TIP changes its name
Devon, PA-based trailer leasing firm Transport International Pool will now be known as GE's Trailer Fleet Services business. This reflects its ownership by the General Electric Co....
Utility expands Arkansas trailer plant
To keep abreast of burgeoning trailer demand, Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co. is expanding its Paragould, AR dry van production plant by adding a second assembly line. This will boost production output as well as reinforce manufacturing flexibility and versatility. ...
Drag racing’s Vandergriff visits Great Dane’s Indiana plant
NHRA driver Bob Vandergriff, Jr. and his racing team will visit Great Dane Trailers’ Brazil, Ind. manufacturing plant on Wednesday. Vandergriff will stop by the Great Dane plant with his Haldex Top Fuel Dragster en route to the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park, where he will compete for a $2 million purse over the Labor Day weekend. The visit was coordinated as an employee incentive and as a tribute to Haldex, the primary supplier of trailer brake components for Great Dane plants. ...
ArvinMeritor files lawsuit over transmission patent infringement by Eaton Corp
ArvinMeritor, Inc. has filed a lawsuit in Charlotte, N.C., Federal Court against Eaton Corp. for infringement over a transmission patent....
ArvinMeritor, Raydan Manufacturing ink licensing agreement for vocational suspensions
Raydan Manufacturing Inc. has announced the signing of a licensing agreement with ArvinMeritor, Inc. Commercial Vehicle Systems (CVS) business group for selected models of the Air Link rear tandem suspension product line....
Volvo delivers through the first half
Volvo Group, whose holdings include Volvo Trucks, Mack and Renault Trucks, announced its total truck deliveries increased 22% from January through July ’04 compared with the same period last year. ...
Dodge Fuel Cell Sprinter unveiled
DaimlerChrysler revealed today the first medium-duty fuel cell vehicle for commercial use in the United States. The vehicle was shown during an announcement made by DaimlerChrysler and UPS. ...
J.D. Power says Class 8 satisfaction increased
J.D. Power and Associates’ 2004 Heavy-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study underscored Class 8 truck owners are reporting an increase in brand loyalty for the first time in five years. ...
FMCSA adopts final rule for safety regs
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has adopted a final rule that establishes procedures for applicants to request waivers and apply for exemptions from federal safety regulations and CDL requirements, and procedures to propose and manage pilot programs. ...
Chrysler Group's Warren Truck Assembly Plant adds third shift
Few auto assembly plants run three shifts. Even fewer run their shifts around the clock. Chrysler Group's Warren Truck Assembly Plant (WTAP) in Warren, Mich., has defied the odds and made a three-shift operation part of its normal routine in order to keep up with the demand for the popular Dodge Ram and Dodge Dakota pickup trucks. ...
Bendix renews ABS deal with Mack
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC today announced it has extended its standard antilock braking system supplier position with Mack Trucks, Inc. ...
Another week, another diesel record
Record high crude prices appear to have filtered into the retail level last week as the national average diesel price jumped 4.9 cents to $1.874 per gallon, trumping the previous week’s record-setting average. ...
Wabash orders up in July
Trailer orders at Wabash National Corp. increased 12% in July over the previous month, to 16,976, according to Bear Stearns....
Ashland increases resin, gel coat prices
Composite Polymers, a business group within Ashland Specialty Chemical, a division of Ashland Inc., is increasing by 10 cents per pound the price of its unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins and gel coat products for North American customers. This adjustment will be effective with shipments on and after Sept. 15, and is in addition to all previously announced increases....
FMCSA offering series of public listening sessions
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced plans to conduct a comprehensive review of how the agency can best monitor and assess the safety of the nation's motor carriers and ensure their compliance with federal regulations. ...
International posts bullish earnings
International Truck & Engine Corp. said net income topped $56 million in its third fiscal quarter on $2.4 billion in revenues. This is a leap over the net income of $18 million on revenues of $1.9 billion posted in its third fiscal quarter last year. ...
CEOs mixed over Economy
A quarterly survey of over 300 CEOs by consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers finds most executives have a positive economic outlook. But there are growing worries that weakening demand may slow growth for their companies this year....
Caterpillar expands remanufacturing business
Caterpillar Inc. and Remy International, Inc. have announced that Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services will acquire Williams Technologies, Inc., a leading remanufacturer of automatic transmissions, torque converters, and engines for automotive and medium- and heavy-duty truck applications. ...
Lawsuit filed against Ford for alleged defective door latches
A class-action lawsuit has been filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice against Ford (in Canada and the U.S.), Magna International, Magna Donnelly, Dortec Industries, Intier Automotive Inc., and Atoma Latching Systems Group. The claim alleges that defective door latches have been installed on the following vehicles: 1997-2000 Ford F-150s; 1997-2000 Ford F-250 Super Light Duty; 1997-2000 Ford Expeditions; and 1997-2000 Lincoln Navigator and Blackwood. ...
Trucking outlook: opportunity and obstacles
On the heels of record freight volume so far this year, fleets are still coming to grips with a variety of challenges— namely high fuel costs, a lack of drivers, and more expensive equipment— as the holiday freight season prepares to get under way....
Diesel record climbs to $1.825
Diesel prices set a new record high last week for the third week in a row, after prices climbed 1.1 cents to $1.825 per gallon, the Energy Information Administration said. National price trends kept in step with recent record-high trading prices for barrels of crude. ...
Zolars finalizes stock plan for Yellow Roadway
Bill Zolars, chairman, president & CEO of Yellow Roadway Corp., has adopted a stock trading plan in accordance with the Securities Act of 1934. ...
Trailer shipments rise 31% to date in 2004
Halfway through 2004, manufacturers have topped last year’s shipments by 31%, according to figures compiled by ACT Research in Columbus, Indiana....
NHTSA investigating aluminum wheel failures
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has begun looking into reports from several RV manufacturers that aluminum wheels have come loose from axles, ...
NTEA report reveals distributorship profits
The typical commercial truck and transportation equipment distributor earned a profit of $78,518 in 2003, according to the recently released 2004 National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Distributor PROFIT Survey Report....
