Volvo Trucks North America has recalled approximately 700 workers at its New River Valley, Va. plant. The company plans to ramp up production at the plant beginning in June, moving the plant’s current workforce from 1,500 to around 2,200.

“Customer response to our products — particularly the fuel-efficiency and performance of Volvo’s new near-zero emission engines — continues to be extremely positive,” says Ron Huibers, Volvo senior vice president of sales and marketing. “Combined with the improving economy, this response is helping us continue the momentum we established with our 2010 market share increase.”

According to Volvo, a 47 percent increase in retail sales from 2010, through February, necessitated the worker boost. Volvo says a second shift will be added to accommodate the new workers at the plant.

Arvin Meritor Inc. has changed its name to Meritor, Inc. The company was originally known as Meritor from 1997 until its merger with Arvin Industries, Inc. in 2000.

According to the company, a decade of providing products under that name has created enough brand equity and customer loyalty to change the name back to Meritor. The company hopes to leverage this reputation and build on it moving forward.

The company’s stock symbol was changed from ARM to MTOR on March 30 at the New York Stock Exchange, and the company’s website has also been changed to www.meritor.com. Meritor plans to keep its bull logo, and will continue to be based in Troy, Mich.

Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC will open a new production line at its Bowling Green, Ky. plant in June. The company says the state-of-the-art line must be opened to meet increased demand for its ADB22X air disc brakes, and will triple the company’s assembly capacity in North America when it opens.

“Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake continues to invest in the business and in the manufacture of air disc brakes,” says Walt Frankiewicz, president of Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake. “The dramatic increase in demand and the new production line is the result of the growing acceptance of our ADB22X air disc brake in the North American market.”

Bendix saw a 120 percent increase in demand for its disc brakes during 2009 and 2010, and has seen another 40 percent increase in 2011.

The Accuride Corporation has released a new line of lightweight aluminum wheels. The new Accu-Lite wheels are 22.5 in. by 8.5 in and weigh 45 lbs, and Accu-Lite aluminum duplex wheels weigh 59 lbs.

“We are very pleased to introduce four aluminum wheels to our existing family of Accu-Lite steel wheels, which continue to be the benchmark for industry-standard steel wheels,” says Rick Schomer, Accuride’s senior vice president of marketing and sales. “For more than 100 years, Accuride wheels has been the trusted brand in product technology, delivery, and support. It is the introduction of new wheels such as the Accu-Lite aluminum line that allows us to maintain this reputation.”

Dometic has introduced a new blind spot camera. The PerfectView RVS is available in black and white or color, and is designed for over-the-road vehicles.

According to Dometic, the camera uses infrared LED technology to enhance night vision, includes a motor operated shutter to protect the lens from dirt and a heater to prevent condensation build up inside the camera. The camera’s housing is anodized and powder coated, which Dometic says protects it from weather.

“These advanced camera systems can provide an extra pair of eyes to the driver when reversing toward an unfamiliar ramp, or when pedestrians or cyclists disappear into the blind spot making a turn to the right,” says Lou Siegel, Dometic spokesman. “The modular design provides a host of combinations and configurations.”

The PerfectView RVS comes with a high-resolution monitor that operates on 12-30V DC power. It also comes with a microphone to allow drivers to communicate with people moving outside the vehicle.

Dometic has introduced a new portable air filter that is said to reduce allergens, contaminants and odors from the inside of a truck

According to Dometic, the Breathe Easy purifier uses photocatalytic nano-mesh and non-ozone producing ultraviolet light to reduce biological contaminants. The energy from the UV light activates titanium-dioxide catalysts on the nano mesh, and the pollutants that come in contact with the mesh are reconfigured into cleaner and healthier air, the company says. The Breathe Easy unit comes with a 12-volt DC power plug and AC plug adapter.

“Independent laboratory tests have shown that the Breathe Easy technology can reduce volatile organic compounds up to 96 percent and bacteria and fungi by up to 99 percent,” says Lou Siegel, Dometic spokesman. “The system has been proven to reduce allergy and asthmatic symptoms, and it also effectively removes odors from tobacco smoke, diesel fumes and other sources.”

Mark Fletcher has joined East Manufacturing as retail marketing representative for Southern Ohio and Western New York.

Fletcher has more than 13 years of sales experience in aluminum dump, flatbed and refuse equipment. For more than 12 years he was national sales representative at Trailstar trailers, and he spent a year with Benson trailers as national manager for dealer development.

Grote Industries has announced two new staff changes. The company has introduced Mark Blackford as a national fleet manager, and Kent Bode as a national account manager and manager of the South Central aftermarket region.

Blackford has worked with Grote for more than 20 years. He will be responsible for managing all fleet activities for OEM and aftermarket sales in his new position.

“Mark is the perfect Grote candidate for this highly important job,” says John Grote, vice president of sales and marketing. “His relationship with the fleets and distributors is second to none. He has extensive experience in training and technical problem solving, and has a proven track record of managing results to exceed expectations.”

Bode has spent the last 15 years with Grote, and will be managing the day-to-day activities of five heavy-duty direct field sales managers in 12 southeastern states in his new position. He will also manage activities and program rollouts for Grote’s various aftermarket heavy-duty groups.

“Kent’s abilities to execute and produce results are outstanding. Combined with his years of Grote aftermarket product development experience, our customers will receive top, expert support in all areas of their lighting business,” says Matt Forner, Grote director of aftermarket sales.

Jacobs Vehicle Systems has created a new website to serve its international audience. Now in the company’s 50^th year, the new site catalogs Jacobs’ growth of the last half century. The site was designed to serve OEM and end-user customers, and can be found at www.jakebrake.com.

“During the past 50 years our business philosophy has been rooted in core values which have not changed,” says Rob Tykal, Jacobs Vehicle Systems president. “The journey continues as we look forward to the next 50 years of striving to deliver exceptional quality and technologically advanced products and services to all of our customers.”

Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement partners Canada and Mexico was 19.5 percent higher in January 2011 than in January 2010, reaching $67.7 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Freight value in January rose 1.8 percent from December 2010; month-to-month changes can be affected by seasonal variations and other factors.

BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that the value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico in January 2011 rose 42.7 percent in two years from January 2009, which at $47.5 billion had the lowest amount of trade of any month since January 2004. Trade value in January 2011 was up 4.0 percent from the early recession level of January 2008.

The value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico in January was up 10.7 percent compared to January 2006, and up 46.2 percent compared to January 2001. Imports in January were up 36.6 percent compared to January 2001, while exports were up 59.6 percent.

U.S.-Canada surface transportation trade totaled $40.3 billion in January, up 17.8 percent compared to January 2010; Michigan led all states in surface trade with Canada in January with $5.0 billion. U.S.-Mexico surface transportation trade totaled $27.5 billion in January, up 22.1 percent compared to January 2010; Texas led all states in surface trade with Mexico in January with $9.6 billion.

The TransBorder Freight Data are a subset of official U.S. foreign trade statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau. New data are tabulated monthly, and historical data are not adjusted for inflation. Surface transportation includes freight movements by truck, rail, pipeline, mail, Foreign Trade Zones and other; in January, 85.1 percent of U.S. trade by value with Canada and Mexico moved on land.