Trucking news and briefs for Friday, April 26, 2024: Allison transmissions now available in certain International trucks Navistar is now offering Allison fully automatic transmissions in International trucks equipped with International’s S13 engine. Through the partnership between Allison Transmission and International Truck, the Allison 3414 Regional Haul Series (RHS) is now available to order in International RH trucks equipped with the S13 engine. Additionally, the Allison 4000 Series is also available to order with S13-equipped International HX trucks. As part of the S13 engine launch plan ..read more

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union this week filed unfair labor practice charges against Daimler Truck North America (DNTA) as the two sides work to extend a labor agreement that expires at 11:59 p.m. Friday, April 26. Union members last month authorized a strike if necessary – a measure that passed by 96% among the workers who build Freightliner and Western Star trucks and Thomas Built Buses.  In the four charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board, UAW alleges DTNA has engaged in retaliatory actions against workers who have participated in union ..read more

Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, April 25, 2024: Mack, Volvo using renewable diesel to move new trucks off assembly lines Volvo and Mack are fueling new trucks leaving their New River Valley and Lehigh Valley Operations plants, respectively, with hydrotreated vegetable oil, also known as renewable diesel.Volvo Trucks North America Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks on Wednesday announced that the companies are using hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), or renewable diesel, in newly assembled trucks moving off the assembly line. Mack said HVO is being used to move completed Class 8 trucks off its ..read more

As carriers feel the impact of the weak freight market, the possibility of bankruptcy threatens the stability of companies large and small. In recent years, a combination of factors, exacerbated by events such as the global pandemic and shifts in insurance dynamics, has impacted the market. Looking at Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data on revocations from 2000-2024, Avery Vise, vice president of trucking at FTR Transportation Analysis, noted that revocations net of reinstatements peaked in late 2022 and early 2023. Technically, Vise noted, the first quarter of 2023 was the peak a ..read more

The Biden administration on Wednesday announced more than $1 billion in funding and incentives it hopes will spur the transition to zero-emission heavy-duty trucks. The White House in March laid out its plan to establish a charging and refueling infrastructure network for zero-emission commercial trucks, an initiative that seeks to maximize the impact of charging infrastructure investment by guiding development toward high-volume-priority corridors and existing freight hubs.  The plans made public Wednesday support the corridors' development and President Biden’s goals for a car ..read more

As a fleet manager considering moving to a dedicated contract carrier (DCC), you are looking to transfer the responsibility of your transportation functions and the associated liabilities to a third party. When you do so, you should expect the transition to be seamless, with the same or improved service to your customers. The primary reason for considering a DCC is to be relieved of the challenges of operating your own fleet of trucks while focusing on your primary business. You should expect the burdens of operations, maintenance and compliance (with ever-changing regulations) to shift to the ..read more

Some advice is timeless.  In 2017, NACFE issued recommendations on ways any fleet and driver could readily improve their fuel economy. Run On Less 2017 followed seven late model year diesel trucks in real-world conditions, driven efficiently by expert fleet drivers such as Joel Morrow of Ploger Transportation, Clark Reed of Nussbaum Transportation, and Henry Albert of Albert Transport. Those seven fleets averaged more than 10 MPG over the three-week period of the Run, including dealing with two hurricanes. Someone recently reposted this slide from the report we did about the Run on s ..read more

The battery electric semi truck Tesla announced in 2017 and set for production in 2019 is running late, but its production debut could be just around the corner (again).  Tesla's fully electric Class 8 has been delayed at least four times and is five years overdue, but Vice President for Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy said Tuesday during Tesla's earnings call that the company is finalizing the engineering of its all-electric Semi "to enable like a super cost-effective, high-volume production with our learnings from our fleet and our pilot fleet and Pepsi’s fleet, which we are e ..read more

Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, April 24, 2024: Truck tonnage fell in March After a 4% increase from January to February, ATA's Truck Tonnage Index fell 2% in March.ATA The amount of freight hauled by trucks in March was down 1% year over year and down 2% from February, according to the American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index. The 2% decline from February follows a 4% increase in February from January. In March, the index equaled 113.4 compared with 115.7 in February. “Tonnage in March suggests that truck freight volumes remain lacklust ..read more

Research conducted by American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) shows renewable diesel is not only a promising solution for lowering the trucking industry’s CO2 emissions, it's also significantly cheaper than battery electric technology.  Produced from food and organic waste, renewable diesel (RD) is chemically identical to petroleum diesel and can therefore be mixed with petroleum diesel in various ratios or used as a standalone drop-in fuel in a traditional diesel truck without consequence or aftermarket upfit. It is not a biofuel (or biodiesel), which is chemical ..read more