EnRoute
Headlines From The Vehicle Renting and Leasing Industry
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Top Stories
The Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA) has published in the Federal Register its intent to move forward with the pilot program that would allow Mexican trucks to operate throughout the United States as long as U.S. trucking companies have equal access. FULL STORY
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In an effort to fight product counterfeiting, the U.S. Senate has introduced S. 522, which will allocate more resources to the battle and will also mandate that federal agencies report to Congress on the progress of these efforts. FULL STORY
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Trucking companies are reporting they are finding a constant, reliable supply of ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) despite earlier fears of shortages. FULL STORY
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The 38 states that participate in the Single State Registration System (SSRS) held a conference call to set the conditions on when and if SSRS would be collected. FULL STORY
Technology Trends
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Allstate Leasing has created a tractor that combines the top technology available today to give customers and the industry some real information on fuel performance. FULL STORY
The Super 80 Truck Lamp by Truck-Lite is a new line of brighter, white LED lamps designed to be direct replacements for most popular sizes and shapes. FULL STORY
Carrier Transicold has become the first and only coast-to-coast distributor and installer of Freight Wing trailer fairings. FULL STORY
To prepare technicians for each of the T1-T8 certification exams, Delmar Learning has released its Medium/Heavy Duty Truck Technician Certification Test Preparation Manual, 2E. FULL STORY
Briefly
Ryder System has been awarded a long-term full service lease contract to provide vehicles and maintenance services, as well as fleet management and other value-added support services to EasySale, Inc. . .J.J. Keller & Associates has introduced its Interactive Online and CD-ROM Training, which is available for a variety of topics, including reasonable suspicion, forklift safety, hazmat driver, safety, OSHA 10-hour for construction and many more. . .International Decision Systems, Inc. has announced that Modular Space Corporation (ModSpace) has selected Rapport and ProFinia asset management solutions for equipment leasing and finance companies. . .GE Capital Solutions’ Transportation Finance unit has launched a group to focus entirely on customers in the refuse industry, specifically businesses with $5 million to $100 million in sales. . .Hino Motors Ltd. will team with a Chinese manufacturer, Guangzhou Automobile Group, to make trucks and buses in China. . .Ford and U-Haul have launched the industry’s first fleet of vehicles painted with what Ford says is environment-friendly technology. . .Navistar International Corp. is the recipient of the 2007 Blue Sky Award from WestStart-CALSTART for its contributions to the commercial development of diesel-hybrid technology. . .Yokohama is teaming with three National Football League teams, the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, and two high-visibility college teams, the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins, to promote its Advan, S.drive, Parada, Geolander and AVID tire lines. . .Western Star is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2007 and will mark the occasion at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas. . .Manheim and Avis Budget Group have teamed up to host the first ever “Float Your Boat” campaign that awarded a boat to an Avis Budget Group buyer at each of 14 Manheim operating locations. . .Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. was honored by the 2007 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award by the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), an agency of the Department of Defense. . .. . .To read more news about TRALA members, please click here.
People on the Move
Hendrickson Trailer Suspension Systems has name Scott Fulton as director of product development and Matt Van Meter as director of product validation. . .Wolfgang Winzer has joined Webb Wheels as the new president of the company’s aftermarket business unit. . .Jeff Moelich has been named vice president – internal audit for Eaton Corporation. . .PeopleNet has named Brian McLaughlin executive vice president, marketing, product and sales and Mike Goergen, executive vice president and chief financial officer . . .FleetCor has named Charles Freund as managing director for its newly acquired subsidiary, The Fuelcard Company. . .Paul Siracusa, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Hertz, has announced he will retire at the end of August. . .The Trucking Association Executives Council recently elected Karen Rasmussen as the National Chairman for the 2007-2008.
Taking $tock
A look at truck transportation-industry Fortune 500 public companies:
| Company | Symbol (Click for Chart) |
08/22 Close | Two Week Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ArvinMeritor | ARM | $17.34 | $0.04 | 0.23% |
| Avis Budget Group Inc. | CAR | $22.80 | $0.73 | 3.31% |
| Caterpillar Inc. | CAT | $75.30 | $1.02 | 1.37% |
| Cummins Inc. | CMI | $115.82 | $4.95 | 4.46% |
| Eaton | ETN | $93.36 | $2.82 | 3.11% |
| General Electric | GE | $39.14 | $0.79 | 2.06% |
| Goodyear Tire & Rubber | GT | $29.49 | $0.90 | 3.15% |
| PACCAR Inc. | PCAR | $83.06 | $4.37 | 5.55% |
| Ryder | R | $54.60 | $1.21 | 2.27% |
SOURCE: Yahoo! Finance and bigcharts.com
Money Matters
Supreme Industries has reported that net income was up more than 30 percent to $2 million during the second quarter of 2007, compared to $1.6 million last year. FULL STORY
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has repaid its $300 million third lien term loan, which will result in annualized interest expense savings of $26 million.FULL STORY
News From TRALA
Watch your mailbox for your copy of the 2007-2008 TRALA Membership Directory and Buyer’s Guide! The Membership Directory is the industry reference guide that lists TRALA members alphabetically, by geographic location and by leasing system affiliation. The Buyers Guide provides a simple way to find a wide variety of products and services offered by TRALA supplier members. For more information, contact TRALA’s Maggie Brown at (703) 299-9120 or mbrown@trala.org.