The future of the trucking industry was the focus of this year’s 2011 CVSN Aftermarket Distribution Summit, held Sept. 18-21 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C.

According to the CVSN, this year’s Summit was a success. The highlight was the first-ever legislative summit, coordinated by the CVSN with help from the AAIA. The legislative summit allowed members of the aftermarket community the chance to discuss key issues facing the industry in individual meetings with legislators. Multiple topics were discussed, though the CVSN says the main issue raised in the meetings was the accessing of technical information during repair orders and the right to repair.

Marc Karon, president of Total Truck Parts and new president of the CVSN board of directors, says the right to repair issue is the biggest obstacle facing the heavy-duty aftermarket in more than a decade. Karon says it affects every independent distributor, service provider and truck owner in the marketplace, and could dramatically change the industry in the coming years.

“It’s the biggest challenge we’re facing right now,” he says. “Who knows how much the industry could change in the next five or 10 years? This is a real issue, it’s a battle, and the Summit gave us a chance to fight that battle for our industry.”

Karon says nearly 200 people attended this year’s CVSN Summit to be part of the legislative discussions, marking the second year in a row the CVSN has set an attendance record.

“I want to thank all of the distributors who were there and brought their people with them to participate,” he said. “Those guys get it, and I think we need to give them kudos for coming out and participating. I thank them for recognizing their responsibility to the market and the industry.”

The large group complemented the CVSN as well. Karon says comments on the Summit were universally positive. “I got some feedback — with this now being my first year as president — that I will have a hard time topping this in the next two years.”

Between the legislative sessions and the bevy of educational sessions, there are a lot of positives to take from the meeting. “The people that come absolutely love the meeting,” he says. “If you go to this meeting and you pay attention, you will pay for this meeting many times over with the tools you learn during the sessions and during the interactions with your other distributors.”

And yet in spite of the Summit’s overall success, Karon says he hopes to expand the offering even more in 2012 and 2013 to bring in more distributors. His goal is to double CVSN members and CVSN Summit attendance by the end of his two-year leadership run.

“We’re still growing the association and we need to grow it much more,” he says. “We need to have a unified voice.”

The right to repair issue is not going to go away quietly, so the more distributors step up to work for a solution the strong their side will become.

“We want them to understand how important this is,” Karon says. “We need all hands on deck. It’s vital for our industry to understand the challenges we are up against and we need as much help as we can from all the distributors in our industry.”

Educational Sessions

The educational programs of the CVSN Summit were also successful the organization says, with the speeches and presentations providing valuable insight on the industry and the industry’s future, CVSN says.

The first education session was titled “Helping your Customers with Tools and Technology.” The premise of the session was that accessing technology and technical information is not just a problem for service providers, CVSN says. The session featured the following speakers: Tom Kotenko from Nexiq, Dave Costantino from Mitchell 1 and Christopher Edd from Motor and Fleetcross.

There also were multiple discussions about CSA 2010. Bert Mayo of the Lockton Company provided a better understanding on how fleet owners are changing their maintenance procedures to accommodate this new initiative. According to the CVSN, Mayo also recommended practices distributors can use to increase awareness for customers and become more valuable to them. Mayo was followed by Anne Ferro, an FMCSA administrator, who explained the motivation and direction of the new initiative and agreed to consider aftermarket distributors in the discussion about future rulemaking.

The final educational sessions included Jim Camp giving a presentation on negotiating with customers, Gene Marks providing analysis on the industry’s outlook for the coming months and years ahead and Dr. Bob Nelson giving a presentation on ways to make a better and more productive working environment.

The CVSN also included nine private strategic planning sessions with suppliers. The sessions were designed like mini-DAC meetings, which CVSN says allowed the distributors to discuss issues as a group with individual suppliers.

Next year’s CVSN Aftermarket Distribution Summit is set for Sept. 16-19, 2011 in Niagara Falls, N.Y. For more information, please go to www.cvsn.org.

Legislators, regulators and industry association representatives experienced safety, fuel economy and environmental technologies presentations for commercial vehicles firsthand during demonstrations by Bendix Sept. 14-15 in Washington, D.C.

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC conducted the learning experience for the third consecutive year at RFK Stadium. More than 90 people attended this year’s demonstration by Bendix and Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake.

Bendix says U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Ohio) kicked off the event on Sept. 14 when she took the first ride in a truck outfitted with the Bendix ESP full-stability system and Bendix Wingman Advanced — a collision mitigation technology.

“At a time when everyone is talking about creating jobs, I am proud to work with a company like Bendix, whose leading-edge safety and environmental technologies for commercial vehicles are helping to bring jobs to Northeast Ohio and other parts of the county,” Sutton says. “I will continue to stand by and work with companies like Bendix across Northeast Ohio to create new jobs and new opportunities for middle class families.”

Attendees included representatives of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), American Trucking Associations (ATA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Volvo Trucks North America, Paccar, Inc., Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the General Services Administration (GSA), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA)/American Truck Dealers (ATD), National Tank Truck Carriers, Inc. (NTTC), AAA and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

Several congressional offices also were represented, as well as the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Key fleets also attended.

According to Bendix, participants experienced firsthand the performance and effectiveness of the range of Bendix advanced safety, environmental and fuel-saving technologies available today for tractor-trailers, trucks and motor coaches. Bendix claims these systems are designed to help drivers mitigate rollover, loss-of-control and rear-end collision situations, while others alert drivers to stationary objects in the vehicle’s path of travel and/or an unintended departure from the current lane of travel.

“Bendix was pleased to have representatives of so many legislative offices, regulators, and industry associations attend the technology demonstration in our nation’s capital,” says Fred Andersky, Bendix director of government relations. “Providing an ‘in the seat’ demonstration truly is the best way to enable someone to get a better understanding of how Bendix technologies work and the solutions that are available to mitigate accidents, improve fuel economy, and reduce emissions.”

Strategic leaders from all segments of the trucking industry gathered on Aug. 24-25, 2011 in Dallas for the second-annual Commercial Vehicle Outlook Conference, produced by Randall-Reilly Business Media & Information and the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA).

Attendees enjoyed expert presentations, panel discussions and numerous networking opportunities during two, half-day sessions prior to the opening of the Great American Trucking Show.

“For the second year, response to the program content and format from attendees and sponsors was overwhelmingly positive,” says Alan K. Sims, vice president and general manager, Randall-Reilly Events. “Outlook is quickly becoming the place where professionals from all segments of the trucking industry gather to learn about industry trends and concerns, and network with their peers, suppliers and customers.”

“We were extremely pleased with the strong response to the second annual Commercial Vehicle Outlook Conference,” says Tim Kraus, president and COO of HDMA. “The make-up was truly representative of the commercial vehicle industry, and the attendees represented trucking’s real power players: OEMs, dealers, distributors, suppliers, media and analysts. We were also pleased that the post-conference evaluations reflected very high ratings and praise for virtually the entire program. We also appreciated the great suggestions from our attendees for topics and speakers for future Outlook conferences.”

The CVOC drew more than 360 registrants, including fleet executives, truck OEMs, suppliers and dealers. Fleet registrants represented own more than $8 billion in trucks and trailers — a significant increase over the prior year. Dealer participation also increased over 2010.

Highlights of the conference included a keynote address by Karl Rove, former deputy chief of staff and senior advisor to President George W. Bush, and an opening presentation from Jim Hebe, executive vice president, sales and marketing, Navistar.

Other speakers included:

• Sandeep Kar with Frost & Sullivan, Max Fuller, co-chairman of U.S. Xpress and Kyle Treadway, president of Kenworth Sales Co. and chairman of the American Truck Dealers, who discussed Kar’s research on the Future Truck.
• Robert Low, president and founder of Prime, Inc., Don Orr, president and CEO of Central Freight, and Russell Stubbs, president and CEO of FFE Transportation Services discussed how their companies are dealing with challenges such as the driver shortage, rising equipment costs, volatile fuel prices and ongoing regulatory controls.
• Noël Perry, managing director with FTR Consulting Group and Peter Nesvold, transportation and logistics analyst with Jefferies & Co., discussed economic trends affecting trucking.
• Rob Abbott, vice president of safety policy, American Trucking Associations and Ann Wilson, senior vice president of government affairs, Motor Equipment Manufacturers Association, presented an update on the regulatory and legislative issues affecting OEMs, suppliers and carriers.

The 2012 Commercial Vehicle Outlook Conference will be held at the new Omni Hotel, adjacent to the Dallas Convention Center Aug.22-23, as part of Intersection 2012, an all-encompassing trucking convention which includes the Great American Trucking Show, Successful Dealer Development workshops and other state and national association meetings.

The event was sponsored by Castrol Heavy Duty Lubricants, Chevron, Espar Heater Systems, Jacobs Vehicle Systems, Kenworth Truck Company, PACCAR Engines, PACCAR Parts, Peterbilt Motors and Valvoline. Commercial Carrier Journal and Successful Dealer were media sponsors.

For information on participating in the 2012 Commercial Vehicle Outlook Conference, contact Tim Kraus at tkraus@hdma.org or Alan Sims at asims@randallreilly.com or (800) 633-5953, ext. 1339. More detail on this year’s conference can be found at www.cvoconline.com.

Fras-le North America Inc. has released its new full-line and medium-duty brake pad product catalogs for the North American aftermarket that includes more than 300 new part numbers. The company also has introduced its new full product line catalog, which contains more than 1,000 part numbers for all Class 1-7 vehicles on the road today.

Fras-le says its new catalogs provide detailed line drawings of each D-Plate reference.

“While most competitors only provide drawings of the backing plate, our system includes details about the friction,” says Randy Mordue, Fras-le’s director of sales and marketing, North American commercial and light-vehicle aftermarket. “Plus, as applicable to the vehicle, it includes details about accessories, chamfers and slots. We want to provide our customers with all the information they need to make their job easier.”

In addition, Fras-le’s electronic catalog (eCat) has been completely revised for look-up by year, make and model, part number and interchange numbers. In a cooperative effort, Fras-le says it can customize its catalog for a customer based on their specialized product or language needs.

Fras-le’s North American offering includes OE and aftermarket brake pads, linings and shoes for light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

The American Trucking Associations’ advance seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index declined 0.2 percent in August after falling a revised 0.8 percent in July 2011. The latest drop put the adjusted index at 114.4 in August, down from the July level of 114.6.

The nonseasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equaled 123.8 in August, which was 10.9 percent above the previous month. Compared with August 2010, adjusted tonnage was up 5.2 percent; in July, the index was 4.5 percent above a year earlier.

“Freight has been going sideways for much of this year, but it isn’t falling significantly either, which suggests the U.S. economy just might skirt another recession,” said Bob Costello, ATA chief economist, adding that carriers say they are handling as much freight as they can.

“In part, this is due to less industry supply,” he said. “The number of trucks operated by the truckload industry is still down about 12 percent from the height in late 2006, yet tonnage levels are about the same as in late 2006.” Costello also said that most carriers are finding it difficult to hire new truck drivers, “which mean they can’t add too many trucks.”

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.

Truck owners and the oil field industry in Wyoming now will have direct access to truck parts and remanufacturing services with the Oct. 17 opening of a new Inland Truck Parts location in Evansville, Wyo.

According to Inland, the store will be managed by area residents Marshal Smouse and Greg Woodin, who together have more than 50 years of experience leading truck parts and remanufacturing operations in Evansville and surrounding communities near Casper.

“Marshal and Greg bring exceptional product and technical knowledge and a proven track record for great customer service. We’re extremely excited they’ll be managing our Evansville location,” says Dave Scheer, president of Inland Truck Parts.

The Evansville store, which will be located at 5125 Carroll Ct., joins Inland Truck Parts’ network of 27 stores across the Midwest, including locations in Billings, Mont., Scottsbluff, Neb. and Rapid City, S.D. The store is the first Inland location in Wyoming and will offer a comprehensive range of truck parts, along with resident technical experts on staff to perform transmission and differential remanufacturing and driveline repair, as well as other component shop services, the company says.

Accuride Corporation has announced it has sold its subsidiary Fabco Automotive Corporation to Fabco Holdings Inc., a new company formed and capitalized by Wynnchurch Capital, Ltd. in partnership with Stone River Capital Partners, LLC.

Located in Livermore, Calif., Fabco produces a broad range of steer drive axles, transfer cases, split shaft PTOs and other specialty products for the commercial severe-duty industry, Accuride says.

“Throughout its history, Fabco has consistently engineered and brought to market innovative solution-providing products, establishing it as a well-respected brand name in the heavy-duty commercial vehicle industry,” says Rick Dauch, Accuride President and CEO.

“Wynnchurch is excited to have an opportunity to invest in Fabco and provide capital to support the continued growth of the business. We believe Fabco is an exceptional supplier of heavy duty, all-wheel drive components to the severe-duty vehicle industry. We look forward to working with Al Sunderland, the president of Fabco, along with the rest of the Fabco team, to implement a growth strategy that will provide comprehensive and responsive solutions for all customers,” says Terry Theodore, partner of Wynnchurch.

Guy Boitos, partner at Stone River Capital, adds, “We are pleased to partner with Wynnchurch in the acquisition of Fabco and look forward to building on the company’s long and accomplished history of being a preferential supplier to the commercial vehicle marketplace.”

“Today’s action is a win-win for all parties involved and advances Accuride’s strategic focus on our core wheel-end systems business,” Dauch adds. “We intend to apply proceeds from the sale of Fabco to enhance our operational improvement initiatives and global growth plans.”

Kenworth has added the Neway ADZ rear air suspension from SAF-Holland for heavy-duty and severe-duty applications. The ADZ suspension is designed for typical heavy-duty applications such as construction trucks, loggers and fire apparatus and emergency vehicles. The suspension also is for severe-duty applications where heavy vertical loads, high gross combination weights, high torque drive trains, high-center-of-gravity loads and significant off-road travel are expected.

Available in 23,000- and 26,000-pound capacities per axle, the Neway ADZ is engineered for independent single suspension mounting that allows for single, tandem or tridem axle truck or tractor applications. The ADZ series, which replaces the AD series suspension for over-the-road applications, incorporates a simplified light-weight V-rod construction that replaces the traditional track and torque rods. A new integral lower control arm module helps provide improved roll stability for high-center-of-gravity load vehicles. The ADZ series also offers a weight savings in a typical installation of about 250 pounds per axle compared to the Neway AD.

Kenworth is offering the Neway ADZ series suspension in both 23K and 26K per axle versions for the C500, T440, T470, T800 and W900. “The ADZ is a nice addition to the Kenworth vocational product line with improved handling for tough challenges on the road and significant weight savings, which provides an opportunity to increase payload and improve operating efficiency,” says Alan Fennimore, Kenworth vocational marketing manager.

Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement partners, Canada and Mexico, was 18.1 percent higher in July than in July 2010, totaling $72.4 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The month-to-month value, which can be affected by seasonal variations and other factors, decreased 6.7 percent in July from June.

The value rose 40.4 percent in two years from July 2009, but still has risen only 1.0 percent above the level of July 2008. The value increased by 29.4 percent when compared to July 2006, and also increased by 77.1 percent when compared to July 2001. Imports were up 60.7 percent since July 2001, while exports were up 100.8 percent.

U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico surface transportation trade both increased compared to July 2010, with U.S.-Canada reaching $42.5 billion, a 17.0 percent increase, and U.S.-Mexico reaching $29.9 billion, a 19.7 percent increase. Michigan led all states in surface trade with Canada, at $4.5 billion, a 27.7 percent increase from July 2010. Texas led all states in surface trade with Mexico at $10.7 billion, a 16.3 percent increase from July 2010.

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 modes. In July, 85.2 percent of U.S. trade by value with Canada and Mexico moved via land, 10.8 percent moved by vessel, and 4.1 percent moved by air.

Vipar Heavy Duty has announced All Truck and Trailers Parts as the newest stockholder to join the Vipar Heavy Duty network of distributors.

With over 100,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space at its headquarters in Commerce City, Colo., All Truck and Trailer Parts is said to have a well-established and veteran management team lead by Carl Josey, general manager. The company operates a second satellite location in Commerce City, Colo., Vipar says.

“All Truck and Trailer Parts was established in 2001, and is recognized for their complete inventory of all makes and models to service the truck market throughout the state of Colorado,” says Jim Pennig, vice president of business development, Vipar Heavy Duty. “They recognize that having the right part at the right time is critical to keeping trucks and fleets running.”

The company has a team of 12 outside sales professionals to help service its customer base.