EnRoute
Headlines From The Vehicle Renting and Leasing Industry
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Top Stories
Canada’s federal and provincial governments are jointly studying the idea of requiring all large trucks to have their engine microchips permanently programmed not to exceed 105 kph. FULL STORY
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Biodiesel Board have partnered together on a program, “Grow & Go, “ which is designed to help connect shippers who want to ship green with truckers who use biodiesel. FULL STORY
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The U.S. Senate has voted to approve a proposal by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) that would prohibit the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) from spending money on a pilot program under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to give Mexican trucks greater access to U.S. highways. FULL STORY
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The Securing a Clean Energy Future initiative was launched by the National Governors Association in an effort for all governors to enact clean energy policies at the state level. FULL STORY
Technology Trends
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Point-of-interest information uploading and geofencing functionality have been added to GE Capital Solutions Fleet Services telematics product. The two additional components are designed to provide precise monitoring of a vehicle’s location, record all entry and exit of vehicles from predetermined boundaries, and promote notification when these events occur. FULL STORY
Allison Transmission has jointly developed with ExxonMobil the new Mobil Delvac Synthetic ATF, a fully synthetic TES 295 certified automatic transmission fluid that is formulated to enhance the performance of Allison Automatics operating in the most severe conditions. FULL STORY
After extensive testing in conjunction with the engine supplier Kubota, Cummins has doubled the oil change interval from 500 hours to 1,000 hours for its ComfortGuard Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). FULL STORY
Briefly
Budget Truck Rental, LLC has been selected as the exclusive third party provider of rental trucks by Public Storage®. . .Navistar International Corp. accepted the 2007 Blue Sky Award from WestStart-CALSTART for its contributions to the commercial development of diesel-hybrid technology. . .J&R Schugel Trucking has ordered 300 trucks powered by Cummins ISX engines and equipped with Cummins Comfort Guard auxiliary power unit (APU) systems. . .PACCAR Leasing Co. has announced the addition of four new locations in Pennsylvania to its North American franchise network. . .Michelin North America Inc. has received top honors in various categories in J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Survey. . .ArvinMeritor has announced that Charles G. “Chip” McClure, chairman, chief executive officer and president, has been named 2007 Legend CEO by Automation Alley, a business technology consortium. . .FleetCor has been awarded a long-term card processing contract by Chevron USA, Inc. . .Yokohama has launched Eco Trendsetters (www.ecotrendsetters.com), an online environmental social network that offers daily green news and forums. . .Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. recently broke ground on a 200,000-square-foot addition to its tire manufacturing plant in Gadsden, AL. . .AmeriQuest Transportation and Logistics Resources was recently included for the first time on Inc. Magazine’s list of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the country. . .To read more news about TRALA members, please click here.
People on the Move
Robert Norris has joined NationaLease as national account executive for the Western territory. . .FleetCor has appointed Ed Hong as vice president of marketing for it Mannatec division. . .Joe Plomin has been named vice president for ArvinMeritor’s Truck Business Unit within the Commercial Vehicle Systems (CVS). . .Will Watson has been named OEM sales manager for Thermo King. . .Key Equipment Finance has appointed Jeffrey Chevalier to senior vice president, global asset management, and Thomas B. Brigham, Jr. to vice president and senior division counsel of its North American global vendor sales unit. The company has also promoted Wayne H. Pass to vice president of credit for the company’s commercial leasing services business. . .Mark Purtilar has been named chief procurement officer for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., replacing Gary Miller, who is retiring from the company. . .Navistar International Corp. has named Jon Harmon to vice president - corporate communications and promoted Heather Kos to vice president – investor relations. . .R.L. Polk & Co. has appointed Mike Gingell as vice president of its General Motors team. . .David Berkstresser has been named vice president of international operations for Manheim and Mike McKinney will serve as regional vice president of the West Region for the company. . .Brian Leslie has been named to J.J. Keller’s Internet Products staff as a Web developer; Shelia Buchberger has joined J.J. Keller’s Compliance Services Center staff as a business analyst; and Jason Radocay has joined J.J. Keller’s Information Systems Department staff as a senior programmer/analyst. . .Hendrickson has realigned its truck business operations by merging four units to form Hendrickson Truck Systems Group and has named Doug Sanford as vice president and general manager of the new group. . .Long-time U-Haul principal Harry DeShong Jr. passed away on Thursday, September 13. DeShong served on the U-Haul Board of Directors and held numerous executive positions in the company. At his passing, he was executive vice president in charge of the U-Haul Technical Center in Tempe, AZ.
Taking $tock
A look at truck transportation-industry Fortune 500 public companies:
| Company | Symbol (Click for Chart) |
09/19 Close | Two Week Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ArvinMeritor | ARM | $16.85 | $0.56 | 3.44% |
| Avis Budget Group Inc. | CAR | $22.25 | $1.05 | 4.95% |
| Caterpillar Inc. | CAT | $77.46 | $3.77 | 5.12% |
| Cummins Inc. | CMI | $134.51 | $12.76 | 10.48% |
| Eaton | ETN | $96.95 | $5.39 | 5.89% |
| General Electric | GE | $41.68 | $1.50 | 3.73% |
| Goodyear Tire & Rubber | GT | $26.89 | $1.84 | 7.35% |
| PACCAR Inc. | PCAR | $87.93 | $3.82 | 4.54% |
| Ryder | R | $52.26 | $2.01 | 4.00% |
SOURCE: Yahoo! Finance and bigcharts.com
Money Matters
Paccar Inc. will undertake a 3-for-2 stock split and increase its quarterly dividend by 8 percent. FULL STORY
Legislators in North Carolina recently approved an economic incentive package that could allow Goodyear and Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire LLC to receive upwards of $20 million because both companies have tire manufacturing plants in the state. FULL STORY
Navistar International Corp. military affiliate, International Military and Government, has won a contract from the U.S. Marine Corps for $71.5 million to provide parts support for the Marine Corps International MaxxPro mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles. FULL STORY
Michelin North America Inc. says fraudulent checks, along with letters claiming to be “consumer prize award notifications,“ have been mailed to consumers in at least nine U.S. states. Consumers receiving a letter or any other communication of this type should contact their local law enforcement authorities and to contact the company toll free at 1-800-MICHELIN. FULL STORY
News From TRALA
You won’t want to miss TRALA’s Council Meetings and Washington Briefing taking place November 6-7 in our Nation’s Capitol. The deadline for hotel reservations at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City is October 7. To reserve your room at the specially-negotiated rate, click here and be sure to enter the group code RLARLAA or call (800) 241-5000 and be sure to mention TRALA. To register for the meeting, visit www.trala.org. If you have any questions, please contact Anne Riser at (703) 299-9120 or ariser@trala.org.
TRALA's unrivaled record of success has earned the truck renting and leasing industry a strong reputation at all levels of government. Legal Action Fund contributions go a long way in ensuring that reputation will endure. Please join your colleagues in making a contribution to TRALA’s 2007 Legal Action Fund campaign. Visit TRALA’s website to make your pledge or payment today! Thanks for your continued support.