. That's always going to be a risk. You'd hope drivers have the sense to pull over before falling asleep, but, as trucking officials say, you can't measure fatigue with a blood test... So where does this leave us? The next big argument may be about driver pay. Long-distance truckers are compensated by the mile or delivery, so they aren't paid for the hours and hours they might spend waiting at loading docks. Some propose paying truckers for wait time, with the logic being that a higher-paid workforce would be more professional and safer... How to keep reducing the frequency of bad accidents? Getting onboard computers installed in all long-distance trucks as soon as possible seems the best answer from technology. Beyond that, the U.S. is likely to rely primarily on the responsibility of drivers and their employers — and their awareness that horrible crashes like the one on the New Jersey Turnpike have grave consequences...

Labels: HOS debates, HOS regulations, trucks safety

Jun 21, 2014

INFRASTRUCTURES * USA: The Dalton Highway

* Alaska - The Trucks of Dalton Highway

Fairbanks,Alaska,USA -Hooniverse, by Jim Yu -19, June 2014: -- A couple of weeks ago, I took a van trip up Alaska’s Dalton Highway to the Arctic Ocean. The Dalton, also known as the Haul Road, parallels the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and was made famous by the TV show Ice Road Truckers. I saw many pieces of unusual heavy machinery, like this Euclid B70 dump truck... My ride was a Ford Econoline E350 with the V10 Triton. It transports people, bicycles, and canoes up and down the Dalton. My round trip fare was $500. Coincidentally, this van burns $500 of fuel for the round trip between Fairbanks and Deadhorse (1,000 miles total). Since the road was mostly gravel (and mostly rough gravel), we rarely exceeded 40 miles per hour. The steepest grade was 12%, at the Atigun Pass...

The Haul Road has two primary purposes– to help service the pipeline and to provide supplies to the Prudhoe Bay oilfields. As such, the tractor-trailers have the right-of-way. Because the road is dusty and narrow and has sharp drop offs, our highly experienced driver always pulled over to give oncoming trucks as much room as possible.

The northern terminus of the Pan-American Highway is in Deadhorse, which is just south of Prudhoe Bay. Prudhoe Bay happens to be on British Petroleum property, so the public cannot drive all the way to the end of the road. More on that later... Every contractor that works the oilfields has their own camp in Deadhorse. I stayed at the camp belonging to CGGVeritas, a geosciences company. The company goes out on the frigid tundra, does what geoscientists do, and looks for oil deposits. That means their yard was chock full of awesome tracked vehicles!...

Labels: infrastructures;

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA: Tracy Morgan crash - Cargo Theft

* DC - NTSB: Trucker in Tracy Morgan Crash was speeding

(Photo: NTSB investigators documented the damage to the vehicles using 3D laser scanning technology. This is a scan of the Mercedes‑Benz limo van involved in the crash)
Washington,DC,USA -TruckingInfo, by Evan Lockridge -June 19, 2014: -- The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report of its investigation into the June 7 truck crash that severely injured celebrity Tracy Morgan, showing the truck driver was traveling well beyond the posted speed limit and appeared to be within legal hours of service... “A preliminary review of the data showed that the Peterbilt combination vehicle was traveling at 65 mph for the 60 seconds preceding the collision with the Mercedes-Benz limo van,” the report said. “About 0.4 mile south of the crash location, speed limit signs were posted that reduced the speed from 55 mph to 45 mph” ... NTSB said according to electronic driver log information on the truck, driver Kevin Roper had logged 9 hours 37 minutes of driving time when the crash occurred, shortly before 1 a.m. local time, while traveling north on the New Jersey Turnpike near Cranbury...

* California - Truckers hard pressed to comply with state emissions laws

Bakersfield,CAL,USA -23 ABC TV, by Cris Ornelas -Jun 18, 2014: -- Kern County truckers are running out of time to meet state requirements for air pollution emissions... The state is targeting semi trucks because they say they are some of the biggest polluters in California... New state regulations require all truckers to update their trucks to cleaner standards... That is putting a financial squeeze on smaller operations... Some small local trucking companies 23 ABC spoke to say they may not survive...

* Georgia - Bill steps up cargo theft protection

Atlanta,GA,USA -Athens Banner by Erico Techo -Herald -June 21, 2014: -- Georgia ranks in the top five states for cargo thefts, a statistic which a new law hopes to combat... The Georgia Cargo Theft Act was signed by Gov. Nathan Deal April 15 and goes into effect July 1. The law change specifies punishments based on the value of stolen cargo and identifies penalties for tampering with transport trucks... Georgia’s ports and interstates make it a prime target for freight theft, but the promise of stricter punishments could deter criminals... Before the punishments were outlined in this bill, cargo theft cases were often not prosecuted or were pleaded down to minor car-theft charges when the thieves were actually caught... One point of the bill specifies punishments for pharmaceutical theft, an industry with high monetary and personal health consequences... Identifying vulnerable industries and goods while placing more policing power behind punishments shows an understanding of private industry that can benefit Georgia’s relationship with companies... The bill has good intentions for industry protection, but its effectiveness will depend on how it is executed in the real world...

Labels: trucking industry news USA

Jun 20, 2014

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA: Mack Trucks'

* North Carolina - Mack puts $26M into truck plant

(Photo: Mack truck, Cars 2/6)
Greensboro,NC,USA -Overdrive -June 18, 2014: -- Mack Trucks announced this week a $26 million upgrade project to its truck assembly plant in Macungie, Pa., that will “improve the plant’s efficiency and help it deliver even higher quality trucks” to buyers, the truck and engine maker said... The investment includes a realignment of sub-assembly and material handling to more efficiently support the main vehicle assembly lines. The plant will also implement new processes and install new equipment to improve its post-production inspection and testing of completed vehicles... The plant also is installing two new dynometers...

* Oregon - Daimler SuperTruck hits target a year ahead of schedule

(Photo: Daimler Supertruck sideview. The SuperTruck program has enabled participating companies to take a "clean slate" approach to aerodynamic)
Portland,ORE,USA -Truck News -June 19, 2014: -- Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) has achieved the goals set out for it during the Department of Energy’s SuperTruck program, a full year ahead of schedule... The truck maker announced today it has demonstrated a 50% improvement in overall freight efficiency over a 2007 baseline tractor-trailer combination. Daimler also achieved more than 50% engine brake thermal efficiency... According to Derek Rotz, principal investigator for SuperTruck, DTNA, conducted a series of fuel efficiency, HVAC and thermal tests on a prototype vehicle, including two different on-highway routes in Oregon and Texas, which measured 52% and 61% fuel economy improvement respectively. The combined tractor-trailer weighed in at 1,500 lbs less than the baseline. Plans to complete and test a final demonstration vehicle with additional fuel and weight savings measures are scheduled for late 2014, Daimler announced... Many of the technologies demonstrated on the SuperTruck are viable today, including an integrated powertrain, 6×2 axle configuration and advanced aerodynamics...

Labels: truckmakers news USA

Jun 19, 2014

ANTITRUST SUIT * USA: Eaton's

* New York - Eaton faces over $2 billion in damages in court battle

(Photo from Associated Press: Eaton has maintained as much as 80% of the North American market for heavy-duty truck transmissions)
NY,USA -The Wall Street Journal, by BOB TITA -June 18, 2014: -- After losing a prolonged court battle, Eaton Corp. faces up to $2.4 billion in damages for squeezing rivals out of the truck-transmission market by rewarding commercial truck makers with generous rebates for using its own transmissions... The payout could prompt companies to review standard marketing tools like discounts and rebates programs... Auto-parts companies Meritor Inc. of Michigan and Germany's ZF Friedrichshafen, which filed an antitrust lawsuit against Eaton in 2006, are seeking between $475 million and $800 million in lost profits and lost business opportunities. A jury ruled in their favor in 2009 and Eaton lost a subsequent appeal, leaving only damages to be determined at a trial scheduled to begin June 23. Since damages are tripled in antitrust cases, the payout range could swell to $1.4 billion to $2.4 billion, according to analysts...

Labels: suits

TRUCKS RECALLS * USA: J. D. Power´s survey

* Michigan - Car buyers report more problems with new cars, trucks this year

(Photo: New Art Cars -Chrysler recall summons RAM ProMaster)
Auburn Hills,MICH,USA -The Associated Press -Jun 18, 2014: -- The race to fill vehicles with the latest technology is hurting quality... J.D. Power says buyers reported more problems with new cars and trucks this year than last year. The reason: Car makers are feeling pressure to add new technology, but buyers are frustrated when voice recognition, navigation and other systems don't work... The worst performers were Fiat, Jeep and Mitsubishi... Brands with fewer new vehicles tended to do better, since new models often have more glitches. This year's harsh winter also meant more complaints about cold-weather engine and heating problems... J.D. Power surveyed 86,000 buyers of 2014 model-year vehicles in the first 90 days of ownership. Buyers reported an average of 116 problems for every 100 vehicles...

Labels: trucks recalls

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * Sweden: Scania`s

* Sweden - Scania releases more fuel savings with SCR-only 450bhp engine

Södertälje,Sweden -Transport Engineer -18 June 2014: -- Scania is extending its Euro 6 truck engine range to 18 with the introduction of a 450bhp, SCR-only, 13-litre unit... The latest product will, says Scania, give operators a choice of EGR/SCR or SCR-only for 44-tonne gtw operations. Maximum torque is 2,350 Nm and is available from 1,000 rpm... The company says a Scania Streamline equipped with the latest engine will deliver a 1% fuel saving, compared with the EGR/SCR model... Engines using only SCR technology require more AdBlue – usually 6% of diesel fuel, for Scania models, while engines with EGR and SCR normally require 3%...

Labels: truckmakers news Sweden

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * Canada: New whistleblower service

* B.C. / Canada - Announced for trucking industry

(Truckers who are concerned about companies "undercutting" rates can now call the Drayage ConfidenceLine, administered by an independent, third-party organization that will forward drivers’ concerns to the appropriate agency for follow-up)
Delta,BC,CAN -South Delta Leader -June 17, 2014: -- Container truckers who believe a company is undercutting industry rates or harrassing drivers will soon have an avenue to take action... The provincial government, in concert with Port Metro Vancouver, have launched a new "whistleblower service" to provide a way for Lower Mainland container truckers to voice concerns about trucking companies not in compliance with remuneration rates set in the Joint Action Plan which ended a month-long strike earlier this year... The service will also allow whistleblowers to report improperly licensed trucks or driver harrassment, is offered in English and Punjabi and callers may remain anonymous if they so choose...

* Connecticut - TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® celebrates 300th international franchised location

(Photo: Ajax Movers Advice, Winter Moving - TWO MEN AND A TRUCK - Oshawa knows that moving when ice and snow is around isn't a popular choice for many people in Ontario) Lansing,CONN,USA -1851 Project, by Lauren Kaminski -June 13th, 2014: -- TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, services franchise throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada, has reached a milestone: 300 signed locations... The industry’s leading moving, wrapped up a solid first quarter of 2014 with impressive results, disclosing revenues totaling $60,992,672, which is approximately a 10 percent increase from last year... In addition to celebrating its 300th location, the company signed its largest number of new territories during the month of May, signing nine territory agreements. The company anticipates 2014 to be a year of record signings, with six expected signings in June... The 300th location, based out of Connecticut, validates the brands aggressive development on the East Coast. For the remainder of 2014, the company will be heavily concentrating on expansion in New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. By the end of 2015, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® anticipates an additional 30 signed locations in these specific target states... The Lansing-based corporate office constructed a 20,000 square-foot addition to make room for additional team members, a new sales center and increased customer service response time. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® also continues to further invest in operations and marketing automation software to systematize processes and bolster corporate-customer relationships...

Labels: trucking industry news CAN

TRUCKING RULES * USA: Federal's Truck Regs ...

* Illinois ... Not So Fast

Decatur,ILL,USA -WANDTV 17 –Jun 17, 2014: -- The recent crash on the New Jersey Turnpike that injured actor Tracy Morgan has some politicians calling for changes in trucking industry regulations. One local former truck company owner says don’t act so fast. Study the issue from the driver’s perspective first... U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, (D) New York, wants “black boxes” installed on all big rigs before the end of the summer. “Today we are calling on the Motor Carrier Safety Administration to get rules in effect in the next two months. Plain and simple,” Schumer stated... But Mark Young, a former truck company owner from Taylorville, wants the federal government to take its time since federal laws regulating trucking were changed just one year ago... Young suggests an inexpensive method of determining who is at fault in crashes involving trucks. Mounting dash cams in truck cabs... “They’re affordable and an accurate record of what the truck is doing. Where it’s at, locations. And hours of service by their drivers,” he said. Young showed WAND TV a camera he mounts in his truck. He says he purchased it for about $100 at a local Pilot fueling station...

Labels: trucking rules

TRUCKING RULES * Australia

* Australian trucks set to reap the full benefits of EWDs

Canberra,ACT,Australia -NTC -16 Jun 2014: -- Truck drivers choosing electronic work diaries (EWDs) won’t be fined for small breaches of less than eight minutes under new policy settings agreed to by transport ministers on 23 May. The changes will also better protect drivers’ privacy and help authorities target the small number of people who break the law... CEO of the NTC Paul Retter recognising that small breaches with very little fatigue impact may occasionally occur, regulations will be introduced so that heavy vehicle drivers using an EWD and operating in standard hours or Basic Fatigue Management, will not incur a minor risk breach if their work time is exceeded by up to eight minutes... The effectiveness of the approach will be reviewed after two years of initial uptake by industry...