Fras-le moved its North American corporate headquarters the Detroit suburb of Northville, Mich. on Monday. The new office is located at 22260 Haggerty Rd., Suite 365, Northville, MI 48167.

“The additional space will enable our sales and marketing team to better serve our customers,” says Fras-le’s Director of Operations, Zomar Oliveira. “The new office goes along with the addition of more product development, product management specialists and sales professionals to enhance our OEM, commercial and light vehicle aftermarket business.”

The new Fras-le North America phone number is (248) 735-4900, while the company’s new fax number is (248) 735-4901. Fras-le’s customer service and technical support number remains (800) 243-2959.

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC has announced its support of proposed legislation that would provide tax incentives for the implementation of commercial vehicle safety technologies.

The Commercial Motor Vehicle Advanced Safety Technology Act of 2011 (S. 1233) and (H.R. 1706) would provide a tax credit equal to 50 percent of the cost of any qualified commercial vehicle safety system that is placed into service during the tax year. The bills were introduced to the U.S. Senate on June 20, 2011, and to the House of Representatives on May 4, 2011.

The bills recognize brake stroke monitoring systems, lane departure warning systems, collision warning/mitigation systems and vehicle stability systems as technologies that have the potential to improve overall highway safety. Offering tax incentives to fleets and owner-operators that use one or more of the active safety technologies included in the bills could help drivers improve highway safety and potentially mitigate accidents on our nation’s roadways, Bendix claims, adding that safety is increasing important for fleets and owner-operators under the new CSA regulations.

Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report that between 1999 and 2009, more than 57,000 fatalities resulted from almost 50,000 crashes involving large trucks and buses. In addition to injury and loss of life, Bendix says accidents involving heavy-duty vehicles can result in lost time due to out-of-service conditions; the potential for extensive cleanup costs resulting from the accident; and unexpected traffic delays for everyone sharing the roadway. Bendix believes these bills have the potential to significantly accelerate the implementation of these valuable safety technologies — such as electronic stability control, collision mitigation and more — that can help drivers prevent these incidents.

“The Commercial Motor Vehicle Advanced Safety Technology Act of 2011 will help make critical active safety technologies even more accessible for today’s safety-conscious fleets and owner-operators,” says Fred Andersky, Bendix director of government relations. “Bendix has long been committed to developing technologies designed to help drivers improve highway safety, while also delivering cost-effective solutions to help make our nation’s roadways safer. We fully support H.R. 1706 and S. 1233 and the legislators who are working to make these safety technologies even more affordable.”

H.R. 1706 was sponsored by Congressmen Geoff Davis (R-Ky.) and Michael Thompson (D-Calif.). It is currently co-sponsored by Representatives Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.); David Dreier (R-Calif.); Michael Michaud (D-Maine); Gary Peters (D-Mich.); Sue Myrick (R-N.C.); and Heath Shuler (D-N.C.).

S. 1233 was sponsored by Sen. Debbie Anne Stabenow (D-Mich.).

The U.S. average price for a gallon of diesel declined for the seventh time in eight weeks during the week ended Monday, June 27, this time falling 6.2 cents to $3.888 a gallon, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration. Diesel prices are 93.2 cents higher than the same week last year.

The average price of diesel declined in all regions tracked by DOE. The largest drop was 9.0 cents in California, where prices fell to $4.146, still the nation’s most expensive diesel. The smallest decline was 3.9 cents in New England, where prices fell to $4.038. The nation’s cheapest diesel was on the Gulf Coast, where prices declined 6.2 cents to $3.834.

Complete diesel price information is available on EIA’s website.

Eaton Corp. announced several “Powering Communities Grants” totaling $47,000 to support community organizations in the Milwaukee area. The donations will be used to enhance various programs and organizations that positively affect the lives of citizens throughout the region. The company’s “Powering Communities Grants” are intended to help improve the quality of life in communities where Eaton employees live, work and volunteer.

“Eaton is committed to giving something back to the communities in which it does business,” says Todd Park, human resources director for Eaton’s Industrial Controls Division. “We are proud to support these organizations because they offer valuable services and benefits to the citizens of Milwaukee and the surrounding areas.”

Funding recipients include:
• STEM Forward (formerly Engineers & Scientists of Milwaukee): $10,000 to support educational initiatives including the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest and the Future City Competition;
• Delphi House: $7,500 to purchase a new furnace for the foster home for large sibling groups;
• Special Olympics Wisconsin: $7,500 to sponsor various area competitions for people with cognitive disabilities. It also provides support for special initiatives such as the Athlete Leadership, Young Athletes and Healthy Athletes Programs;
• University of Wisconsin (Milwaukee): $7,500 to provide scholarship support for the College of Engineering and Applied Science Engineering Scholarship Fund;
• YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee: $7,500 to support its Black Achievers program which equips high school teens of color to work toward educational and career goals;
• 30th Street Industrial Corridor Corp.: $3,500 to purchase backpacks and school supplies for children in need. Eaton also partners with the Coalition for Hope Blockwatch to distribute the backpacks and school supplies; and
• Junior Achievement of Wisconsin: $3,500 to supply programming materials for Junior Achievement Excellence through ethics classes conducted in metro Milwaukee area high schools.

Eaton’s Milwaukee campus is the headquarters for the company’s Industrial Control Division, part of its Electrical Sector, as well as the company’s corporate Innovation Center. The campus employs about 150 people who provide engineering and marketing support to the division’s manufacturing locations, including research and development support for the company overall.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published in today’s Federal Register a notice for the draft version of the agency’s  “2011-2016 Strategic Plan: Raising the Safety Bar,” a document that will outline a framework for FMCSA to carry out its safety mandate and will place a “greater emphasis on overall commercial motor vehicle transportation life cycle.”

The plan is FMCSA’s second such document since the agency was established in 2000.

According to the notice, the strategic plan will be broken down into four focus areas:

CMV Safety 1st Culture: Deliver comprehensive safety programs and promote operating standards focused on fostering safety as the highest priority within the CMV transportation life-cycle. Recognize that, while safety is FMCSA’s highest priority, the Agency must also foster other important societal goals within the CMV transportation industry, including security, hazmat safety, consumer protection, and other DOT objectives.

Exponential Safety Power (SafetyX Power): Establish new partnerships and develop policies and programs promoting opportunities to collaborate with all stakeholders on 4CMV safety interventions. Build a coordinated network of safety partners and stakeholders to advance a common safety agenda.

Using Comprehensive Data & Leveraging Technology: Improve standards and systems to identify, collect, evaluate, and disseminate real-time performance data to all employees, customers, partners and stakeholders. Leverage research and emerging technologies to positively impact CMV transportation safety.

One FMCSA: Improve the strategic management of programs and human capital within FMCSA to build and sustain a diverse workforce and to develop innovative solutions to the CMV transportation challenges of today and tomorrow.

On September 8, 2010, FMCSA hosted a public listening session asking for input on the challenges in the trucking industry as well as comments and recommendations for the agency in developing its new five-year plan.

To view FMCSA’s Strategic Plan document, click here. Comments should be submitted to the Federal Docket Management System at www.regulations.gov, Docket ID No. FMCSA-2011-0098. The deadline for comments is July 29.

The American Trucking Associations’ advance seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index decreased 2.3 percent in May after decreasing a revised 0.6 percent in April. April’s drop was slightly less than the 0.7 percent ATA reported on May 25, but the latest drop put the adjusted index at 112.3 in May, down from the April level of 114.9.

The nonseasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equaled 115.9 in May, which was 2 percent above the previous month. Compared with May 2010, adjusted tonnage climbed 2.7 percent, although this was the smallest year-over-year gain since February 2010. In April, the tonnage index was 4.8 percent above a year earlier.

“Truck tonnage over the last four months shows that the economy definitely hit a soft patch this spring,” says ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “With our index falling in three of the last four months totaling 3.7 percent, it is clear why there is some renewed anxiety over the economic recovery.”

However, Costello remains cautiously optimistic that freight volumes will improve in the second half of the year along with economic activity. “With oil prices falling and some of the Japan-related auto supply problems ending, I believe this was a soft patch and not a slide back into recession, and we should see better, but not great, economic activity in the months ahead,” he says.

ATA calculates the tonnage index based on surveys from its membership. The report includes month-to-month and year-over-year results, relevant economic comparisons and key financial indicators. The baseline year is 2000.

Federal-Mogul Corporation has developed an electrical brushless diesel fuel pump for on- and off-highway engines with improved durability to help keep heavy-duty vehicles working longer, the company says. The technology suits 12V and 24V applications and is available for diesel engines typically used in the medium- and heavy-duty on-highway sector and in the construction, stationary, marine and agricultural sectors.

Fuel pumps are an essential part of diesel powertrains, transferring the fuel from the tank to the injection system. A typical electric pump is more fuel-efficient than those driven directly by the engine; however, Federal-Mogul says the carbon commutator and brushes found in conventional pumps are subject to wear, which is accelerated by high engine vibration and variations in diesel fuel.

Federal-Mogul claims its electrical brushless fuel pump addresses the shortcomings of a conventional fuel pump. With electronic commutation to drive the DC motor, the company’s cost-effective, non-contact technology is said to be more durable than a conventional pump even when mounted directly on the engine. Durability field tests of Federal-Mogul’s electrical brushless pump showed the product can last approximately 20 times longer than a conventional pump. The pump’s efficient electrically-driven design also reduces the load placed on the engine when compared to conventional belt or gear driven pumps, Federal-Mogul says, thereby improving fuel economy and reducing emissions.

Federal-Mogul’s electrical brushless motor’s universal design also provides ease of installation in existing fuel pump packages to replace current brush-style motors. The design enables the product to readily enhance the life of an engine in service and reduce maintenance expenses, the company says.

“Federal-Mogul is creating a new generation of technology-leading, cost-effective and durable fuel pump solutions for its customers,” says Jose Maria Alapont, president and CEO. “The benefits of our electrical brushless fuel pump far exceed the attributes of a conventional device, and our customers are taking notice.

“We expect the industry’s transition to brushless pump motors to accelerate in the coming years, due to customer demand for longer-life fuel pumps that improve fuel economy and reduce emissions. Leading technology and innovation at competitive cost are enablers in the execution of our strategy for sustainable global profitable growth.”

Federal-Mogul is currently supplying its electrical brushless fuel pump to leading global diesel engine and diesel fuel filtration manufacturers. The company also is offering its electrical brushless fuel pumps through its aftermarket channels for on-highway diesel truck applications.

“By leveraging Federal-Mogul’s diesel engine and electronics expertise, we are developing a new generation of more efficient and more durable solutions for commercial vehicles that will result in better productivity and lower operating costs for end users,” says Ramzi Hermiz, senior vice president of vehicle safety and protection. “Our ability to produce effective solutions that directly benefit our customers’ profitability is one of the reasons Federal-Mogul is a key partner for the industrial and transportation sectors.”

The trucking industry is in positive territory as it recovers from several years of unprecedented recessionary activity. Nowhere was that more apparent than at this year’s Great West Truck Show, held June 9-11 in Las Vegas, Nev.

“We felt that this show was the best in recent years, and we’re excited about its future,” says Mike Reilly, president and chief executive officer of Randall-Reilly, which owns The Great West Truck Show. “Exhibitors told us that the attendance was steady and that attendees were interested buyers.”

“The show floor and visitor registrations were static year over year, but the feel and the level of business that took place on the show floor was remarkably higher,” says Alan Sims, vice president/executive director. “Exhibitors told us that they were selling trucks, trailers and everything that goes along with them.”

Show management reported overall visitor registrations totaled 16,926, slightly up but in-line with 2010. Qualified registered attendees came from executive fleet management/owners, middle management transportation safety/operations and owner- operators. Attendees were employed by for-hire trucking companies, private fleets, municipalities and others that use heavy- and medium-duty trucks in their everyday operations.

“We continue to be pleased with the quality of attendees,” Sims says. “Our Great West Truck Show delivers truck buyers from the West who typically don’t attend trucking events in the eastern U.S. They have to make an investment to get to Las Vegas, so that contributes to the quality of attendees we attract. We are committed to the continued development of GWTS. The western United States has some unique needs both in equipment and practice. Outside of GWTS, no other show adequately speaks to the western market.”

GWTS offers a full slate of comprehensive educational sessions, more than 200 exhibiting companies, free truck parking, a stop on the Custom Rigs Pride and Polish National Championship Series, and a Health and Wellness pavilion.

GWTS is supported by the California Trucking Association, Nevada Motor Transport Association, Arizona Trucking Association and other key partners. CTA holds one of its two annual board of directors meetings in conjunction with the show.

Next year’s Great West Truck Show will be held in June in Las Vegas. Randall-Reilly also produces the Great American Trucking Show, held annually in Dallas, which consistently has been the second-largest trucking event in the United States; as well as The Charlotte Diesel Super Show, CCJ Symposiums and other key face-to-face events within the trucking and construction industries.

The June issue of Phillips Industries’ Qwik Tech Tips newsletter features a simple, easy to understand diagram showing 7-pin round (J560) terminal functions as viewed looking into an open socket.

The subject of the newsletter is troubleshooting a lights out situation, and the diagram is used as a visual aid to clearly identify specific circuits to test to pinpoint the problem. According to Phillips, supplying drivers with a copy of the newsletter and a socket circuit checker tool would help them quickly resolve a lights out problem before they were cited during a road-side inspection.

This month’s newsletter can be found at www.phillipsqwiktechtips.com/QwikTechTips_June11.pdf.

VT Hackney, a VT Systems company, announced the groundbreaking of a plant addition at its 27-acre manufacturing site in Independence, Kan. The company says the addition will encompass 70,000 square feet and provide the capacity to produce more than 1,500 insulated and refrigerated truck bodies annually.

Construction is expected to begin immediately, with plans to bring the plant into full production in 2012. The manufacturing processes at the plant will feature the latest technology, including Kidron’s ColdShield system. ColdShield is a total temperature management solution available exclusively in Kidron’s refrigerated distribution truck bodies and trailers.

“Our reputation rests firmly on the quality of the products we manufacture and deliver to our customers,” says John G. Coburn, chairman and chief executive officer of VT Systems. “This plant investment is a milestone event and will allow VT Hackney greater geographical reach and increased capacity to build on Kidron’s strong market position.”