Armor Holdings buys Stewart & Stevenson
Stewart & Stevenson shareholders approved an $11.1 billion sale to Armor Holdings, Inc. at a special shareholder meeting, and the companies have closed the transaction....
Tonnage up 2% in April
From Fleet Owner
Seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage rebounded 2.0% in April, following a revised 2.9% drop in March. ATA chief economist Bob Costello said the April number was in line with industry expectations as many motor carriers anecdotally stated that the month was the most robust since January. ...
Collins Industries posts record 2Q
Collins Industries, Inc. today reported that sales for the second quarter increased 24% to a record second-quarter $75.9 million, compared to $61.3 million for the same period last year. ...
Johnson Refrigerated Truck Bodies completes $2 million plant expansion
With the completion of a $2 million plant expansion Johnson Refrigerated Truck Bodies in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, will be positioned to better handle the growth of its core business – manufacturing truck bodies....
Volvo Group's North American truck deliveries up 14%
Total deliveries of trucks from the Volvo Group's three truck companies increased 14% in North America and 1% overall through April this year, compared with the year-earlier period. ...
Truck-Lite expands Signal-Stat LED Line
Truck-Lite Co., Inc. has expanded its Signal-Stat line of LED products to include over 30 parts....
Sacramento Kenworth celebrates grand opening
Sacramento Kenworth recently held a grand opening attended by nearly 500 customers to celebrate the first six months in its new state-of-the-art facility....
April trailer orders slightly lower than expected
Trailer orders in April were strong, albeit modestly less than expected, according to industry-wide data released by ACT Research....
Benson International receives large order
TMC, the largest fleet in the country, recently placed an order for 800 Benson International 524 Platform Trailers. This order is to be fulfilled by the end of the year, and all 800 trailers will be built in Oneida, Tennessee, thus ensuring two full shifts through the end of 2006. ...
ArvinMeritor files resale shelf registration statement
ArvinMeritor, Inc. filed a shelf registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to register the resale by holders of up to $300 million of its 4.625 percent Convertible Senior Notes due 2026, and the shares of the company's common stock issuable upon conversion of the Notes. ...
Diesel’s streak of increases ends
From Fleet Owner
The national average price for a gallon of diesel collapsed for the first time in eight weeks, according to the Energy Information Administration. For the week ending May 21 prices fell 3.2 cents to $2.888, ending a seven-week run-up of 35.5 cents since the week ending March 26. ...
Wabash declares quarterly cash dividend
Wabash National Corporation today announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.045 per share. ...
Class 8 orders begin to slow
Class 8 net new orders were 30,120 in April, down 42.3% from March, according to ACT Research....
New ArvinMeritor warehouse doubles aftermarket capacity in Monterrey, Mexico
ArvinMeritor Inc. announced today the opening of a new warehouse and distribution center in Monterrey, Mexico, to serve customers of its Commercial Vehicle Aftermarket (CVA) business. The warehouse has doubled the capacity of the company's previous storage and distribution site in Escobedo, Mexico, which it replaces. ...
Stewart & Stevenson secures another FMTV contract
Stewart & Stevenson Services, Inc., the premier manufacturer of medium tactical vehicles for the US Army, announced that Stewart & Stevenson Tactical Vehicle Systems, LP (TVS) has recently received contract modifications valued at approximately $625 million. These modifications call up an incremental 1,800 trucks and 1,077 trailers in base contract quantities and 2,484 trucks in option quantities for the fourth program year of the current Family of Medium Tactical Vehicle (FMTV) production contract which began April 17, 2003, and includes the sustaining support element. ...
Wabash to webcast annual shareholder meeting
Wabash National Corporation announced that it will webcast its annual shareholder meeting on Thursday at 10 a.m. EDT....
First mail-delivery van converted to hybrid
The U.S. Postal Service has launched the first conversion of a mail-delivery van into a hybrid-electric vehicle. The van will be monitored in regular service—delivering mail to Boston-area homes and businesses—to determine its potential for emissions reduction and fuel-economy improvements....
Wal-Mart partners with Schneider for distribution center
Schneider Logistics, Inc., an international lead logistics provider and part of the Schneider National enterprise, announced that its American Port Services subsidiary has signed a significant warehousing contract with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Under the contract, American Port Services will provide the world's largest retailer with full operating services in their 3.4 million square feet of warehousing space, creating a new Import Distribution Center in Elwood, Ill., and bringing more than 300 new jobs to the area....
Diesel continues its climb
From Fleet Owner
The national average price for a gallon of diesel rose 2.3 cents to $2.92 for the week ending May 14, according to the Energy Information Administration. This marked the seventh straight week of diesel price hikes, with prices having risen 35.5 cents since the week ending March 26. ...
Night Vision coming for trucks
Mercedes-Benz has confirmed that it is testing the Bosch-based Night Vision system for its truck range, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders....
Bendix expands Huntington Distribution Center
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC, the North American leader in commercial vehicle safety and braking system technologies, opened a 51,000-square-foot addition to its Huntington Distribution Center. The new building provides 20% additional floor space to accommodate continued business growth....
Increased fuel efficiency for ProStar
From Fleet Owner
International Truck & Engine Corp. has announced its new heavy-duty ProStar Class 8 tractor benefits customers with more than 4% better fuel economy “than the nearest competitor.” This is thanks to the ProStar demonstrating 9% less aerodynamic drag, International said. ...
Medium and heavy truck sales up 4%
Medium and heavy trucks continued selling at a brisk pace in April, according to figures compiled by Wards Communications....
GM readies '07 pickups
by Sean Kilcarr, Fleet Owner senior editor
NASHVILLE, TN -- General Motors is planning to revamp its Silverado and Sierra pickups for the '07 model year, with production to start in this year's fourth quarter....
Fleets bullish at Bear Stearns conference
by Jim Mele, Fleet Owner editor-in-chief
NEW YORK, NY -- Despite steep increases in fuel costs, continuing driver shortages and indications of softening freight demand, executives from both truckload and less-than-truckload carriers told a gathering of financial analysts yesterday that they see no signs of a slowdown in the industry's strong economic performance. ...
