Blog

EnRoute- January 21, 2021

TRALA President and CEO Jake Jacoby spoke with Trucks, Parts, and Service in 2019 about the federal excise tax and how, traditionally, infrastructure is one of only two topics (the other being agriculture) that are regularly debated in Washington without becoming too contentious. FULL STORY





TOP STORIES

The trucking industry continues to prepare for the distribution of the vaccine, extending cold storage and technological capabilities to meet the CDC's transportation safety standards. FULL STORY
 
With a new administration in the White House and Democrats taking control of both chambers of Congress, the issue of raising the $750,000 minimum for carriers' liability coverage could be revived. FULL STORY
 
Approving comprehensive legislation aimed at upgrading the country's infrastructure systems is a way for federal lawmakers and the incoming Biden administration to stimulate an economy hard-hit by the pandemic, the leader of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said. FULL STORY
 
The Department of Labor's final rule clarifies the standard for employee versus independent contractor. If implemented, the rule, which includes specific examples related to trucking, would take effect on March 8. FULL STORY
 
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's 2018 determination that interstate motor carriers are exempt from California's stringent meal-and-rest-break rules.
FULL STORY





 

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

Mack Trucks' driver-activated Mack Over The Air (OTA) updates feature is now standard on the Mack Anthem, Pinnacle, and Granite models, enabling customers to implement software updates themselves at a time when it's most convenient for them. FULL STORY
 
Meritor has introduced two new medium-duty drivelines to its Permalube RPL driveline family. The RPL10 and RPL14 are Meritor's first medium-duty (Class 6-7) entries in its Permalube RPL driveline lineup and are permanently lubricated for service-free performance. FULL STORY
 
Paccar and autonomous technology development company Aurora have signed a global, strategic agreement to develop, test and commercialize autonomous Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks in order to integrate Paccar's autonomous vehicle platform with the Aurora Driver software to enhance the safety and operational efficiency of Paccar's customers. FULL STORY
 
General Motors announced it will build BrightDrop electric light commercial vehicles at its CAMI manufacturing plant in Ingersoll, Ontario to bring the BrightDrop EV600 to market in late 2021.
FULL STORY




 

BRIEFLY

NAVISTAR INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION announced it plans to sell its Melrose Park, Illinois, facility to a developer who has an actionable plan to redevelop the parcel into a state-of-the-art industrial business park. . . BRIDGESTONE CANADA, INC. has opened a new distribution center in Ancaster, Ontario which can store up to 570,000 tires, represents a $48 million investment in U.S. currency. . . MAXON LIFT CORP announced it has reached an agreement with Nexxus Industrial Parks to acquire 36 acres of land in their ADN 2 park North of Monterrey, MX and also shared that it has the added the Tuk-A-Way® MXT-25 and MXT-33 liftgate models to its industry leading product line, which combine low bed height application with a premium level-ramping ride feature.. . . ISUZU PHILIPPINES CORPORATION turned over N-Series light duty truck to First PGMC Enterprises Inc., an affiliate of Nutriasia Inc. via Orix Rental Corporation to complete the fleet of 46 units. . . PENSKE TRUCK LEASING recently acquired the property of Donzell's Flower & Garden Center in east Akron, which includes a 35,000 square-foot building, in the 900 block of East Waterloo Road to use as a truck and rental service facility. . . KENWORTH announced that its W990 is now available with the optional Kenworth AG130 front air suspension rated at 13,200 pounds, noting that it is designed to maximize performance in line haul, pickup and delivery, regional haul, and heavy haul operations. . . MACK TRUCKS DEALER CONWAY BEAM TRUCK GROUP recently invested to open a new dealership near Buffalo in West Seneca, New York. . . CUMMINS INC. recently launched Cummins Advocating for Racial Equity, or CARE, highlighting the company's intent to take a role in undoing systemic discrimination against the Black community in the United States. . .  CARRIER TRANSICOLD recently donated a trailer refrigeration unit to help the Arkansas Foodbank respond to the current unprecedented demand for assistance addressing those struggling with food insecurity throughout the state. . . PACCAR PARTS is introducing new electric vehicle charging stations to support the global launch of electric vehicles with chargers that are designed to be not only compatible with KENWORTH, PETERBILT, and DAF electric trucks, but also to work for other electric commercial vehicles.





 

NUMBERS

Preliminary information for December indicates that the U.S. trailer industry booked 42,500 net orders for the month, which was 7% better than November and 140% above year-ago levels, according to ACT Research. FULL STORY
 
U.S. Class 8 retail sales in December cleared 21,000 to reach the high mark for the year, but were off 7.4% from a year earlier, WardsAuto.com reported. FULL STORY
 
More than 40,000 new trailers were ordered in December of 2020, continuing a four-month trend of vibrant sales for the trucking industry market segment. FULL STORY




 

TRALA ANNOUNCEMENTS

Registration is Now Open for TRALA's 2021 Annual Meeting
 
While meetings in 2021 will look different from what we have all experienced in the past, TRALA is providing two great options for its members. You can register to attend in-person April 11-14 at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa in San Antonio, Texas or participate in a virtual meeting which will take place April 26-28 from the comfort of your home or office.
 
You may visit TRALA's 2021 Annual Meeting website by clicking here to view additional information. If you have any questions, please contact TRALA's Shannon Davison at sdavison@trala.org or Jennylynne Bowman at jbowman@trala.org.