January 1, 2010
Editor's Page
Don't bank on it
Traffic congestion is a sexy topic for the general media everyone relates to pictures of stopped cars and trucks stretching to the horizon...
Management: In Box
The peril of jobs
Oklahoma Dept. of Transportation Sec. Gary Ridley told the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has been a huge success...
Freight forecast amounts to mixed bag
The latest U.S. freight market outlook issued by FTR Associates presents a mixed bag of projections. Freight volumes should start recovering by early 2010 and could gain significant strength as the year progresses, according to the firm’s economists...
A key Congressional aide nominated to head NHTSA
David Strickland, who is the Senior Democratic Counsel to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety as well as the Committee on Commerce, Science and Education, has been nominated by President Obama to serve as Chief Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ...
Truck sales could slow again in 2010
Concerns about the reliability and high cost of 2010 emission control systems on top of still-anemic freight market conditions are making fleets increasingly reluctant to buy new highway tractors next year, according to a recent survey...
going places
Henry Popplewell, a longtime industry executive in transportation and wireless communications, has joined SkyBitz as senior vp of sales. Hankook Tire...
Truck leasing: Silver lining showing
Better days may be ahead very soon for the truck leasing industry for two reasons: emission regulations that are driving up truck sticker prices make leasing more attractive to truck fleets and fleets are still seeking ways to prolong the life of their equipment, which is boosting demand for contract maintenance...
J.B. Hunt trial shows promise for sleep apnea treatment
SleepSafe Drivers, Inc., a provider of sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment programs for truck fleet operations, has announced positive preliminary results from a clinical trial focused on testing and treating truck drivers suffering with sleep apnea...
Analyst: “YRCW finds more coins under the couch”
The country’s largest LTL carrier, YRC Worldwide Inc. (YRCVW) will sell its dedicated contract carriage business to Greatwide Logistics Services as it continues attempts to restructure operations and avoid bankruptcy...
Equipment: Nuts & Bolts
J.D. Power and Associates: MPG up for medium-duty power
According to the J.D. Power and Associates’ 2009 Medium-Duty Truck Engine and Transmission Customer Satisfaction Study, fuel economy has improved considerably among 2007 model-year medium-duty engines, compared with 2006 model-year engines. The result, said the company, has been an increase in owner satisfaction with these engines...
Michelin has retread for refuse tires
Michelin Retread Technologies has enhanced its offerings for refuse and other high-scrub and regional applications...
I-Box now a retrofit
An aftermarket nosebox from Phillips Industries helps alleviate wire pinching and pull-out on trailers with supplemental systems such as trailer tracking...
Stemco, Tramec, form joint brake venture
Stemco and Tramec have formed a joint venture to produce automatic brake adjusters...
Online training for HD techs
Two new online courses for diesel engines and drivetrains are now being offered by Delmar, part of Cengage Learning...
Thermo King offering PM discounts
TriPac Hybrid Auxiliary Idle Reduction and Temperature Management system owners can now take advantage of special preventive maintenance discounts at participating Thermo King dealers...
Kenworth offering Primaax EX suspension
Kenworth T800, W900 and C500 heavy-duty truck models for vocational applications now can be spec’d with Hendrickson Primaax EX suspensions, the OEM has announced...
EPIQ adds WorkCenter
Snap-on has unveiled a new WorkCenter that will fit on top of the roll cabs of its EPIQ tool storage unit to increase usable work and storage space. The...
Cummins names Freeland new engine chief
Cummins Inc. has named Rich Freeland as the next president of the company’s Engine Business operation. Freeland, currently president – Components Business, will succeed Jim Kelly, whose planned departure from his current role was announced by Cummins earlier this week ...
Roadleveler brake components resist road salt
Roadleveler all-make brake components, including brake shoes and hardware kits for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, feature a special anti-corrosion compound that helps the aftermarket parts resist chemicals applied to roadways to make snow removal easier...
A/C parts organizer
A portable air conditioning service parts organizer from Four Seasons promises to include all the parts necessary to complete a repair of heavy-duty and...
Updated saddle box adds improved security
Weather Guard Product's Model 127 saddle box truck box has been improved to include Extreme Protection security in addition to Weather Guard durability...
3M alliance aims at vehicle paint market
A new strategic marketing agreement forged between St. Paul, MN-based 3M and Japan’s ANEST IWATA aims to offer an easy-to-use vehicle painting kit for body shop use that combines a high-performing spray gun and sustainable paint preparation system into one package...
Utilimaster acquired by Spartan Motors
Stepvan and truck body builder Utilimaster has been acquired by Spartan Motors in an all-cash transaction valued at $45 million, Spartan has announced...
Continental rolls out new drive, steer tires
New drive and steer tires in ultra low profile sizes have been added to Continental Tire North America’s product line...
Luber-finer adds online dealer search
An improved search function now allows visitors to Luber-finer’s heavy-duty filtration product web site to easily locate their nearest distributor...
Weatherproof padlocks
A new lock cover helps protect padlocks from snow, ice, salt and road grime that clog up the lock's inner workings. The Reda Lock Guard from Reda Innovations...
Aerial lift offers alternative to ladders
Companies that utilize ladders for vehicle maintenance work know the dangers associated with workers trying to balance on that ladder while also trying...
Body-builder manual for KW regional/vocational trucks
Kenworth has published a T440/T470 Body Builder manual to assist with installations on the company’s new truck models...
Glass carrier options for Sprinter
New carrying rack options and a fold-down cutting table are among the choices now available from MyGlassTruck.com for commercial glass carriers operating Sprinter vans...
Continental HTL1 tire gains SmartWay verification
Continental’s wide-base single HTL1 trailer tire has become the fourth tire in the Continental lineup to be verified by SmartWay as a low-rolling resistance tire that can reduce NOx emissions and produce a fuel savings of 3% or greater, the tire maker has announced...
Wheel bearing monitor detects potential defects
Wheel bearing safety has taken a step forward with a new preventive warning device from SKF Automotive Division. The SKF Wheel End Monitor mounts on the outboard side of a vehicle’s wheel and monitors vibration changes, alerting the driver through a flashing red warning signal of impending bearing failure...
Online technician training
Two new online courses – diesel engines and drivetrain – are now being offered by Delmar, which is part of Cengage Learning...
Safety video released
Three safety videos and educational materials have been released by the American Trucking Assns. (ATA) in cooperation with educational-training provider...
Equipment: Tire Tracks
The wireless age of tires
It appears that the possibility of passive radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags in truck tires may become reality in the near future...
The Last Word
Built for action
When Gerald Pelletier Inc., a family-owned firm that's been logging the North Woods of Maine for three generations and is featured on the Discovery Channel's American Loggers show, decided they needed new trucks that could both get the job done and look good on camera, they turned to Mack and went Titan...
Fleet names we love
Big Foot Turfgrass FarmsBig Foot, TX The diagnostics techs perform to figure out what needs to be fixed is almost always the hardest part in maintenance...
Wall art
Arsenault Associates is making its 2010 Dossier fleet maintenance wall calendar available free of charge to any fleet professional upon request. This...
Eye this
The all-new Volvo S60 will be launched at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, but blind Turkish artist Esref Armagan was invited last year to Volvo Car Corp...
Truck wonking
Con-way Inc. has launched a new blog, titled Public Policy & Sustainability, located at www.freightpublicpolicy.org. The blog aims to present relevant commentary and promote an active dialogue on issues important to the transportation and logistics communities...
Articles
Running on hybrids
A visitor to the FedEx Express Bronx, NY, facility would see what they see at any FedEx Express facility throughout North America workers busily preparing packages for their final destinations and trucks, mostly step vans, lined up waiting to take packages on their final journey, one that may have started several continents away...
Hybrid trucks gaining ground globally
A new study forecasts a big global spike in hybrid purchases by fleets over the next five to six years, with medium- and heavy-duty trucks along with buses comprising the biggest growth categories...
CNG facilities open
Four new compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations have opened to support refuse companies in Florida, New Jersey, Idaho and California. The stations,...
Eaton adds sustainability focus to website
To showcase its broad range of energy-efficient products for use at by consumers and businesses alike, Eaton Corp. has added a new feature to its website, dubbed the Eaton Sustainable Community...
Navistar, Modec form venture to produce electric trucks
Back in October, Navistar took to Capitol Hill to showcase an all-electric vehicle designed in part with a $39-million federal grant from the Dept. of Energy...
Coca-Cola Enterprises adds more hybrids
Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) has announced it has added 15 additional Kenworth T370 diesel-electric hybrid single-axle tractors to its North American fleet...
FedEx Freight to test hydrogen/electric hybrid tractor
FedEx Freight has entered into an agreement whereby Vision Industries Corp. will equip a tractor with its Tyrano hydrogen/electric hybrid drivetrain. The tractor will be tested for one year, FedEx said, to evaluate the operationally ability of the zero emission technology...
Railroad scoring carbon vs. trucking
Norfolk Southern Corp. recently announced it has enhanced its online Green Machine carbon footprint “analyzer,” which lets shippers calculate the environmental impacts of moving freight by rail or truck...
Clean Burn earns DOE energy award
The U.S. Dept. of Energy Industrial Technologies Program has given used-oil furnance and boiler manufacturer Clean Burn its 2009 Save Energy Now Energy Saver award...
The CARB quandary
Alas, poor CARB. The California Air Resources Board is charged with cleaning up some of the dirtiest air in the country to help protect the health of its citizens, surely a laudable goal. Many of those very citizens, however, are not feeling any warm rushes of gratitude for the Board's efforts. Far from it...
Plotting the recovery
When both consumer and business spending began evaporating in 2008 and then seemed to disappear completely last year, we turned to the spender of last resort the Federal government...
The long and short of it
What if the recession that now appears to be ending is actually two recessions the low point in a relatively short (five- to seven-year) economic cycle on top of the low point in a much longer (30-year) cycle...
The new normal
Not only has the U.S. economy been decimated by the longest and deepest recession since the Great Depression lifted, but experts contend the recovery now under way is leading us straight into a new normal of economic activity to a level that will force consumers and businesses alike to adjust their activities to diminished expectations for the foreseeable future if not well beyond...
Good news for some
Like a dawdling child, the economic recovery seems to be impossible to hurry along...
Pushing the reset button
The forecasts that have been presented for the trucking industry for 2010 and even into 2011 and 2012 are not the brightest. The key point to keep in...
Safety in the new year
A belated Happy New Year to everyone. By now our resolutions are weeks behind us, and most safety people have begun the year with a renewed dedication to their craft...
A good mix of technology
Oldcastle's Architectural Products Group (APG) is the leading North American manufacturer of concrete masonry, lawn, garden and paving products and a regional leader in clay brick, operating at more than 200 locations with 5,800 employees...
Improvement on the way
Slow momentum is building among freight volumes as inventories continue to trend downward towards equilibrium throughout the supply chain...
The waiting game
Sales and residual values of used trucks are expected to increase in 2010, but not by much and not enough to erase concerns about the health of the market going forward...
Ram ready for 2010
Chrysler Corp. is entering 2010 with the Ram badge front and center on its commercial truck offerings, which will be strengthened over time by vehicles...
Mercedes-Benz has Sprinter at the starting gate
In just five months, Mercedes-Benz USA has put together a dealer, parts and distribution network ready to take over sales and support of the Sprinter commercial van on January 1, according to officials at Daimler AG’s American automotive operation...
New equipment for a new age
Never judge a book by its cover. The newest crop of Class 8 trucks on the market don't look much different than those offered two, five or even ten years ago...
What's new in:Dry van trailers
Depressed freight levels combined with excess capacity and the ability to extend equipment life should translate into continued reduced demand for dry van trailers in 2010, though sales should pick up over the levels experienced in 2009...
Fueled for growth
Despite the dismal economy, the owner of Oakland, ME-based Fabian Oil is happy to report the retailer of fuel and home heating oil remains solidly astride a growth curve...
Innovative’s Betancourt launches new firm
Ernie Betancourt, former president of Innovative Computing Corp., today announced he has launched QuikQ LLC...
off the wire
Built into the company's current Borg Fleet fleet maintenance management system, the Linked Edition from BorgSolutions allows dealers and service providers...
TMW buys ICC
Innovative Computing Corp. (ICC), one of the pioneering developers of fleet management software, has been acquired by TMW Systems, provider of enterprise transportation software for fleets, shippers and 3PLs...
FleetMentor unveils CSA 2010 roadside inspection tool
Uploading previous roadside inspection records into the FleetMentor’s new Roadside Inspection Tracking tool can help create a total record that can be analyzed using the Inspection Report by CSA 2010 Basic, according to the developer...
Con-way Freight to pilot Descartes border e-manifest
Con-way Freight will be testing a new electronic border filing program from Descartes Systems Group, Descartes has announced...
Tenstreet automates driver safety management
A new offering from Tenstreet will automate the driver management process, including the ability for carriers to prepare for the upcoming CSA2010 program...
LA uses wireless traffic control to cut congestion
The County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works' decided to use wireless technology to control 1,000 traffic signals with the goal of reducing congestion and the exhaust emissions that go with it. Proxim Wireless Corp. and Systems Integrated (SI) took on the project, which recently earned the county a 2009 National Association of Counties Achievement Award-- in addition to benefiting from improved traffic flow...
Sulpizio to head Qualcomm Enterprise Services
Qualcomm Inc. has appointed Rich Sulpizio as president and CEO of Qualcomm Enterprise Services (QES). The company noted that Sulpizio is rejoining Qualcomm with more than 10 years of leadership experience there, including previously serving as Qualcomm’s president & COO...
off the wire
Fleets accessing PCMiler routing and map data over the Internet have a new graphical user interface that allows them to view mileage, toll costs, driving...
