Celadon’s Hines looks ahead
By Sean Kilcarr, senior editor
Chris Hines, newly installed president & COO of Celadon Group sees the cross-border truckload carrier facing a mix of challenges and opportunities ahead. But in his view, the opportunities ...
Eaton declares hybrids “commercially available”
KALAMAZOO, MI. Eaton announced here today that its medium-duty hybrid power systems are now commercially available and will be ready for customer ...
Improving yard management
By Sean Kilcarr, senior editor
While congestion is increasing on American highways, trucking companies also face traffic jams much closer to home – in their terminal yards. ...
Hendrickson reconfigures Tiremaax
Hendrickson Trailer Suspension Systems has announced it has reconfigured its Tiremaax automatic tire inflation system for trailers. The new Tiremaax CP (Constant Pressure) was developed...
Making green make green
By Sean Kilcarr, senior editor
Saving money while saving the environment is at the heart of the environmentally friendly “green fleet” movement here in the U.S. but it’s not easy to put that belief ...
Phillips applies Permalogic to reefer units
Phillips Industries has added a new product to its line of Permalogic power control units. Permalogic Reefer is an all-weather, electronic controller designed to ...
Acquisition puts Rotary Lift on three continents
Rotary Lift Consolidated (RLC) has announced the purchase of Hanmecson International, a wholly owned U.S. company based in Fort Worth that manufactures vehicle lifts ...
Navteq reports record Q2
Chicago-based Navteq Corp., (www.navteq.com) a provider of digital map data for vehicle navigation and location-based solutions, reported record second quarter revenue and operating income for the quarter ...
Networkcar names new marketing director
Wireless vehicle management solutions provider Networkcar (www.networkcar.com has appointed Craig Whitney director of marketing. Whitney, an industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience...
“CSI” for truck tires
By Sean Kilcarr, senior editor
With freight volumes stagnant or falling and operational expenses rising, fleets are doing everything they can to keep a tight rein on expenses. That includes managing their second-largest expense on the balance sheet – tires – more closely than ever...
Michelin investing big in South Carolina
Michelin North America (www.michelin-us.com) announced today it is investing $350 million to improve and expand each of its major manufacturing facilities in South Carolina over the next four years...
Inrix traffic info available 75 ways
Traffic flow information provider Inrix (www.Inrix.com) recently announced that its real-time traffic solution is now available on over 75 models of portable and automotive navigation devices, mobile phones and “smart phones.”...
Maptuit routes around collapsed bridge
Maptuit Corp. (www.maptuit.com) has announced it reacted to the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minnesota last Wednesday evening by quickly shutting down road segments around the affected area and by updating its FleetNav Directions...
SelecTrucks offering down-payment match
Used-truck retailer SelecTrucks will match 50% of owner-operators’ down payments on eligible trucks through August 31, 2007...
New Chrysler owners name new CEO
With the deal to buy Chrysler finalized on Friday, the new owner, Cerberus Capital Management LP, has moved quickly to appoint a chief executive from outside the automotive industry, but with extensive experience in corporate turnarounds...
Fleet Owner wins national editorial awards
The American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) has recognized FleetOwner with six Azbee Awards for Editorial and Design Excellence, including two national awards for a series of feature stories ...
Bridge inspections under way nationwide
By Sean KIlcarr, senior editor
State highway departments nationwide are scrambling to inspect all their steel deck truss roadway bridges in the wake of the tragic I-35W bridge collapse in Minnesota last week...
USF Glenn Moore makes key appointments
USF Glen Moore, an operating unit of YRC Regional Transportation, has appointed Phil Nelms and Tim Dull to key management positions. Nelms was named vp of operations and Dull was named manager of recruiting & orientation...
Wabco listed on NYSE
As the culmination of plans by American Standard to spin off its commercial vehicle component business, Wabco is now publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol WBC...
ATA pushing problem-driver clearinghouse
By Sean Kilcarr, senior editor
Getting problem drug and/or alcohol users off the road permanently is the main reason behind the push by the American Trucking Assns. to create a centralized “clearinghouse” for positive drug and alcohol testing results among truck drivers...
Special financing for Mack Granite buyers
Mack Financial Services is offering customers in the U.S. special financing on qualifying Mack Granite vocational trucks and tractors through its Spring Into Action program...
Extended-drain synthetic gear lubes
ConocoPhillips has introduced Triton synthetic gear lube 75W90 and 80W140, which meet the latest Dana Shaes 256 Rev C Spec for extended-drain gear oils...
Holmes takes helm at UPS Freight
Jack Holmes, a 28-year United Parcel Service (UPS) veteran who has headed the operations of UPS Freight for the past year, has been promoted to president of the trucking unit...
Advantech launches next-gen computers
Advantech has released its latest generation vehicle-mounted computers—the TREK-775 and TREK-776. According to the company, the computers offer a powerful wireless data link for trucks, forklifts and container crane operations that enable...
MnDOT posts bridge detours
By David Cullen, executive editor
The front page of the Minnesota Dep. of Transportation (MnDOT) website provides suggested detours around the collapsed bridge over the Mississippi on Interstate 35 West that had linked Minneapolis and St. Paul...
Consolidating aids “cradle to grave” tire services
By Sean Kilcarr, senior editor
Michelin North America’s $69 million acquisition of Oliver Rubber Co., the retreading subsidiary of rival Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., is another salvo in the effort to offer “cradle to gave” tire-management systems to truck fleets...
Isuzu takes over U.S. distribution
Dissolving the joint venture with General Motors that had been responsible for the sales and marketing of Isuzu-built trucks in the U.S. since 2001, Isuzu Commercial Truck of America Inc. (ICTA) is now directly distributing its low cab forward vehicles to both...
NPTC safety conference slated for September
The National Private Truck Council has announced that its National Safety Conference will be held September 13-14 at the Holiday Inn in Arlington, VA...
New search engine for trucking
Minimizing empty miles is the goal of any fleet -- and now there’s a new online search engine designed to help carriers do just that...
R&D center dedicated to engineering legend Fred Jones
By David Cullen, executive editor
Bloomington, MN. Thermo King Corp. dedicated its revamped—to the tune of $7.1 million—R&D Center here Monday to Frederick McKinley Jones, the pioneering African-American mechanical genius...
Synthetic drivetrain lubes record fuel savings
Roadranger Marketing has announced that results of recent fuel economy testing show fuel savings of more than one percent with use of the newest generation of Roadranger synthetic lubricants in transmissions and axles...
UPS boosting freight integration
A new shipping option from United Parcel Service – UPS Express Critical – is meshing all of the carrier’s same-day and urgent capabilities into a single system so customers can more effectively manage both package and heavy freight shipments together...
Port truckers fight clean-air plan
By Sean Kilcarr, senior editor
Truckers serving the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are banding together to fight the Truck Replacement Plan (TRP). They say this component of the Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP), currently under consideration by both ports...
Karmak joins IT standards group
Karmak Inc., a software provider for the heavy-duty truck and trailer industry, has joined STAR (Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail), a group dedicated to implementing voluntary IT standards throughout the automotive industry...
TCA chair: Green grows green
By Wendy Leavitt, director of editorial development
Green is the new green, according to Truckload Carriers Assn. (www.truckload.org) chairman Jim O’Neal, who used his first telephone “chairman’s brief” to explore the theme “Green can contribute to the bottom line”...
