John G Smith

John G. Smith is Newcom Media's vice-president - editorial, and the editorial director of its trucking publications -- including Today's Trucking, trucknews.com, and Transport Routier. The award-winning journalist has covered the trucking industry since 1995.

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Daimler chief unfazed by NAFTA talk

MADRAS, OR - Roger Nielsen, the recently named president and Chief Executive Officer of Daimler Trucks North America, doesn't seem concerned by talk about renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement - even though its manufacturing footprint includes Mexico. "We're a global company, and globally we believe in free trade. And we're prepared to engage everybody and anybody in discussions," he said during his first media briefing. "I don't anticipate any major changes in the NAFTA." The company has reserve manufacturing capacity in the U.S. and Mexico, he noted. The supply chain is also dual-sourced. "They have the ability to source worldwide or source domestically."

Commercial vehicle registrations down: IHS Markit

SOUTHFIELD, MI - Canada had 16,495 new Class 3-8 commercial vehicle registrations in the first quarter of this year, down 4% from the same quarter in 2016, according to IHS Markit's Quarterly Commercial Vehicle Report. The largest levels for a first quarter were reported in 2012, when there were 17,476 such registrations, and in the last five years the first quarters have been within 1,500 units of that peak, the analysts say. Canada now has 1.355 million Class 3-8 registered vehicles, 40% of which are Class 8 models and 32% are Class 3.

Canadian Solar invests in commercial transportation

GUELPH, ON - Canadian Solar has acquired a 10% interest in eNow, a U.S. business that specializes in solar energy management systems for commercial transportation. The partnership leverages Canadian Solar's expertise in developing and producing photovoltaic systems. Its module technology will interface with eNow's power management system - delivering a solar-based energy management system that can help to reduce idling needs. "While we have become one of the world leading solar energy solution providers with close to 20 GW module deployment since 2001, I still remember we started very small in 2001 when we provided a 3-watt solar power battery trickle charging system for cars," said Shawn Qu, Canadian Solar's chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

‘The future is here’: Nikola CEO

GATINEAU, QC - The founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nikola Motor Company suggests today's truck manufacturers face a fate similar to Kodak, which watched its film business collapse during the advent of digital cameras. "They [Kodak] were so powerful that they never expected to change anything," Trevor Milton said in an address to the 66th annual meeting of the Quebec Trucking Association. "Why change something that already works?" His Utah-based company is certainly looking to reinvent the idea of a Class 8 truck, as it looks to produce a hydrogen-powered electric model known as the Nikola One.