U.S. Proposes Changes to Major Truck Safety Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Changes are in the works in the U.S. when it comes to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) key truck safety program. The agency announced on Monday it is proposing enhancements to its Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program, including changing some intervention thresholds to better reflect crash risk."These enhancements to SMS allow us to sharpen our focus on carriers with high crash rates, more effectively identify driver safety problems and hazardous materials carriers with serious safety problems, and more accurately account for carriers that are driving on our roads the most," the agency said on its website. These proposed changes are based on results from the agency testing and input from industry, enforcement, and other safety stakeholders. The proposed SMS enhancements include: Changing some of the SMS Intervention Thresholds to better reflect the Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories' (BASICs) correlation to crash risk.

New Peterbilt dealership opened in Windsor

WINDSOR, Ont. — Cervus Equipment has opened a new Peterbilt dealership in Windsor. The dealership opened its doors in mid-June and is situated eight kilometres away from the Windsor-Detroit border…

Volvo Group opens new parts distribution centre

BYHALIA, Miss. — Volvo Group has inaugurated its new $70-million central distribution centre in Byhalia, Miss. The one million square foot facility will support the Mack and Volvo truck brands,…

Custom Truck Sales celebrates 50th anniversary

REGINA, Sask. — Custom Truck Sales recently celebrated its 50th anniversary as a Kenworth dealer, inviting nearly 1,000 customers to five events at its Manitoba and Saskatchewan dealerships. The five…

Transportation Summit Can Help You with Trucking Challenges

MISSISSAUGA -- How should you react to the many challenges shaping the freight transportation industry? That is just one of the many topics that will be discussed during the Surface Transportation Summit on Oct. 14 as shippers, carriers, and industry suppliers gather for a full day's worth of presentations, workshops, keynote addresses, networking and panel discussions.

Canadian, U.S. Fuel Prices Decline Slightly Over Past Week

LONDON, ON and WASHINGTON, D.C. --The average cost of diesel fuel in Canada this week has moved down slightly this week after a brief upturn last week, hitting its lowest level in nearly two months.

Quebec Providing $1.5 Billion for Port Improvements

MONTREAL -- Quebec's government announced on Monday it will invest more than $1.5 billion in the province's ports over the next five years as part of what it calls its "Maritime Strategy," including money for improving roads to speed up cargo movement at the Port of Montreal.

GE Plans to Sell Fleet Services

FAIRFIELD, CT – General Electric has announced plans to sell off its fleet management and commercial lending and leasing businesses over the next two years to allow it to focus…

U.S. Canada Freight Flow Value Drops

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The value of U.S.-Canada freight plummeted in April, according to a new U.S. Transportation Department report, as overall freight traffic between all three North American Free Trade Agreement countries also declined.U.S.-Canada freight totaled US$48.8 billion in April, down 12.5 percent from a year earlier, as all modes of transportation - truck, rail, air, pipeline and vessel - carried a lower value of U.S.-Canada freight than a year earlier. The top commodity category transported between the U.S. and Canada was vehicles and parts, of which 58.2 percent moved by truck and 39.2 percent moved by rail. Vehicles and parts replaced mineral fuels as the top commodity in March. Mineral fuels had been the top commodity by value moved between the U.S. and Canada for 29 consecutive months starting in November 2012. This change is due, in large part, to a decline in the unit price of mineral fuels in recent months.

APTA Cautious About Increased Tolling in Nova Scotia

Dieppe, NB - One trucking group is open to a plan by the Nova Scotia government to speed up construction along what it said are some of the province's "most dangerous sections of highway" but it's not wild about seeing increased highway tolls.The sentiment from the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association (APTA) follows the government asking for proposals to conduct a feasibility study for the twinning and tolling at eight specific sections of four major highways, with the belief the additional funding could speed up the pace of roadway expansions. The association said the government's commitment to undertake a study on how to twin sections of parts of 100 series highways more quickly is a good approach, provided the government goes into the study with an open mind about its current revenues from fuel taxes and how they should be spent.

Canada’s Element Financial Purchasing Parts of GE Capital

TORONTO - The Canadian fleet management and equipment finance company Element Financial Corp. has reached an agreement to acquire GE Capital's remaining North American fleet management operations in the U.S. and Mexico, along with as GE Capital's fleet management operations in Australia and New Zealand.

Waste Management Launches Waterloo CNG Truck Fleet

WATERLOO, ON - The company Waste Management celebrated the launch last week of a new fleet of compressed natural gas (CNG) fueled trucks at its facility on Conrad Place in Waterloo.

Used Truck Prices Still Increasing, Trailer Orders Ease

COLUMBUS, IN - Used heavy truck prices in the U.S. during May took a break from their increasing pace. Commercial vehicle data provider Act Research reports the average cost in April experienced a leveling off, in keeping with the trend of flattening age and mileage, coming in just shy of US$50,000.Compared to April, the average price is up eight percent from last year, with the gains in line for ACT's expectations of five percent to 10 percent price growth in 2015 in the Class 8 sector. Total reported sales volumes of used Class 8 trucks fell to 2,496 units in May, down 11 percent month-over-month, but up three percent year-over-year. "Volume softening can be seen in the retail and wholesale markets, with month over month declines of 12 percent and 14 percent, respectively," said Steve Tam, vice president, commercial vehicle sector with Act Research. "Auction transactions saw a nine percent increase month over month, eight percent above volumes from May 2014. Our guidance for full year 2015 sales remains unchanged."

Get Valuable, Free Information for Your Trucking Business

BLOOMINGTON, IN - There are few things in life that are free, and even more so in trucking, but soon you will have a chance to get some free information that could be valuable for your trucking business.

Daimler SuperTruck Receives Super Honor

PORTLAND, OR -- A special heavy-truck designed to show how fuel consumption can be further reduced by aerodynamic and other energy management measures, along with the use of an intelligent powertrain components, has received the "Distinguished Achievement Award" from the U.S. Department of Energy.