VW, Navistar: What’s the Deal?

by Rolf Lockwood

Well, it finally happened. Rumored for many months, if not years, and now a fait accompli, Volkswagen Truck & Bus has bought a piece of Navistar International. While the gossip mill mostly envisioned an outright purchase by the German giant, yesterday's announcement described a less dramatic deal: VW is buying a 16.6% stake in the Illinois company. It will pay US$15.76 per share or a 25% premium over Navistar's 90-day volume-weighted average price as of Aug. 31, or 12% over Navistar's closing price on Sept. 2. Navistar will receive US$256 million from the equity investment to be used for general corporate purposes.

What’s “professional”?

by Rolf Lockwood

I have trouble with the phrase ‘professional truck driver’. Some drivers are indeed professional, very much so, and I count many amongst my friends. If I…

Job Security?

by Rolf Lockwood

Driver, your job is not at risk. Well, let me qualify that. Unless you’re comprehensively unable to keep ‘er between the poles, you’re safe. In the…

• Transportation

Safety pays and now we can prove it

by Ray Haight

Some recent data released by TCAinGauge has revealed some exciting information; it’s exciting for a couple reasons. First, by way of background, the Truckload Carriers Association’s industry benchmarking…

• Transportation

Where’s the carbon tax for the Number One GHG emitter in the world?

by Roger McKnight

I don’t know about you, but I find magicians annoying. I mean, pulling a rabbit from a hat? I’m convinced magicians are either active or former politicians. In…

Trusting Technology

by Jim Park

You, dear reader, have the good fortune of reading the first words written for profit on my brand new Lenovo ThinkPad computer — or at least what’s left of it.

35 years’ experience, or one year’s experience 35 times?

by Jim Park

Where I live, commercial drivers are required to rewrite their CDL test every five years in order to renew the licence. I wrote my renewal test today and aced it.

• Transportation

Nebulous is the perfect word to describe the future price of crude

by Roger McKnight

The word nebulous comes in handy when someone has no answer to a question, or needs to defend their answer with the most mysterious answer of all, “Well that’s…

• Transportation

Fast track your career by creating your own personal coaching staff

by Dan Goodwill

One of the business trends over the past couple of decades has been the employment of personal coaches to help key leaders and executives enhance their skill sets. These coaches…

• Transportation

The importance of credit checks

by Charles Sheppard

There is very little in the trucking business that is more frustrating than invoicing a customer for a delivered load and then not getting paid in time, or worse, not…

• Transportation

The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step

by Lou Smyrlis

A few issues ago I wrote about breaking the stereotype of the obese and unhealthy trucker. I said it’s time to throw out the excuses – too many hours behind…

Trust Your Co-pilot: Bendix Wingman Fusion keeps virtual eyes on the road, foot upon the brakes

by John G Smith

First, a confession. I am a terrible passenger. My right foot is always pumping against the floor mat whenever I find myself riding shotgun. A knot forms in my stomach when someone takes anything other than my favorite route. When the Today's Trucking team carpooled to a trade show earlier this year, I was quick to reach for the keys before anyone else had the chance.

• Transportation

What’s happening in the world of crude oil during these lazy, hazy days of summer?

by Roger McKnight

I understand that we are in the hazy mid-August days of summer, but from the questions I’ve been fielding recently (that is not a “dog day” baseball inference, and I…

• Transportation

Attention fossil fuel fighters — they are not a luxury in the winter months, they’re a life and death necessity

by Roger McKnight

I’ve got this thing about time lately. Yes, the accidental pun master strikes again! “They,” whoever they are, say that, “Timing is everything.” For politicians, this is…

Fuel for the Fire: Tax change fails to recognize how diesel is used

by John G Smith

A house is not a home -- and in the eyes of the taxman it appears your sleeper is no longer a house on wheels. How else can we explain the end of Federal Excise Tax (FET) exemptions that have long been applied to the diesel that pumps through Auxiliary Power Units and bunk heaters? The heating oil used to warm a house is exempt. Add a few working axles underneath that house and it's a different story.