EPA Plans Upgrade in SmartWay
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will propose a significant upgrade to its successful SmartWay program. The goal is to establish far more detailed metrics for fuel savings and emissions reductions, including for other modes, as well as expanding the program to cover more transportation operations around the world...
Fontaine Opens Modification Service Center in Texas
Fontaine Modification Company, a provider of truck modification services for OEMs, dealers and fleets throughout North America, has opened a new service center in Laredo, Texas...
Firestone Industrial Products Raises Prices
Due to the escalating costs of raw materials, Firestone Industrial Products Company, LLC, will increase its prices by up to five percent on air springs for the North American heavy-duty aftermarket, effective July 1...
NPTC Speakers Support Higher Weight Limits
By Sean Kilcarr, Fleet Owner senior editor
CINCINNATI. By and large, private fleet managers continue to seek higher weight limits for commercial trucks as the best way to address economic productivity, traffic congestion, highway safety, and environmental concerns...
Class 8 Orders Up 28% in March
Net orders for heavy-duty Class 8 commercial vehicles rose to 11,285 units in March, up 28 percent from March 2009, according to ACT Research Co...
Daimler Trucks, UAW Ink Contracts For Three U.S. Manufacturing Plants
Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) today announced new three-year collective bargaining agreements for three of its U.S. manufacturing plants. The contracts, which are effective tomorrow, cover employees in the company's Mt. Holly and Cleveland Truck Manufacturing Plants, and Gastonia Components and Logistics Plant. Plant workers in all three facilities are represented by the United Auto Workers...
Shorter-haul Intermodal Down 1%, FTR Analysis Shows
The share of domestic intermodal revenue movements accounted for by moves of 1,000 or fewer miles has declined in the past year, a recent analysis by FTR Associates shows...
Kenworth Picks 2010 Service Council
Kenworth Truck Company has named its 2010 Kenworth Service Council, which features leading Kenworth service managers in the United States and Canada. The council’s mission is to help promote service and product improvements...
ABC Launches Parts Web Site
American Body Company is "popping the lid" on its latest online venture, BeverageTruckParts.com (http://www.beveragetruckparts.com). The first resource of its kind, this new Web site allows commercial body shops and beverage distribution companies to purchase parts for beverage trucks and trailers online...
Volvo Adds Features to 2010-Compliant Tractors
By Sean Kilcarr, Fleet Owner senior editor
GREENSBORO – Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) is adding several new features to its 2010-compliant highway tractors, among them an engine torque “boost” under specific conditions in order to simultaneously preserve vehicle performance and fuel economy, while another assists drivers with the pre-trip inspection process...
Roberto Swaine Named International Truck Dealer Of The Year
Navistar, Inc., the manufacturer of International brand commercial trucks, honored Roberto “Bob” Swaine, Dealer Principal of Camiones Especiales S.A. de C.V. in Mexico City, Mexico, as the International Truck Dealer of the Year at its 30th Annual Circle of Excellence awards ceremony at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C...
Medium and Heavy Truck Sales Up 17%
Medium and heavy truck sales were up 17% in March over the same period a year ago and up 38% over the previous month, according to figures compiled by Wards Communications...
Trail King Releases Modular Hydraulic Transport System
The six-line configuration of Trail King’s new Modular Hydraulic Transport System (MHTS), with a 375,000-lb load capacity, is the first off-road transport system ever engineered and manufactured exclusively in the U.S., according to Trail King...
New Board of Directors for HDRA
The Heavy Duty Representatives Association (HDRA) has elected a new Board of Directors for 2010. The election took place during the Annual HDRA Member Meeting that is held in conjunction with the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, KY...
ACT Forecasts 72% Growth in 2011 for Class 8 Production
Fundamentals continue to improve in the trucking industry, setting the stage for significant demand for new equipment in 2011, according to ACT Research Co. ...
Slow Recovery Seen For Light-Vehicle Sales
It’ll be long and bumpy recovery for global light-vehicle sales in the coming year—especially for the North American region—according to research by J.D. Power and Associates. However, emerging markets such as China, India and Brazil are poised for steadier and stronger growth in sales...
NTEA MVP Adds Two Companies
Curry Supply Co (Curryville, PA) and Bristol-Donald Co Inc (Newark, NJ) have achieved NTEA Member Verification Program (MVP) status in recognition of their commitment to quality and safety...
Roadranger Academy Adds Online Courses
The Roadranger organization is now offering computer-based training modules through the group’s Roadranger Academy to commercial vehicle service providers who want to increase their knowledge of drivetrain and hybrid systems...
NATM to Hold Webinar on Benefits
The National Association of Trailer Manufacturers (NATM) will hold a webinar April 28 at 2:30 p.m. EDT to review member benefits for both regular (trailer manufacturing) members as well as associate (vendor/supplier) members...
Industry Opposes Move to Shift Authority on Setting Fuel Economy Rules
Important segments of the commercial truck industry—dealers and drivers—in a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood voiced their strong opposition today to a Senate bill that would nullify fuel economy rules established by Congress under the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) in 2007...
Performance Trailers Passes National Safety Compliance Inspection
Performance Trailers of Mt. Pleasant, Texas, now complies with National Association of Trailer Manufacturers (NATM) Guidelines and will display the NATM compliance decal signifying a high safety standard after passing the safety compliance consultation, part of NATM’s voluntary compliance program ...
FMCSA Delays Start Date for CSA 2010
By Jim Mele, Fleet Owner editor-in-chief, and Sean Kilcarr, senior editor
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is pushing back the start date for its new Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) program to November this year – a full five months past its original June kick off date – to give itself and the trucking industry more preparation time...
NTEA Awaits Court Decision On Lawsuit Over Multi-Stage Vehicles
The National Truck Equipment Association’s (NTEA) senior director of government activities said he expects a court decision within a year on the NTEA’s lawsuit involving the multi-stage vehicles provisions of FMVSS No. 216....
Wabash, Prime Ink Deal for 4,000 Trailers
Wabash National Corporation (NYSE: WNC) announced confirmation of a three-year purchase agreement with Prime Inc., one of the largest refrigerated carriers in North America...
Class 8 Order Activity for March Up 21%
FTR Associates has released preliminary data showing March Class 8 truck total net orders for all major North American OEM’s at 10,505 units, 35.9% higher than February and 21.1% above March 2009...
