U.S. adds 30 days to speed limiter comment period

Stoughton Lease Opens Dallas Area Branch

Stoughton Rental and Leasing Company has opened a new location in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite, Texas.

The new facility is one of nine Stoughton Lease branch locations, offering sales, rental and leasing options.

The branch offers options for buying, leasing and financing Stoughton trailers at a single location ans well as service and support. It features an inventory of new Stoughton trailers available for immediate sale and delivery and a stock of rental trailers with flexible rental contracts or leasing options.

Stoughton Lease rental trailers come with services such as maintenance plans and roadside assistance. Stoughton also offers trailer tracking, aerodynamic trailer skirts and other options.

“With the expansion into new markets, our products and services are reaching new customers, especially those who prefer to rent or lease a portion of their fleet,” said Paul Sulewski, president of Stoughton Lease.

Related: Stoughton Parts Sales Begins Warehouse Expansion

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Mahle Launches New 9,000-Part Brand

Photo: Mahle Aftermarket

Mahle Aftermarket has rebranded its entire gasket product line under the Mahle Original brand name.

Mahle Original will offer the same products the company has been selling in North America under a single unified brand. The line includes nearly 9,000 part numbers, covering 900,000 applications, with more than 1,200 exclusive part numbers not available from other aftermarket suppliers.

“The only thing that has changed is the outside package – our gaskets are now in a Mahle Original branded box,” said Olaf Henning, executive vice president and general manager, Mahle Aftermarket. “What this means for the aftermarket is that the company that has been behind this gasket line is now the brand that is on them.”

Mahle's gaskets are designed to match original equipment parts in form, fit and function and the company ensures that the parts are made with the same standards. Mahle Aftermarket will support sales of the Mahle Original gaskets with comprehensive marketing support in the aftermarket and offers a complete range of product flyers, technical service bulletins and print advertising.

The company also offers an eLearning online training module for technician education. For more information, click here.

Related: Mahle Develops Lead-Free Diesel Engine Bearings

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DOT Extends Speed-Limiter Rule Comment Period

A 30-day extension of the public comment period for a proposed truck speed-limiter rule was announced today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

The new deadline for comments is Dec. 7.

The proposed rule would require all newly manufactured U.S. trucks, buses, and multipurpose passenger vehicles with GVWR over 26,000 pounds to be equipped with speed-limiting devices. Motor carriers would be responsible for maintaining the speed limiters at or below the designated speed for the service life of the vehicles.

According to the Department of Transportation, the proposed rule “discusses the benefits of setting the maximum speed at 60, 65, and 68 miles per hour, but the Agencies will consider other speeds based on public input.”

That nebulous aspect drew heavy fire last month from the head of trucking's biggest lobby. Chris Spear, president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations, slammed the rule during an Oct. 4 press conference. “The various differentials in speed from what this rule proposes and what state speed limits are is dangerous,” he said. “What is this proposal? Three speed limits, not one. No studies to back it up. And no national cap on limits to address speed differentials.

“Our policy focus now is to develop comments on this proposal, which in my humble opinion, is flawed,” Spear continued. “We cannot afford to elevate risks for the motoring public with a rule that does not take into account the danger of differential speeds for cars and trucks."

Spear also said the two agencies have “the responsibility to study [what they've proposed] and come to a consensus about [setting] one speed and one national limit— not three speeds and no national limit [as is laid out in the proposal].”

To date, over 3300 public comments have been filed on the proposal. Existing ...Read the rest of this story