The Chassis Liner Heavy-Duty Trucker is available from Chief distributors to provide a pulling package for repairing a wide range of heavy-duty vehicles, including trucks, trailers, buses and recreational vehicles. The pulling system is built on a multiuse platform so it can be customized to meet any heavy-duty shop's needs for less than the cost of a rail system, Chief notes.
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...Read the rest of this storyFreightliner Trucks announced it has begun production on its new Cascadia. The new Cascadia (equipped with AeroX and Integrated Detroit Powertrain (IDP) including a GHG17 DD15 engine, DT12 with Intelligent Powertrain Management (IPM4) and 2.16 direct drive axle ratio) boasts up to an 8-percent fuel economy increase over a similarly spec'd 2016 Cascadia Evolution, the company noted.
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...Read the rest of this storyAn analysis conducted by Infrastructure Data Solutions (IDS) of national bridge inventory (NBI) data collected by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) indicates that while there's been a “remarkable decline” of structurally deficient roadway bridges over the last quarter century, many are beginning to approach the end of their lifespan.
That means a “big wave” of replacement demand should begin to crest within the next several decades, noted Mahmoud Halfawy, president of IDS, in a statement.
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The parent company to names such as Freightliner, Western Star, and Mercedes posted strong profits and revenue in the fourth quarter of last year. Daimler AG reported the best year in the company's history, with strong automotive sales more than compensating for a weaker commercial truck market, and it's expanding investment in research and development.
The Germany-based company said net profit in the three months ended Dec. 31 rose 19% from the same time a year ago to 2.15 billion euros, or $2.32 billon, according to MarketWatch, while revenues increased 1% to 41 billion euros. Despite the increase in profit, it was a little short of a consensus forecast of Wall Street analysts.
For all of 2016, net profit increased 1% from 2015 to best-ever figures of 8.8 billion euros, as revenue moved up 3% to 153.26 billion euros.
“With our very attractive products and the measures taken to enhance efficiency, we have made considerable progress and stabilized our business despite volatile market developments," said Bodo Uebber, member of the board of management of Daimler AG responsible for finance and controlling and Daimler Financial Services.
Daimler increased its total unit sales in 2016 by 5% to around 3 million vehicles, due in large part to unit sales increasing 10% at Mercedes-Benz Cars and 12% at Mercedes-Benz Vans.
In contrast, Daimler Trucks' unit sales of 415,100 vehicles were substantially lower than the high prior-year figure of 502,500. Revenue decreased to 33.2 billion euros from 37.6 billion euros. The division's earnings before interest and taxes of 1.95 billion euros was significantly below the high level of 2.58 billion euros achieved in the previous year.
The 17% decline in truck unit sales for 2016 was due sharply lower sales in North America, Turkey, the Middle East, Latin America and Indonesia. Daimler Trucks earnings were also reduced by intense competition ...Read the rest of this story
Aljex Software has released the Inbound Document Portal, a web-based application that facilitates the administration of receiving documents.
Through a dedicated email address, inbound documents automatically appear in the IDP where they are identified by pro#. Using that pro#, all relevant shipment information populates the screen along with all necessary functions to perform freight bill auditing.
While the document is visible on screen, carrier payments can be processed, customer invoices audited and documents can be filed away. Documents are filed in Aljex's document imaging module, where documents are organized and stored in the cloud.
The new IDP application is a free update to Aljex's document imaging module.
“The traditional methods of receiving transportation documentation - email, regular mail, pictures on a smartphone - are time-consuming and inefficient,” said Heine. “With tight margins, it's critical that transportation firms increase their efficiency to increase their bottom line. The IDP allows you to manage your inbound documents more efficiently by aggregating all information and functionality you need in a single, seamless interface.”
Other recent additions to document imaging include the ability to store emails, as well as images. Also, when using document imaging in conjunction with Aljex's e-billing feature, emails and images can be automatically attached to customer invoices.
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...Read the rest of this storyPhoto: Telogis
">Photo: Telogis
">Late last week, I was sweating away in the gym watching two talking heads blather away on one of those stock market channels the old guys in there love to watch. And these two experts were going on about how Apple was pretty much over as a tech company – that all that could be done with a cell phone had been done and the company founded by Steve Jobs was going to have to find something new to sell to the public.
And then this week Apple announced that it sold 78.29-million iPhones in its last financial quarter. Oh, and it has $246 billion in cash on hand. And it is working away on the next generation of products and innovations.
So much for the talking heads.
This week also saw a new study from transportation analysts Frost & Sullivan landing in my inbox. Titled “Mobile Apps Driving Trucking Industry Transformation in North America, 2016-2017,” the report focuses on the use of smartphones and how they're quickly becoming a mandatory piece of equipment for pretty much anybody working in the trucking industry today.
In fact, according to this report, smartphones will likely be the foundational building blocks that take trucking into a new world of integrated operations and efficiency. In short, as every conceivable aspect of our lives becomes wired into constant-flow, real-time, fully integrated, data-driven, information stream, the smartphone will be the point of delivery and interface that allows us to navigate, update and access that virtual world.
In real world terms, the report says, this will mean the end of paperwork, while removing many of the competitive advantages that large fleets enjoy and the barriers to entry that hamper small fleets.
The result will be a technology explosion that will lead to enhanced, visibility, and competitiveness among owner-operators and small fleets. Large ...Read the rest of this story
