User-agent: Mediapartners-Google* Disallow: Trucks World News: September 2014
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Sep 29, 2014

TRUCKS RECALLS * USA: Toyota's / Fiat-Chryler's

* DC - Toyota to recall 690,000 Tacoma Pickup Trucks. Concerns over rear suspension in 2005-11 models 


Washington,DC,USA -The Wall Street Journal, by JEFF BENNETT -Sept. 29, 2014: -- Toyota Motor Co. will recall 690,000 pickup trucks while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has begun a formal review into a complaint charging that 4.9 million sport-utility vehicles, trucks and vans produced by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles are susceptible to engine stalling and air bag failures... Auto makers are remaining vigilant about initiating recalls in the wake of General Motors Co, who mishandling of its faulty ignition switch. A total of 23 deaths have now been connected to the issue in which a jarring of the key can cause the switch to slip into "accessory" mode cutting power to the air bags... Toyota said it would recall Tacoma pickup trucks for model years 2005 through 2011 over rear suspension concerns. Springs could fracture due to corrosion which could lead to a puncturing of the fuel tank... Separately, NHTSA notified Chrysler it will conduct a probe of a complain filed by the Center for Auto Safety charging that the auto maker's Totally Integrated Power Modules—installed on most vehicles after 2007—can cause engine stalling and disable air bags when they fail. The petition includes 70 complaints...

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posted by Unknown @ 8:09 PM  0 comments

ALTERNATIVE FUELS * France: The International Center for Natural Gas Information

* Isle de France - LNG trucks seen boosting transport market share by 2035

(Photo: MARKWEST GAS PROCESSING PLANT in Houston, PA) 
Rueil Malmaison,IdeF,France -Bloomberg, by Anna Shiryaevskaya/Lars Paulsson/Rob Verdonck and Andrew Reierson -Sep 28, 2014: -- Liquefied natural gas will gain a “significant” market share in the transport sector by 2035, the International Center for Natural Gas Information said... CEDIGAZ, it's a France-based association with 100 members in 40 countries, said today in a report... “The cost advantage of LNG relative to diesel currently provides a strong economic incentive in the trucking industry,” the report said... Global demand for LNG in road transport is estimated at 45 million metric tons a year in 2025 and 96 million tons in 2035 from almost zero in 2010... China, which already has infrastructure in place, will represent almost half of the market for the use of LNG in trucks, according to the report... “With at least 100,000 LNG vehicles and 1,100 refueling stations at the end of 2013, China already has a head start over the rest of the world in this nascent market,” the report said. “However, gas price reform in China may slow LNG growth there. LNG should also carve out a significant market share in the USA, Europe and the rest of Asia” ...

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posted by Unknown @ 7:25 PM  0 comments

TRUCKS SAFETY * Canada: Dangers of lift axles

* Alberta - Transport truck safety in question


(Photograph by Dean Bicknell/The Calgary Herald - RCMP have stopped enforcing regulations governing lift axles on transport trailers because of a disagreement with Alberta Transportation over whether the devices are dangerous) 
Edmonton,ALB,CAN -The Calgary Herald, by Darcy Henton -29 Sept 2014: -- The RCMP have stopped enforcing regulations governing lift axles on transport trailers because of a disagreement with Alberta Transportation over whether the devices are dangerous... RCMP K Division ordered an officer who raised alarm about the dangers of lift axles to “cease all enforcement actions” in May 2013, despite tests showing transports with axles lifted are less stable and more difficult to stop, according to e-mails obtained under the federal access to information act... The use of axles that can be raised to lift sets of wheels of transport trailers off the road is permitted in Alberta to reduce tire wear and fuel costs when the trailers are being pulled empty... But concerns were raised about the devices in 2010 after RCMP and industry officials conducted tests in Hanna and Namao... Alberta Transportation has downplayed the risk and RCMP note there are no known traffic fatalities attributed to lift axles...

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posted by Unknown @ 6:56 PM  0 comments

Sep 27, 2014

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * Germany: MAN's

* Germany - MAN shows TGX parallel diesel hybrid truck concept

(Photo: P_TGX_EOT_Hybrid-01 MANs TGX hybrid concept at IAA)
Hanover,Germany -Green Car Congress -28 September 2014: -- At the IAA, MAN (part of the Volkswagen Group) presented a concept diesel-electric parallel hybrid version of its long-haul TGX truck... The MAN TGX concept hybrid will be driven by a parallel hybrid system, supplied by a 440 hp (328 kW) diesel engine and an electric motor with 130 kW drive power. The electric motor acts as an alternator when coasting and braking. A MAN TipMatic gearbox transfers power to the rear axle... The current TGX offers a range of Euro 6 6-cylinder engines: the D20 and D26 with 360 to 480 hp as well as the new D38 with 520, 560 or 640 hp... The hybrid concept in the TGX is designed to optimize the TCO (total cost of ownership). The focus here is on fuel savings as a result of fewer gearshifts and recovering kinetic energy when braking and driving downhill. Tests show that this design has the potential to save around 8% of fuel, corresponding to a CO2 reduction at the same level... 


* MAN SE cuts profit forecast for core trucks business

(Photo: MAN TGS 41.440 8x4 2014) 
Berlin,Germany -CNBC/Reuters, by Andreas Cremer/Jan Schwartz and Mark Potter -26 Sep 2014: -- German truckmaker MAN SE has cut the profit forecast for its main division, citing falling truck demand in core European markets and the effects of the Russia-Ukraine crisis... Operating profit at MAN's truck and bus unit may drop significantly below 2013 results, with sales also falling clearly below last year, a company spokesman said on Friday... Munich-based MAN had previously guided for underlying earnings at the division to come in well above 2013 results and for sales to dip only slightly below year-earlier figures... MAN's truck and bus unit contributes almost half of operating profit to the group, which is controlled by German carmaker Volkswagen...

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posted by Unknown @ 7:30 PM  0 comments

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA: GM's -

* Michigan - Chevrolet CMO: New Colorado will reinvigorate mid-size trucks
(Photo: Chevrolet Colorado, General Motors'. At LA Auto Show) 
Detroit,MICH,USA -REUTERS/FOXBusiness, by Matthew Rocco -September 24, 2014: -- Building on the Silverado nameplate, General Motors (GM) aims to reinvigorate the mid-size truck segment with the new Chevrolet Colorado... GM is the first Detroit automaker to restart production of smaller pickup trucks... Toyota, the current leader in mid-size trucks, sold 102,736 units of the Tacoma through the first eight months of 2014. Nissan Group is a distant second with sales of 48,510 Frontier pickups. Honda’s Ridgeline has a small share of the market... Now GM is hoping to raise the stakes with mid-size trucks that top the competition in fuel economy and towing capacity... 

* Texas - Chevrolet debuts a pair of Pickup Concept Trucks for SEMA 

Dallas,TXS,USA -Pick Up Trucks -September 28, 2014: -- Chevrolet used the annual State Fair of Texas in Dallas as the backdrop for a preview:
* The 'Toughnology' Silverado: This concept attempts to remind pickup fans about the extensive use of high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel throughout the frame, cab, body and interior, which, GM has always noted, is "much less cost intensive than more exotic materials."
* The Garage Colorado: The blank canvas for this midsize truck exercise, dubbed the Colorado Sport Concept, is a 2015 Z71 crew-cab long-bed Colorado with just about every newly designed GM accessory you could possibly imagine finding in a garage. The concept includes the 4G LTE package and adds lane departure and forward collision alert systems...
* New York - PACCAR Inc. stock is up 2% once again

(Photo: PACCAR's trucks) 
NY,USA -The Motley Fool, by Eshna Basu -September 24, 2014: -- America's second-largest truck maker, PACCAR, made its investors happy last year with more than 27% stock price gains. In 2014, the momentum has slowed, but the stock is still up more than 2.2% as of this writing, which shows that investors feel upbeat about the stock and the company's future prospects... The heavy- and medium-duty truck market is booming in North America. This is great news for PACCAR, which holds a 28% market share in the heavy-duty Class 8 segment in the USA and Canada... Demand is fueled by replacement of old trucks and also some fleet expansion as domestic manufacturing activity gathers steam...

* Texas - Peterbilt offers password-protected trucks

(Photo: Peterbilt Motors Co.'s truck cab) 
Denton,TXS,USA -Transport Topics -29 Sept 2014: -- Peterbilt Motors Co. is offering an anti-theft system that requires a driver to enter a password to start the truck... The system is available on Models 579 and 567 equipped with Paccar MX-13 Engines... “The anti-theft system integrates with the MX-13 engine and the vehicle’s driver information center to require operators to enter a unique passcode to start the truck,” Chief Engineer Landon Sproull said in a statement... “If an incorrect code is entered, the engine will be disabled until the correct code is used,” he said... Passwords can be changed and the system can be activated or deactivated at any Peterbilt service department, and fleets using the company’s electronic service analyst software can also make changes to the anti-theft system...

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posted by Unknown @ 7:07 PM  0 comments

TRUCKERS PAYMENT * USA: Drivers gain from wage race as truckers turn away cargo

* Indiana - Faster U.S. economic growth could exacerbate the driver shortage
Columbus,IND,USA -Bloomberg, by Thomas Black/Ed Dufner and Gail DeGeorge -Sep 25, 2014: -- Tommy Walters, hauling lawnmowers to Rhode Island from Maryland with his Boston terrier Daisy riding shotgun, is feeling flush these days after the biggest raise of his 17-year trucking career... It’s a big step up from Walters’s usual $48,000 to $55,000, and he’s not alone in an industry where drivers’ wages haven’t kept pace with the national average. Long accustomed to driver shortages, U.S. companies now find themselves fattening up paychecks to retain employees and handle surging freight demand... U.S. Xpress Enterprises Inc., Walters’s employer, announced a 13 percent average boost in August, more than four times the industry-wide increase last year. It became the shot heard around the trucking business, outpacing Con-way Inc., Celadon Group Inc. and other competitors that have also raised pay to keep their trucks rolling... Average driver wages may rise as much as 6 percent in 2014, said Kenny Vieth, president of Columbus, Indiana-based Americas Commercial Transportation Research Co...

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posted by Unknown @ 6:44 PM  0 comments

TRUCK SALES * USA

* Maryland - City buys 11 new street sweeper trucks for expanded program

(Photo: Street sweeping will begin across the city for the first time) Baltimore,MAR,USA -The Baltimore Sun, by Yvonne Wenger -September 25, 2014: -- Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's administration will deploy 11 new street sweeping trucks as part of a newly expanded program that cleaned 1,600 tons of debris off city streets in about six months... The city has ordered the street sweepers, which will cost about $2.5 million, to ensure continuous operations as the older trucks reach the end of their service life, said Kurt L. Kocher, a Department of Public Works spokesman. The current fleet has 36 mechanical sweepers... Before the April expansion, street sweeping was limited to commercial areas with heavy pedestrian traffic, which included about 30 percent of the city...

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posted by Unknown @ 6:24 PM  0 comments

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA

* Virginia - Wage hikes nudge trucking costs higher 

Arlington,VA,USA -Fleet Owner, by Avery Vise -Sep 25, 2014: -- Wage and benefit increases resulting from a shortage of drivers were mostly responsible for higher average operating costs for trucking companies in 2013, according to new research released by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). But owing to a significant drop in costs per mile in 2012, the average marginal costs per mile remain 3 cents lower than in 2011, the research found... The 2014 update to “An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking,” which identifies trucking costs from 2008 through 2013 based on carriers’ financial and operating data, found that the average marginal cost per mile in 2013 was $1.676 – up from $1.633 cents from 2012...
ATRI’s research found that average driver pay for survey respondents was 44 cents per mile. LTL drivers’ pay averaged 53.9 cents per mile while specialized and truckload carriers reported average pay of 45 cents and 39 cents, respectively... Other findings, ATRI found that: 
 ° 53% of carriers reported using ELDs to monitor hours-of-service compliance for at least some of their drivers Carriers on average hold tractors for 6.6 years and trailers for 12.2 years 
 ° 25% of carriers haul primarily general freight while 19% haul refrigerated food and 9% manufactured goods 
 ° Approximately 4% of respondents reported using vehicles that ran on a fuel other than diesel or biodiesel, up from 2% in 2012. All of the reported vehicles ran on compressed natural gas. 
 ° 87% use speed limiters. Of those that do so, 51% use limiters on all trucks, and 41% use them on 70% to 99% of their fleet 


* DC - USA/NAFTA freight exceeds $100 billion for 5th straight month; trucks carry 3/5ths of cargo

Washington,DC,USA -The Trucker News Services -25 Sept 2014: -- USA/NAFTA freight totaled $101.1 billion in July 2014 as all five major transportation modes — air, vessel, pipeline, rail, and trucks — carried more USA-NAFTA freight than in July 2013, according to the TransBorder Freight Data released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)... This is the fifth consecutive month with USA-NAFTA freight flows exceeding $100 billion... Of the $7.9 billion increase in the value of USA.-NAFTA freight from July 2013, truck freight contributed the most, $4.7 billion, followed by rail, $1.4 billion. The trucking increase was due to growth in truck freight with both Mexico, up $2.5 billion, and Canada, up $2.2 billion... Trucks carry three-fifths of USA.-NAFTA freight and are the most heavily utilized mode for moving goods to and from both USA.-NAFTA partners...


*Florida - Trucking companies facing roadblocks 
(Photo) 
Fort Myers,Cape Coral,FLA,USA -ABC-7/WZVN, by Hollie Hojek -Sep 25, 2014: -- Florida may bear the brunt of a trucking crisis. Trucking companies are facing major road blocks from stricter government regulations, high fuel prices and a shortage of drivers... Like clock-work, shipments come around the corner at Craters and Freighters -- a nationwide company with multiple locations in Florida. The Cape Coral shop ships custom crates all across the country and the world... The latest reports from the American Trucking Association shows freight movement in the United States (of A.) is at all-time high. On the other hand, trucking companies are facing more road blocks than ever before... New government regulations, extreme driver shortages and fluctuating fuel costs are making it pricey to pack up and ship out... Unlike other states, the trucking industry in Florida deals with what's called "back haul" or "back load" -- which means a shipment comes in, but then the truck leaves empty with nothing to ship out... Right now, the trucking industry in the U.S.A. is short 30,000 drivers. Until those jobs are filled, the cost of shipping will remain high in order to keep truck driver salaries competitive...


* Massachusetts - Sideguards to be made mandatory for all trucks doing business in Boston

(Photo: Side guard on boston truck) Boston,MASS,USA -Threehugger, by Lloyd Alter -September 25, 2014: -- Side guards save lives. It's proven. When a truck turns right without seeing a cyclist, it just pushes the cyclist aside instead of pulling her under the wheels. They are required on trucks in Europe and China. But not in the USA and not in Canada, where the authorities say they can't change the law because it would give the American truckers an unfair economic advantage. Every level of government says it's someone else's problem... But it's different in Boston. There, Mayor Marty Walsh has simply brought in an ordinance that puts side guards on every city truck, but more importantly, on all the trucks belonging to any company that does business with the city. He's demanding better mirrors too...

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posted by Unknown @ 5:42 PM  0 comments

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS WORLDWIDE * Japan / USA: Isuzu & GM

* GM and Isuzu to jointly develop mid-size pick-up truck 

Tokyo,Japan/Detroit,MICH,USA -Reuters, by Maki Shiraki and Chris Gallagher in Tokyo and Ben Klayman in Detroit and Yoko Kubota/Mark Potter -Sep 26, 2014: -- General Motors and Japanese truck maker Isuzu Motors have agreed to jointly develop a mid-size pick-up truck for sale in major markets around the world excluding North America, the two companies said on Friday... The companies, which have worked on trucks together in the past, are aiming to cut costs in their next generation mid-size pick-up by using more shared parts and jointly purchasing them, they said... The two companies will each manufacture their own trucks. They have not decided on when the vehicles will go on sale, they said... Automakers, facing high costs of developing new technologies, are keen to share the burden with other companies or in some cases re-badge vehicles made by others...

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posted by Unknown @ 7:25 AM  0 comments

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * Sweden: Volvo's Ad

* Sweden - Volvo Trucks takes us to the Italian Riviera in new web film 'The Casino'

 (Volvo Trucks - The Casino -24 Sept 2014: First day on the job and he thought he was there to park sports cars, but director Henry-Alex Rubin had other ideas for San Remo Casino’s newest valet)
Stockholm,Sweden -Campaign Brief -25 September 2014: -- Coming off a series of remarkable video releases in 2014, Volvo Trucks now debuts its latest product feature in the "The Casino", via Swedish agency Forsman and Bodenfors... The video is set on the Italian Riviera sporting flashy cars, well-dressed actors and a parking valet on his first day on the job - the natural habitat for a heavy-duty truck... Watch the parking valet getting pranked by Volvo Trucks...

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posted by Unknown @ 7:04 AM  0 comments

TRUCKS RECALL * USA: Altec's

* Alabama -  Altec recalls 51 trucks for fire risk

(Photo courtesy of -Altec Industries) 
Birmingham,ALA,USA -Automotive Fleet -September 24, 2014: -- Altec Industries is recalling 51 2000-2013 model-year aerial device and digger derrick trucks because of an electrical fire risk tied to Sure Power Battery Equalizers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports... These battery equalizers contain a particular epoxy sealing, or potting, compound aimed at providing insulation. But because the potting compound can conduct electricity after heat exposure, the material can begin melting and burning... Altec dealers will replace any battery equalizer that poses such a fire risk. There will be no charge for this service...

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posted by Unknown @ 6:52 AM  0 comments

Sep 26, 2014

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA: Chrysler's - Daimler's

* Michigan - Chrysler squeezes more Ram trucks from Warren plant

(Photo: Tim Galloway, Special for Detroit Free Press - Chassis move down the assembly line at the media open house on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014 at the Chrysler Group Warren Truck Assembly plant in Warren) 
Auburn Hills,MICH,USA -The Detroit Free Press, by Brent Snavely -26 Sept 2014: -- Chrysler can't build enough Ram pickup trucks even with its Warren truck plant running on three shifts... So it is taking steps to squeeze about 100 more trucks per day, or an additional 28,500 over a year... Workers have redesigned 353 work stations and Chrysler upgraded the plant's paint shop... Plant manager Curt Towne said employees at the plant were put in charge of finding ways to reduce the number of steps it takes for to assemble the truck at work stations throughout the plant. In all, they submitted 6,000 suggestions, he said... The workers applied a system the company calls World Class Manufacturing, to reconfigure part bins and place them closer to workers reducing their walking and arm movements...


* Michigan - 5-Millionth Ford F-Series Super Duty will roll off the assembly line at Kentucky truck plant in October

(Photo: 2015 Ford F-450) 
Dearborn,MICH,USA -The Auto Channel -26 Sept 2014: -- Ford, America’s truck leader, celebrates production of the 5-millionth Ford F-Series Super Duty next month. The Ford F-Series Super Duty will roll off the assembly line at Kentucky Truck Plant in October, marking a major milestone for the best-selling heavy-duty pickup truck and chassis lineup... Super Duty is the No. 1 heavy-duty pickup truck, with a market share of 44 percent over the past year, according to IHS Automotive Polk data, and the first choice of tradespeople in the hardest-working industries – from emergency vehicles to construction to mining... For 15 years, Ford F-Series Super Duty pickup trucks and chassis cabs – from F-250 to F-550 – have rolled off the assembly line at Kentucky Truck Plant and into the hands of hardworking customers...


* Florida - DTNA concerned about added costs from Federal Greenhouse-Gas Rule 

(Photo)
Orlando,FLA,USA -Transport Topics, by John Sommers II -24 Sept 2014: -- A senior compliance engineer for Daimler Trucks North America told a group of maintenance technicians and executives that the truck maker has concerns about the federal government’s possible added costs and testing plans that could be included in the Phase 2 greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency proposed rule due for publication next spring... Amy Kopin said that with the exception of both engine and vehicle standards, the Phase 1 joint rule went relatively well for truck manufacturers... “But we are concerned that Phase 2 will not work the same way,” Kopin said here at a Sept. 23 panel discussion at the 2014 fall meeting of the American Trucking Associations’ Technology and Maintenance Council... Kopin said that the Phase 2 rule should adopt a complete vehicle standard with no separate engine standard...

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posted by Unknown @ 7:33 PM  0 comments

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * Russia: Kamaz's

* Russia - Truckmaker Kamaz says to halt production for 3 days 

(Photo: A Kamaz truck)
Moscow,Russia -Reuters, by Vladimir Soldatkin, and Louise Heavens -Sept 24, 2014: -- Russian truck maker Kamaz will partially suspend production this month for three days due to a deteriorating Russian truck market, the company said on Wednesday... Russia, Europe's second-largest car market after Germany, is seeing a sharp decline in car and truck sales as its weak economy is put under further pressure by Western sanctions over the crisis in Ukraine... Many Russians have also delayed making large purchases because of a weakening rouble... Kamaz, 15-percent owned by Germany's Daimler, made a 1.5-billion-rouble ($40.5 million) net loss in the first half of 2014... The company said that it will pay two thirds of the regular salary to staff who will not be working on Sept. 26, 29 and 30...

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posted by Unknown @ 7:21 PM  0 comments

TRUCKS PARTS MAKERS * UK: Pailton's

* UK - New branding steers Pailton into a new era


(Photo: Pailton Engineering's sales and marketing director Ian Palmer)
Coventry,West Midlands,UK -The Coventry Telegraph, by Jenny Waddington -Sep 24, 2014: -- Coventry-based Pailton Engineering unveils its new-look branding at its Holbrook Lane factory... The company, which supplies steering systems to a multitude of sectors worldwide, including military and blue light, is going back to its roots to explore new opportunities... With production of new coaches and buses predicted to rise to 5,485 in France and 4,045 in Germany for 2015, as quoted in Coach and Bus World, Pailton sees plenty of scope for expansion in Europe... Pailton already has more than 90 per cent of the market for supplying steering systems to bus and coach manufacturers in the UK and has an enviable reputation for engineering excellence and a one-stop shop service... Pailton Engineering has more than four decades of experience in manufacturing in the heart of the Midlands and produces steering systems for the bus and coach, military, emergency services, commercial vehicle, construction and specialist utility sectors...

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posted by Unknown @ 7:10 PM  0 comments

SAFETY for TRUCKS * Belgium: Wabco's

* Belgium - WABCO introduces breakthrough 'Predictive Economic Cruise Control' technology for trucks and buses


(Image: Wabco's adaptive cruise control) 
Brussels,Belgium -Market Wired -September 23, 2014: ... WABCO continues to address increasing demand from commercial vehicle manufacturers and fleet operators worldwide to help produce trucks, buses and trailers that are safer and more cost-efficient... Industry-leading portfolio of advanced driver assistance systems helps to increase vehicle safety and driver effectiveness through technologies such as: 
 * Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) maintains a stable and safe distance to the vehicle in the same lane ahead.
 * OnGuard™ collision mitigation system (CMS) with active partial braking helps to mitigate rear-end collisions involving moving or stopping vehicles in the same lane ahead.
 * OnGuardPLUS™ advanced emergency braking system (AEBS) detects moving, decelerating and stationary vehicles in the same lane ahead. It alerts the driver via acoustic, visual and haptic signals. It autonomously applies full braking against moving and decelerating vehicles ahead, and autonomously applies partial braking against stationary vehicles ahead. OnGuardPLUS can bring the vehicle to a complete stop, helping to prevent or mitigate rear-end collisions.
 * OnGuardMAX™ advanced emergency braking system (AEBS) detects moving, decelerating and stationary vehicles in the same lane ahead. It alerts the driver via acoustic, visual and haptic signals. It autonomously applies full braking against moving, decelerating and stationary vehicles ahead. OnGuardMAX can bring the vehicle to a complete stop, helping to prevent or mitigate rear-end collisions.
 * OnLane™ camera-based lane departure warning system (LDWS) features the new optional functionality of driver drowsiness alert.
 * TailGUARD™ advanced driver assistance system for trucks, buses and trailers combines the functions of rear blind-spot monitoring and automatic braking.
 * OptiPace™ predictive economic cruise control automatically optimizes the vehicle's speed by anticipating the road topography ahead.

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posted by Unknown @ 6:54 PM  0 comments

Sep 25, 2014

HOS DEBATES * USA: Truckers' opinions ...

* Arkansas - ... mixed on ‘restart’ rule 

Ozark,ARK,USA -Arkansas Times Record, by John Lovett -September 23, 2014: -- Varying opinions can be found at truck stops on a government regulation that aims to keep truckers from driving more than 70 hours a week... Truckers have had more than a year to adjust to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Hours of Service Rule, and while some drivers see it as a good rule that gives them more time to rest, others find it impractical in an industry that has a wide variety of types of carriers and methods... Daniel Nephew of Waterford, Mich., said the rules have made the roads more congested during the daytime, and made finding a parking space at a truck stop more difficult at night. In trucks without electronic recordkeeping, there is no sure way of proving adherence anyway, Nephew points out... Veteran driver of 28 years Wendell Ahrens who lives in Missouri and works out of North Carolina near Asheville. He stays out for 10-day stretches and said he’d rather have the old rules back with less regulation. “I may drive 11 hours in one day with ease, but if I have to stay in traffic a long time, I might just end up only driving five hours” ... Not every driver is upset with the new rules... Bruce Rogers, a solo long-haul carrier, said he favors the regulation. He owns and operates R-Way Express out of Spencer, Tenn. Rogers said he would like to expand his operation but can’t afford to hire a new drivers... Doug Clayton of Miller Transports in Pryor, Okla., said he doesn’t stay out for extensive long hauls often, but was in favor of the “restart” rules... Essentially, there seems to be no simple way to make a blanket rule for the 3.2 million truck drivers on American highways...

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posted by Unknown @ 8:23 PM  0 comments

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA

* Virginia - ATA Truck Tonnage Index increases 1.6% in August to new record high

(Photo Credit) 
Arlington,VA,USA -The Trucker -23 Sept 2014: -- American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased 1.6 percent in August, following a gain of 1.5 percent the previous month... In August, the index equaled 132.6 (2000=100) versus 130.5 in July. August’s index is the highest on record, surpassing November 2013 (131.0)... Compared with August 2013, the SA index increased 4.5 percent, up from July’s 3.7 percent year-over-year gain. The latest year-over-year increase was the largest this year. Year-to-date, compared with the same period last year, tonnage is up 3.1 percent... 


* Florida - A perfect storm is forming in the trucking industry 

Leesburg,FL,USA -The Daily Commercial, by Don Magruder -Sep 24, 2014: -- Two rather large and emerging issues are facing housing — huge increases in trucking costs and a shortage of skilled craftsmen... Annual turnover rates are estimated at well over 100 percent with most of the nation’s drivers over 40 years old. This huge attrition of truckers is creating a real labor shortage... Recent changes in government regulations regarding driving hours and medical requirements for truck drivers are exacerbating the trucking shortage... Restrictions reduce the average miles per driver by almost 3,000 miles per month... As the driving workforce gets older, medical issues naturally become larger. New government regulations on the use of national certified medical exams coupled with new rules for sleep apnea and other chronic issues have resulted in more drivers being medically disqualified. Even though they are necessary for the public’s safety, these new government mandated medical requirements have resulted in thousands of new truck driver openings, adding to an already growing shortage... A perfect storm is forming in the trucking industry. Anything that is shipped by truck, will be burdened with increased shipping costs, resulting in higher prices paid for goods by the consumer... A vice president of one of the largest timber providers in the South told me recently that he expects trucking rates to triple in the long term...
* DC - Richard Branson steers new trucking efficiency drive

(Photo: Two red trucks on a road)
Washington,DC,USA -Business Green, by Will Nichols -24 Sep 2014: -- Carbon War Room publishes data on current technologies it says could save the trucking industry $40bn a year and cut emissions 20 per cent... Richard Branson's Carbon War Room (CWR) has set its sights on doubling the efficiency of the US trucking industry by driving the uptake of existing technologies... The non-profit has unveiled a new website, TruckingEfficiency.org... It says truckers and fleet owners could save between 30 per cent and 50 per cent in fuel costs by improving their fleets, adding that widespread adoption of existing and cost efficient technologies could see the US haulage industry shed $40bn of costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a fifth... The scale of the potential emissions savings are huge, given that in 2012 nearly 70 per cent of all internal freight in the US was moved by truck...

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posted by Unknown @ 7:45 AM  0 comments

Sep 24, 2014

INFRASTRUCTURES * USA: Tappan Zee Bridge

* New York - Toll confusion has Tappan Zee drivers seeing red

(Photo: Lawmakers, rating agencies and commuters have all expressed concerns about just how high the toll might be when the new span across the Hudson River 25 miles north of Manhattan is completed)
Albany,N.Y.,USA -The Associated Press, by DAVID KLEPPER -22 Sept 2014: -- At $3.9 billion, the new Tappan Zee Bridge is one of the most expensive public works projects in U.S. history. Yet even a year into construction, New York hasn't detailed how it plans to pay for it and how much will be passed on to motorists in the form of tolls... Anxiety over bridge financing deepened this past week when the Environmental Protection Agency balked at Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposal to use $511 million in federal clean water loans on the project... And Cuomo himself later dismissed another creative financing suggestion: tapping some of the billions of dollars New York has collected in recent months in legal settlements over alleged wrongdoing by banks and insurance companies... State officials won't provide their estimates for the toll — currently $5 — that will be needed to make payments on the bonds and loans that will finance construction, though figures of $9 and as high as $14 have been mentioned. Some motorists worry the toll could even approach $20, which would make it among the most expensive crossings in the nation...

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posted by Unknown @ 7:41 AM  0 comments

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * Germany: Daimler Trucks

* Vision of the future

(Photo: Daimler truck, inside view: The cab is more like a modern paperless office than the cab of a transport truck)
Hanover,Germany -HDT Truckinginfo (USA), by Jim Park -September 22, 2014: -- Daimler Trucks rolled back the curtain a little further on the autonomous commercial vehicle... The truck, and the self-driving concept, is being developed as part of Daimler Trucks' "Shaping Future Transportation" initiative to conserve resources, reduce emissions and to ensure traffic safety through vehicle-to-infrastructure and vehicle-to-vehicle communications... Revealing the truck for the 2014 International Commercial Vehicle show (IAA) in Hanover -- Sven Ennerst, chief engineer of Daimler Trucks, told the press... The shape of the cab is quite a departure from the company's flagship Actros model, but the beauty of the truck goes well beyond skin deep... Bernhard referred to is the Highway Pilot system, which resembles the autopilot on an aircraft and further extends the truck's safety systems and helps it interact with other nearby vehicles as well as the roadway itself... It uses a combination of stereo cameras, long- and short-throw, and wide and narrow angle radar to see the world around it...

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posted by Unknown @ 7:29 AM  0 comments

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA: Freightliner's sales

* North Caroline - Department of Transportation orders Freightliner 114SD trucks

(Photo: A Freightliner 114SD truck. The vehicles will be manufactured at the Freightliner Mt. Holly manufacturing plant) 
Mt. Holly,N.C.,USA -American City and County -Sep 23, 2014: -- The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has ordered 67 Freightliner 114SD severe duty trucks for its fleet. All of the trucks will be manufactured at the Freightliner Mt. Holly Truck Manufacturing Plant in N.C. ... Equipped with Cummins ISL9 engines built in Rocky Mount, N.C., the 114SD trucks will be used for a variety of applications throughout the Tar Heel State, including refuse hauling, snow plowing and road repair. In total, NCDOT specified 15 different 114SD vehicle configurations...

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posted by Unknown @ 7:12 AM  0 comments

TRAILER MAKERS * USA: August sales

* Indiana - FTR reports strong trailer orders for August

 (Photo: An USA made quality in a luxury, mobile restroom trailer. By The Alpha Mobile Solutions) Bloomington,IND.,USA -Truck News -September 23, 2014: -- FTR has reported August was a strong month for net trailer orders, which totaled 23,135 units... According to the data, orders went up 27% from July and 45% year-over-year... “August trailer order activity is a very positive development and reflects strong market momentum approaching the fall ordering season,” said Don Ake, FTR vice-president of commercial vehicles. “FTR sees no signs of the trailer market slowing down, so we expect good order numbers for the next few months. All trailer segments are seeing good order activity” ...

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posted by Unknown @ 7:00 AM  0 comments

TRUCKING REGULATIONS * USA: CSA Scores

* DC - US bill would prevent publication of trucking safety scores 


Washington,DC,USA -JOC, by Grace M. Lavigne -Sep 22, 2014: -- U.S. House Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pennsylvania, has introduced a bill that would prevent the publication of safety scores for truck and bus carriers and revamp the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s scoring system... The legislation would require the FMCSA to stop publishing safety scores compiled under the current Compliance, Safety and Accountability or CSA system on its website and prevent those scores from being used as evidence in liability cases until the program is revamped. In the meantime, the bill would require the FMCSA to submit to Congress an improvement plan for the CSA program and implement that plan... The CSA carrier safety scores, which have been partially public since December 2010, are meant to help FMCSA identify high-risk carriers by assigning scores in seven safety categories. However, even when it was introduced, trucking interests voiced concerns about how crash data would be incorporated into CSA scores...

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posted by Unknown @ 6:35 AM  0 comments