EnRoute- May 7, 2020

• By: Shannon Davison
• On: 05/07/2020 15:45:15
• In: EnRoute

TOP STORIES

The record-long U.S. economic expansion is over after almost 11 years, with what's likely to be the deepest recession in at least eight decades now underway. FULL STORY
 
Although trucking activity spiked across six states during the coronavirus pandemic's early days, a recent analysis from the American Transportation Research Institute indicates that such freight activity has declined. FULL STORY
 
The Department of Justice has filed a legal document with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia supporting federal regulators' authority to enforce an Obama-era greenhouse gas emissions rule to include first-ever federal regulation of greenhouse gases and fuel efficiency for trailers. FULL STORY

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

California environmental regulators have issued an accelerated plan to mandate that truck manufacturers transition a portion of their sales from heavy diesel trucks to electric zero-emission vehicles beginning in 2024. FULL STORY
 
The advance of diagnostic programs has improved maintenance and uptime for diesel trucks, and it appears the same will be true for electric-powered vehicles. FULL STORY
 
Daimler Trucks North America announced Platform Science will be its primary on-vehicle fleet management software development and distribution partner. FULL STORY
 
Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies is expanding its Endurant automated transmission lineup with the introduction of the all-new Endurant XD series. FULL STORY
 
AMAROK, formerly known as Electric Guard Dog, and ASYLON have partnered to provide a smart and powerful perimeter security solution. FULL STORY

BRIEFLY

MACK TRUCKS has launched free 90-day access to eLearning courses for high school and secondary technical education students interested in becoming a diesel technician, but who cannot attend in-person hands-on training because of the COVID-19 situation. . . VOLVO GROUP NORTH AMERICA announced a $40,000 donation to the Greensboro Relief Fund, established by the United Way of Greater Greensboro, the City of Greensboro and the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, to assist local children and families impacted by the virus. This is in addition to Volvo Group donations of $20,000 to Out of the Garden Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to those facing food insecurity, and $8,000 to Guilford Education Alliance to support Peck Elementary with laptops for online learning. . . DOUBLE COIN AND CMA announced its joint partnership with Love's Truck Care and Speedco. In addition to the hundreds of current Double Coin dealer locations, Love's customers can now select from a wide range of Double Coin's Truck and Bus Radial (TBR) tires at any of the over 380 Love's Truck Care and Speedco locations in the United States. . . PENSKE has rolled out a new version of PenskeUsedTrucks.com. The upgraded website includes an online experience featuring responsive, adaptive design using a state-of-the-art digital platform that makes shopping, buying and financing a used truck online easy. . . FORD MOTOR COMPANY has shipped more than 5 million face shields from its subsidiary Troy Design and Manufacturing (TDM) in Plymouth Township, Michigan. . .  TRUCE Software and GEOTAB are partnering to add TRUCE's intelligent solution for reducing distracted driving to the Geotab Marketplace, a collection of mobile apps, software add-ins and hardware add-ons that help customers manage their fleets. . . BRIDGESTONE AMERICAS INC. restarted production at its two U.S. commercial truck tire plants – a facility in LaVergne and another in Warren County, Tennessee. . . CONTINENTAL TIRE THE AMERICAS LLC resumed production of new tires at its Mount Vernon, Illinois.

NUMBERS

U.S. and Canadian Class 8 Natural Gas truck retail sales for the first two months of 2020 gained 29% year-to-date over 2019, according to an ACT Research Alternative Fuels Quarterly report. FULL STORY
 
According to the latest release of the State of the Industry: U.S. Classes 3-8 Used Trucks, published by ACT Research, used Class 8 same dealer sales volumes dropped just 1% month-over-month in March, with longer-term sales rising 5% year-over-year compared to March 2019, and 12% year-to-date. FULL STORY
 
Class 8 net orders plummeted to 4,100 units in April, according to preliminary data from ACT Research, down 46% from March and 72% year-over-year. FULL STORY

TRALA ANNOUNCEMENTS

Deadline Approaching! Apply for TRALA's Industry Scholarship Program Today!
 
Are you or someone you know pursuing a certificate as a maintenance technician or a 4-year degree in the truck transportation industry for academic year 2020? If so, don't forget to APPLY for TRALA's Industry Scholarship today!
 
The deadline to submit an application is Monday, June 1, 2020. 
 
Share with your colleagues who may be interested or have children who are eligible. Don't forget, the applications must be submitted on or before 3:00 p.m Central Time on June 1, 2020. 
 
The TRALA Industry Scholarship Program awards scholarships to TRALA-member company employees or their children to pursue vocational training as maintenance technicians or are seeking a 4-year degree in the truck transportation industry. The program has no age limit and eligible veterans are also encouraged to apply. 
 
Eligibility
Applicants to the TRALA Industry Scholarship Program must be: 
• Employees or interns of TRALA member companies in North America, or dependents/children of part-time or full-time employees of TRALA member companies in North America.
• Pursuing a course of study related to the truck transportation industry at an accredited two-year vocational program or four-year college or university. Examples include, but are not limited to Heavy Duty Truck Technology, Diesel Technology, Industrial Mechanics and Medium/Heavy Vehicle Technology.
 
*Dependents/children are defined as natural and legally adopted children, stepchildren or legal wards.
 
For details regarding the TRALA Industry Scholarship Program visit: https://learnmore.scholarsapply.org/trala/
 
For more information on the Industry Scholarship Program or questions regarding eligibility, contact:
Email: trala@scholarshipamerica.org 
Call: 1-507-931-1682 and ask for the TRALA Industry Scholarship Program
 
Please contact TRALA's Elizabeth Hyers at ehyers@trala.org or Tonya Gibbs at tgibbs@trala.org with any questions or if you need additional information.