Driving Dynamics Acquires Element’s Driver Training Unit

Vinciguerra

Driving Dynamics has acquired the Center for Transportation Safety (CTS) from Element Fleet Management in a deal that will expand its own fleet driver training and preserve the fleet management company's safety offering to its own clients, Driving Dynamics has announced.

Under the terms of the deal, the two companies are forming a strategic alliance that seeks to provide continuity of CTS services and will keep its general manager, Tony Vinciguerra, in place. Vinciguerra has joined Driving Dynamics' executive leadership team as the company's chief operating officer.

"We are thrilled to welcome CTS into Driving Dynamics," said Art Liggio, president and CEO. "It was a natural fit and represents an exciting step forward for our business. The move illustrates our confidence in the future of the fleet safety industry and provides us with the added scale to accelerate our plans for expansion."

Driving Dynamics will relocate CTS to Newark, Del. from its headquarters in Denver, but will maintain a small office in that city.

"Driver safety is a key pillar of Element's fleet management offering, and we are innovating in safety with our in-house team and our partners to deliver advanced services to our customers," said Michele Cunningham, Element's senior vice president of products and services. "Driving Dynamics is singularly focused on the fleet safety market and a leader in behind-the-wheel training. With the CTS business under the Driving Dynamics banner, our customers can access a more robust behind-the-wheel driver training to meet a wide range of needs."

The acquistion expands Driving Dynamics' training offerings by beefing up behind-the-wheel and online training, as well as classroom instruction for various segments in the fleet industry. Light-duty training will be added to its own portfolio. CTS also adds an offering that will enable managers of heavy-duty truck fleets to qualify drivers for their Commercial Drivers ...Read the rest of this story

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Kenworth: Vocational Truck Market to Remain Strong Through the End of 2017

Photo via Jim Park.

The first half of 2017 has been good to the trucking industry, and to the vocational market in particular, and the going into the second half of the year, the underlying economic fundamentals look equally promising. That's the view from Renton, Washington, where Paccar vice president and Kenworth general manager Mike Dozier addressed reporters at a press event on July 21.

"Whether you're talking vocation or just the market in general in North America, the underlying fundamentals all remain very positive," Dozier said. "There's a very strong alignment between what we're seeing in terms of sentiment within the industry and factors like growth in GDP and the associated rise in consumer confidence. We expect that to continue throughout the year."

Dozier noted that the certain key indicators, namely total construction spending and housing starts, trend closely to actual growth in retail orders for the company's T880 vocational chassis.

Earlier this year Kenworth had forecast retail sales of 190,000-220,000 units, but Dozier and others were a bit worried that the situation might change as the post-election hangover wore off, but it hasn't. In fact, Dozier says consumer confidence remains strong, and the market remains buoyant.

"Earlier in the year, I would have said we were in the lower range of the estimate band," he said. "But today, with half the year still ahead of us, we are in the upper range of that band. That bodes well for the remainder of the year."

Internally, Dozier said the Paccar MX engine now accounts for just over 45% of engine orders across all Class 8 lines — on-highway and vocational. "We are happy with the growth we've seen so far, and we expect to end 2017 with 160,000 MX engines in service," Dozier says.

The Kenworth dealer network continues to grow. There were 382 North ...Read the rest of this story