EnRoute- April 1, 2021

• By: Shannon Davison
• On: 04/01/2021 17:01:06
• In: EnRoute

TOP STORIES

Whether a driver on a lease purchase program is truly independent is a central feature of a number of lawsuits making their way through the courts. FULL STORY
 
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) gave motor carriers a look at a tweaked heavy-duty vehicle smog inspection and maintenance program proposal that will require motor carriers to “smog test” their fleets quarterly, rather than current requirements for an annual inspection. FULL STORY
 
Despite challenges from several provinces, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that Canada's national carbon pricing is constitutional. FULL STORY
 
The Biden administration recently notified the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority that it should launch an environmental assessment of implementing its first-in-the-nation congestion pricing system. FULL STORY
 
Canada is planning a soft rollout of its quickly approaching electronic logging device (ELD) rules in late spring that will start with an enforcement focus on education and awareness, according to Transport Canada. FULL STORY

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

Eaton's Vehicle Group has entered into an agreement with Tenneco's Clean Air business group to produce an integrated exhaust thermal management system that will enable commercial truck and light vehicle manufacturers to meet upcoming emissions regulations. FULL STORY
 
Kenworth recently introduced its next generation Kenworth T680 which features a host of upgrades inside and outside the truck to make it safer, more comfortable and more fuel-efficient. FULL STORY
 
Volvo Autonomous Solutions has entered a strategic partnership with Aurora to jointly develop on-highway autonomous trucks with an initial focus on hub-to-hub applications for customers in North America. FULL STORY
 
Isuzu, Hino and Toyota have agreed on a new partnership to integrate Toyota's CASE technologies with commercial vehicles from Isuzu and Hino. FULL STORY
 
Goodyear has launched the new EV-4M Port Handler with a focus on improved tread wear to help increase efficiency, a decisive factor in modern port and industrial handling. FULL STORY
 
Navistar International Corporation is launching a new aftermarket product line, Diamond Advantage Diesel Parts, which will provide aftermarket parts for Class 2-5 diesel engines and engine components. FULL STORY

BRIEFLY

RYDER SYSTEM, INC. recently announced it is providing six hours of paid time off for employees to get the vaccine with nearly 700 employees already vaccinated. . . GEOTAB is partnering with Electric Last Mile Solutions (ELMS) to deliver a factory-installed connectivity solution on ELMS' upcoming Urban Delivery EV to help provide customers with centralized access to their connected vehicle data via the MyGeotab platform and also with Lytx to provide an integrated camera solution from Surfsight on the Geotab Marketplace which enables customers to access more visibility, the Surfsight AI-12 camera solution is designed to help improve fleet safety through its continuous recording and advanced machine vision (MV) and artificial intelligence (AI) technology. . . GOODYEAR says nearly 4 million tires were inspected through its tire management program last year known as Goodyear Complete Tire Management and includes Tire Optix, Goodyear TPMS Plus, and Goodyear CheckPoint, which monitor conditions like tire pressure, temperature and tread wear. . . VOLVO AND MACK LEASING SYSTEMS announced that it has entered into a new partnership with Enterprise Fleet Asset Management company Enrich Software Corporation to provide for the utilization of Enrich software to manage the corporate Volvo and Mack leased fleet within North America. Enrich Software's robust contract management and billing module will enable a consolidated process for the varied billing requirements of Volvo and Mack corporate leasing customers. . . CUMMINS recently launched its new shop.cummins.com online store to provide its customers a convenient way to shop for the Genuine Cummins parts and products. . . PETERBILT MOTORS COMPANY has built an EV Operating Cost Calculator for prospective customers to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership of a Peterbilt Model 220EV, 520EV or 579EV on a per mile (on-highway applications) or per hour basis (vocational applications). . . GREAT DANE recently launched FleetPulseGO, a GPS-only solution for pre-owned trailers that uses the FleetPulse trailer telematics platform and complements their FleetPulsePRO integrated smart trailer. . . BENDIX WINGMAN FUSION WITH ENHANCED FEATURE SET has become the set standard safety equipment on the International Trucks LT Series and RH Series, and an option on the MV Series, HV Series and HX Series. Bendix launched Wingman Fusion in 2015, integrating radar, camera and a vehicle's brake system to create its flagship driver assistance system. . . KENWORTH ONTARIO PACLEASE was recently named the top PacLease dealer in Canada.

NUMBERS

The Traton Group, which is in the process of buying Navistar, plans to invest $1.8 billion in research and development for e-mobility by 2025 as it scales back resources dedicated to conventional drives. FULL STORY
 
Net U.S. trailer orders reached 26,414 units in February, marking a 16% decrease from January but an almost 88% increase compared with February 2020, according to ACT Research. FULL STORY
 
According to ACT Research's Transportation Digest, supply will be the determining factor of this year's heavy-duty vehicle market, not demand, which remains hot. FULL STORY

TRALA ANNOUNCEMENTS

Last Chance to Register for TRALA's 2021 Hybrid Annual Meeting

Don't forget to register this week to attend TRALA's 2021 Hybrid Annual Meeting which is scheduled to take place April 11-14, 2021. TRALA is offering an in-person meeting at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa in San Antonio, Texas or a live, virtual meeting that attendees can join from the comfort of their 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.