Blog

EnRoute- September 23, 2021

House Democratic leaders plan to vote on the Senate-passed infrastructure bill on September 27, a move that risks deepening divisions in their caucus and dooming President Joe Biden's economic agenda. FULL STORY





TOP STORIES

Oregon and Utah are among the states considering a vehicle mileage taxes (VMT) as an alternative to pay for road maintenance projects as the electric vehicle market is leaving a hole in state budgets due to a decline in gas tax revenue. FULL STORY
 
As the world moves toward more advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and connected vehicle technologies, the trucking industry is expected to realize added safety and efficiency benefits, but with those benefits come new opportunities for cyber-attacks. FULL STORY




 

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

While there is a strong push at both the federal and state levels for adopting electric trucks, electrifying a fleet is not simple. It involves a lengthy process that requires a great deal of research and planning implement successfully. FULL STORY
 
The operating characteristics of electric drivetrains, coupled with heavy battery loads, will change the way tires for electric trucks are built as they will need to withstand higher torque loads. FULL STORY
 
Thermo King announced that is has refreshed its lineup of Precedent single- and multi-temp units which includes the C-600, S-600, and S-700 single temp units and C-600M, S-610M, and S-610DE multi-temp units. FULL STORY
 
Hendrickson Trailer Commercial Vehicle Systems announced its next generation tire pressure control system, TIREMAAX® PRO-LB which builds on the technology of TIREMAAX PRO that inflates, relieves and equalizes tire pressures across all wheel positions with the added benefit of load-based pressure adjustments.
FULL STORY





 

BRIEFLY

THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY introduced customized leasing options for select fleets for the Goodyear CheckPoint, an in-ground, drive-over reader that automatically inspects tire pressure and tread depth and sends actionable insights to fleet managers. . . KENWORTH published a comprehensive, 132-page online body builder manual focused on Kenworth's new medium conventional lineup ranging from Class 5 to light Class 8 models which covers safety and compliance, dimensions, body mounting, frame modifications, CAN Communications, electrical, power take-off (PTO), exhaust and aftertreatment, and routing. . . BRIDGESTONE AMERICAS announced a 10% minority investment in mobile vehicle services and technology company, Wrench in order to accelerate both companies' ability to meet the needs of vehicle owners with best-in-class technology in the rapidly growing mobile vehicle inspection, repair, and maintenance market. . . MACK TRUCKS recently announced the new Mack® Premium Service Agreement which is a comprehensive maintenance program that simplifies maintenance management and helps increase uptime, optimize vehicle safety and performance and improve cost of ownership for Mack Anthem®, Mack Pinnacle™, Mack Granite®, Mack TerraPro® and Mack LR customers. . . HENDRICKSON TRAILER COMMERCIAL VEHICLE SYSTEMS has moved forward with launch plans for Watchman, a wheel-end sensor technology designed for trailers that operate on the vehicle area network developed by Sensata Technologies, that will include trailer tire pressure and wheel-end temperature data that is communicated to the fleet via the trailer telematics system. . . PENSKE maintenance trainers now wear HoloLens 2 headsets to access augmented reality and provide a more personal approach to teaching entry-level technicians the best way to perform brake and wheel inspections. . . BENDIX recently developed its new AD-HFI air dryer with electronic pressure control capabilities to provide more dry air for the systems today's trucks depend on, increase energy efficiency, and improve air system diagnostics. . .  DANA INCORPORATED announced upgrades to the company's line of Brevini™ helical and bevel helical gearboxes used in mining and bulk material handling applications which include three new monoblock models to more precisely address torque demands, as well as series-wide design enhancements that improve power density and the company also debuted its new Spicer Electrified™ e-Powershift transmission, a modular and flexible two-speed solution that offers power take-off (PTO) functionality for electrified heavy-duty mining vehicles. . . WELLS FARGO announced its new digital infrastructure strategy, combining a multi-cloud approach with third-party data centers to drive technological speed, agility and scalability for its customers and employees. . . RYDER announced its plans to help Embark launch a nationwide network of up to 100 transfer points that will be owned and operated by the autonomous trucking developer. . . NATIONALEASE recently announced the 25 recipients for this year's Leadership Circle Awards for their commitment to NationaLease Member Standards at its annual meeting recently. . . VOLVO TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA recently built "The Innovation Lab" at Volvo Group, located in Silicon Valley, which is a place where Volvo Trucks can collaborate with start-ups to combine real-world insights, analyze emerging trends and validate new products and services aimed at helping customers improve both their economic and environmental sustainability goals.






PEOPLE

Wells Fargo announced that KYLE HRANICKY will succeed PERRY PELOS as CEO of Commercial Banking upon his retirement in April 2022.




 

NUMBERS

ACT Research is forecasting a peak freight season that will be stronger for longer than usual. FULL STORY
 
According to FTR Intel, preliminary trailer orders bounced back in August to 15,100 units, +79% from July, but still -47% year-over-year. Trailers orders for the past twelve months now total 341,000 units. FULL STORY
 
ACT Research is slashing its production forecasts for this year and next, as truck makers cope with supply issues.
FULL STORY




 

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