US Liner Offers Translucent Roof for Dry Vans

US Liner Company is offering BXR Translucent Roof panels, a new, composite panel that can be used to create a translucent roof option on dry van trailers.

In addition to being translucent, BXR Series T-Roof panels are designed for durability and performance, according to US Liner.

“Earlier translucent roof materials could not hold up to the rigors of the trucking industry,” said LaRocco. “They were fragile, prone to puncture and tear from low-hanging trees and other objects. More importantly, over time, UV rays caused the thermoset materials to become brittle.”

US Liner focused on durability by engineering the BXR Series T-Roof Panels with a five-layer construction using Versitex and Bulitex materials. The panels are reinforced with continuous woven and non-woven glass fibers.

Key performance attributes include:

“BXR T-Roof permits us to provide a translucent roof product that can withstand the rigors of loading and unloading,” said Jeff Meek, US Liner vice president, sales and marketing. “BXR provides a high level of light transmittance while reducing radiant heat absorption, commonly found with first-generation translucent materials.”

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J.J. Kane Sets Record Online Auction Record on Proxibid

Screenshot via Proxibid.com

J.J. Kane Auctioneers' timed, online only auction of power line, utility, and construction fleet equipment has surpassed previous such online sales records on Proxibid. The auction topped $4.1 million with nearly 850 online bidders participating.

That beat out Proxibid's previous timed, online only auction with a 241% increase in online participants, according to the company.

“Since adding a monthly timed, online only auction to our regular schedule in January of this year, we have steadily seen sales and participant numbers increase,” said Joe Kane, founder and president of J.J. Kane Auctioneers. “We are also seeing a different buyer at our online only auctions than at our live sales as we continue to diversify inventory to reach a new buyer base.”

Proxibid has provided live online bidding services for J.J. Kane Auctioneers since 2004. In 2017, J.J. Kane added timed, online only auctions to its repertoire to help increase its footprint in the secondary equipment market. The timed, online only auctions feature a broad selection of inventory from contractors, utilities, and government agencies located across the country.

“J.J. Kane continues to be a top seller on the Proxibid platform,” said Ryan Downs, president and CEO of Proxibid. “As we continue to grow our partnership with J.J. Kane, we look forward to more opportunities to help grow its timed, online only auction business.”

For more information on Proxibid, click here.

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Ken Marvenko of Paper Transport Wins HDT’s 2017 Safety & Compliance Award

Rich Wilson (left), Omnitracs' senior sales manager; Ken Marvenko, director of safety and driver development at Paper Transport, with his Safety and Compliance Award; and Stephane Babcock, managing editor of Heavy Duty Trucking at the Fleet Safety Conference. Photo: Andy Lundin

Schaumburg, Ill. — Paper Transport's director of safety and driver development, Ken Marvenko, was awarded Heavy Duty Trucking magazine's 2017 Safety & Compliance award during a ceremony on July 25 at the Fleet Safety Conference.

The award is sponsored by Omnitracs and highlights trucking industry personnel who have worked to improve the safety of their companies and employees through leadership, innovation, and measurable results.

Nominees were evaluated by a panel of industry leaders to determine the winner of the award, which was presented at the Fleet Safety Conference in Schaumburg, Ill.

“I'm just the facilitator to the results. It's the 850 people at Paper Transport that have led to this achievement,” said Marvenko. “Technology is great, engagement is great, but you can't do it without a good culture. As a leadership team, we reevaluated our personal commitment to safety and how we were going to apply this moving forward – and that's really the magic as to how you get there and get the results.”

The Fleet Safety Conference is currently under way at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel. Click here for more information.

Related: How Driver Relationships Drive Safety at Southern Freight Services

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Truck Driver Charged in Fatal Human Smuggling Operation

A truck driver has been charged by prosecutors for his alleged part in a fatal incident involving a trailer filled with illegal immigrants that was discoveredin the parking lot of a Walmart in San Antonio, according to a report in The Washington Post.

The incident, which took place on July 22, involved over 100 immigrants trapped in a semi-trailer with no cooling or ventilation while temperatures outside hit triple digits.

The persons inside the trailer banged on the walls and yelled for help, but no help came until after 10 of the occupants had died. Several dozen others were sent to the hospital for their injuries.

The truck and trailer were parked outside of the Walmart for just 30 minutes when a store employee heard someone asking for water from the trailer.

Truck driver James Matthew Bradley Jr., has been charged for his role in the immigrant smuggling operation and could face a sentence as harsh as the death penalty because of the fatalities that occurred.Bradley was driving for Pyle Transportation under a lease contract with the company, according to the news report. Bradley denied knowing that there were people inside the trailer. He told police that he was traveling from Iowa to Brownsville, Texas with the trailer and said he was told to deliver the trailer but wasn't given a destination address or time frame.

The incident has added fule to the immigration debate in Texas, according to a separate Washington Post report, with proponents of a Texas law that would penalize jurisdictions that don't comply with immigration authorities blaming the tragedy on the policies of "sanctuary cities." However, immigrant rights advocates blame harsher immigration policies enacted since President Trump came to office, saying that immigrants were using riskier methods to enter the country as a result.

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Roundtable Talks Up Near Future of Trucking Driver-Assistance Systems

HDT Equipment Editor Jim Park addresses the panel at the NSC and NTSB's roundtable discussion on ADAS. Photo: Stephane Babcock

Schaumburg, Ill. — The National Safety Council and the National Transportation Safety Board hosted a roundtable discussion prior to this week's Fleet Safety Conference here about the future of advanced driver assistance systems in trucking.

The series of discussions brought together leaders in the world of driving assistance technology, the trucking industry, original equipment manufacturers, media, and insurers to talk about the current state of ADAS and how it could most effectively be implemented into commercial trucking.

The session took place on July 24 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel in Schaumburg, Ill., the day before the official start of the Fleet Safety Conference, which takes place July 25 to 26.

NSC President and CEO Deborah Hersman, who is a former chair of NTSB, gave an opening address in which she spoke about the importance of ADAS adoption in trucking as a way to improve safety. She implored the industry to trust the technology while acknowledging the difficulty in training drivers and balancing costs for fleets.

“We have to face the fact that heavy-duty vehicles can cause a disproportionate impact in certain events,” said Hersman. “We have the potential to use game-changing technology today, but we've got to invest in that technology in fleets and commit to improving that technology with operational experience.”

After her keynote, a panel of industry experts opened a series of topical discussions covering the current state of ADAS, driver interaction, regulation vs. voluntary adoption, and challenges of implementation.

Executives from Bendix and Wabco were on hand to discuss the technical aspects of ADAS, including its use of radar and sensors, automatic braking and driver alerts. Fred Andersky, director of customer solutions & marketing and government affairs for Bendix, spoke about the ...Read the rest of this story

TMAF Holds Online Poll to Name New Mascot

Advocacy group Trucking Moves America Forward is holding an online vote to determine the new name of its mascot.

TMAF is holding an online vote to determine the name of its mascot.

Photo: TMAF

The finalist names for the mascot are:

You can vote here for the name you like best, The winner will be unveiled next month.

TMAF bills itself as a long-view industry-wide movement. According to the advocacy group, it was established specifically to create a positive image for the industry; ensure that policymakers and the public understand the importance of the trucking industry to the nation's economy, and build the political and grassroots support necessary to strengthen and grow the industry in the future.

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Paccar Reports ‘Strong’ Q2 Revenues and Profits

Truck and engine maker Paccar (Nasdaq:PCAR), parent of Kenworth and Peterbilt, announced on July 25 that for the second quarter of 2017, it achieved net sales and financial services revenues of $4.70 billion compared to $4.41 billion in the same period a year ago.

The company said it earned net income of $373.0 million ($1.06 per diluted share) in Q2 of this year compared to net income of $481.3 million ($1.37 per diluted share) in the same period of 2016.

The OEM largely credited this positive performance to increased truck deliveries and record aftermarket parts revenues in the global markets it serves.

Paccar CEO Ron Armstrong said in a staement that the company “achieved strong quarterly revenues and net income in the second quarter,” with those results reflecting “increasing North American truck production and market share, strong European truck markets, and higher global aftermarket parts sales.”

According to Paccar, other highlights of its Q2 earnings release include:

Paccar also stated that U.S. and Canada Class 8 truck industry orders increased 44% in the first six months of 2017 compared to the same period last year. Kenworth and Peterbilt achieved 31.7% share of U.S. and Canada Class 8 truck orders and 29.6% share of U.S. and Canada Class 8 truck retail sales in the first half of this year.

“Kenworth and Peterbilt's medium- and heavy-duty truck deliveries increased in the second quarter of 2017 by 25% compared to the first quarter of this year,” said Gary Moore, Paccar executive vice president. “Class 8 truck industry retail sales for the U.S. and ...Read the rest of this story