News
Chanje electric vans unveiled in U.S.
BROOKLYN, NY - Chanje is here. The Chinese-based vehicle manufacturer (pronounced "change") has officially unveiled its electric medium-duty panel van in Brooklyn, New York, with Ryder taking delivery of 125 units for its rental and leasing fleet. The initial rollout will be in key California markets including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego, as well as New York and Chicago. Ryder will provide parts distribution, service and support. "All the trends in diesel are going in the wrong direction," said Chanje Chief Executive Officer Bryan Hansel, noting that diesel equipment is increasingly expensive to build, purchase, and maintain. China's demand for electric vehicles is expected to outpace North America's needs in coming years, but the U.S. market sets the highest bar for vehicle reliability and safety, and it is home to some of the largest delivery companies and consumer brands expected to use the vehicles, Hansel says. This is being developed as a "world" truck for markets here and elsewhere, and the company says it has invested about US $1 billion in the design and related tooling. But Canada's official rollout has to wait for now. "It's demand-driven. We're certainly going to be inquiring to see the uptake opportunity," Hansel said, referring to Canada as a parallel market to the U.S. "It seems like a natural progression."
What happens when drums and discs mix?
Now that air disc brakes have taken their place in North American truck makers' order books, fleets are still asking questions about mixing discs and drums. Are there serious downsides to running discs only on the steer axle? Should I worry about mixing disc-equipped trailers with drum-equipped tractors or vice versa?
IN PRINT: Tougher penalties for fatal collisions
MELFORT, SK -- The final chapter in a small-town Saskatchewan tragedy came without much fanfare. After entering a guilty plea to three counts of dangerous driving causing death and one count of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, Normand Lavoie, a 41-year-old truck driver from Winnipeg, was sentenced in a Melfort, Saskatchewan, court to three years for each of the three teenagers whose lives he brought to a sudden end 28 months earlier. The sentences will be served concurrently, followed by a five-year driving ban.
IN PRINT — Attracting a new generation of workers
Attracting the under-35 crowd is a full-time job for many marketers, including those trying to sell jobs in the trucking industry. Already facing a growing labor shortage in all areas of the industry, fleets should brace themselves for the onslaught of retirements coming in the next few years. As baby boomers decide to cash in and trade their trucks for lawn mowers and golf clubs, carriers face a crisis.
OTA defends industry record in wake of crashes
TORONTO, ON - The Ontario Trucking Association is coming to the defense of the industry's reputation following a series of high-profile commercial vehicle collisions. Citing figures from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, it notes that mechanical fitness plays a role in fewer than 2% of fatal collisions involving trucks, and of those collisions the truck driver was driving properly 70% of the time. "This data reflects the elevated level of commitment to road safety by both professional truck drivers and fleet managers, but it also shows that if we are going to improve truck safety in any meaningful sense, the opportunities are related to human factors," said association president Stephen Laskowski.
