EPA-certified “Green” rigs become available
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that beginning this month, many truck and trailer OEMs are offering customers 2007 models certified by EPA’s SmartWay program...
NPTC backhaul service goes online
The National Private Truck Council (NPTC) has launched a backhaul networking program to help its fleet members fill empty miles through strategic fleet partnerships...
Bridgestone-Bandag rolls on
Bandag Inc. announced today that its shareholders have approved the merger of the company with Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc. (BSAH) subsidiary, Grip Acquisition Corp. ...
Bridgestone draws back R&D curtain
By Jim Mele, editor-in-chief
New development tires for trailer, linehaul and on/off highway applications lead the new technologies on display here at Bridgestone Firestone North America Tire’s (BFNA) annual dealer meeting...
SKF names VSM exec
Lars Wilsby has been appointed vp--Vehicle Service Market (VSM) by SKF. He leaves his previous role as business development director for the Automotive Division. ...
Double-digit diesel jump
The national average price for a gallon of diesel soared 11.4 cents to $2.79 for the week ending April 1, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). ...
ArvinMeritor taps Frutig
Ed Frutig has been made vp & gm of ArvinMeritor’s new Light Vehicle Systems (LVS) Chassis Systems division. He will be responsible for leading this new business unit...
Con-way rolls out island service
LTL carrier Con-way Freight is rolling out a new “door-to-port” shipping service from the U.S. to ports throughout the Bahamas and the Caribbean ...
Supreme Court ruling could spur new light-duty engine standards
By Terrence Nguyen, web editor
Yesterday’s Supreme Court decision confirming the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions in motor vehicles makes it more likely the agency will set CO2 emission standards on engines to fulfill a Congressional mandate of the Clean Air Act. ...
SAE CVMC taps chairman
Al Cohn, Pressure Systems International’s director of new market development & engineering support has been named chairman of the Commercial Vehicle Maintenance Committee (CVMC) of SAE...
Yokohama to raise tire prices
Yokohama Tire Corp. has responded to rising raw material and transportation costs by rolling out price adjustments to its consumer and off-road tires, effective May 1. ...
Eaton promotes solutions manager
Eaton Corp. today has announced the appointment of Scott Adams as business unit manger for the Vehicle Solutions unit of its Truck Aftermarket division. ...
Mexican truck program stalls on Capitol Hill
By Terrence Nguyen, web editor
Key transportation leaders in Congress are attempting to delay a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) demonstration project that would open the southern border to 100 Mexican trucking companies...
Thermo King – from green to greener
By Wendy Leavitt, director of editorial development
At nearly 70, Thermo King, a business unit of Ingersoll Rand Company Ltd., numbers among America’s older companies, but it is going green, not gray, as it approaches its eighth decade. ...
Volvo make SmartWay-approved tractors
Volvo Trucks North America has partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a variety of specs and components for the Volvo VN that would deliver the fuel efficiency and low emissions needed to receive EPA’s SmartWay Tractor designation...
Alcoa taps treasurer
Peter Hong is joining aluminum product maker Alcoa as the company’s vp and treasurer effective April 11. He will succeed William Plummer, who resigned from Alcoa to join Dow Jones & Co. ...
Pennsylvania hires Morgan Stanley to study funding options
Gov. Edward Rendell (D), has hired New York financial firm Morgan Stanley & Co. to analyze a number of funding options for generating the estimated $1.7 billion Pennsylvania needs annually to repair and maintain its roads and bridges...
Michelin Advantage for small fleets
Combining roadside service, cash back on purchases and online business tools, the Michelin Advantage Program gives smaller fleets access to services and benefits normally reserved for larger national accounts...
Study finds ACE benefits are mixed
Trucking companies using the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) e-manifest system report that although border crossings are smoother, workload and costs have increased...
New APU from Kohler
Fleets shopping for an APU now have another option to consider—the new air-cooled 5-kW APU from Kohler Power Systems. Available for order now through Kohler dealers and distributors...
Coalition calls on California truck emission standards
In a move that might spark ire from some California trucking companies, organizations representing retailers, importers, exporters, ocean carriers, marine terminal operators and railroads are calling on the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to set a single diesel truck emission standard...
Port of Oakland rolling out RFID system
WhereNet Corp. has announced that the Port of Oakland is supporting the implementation of an RFID truck tagging system at one its busiest marine terminals...
National intermodal RFID network
Horizon Services Group is working with federal and local governments to create a national network for real time intermodal container tracking leveraging the existing RFID reader infrastructure on highways...
Dometic introduces all-electric HVAC offerings
Dometic Environmental Corp., a business unit of Dometic Corp, has introduced an expanded series of all-electric auxiliary air conditioning systems...
DHL expands operations
New services and terminals are coming online from DHL as the express carrier seeks to expand its operations between North America, Mexico, and Asia....
Cellular/satellite solution
Fleet telematics service provider WebTech Wireless Inc. and mobile voice and data communications provider Iridium Satellite today announced the introduction of a new dual-mode cellular and satellite asset tracking and management solution for the transportation industry....
New battery-based idling alternative
Indiana-based Sun Power Technologies (www.sunpowertech.com) recently debuted its battery-based idle reduction solution...
Mixed economic signals continue
By Terrence Nguyen, web editor
The latest roundup of economic news gives cause for some optimism as freight volumes and manufacturing indicators rebound, but an unpredictably weak housing sector clouds the bigger picture...
NLM offers U.S.-Mexico tracking
National Logistics Management (NLM) is offering a new truckload thru-service that provides visibility to customs activities for cross-border shipments between the U.S. and Mexico....
Sprinter plant up and running
By Jim Mele, editor-in-chief
With the South Carolina governor and other state officials on hand, DaimlerChrysler officially launched production of its second-generation Sprinter van ...
Ford recalls 2008 diesel Super Duty trucks
Reports of fuel or oil igniting in diesel particulate filters (DPF) has led Ford Motor Co. to recall 37,400 of its 2008 F-Series Super Duty trucks with 6.4-liter diesel engines...
TCA audio conference for safer drivers
Tomorrow, March 29, the Truckload Carriers Assn. is hosting an audio conference that outlines how carriers could use a study by the American Transportation Research Institute to improve safety...
ATRI releases early speed-governor findings
By Terrence Nguyen, web editor
According to the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), the research arm of the American Trucking Assns. (ATA), its preliminary report on an ongoing study of speed governors indicates data is insufficient to make a strong claim about the relationship between fleet size and governor use...
ArvinMeritor rolls out new products and initiatives
By Wendy Leavitt, director of editorial development
ArvinMeritor took advantage of the Mid-America Trucking Show to update customers and members of the press on its reorganization initiative and to introduce new products and partnerships...
Making tires from recycled rubber
New tires could soon be efficiently made from their scrapped brethren thanks to an engineering process developed by Lehigh Technologies....
