August 29, 2011

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More Lenders Turn to Trucking as Housing Market Stays Weak

Transport Topics Magazine
The housing market crash apparently has had at least one silver lining for trucking: It has brought more lenders into the truck financing market.

“We are seeing more new players who are not captive finance companies coming into the market,” Geoff Robinson, vice president for sales and remarketing at Daimler Trucks Financial, told Transport Topics.

Truck Company Exec Urges Industry to Adapt

CCJ Magazine
The trucking industry is reshaping itself within rapid market changes, Navistar’s sales and marketing vice president James Hebe said Thursday, Aug. 25.

“The conditions since 2006 have changed our industry forever,” Hebe told trucking executives gathered for the Commercial Vehicle Outlook Conference prior to the start of the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas. “The next 10 years will change the industry faster than any other time in the history of heavy-duty trucking.”

Avondale Partners: Regionalization Changing Equipment Choices

CCJ Magazine
An industry economist and three fleet executives shared their thoughts on the outlook for trucking and trucking equipment in the near future at the Avondale Partners Trucking Forum in Dallas at the 2011 Commercial Vehicle Outlook Conference.

Recognizing public fears over a double-dip recession and lack of investor confidence, Donald Broughton, Avondale Partners managing director, says such angst may be premature.

OEMs Detail Design Innovations to Meet New Greenhouse Rules

Transport Topics Magazine
Truck and engine makers last week outlined some of the engineering innovations they will have to develop and put onto highways over the next six years to meet recently unveiled federal heavy-truck greenhouse-gas regulations.

They said meeting the new fuel-use standards would be a process of corralling myriad small savings from numerous design changes that, molded together cohesively, will yield 20 percent reductions in fuel burned and carbon dioxide emitted by the nation’s heavy-duty truck fleet.

Commercial Trailer Order Backlogs Ease

Heavy Duty Trucking Magazine
Total U.S. commercial trailer net orders fell 2 percent in July from June levels, according to ACT Research. Orders have fallen now for four months in a row.

When combined with solid trailer production volume during July, the decline in net orders resulted in industry backlogs slipping 4 percent month-over-month. Industry backlog, which ended the month at 93,600 units, closed July up 97 percent on a year-over-year basis

UPS Adding 100 All-Electric Vehicles in California

Light & Medium Truck Magazine
UPS said Thursday it would purchase 100 all-electric delivery vehicles for deployment in California. The 100 delivery trucks will be supplied by Electric Vehicles International, Stockton, Calif. The trucks will replace older diesel trucks.

The EVs will have a 90-mile range and displace an estimated 126,000 gallons of fuel a year, the company said in a release.

Three Firms to Invest $150 ml in Natural Gas Fueling Station Infrastructure

Transport Topics Magazine
Three investment firms have agreed to invest $150 million in Clean Energy Fuels Corp. to support its efforts to develop natural gas fueling infrastructure in North America, the company announced Thursday.

The proceeds are intended to support the development, construction and operation of liquefied natural gas and compressed natural gas fueling stations, Clean Energy said.

Navistar’s International Trucks Launches Unique “Turn-In-Three” Lease Program

Fleet Maintenance Magazine
In today’s challenging economic conditions, small businesses are constantly on the lookout for new and improved ways to more efficiently manage their operations.

In response to these customer needs, International Trucks has developed the Turn-In-Three program, which offers customers a fixed monthly payment over six years, full warranty coverage and a new truck after three years into the program.

Federal Appeals Court Vacates EOBR Regulation

CCJ Magazine
A federal appeals court on Friday, Aug. 26, vacated the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s electronic onboard recorder regulation for not addressing how the rule could prevent the devices from being used to harass drivers.

A three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit concluded that “the rule cannot stand because the agency failed to consider an issue that it was statutorily required to address.” The Truck and Bus Safety and Regulatory Reform Act of 1988 “requires the agency to ensure that any such device is not used to ‘harass vehicle operators.’ ”

Trends Driving Development of ‘Low-Cost’ Trucks

Fleet Owner Magazine
A mix of major trends, from increasing urbanization to the need for greater freight transport profitability, are combining to spur the development of “low-cost” trucks – especially as mandates for expensive emissions control and safety systems continue to impact trucking operations around the world.

Sandeep Kar, global director-commercial vehicle research for global consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, stressed repeatedly recently that the term “low-cost” truck should not be interpreted to mean “cheap” truck.

ATA and MEMA Outlook Shared on EOBRs, Hours, Other Issues

ETrucker.com
“Will we see EOBRs is all trucks in the next three years?” American Trucking Associations safety policy vice president Rob Abbott asked attendees of the Commercial Vehicle Outlook Conference in Dallas. The answer is no, but the question of an eventual mandate for electronic logs for all interstate carriers now using paper logs is still one of when, not if.

The EOBR issue was one of many Abbott, along with Motor Equipment Manufacturers Association government affairs senior vice president Ann Wilson, addressed in the “View From Washington” conference panel, held preceding the Great American Trucking Show.

Industry Backs Truck Efficiency Standards

Transport Topics Magazine Initial reactions from truck and engine manufacturers have been supportive of the heavy-duty truck fuel efficiency standards announced Tuesday by President Obama.

The new regulations, developed by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, are intended to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from heavy trucks by as much as 23 percent.

Interest in Natural Gas Truck Fuel Increases; Observers Predict Rising Sales

Transport Topics Magazine
Sales of natural-gas-powered trucks will grow faster than the rest of the North American market, hitting almost 30,000 units by 2017, consulting firm Frost & Sullivan said.

The new report said liquefied natural gas (LNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles accounted for 0.9 percent of Classes 6-8 truck sales in North America last year, or 1,950 vehicles. Dedicated contract carriage and private fleets are the most likely applications for the vehicles.

Fleet Executive Panel Discusses Industry Response to CSA, Hours of Service

CCJ Magazine
A panel of three fleet executives on Thursday, Aug. 25, discussed the changing outlook of the trucking industry and the impact of looming regulations during the Commercial Vehicle Outlook Conference in Dallas.

Issues such as Compliance Safety Accountability, electronic onboard recorders, hours of service and driver recruitment recently have garnered much attention and sparked plenty of discussion among fleets. Russell Stubbs, president and chief executive officer of FFE Transportation Services; Robert Low, president and founder of Prime Inc.; and Don Orr, president and CEO of Central Freight Lines, discussed the impact of these issues on drivers and the industry.

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