Wabash realizes Q1 fruits of reorganization and long-term deals
Trailer maker Wabash reaped the benefits of its reorganization and long-term customer deals in the first quarter.
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Throughout the pandemic, the commercial trucking industry struggled with a shortage of drivers. As the effects of the pandemic lessen and more drivers are hired, however, the industry is now facing a shortage of vehicles and other trucking equipment instead. Check back here for news and information related to trucking fleet equipment, plus insights and analysis on trends and issues impacting the trucking industry.
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Trailer maker Wabash reaped the benefits of its reorganization and long-term customer deals in the first quarter.
General Motors is recalling 40,000 medium-duty trucks built by Navistar that can catch fire because of leaking brake fluid.
As their populations grow, Class 8 electric trucks are proving as susceptible to safety recalls as diesel-powered units.
A Daimler Truck recall of Western Star models for a windshield wiper defect has grown from a few hundred to more than 54,000.
Navistar is recalling about 45,000 older trucks because insufficient current to the HVAC blower motor led to melting and fires.
Splitting ammonia to get hydrogen is the approach of Amogy, another startup seeking success in the transportation energy transition.
The debt rating of Ryder, already in investment-grade territory, was upgraded by S&P Global Ratings this week.
Truck manufacturers booked about 19,000 Class 8 truck orders in March, a manageable load that lets them whittle away at backlogs.
Cummins used the occasion of a visit from President Biden to announce more than $1 billion of investment in its plants.
The EPA granted California a waiver to implement its Advanced Clean Trucks rule, which puts zero-emission-vehicle mandates on OEMs.
A leading environmental organization comes to CERAWeek and urges caution on a rush to a hydrogen future.
With some big-name backing, Verne is trying to tackle the issue of storing hydrogen on board a truck using it for fuel.
Navistar is having deja vu over a safety recall for high engine revving on International vehicles that can overwhelm the parking brake.
Participants at a pair of CERAWeek panels expressed excitement for hydrogen as the “fuel of the future” in trucking but starkly acknowledged the high infrastructure costs to make it happen.
Mack, Isuzu and Hino offer new battery-electric medium-duty work trucks as the industry transition accelerates from diesel and gasoline power.
Class 8 truck orders defied estimates of flattening in February as fleets show they still have money to spend.
The California Air Resources Board’s update on the Advanced Clean Fleets rule has only minor variations, and the journey to new regulations next year is well on its way.
A faulty Bendix brake part led to a Paccar Inc. recall of 8,008 Kenworth and Peterbilt medium-duty trucks.
Daimler Truck North America is recalling 77,000 trucks for brake module corrosion, the third recall for the same issue.
Rush Enterprises will curb its enthusiasm for stocking additional inventory of used trucks until prices begin to rise again.
Kenworth Truck Co. joins a select few truck manufacturers in reaching its 100th anniversary, which features two special edition trucks.
Ryder’s 2023 profitability forecast assumes lower numbers due to falling used truck prices.
After a surge in orders in December, trailer OEMs follow truck manufacturers in reporting slower bookings with large backlogs.
Cummins Inc. will retire two legacy engines, replacing them with one fuel-agnostic powertrain for medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
Engine maker Cummins backs OEM projections of a strong 2023 for new trucks. If the China market recovers, look for an earnings bounce.
Glenn Ellis was named the first American-born president and chairman of the Japan-based U.S. unit of Hino Trucks.
Engine maker Cummins Inc. posted 2022 records in key financial metrics as it worked to integrate its Meritor acquisition.
Class 8 truck orders in January fell year over year for the first time since August, lightening the 2023 backlog.
Aligning with certain customers on long-term supply agreements helped Wabash post Q4 and full-year records.
After months of downward moves, used truck prices ended the year closer to pre-pandemic levels than anytime since COVID hit.
As valuations of SPAC-backed startups plummet, one autonomous trucking developer that avoided the FOMO and stayed private is thriving.
Trailer manufacturers took in 57,300 orders in December, the second-highest monthly total since tracking began in 1996.
Colorado startup Outrider, which transforms distribution yards into automated operations, has raised $73 million in a Series C round.
Nikola purchased ailing battery startup Romeo Power Systems before its likely failure, but the fallout is spreading.
Wabash has signed a multiyear trailer supply agreement with J.B. Hunt, making good on its plan to smooth out equipment ordering.
Class 8 truck backlogs enter 2023 in healthy shape despite three consecutive months of lower orders after a record September.
Three rollover crashes of Peterbilt refuse trucks over eight model years led to the recall of 16,033 vehicles in the U.S. and Canada.
Drivers who paid top dollar for a used truck in the past year are probably kicking themselves, if not just taking the hit and walking away.
Even as the economy shows signs of slowing, trailer manufacturers see strong demand and few cancellations.
Uber Freight and Volvo Autonomous Solutions are stressing patience over hype in working to digitally schedule loads for the truckmaker’s one-stop shop for all things autonomy.
Outrider continues transforming yard operations to autonomy, adding a robotic arm to connect and disconnect brake lines.
As a seed-stage startup, Ali Javidan’s Range Energy doesn’t have much to show yet for his idea of electrifying trailers.
The industry’s first autonomous trucking marriage between TuSimple and Navistar is the first to end in divorce.
Solid Class 8 orders in November still marked the second straight month of decline as backlogs grow and supply and labor issues persist.
Navistar is recalling more than 31,000 vehicles across 12 product lines because fasteners may break due to inadequate heat treating.
The approach of Cummins Inc. to hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines is very different from how and when it talks about most of its products.
The easing of constricted supply chains has allowed trailer manufacturers to accept orders that were shunned a year ago.
As supply chain logjams lessen, improving new truck production levels put downward pressure on used truck prices.
Most trucking experts anticipate we’re headed into a freight recession — or we’re in one already. Yet truckers are ordering more equipment.
How does nearly three years as a nuclear machinist’s mate in the U.S. Navy prepare someone to be CEO of Wabash?
Daimler Truck North America is taking no chances that a brake module corrosion issue is more widespread than it thinks.
Class 8 truck orders remained strong in October, but lower profits at truckload companies may cool bookings.
The $3.3 billion acquisition of Meritor Inc. took a bite out of Cummins’ Q3 earnings as did underperforming joint ventures in China.
Used truck prices helped Ryder in comparison to last year, but the market is weak going forward.
Trailer and final-mile equipment maker Wabash crushed third-quarter earnings estimates and built its backlog for a rainy day.
The maker of Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF Trucks reported record Q3 net income on strong across-the-business performance.
Paccar Inc. is recalling late-model Kenworth and Peterbilt heavy-duty trucks because the digital dash system can freeze.
Uncertainty in the supply chain and commodity price vagaries are stretching out trailer orders beyond traditional cycles.
Each year carriers must pay their Unified Carrier Registration fees, and failure to do so could result in significant penalties, including suspension of vehicle registrations.
Updated ATRI research shows that a truck driver who disobeys traffic signals leading to a crash is 243% more likely to have another accident.
Romeo Power founder Michael Patterson shares what happened at the startup battery maker as a cautionary tale for other SPAC-backed startups.
Volvo Trucks North America is making vehicle as a service mandatory for buyers of its Class 8 electric trucks.
Federal regulators say there is not enough data to justify an exemption for pulsing brake lights on trucks
After nearly a year of accepting only orders they were sure they could build, heavy-duty truck OEMs fully opened orderbooks in September.
When the floor on auction prices of used trucks is reached late this year, they will still be 20% higher than pre-COVID prices.
Navistar is recalling 8,002 more trucks for a connecting rod defect discovered in 2020, bringing to 23,802 the number of trucks included.
Daimler Truck is using exclusive battery chemistry to boost the range of its next long-haul electric truck beyond 300 miles.
Does a comfy ride that resembles what they drive off duty keep a truck driver happier? OEMs seem to think so.
Truck manufacturers began to fill build slots for the first quarter of 2023 in August but pent-up demand for equipment remains unstated.
Cummins Inc. is recalling 12,196 engines across 28 manufacturers with a defect in the engine control module that can lead to stalling.
Hood trim pieces on Western Star vocational trucks are coming unglued, similar to an earlier recall for side intake covers falling off.
Computer module thefts from older-model Freightliner Cascadias are slowing, but owner-operators are still being sidelined.
Used trucks commanded lower prices at auction and retail in July as the overheated equipment market continued to cool.
Navistar’s S13 integrated powertrain will be the truck manufacturer’s last internal combustion engine as the trucking industry decarbonizes.
When the 2023 orderbooks for trailers finally open, the suppressed booking numbers will flip in a hurry, but that isn’t happening yet.
Navistar is recalling 8,483 International LT and LoneStar Class 8 trucks because battery cables can overheat to 260 degrees Fahrenheit.
The HVUT is a tax applied annually to many heavy commercial vehicles. How do you know if your vehicles are affected?
Fleets are holding off on Class 8 truck orders because supply shortages continue to delay acceptance of 2023 bookings.
On Jennifer Rumsey’s second day as CEO, Cummins Inc. reported strong Q2 earnings in North America.
Trailer maker Wabash is benefiting from a steady order backlog and a focus on more activity with targeted customers.
New Cummins Inc. CEO Jennifer Rumsey talked about mentoring and reaching the company’s Destination Zero carbon goals in a FreightWaves interview.
Cautious OEMs allowed the smallest number of trailer orders so far this year, pushing back bookings until late summer.
Experts expected a closing of the gap between record-high auction and retail used truck prices. Now both are in retreat.
Jennifer Rumsey grew up in Columbus, Indiana, where Cummins Inc. is based. Next month, she will become its first female CEO.
Outrider, an autonomous distribution yard developer, is readying a robotics kit that would allow shippers to automate operations.
Federal regulators are creating a board to recommend equipment standards aimed at preventing cars from sliding under trailers during truck crashes.
Don’t expect the restrictions that truck manufacturers are imposing on Class 8 order intake to last. There’s too much at stake.
Auction prices for used trucks are dropping as more equipment shows up amid cooling spot freight demand.
Trailer makers continue to push away orders as supply chain issues in different areas vex production amid stable pent-up demand.
Almost all heavy-duty truck manufacturers are part of a safety recall involving improperly assembled steering gears from a Bendix subsidiary.
Class 8 truck orders fell in May for seasonal reasons and because manufacturers kept a tight lid on bookings.
Freightliner powertrain parts thefts threaten the livelihood of drivers stranded with little hope of getting a replacement part.
Used trucks had doubled in price over the last year. Now, auctioneers are reporting that prices are finally softening.
Daimler Truck North America is trying to solve thefts of semiconductor-rich powertrain control modules from its tractors.
The Small Fleet & Owner-Operator Summit takes place on June 15, 2022.
Used truck auction prices started to ease in April as freight demand slowed, but they remain more than twice as expensive as a year ago.
With CVSA’s annual International Roadcheck fast approaching, now is the time for carriers and drivers to prepare for the inspection process.
War, pandemic shutdowns and supply chain woes resulted in a nearly 60% month-over-month decline in trailer orders in April.
Paccar Inc. is recalling 17,641 Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks from the 2018-2020 model years because of a steering part defect.
Class 8 truck orders fell to a seven-month low in April as manufacturers continued to restrict bookings over supply chain uncertainty.