EnRoute
Headlines From The Vehicle Renting and Leasing Industry
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Top Stories
To help maintenance technicians keep up with the rapid advances in equipment technology, companies are launching more formal technician-training programs to provide their employees with the necessary resources to get the job done right. FULL STORY
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A sharp increase in sales of natural gas-powered commercial trucks is expected this year as federal and state governments continue to offer grants and incentives and the price of diesel remains over $4 a gallon. FULL STORY
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The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is slated to consider a proposal in October that would require trucks be equipped with products approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Smartway Program. FULL STORY
Technology Trends
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A new web-enabled asset management tool called ViewPoint is now available to enhance Carrier Transicold’s transport refrigeration unit RoadCare contract maintenance programs. FULL STORY
The Set-Back 113 is Sterling’s new natural gas-powered truck which is expected to save owners $6,000 in fuel costs each year. FULL STORY
A newly updated version of Karmak’s ProfitMaster Internet Parts Sales, a web-based software package that allows heavy-duty dealers and distributors to receive parts orders over the internet, is being released by the company. FULL STORY
The Commercial Vehicle Systems group of Dana Holding Corporation has incorporated its patented On Demand lube pump into its heavy-duty highway tandem axles and vocational tandem axles. FULL STORY
Mack Trucks Inc. has introduced a new web-based system, MVASIST, that is expected to provide customers with faster, more accurate service estimates and write-ups when their trucks require service. FULL STORY
Briefly
PHH GreenFleet has been named a finalist in the category of “Best New Product or Service” for the American Business Awards. . .Double Coin Holdings, parent company of CMA, is supporting the relief effort in the Sichuan Province of China after the devastating earthquake by contributing $1.4 million in relief aid, supporting 20 orphans and providing daily necessities like shoes and soap that the company’s subsidiaries produce. . .Penske Truck Rental, a service of Penske Truck Leasing, was awarded the General Services Administration (GSA) Transportation, Delivery and Relocation Solutions Schedule 48 contract and is now an approved vendor for truck rentals. . .Michelin North America Inc.’s Spartanburg, South Carolina plant, which manufactures tires for commercial trucks and United States military vehicles, is celebrating its 30th anniversary. . .Freightliner Trucks, in conjunction with Daimler Truck Financial, is offering an industry low of 4.5 percent financing on all variations of the Freightliner Cascadia in the U.S market. . .PeopleNet has launched the MPG Guarantee Program that is aimed at helping fleets improve their fuel efficiency by 5 to 10 percent. The program offers a full money-back guarantee that the miles per gallon benefit will exceed the cost of the program within one year. . .International Truck & Engine Corp. has launched its Ready to Roll sales event, with financing rates as low as 4.99 percent over 36 months available on new International trucks purchased in Canada. . .J.J. Keller & Associates announces the arrival of the 2008 Emergency Response Guidebook, which replaces the 2004 edition. A summary of changes is available at www.jjkeller.com/21750. . .Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Costco Travel have announced a preferred provider relationship that will allow Costco members to save on car rentals at any of Enterprise’s more than 7,000 locations worldwide. . .ArvinMeritor will be spinning off its light-duty vehicle systems business so that it can focus more closely on its truck business group.
People on the Move
Thermo King Corp. has named Neil D. Tamppari as manager, Technical and Customer Solutions, HVAC Americas and Martin Duffy as general manager, HVAC Americas. . .Takao Oishi has been promoted to corporate officer of the Yokohama Rubber Company, his second promotion in 2008. . .Visual Marking Systems, Inc., has promoted Matt Liegl to director of Human Resources and Lean Enterprise and Vicki Porter to vice president of sales. . .Patrick Stobb has joined The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company as director of investor relations.
Taking $tock
A look at truck transportation-industry Fortune 500 public companies:
| Company | Symbol (Click for Chart) |
05/21 Close | Two Week Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ArvinMeritor | ARM | $16.05 | $0.20 | 1.23% |
| Avis Budget Group Inc. | CAR | $14.02 | $0.92 | 6.16% |
| Caterpillar Inc. | CAT | $83.40 | $0.44 | 0.52% |
| Cummins Inc. | CMI | $69.28 | $0.39 | 0.56% |
| Dana | DAN | $11.55 | $0.25 | 2.12% |
| Eaton | ETN | $89.30 | $0.14 | 0.16% |
| General Electric | GE | $30.99 | $0.73 | 2.30% |
| Goodyear Tire & Rubber | GT | $27.08 | $1.04 | 3.70% |
| PACCAR Inc. | PCAR | $50.09 | $0.16 | 0.32% |
| Ryder | R | $71.48 | $2.10 | 2.85% |
SOURCE: Yahoo! Finance and bigcharts.com
Money Matters
SAF-Holland posted a record first quarter profit of 7.6 million Euros, a 71.5 percent increase from 4.4 million Euros for the same period last year. FULL STORY
Bridgestone Corp. and Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. have entered into a business and capital alliance focusing on production-technology development; procurement of raw materials, other materials and equipment; cross productions between Bridgestone and Toyo; logistics; and business other than tires. FULL STORY
A $499,974 technology research and development (NTRD) grant from the Houston Advanced Research Center will expand on a 2006 project and allow Eaton Corp.’s Hydraulic Launch Assist (HLA) technology to be installed on a Texas fleet of urban shuttle buses. FULL STORY
News From TRALA
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