Archive for October, 2012

"Just in time for Hurricane Sandy," said a message Monday from Wabash National spokeswoman Celeste Stanley,

AMP Electric Vehicle CEO Stephen Burns said the company will be focusing in on the U.S. commercial truck fleet market, backing off its electric passenger car efforts.

Navistar International Corp. announced it intends to close its Garland, Texas, truck manufacturing operation as part of its cost-cutting efforts. Navistar intends to cease operations at the Garland facility by the first half of 2013.

Volvo Trucks recently kicked off the 2012-2013 VISTA program in the U.S. and Canada. Vista is the world’s largest competition for aftermarket personnel.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced he is making $13 million in quick release emergency relief funds immediately available to New York and Rhode Island to help begin repairing the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, while assessments continue throughout the Northeast to determine the full extent of the damage.

Optronics International, a manufacturer and supplier of heavy-duty vehicle lighting, has been acquired by Lucidity Enterprise Co.

Many fleets released their third quarter revenues and earnings recently. Some companies experienced gains, while others reported losses.

Robert Bosch LLC announced a reorganization of several of its Independent aftermarket resources in the United States, affecting light and medium duty commercial vehicles as well as passenger vehicles.

Paccar’s third-quarter earnings dropped 17% compared to a year ago, with lower industry truck orders in North America and Europe due to the uneven global economy.

Commercial vehicle inspectors participating in the recent Brake Safety Week found at least one in seven vehicles chosen for inspection had brake-related out-of-service violations, according to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.

Brake Safety Week, which was held Sept. 9-15, is the annual enforcement and education campaign focused on regulatory compliance of truck and bus brake system maintenance. The rates seen this year are comparable to recent years, but slightly higher for the second year in a row.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration defended its hours-of-service rule in a court filing, arguing that limits on the 34-hour restart are reasonable.

The agency also told a federal appeals court that the risks of the 11-hour limit on driving are outweighed by the productivity savings, and the 30-minute rest break improves safety.

Getloaded, a logistics freight matching website, recently joined forces with Special Olympics Virginia, the Virginia State Police, and more than 50 commercial truck drivers to participate in the 2nd annual segment of the World’s Largest Truck Convoy.

Wright Express Corp.n announced that it will change its name to WEX Inc.

When a manufacturing plant in Ohio sold three generating turbines weighing 409,944 pounds each and measuring over 59 feet long by 15 1/2 feet wide and with a height of nearly 15 feet to an international oil company to power an oil rig in the Caspian Sea, it was no surprise that the delivery of these mega-sized components would be a major undertaking.

In addition to their extremely large dimensions, the delivery schedule was fast approaching that required arrival of these pieces before the cold winter months of Russia settled in and the waterways to the oil rig froze over.

Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. is expanding its service into Canada with the relocation and expansion of its Detroit Service Center.

There’s much work ahead if the idea of automating pre-trip inspections of trailers is to become reality. That was the feeling during a session on the subject at the fall meeting of the Technology & Maintenance Council of ATA.

A new study says diesel exhaust contributes 15 times more of a smog-causing chemical than gasoline engines, per liter of fuel burned.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has set a date of Oct. 18-19, 2013 to celebrate its 40th anniversary at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.

A gallon of diesel fuel slipped somewhat from last week, dropping 3.4 cents to $4.116 per gallon, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The national average price is 29.1 cents higher than at this time last year, or 7.6% higher,

Pilot Flying J recently opened its 650th location in North America. The store, a Pilot Travel Center in Von Ormy, Texas, opened on Oct. 15 and features full amenities for professional drivers, area residents and the motoring public.

Navistar announced it has reached definitive, long-term supply agreements for heavy-duty diesel engines and emissions aftertreatment technologies with Cummins.

Regulations for commercial vehicle drivers are changing, in particular with regards to medical cards.

Several years ago, Paul Wion, corporate fleet supervisor at Lewis Tree Service in upstate New York, got up during a Shop Talk session at a TMC meeting to describe a fix for diesel particulate filters that were plugging up in the field.

Cruising down the Interstate, you glance at the tachometer and gasp as you see the needle hovering at under 1,200 rpm. Yet the engine isn’t vibrating or straining, and the rig continues to move steadily forward.

President Barack Obama Friday signed the Military Commercial Drivers’ License Act of 2012, which will make it easier for veterans and service men and women to obtain Commercial Drivers’ Licenses, making them more employable once they leave active-duty.

TravelCenters of America announced Reserve-It, which allows drivers to reserve a parking space at select TA and Petro locations in advance of arriving.

The Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association announced a new component to the Heavy Duty Dialogue conference series, the Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue conference, which will be co-hosted with MacKay & Co. on Jan. 21.

A judge has rejected many of the proposed settlement deals in the “hot fuel” class-action lawsuit, sending fuel refiners and retailers back to the drawing board.

Help Inc. has two technologies that will electronically screen all trucks for compliance with state and federal safety information, driver and company credentials and weight requirements on I-70 in Indiana, Ohio and Illinois.

Jan. 1, 2013, will bring heavy fines for truckers who cross into California without SmartWay verified aerodynamic devices such side skirts or boat tail fairings that improve fuel economy 4% to 5% on their 53-foot or longer box and refrigerated trailers.

10/19/2012

Truth About Trucking “TV” made its debut today on Spreecast ,the most recently advanced “live” streaming video social media platform to date.

Truth About Trucking “TV” is recorded “live” and later added to the archives and allows up to four guests to appear simultaneously on-screen via webcam.

The program can play a huge role in Trucking Social Media activities:

• Created videos with up to four guests on screen at once and unlimited viewers
• Recorded automatically for instant playback
• Easily shared on social networks, or embeded on websites, blogs, and shared via Facebook and Twitter.

All you need to participate in Truth About Trucking “TV” is a good internet connection, a headset or mic with no background noise and a webcam. You can learn more by visiting the Truth About Trucking “TV” Participation & Guidelines PDF form.

Much like the Truth About Trucking “LIVE” online talk radio show on Blog Talk Radio, Truth About Trucking “TV” will focus on guest interviews and discussions on the U.S. trucking industry, as well as issues facing the professional CDL driver, except the platform will provide “live” video streaming.

A powerful SEO tool for trucking social media, Truth About Trucking “TV” will provide an excellent tool for those who have a service, product or message that they would like to share with a large audience base.

You can RSVP by visiting the up-coming event’s page and clicking the blue RSVP button in the lower-left corner of the video player, and you will receive an automatic e-mail reminder one hour before the broadcast begins.

Joining Spreecast is fast and easy and can be done by using your Facebook or Twitter accounts or by email address.  For more information you can visit the Truth About Trucking “TV” branded website.

10/19/2012 — Intro to Truth About Trucking “TV”

© 2012, Allen Smith. All rights reserved.

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Today’s wire harnesses are pretty darn good compared to systems of the past. Fleets have options they have never had before, from sealed male 7-way connectors to sealed cable systems to sealed nose boxes.

Southeastern Freight Lines, a regional less-than-truckload carrier, has opened a service center in Fort Worth, Texas, in response to growing business in the region and to improve service to current customers.

A CSA advisory panel plans to undertake an extensive review of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s flagship truck safety program.

At a two-day planning session this week, the CSA Subcommittee of the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee agreed on a review process that will include presentations from researchers who have been critical of the program.

As medium-duty truck engine technology advances, more complicated repairs lead to more unscheduled downtime, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 U.S. Medium-Duty Truck Engine and Transmission Study.

Old Dominion Freight Line officially re-opened its expansion and enhancement to its Morristown Service Center, capping a project that took well over a year.

Household goods movers who hold shipments for hostage will face stiff penalties under a new federal policy.

Navistar International Corp. announced John C. (Jack) Pope, chairman of PFI Group LLC, a financial management firm, has been appointed to the company’s board of directors. He replaces David D. Harrison, who elected to retire after serving five years as a board member.

As the November 1 deadline looms for all Canada-bound loads to comply with Canada’s eManifest program, the Canada Border Services Agency is urging carriers to get up to speed with the program before the new requirements go into effect.

NGVAmerica and Zeus Intelligence announced a new information service for anyone interested in access to trailer loads of liquefied natural gas. The list is now publically accessible from the NGVAmerica website (www.ngvamerica.org).