EnRoute
Headlines From The Vehicle Renting and Leasing Industry
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Top Stories
The Employee Free Choice Act, also known as “card check” legislation, was formally introduced last week in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. The legislation is expected to create a fierce battle between organized labor and the business community. FULL STORY
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a new rule that would establish a federal system for reporting carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases produced by large stationary and mobile sources. FULL STORY
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The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has made some changes to its on-road truck and bus rule and it is now allowing small fleets to keep one truck with a 2004 through 2006 engine with a particulate matter filter until January 1, 2019 and a one-truck operation with a 2007 or newer engine originally equipped with a PM filter would not be subject to any of the retrofits rule’s requirement until 2021. FULL STORY
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The $410 omnibus spending bill the President Barack Obama signed into law shut down the cross-border Mexican truck project however the President has indicated that he will work with stakeholders and critics to create a new program that will meet the concerns of the U.S. Congress and U.S. commitments under NAFTA. FULL STORY
Technology Trends
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J.J. Keller & Associates has completed a series of five enhancements to its FleetMentor service that now provides subscribers an easier way to manage driver qualifications (DQ) files within the service. FULL STORY
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A pilot hydraulic-hybrid walk-in van chassis is the newest addition to Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp.’s alternative powertrain chassis development program. FULL STORY
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The Truck Risk and Safety program unveiled by PHH Arval is a comprehensive risk and safety program geared toward medium and heavy trucks and equipment that identifies high-risk drivers, provides effective and targeted driver training, and efficiently manages the risk and costs of collisions that do happen. FULL STORY
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems has introduced the Bendix Pneumatic Booster System (PBS), an air management system aimed at improving fuel economy and acceleration while reducing emissions. FULL STORY
Briefly
Cargo Transporters has deployed Maptuit’s NaviGo Advanced GPS Navigation throughout its fleet of 395 trucks. . .Penske Truck Leasing Co. announced the new www.GoPenske.com, which the company says serves as the online focal point for its businesses, products and associate recruiting efforts. . .Navistar Financial celebrated 60 years of financing truck purchases last week. . .Thermo King Corp. has lowered prices on more than 160 key aftermarket parts for Thermo King refrigeration units and TriPac auxiliary power units. The company also has donated a TriPac APU system as part of its sponsorship of the Arrow Truck Sales Back on the Road 2009 campaign, presented by Volvo Trucks North America. . .SAF-Holland is moving its fifth-wheel manufacturing operations from its Monroe, NC plant to its Wylie, TX facility. . .International Truck and Engine Corp. has named Alabama-based dealer Southland International Trucks as its worldwide dealer of the year for 2008. . . Eaton Corp. has established a program to assist diesel truck fleet owners in applying for the $156 million in grants for diesel hybrid trucks that are available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). . .Daimler Trucks North America announced the Holland FWAL aluminum fifth wheel will now be offered as an option on its Freightliner long-haul and heavy-duty models. . .Penske Truck Leasing Co. now offers CyntrX 3.0 onboard commercial truck tracking technology from Enhanced Vehicle Applications. . .Hino Trucks has introduced a line of stainless-steel accessories designed to add a custom look, resale value and aesthetic appeal to a truck. . .Double Coin has announced the company has doubled its market share to 1.5 percent in Mexico since being reintroduced to the country’s market in 2007.
People on the Move
Martin Daum has been named the new head of Daimler Trucks North America effective June 1. He will be replacing Chris Patterson who has chosen to retire after 32 years of service to the North American commercial vehicle industry. . .FleetNet America has announced the establishment of a new and dedicated training department which will be administered by Ronnie Moss.
Taking $tock
A look at truck transportation-industry Fortune 500 public companies:
| Company | Symbol (Click for Chart) |
03/18 Close | Two Week Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ArvinMeritor | ARM | $0.95 | $0.20 | 26.67% |
| Avis Budget Group Inc. | CAR | $0.45 | $0.02 | 4.65% |
| Cummins Inc. | CMI | $24.48 | $1.20 | 5.15% |
| Dana | DAN | $0.51 | $0.02 | 4.08% |
| Eaton | ETN | $35.05 | $1.21 | 3.58% |
| General Electric | GE | $10.32 | $0.32 | 3.20% |
| Goodyear Tire & Rubber | GT | $6.09 | $0.58 | 10.53% |
| PACCAR Inc. | PCAR | $26.15 | $1.56 | 6.34% |
| Ryder | R | $27.17 |
$1.56 | 6.09% |
SOURCE: Yahoo! Finance and bigcharts.com
Money Matters
The Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury launched a joint program called the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) which recently expanded the definition of eligible collateral to include commercial leases. As a result, qualified investors may use TALF loans to invest in term securitizations consisting of commercial fleet assets. FULL STORY
Navistar has posted a $234 million profit for the first quarter of 2009 which the company attributes to its military segment as well as gains in Class 8 market share. FULL STORY
News From TRALA
TRALA 2009 Annual Meeting Presentations
TRALA held it's 31st Annual Meeting last week from March 10-13 at the Four Seasons Resort Aviara in Carlsbad, California. Jim Meil gave a presentation on the economic markets during the Wednesday's All-Conference Assembly. The presentation is now available on TRALA's Website. Please be patient during the download process, as the presentation is extremely large. If you have any questions or have difficulty downloading the material, please contact Shannon Murray at smurray@trala.org.