To honor many years of dedicated service, Liz Burleson-Bar­rett, outgoing Service Specialists Association president, announced the establishment of the Cara Gieb­ner SSA-GAAS Scholarship fund during the association’s recent annual meeting in New Orleans.

“This was a unanimous gesture on the part of the SSA Board of Directors,” says Burleson-Bar­rett. “It seems like an ideal way for us to honor Cara. As so much more than just the association manager, for 27 years Cara has been a close personal friend and beloved associate to many SSA members.”

The scholarship in the amount of $1,000 will be awarded to a deserving student each year who is enrolled in a heavy-duty oriented educational program and planning a career in the vehicle aftermarket.

For technician students that might be able to benefit from this scholarship, the eligibility requirements and application instructions are available online at www.automotivescholarships.com.

The scholarship will be administered by and awarded through GAAS (The Global Automo­tive Aftermarket Symposium), which

The American Trucking Associations’ advance seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index rose 0.8 percent in October after increasing a revised 1.8 percent in September. The latest gain put the seasonally adjusted index at 109.7 (2000=100) in October from 108.9 in September.

The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equaled 112.9 in October, up 0.3 percent from the previous month. 

Compared with October 2009, seasonally adjsuted tonnage climbed 6.0 percent, which was better than September’s 5.3 percent year-over-year gain. Year-to-date, tonnage is up 6.1 percent compared with the same period in 2009. 

ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello says that truck tonnage changes over the last couple months shows there are some bright spots in the U.S. economy. “October tonnage levels were at the highest level in three months, even after accounting for typical seasonal shipping patterns. These gains fit with reports out of both the manufacturing and retail sectors and show there is a little bit of life in this economic recovery. ”

Each month, ATA asks its membership the amount of tonnage each carrier hauled, including all types of freight.  The indexes are calculated based on those responses.  The sample includes an array of trucking companies, ranging from small fleets to multi-billion dollar carriers. When a company in the sample fails, we include its final month of operation and zero it out for the following month, with the assumption that the remaining carriers pick up that freight.  As a result, it is close to a net wash and does not end up in a false increase.  Nevertheless, some carriers are picking up freight from failures, and it may have boosted the index. Due to our correction mentioned above, however, it should be limited.

Trucking serves as a barometer of the U.S. economy, representing 68 percent of tonnage carried by all modes of domestic freight transportation, including manufactured and retail goods. Trucks hauled 8.8 billion tons of freight in 2009.  Motor carriers collected $544.4 billion, or 81.9 percent of total revenue earned by all transport modes.

ATA calculates the tonnage index based on surveys from its membership and has been doing so since the 1970s. This is a preliminary figure and subject to change in the final report issued around the 10th day of the month. The report includes month-to-month and year-over-year results, relevant economic comparisons, and key financial indicators.

The newly-combined marketing group, HDA Truck Pride, recently held its first Board of Managers meeting in St. Petersburg, Fla.  During the meeting, an executive committee was elected: chairman David Settles, Weldon Truck Parts, Oklahoma City, Okla.; secretary John Minor, Midwest Wheel, Des Moines, Iowa; and treasurer Keith McLemore, Stone Truck Parts, Garner, N.C.

The committee will take the strategic lead in guiding the combined organization to compete with an expanded footprint, more uniform product offerings, enhanced service network, as well as valued-added programs and services.

Other members of the Board of Managers include Lyle Bass – Power Train Service, Indianapolis; Jay Boggeman – Plaza Fleet Parts, St. Louis; John Bzeta – Fleet Brake Parts & Service, Calgary;  Bruce Greer – Kroeger Equipment & Supply Co., Porterville, Calif.;  Bill Ryan – Point Spring and Driveshaft Co., Pittsburgh; and Tom Gosnell, Flint Ridge LLC, Walton, Ky.

The HDA Truck Pride management team also recently conducted a five-city regional road show across North America to listen to its distributor members and to assess and accelerate its strategic growth plan.

According to Don Reimondo, CEO of HDA TruckPride, “The ongoing consolidation in the independent marketplace dictated that we as a unit look at who our prospects and partners were going to be five to seven years down the road and the impact they will have on the marketplace. We believe there is more strength for our customers in the expanded footprint of the new organization.”

SKF recently released its Power of One booklet – the second booklet introduced in the SKF Distributor Economic Series.

The Power of One booklet is written to help automotive and heavy-duty aftermarket distributors realize their full sales potential, and explains how every contribution – no matter how small – can have a large effect on the bottom line. The booklet now is available through the new SKF Distributor Portal located on the SKF VSM web site at www.vsm.skf.com.

“The Power of One booklet is not just a sales tool, it’s a motivational piece that inspires us to look within ourselves and realize our potential as individuals to contribute to the whole – whether that is your sales team, your company, or your community,” says Katie Noga, manager, marketing communications, SKF USA, Inc. “We hope that distributors will take the time to visit the Distributor Portal on the SKF VSM web site to download the booklet.”

Accuride Corporation announced a $13 million aluminum wheel capacity expansion plan. The plan entails the addition of aluminum wheel machining and polishing equipment to be located in both the Company’s Erie, Pennsylvania, facility, and its Monterrey, Mexico, wheel facility.

“Accuride’s strategic focus on further developing our core product offering and market penetration of these products is resulting in a steadily increasing global demand for our aluminum wheels,” says Bill Lasky, Accuride’s president, CEO and chairman of the board. “The addition of aluminum wheel production capability at our Monterrey wheel facility will allow us to meet the increasing product demands of our customer base both inside and outside the NAFTA region.”

Installation of equipment in Monterrey will begin in the first quarter of 2011 with completion anticipated by the third quarter of 2011.

Lanair Holdings, LLC, manufacturers of air comfort solutions, has announced the acquisition of Clean Burn, Inc. Based in Lancaster, Pa., Clean Burn is a niche manufacturer of waste oil furnaces and boilers.        

 For 31 years Clean Burn has been a leader in the manufacturing and selling of waste oil heaters and boilers used to transform used motor oils generated by cars, trucks, heavy equipment, boats and other vehicles into free heat.

 Lanair Holdings, which specializes in EPA-approved and UL-listed waste oil heaters that reduce energy costs and help the environment, will maintain the Clean Burn distribution network. The company will also continue to sell the Lanair brand of heaters factory-direct to end-users.

 “I am excited about the addition of Clean Burn to our line-up of top quality used-oil products,” says Barry Brandt, president and CEO of Lanair Holdings. “Clean Burn’s leading market position and strong distribution network will complement our existing products and significantly strengthen our market positioning. The quality and reputation of Clean Burn products are second to none and we’re pleased to unite our two companies.”

The business will be operated as Clean Burn, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lanair Holdings LLC. Lanair Holdings LLC is a holding company that also owns Lanair Products, LLC. For more information on Lanair, visit http://www.lanair.com/ or call 1-800-753-1601.

Meritor WABCO Vehicle Control Systems announced an agreement to supply Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) with advanced air and water management valves for commercial vehicles using SCR (selective catalytic reduction) aftertreatment to meet today’s emission standards.

“Meritor WABCO recognized that air and coolant management would play a vital role in the integration of SCR emission systems on commercial vehicles,” says Steve Hampson, director of compression and braking, Meritor WABCO.  “We’re excited that our expertise in advanced controls and valves can help DTNA meet increasing performance requirements for system air and vehicle coolant.”

Meritor WABCO is supplying two types of valves on Freightliner and Western Star models with diesel engines using SCR, depending upon vehicle configuration:

• SCR Air-Management Valve: Controls, protects and limits the air used from the braking system for urea injection, offering maximum protection of the air brakes. It also provides a blast of air to the urea nozzle at vehicle shut-down to keep the urea injector clean and operational.
• SCR Water-Management Valve: Controls the amount of vehicle coolant used by the SCR system to heat the urea tank and prevent the DEF from freezing. Coolant is also used to cool the injector assembly and pump system on certain SCR systems.

Champion Laboratories, Inc has launched social media sites for its Luber-finer brand of automotive, medium-duty and heavy-duty lines of filtration products on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Luber-finer’s social media presence has been designed to connect with channel partners, installers and end-users in a way that provides quick access to information about the Luber-finer brand, its filtration products and how they can be used, as well as offering a portal to connect with fellow Luber-finer users.

 “There’s no question that the creation of social media networks has changed the way we communicate, not only in our private lives but on a business level as well,” says John Casanova, vice president marketing & sales for Champion Laboratories. “We are confident that its new social media presence will enhance Luber-finer’s place in the markets it serves while strengthening our relationship with our channel partners, installers and end-users. This is another example of how Luber-finer is ‘Built To Do More’ for our customers.”

The Facebook and Twitter channels have been created to provide visitors with access to the latest news and information concerning Luber-finer’s lines of heavy-duty, medium-duty and automotive filtration products. The YouTube channel has been designed to be a repository for instructional and informational videos that can be accessed quickly and easily. Luber-finer’s LinkedIn channel connects with professionals in the automotive aftermarket and heavy-duty industries.

Hunter says its latest specification release to update WinAlign alignment systems for 2011 includes 465 new light-vehicle specs and updated specs for 400 older vehicles. Updates for Hunter’s CodeLink reset make it capable of resetting steering system sensors on more than 60 additional models from Acura, Audi, Buick, Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, Honda, Infiniti, Lexus, Mazda, Mercury, MINI, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Saturn, Scion, Toyota and Volkswagen.

The 2011 release also updates Hunter’s integrated TPMSpecs database and patented Tools and Kits database with the latest vehicle information. Hunter says TPMSpecs provides vehicle-specific TPMS reset procedures onscreen in an easy-to-understand format, while Tools and Kits presents all of the tools and aftermarket correction kits needed for each alignment.

In addition, the 2011 spec release also renews a user’s annual subscription to Hunter’s patented WebSpecs online database, which provides anytime access to the latest vehicle information as the data is released throughout the year.

Phillips Industries announces that Randy Therneau has joined the company as Account Manager OE Trailer.  In his new role, Therneau will be responsible for OEM sales, servicing trailers and specialty vehicles reporting to Ron Alvarez, OEM/OES & International Sales Manager.  “Randy is a great addition to our staff at Phillips,” says Alvarez, “His previous experience in our industry is invaluable because the knowledge he brings with him to Phillips will help us continue in our efforts to quickly find solutions to problems facing fleets and OEM’s.”

Prior to accepting his new position with Phillips, Therneau had a combined 20 years experience in the commercial vehicle industry working for Hendrickson International and Stemco.  He holds an Associate in Science degree from Kilgore College