EnRoute

Headlines From The Vehicle Renting and Leasing Industry
Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Top Stories

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  The Truck Renting and Leasing Association (TRALA) and a coalition of industry allies were successful in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives in preventing amendments that would have repealed the Graves Law. FULL STORY

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  President Obama has issued an Executive Order directing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue greenhouse gas emissions standards and fuel economy standards for medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. The order will become effective beginning with model year 2014 commercial vehicles. FULL STORY

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  A series of workshops have been scheduled by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to explain amendments to its Truck and Bus Rule and the SmartWay Regulation. FULL STORY

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  A new Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is being prepared by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to analyze the potential environmental impacts of the agency’s new fuel efficiency improvement program for commercial medium- and heavy-duty on-highway vehicles and work trucks. FULL STORY

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  The administrators of the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) agreement had recommended that participating states delay hard enforcement of the new 2010 UCR fees until July 15, 2010. FULL STORY

Technology Trends

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  Ryder System Inc. was awarded patent number 7,711,602 from the U.S. Patent Office for its systems and methods that integrate and optimize supply chain performance in the areas of shipment planning and execution. FULL STORY

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  J.J. Keller and Associates has launched a new online service, RegSense (www.regsense.com) which has over 1,000 key safety and regulatory topics covering federal DOT, OSHA, EPA and Hazmat as well as state specific compliance information. FULL STORY

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  The Bridgestone Greatec R125 is a new wide-base trailer tire designed by Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions that has low rolling resistance and increased payload. FULL STORY

Briefly

Ryder System Inc. announced the launch of its new Supply Chain Solutions website, www.ryderscs.com, featuring expanded content and an updated design to improve the user experience. . .Peterbilt Motor Co. celebrated a significant and historic milestone with the delivery of the first 2010 EPA certified PACCAR MX diesel engine. A Peterbilt Model 386 equipped with the first production MX was delivered to McClymnonds Supply & Transit Co. at the truck’s OEM’s Denton, TX facility. . .Michelin North America has received a Platinum Award from the National Business Group on Health for its commitment and dedication to promoting a healthy workplace. . .Eaton Corporation has published two new color brochures that outline the features and benefits of the company’s new lineup of UltraShift PLUS heavy-duty automated transmissions. Printed copies or downloadable versions of the 22-page publications are available free of charge at www.roadranger.com. . .Wallwork Kenworth in Fargo, ND was named 2009 Kenworth Customer Support Dealer of the Year for the United States and Canada at the annual Kenworth Customer Support Meeting. . .Allison Transmission has manufactured its one-millionth 1000/2000 Series transmission which was presented to Bob Mann, vice president of dealer sales for Navistar Inc. at a ceremony held at Allison’s world headquarters. . .Rush Enterprises Inc. has announced the Grand Opening of its new state-of-the-art, 115,000 square foot facility at 8700 West I-40 in Oklahoma City. . .Hino Trucks has entered into an agreement with Hitachi Capital America Corp. that will expand Hino’s current commercial financing options. In addition to Hino’s captive financial partner, Toyota Financial Services, Hino’s dealers and customers will now have access to Hitachi Capital America Corp.’s retail and wholesale financing offerings. . .Truck-Lite has hired over 100 new direct, full-time employees and 100 temporary employees at its Pennsylvania and New York operating facilities since the beginning of the year. The company has continued to recruit for a variety of manufacturing and office professional positions and expects to fill another 70 to 100 positions within the next few months. . .Penske Truck Rental will again team up with NBC’s “Today” Show for its annual Lend a Hand charitable outreach series that will be held this coming June 21-25. This is the sixth consecutive year Penske has donated its rental trucks, staff and logistics support to assist in delivering much needed donated goods to worthy charities across the U.S. for the program. . .Thermo King Corp. is offering customers rebates of up to $250 when they purchase qualifying parts for Thermo King and Carrier units from participating Thermo King dealerships in the United States and Canada. The program began June 1 and will run through September 30, 2010. . .The newest facility to join the Murphy-Hoffman Company (MHC) dealer network opened its doors on June 1 in Gainesville, GA. The new location increases the total number of MHC stores in Georgia to three, with existing locations in Mableton and McDonough. . .Daimler Trucks North America has extended its partnership with Allison Transmission Inc. through a multiyear long-term agreement. Allison Automatics will be the exclusive automatic transmission installed in all DTNA product lines, including Freightliner, Western Star, Freightliner Customer Chassis and Thomas Built Buses, and will work in conjunction with engines from DTNA’s sister company, Detroit Diesel Corp.