July's commercial vehicle registrations on par with 2005
The latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) in the United Kingdom show commercial vehicle registrations back to trend, but with more market distortion expected ahead of the change to Euro 4 emissions on Oct. 1, according to Transport News. ...
Cummins announces opening of first technical center in China
Cummins Inc. further strengthened its engine research and development capability in China by officially opening its first technical center in central China's Wuhan City....
Honda has no plans for full-size pickup
From Ward's
As Japanese competitor Toyota Motor Corp. prepares to launch the Tundra, possibly its most credible entry to date in the U.S. fullsize pickup segment, an American Honda Motor Co. Inc. official says his company has no plans to counter it....
Diesel tops $3 mark
For the first time since the week ending Oct. 23, 2005, the national average price for a gallon of diesel topped the $3 mark. Jumping 7.5 cents, it increased to $3.055 for the week ending Aug. 6, according to the Energy Information Administration. ...
GM outlines light-duty engine plans
by Jim Mele, Fleet Owner editor-in-chief
General Motors is "exploring every technology we can to increase fuel economy," including E85, advanced fuel management systems, diesel engines and new hybrid powertrain designs, according to Dr. Terry J. Woychowski, GM's vehicle chief engineer for full-size trucks....
ArvinMeritor to open trailer axle/suspension manufacturing facility in China
ArvinMeritor, Inc. today announced it will open a new wholly-owned operation in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China. The 300,000 sq. ft. facility will initially manufacture trailer axles and suspensions for key trailer manufacturers in China, as well as for export of components to North American and European plants....
Federal Signal completes sale of refuse truck body business, closes facility
Federal Signal Corporation today announced that the sale of certain assets of its Leach refuse truck body business to Labrie Equipment Limited has been completed. In addition, production at Federal Signal's Medicine Hat refuse body facility has ceased....
Tremcar acquires Hutchinson
Tremcar Technologies has acquired Hutchinson Industries Canada Inc. Hutchinson, located in Toronto, was founded in 1918 by W.J. Hutchinson Sr. and specializes in truck tank manufacturing for the petroleum industry and other bi-products such as anti-freeze. Tremcar manufactures stainless steel tanker trailers mainly for the liquid food industry and chemical products....
Steady decline in preliminary July Class 5-7 and Class 8 orders
Preliminary Class 8 net new orders for July, released by ACT, were 15,500, close to Bear Stearns’ "low-teens" forecast. That was down 39.5% year-over-year (vs. down 23.3% year-over-year in June)....
ArvinMeritor intensifies commitment to FreedomLine transmissions
ArvinMeritor has strategically decided to place greater emphasis on the sales and marketing of the FreedomLine automated manual transmission by ZF Friedrichshafen in Germany. ArvinMeritor will discontinue manufacturing Meritor manual transmissions, effective Jan. 2007, due to dynamics that have severely limited the company's addressable markets....
NTEA releases 2006 Manufacturer Financial Performance Report
In 2005, financial performance varied widely among manufacturers in the work truck industry, according to the recently released National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) 2006 Manufacturer Financial Performance Report. ...
2Q total revenue flat at Frozen Food Express Industries
Frozen Food Express Industries, Inc. announced that for the quarter ended June 30, 2006, total revenue was $126.8 million, as compared to $126.7 million during the same quarter of 2005....
F-150 changes for 2007
The Ford F-150 will enter the 2007 model year with two new body styles, 600 pounds greater towing capability, the best warranty and roadside assistance package of any full-size pickup truck and suggested retail prices that will be up to $1,400 lower, including destination charges. ...
ArvinMeritor reports record sales
ArvinMeritor, Inc. reported record sales of $2.5 billion for its third fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2006-up 4 percent from the third quarter of fiscal 2005. ...
Kenworth of South Florida named as new dealer franchise
Kenworth Truck Company has named Kenworth of South Florida as a new dealer serving the south Florida region that includes the counties surrounding Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Fort Pierce, Vero, Okeechobee, Naples and the Florida Keys. ...
Diesel goes up 3.4 cents
The average price for a gallon of diesel nationally increased 3.4 cents to $2.98 for the week ending June 30, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA)....
Omaha Standard acquires Fontaine Truck Equipment
Eric Kluver, CFO of Omaha Standard, Inc., of Council Bluffs, Iowa, recently announced that the company has purchased the assets of Fontaine Truck Equipment Company....
Mixed picture in June for dry vans
Dry van orders continued to soften more than Bear Stearns expected seasonally -- 7,137 in June (vs. 8,606 in May), down 23% year-over-year (vs. up 60% year-over-year in May), according to figures released by ACT. However, dry van inventories improved 22% sequentially in June from May, and are now actually lower than they were at the end of the first quarter. In addition, dry van builds and factory sales were up 12% and 16%, respectively....
Oshkosh Truck to acquire Iowa Mold Tooling Company
Oshkosh Truck Corporation today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Iowa Mold Tooling Co., Inc., a leader in field service vehicles and truck-mounted cranes, through a merger. IMT is a portfolio company of American Capital Strategies, Ltd. The all-cash deal is valued at $131 million. ...
Featherlite to merge with Universal Trailer Holdings subsidiary
Featherlite, Inc. announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to merge with a subsidiary of Universal Trailer Holdings Corp. of Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation with majority ownership by Dubin Clark & Company, a private equity investment firm. ...
NTEA's summit delivers industry insights, economic forecasts
The National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) will offer its 2007 Business and Market Planning Summit (formerly the Economic Outlook Conference) Oct. 3-4 at the Embassy Suites Hotel Chicago-O'Hare Rosemont. ...
Commercial Vehicle Group's 2Q revenue up 19.7%
Commercial Vehicle Group, Inc., reported revenues of $234.8 million for the second quarter ended June 30, up 19.7% compared to $196.1 million in the prior-year quarter. ...
Cummins makes deal to produce light-duty diesel engines
Cummins Inc. announced it has reached agreement with a major automotive manufacturer serving the North American market to produce and market a light-duty, diesel-powered engine. For competitive reasons, Cummins original equipment manufacturer partner in the venture has asked to remain confidential. ...
Diesel price up two cents
With the price of crude continuing its volatility, the average price for a gallon of diesel nationally jumped two cents to $2.946 for the week ending July 23, according to the Energy Information Administration. ...
Haldex to close Tennessee plant
From Fleet Owner
Kansas City-based brake maker Haldex is planning to shut down its Paris, TN, plant by next year and relocate production of air brake system components to other factories, citing competitive reasons. ...
