Election 2016: GOP governorships continue to climb

Volvo, Mack continue to predict Class 8 demand decline

BIRMINGHAM, AL. Executives with Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) and Mack Trucks – both subsidiaries of the Sweden-based Volvo Group – continue to expect Class 8 sales to finish 2016 down from 2015 levels, with that decline to continue on into 2017.

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Volvo, Mack Highlight Certified Uptime Center Progress

Nextran has increased the percentage of five-hour jobs it was able to get out the door in 24 hours or less from 43% to 63%. Photo: Deborah Lockridge

Mack and Volvo announced their Certified Uptime Center program a year ago and named its first certified dealers in the program this past spring. Wednesday it told truck reporters that the program currently includes 76 Certified Uptime Centers — 67 Mack and 57 Volvo. And since the program was rolled out in April, dwell time has decreased 2.5 days, according to Phillip Swaim, director of network fixed operations for Volvo Group North America.

In an event in Birmingham, Alabama, home to the first Certified Uptime Center dealer, Volvo Group and local dealer representatives offered more insight into the need for the program and how it works.

After the Great Recession ended, truck dealers started having some serious problems with capacity. Increasing amounts of business were being driven back to the OE dealer because of proprietary technology, including that needed to meet emissions regulations. As the economy and freight came back, so did demand for repairs. But at the same time the technician shortage, like the driver shortage, came roaring back with a vengeance. Fleets became increasingly frustrated when their trucks sat for days at dealer shops, often for what turned out to be a relatively minor repair.

To help address that, Mack and Volvo have invested heavily in their dealer network since 2010.

At Mack, they've had a 5% increase in the number of locations, a 40% increase in the number of service bays, a 90% increase in the number of technicians and a 250% increase in Mack master technicians.

Volvo has invested more than $500 million in its dealer network, adding 63 locations, a 50% increase in bay capacity, a 109% increase in technicians, a 372% increase ...Read the rest of this story

ATD Announces 2017 Truck Dealer of the Year Nominees

The American Truck Dealers, Heavy Duty Trucking, and Procede Software have announced the nominees for 2017 Truck Dealer of the Year.

The five nominees are:

The nominees were selected by state, metro and national association leaders. Each nominee will be evaluated by a panel of professors from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business on dealership performance, industry leadership and civic contributions.

The winner and runner-up will be announced during the 54th annual ATD Convention and Expo in New Orleans, which runs from Thursday, Jan. 26, through Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017. The four-day event runs concurrently with the 2017 NADA Convention and Expo.

For more information or to register, visit www.atdconvention.org.

Related: Tom Bertolino Named 2016 Truck Dealer of the Year

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Aljex Offers Accounts Payable Solution

Aljex Software has released a new accounts payable solutions made specifically for the transportation industry.

The AP solution was designed to organize and automate the payment process and is integrated directly into Vision, Aljex's flagship product. It can also be integrated as a back-end solution for third-parties looking to streamline accounting processes.

The system allows an AP clerk to verify paperwork, pay carriers via check or ACH, bill customers, and upload documentation in a matter of seconds. Additionally, it guards against overpayments by automatically creating checks from rate confirmations.

“The new AP system is a more powerful, yet greatly simplified interface,” said Tom Heine, Aljex CEO. “It provides an outstanding example of how smooth and easy the next generation of web-based software will be.”

Aljex's AP solution has completed customer testing and is currently available.

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