Blog

EnRoute - September 8, 2016

TRALA in the News - In a memo published earlier this summer, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that they will reverse their long-held position that dollies are not subject to the federal excise tax (FET).  FULL STORY 

TOP STORIES

A notice of proposed rulemaking was issued jointly on August 26 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) that is proposing that heavy-duty vehicles be equipped with speed-limiting devices set to a specific maximum speed.  No speed limit has been proposed yet for the proposed limiters. FULL STORY

Due to provisions of the federal Phase 2 Greenhouse Gas and Fuel Economy rules released in August, Glider kits will be almost outlawed by 2021.  Glider kits will only be allowed for their original purpose, which was reclaiming last-model powertrains from wrecked trucks.  FULL STORY

NHTSA has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to update the means of providing recall notifications. FULL STORY

 

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

Daimler Trucks North America has unveiled its reimagined 2018 Freightliner Cascadia tractor which offer up to 8 percent better fuel economy performance over the current-model Cascadia Evolution. FULL STORY

Neos 100S alternator-driven electric refrigeration unit from Carrier Transicold, is party of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies. The Neos 100S unit uses the vehicle's alternator to electrically power the system, thus enabling a constant cooling or heating capacity for fresh and frozen cargoes, regardless of engine speed. FULL STORY

Chevron has a new line of CK-4 and FA-4 engine oils that are a culmination of five years of development and expect to provide stronger performance than today's CJ-4 oils in key categories, including oxidation stability, piston deposit control and wear. FULL STORY

Meritor has introduced its new AllFit premium-tapered roller bearings for differentials, transmissions and wheel-ends for multiple applications, including steer, drive and trailer axles. FULL STORY 

BRIEFLY

J.J. KELLER & ASSOCIATES  has redesigned its website, www.JJKeller.com. . .DANA INCORPORATED plans to construct a state-of-the-art gear manufacturing facility in Gyor, Hungary, which will serve as a significant enabler to further satisfy the regional needs of Dana's global customers. . .VOLVO TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA  will offer a new factory fill engine oil for the Volvo D11, D13 and D16 engines, meeting new Volvo VDS-4.5 engine specifications. . .WEX, INC. will roll out a driver messaging feature as part of its ClearView analytics platform later this year that will send text messages and emails to remind drivers to use less expensive fuel stations or fill fleet trucks with unleaded rather than premium fuel. . .CUMMINS INC. has announced the availability of two new 450-hp ISX12 ratings for linehaul and regional-haul truck markets. . .NAVISTAR INTERNATIONAL has announced an integrated marketing partnership that will name its International brand as the official equipment truck of the Big Ten Conference and Big Ten Network for the 2016 and 2017 football seasons. . .BRIDGESTONE AMERICAS INC. partnered with five U.S. Olympic hopefuls for the games.  One of the athletes, Aly Raisman, won three medals. 


 

PEOPLE 

RICKARD LUNDBERG will be the new vice-president and general manager for Mack's Lehigh Valley Operations effective October 1, 2016.  Lundberg currently serves as the vice-president for powertrain production at the Volvo Group's powertrain plant in Koping, Sweden. . .Kalmar has appointed PETER McLEAN as the Head of Asia-Pacific (APAC) region for the company. . .LENNART BRELIN has been appointed President of the consolidated Americas Region for Palfinger AG.   

 

TAKING STOCK

A look at truck transportation-industry Fortune 500 public companies:
 

Company

Symbol

9/8 Close

Performance

Allison Transmission Holdings

ALSN

$27.87

$0.11

+0.40%

Avis Budget Group Inc.

CAR

$38.22

$0.22

+0.58%

Cummins Inc.

CMI

$119.88

$0.13

+0.11%

Dana Incorporated

DAN

$15.05

$0.08

+0.53%

Eaton Corp.

ETN

$66.08

$0.66

-0.99%

Goodyear Tire & Rubber

GT

$31.32

$0.32

+1.03%

Navistar International Corp.

NAV

$19.12

$0.10

+0.53%

PACCAR Inc.

PCAR

$57.48

$0.01

-0.02%

Ryder

R

$67.60

$0.34

-0.50%


SOURCE: Yahoo! Finance


 

MONEY MATTERS

The Department of Energy has announced $137 million in grants to heavy-duty engine and truck manufacturers for the development of the next SuperTruck iterations. FULL STORY

Navistar International has entered into a strategic alliance with Volkswagen Truck & Bus.  As part of the deal, Volkswagen Truck & Bus get16.2 million newly issued shares in Navistar International, a 16.6 percent stake in the company, and two seats on the company's board of directors.  Navistar gets $256 million, a valuation of $15.76 per share and a 12 percent markup of the stock's price at close Friday.  FULL STORY


 

TRALA ANNOUNCEMENTS

TRALA Industry Scholarship Application Information 
TRALA members and their dependents are invited to apply for TRALA's Industry Scholarship.  We're moving our industry forward by awarding up to four-$2,500 scholarships to qualified applicants. Applications can be submitted by November 1, 2016 for consideration.  Visit our website for details: www.trala.org.