EnRoute
Headlines From The Vehicle Renting and Leasing Industry
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Top Stories
A U.S. District Court in Ocala, Florida upheld that the Graves Amendment preempts all Florida vicarious liability actions against rental vehicle owners. FULL STORY
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After a recent survey found 15 percent of ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) pumps were not labeled correctly, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun a more formal enforcement campaign. FULL STORY
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Several pieces of federal legislation are being considered that would allow the Single-State Registration System (SSRS) to stay in place until the United Carrier Registration (UCR) board has developed a new program. FULL STORY
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The EPA has given engine manufacturers a blueprint on how to get selective catalyst reduction (SCR) technology certified to meet the tough 2010 EPA engine emission requirements. FULL STORY
Travel companies and trade associations are speaking up on their customers’ behalf to protest the growing costs of taxes, many that have nothing to do with travel.FULL STORY
Technology Trends
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Horton Inc. announced a new product enhancement to its current friction liners for high-torque DriveMaster Spring-Engaged Fan Drive Applications. FULL STORY
The Commercial Vehicle Loyalty Analysis solution has been unveiled by R.L. Polk. It is the first product of its kind for the industry and addresses the market need for customer metrics that will enable commercial truck and engine manufacturers to better understand the brand loyalty of their customer base, analyze growth opportunities and take pre-emptive action against potential defectors. FULL STORY
The Holland FWAL Lightweight Aluminum Fifth Wheel has been designed by SAF-Holland and forged by Alcoa. The product is designed for standard duty applications and forged from the same material Alcoa uses for its truck wheels. FULL STORY
LeaseEnterprise 5.7, the latest version of International Decision Systems lease/loan accounting software, has been released. FULL STORY
Briefly
Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine has named Tom Jones, Ryder System’s senior vice president and general manager of Supply Chain Solutions as one of the 2007 “Pros to Know”. . . Bridgestone has a new three year agreement with the PGA to be the “Official Tire of the PGA Tour and Champions Tour”. . .Fontaine International was presented International Truck & Engine’s 2006 Diamond Supplier Award for the fourth consecutive year. . .Cummins Inc. has been named to the list of Top 50 companies for diversity by Diversity Inc. magazine . .Tuthill Controls Group now offers 16 new publications featuring various models of its new electronic controls. . .Freightliner of Southern Alabama recently changed its name to Four Star Freightliner. . .Utility Trailer Sales Southeast Texas Inc. is preparing to open a new facility in Pharr, Texas. . .Cummins Filtration received the Technical Achievement Award for 2006 from the Truck Writers of North America (TWNA) for the Fleetguard user-friendly filter. The filter was also named to four trade magazine “Best of “ lists, including Heavy Duty Trucking’s Nifty Fifty; Heavy Duty Trucking’s Top Five Aftermarket Products; Construction Equipment’s Top 100 Products and Equipment World’s Innovations 2007 cover story. . .Peterbilt’s 1,000th Model 379 Legacy Class Edition marked the end of a era and the completion of its 20-year run as an industry icon. . .Detroit Diesel’s G2 Program was selected to Training Magazine’s Top 125, the most elite ranking among Fortune 500 companies for their training and learning development programs. . .Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s interstate Wingfoot Express truck line celebrates its 90th birthday this month. . .Kenworth Truck Company received the 2007 Industry Innovation Award for alternative fuel trucks at the Alternative Fuels and Vehicle National Conference and Expo. . .J.J. Keller & Associates has introduced its Discrimination Awareness Program: a practical guide and training tool. . .Tripmaster is co-hosing 2007 intermec webinar to discuss the new EOBR rule and its impact on the industry and individual fleets. . .To read more news about TRALA members, please click here.
People on the Move
Sean Coleman assumes director of program management for Hendrickson Truck Suspension Systems and Rick Johnson was promoted to director of information technology for Hendrickson. . .Eaton Corp. has appointed Scott Adams as business unit manager for the Vehicle Solutions unit of its Truck Aftermarket division. . .Donald Kochan has been named vice president and national sales manager at Key Equipment Finance. . .Alcoa has hired Peter Hong as the company’s new vice president and treasurer. . .ArvinMeritor has named Ed Frutig vice president and general manager of the company’s new Light Vehicle Systems (LVS) Chassis Systems division. . .International Truck & Engine Corp. has named Terry Minor as president, chief executive officer and dealer principal of Cumberland International Trucks in Tennessee.
Taking $tock
A look at truck transportation-industry Fortune 500 public companies:
| Company | Symbol (Click for Chart) |
04/11 Close | Two Week Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ArvinMeritor | ARM | $17.35 | $0.31 | 1.76% |
| Avis Budget Group Inc. | CAR | $28.44 | $0.26 | 0.91% |
| Caterpillar Inc. | CAT | $66.35 | $0.60 | 0.90% |
| Cummins Inc. | CMI | $73.44 | $0.01 | 0.01% |
| Eaton | ETN | $84.10 | $0.83 | 0.98% |
| General Electric | GE | $34.95 | $0.07 | 0.20% |
| Goodyear Tire & Rubber | GT | $33.21 | $0.10 | 0.30% |
| PACCAR Inc. | PCAR | $74.07 | $0.67 | 0.90% |
| Ryder | R | $51.25 | $1.20 | 2.40% |
SOURCE: Yahoo! Finance and bigcharts.com
Money Matters
Enterprise Rent-A-Car has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase Vanguard Car Rental Group, Inc. The transaction is expected to take place either the third or fourth quarter of 2007. FULL STORY
U.S. Senator Lincoln Blanche (D-AR) has recently introduced federal legislation that would provide a 25 percent tax credit up to $1,000 for the installation of idle reduction technology. FULL STORY
Textron Financial Corp. announces its Business Credit Division provided a $50 million syndicated revolving credit facility to Lily Transportation Corp. FULL STORY
News From TRALA
Calling All Advertisers - Acess the Entire Renting and Leasing Industry!
Advertise in the premier industry reference guide…The TRALA Vehicle! Keep an eye on your mailbox for information about the 2007-2008 rates and guidelines for our annual Membership Directory and Buyers Guide. Reach your target audience and advertise with TRALA! For more information, contact TRALA’s Maggie Brown at (703) 299-9120 or mbrown@trala.org