New Orleans Port Offers Incentive to Get Rid of Older Trucks

Image via Clean Trip

The Port of New Orleans has launched its Clean Truck Replacement Incentive Program, providing incentives for local, short-haul truck owners to voluntarily replace 20 Class 8 drayage trucks with from model years 1993-2006 with 2012 and newer models.

The cost-share program will provide 50% of the vehicle sale cost of up to $35,000 and a maximum of two trucks per owner or fleet. The program is open to those who service cargo terminals and warehouses along the Mississippi River and the Industrial Canal.

Applications for the program are on Oct. 12, 2016. If more than 20 complete and eligible applications are received by the due date, the port will hold a public lottery at the Port Administration Building on Oct. 19.

“This program is a win-win,” said Gary LaGrange port president and CEO. “Local trucking companies can replace inefficient vehicles cost-effectively with commensurate emissions reductions and we have the opportunity to start a conversation about air quality.”

The Clean TRIP program is part of a $727,000 Clean Diesel competitive grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded to the Port of New Orleans. The grant supports the local port trucking community helping to reduce local air emissions and increase reliability and efficiency of on-road goods movement.

The total Clean TRIP project cost is $1.537 million, with $700,000 coming from mandatory cost-share with eligible truck owners and $110,636 coming from the Port for administrative costs.

Related: California's Zero Emissions Vehicle Dreams

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Kenworth Adds Set-Forward Option for T880

Photo: Kenworth

Kenworth has expanded the T880 with a set-forward front axle configuration called the T880S, specifically designed for fleet and truck operators in ready-mix, dump and mobile crane applications.

The T880S is available with a set-forward front axle ranging from 14,600 pounds to 22,800 pounds. Single, tandem or tridem drive axles and a variety of factory installed lift axles are among a range of options available. Both the T880 and T880S provide clear back-of-cab options to configure the truck body to handle extreme loads or make it easier to upfit.

“The new T880S advances Kenworth's heritage of providing fleets and truck operators with industry-leading, rugged and reliable vocational trucks that deliver excellent performance,” said Jason Skoog, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing. “Available with a 114-inch BBC and best-in-class 28-inch bumper setting, tare weight is minimized, weight distribution is optimized, Federal Bridge Formula can easily be met, and body installations are enhanced.”

This T880S features a 3.6-inch lower hood crown than the legacy Kenworth W900S for up to four feet of additional ground visibility. The newly styled, complex reflector halogen headlight provides projector beam lighting performance along with a thick, polycarbonate lens and UV inhibitor for a longer life.

The 5-piece hood is made of RTM, a lightweight high-tech material tougher and more durable than fiberglass. If damaged, the bolt-on fenders typically can be replaced in less than two hours to help maximize uptime. Also available are 2.5-inch and 4.5-inch wide fender extensions that match specified front tire widths and help keep dirt off the side of the truck.

The T880 and T880S come standard with the 12.9-liter Paccar MX-13 engine, which provides up to 500-hp and 1,850 lb-ft of torque. For weight-sensitive applications, the 10.8-liter PACCAR MX-11 engine saves 400 pounds compared to a 13-liter engine, and offers a high power-to-weight ratio ...Read the rest of this story

Daimler’s take on urban trucking

HANNOVER, GERMANY. Advanced truck and bus technology for urban environments have taken center stage for Daimler at IAA 2016, the world's largest commercial vehicle show. Having introduced its autonomous long-haul truck technology at the last IAA show in 2014, this time Daimler's truck group rolled out a concept “Urban eTruck” with a 200 km range, while it's van division showed an always-connected light vehicle meant to integrate last-mile delivery into advanced supply chain distribution systems.

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Another Carrier Lowers Expectations, Three LTLs Hiking Rates

Forward Air Corp. has become the latest trucking operation to lower expectations ahead of releasing its next earnings report.

It is forecasting third-quarter 2016 year-over-year revenue growth to range from between a 2% decline to a 2% improvement, down from a previously announced range of 1% increase to a 5% gain.

The company also lowered its adjusted income guidance range to 48 cents to 52 per share from its earlier announced range of 61 cents to 65 cents. The change, according to a statement, is due to lower freight volumes.

“Since our second quarter earnings call, the economic environment has remained sluggish. While we are seeing the effects across our portfolio, less-than-truckload volumes have been noticeably soft,” said Bruce A. Campbell, chairman, president, and CEO. “Through Sunday, Sept. 18, our unadjusted year-over-year LTL tonnage per day for the third quarter was down 4.6%. While our yields and margins have held up, we no longer project that we will achieve our previously provided guidance ranges and are adjusting our outlook for the quarter.”

Forward Air operates four principal segments: expedited LTL, truckload expedited services, intermodal and pool distribution services.

The news follows LTL carrier Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. saying early this month that it saw less freight during August.

LTL tons per day decreased 1.4% compared to August 2015, which it attributed to a 1.5% drop in LTL shipments per day and a 0.1% increase in LTL weight per shipment.

“The decline in Old Dominion's LTL tons per day for August reflects an operating environment that continued to be challenging,” said David Congdon, vice chairman and CEO. “The pricing environment has remained relatively stable, however, and quarter-to-date LTL revenue per hundredweight, excluding fuel surcharges, increased between 2% and 2.5% as compared to the same period of last year. As a result, our quarter-to-date total revenue per day ...Read the rest of this story

FMCSA addresses ELD self-certification, transition questions

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FMCSA addresses ELD self-certification, transition questions

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Economic Watch: Home Starts Slow, Overall Optimism Remains

Nationwide housing starts fell 5.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.14 million units in August, according to newly released data from the Commerce Department on Tuesday, the latest disappointing economic indicator, but there are still feelings overall economic conditions are improving.

“After two months of gains, the housing market gave back a bit in August,” says Ed Brady, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders. “However, with builders reporting low inventory levels and rising confidence, we expect more consumers will return to the market in the months ahead.”

Both housing sectors posted production declines in August. Single-family housing starts fell 6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 722,000 units while multifamily production declined 5.4% to 420,000 units.

“The August reading represents a one-month blip in what has been a long-term, gradual recovery,” says NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. “On a year-over-year basis, single-family starts are up 9% while multifamily construction continues to level off at a solid level as that sector seeks to find a balance between supply and demand.”

Overall permit issuance, an indicator of future home building, edged 0.4% lower. Single-family permits rose 3.7% in August to a rate of 737,000 while multifamily permits dropped 7.2% to 402,000. Combined single- and multifamily starts increased in three of the four regions in August; the Northeast, Midwest and West; while the South posted an atypical decline.

The pullback in August housing starts, and particularly the weakness in single unit starts, has lowered expectations by the Royal Bank of Canada with it comes to third quarter residential investment, but there there are higher hopes in other economic sectors.

RBC Economist John Nye expects a modest 2% annualized decline rather than flat activity, although that would still represent an improvement on the nearly 8% annualized decline recorded in the prior quarter.

“We also look for ...Read the rest of this story