EnRoute
Headlines From The Vehicle Renting and Leasing Industry
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Top Stories
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Financing remains a challenge and the economy continues to move through a deep recession and more companies are turning to full-service truck leasing as an alternative. FULL STORY
The trucking industry is expected to rebound during the second half of 2010 according to Act Research Co. The rebound should lead to an increased demand for new commercial vehicles in 2011. FULL STORY
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has written sample legislation that is designed to help states write bans against texting while driving. FULL STORY
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The consensus among economists and economic analysts is the recession is over, however it looks like it will be a very gradual recovery. FULL STORY
Technology Trends
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The Utility Side Skirt 120 and Utility Side Skirt 160 are two new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency SmartWay-verified side skirts created by Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co. with galvanized high-tensile steel braces designed to be virtually indestructible and can be “bent” back to their original shape if damaged. FULL STORY
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TGoodyear has a new tire, the G296 WHA super-single waste haul steer tire, which completes the company's lineup of innovative new waste haul tires. The G296 WHA features many of the attributes of the G289 WHA and is available with DuraSeal Technology. FULL STORY
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The Flex-Lite is a new line of LED products from Truck-Lite Co. which allows for more flexible mounting without the need for additional accessories and with versatile wire options. FULL STORY
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The perception of diesel engines has changed forever after years of mandates and technical changes. Many within the industry doubted it could ever be accomplished, however it does come with a cost. FULL STORY
Briefly
Hendrickson and AxleTech International have received a production award from Navistar Defense, LLC for independent suspension systems on 1,050 new International MaxxPro Dash Vehicles. . .Daimler Trucks North America has launched a new engineering division dedicated to Western Star Trucks. It will be comprised of about 50 engineers and engineering systems and will be headed by Randy DeBortoli. . .Mitsubishi Fuso Truck has sold its 100,000th truck in North America to LaVallee’s Bakery Distributors of Waltham, MA. . .Penske Truck Leasing has placed an order with Eaton Corp. for more than 1,800 Fuller Ultra Shift HV medium-duty automated transmissions, the largest order to date. . .Donaldson Co. has been named UAP Inc’s 2009 Supplier of the Year. . .J.J. Keller & Associates, Inc. has announced the availability of public workshops, seminars and educational articles related to Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010, the new enforcement initiative by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). . .Great Dane Trailers is now taking applications from fleets to enroll in its AdvantEDGE program, a national accounts purchasing program for parts and service. The company is also in the process of implementing the program throughout its 130-location network of Great Dane dealers and affiliated service and parts provide partners in the United States and Canada. . .Ryder System Inc. has signed a joint venture partnership with Cargo Services Far East Limited, an Asia-based logistics solutions provider specializing in export consolidation services. . .Employees of Cummins Inc. brought power to a rural village in India, cleared a stream of silt and sediment in the United Kingdom and increased recycling by 50 percent in a low-income Minneapolis neighborhood, all as part of a companywide effort to commemorate the company’s 90th anniversary in 2009.
Taking $tock
A look at truck transportation-industry Fortune 500 public companies:
| Company | Symbol (Click for Chart) |
2/24 Close | Two Week Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avis Budget Group Inc. | CAR | $9.86 | $0.66 | 6.27% |
| Cummins Inc. | CMI | $55.98 | $0.34 | 0.61% |
| Dana | DAN | $10.94 | $0.30 | 2.82% |
| Eaton | ETN | $66.81 | $0.44 | 0.66% |
| General Electric | GE | $16.12 | $0.17 | 1.07% |
| Goodyear Tire & Rubber | GT | $13.06 | $0.32 | 2.51% |
| Navistar International Corp. | NAV | $39.12 | $0.08 | 0.20% |
| PACCAR Inc. | PCAR | $35.71 | $0.81 | 2.32% |
| Ryder | R | $34.86 |
$0.43 | 1.25% |
SOURCE: Yahoo! Finance and bigcharts.com
Money Matters
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company reported improved fourth quarter tire unit volumes, sales and earnings for 2009. The company’s fourth quarter 2009 sales were $4.4 billion, up 7 percent from 2008’s fourth quarter. FULL STORY
Sales for medium- and heavy-duty trucks were up 4 percent in January over the same period in 2009. FULL STORY
Groupe Michelin posted a net income of $150 million on net sales of $21.3 billion last year. FULL STORY
News From TRALA
TRALA is pleased to announce Martin Daum, president & CEO of Daimler Trucks North America as the Industry Keynote during Wednesday’s All-Conference Assembly. Don't miss out on this valuable presentation. To register for the meeting, simply visit TRALA’s website to find out more details and register for the meeting. Hotel accommodations can be reserved online or by contacting the Doral at (800) 713-6725. Please contact Shannon Murray at (703) 299-9120 or smurray@trala.org if you have any questions.
For over 24 years, TRALA has recognized men and women who achieve the highest level of excellence in professional truck driving and demonstrate our industry’s continuing commitment to highway safety and security. We invite you to continue this tradition and nominate your best driver(s) as candidate(s) for TRALA’s 2010 Driver of the Year Award. To download an application, please click here. Deadline for nominations is March 5, 2010. For more information, contact TRALA’s Shannon Murray at smurray@trala.org or (703) 299-9120.