High fuel prices starting to hurt
Continued high diesel and gasoline prices are putting the squeeze on the bottom line on trucking and other industries that rely on vehicles to conduct their business, though so far most are managing those costs well enough to stay profitable. ...
Diesel drops 2.7 cents to $2.262
The national average price for a gallon of diesel rolled back 2.7 cents last week to average $2.262, according to the Energy Information Administration. This almost wiped out the 3-cent price hike of the week before. ...
European Commission develops strategy on air pollution
The European Commission says it has a “thematic” strategy on air pollution, meaning it covers a wide range of pollution problems, according to CV Transport News. Eurocrats say policies may include gas trading and emission standards for light and heavy-duty vehicles, transport tolls, and a review of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive. ...
Commercial vehicle registrations rise in Europe
European commercial vehicle registrations are up for the first three months of the year by nearly 26,000, or 4.7 per cent, to 590,143, according to CV Transport News....
Overnite earnings jump 51% in 1Q
Richmond, VA-based LTL carrier Overnite Transportation has announced that its first quarter net income jumped 51.3% to $11.4 million on 10.4% higher operating revenue of $418 million compared to the first quarter of 2004. The company said this performance was largely due to higher freight volumes from a diversified base of customers. ...
Fleet services propel Ryder’s revenues
Miami-based Ryder System has stated that high demand for its fleet management services – from equipment leasing and maintenance outsourcing to vehicle disposal – helped boost its first quarter earnings by 18% to $41.5 million. Revenues were up 9% to $1.3 billion compared to the first quarter of 2004. ...
Trailer shipments increase 9% in first quarter
Shipments of complete truck trailers grew by 9% during the first quarter of 2005, according to the quarterly survey of trailer manufacturers conducted by ACT Research, Columbus, Indiana....
SAE Symposium to address heavy-truck issues
SAE International will hold the Heavy Truck Handling, Dynamics & Control Symposium May 3-5 in Greenville, South Carolina....
Volvo receives Iranian order for 500 bus chassis
Volvo Buses says it has an order for 500 bus chassis from its Iranian importer, Run Iran. ...
Driver shortages at issue in 1Q reports
Even though many carriers are reporting increasing revenues and profits, driver shortages continue to dog trucking executives. ...
March tonnage slips 3.3%
Truck tonnage decreased a seasonally adjusted 3.3% in March, according to the American Trucking Assn. (ATA). This marks a 0.4% decrease year-over-year, marking the first such decline since November 2001. This also follows a revised 2.9% drop in February. ...
Diesel up 3 cents to $2.289
The national average price for a gallon of diesel shot up three cents to $2.289 per gallon — 2.7 cents shy of the record high price the Energy Information Administration reported just two weeks ago....
Bennett acquires Transtat Equipment
Bennett Truck Equipment of Orlando, Florida, has acquired Transtat Equipment, also of Orlando. The resulting company is now called Bennett-Transtat Equipment. As the name implies, it will combine the resources, personnel, and facilities of the two truck equipment distributorships. ...
Beall Corp celebrates 100 years building trailers
Beall Corporation, a family-owned trailer manufacturing compnay based in Portland, Oregon, will be celebrating 100 years of continuous operation in May 2005....
Thieman Tailgates expanding
Thieman Tailgates, manufacturer of hydraulic liftgates, is in the midst of an expansion that will add 30,000 square feet to the business in Celina, Ohio. The expansion is to be completed by the end of the summer....
'Clean Air' hybrid trucks to fleet
FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., has announced plans to add up to 75 hybrid, diesel-electric trucks to its service fleet in the next 12 months, contingent upon pricing and availability....
Industry experts confirmed for 2005 IANA Operations & Maintenance Seminar
The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) has announced a preliminary slate of speakers and panelists for its 2005 Intermodal Operations & Maintenance Seminar May 10-11 at the Oak Brook Hills Resort in Oak Brook, IL....
Wabash National posts gains in 1Q
Wabash National Corporation today announced that net sales for the first quarter were $256.1 million, compared to $221.6 million for the same period last year. Net income for the quarter was $18.5 million or $0.52 per diluted share, compared to $6.9 million or $0.23 per diluted share for the same period last year. Gross margin was 13.4% up from 10.4%....
Finally ... diesel prices drop
National average retail diesel prices took a 5.7-cent fall last week to average $2.259 per gallon, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). This breaks a four-week streak of record high diesel prices, but year-over-year this marks a hefty 53.5-cent premium. ...
Werner reports healthy 1Q
Omaha, NE-based truckload carrier Werner Enterprises said revenues and profits stayed strong in the first quarter this year, due in part to growth in dedicated transportation services. ...
Celadon books higher revenues, profits
Indianapolis-based truckload conglomerate Celadon Group said its revenues and profits increased during the third quarter of fiscal 2005, with operating revenues increasing 9.8% to $108.5 million and net income increasing to $2.7 million from $1.4 million compared to the same period during fiscal 2004. ...
NTEA releases manufacturer compensation report
The typical truck equipment manufacturer has $12 million in annual sales and 85 employees, according to the recently released 2005 National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Manufacturer Employee Compensation and Benefits Report. ...
Caterpillar’s 1Q sets record earnings
Caterpillar Inc. today reported first quarter profits reached a new record high on a 38% year-over-year (YOY) increase to $581 million on $8.34 billion of revenue....
International acquisition supports its engine strategy
Navistar International Corp. has announced that its South American engine subsidiary, International Engines South America, has agreed to acquire MWM Motores Diesel Ltda (MWM), a major Brazilian diesel engine producer, at an undisclosed price....
Domestic intermodal loadings and truck freight show signs of weakness
Indications are that both domestic intermodal loadings and truck freight are weakening in early 2005, according to FTR Associates. ...
