Truck bankruptcies near record low
Bear Stearns’ seasonally adjusted bankruptcy index increased modestly to 44 in March 2006 from 43 the month before, but improved 73% from 160 in March 2005....
FedEx Express expands hybrid electric walk-in van fleet from FCCC
Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC), FedEx Express, Eaton, Utilimaster and Detroit Diesel have teamed to develop a line of hybrid electric-powered walk-in vans. FedEx Express, which initiated the program, is already benefiting from the use of these first-of-their-kind walk-in vans, which are expected to become a mainstay in the FedEx medium-duty delivery fleet. ...
Phillips Industries expands Canadian presence
Phillips Industries has opened an eastern Canada Distribution Center in Mississauga, Ontario, which expands the company's commitment to the Canadian market by having multiple distribution locations providing improved customer support and on-time delivery performance. Phillips Industries now operates four facilities in the U.S. and Canada. ...
Kenworth names 2006 Dealer Council members
Kenworth Truck Company has named the members of its 2006 Kenworth Dealer Council, which consists of leading executives from the nearly 300 Kenworth dealerships in the United States and Canada. The council's goal is to help promote program consistency across the dealer network so that every Kenworth dealership provides a superior level of customer service....
Mexican truck and bus exports up sharply
Exports of trucks and buses rose almost 50% in March, according to the Asociación Nacional de Productores de Autobuses, Camiones y Tratocamiones (ANPACT)....
Meritor Tire Inflation System by PSI reports record 2005 Sales
Pressure Systems International, Inc. (PSI) reported that fiscal year 2005 sales of the Meritor Tire Inflation System (MTIS) by PSI increased 30% over 2004, according to Frank Sonzala, Executive Vice President for PSI, and Barry Eckel, Director of Sales and Marketing ArvinMeritor for MTIS....
DaimlerChrysler restructuring under way
From Fleet Owner
Despite improving profitability, DaimlerChrysler - the parent company of Freightliner LLC and Detroit Diesel- is planning an array of global workforce cuts and restructurings so it can slim down and generate more earnings in the future. ...
KEITH Manufacturing’s founder dies
Keith Foster, the founder of KEITH Mfg Co. and its related companies, died April 15 after a brief battle with cancer....
Schneider opens up Canada
From Fleet Owner
Schneider Logistics, Inc., a Schneider National operation, today announced offering its AccessCanada service by combining truckload, crossdock warehousing and LTL to expedite freight delivery into Canada without tying up shippers’ inventory in warehouses. ...
Navistar plans major fiscal restatement
From Fleet Owner
Navistar International Corp., the holding company for International Truck & Engine Corp., has stated it plans to restate its financial results for fiscal years 2002 through 2004, as well as for the first nine months of fiscal 2005. ...
AEM signs cooperative agreement with China to promote trade
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is among the signers of an agreement between the United States and China pledging cooperative efforts to improve the U.S.-Sino trade balance....
Thermo King hands out 2005 performance awards
Thermo King Corporation recently presented five dealership and eight individual awards at its annual Dealer Meeting. The awards recognize outstanding leadership, best-practice sharing, success in offering and selling solutions that improve customer businesses, and exceptional performance in customer service and sales. The 2005 award winners include: ...
GM-Isuzu partnership continues
From Fleet Owner
General Motors Corp. said it will maintain its business partnership with Isuzu Motors Ltd. even after it sells its 7.9% stake in the Japanese company. GM expects to gain $300 million from the divesture to fund its North American restructuring. ...
Medium and heavy truck sales up 15%
Medium and heavy trucks continued selling at a brisk pace in March, according to figures compiled by Wards Communications....
Bennett Truck Equipment consolidates
Bennett Truck Equipment LLC has consolidated its two Orlando loctions, closing the Old Winter Garden Road facility and moving all business activity to south Orlando, at 510 W. Thorpe Road, Orlando, Florida 32824. ...
Ex-Freightliner CEO Rupp dies
From Fleet Owner
Peter Emil Rupp, the former CEO of Freightliner Corp. and a major figure in the U.S. heavy-duty truck industry in the 1980s, was buried on March 29 in Oelsnitz, Germany. He died on March 19, 2006 in Wiesbaden, Germany after a long illness, just one month shy of his 76th birthday. ...
Diesel price up 3.7 cents
From Fleet Owner
The national average price for a gallon of diesel rose 3.7 cents to $2.654 for the week ending April 9, the Energy Information Administration said. This marks the second week in a row of increases as trends track that of crude oil prices. ...
Vanguard adds composite plate
From Fleet Owner
Vanguard National Trailer Corp. has rolled out its new VXP composite plate trailer. If damaged, said Vanguard, the composite panels may be removed and replaced without affecting adjacent panels and no special shop tools are required. ...
Heavy hybrid hitting trash routes
by Jim Mele, Fleet Owner editor-in-chief
Intended at least initially for Class 8 refuse truck applications, a new diesel hybrid system uncouples the engine from the drivetrain and replaces the transmission with a hydraulic pump and hydrostatic engines. Specialty truck manufacturer Autocar LLC and its partner in the project, Parker Hannifin Corp., unveiled a working prototype of the E3 heavy-duty hybrid truck at Waste Expo in Las Vegas that it said has recorded up to a 50% decrease in fuel consumption tests under stop-and-go conditions typical of a refuse collection route....
Leyman Lift Gates in strategic partnership with European gate manufacturer
Leyman Lift Gates, the leading manufacturer of advance material handling solutions for commercial fleets throughout North America and United Kingdom, has established a strategic global partnership with European lift gate manufacturing conglomerate BAR Cargolift. ...
Class 8 hits another all-time high
Preliminary Class 8 net new orders hit another all-time high at 49,900 in March, but were modestly below expectations, according to Bear Stearns, which had been projecting up to 50,000....
Shell unveils new heavy-duty grease
From Fleet Owner
Shell Lubricants announced its U.S. rollout of Retinax LX, a family of lithium complex greases made from a combination of performance additives. The product was developed primarily for the lubrication of high-temperature applications, such as wheel bearings in heavy-duty truck applications. ...
Raydan completes $6 million strategic acquisition in Ontario
Raydan Manufacturing Inc. announced that it has completed the acquisition of Delta Spring & Chassis Ltd., located in Kitchener, Ontario. Delta supplies component parts, provides spring shop services and manufactures and installs truck mounted components through Sturdy Truck Body to the light commercial and heavy truck/trailer industry throughout southwestern Ontario. ...
Moyes still eyeing Central buy
From Fleet Owner
The purchasing process may be slowing down, but Jerry Moyes, founder and former chairman of Swift Transportation, is still hard at work on his acquisition plans for Central Freight Lines, a non-union LTL carrier based in Waco, TX. ...
Diesel price on the rise
From Fleet Owner
The national average price for a gallon of diesel for the week ending April 2 shot up 5.2 cents to $2.617, according to the Energy Information Administration. ...
