Trucking Equipment

Few shippers understand the trucking business like Pepsi.

The FreightWaves Freight Intel Group is producing research culled from FreightWaves SONAR and other sources. Read about its first several research papers and how to learn more.

Ten regional haul fleets will participate in NACFE’s Run on Less Regional challenge to measure fuel efficiency and other metrics in real-world operation.

Volvo’s Vera autonomous vehicle is now moving containers from a local distribution center to the port in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Workhorse Group secured $25M in funding to help finalize development of its NGEN electric delivery vehicle.

North American lighting provider purchases Nashville-based firm specializing in location-based asset management.

Driver hiring includes many steps to ensure compliance, and many fleets turn to outside help to assist in that process.

Fiat Chrysler has pulled its merger proposal with Renault, blaming French politics.

Truck drivers looking for a job will soon have to register with a new drug and alcohol clearinghouse.

Volvo and Mack used trucks are now backed by factory warranties of up to 24 months and 250,000 miles for parts and labor on certain components.

Class 8 truck orders posted their worst month since July 2016, according to ACT Research, barely topping 10,000 units in May. Class 5-7 medium-duty orders followed suit

Military members under the age of 21 can now apply for inclusion in an FMCSA pilot program for younger drivers.

The top-paying fleets continued to increase driver pay in the first quarter, with some now paying as much as 65 cents per mile in an effort to retain high-performing drivers.

Third-party logistics providers will see their growth dented by the threatened tariffs on Mexican imports. The question is by how much?

The supply chain has become a pawn in the battle over immigration, and freight businesses are the ones who will be hurt.

Simplicity is the key in managing increasingly complex final-mile operations. That and basic blocking and tackling

Famed artist Syd Mead worked for Volvo Trucks at one point in his career, leaving behind a series of conceptual drawings.

Prologis and Blackstone Group are both trying to acquire the U.S. warehousing portfolio of GLP.

Trucks without mirrors are entering the testing phase, but they could soon become a reality.

Old Dominion has made a commitment to donate up to $250,000 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief fund.

Saudi Arabia Customs successfully transported a container to the Port of Rotterdam using blockchain for the packing list and commercial documents.

For years, shippers have tapped spare capacity of railcars and tracks as a low-cost option for storing and staging bulk commodities. But the widespread adoption of the business model known […]

Consumers are increasingly purchasing furniture and other large, bulky items online, forcing last-mile delivery providers to adapt.

In an ever-increasingly connected world, the ability of systems to speak to each other is critical. Fleet Complete’s CONNVEX solution is an example of an underlying system that helps that communication, including critically, between commercial vehicles and providers.

Amazon has broken ground on its Kentucky air hub, which will bring 2,000 jobs and up to 100 planes to the area.

Good day, Truck makers have been insisting that medium-duty truck owners are starting to look for the same type of data analytics and remote diagnostic capabilities that long-haul operators have […]

GM closed its Lordstown Complex on March 5, 2019, but it could see new life as the company is negotiating with Workhorse, which would build electric pickups in the facility.

Cruise Automation, the autonomous vehicle startup acquired by General Motors (NYSE: GM) in 2016, has secured an equity investment of $1.15 billion that values the company at $19 billion. The […]

A long-running lawsuit over leased vehicles appears to be reaching its conclusion. The lawsuit, Roberts, et al. v. C.R. England, Inc., et al, is scheduled for final approval by a […]

The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) will put into operation a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) built by Mack Trucks in 2020. The vehicle is an LR model refuse truck. […]

Seeking to strengthen its portfolio of off-highway, defense and aftermarket business, Meritor (NYSE: MTOR) is acquiring AxleTech from the investment firm The Carlyle Group. Meritor will pay approximately $175 million […]

Uber and Lyft drivers are planning to strike on May 8 at 10 locations in the U.S. to protest low wages among other concerns. Organizer Rideshare Drivers United is planning […]

Getting better use from your logistics assets, whether it be drivers, trucks, trailers, or general staff, is a major theme of Transparency19. And the Rapid-Fire Demonstrations on the second day […]

TravelCenters of America announced higher fuel volumes and revenue, but one-time charges led to a quarterly loss.

While it posted a decline in sales, Workhorse is optimistic about its future with full production of its electric van set for this fall.

Transplace has announced the appointment of Matthew Harding as senior vice president of data science. Harding, who rejoins Transplace after a nine-plus year stay at Chainalytics, will lead the company’s […]

J.B. Hunt Transport has consolidated its sales, operations and customer support functions for its Mexican subsidiary in a new office in Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico.

Convoy has worked closely with shippers on various projects, including its Convoy Go program that gives owner-operators access to drop-and-hook freight. It has now formalized those efforts in the Innovation Lab.

Eaton, maker of electrical systems and powertrain components posted record revenue in the first quarter.

Cummins is reviewing is emissions certification and compliance process following questions from EPA and CARB. The company did report strong earnings and a record number of engines shipped in the first quarter.

Bosch is working with Powercell to develop a hydrogen fuel stack for vehicles. Plus, housing index has positives for home buyers, JFK starts new phase of air cargo expansion, and trucking company in Denver crash had history of violations.

Chillicothe has a long history in the state, but in the past 45 years, it is the local Kenworth factory that has become an identifying centerpiece of this central Ohio town.

Ford invests $500M in electric pickup maker; plus U.S. may be pulling freight from trucking, India seeks logistics technology upgrades, and scientists call for unity on electric vehicles.

Kenworth will increase the size its Chillicothe, Ohio, manufacturing plant by nearly 25 percent once a new paint facility comes online in early 2021, the company said at a groundbreaking for the $140-million, 120,000-square-foot building.

Heavy-duty equipment maker tops estimates largely due to one-time tax gain, but the mining business does show better growth.

Three states and several utilities will study the needs of electric trucks along the I-5 corridor to make long-haul electric trucks a reality. Plus, the future of Cummins, flex fuels, and are the Chinese taking our railway jobs?

Nikola Motor Company founder & CEO Trevor Milton admits that he is smart enough to know that there are smarter people than him in the world, and he wanted to leverage that expertise when building his new truck. Enter the industry’s top suppliers.

Nikola Motor introduced its hydrogen-electric truck to the world, and it has a few big supporters, including Anheuser-Busch.

Utilities aim to meet ambitious goals of reducing emissions across western U.S., but technology and financing remain big hurdles.

Nikola Motor Company formally introduced its hydrogen-electric tractors, the Nikola Two and Nikola Tre (for Europe) at Nikola World 2019. Here are some photos from the event.

Nel Hydrogen and Nikola Motor are working together to ensure that as Nikola begins deployment of its hydrogen-electric trucks, there is hydrogen fueling stations in place to support them.

The founding of Nikola Motor Company did not happen overnight; it actually dates back to a time when a six-year-old boy was bothering his railroad-working father and was sent to see a train engineer.

Convoy is looking to help owner-operators and small fleets get access to drop-and-hook freight with a nationwide rollout of Convoy Go.

If you can get your hands on a Nikola Two hydrogen-electric truck in the near future, it could save you money compared to a diesel model, the company said. Getting one, though, will be hard due to early demand.

Nikola Motor envisions a world that is better off tomorrow than it is today, and it starts with a zero-emission future, the company said, as it introduced five emissions-free vehicles, including two semi trucks.

Market expert Dean Croke writes about the construction boom in Las Vegas, the number of flatbed trucks hauling steel to the city for its mega-construction projects, and the outlook for the flatbed truck market in 2019.

Ancra has introduced automated decking, which adjusts itself up and down the trailer based on keypad inputs from the user, eliminating the need to manually adjust support beams.

Managing a truck’s lifecycle proper requires understanding thousands of data points. Fleet Advantage is trying to make that process easier with its ATLAAS Unified system.

Providers are in the process of shutting down older 3G cellular networks, and that means the fleets running equipment on these networks could see disruptions.

Not long after its IPO, Lyft is removing electric bikes from the markets of New York City, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco after reports of problems with the vehicles’ brakes.

The grounding of all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft has caused many problems; it has also created an opportunity for freight forwarders. Read a market expert’s take on the situation.

Isuzu with partners Supreme and Delivery Concepts have introduced a truck body designed for craft brewers, complete with taps. Plus, ports seek alternative fuels, concerns over fracking, and Walmart pressures suppliers.

This year will see Volvo and Daimler put electric Class 8 trucks to test, as start-ups still have few commercially available models.

Truck drivers with minor damage to their vehicle now have a speedier way to handle that claim if they are a Progressive Insurance commercial customer with a new photo inspection tool.

Auto sales are declining, but the National Automobile Dealers Association still expects strong sales for 2019, plus the one area where Amazon is losing and opposition to Canada’s carbon tax grows.

Precision scheduled railroading and positive train control can help railroads improve service, safety and profits. Learn how in Jim Blaze’s piece.

Shell has introduced a new gas engine oil under its Rotella brand. The company said the extension of the brand to gas engines is due to brand loyalty from its commercial customers, many of whom also drive pickups and SUVs.

It’s been about 50 years since a truck maker has successfully entered the Class 8 market in North America and lasted, said Dominik Beckman, director of marketing and dealer operations for Hino Trucks. So what makes Hino think it can do that now?

A fold-down ramp is just one of the innovations Morgan Corp. has introduced recently at it looks to build truck bodies to match the growing demands of e-commerce last-mile operations.

Navistar’s Steve Gilligan discussed several technological opportunities for truck makers, including autonomous and electric trucks, during this week’s ACT Research conference.

ACT Research is forecasting 335,000 truck orders in 2019, but a sharp dropoff in 2020.

Daimler Trucks North America is recalling more than 3,300 heavy-duty Freightliner Cascadia trucks because of a potential air bag glitch in the steering wheel, which could unexpectedly deploy.

Bendix is now making its advanced safety systems available for retrofit for models where it was not factory-installed. Plus, U.S. finds little support for postal rate changes, detention time increasing and air cargo boom may be over.

While propane doesn’t pack quite the punch diesel does, it does produce enough power to handle many of the tasks at a fraction of the overall cost, advocates say, so why is not a more popular fuel for commercial operations?

Volvo has started testing connected vehicle technology in California, plus Michigan governor pitches fuel tax hike, California legislator wants to phase out diesel engines and Alibaba buys into delivery company.

Market expert Dean Croke writes about the impact of Daylight Saving Time (DST) on drivers (particularly truckers) and the pros and cons of the energy saving rationale behind DST.

Thousands of people flooded the Indiana Convention Center this week to see the latest products and services being offered to vocational and other types of fleets. Dozens of new products were announced, here is a look at some of them.

Electric trucks dominated the vehicle conversations at this week’s Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, plus the cost of charging vehicles, overtime pay changes and another trucker protest planned.

Utilimaster has unveiled a new customizable cargo box for last-mile delivery. The box has separate compartments that can be individually temperature controlled.

An Indianapolis construction fleet has leveraged Verizon Connect’s telematics solution to drive more efficiencies in dispatching, maintenance and fuel tax rebates for off-road diesel use.

International and Mack both announced new service offerings designed to improve the customer experience and operational effectiveness of their respective vehicles.

Mitsubishi Fuso said that customers are demanding more gasoline models in medium-duty operations, so it is delivering with this Class 5 gas-powered cabover.

Innovations in last-mile delivery continue, but each faces challenges to widespread adoption, although UPS, which will trial Thor electric trucks, encourages fleets to test out new technologies.

Truck electrification is ramping up quickly, but a number of challenges remain that must be solved before they see widespread adoption.

Ford announced the F-600, a “right-sized” truck that sits between the F-550 and the F-650. It is part of a broad commercial vehicle lineup update the company announced.

UPS’ Carlton Rose, president of global fleet maintenance and engineering, said he expects electric power to be the long-term solution in medium-duty, but it isn’t there just yet.

Electric vehicle charging infrastructure is still in its infancy, but is making progress.

Flashback Fridays previews the soon-to-open Freight Alley Haul of Fame and showcases four trucking companies that contributed to the history of trucking.

Technologies can help prevent rollovers, but a new startup company believes influencing driver behavior is the best approach to preventing rollovers.

Protecting market share is part of the battle over longer trucks.

Lawmakers heard how costly fees and equipment shortages along the supply chain are hurting exports.

The Motiv EPIC all-electric chassis will be installed on Ford F-59 glider chassis at a Detroit Custom Chassis plant. Also, Colorado passes bill lowering the commercial truck driving age and the Port of Long Beach sees near-record volumes.

Manual transmissions have almost disappeared from cars and light-duty trucks. But that isn’t the case in heavy-duty trucks. Read the pros and cons of manual and automatic transmissions in Class 8 trucks.

Hurricane Katrina was a catastrophe of unprecedented proportions during the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, but it also served as an early example of how useful crowd-sourcing and satellite imagery can be in disaster response.

Cargo thefts fell 19 percent in 2018 compared to the year before, according to SensiGuard. Plus, the EU cuts a deal on truck emissions and another trucker protest is planned for this week.

J.B. Hunt has closed its acquisition of Cory 1st Choice Home Delivery, adding the last-mile business to its Final Mile Services Division.

Positive Train Control isn’t just about safety anymore as the railroads revisit how the technology can generate capacity and save money.

When Daimler Trucks North America introduced its 2020 model year Freightliner New Cascadia. all attention was focused on the eye-opening headline: it is a Level 2 autonomous truck. While that is the sexy part of the truck, an even sexier headline for fleets should be the advances in fuel efficiency in the new model.

The 2020 model year Freightliner New Cascadia features technologies that qualify it as a Level 2 autonomous, but drivers shouldn’t be scared off by that.

January new truck orders have fallen 26 percent from December, continuing a trend that has developed after record-breaking months last year.