Category: Trucking News

New truck orders pause in May

Research groups say overall market outlook remains positive.

Orders for new Class 8 trucks dropped in May from the previous month, but remained well above year-ago levels, two industry groups reported.

ACT Research said Class 8 orders were 16,800 units in May, down 30% from April and the lowest in the seven months. However, that was up 18% higher than May 2016.

The firm also reported overall Classes 5-8 net orders fell 11% in May to 38,100, the second consecutive monthly dip, but were 20% ahead of last year's pace.

read more

...Read the rest of this story

If Trump won’t address climate changes, states, cities and companies will

If Trump won't address climate changes, states, cities and companies will

If the Trump administration weakens the rules governing pollution and fuel-efficiency for automobiles—as it has indicated it may—California will pay no mind. It has its own set of rules for cars that could end up much tougher than Washington's, and the market clout to force automakers to comply. Environmentalists dismayed with President Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord are now pinning their hopes on states like California, and the ability of state and municipal governments to impose their own aggressive climate policies when the federal government declines to do so.


...Read the rest of this story

Pit Group to Evaluate Fuel Efficiency of 5 Tire Brands

<img width="150" src="http://www.automotive-fleet.com/fc_images/news/m-energotest-truck-1.jpg" border="0" alt="

Photo: Pit Group

">

Photo: Pit Group

">

Pit Group announced that its Spring Energotest in Blainville, Quebec, Canada, will focus on the fuel economy of tires, evaluating the efficiency of five brands. The test will take place on June 9 at the Transport Canada test track.

During Energotest, tires from BF Goodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Goodyear, and Michelin will undergo a series of fuel economy tests using stringent protocols to measure the performance of each tire.

Pit Group is a research and engineering group focused on improving fleet maintenance and operations in the North American transportation industry.

“Pit Group fleet members met in March to identify testing and R&D priorities for the coming year,” said Yves Provencher, business development manager, intelligent transportation at Pit Group. “Each member lists issues they are facing and our engineers create a list of potential items to test. Members then vote to identify their top 10 priorities. This year, fleet members voted to focus on tire fuel economy.”

The tire tests planned for Energotest will be based on TMC Type II and Type III Fuel Consumption Test Procedures, according to Pit Group. The Type II test will compare each brand using a control tire brand. Type III testing will test each tire on several identical vehicles, by switching tires from one test vehicle to another between tests, to clearly measure the impact on fuel consumption.

Additional testing topics identified by fleet members for evaluation in the future by the PIT Group include:

Fuel economy of trailer gap closing technologies and reefer fuel consumptionImpact of advanced driver assist systemsReliability of tire inflation systemsComparison between drum and disc brakes.

Pit Group fleet members also identified important maintenance issues, including corrosion mitigation and DPF cleaning systems, and the impact of predictive cruise control, a topic on which Pit Group will run an operational study.

Pit Group also announced that Loblaw ...Read the rest of this story

Federal Signal Completes $270 Million Acquisition of TBEI

Federal Signal has completed its acquisition of Truck Bodies and Equipment International, a manufacturer of dump bodies and trailers, for a purchase price of $270 million.

TBEI represents a portfolio of six established brands: Travis Trailer & Body Company, Crysteel, Ox Bodies, Rugby Manufacturing, DuraClass, and J-Craft. TBEI will be combined with the businesses in Federal Signal's Environmental Solutions Group to create a single platform offering municipal and industrial customers a suite of maintenance and infrastructure equipment support.

In a release earlier this month, Federal Signal stated that as part of the deal, TBEI's president and CEO Robert Fines will be joining the company's management team.

“Their product offerings will allow us to further diversify into higher growth, maintenance and infrastructure markets while balancing the mix of revenue streams between municipal and industrial, and reduce our exposure to oil and gas,” said Jennifer L. Sherman, Federal Signal's president and CEO. “This acquisition represents a strong strategic fit for Federal Signal and will enhance our ability to achieve sustainable and profitable growth.”

Related: 6 Steps to Better Work Truck Body Upfits

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

...Read the rest of this story