Manufacturers that build cars and heavy trucks alike increasingly believe electricity – whether as stand-alone power or as part of a hydrogen-based fuel cell system – will play a critical role in powering motor vehicles in the not-so-distant future.
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Manufacturing activity in the U.S. turned higher in September, hitting its highest level in 13 years, according to newly released survey results of supply executives. A separate report showed construction spending rebounded after two straight monthly drops.
The Institute for Supply Management's index of manufacturing activity registered 60.8% for September, an increase of two percentage points from the August reading. That's its highest level since January 2004, with 17 of 18 manufacturing industries reporting growth last month.
A reading over 50% indicates the manufacturing sector is expanding, while below 50% signals contraction. This latest reading was far better than a slight downturn expected in a poll of analysts.
The New Orders Index registered 64.6%, an increase of 4.3 percentage points from the August reading, while the Production Index registered 62.2%, a 1.2 percentage point increase. The Employment Index registered 60.3%, an increase of 0.4 of a percentage point from the August level.
"Order input continues at a strong pace, averaging 61.6% since December 2016, setting the pace for production activity," said Timothy Fiore, chair of the Institute for Supply Management's Manufacturing Business Survey Committee. "Production remains at strong growth levels in most industries, in spite of weather conditions and supplier delivery constraints experienced during the period.”
A separate, similar survey from the financial information services provider IHS Markit showed a further improvement in operating conditions across the U.S. manufacturing sector.
Its U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index registered 53.1 in September, up slightly on the preliminary reading of 53 and rising from 52.8 in August. The upturn signaled a slight pick-up in growth momentum and a strong improvement in overall operating conditions across the sector.
Like the ISM report, a reading above 50 in the IHS Markit survey indicates expansion in the manufacturing sector.
Despite the overall increase in September, Chris Williamson, chief business ...Read the rest of this story
A new 12-speed AMT, a prototype all-electric tractor, and even a giant Moose statue made appearances on the floor of the very first North American Commercial Vehicle (NACV) show last week in Atlanta. Here are pictures of those three items, along with a host of other products spotted on the trade show floor. (All photos: Sean Kilcarr/Fleet Owner)
...Read the rest of this storyAMP Americas, a renewable natural gas (RNG) producer and marketer, and compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel provider for the heavy-duty, commercial trucking industry, announced its RNG operation at Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana has received the first dairy waste-to-vehicle fuel pathway certified by California's Air Resources Board (CARB).
CARB awarded the company a Carbon Intensity (CI) score of -254.94 gCO2e/MJ, which the company noted is the lowest ever issued by CARB.
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...Read the rest of this storyHaving reliable equipment you can count on is extremely important. The decision of whether to own or lease should not be taken lightly. How you pay for that asset — buying or leasing — also requires careful thought. Either way, you are entering into a contract that you will have to live with for a long time. And with leasing, that contract can be anywhere from three to seven years.
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...Read the rest of this storyTotal Quality Logistics, the nation's second largest freight brokerage firm, last week launched the TQL Carrier Dashboard, the company's new web portal and free mobile app exclusively for carriers.
The technology replaces TQL's Carrier Web Portal platform and adds features designed to simplify how commercial carriers search for loads and maximize their time.
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...Read the rest of this storyThe AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety just released a report, Leveraging Large Truck Technology and Engineering to Realize Safety Gains. It contained some startling statistics.
In 2015, large trucks were involved in more than 400,000 crashes, a 4% increase from 2014. Those crashes resulted in 4,000 deaths and 116,000 injuries.
While it is unlikely that there will ever be zero large truck accidents, there are things fleets can be doing to reduce the number of accidents and their severity, and to make their vehicles safer.
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