West Coast drives national 0.6-cent diesel rise
The average price for a gallon of diesel went up 0.6 cents to average $2.348, according to the Energy Information Administration. The overall increase was driven by a sharp ramp-up in prices in the West Coast region that offset stable prices in all other regions....
Trailer shipments up 12%, EPA Inc reports
Trailer manufacturers shifted into a higher gear in the second quarter, according to figures compiled by Economic Planning Associates Inc (EPA Inc)....
Fleets see mixed bag ahead
Carriers remain optimistic about the resiliency of the U.S. and global economy, despite weathering the challenges brought by higher fuel costs, drivers in short supply, higher payrolls, reports of freight softening, and the upcoming EPA 2007 emissions standards. ...
Kidron, Hackney acquired by Singapore Technologies Engineering
Vision Technologies Land Systems Inc. a subsidiary of Singapore Technologies Engineering (STE), has entered into an agreement to purchase the Kidron and Hackney divisions of Specialized Vehicles Corporation (SVC). The agreement is expected to close by the end of August....
Brand FX purchases assets of Glasstite
Brand FX Body Company has announced the purchase of the assets of Glasstite, manufacturer of a wide variety of fiberglass truck toppers. The agreement, which was finalized April 4, includes the purchase of all Glasstite facilities, a 160,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Dunnell, Minnesota, highly skilled personnel, and the company's entire product line....
USPS orders 1,400 Bulldogs
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has awarded Mack Trucks Inc. a contract for over 1,400 trucks. The order includes 1,800 Mack Vision on-highway model, and 226 of its MR vocational models by the end of 2006. ...
Congress passes bill preventing discrimination against drivers with diabetes
The transportation legislation, passed last week in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, contains an important provision that will help end discrimination against people with diabetes who seek employment as commercial drivers. ...
McDowell named president/CEO of Mitsubishi Fuso of America
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation (MFTBC), Tokyo, has appointed Robert E. McDowell to the post of president and CEO of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, Inc. (MFTA), effective today....
Yellow Roadway profits up 44%
Yellow Roadway has announced its earnings in the second quarter jumped 44% to $76.1 million, compared to $46.9 million reported for the same period last year. ...
Kenworth T800 model now available with front engine PTO option
Kenworth Truck Company now offers a front engine power take-off (FEPTO) option for the workhorse Kenworth T800 short-hood model....
Kirtland Capital Partners acquires Ox Bodies, Rugby Manufacturing
Kirtland Capital Partners, a leading private equity firm in the Midwest, has completed the acquisitions of Ox Bodies and Rugby Manufacturing through a newly formed holding company....
Manac announces Holland CB400 as standard air suspension
Manac Inc. announced that The Holland Group’s (Holland) CB400 Trailer Air-Ride Suspension/Slider System is now positioned as the standard suspension on its Tandem Van Trailers. The CB400 is the culmination of Holland’s latest patented technologies and proven product solutions that have created a new benchmark for air-ride suspension systems. ...
Tasmania researchers build hydrogen-diesel IC engine
University of Tasmania researchers say they have built an internal combustion engine that runs on a combination of hydrogen and diesel fuel, according to Ward’s....
ArvinMeritor proposes move of Wrexham, UK, manufacturing base
ArvinMeritor, Inc. announced that its Commercial Vehicle Systems (CVS) trailer systems (axle and suspension) manufacturing location in Wrexham opened a 90-day redundancy consultation process with its union, AMICUS, and non-union elected staff representatives. ...
Eaton orders more hybrid systems
Eaton Corp.’s Truck Component business unit has placed an order with UQM Technologies for additional permanent magnet motor and controller systems for integration into its hybrid electric propulsion systems for heavy-duty trucks....
Diesel drops a nickel
The national average price for a gallon of diesel shed another 5 cents last week, falling to $2.342, according to the Energy Information Administration. This marks the second week of price drops and is just 6.6 cents shy of the $2.408 record high recorded on July 11....
Mack training prepares customers for 2007 emissions
As part of its ongoing effort to provide as much information as possible about the upcoming emission regulations, Mack Trucks, Inc. is conducting customer clinics throughout the U.S. and Canada in conjunction with its distributor network....
Kentucky Trailer Technologies wins Best of Show
Kentucky Trailer Technologies earned Best of Show at TS2, the annual conference of the Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA). A judging panel of industry executives honored the specialty trailer manufacturer and its triple-expandable, 1,000-plus-sq-ft trailer -- the centerpiece of the Kentucky Trailer Technologies Mobile Marketing Tour 2005....
Driver Availability Index falls in June
The number of people available to be hired into the trucking industry fell slightly in June, according to the current Driver Labor Market Indicators Report published monthly by FTR Associates (www.ftrassociates.net)....
Profits jump 21% for Arkansas Best
Fort Smith, AR-based transportation holding company Arkansas Best Corp. has announced that profits jumped 21% in the second quarter compared with the same period last year to $23.4 million. ABF Freight System, the company’s largest subsidiary said strong tonnage, coupled with favorable rates had kept the company well in the black. ...
Haldex to make new compressor in China
Stockholm, Sweden-based Haldex announced it has signed a license and manufacturing agreement with a subsidiary of ASIMCO Technologies Limited of Beijing to manufacture a new Haldex designed twin-cylinder compressor in China....
Earnings staying strong for carriers in 2Q
The lion’s share of earnings reports released this week by LTL and TL carriers show substantial year-over-year growth, and even record second quarters. Despite high fuel prices and other rising operational costs, most of the big trucking firms continued to report strong profit levels in the second quarter over the same period last year....
Retrofit bill passes Senate committee
The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, a bill that would authorize $1 billion in grants and loans over a five-year period for the voluntary retrofitting of on- and off-road diesel engines to meet stricter emissions standards, passed the Senate Environment and Public Works committee as a standalone bill....
Wabash National sales, profits rise sharply
Wabash National Corporation sales and profits were up significantly for the second quarter of 2005 and for the first half of the year, according to figures released July 20....
Compact pickups bounce back
With increased fuel costs, will compact pickups make a comeback? According to Wards Communications, sales of compact pickup trucks in the United States edged up 2.1% for the first six months of 2005. ...
