CLINTON, MS. Continental Tire officially broke ground at the site of its new tire plant near Clinton, MS, Nov. 3. Thursday's ceremony marked the beginning of the construction process, which is expected to be completed in 2019, according to the company.
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Delphi Products & Service Solutions' MaxStart HD is a Group 31 battery designed to meet the needs of large commercial vehicles.
The batteries feature commercial vehicle coverage for starting, dual-purpose and deep cycling applications. Special anchoring elements also protect against vibration damage.
Delphi MaxStart batteries are designed for extended life, corrosion resistance, and higher power delivery. The batteries feature a higher reserve capacity to operate powered accessories like camera systems and integrated navigation and entertainment systems.
MaxStart batteries are durability-tested to ensure a powerful start and are available in a variety of models for different vehicle sizes and applications.
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Class 8 truck orders are projected to be essentially flat in October when compared to September, according to preliminary numbers from analysts at ACT Research and FTR.
FTR is projecting net orders of 13,800 units for the month, similar to Sept. but subdued in what is usually a stronger order month. The reported net order number was negatively impacted by a significant cleanup of long-term excess orders by on OEM, according to FTR.
With the backlog factored in, net orders would have been closer to 21,300 units. That would have made for the best monthly order activity since Dec. 2015.
“The adjusted number of 21,300 was fueled by the big fleets placing their requirement orders for the first half of 2017,” said Don Ake, vice president of Commercial Vehicles at FTR. “This indicates the freight markets are stabilizing and the fleets are confident enough to replace older trucks.”
Medium-duty Class 5-7 are projected to be 18,400 units for the month, down 10% from Sept. and 18% compared to Oct. 2015, according to ACT Research.
“That result was somewhat below our expectations, though not drastically out of line with our expectation that Class 5-7 production will be down slightly in 2017,” said Michael J. Baudenistel, vice president of Stifel Transportation and Logistics Research Group.
Related: Class 8 Update - Downturn, But Far From Bad Times
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The parent of a company primarily known for its less-than-truckload fleet saw its profit fall by nearly a third while a separate carrier that provides long-haul truckload and other services moved into the red, according to newly released earnings numbers.
ArcBest Corp. (Nasdaq: ARCB) reported third quarter 2016 net income of $12.9 million, or 49 cents per share, compared to third quarter 2015 net income of $19.2 million, or 72 cents per share.
Revenue in the latest quarter totaled $713.9 million compared to $709.4 million a year earlier. Operating income declined to $20.4 million from $33.4 million for the Arkansas-based operation.
According to the company, the continued softness in the U.S. industrial economy affected freight tonnage levels and profit margins at its LTL fleet, ABF Freight. ArcBest's asset-light logistics companies were highlighted by improved revenue and operating profit at Panther.
“As we have seen throughout the year, pricing in the less-than-truckload sector remained rational despite a soft economic environment and we continued to experience benefits from investments in new equipment,” said ArcBest chairman, president and CEO Judy McReynolds.
ArcBest's freight transportation segment, which includes ABF Freight, reported revenue of $509.5 million compared to $511.3 million in third quarter 2015, a slight per-day decrease. Year-over-year reductions in fuel surcharge associated with lower diesel fuel prices contributed to ABF Freight's reduced revenue compared to last year, according to the company. Operating income was $18.1 million versus $26.6 million a year earlier.
Tonnage per day fell 2.8% compared to third quarter 2015 while shipments per day increased 1.6%. Total billed revenue per hundredweight increased by 2.8%, which ArcBest said came despite lower fuel surcharges, reflecting both price increases and changes in total shipment profile compared to the prior year. Excluding fuel surcharge, the percentage increase on ABF Freight's traditional LTL freight was in the mid-single digits.
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Image via Noregon
">Image via Noregon
">Noregon's recently released TripVision vehicle health monitoring solution for heavy-duty trucks has been made available on the Geotab Marketplace.
TripVision is a fault-guidance service that provides real-time vehicle health monitoring for all heavy-duty makes and models. Fleet dispatchers receive actionable fault information from each vehicle, including a safety score, health score, and location information.
TripVision is accessible through a portal using any internet connected device and is displayed in an organized format that shows all pertinent information.
“TripVision provides a comprehensive solution for fleets to turn their vehicle data into usable information,” said Bill Hathaway, founder and CEO at Noregon. “Noregon is extremely excited to work with Geotab and offer this much-needed solution to our mutual customers.”
The Geotab Marketplace is a complement to the MyGeotab platform that offers an "ecosystem" of business-focused applications and add-ons. The marketplace is on track to feature more than 200 third-party applications by the end of the year, according to Geotab.
“Our partnership with Noregon enables heavy-duty fleets to reduce maintenance costs and increase safety by effectively monitoring fault information and vehicle health,” said, Neil Cawse, CEO, Geotab. “This integrated solution provides insight into real-time vehicle diagnostics, allowing dispatchers to make data-driven decisions to optimize the performance of their fleet.”
For more information on the Geotab Marketplace, click here.
Related: Noregon Launches TripVision Safety Management
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