James Menzies
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CAN YOUR DASH CAM COST YOU YOUR FAST CARD?
Dash cams have become popular among truck drivers for a number of reasons. Mark Roberts bought one after being involved in an accident in the US. A car in front of him lost control and smacked into Mark’s tandems. The…
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Trucking conditions are rosy, but there are some things to watch for: FTR
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The three most important things fleet executives should be monitoring are the economy, freight growth and the re-regulation of the trucking industry, FTR president Eric Starks explained during the industry forecaster’s State of Freight Webinar today. The…
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From uncertainty to prosperity: Jamestown Cummins plant turns 40
JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — Cummins last week celebrated the 40th anniversary of its Jamestown Engine Plant, which produces heavy-duty truck engines for the North American market. The milestone stirred strong emotions among those with ties to the plant, since just 10…
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Surviving tire hell: How to get the most life out of your tires in the most demanding duty cycles.
Every time a truck ventures off-highway, the risk of tire failures increases exponentially. Scrap metal yards, landfills, the bush – these are places tires go to die. “Most guys, when we start talking tires, their jaw drops when they hear…
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MIKE McCARRON BREAKS DOWN THE TRANSFORCE/CONTRANS DEAL
Well, as I mentioned before, the story of the month – maybe the year – is TransForce’s bold bid to take over (in a friendly manner) Contrans. Mike McCarron, who heads Wheels Group’s M&A initiatives, is no stranger to big…
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THEY DID IT: HEALTHY FLEET CHALLENGE REACHES ITS GOAL
In just 23.5 days, participants in the Healthy Trucker Healthy Fleet Challenge reached their goal by walking a total of 25,000 miles (the circumference of the globe). “Although the initial goal of the challenge was to walk 25,000 miles as…
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TRANSFORCE TO TAKE OVER CONTRANS IN BLOCKBUSTER DEAL
Of course, the real biggest story, to those of us in the trucking industry, was TransForce’s surprise acquisition of Contrans. Of course we were the first to report on it and to post reaction from industry analysts and observers. You…
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DRIVING VOLVO’S VNX HEAVY-HAULER
I love driving trucks and I’ll travel anywhere to do so, but there’s something special about driving them in your own neck of the woods over familiar roadways. I had the opportunity to do so when Volvo made its new…
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AND DRIVING A GREAT BIG FREIGHTLINER
Next up was the Freightliner 122SD tri-drive heavy-haul tractor; a Canadian spec’ that will find a home in the Alberta oilfields. This beast featured a large classic-styled hood, a 70-inch mid-roof sleeper, a Detroit DD16 engine putting out 600 hp…
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DRIVING A LITTLE FREIGHTLINER
With the Freightliner business sessions behind us, it was time to hit the streets of Yountville, Calif. and surrounding highways in a variety of Freightliner trucks. I first opted for the smallest of them, an M2 106 powered by a…
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FREIGHTLINER’S VOCATIONAL FOCUS PAYING OFF
Four years ago, at a press event in Napa Valley, Calif., Freightliner declared it was going to get serious about the vocational truck market. The company said it wouldn’t rest until it is the “undisputed market leader” in the vocational…
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SOME (ALLEGEDLY) DRUNK GUY IN A TRUCK TAKES OUT BURLINGTON SKYWAY
Well, unfortunately the biggest news concerning the trucking industry these days – if you’re to judge by column inches in the mainstream newspapers – was the guy who slammed a raised dump body into the Burlington Skyway, putting it out…
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Freightliner announces new options for vocational trucks
NAPA VALLEY, Cali. — Freightliner, in its ongoing quest to control the vocational truck market, has added new options to its M2 and SD truck models. “We are dedicated to providing our vocational customers with a breadth of options that…
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How Freightliner conquered the vocational truck market
Five years ago, Freightliner set out to become a vocational truck leader. Now it claims it has accomplished that goal. Here’s how they did it.
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Freightliner looks to limit downtime to three days, max
NAPA VALLEY, Cali. — Freightliner has set an internal goal to limit the downtime of its vehicles to no more than three days, for even major repairs. Richard Howard, the company’s newly appointed senior vice-president of sales and marketing, revealed…
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