March 2011 ~ Mysterious Car

Home

Home

Thursday, March 31, 2011

TRUCKERS' SHORTAGE * India - Wanted: Three million drivers

9:35 AM

Admin

Got a truck license but can’t find a job? India needs youMumbai,India -Agency France-Press/Today's Trucking -28 March 2011: -- The exploding economy that is India is facing a driver shortage. And when India says shortage, it really means shortage... "We face a 40-percent shortfall, which means we need three million more drivers," said R.K. Gulati, spokesman for the All India Motor Transport Congress, a truckers’ lobby group... According to a report, many fleets have up to 15 percent of their fleets sitting because they can’t get anybody to drive... Bal Malkit Singh, a city transporter and former head of the Bombay Goods Transport Association...

9:16 AM

Admin

Canadian DOT inspector: 'The guy offered me $1,000 cash right now to forget the situation and let him continue on his way'Winnipeg,MAN,CAN -CBC News -Mar 28, 2011: -- Some truckers and the companies they work for are willing to pay a lot of money to make safety inspectors look the other way, a CBC investigation has discovered... The FBI alleges in court documents that James Wood, the supervisor of the Buffalo field office of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration took money from the Canadian consultant in exchange for delaying a safety audit of a trucking company... Wood allegedly took thousands over a period of two years in bribes,...

8:24 AM

Admin

* The Mid-America Trucking Show* Volvo introduces powertrain enhancements, improved aerodynamics(Courtesy VTNA: Volvo Trucks’ VN model is now available with new aerodynamic components to improve fuel efficiency)Louisville,KY,USA -The Trucker News Services -31 March 2011: -- Volvo Trucks in North America introduced powertrain enhancements and advanced aerodynamics for its VN highway series aimed at delivering an 8 percent improvement in fuel efficiency over EPA 2007 engines with additional gains possible through the use of new fleet management and driver development tools... The company said it would also introduce new interior...

7:03 AM

Admin

Longbow index down almost 6 percent in March, up 41 percent since JanuaryNew York,NY,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by William B. Cassidy -Mar 30, 2011: -- The Longbow Research Truckload Barometer dropped less than 1 percent this week, indicating the contraction of truckload capacity is slowing... Truckload capacity appears to have leveled and even loosened slightly after shrinking fast in the first months of 2011, according to the research firm's index... Since January, the index has risen 41.1 percent. The index measures available freight against available equipment, climbing as capacity contracts... Year-over-year, the barometer...

6:52 AM

Admin

... In spite of lawsuitFort Smith,AK,USA -FAN, by Ethan C. Nobles -27 March 2011: -- It’s old news by now — Arkansas Best Corp. filed suit against the Teamsters union in November... What might surprise some is that Arkansas Best still regards its relationship with the Teamsters are largely beneficial. Arkansas Best is the parent company of ABF Freight System, a less-than-truckload carrier employing about 7,000 union drivers... YRC was able to negotiate some concessions that ABF couldn’t, thus putting the Fort Smith company at a disadvantage in the highly-competitive trucking industry. “This just has to do with leveling the playing field,”...

6:32 AM

Admin

Halesowen,West Midlands,UK -Transport Engineer, by John Challen -30 March 2011: -- Bevan Group has launched a Luton body for 3.5-tonne vehicles that offers a market-leading payload of more than 1,200kg and improved fuel economy... Dubbed the Icon, it will debut at the CV Show, on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis cab... The body incorporates a rear frame that allows for the fitment of conventional hinged rear doors or lightweight shutters. Also, a wind diffuser can be fitted at the back of the vehicle to further improve aerodynamic efficiency... Other options allow for the installation of load restraints, reversing cameras...

4:17 AM

Admin

News from Mid-America Trucking Show* Cummins, the Changes ahead for diesel (See Video)(Photo: Steve Charlton of Cummins)Louisville,KY,USA -Fleet Owner -30 March 2011: -- Steve Charlton, chief technical officer for Cummins' engine business, gives a glimpse of changes diesel engines face down the road.* Allison: Showcases new transmissionLouisville,KY,USA -Fleet Owner -30 March 2011: -- A new transmission option from Allison Transmission will provide fuel efficiency in stop-and-go operation while maximizing fuel economy under cruising speeds, the company said.* Bendix foresees boom times aheadLouisville,KY,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr -30...

3:42 AM

Admin

"The trucking industry needs a new surface transportation bill"Washington,DC,USA -Transport Topics -30 March 2011: ... American Trucking Associations Chairman, Barbara Windsor, told a congressional panel Tuesday that the trucking industry needs a new surface transportation bill, with a focus on highways, as soon as possible... Windsor, president of Hahn Transportation, New Market, Md., said “our current highway system no longer meets our needs”, speaking before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s highways and transit subcommittee... Windsor said the next highway funding authorization should fund non-highway items...

3:27 AM

Admin

LCP Consulting, the UK's freight transport policy needs a new vision based on solid evidence London,EN,UK -Eyefortransport -Mar 28, 2011: ... Since 2000, five attempts to define the UK's integrated transport policy have failed to produce a robust policy approach to freight and logistics... The LCP Consulting Paper, UK Freight Transport: setting a coherent strategy and direction for 2020 and beyond, highlights the importance of freight and logistics and the nature of the challenge going forward... The work also identifies some significant omissions in current freight data that should influence future decision making and the...

2:52 AM

Admin

Briefing Weekly News(Video from YouTube, by e captianchunk - 31 Jan 2008: Inside the cab of an SD60 Union Pacifc Diesel Loco)* OOCL issues update on services to and from Japan- Subsequent to the aftermath of Japan's devastating earthquakes, tsunami and radioactive contamination due to the damage sustained by the nuclear power plant around the area of Fukushima, OOCL has updated the status of its services to and from Japan. Read full news here. * WWL cuts carbon emissions by 21%- Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) reports that the company managed to cut its CO2 emissions by 21% last year, compared with 2009. Read full news here* DHL signs €17m deal with Skanska- Skanska Stomsystem has signed a new three-year contract with DHL Freight worth approximately €17 million, with an option to extend....

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * Japan - Government Restore Transportation Systems

8:44 AM

Admin

Transport minister says most railways, roads, airports, ports usableTokyo,Japan -The Journal of Commerce Online, by Hisane Masaki -29 March 2011: -- Restoration work on Japanese transportation systems devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that hit the northeastern part of the country has made significant progress, a transport minister said on Tuesday... All 15 affected major ports along the Pacific coast of the Tohoku and Kanto regions reopened by March 24. They are usable for both disaster-related and ordinary purposes... All 11 local airports in the northeastern part of the country had reopened earlier. All but one of them are...

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS WORLDWIDE * Japan - Lost trucks production as a result of the earthquake and tsunami

1:31 PM

Admin

Japan's eight passenger car makers and four truck makers, including Toyota Motor Corp, will post combined lost production of some 385,000 vehicles, a result of the March 11 earthquake and tsunamisTokyo,Japan -Japan Press/Seeking Alpha -March 27, 2011: -- Japan's eight passenger car makers and four truck makers, including Toyota Motor Corp, will post combined lost production of some 385,000 vehicles as a result of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the Nikkei reports. The figure represents almost 5% of annual output, it says. Toyota will cut production by about 140,000 units, while Honda Motor Co's production will fall by 46,600 vehicles,...

1:05 PM

Admin

By 2015 all federal fleet buys should be hybrid, electric or non-oil fuelsWashington,DC,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by John D. Boyd -Mar 30, 2011: -- A new vehicle procurement directive by President Obama ordered agencies to buy only non-petroleum fueled vehicles by 2015, announced during an energy security speech Wednesday at Washington’s Georgetown University... The White House said federal agencies operate more than 600,000 fleet vehicles, which include passenger cars and light trucks, up to heavy duty tractor-trailers as well as specialty vehicles such as buses and ambulances... However, a harder push for cleaner burning...

11:03 AM

Admin

Toyota Hilux 2012In the battle of the pickups, the Toyota Hilux continued in the lead with 1,307 units and was again escorted patented by Volkswagen up Amarok who patented 1,068. The Ford Ranger with 788 completed the podium while ago ranked the Chevrolet S-10 (451) and the Nissan Frontier (247).Among the SUVs and 4 × 4, the Honda C-RV was again the most preferred with 327 units and still comfortably in the lead of the segment. The Toyota SW4 was again second with 157 while the Chery Tiggo once took center stage on the podium with 146. Ranked fourth with 142 the Dodge Journey.The same applies to the Hilux: the emergence of new players...