EnRoute
Headlines From The Vehicle Renting and Leasing Industry
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Top Stories
-
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is accepting comments until July 14, 2010 on the effect new fuel efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks will have on the environment. FULL STORY
The Truck Renting and Leasing Association (TRALA) supports legislation introduced by Senator Max Baucus (D-MO) and Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) that would accelerate depreciation of certain assets by allowing businesses to depreciate up to 50% of the cost of the asset in the first year it is placed in service. FULL STORY
-
ACT Research Company reported its latest release of the State of the Industry: Class 5-8 Vehicles and net orders for heavy-duty Class 8 commercial vehicles increased 91 percent in April 2010 compared with the same month in 2009. FULL STORY
Technology Trends
-
Kenworth Truck Company will offer its first factory-installed, front drive axles on their medium duty product line which will include the Kenworth T270 Class 6 and T370 Class 7 models. FULL STORY
-
The new Michelin X-Traction OTR tire designed by Michelin North America contains two new Michelin technologies: Cooling System shoulder design and C2 Technology casing architecture which reduces heat build-up, enabling trucks to operate at higher speeds. FULL STORY
-
Thermo King has developed a new prototype truck refrigeration system which was unveiled in a delivery vehicle for Dean Foods. The system significantly reduced the emissions associated with traditional diesel-powered transport refrigeration. FULL STORY
-
A new version of GE Capital Fleet Services Online Vehicle Ordering Product has been released which now includes automated notification, on-screen notification, and vehicle images on configuration screens. FULL STORY
Briefly
PACCAR Leasing celebrated its 30th anniversary in recognition of the company’s growth from 17 locations in 1980 to more than 400 locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Germany. . .Detroit Diesel engine manufacturing center in Redford, Michigan has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as one of the first manufacturing facilities to meet the Energy Star Challenge for Industry, in which manufacturing sites establish an energy intensity baseline, set a 10 percent reduction goal within five years or less, implement energy efficient projects, track energy use and verify their savings. . .FleetMentor, the online fleet management advisor by J.J. Keller & Associates, is kicking off a series of seven webcasts to cover in detail each of the Behavioral Analysis Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs) under the FMCSA’s Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) 2010 starting in July. . .Kenworth Truck Company has received an order for 500 aerodynamic Kenworth T700s from Stevens Transport. . .PeopleNet is launching a new website aimed at providing a variety of educational resources to trucking firms so they can manage their operations more efficiently. . .Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC has been named to PACCAR’s elite group of suppliers that meet the OEM’s demanding quality expectation of 50 PPM. . .Cummins Filtration has announced that it will supply the next generation of Crankcase Ventilation solutions for Navistar Inc. to support its 2010 MaxxForce 7 V-8 engine platform. . . Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) announced its decision to recall approximately 540 workers to three of its manufacturing facilities in North Carolina. Recalled workers are expected to be in place by mid-July at the company’s truck manufacturing facilities in Mt. Holly and Cleveland, as well as at the components and logistics plant in Gastonia.
People
Todd Bloom has been appointed president and chief executive officer of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation. . .Eaton Corporation has named Gerard DeVito as director – Engineering, for the Vehicle Group’s Hybrid Power Systems Division. . .The U.S. Senate confirmed former FBI deputy director John Pistole to be the head of the Transportation Security Administration.
Taking $tock
A look at truck transportation-industry Fortune 500 public companies:
| Company | Symbol (Click for Chart) |
6/30 Close | Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avis Budget Group Inc. | CAR | $9.82 | $0.36 | 3.54% |
| Cummins Inc. | CMI | $65.13 | $1.11 | 1.68% |
| Dana | DAN | $10.00 | $0.29 | 2.82% |
| Eaton | ETN | $65.44 | $0.55 | 0.83% |
| General Electric | GE | $14.42 | $0.06 | 0.41% |
| Goodyear Tire & Rubber | GT | $9.94 | $0.28 | 2.74% |
| Navistar International Corp. | NAV | $49.20 | $0.41 | 0.83% |
| PACCAR Inc. | PCAR | $39.87 | $0.70 | 1.73% |
| Ryder | R | $40.23 |
$0.14 | 0.35% |
SOURCE: Yahoo! Finance and bigcharts.com
Money Matters
Detroit Diesel Corporation is expecting to invest $194 million to expand operations at its manufacturing facility in Redford Township, Michigan. The company’s investment will provide expanded and benchmark manufacturing capacity for heavy-duty diesel engines featuring Daimler’s proprietary BlueTec selective catalytic reduction technology FULL STORY
Rush Enterprises, Inc. has signed a definitive asset purchase agreement to sell its John Deere construction equipment business, including its Rush Equipment Centers in Houston and Beaumont, TX, to Doggett Heavy Machinery Services, LLC. The purchase price for the Rush Equipment Centers is estimated to be approximately $37 million for assets and goodwill. FULL STORY