EnRoute
Headlines From The Vehicle Renting and Leasing Industry
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Top Stories
As truck sales continue to decline, dealers are finding creative ways around the problems posed by the current economy. FULL STORY
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Mike Hasinec, vice president of maintenance for Penske Truck Leasing, provides background on automated and automatic transmissions which are one of the top ten technologies that will challenge fleet technicians in the coming years. FULL STORY
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Dealerships need to continue to measure and improve customer satisfaction in order to keep customers happy and retain their business. FULL STORY
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California has enacted a rule that will mandate all auto repair shops in the state to check tire pressure on every vehicle they service beginning July 2010. FULL STORY
Technology Trends
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Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems has unveiled Wingman ACB (Active Cruise with Breaking) safety system, which delivers warnings and proactive interventions to help drivers avoid collisions as well as data to help with fleet operations and driver training. FULL STORY
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SAF CBX40 air suspension system has been introduced by SAF-Holland. The new suspension system leverages key technologies from both the former SAF and Holland companies to provide an advanced solution for the North American van and reefer markets. FULL STORY
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Delmar Cengage has released the textbook, “Modern Diesel Technology: Preventative Maintenance and Inspection,” which was written for entry-level technicians and details procedures for maintenance and inspection of medium and heavy duty trucks. FULL STORY
FleetNet America has announced MAIN (Maintenance As Is Needed) as an alternative to a fixed/full-lease maintenance program. The program does include minimal monthly fees and the advantage of the program is that no maintenance will be performed or charged to a lessee unless it is needed. FULL STORY
Briefly
Meritor WABCO Vehicle Control Systems has been awarded the 2009 North American Industry Innovation & Advancement of the Year Award in Class 6-8 truck safety systems by Frost & Sullivan. . .Cummins Inc. has announced that it will discontinue production of its ComfortGuard power unit, however anyone with equipment under warranty will still receive the benefits of those warranties and the company will continue to provide replacement parts for the units in the future. . .Joe McAleese, president and CEO of Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC, has been recognized by his alma mater, Bowling Green State University with an Accomplished Graduate Award. . .Heavy Duty Trucking’s senior equipment editor, Tom Berg, was awarded the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Truck Writers of North America (TWNA). . .Cummins Filtration has relaunched its website, www.cumminsfiltration.com, which is optimized for frequent users who need to download specific information quickly and easily and for new users who want to review and understand more about Fleetguard products and services. . . Stemco has formed a strategic alliance with Duroline SAF in which Duroline would transfer all distribution of its products in North America to Stemco, and Stemco will invest in the expansion of Duroline’s Brazilian manufacturing facility. . .Kyle Rose and Allen Rea, are two Navistar employees who work at the company’s manufacturing facility in Springfield, Ohio, and wrote and illustrated the children’s book, “Brutus the Big Red Truck.“ To read or purchase a copy of the book, click here. . .Yokohama Tire Corp. held a tree-planting event at its production facility in Salem, VA. The event is part of Yokohama’s “Forever Forest” project that ultimately plans to plant a half million trees at 18 plants worldwide prior to the company’s centennial celebration in 2017. . .GE Capital Solutions Fleet Services has been awarded the Blue Seal of Excellence from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) for the 10th year. . .Comdata Corp. has announced an alliance with Regal Software Technologies which would enable customers of either company to expand their corporate payment programs with an electronic accounts payable solution integrated into the Microsoft Dynamics accounting suite. . .CPC Logistics announced their Canadian Holding Corporation, Logistics Professionals Unlimited (LPL) has finalized the acquisition of Global Driver Service.
People
International Decisions Systems has named Joe Franco as director of strategic market sales and Mark Belec as product manager for the company’s Rapport software. . .Thomas W. Keilty has been promoted to chief operating officer in addition to his current role as senior vice president for PHH Arval. . .Odessa Technologies has hired Sriram Bhat as controller; Marwa Nur Muhammad and Udi Wickrema as business analysts; and Keelie Fitzgerald joins the company as an administrative assistant. . .William C. McCampbell has been named director of business development for the Material Handling division of AmeriQuest Transportation Services. . .China Manufacturers Alliance (CMA); Double Coin Tires has named Mike McGuiness regional sales manager. . .Bruce Hollenbeck has been appointed to the newly created position of vice president of strategic product programs within Mack Trucks’ product portfolio management organization. . .Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems has promoted Bob Johnson to vice president of aftermarket sales and marketing. . .Walter Frankiewicz has been appointed president of Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake, the joint venture of Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems and Dana Commercial Vehicle Products. . .Newport Communications Group has promoted Deborah Lockridge to editor of Heavy Duty Trucking magazine. . .President Obama has nominated Victor Mendez as administrator of the Federal Highway Administration; Peter Appel as administrator of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration; and Chuck Hurley has been named to lead the Highway Traffic Safety Administration. . .Elaine Litwer, long-time Legislative Council to the National Vehicle Leasing Association (NVLA) has passed away. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Elaine’s favorite charity: The Grand Street Settlement, Attn: Development Dept., 80 Pitt Street, New York, New York 10002.
Taking $tock
A look at truck transportation-industry Fortune 500 public companies:
| Company | Symbol (Click for Chart) |
04/15 Close | Two Week Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ArvinMeritor | ARM | $1.21 | $0.04 | 3.42% |
| Avis Budget Group Inc. | CAR | $1.05 | $0.10 | 10.53% |
| Cummins Inc. | CMI | $28.65 | $0.16 | 0.56% |
| Dana | DAN | $0.75 | $0.02 | 2.74% |
| Eaton | ETN | $42.38 | $0.44 | 1.05% |
| General Electric | GE | $11.83 | $0.32 | 2.78% |
| Goodyear Tire & Rubber | GT | $8.96 | $0.35 | 4.07% |
| PACCAR Inc. | PCAR | $31.20 | $0.09 | 0.29% |
| Ryder | R | $24.52 |
$0.25 | 1.03% |
SOURCE: Yahoo! Finance and bigcharts.com
Money Matters
The defense unit of Navistar International Corp. has finalized a $180 million deal with the United Kingdom to purchase 262 tactical wheeled vehicles and parts. FULL STORY
Since October 2008, ArvinMeritor has saved $430 million on an annual basis in cost-reduction measures the company has taken. FULL STORY
Manufacturers posted a 31.8 percent gain in trucks sales for the month of March. This figure is still 21 percent lower from March 2008. FULL STORY
News From TRALA
Access the Entire Renting and Leasing Industry!!
TRALA is now accepting advertising for the TRALA Membership Directory and Buyers Guide. Reach your target audience and advertise with TRALA! Information about the 2009-2010 rates and guidelines for our annual Membership Directory and Buyers Guide will be sent out shortly. For more information, contact TRALA’s Brian Hefner at (703) 299-9120 or bhefner@trala.org