News
Chinese firm buys stake in Volvo Trucks
A busy year in trucking refuses to go out with a whimper, as new reports broke Wednesday that China's Geely Holding is buying an 8.2% stake in Volvo Trucks. The shares will be purchased from the Cevian Capital investor group for approximately $3.3 billion, according to published reports.
Yard Dogs: Equipment to keep trailers on the move
TORONTO, ON -- Yard dogs, hostlers, terminal tractors, shunt trucks ... they are known by a variety of names, but serve a single purpose. Moving trailers around. They are common at distribution centers, marine terminals, and rail heads, and they are often used by larger carriers with cross-docking facilities.
REVIEW: X12 fights above its weight class
JAMESTOWN, NY - Cummins' new X12 engine is slated to hit the street sometime early this year, probably shortly after its formal launch in February or March. The engine was introduced in August 2016 and I had a short drive with it then around the 11-kilometer track at the Transportation Research Center in East Liberty, Ohio. It wasn't much of an opportunity to get to know the engine, but it whet my appetite. Cummins invited me to drive the new X12 this past November on a longer real-world route, starting from the plant in Jamestown, New York, where the X12 is to be built. The X12's 11.8-liter displacement puts it smack dab in the middle of the medium-bore market, but its published ratings put it squarely in 13-liter territory for torque and horsepower. Tipping the scales at just 2,050 pounds, it has the highest power-to-weight ratio of any heavy-duty engine from 10 liters to 16 liters in size, but it's actually lighter than any of the 11-liter blocks on the market (subject to interpretation on how "dry weight" is determined).
U.S. rates push higher on tight capacity
BLOOMINGTON, IN - Spot and truck rates pushed higher this fall as the U.S. truck market tightened, analysts at FTR have found. Some of the capacity should ease in the first quarter, after holiday shipments - but the fallout from mandated Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) will have a say in that.
ATA applauds Electronic Logging Device mandate
ARLINGTON, VA - The American Trucking Associations is applauding the arrival of mandated Electronic Logging Devices in the U.S. "Electronic Logging Devices have been legislated, promulgated and litigated - with Congress voting three times in the past five years in favor of this requirement and a federal court rejecting a challenge to the rule. The time has finally come to retire decades-old, burdensome paper logs that consume countless hours and are susceptible to fraud and put the safety of all motorists first. The benefits of this rule exceed the costs by more than $1 billion, making it a rule the ATA can firmly support and easily adopt," said Chris Spear, the associations' president and Chief Executive Officer.
Volvo expands land for customer experience
DUBLIN, VA - Volvo Trucks has added 49 acres to a customer experience track next to its 36,000-square-foot Volvo Trucks Customer Center. The land builds on the 1.1-mile track that already features on-highway and off-road areas. Another 221 acres has also been secured under a lease-to-purchase agreement for future use.
