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EnRoute - February 6, 2013


Top Stories

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has determined that 13 states have met the strict statutory requirements for driver's licenses and identification cards set by the REAL ID Act. DHS has begun to grant temporary deferment to states that have not met the strict standards.  FULL STORY
 
Many Congressional leaders believe that either a partial or a full sequestration will happen, however according to an analysis prepared by the Congressional Research Service, the core motor carrier safety programs run by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) are exempt from sequestration and the same applies to programs administered through the Federal Highway Administration, and to operations and research at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. FULL STORY
 
Companies continue to struggle to find balance on the required training technicians needs as well as the benefits to offer those employees. FULL STORY
 


Technology Trends

Mack Trucks has unveiled its new Twin Y air suspension which utilizes a Y-shaped high-strength steel design, but offers weight savings of up to 400 lbs. over other suspensions. FULL STORY

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America (MFTA) has introduced a new side-mounted fuel tank option. The 33 gallon tank is available on 2013 Canter FEs. FULL STORY
 
XRS Corp. has developed a new mobile computing platform that runs on more than 50 types of devices and automatically transmits vehicle and operator data directly to a management dashboard, providing compliance with the new MAP-21 compliance mandate for recording hours-of-service (HOS) data.  FULL STORY
 
Meritor is launching two new product series, Meritor AllFit which is an all-makes parts family and a line of remanufactured products named Meritor Green. FULL STORY


Briefly

Volvo AB has signed an agreement with the Chinese vehicle manufacturer Dongfeng Motor Group (DFG) to acquire 45% of a new subsidiary of DFG, Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles (DFCV) for about $900 million. . .Spireon won in the “Battle of the Platforms” category at the M2M (Machine to Machine) Evolution conference with the company's new NSpire M2M intelligence platform. . .Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company has exceeded production milestones, manufacturing over 200,000 reefer trailers at the company's Clearfield, UT manufacturing facilities. . .Kenworth Truck Company and PACCAR Financial have a 2013 Extended Warranty Program for U.S. customers who purchase new Kenworth class 5-7 factory trucks financed through PACCAR Financial. . .Continental Tire the Americas, LLC's Commercial Vehicle Tire business unit, new generation drive tire for commercial trucks, the Conti EcoPlus HD3, is verified by the U.S. EPA's SmartWay Transport Partnership as a low rolling resistance drive tire for class 8, line-haul tractor trailers. . .Hino Trucks announces they were ranked highest J.D. Power and Associates “Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Conventional Medium Duty Engines” for the fifth year in a row and “Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Conventional Medium Duty Trucks” for three years in a row.
 
   

People

Cummins Inc. has announced that Jennifer Rumsey has been named vice president-engineering for heavy-, medium-, and light-duty products. . .Valentino Faraone has joined Double Coin Tires and CMA as the company's Northeast Regional sales manager. . .Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary has announced that Kevin M. Phillips has joined the firm. . .Joe Carlier has been promoted to senior vice president-global sales and Jeffery Bullard is now the senior vice president of operations for Penske Logistics. . .Mika Vehvilläinen  has been appointed as the new president and CEO of Cargotec starting March 1, 2013. . .XRS Corp. has named James DeSocio executive vice president – field operations. . .Secretary Ray LaHood has announced that he will be stepping down as Secretary of the Department of Transportation.
 
 

Taking $tock

A look at truck transportation-industry Fortune 500 public companies:
Company Symbol (Click for Chart) 02/06 Close Performance
Allison Transmission Holdings ALSN $23.02 $0.08 -0.35%
Avis Budget Group Inc. CAR $22.83 $0.06 +0.26%
Cummins Inc. CMI $120.38 $2.99 +2.55%
Dana DAN $16.60 $0.05 +0.30%
Eaton ETN $59.65 $0.28 +0.47%
General Electric GE $22.44 $0.10 -0.44%
Goodyear Tire & Rubber GT $13.59 $0.03 -0.22%
Navistar International Corp. NAV $26.06 $0.51 +2.00%
PACCAR Inc. PCAR $47.81 $0.21 +0.44%
Ryder R $58.91 $0.06 +0.10%

SOURCE: Yahoo! Finance and bigcharts.com

 

Money Matters

PACCAR Inc. reported $17.05 billion revenue for 2012, not only making it the 74th consecutive year of net profit but also the highest in company history. FULL STORY
 
Legislation signed by President Obama in the beginning of 2013 to avert the “fiscal cliff” included a depreciation allowance extended through 2013 that increase the percentage amount from 20 to 50 that businesses could write off during the first year the equipment is placed into service.  FULL STORY

 

News From TRALA

Early Bird Rate Extended for TRALA's 2013 Annual Meeting

TRALA members now have until February 8, 2013 to register to attend TRALA's Annual Meeting. You don't want to miss out on attending one of the largest gathering of rental and leasing executives in North America. The 2013 Annual Meeting is scheduled for March 11-14 at the Waldorf Astoria Naples in Naples, Florida Click here to register to attend this important meeting.

Mack Leasing/Volvo Truck Leasing, NationaLease, and PacLease are scheduled to hold meetings in conjunction with the TRALA meeting, which will create more efficiencies for attendees wanting to connect with the entire industry. To view the meetings and events scheduled for March 11 through March 14, please click here.

Hotel reservations for the Annual Meeting will only be accepted through the Annual Meeting registration form or by contacting TRALA's Shannon Davison. The information provided in the registration form will be submitted to the hotel on your behalf. No credit cards are required to guarantee your reservation at this time. Hotel confirmation numbers will be forwarded to all guests by a member of the TRALA staff by March 1.

Any questions should be directed to TRALA's Shannon Davison at (703) 299-9120 or by email at sdavison@trala.org

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