Enterprise Products Partners' Record Results Were Just Business as Usual

Investors are likely pleased to see the company recover well from the prior quarter's slight dip, but it's not as though management is doing anything different.

Mahle Expands FluidPro Fluid Exchange Systems Line

Mahle Service Solutions has added four new devices to its FluidPro line of fluid exchange solutions for the commercial vehicle market, designed to increase shop productivity.

The FluidPro CFF-1HD Multi-Fluid Filtration System is an all-in-one machine that can clean a wide variety of industrial fluids and is designed for versatility and portability. It helps filter oil and water to minimize component wear and improve the service life of hydraulic oil, engine oil, gear lube and transmission fluids. The closed loop filtration process eliminates spills and contamination while extending the life of vehicle fluids to help reduce a shop's operational costs. The CFF-1HD is designed for on- and off-highway applications.

The VCX-32HD Coolant Exchange System allows for the extraction, storage, and refilling of large capacity engine coolant systems (up to 32 gallons). The VCX-32HD eliminates air pockets during engine maintenance.

The FluidPro EFP-150HD Portable Fuel Priming System is a diesel fuel primer to help get stranded drivers safely and quickly back on the road. When diesel vehicles run out of fuel, the injectors require priming to restart the engine. The EFP-150HD eliminates manual roadside priming to return stranded vehicles to service. The EFP-150HD, made of rugged all steel construction, primes in seconds and has a resettable fuel meter for billing customers after a fuel transfer.

The FluidPro VOX-14HD Oil Exchange System uses air to purge used oil from the vehicle's filter and oil passages while the oil pan is evacuated and replaced with clean oil. The machine automates the oil change process, so technicians can perform other maintenance tasks while the machine operates. All exchange products feature quick disconnects for vehicles in a fleet, improving speed and convenience and preventing spills.

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People are successfully suing Equifax for $10,000 with an app

People are suing Equifax by using an online ChatBot -- and they're winning up to $10,000! DoNotPay started letting people sue Equifax in September over the massive data breach that exposed 145 million people's data. Yahoo Finance's Alexis Christoforous, Melody Hahm and Ethan Wolff-Mann see if it'll work for you.

Earnings Watch: Volvo Group Reports Record 2017 Sales

Volvo Group, the Swedish parent company to truck makers Volvo, Mack, and others, reported higher profits for the final quarter of last year and for all of 2017, as the year also saw record-high sales.

Volvo reported full-year 2017 net income soared to 21 billion kronor ($2.67 billion), from 13.2 billion kronor the year before, as sales jumped by 11% to 334 billion kronor, according to AFP.

Operating income also hit a record high, totaling 30.3 billion kronor, as the company's Volvo Trucks, construction equipment, Volvo Penta and financial services segments all recorded their highest operating income ever.

“The North American truck market is picking up. Both Volvo and Mack have benefited from the increased demand. However, both are currently in the transition to new truck generations, which will affect production output and market shares in the short term,” said Martin Lundstedt, president and CEO.

He said new truck ranges introduced last year “have been well received by customers and dealers and order intake is good, which should translate into higher market shares when production of the new products is fully ramped up.”

For the fourth quarter, the Volvo Group reported sales totaled 91.7 billion kronor, up from nearly 82.6 billion a year earlier, as net income moved higher to 4.9 billion kronor from 4.8 billion kronor.

Lundstedt said overall, most truck markets are at high levels or experiencing upward trends.

“In Europe, good freight environment, low fuel prices and low interest rates provide support to customer profitability and their demand for our trucks. Our performance in Europe is strong, with Volvo Trucks' market share on a historically high level of 16.8% for the full year and with Renault Trucks regaining market share, ending the year on 8.6%,” he said.

In North America, truck deliveries were up 28%. Volvo Trucks' market share came in lower at 8.3% for ...Read the rest of this story

Trump Calls for More Infrastructure Spending; No Word on How to Pay for It

In his first State of the Union address, Presdient Trump said nothing about how to pay for his now $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan. Photo: TV screenshot

In his first State of the Union speech, President Trump upped the ante for infrastructure spending by requesting that Congress craft a bipartisan bill that “generates” at least $1.5 trillion to invest in the “safe, fast, reliable, and modern infrastructure our economy needs and our people deserve.”

However, Trump did not indicate at all how he would pay for that largesse. What's more, the $1.5 trillion figure is $500 billion more than the president has previously called for to fund infrastructure.

It was the only new detail mentioned about his long-anticipated infrastructure plan during his 80-minute SOFU address to a joint session of Congress on Jan. 30.

“I am asking both parties to come together to give us the safe, fast, reliable, and modern infrastructure our economy needs and our people deserve,” said Trump.

Based on what the Trump Administration has previously stated-- as well as a recently leaked draft document— the president's approach to financing infrastructure improvements apparently remains fixed on priming the pump with $200 billion in cash and tax credits that presumably will stoke spending by state and even local governments as well as private investors to actually fund most of the price tag that Trump has hung on improving highway, railroad, airport, marine, and other infrastructure .

“Every federal dollar should be leveraged by partnering with state and local governments and, where appropriate, tapping into private sector investment — to permanently fix the infrastructure deficit,” Trump added, suggesting yet again that he does not expect Congress to come up with all the $1.5 trillion he is seeking now.

Indicative of the pushback Trump can expect from Democrats in Congress was the reaction of House ...Read the rest of this story

IdleAir Offers Portable HVAC for Truck Fleet Facilities

IdleAir's new mobile HVAC unit offers an idle reduction solution for smaller fleet facilities.

IdleAir is now offering a portable HVAC idle-reduction unit for smaller truck fleet terminals.

The IdleAir Mobile HVAC offers 14,500 Btu of cooling and 22,000 Btu of heating, with 120V power outlets.

The wheeled units are just under 8 feet tall, and about 4 feet by 2 feet in length and width. A handle allows users to maneuver the cart in any direction. The unit is pulled to the driver's side of the truck and placed inside the window. A universal window adapter allows the faceplate to rest easily inside. An electronic thermostat control panel is included in all models.

Optional hooks placed in the side of the faceplate allow the HVAC to be used in the cabin or rear of the truck when loading/unloading.

The basic model Mobile HVAC includes wheel chocks stored inside the unit. The upgraded model has a button operated electronic parking system that lowers feet beneath the unit, securing it into place. Towing adaptors are also available for moving the Mobile HVAC over longer distances.

“The goal is to get the marginal cost to $.25/hour for the fleet user if they own it themselves,” explains IdleAir CEO Ethan Garber. “That would be true for full-blown IdleAir, too, but most locations don't need their yard built out with underground wiring and 20 overhead galvanized parking space gantries.”

The move is part of IdleAir's continuing effort to expand its business model beyond the large truckstop gantry idle-reduction facilities that were the foundation of its business originally. For instance, it is installing its idle reduction systems at large fleet terminals. One for Schneider in Phoenix is nearing completion, which Garber says is expected to save the fleet 50,000 hours of idling per year, adding up to $100,000 per year of savings ...Read the rest of this story

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