Payroll employment in for-hire trucking is up by 51,500, or 4 percent, from January 2011. Employment is up by 89,100, or 7.2 percent, from the bottom in March 2010, but it remains 130,100, or 9 percent, from the peak in January 2007.

The latest report from BLS includes the annual benchmark revision in the size of the U.S. work force, adding 162,000 jobs to the number estimated in March 2011. For for-hire trucking, this meant that the revised BLS figure for payroll employment in December was 1.318 million jobs — 22,000 more than what BLS initially reported for December. The January figure is about 1.323 million.

The BLS numbers for trucking reflect all payroll employment in for-hire trucking, but they don’t include trucking-related jobs in other industries, such as a truck driver for a private fleet. Nor do the numbers reflect the total amount of hiring since they only include new jobs, not replacements for existing positions.

On Jan. 26, 2012, Bendix advised NHTSA of the potential defect. The defect, which can potentially occur only in vehicles operating in extremely cold conditions (at or below 0˚F), has caused several vehicle manufacturers — Paccar, Volvo, and Navistar — to defer shipments of trucks with the ATR-6 valve manufactured between Dec. 2, 2010, and Jan. 18, 2012.

Bendix says approximately 50,000 to 60,000 vehicles are covered in this issue. The company says it remains in close contact with its customers and is working diligently to address the issue and remedy the situation. A temporary remedy kit is available now. A permanent remedy kit will be forthcoming, Bendix says.

The ATR-6 valve is an automatic traction control relay valve. Vehicle operators are advised that this is an intermittent air leakage issue, not related to Bendix stability systems. The company says vehicle ABS and service braking still will operate normally on covered vehicles. Bendix says it also is essential to understand that if a vehicle operator elects to install the temporary remedy kit, Bendix ESP full stability system and Bendix Wingman ACB and Wingman Advanced will be temporarily suspended until the permanent remedy kit is installed.

A Q&A about this issue is available through the Bendix ATR Value Update link at www.bendix.com. In addition, Bendix says an ATR-6 Action Line is staffed from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. eastern seven days a week for technical questions and ordering information. The toll free number is 1-800-478-1793.

More than 20,000 new-car and -truck dealers, industry executives and exhibitors, including 1,500 international dealers from 36 countries, are expected to attend the 2012 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and ATD conventions.

Keynote speakers at the 49^th annual convention include ATD Chairman Kyle Treadway; Martin Daum, CEO of Daimler Trucks North America; Michael Card, president of Combined Transport Inc.; and retired Navy Captain and best-selling author Gerald Coffee. Ford dealer Richard Witcher, president of Minuteman Trucks Inc., in Walpole, Mass., will begin a two-year term as ATD chairman on Monday, Feb. 6.

Dealers also will have an opportunity to meet face-to-face with manufacturer executives at 12 franchise meetings and with suppliers in the sold out exhibit hall. Twelve workshop sessions will be offered for dealers and their managers to learn ways to improve their business operations.

ATD attendees can also attend any of the NADA workshops and general sessions, featuring keynote speakers Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, NADA Chairman Stephen W. Wade and incoming NADA Chairman Bill Underriner.

The ATD workshop program kicks off at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Friday, Feb. 3, with a presentation by Eric Starks, president of FTR Associates, on the state of the commercial vehicle industry, followed by several sessions over the weekend on topics, such as CSA compliance, alternative fuels and technician apprenticeships. The convention will also feature two sessions for medium-duty truck dealers on leasing and managing salespeople.

NextGen ATD, a professional development network for the association’s future leaders, will host a reception at the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino (formerly the Las Vegas Hilton) on Saturday, Feb. 4, from 5-6 p.m. Eric Guenther, general marketing manager for Ford Fleet and Commercial Trucks, will be the featured speaker.

Incoming ATD Chairman Richard Witcher will discuss ATD’s 2011 accomplishments and the association’s legislative and regulatory goals for 2012 during the general session at the Las Vegas Hotel on Monday, Feb. 6. Witcher is president of Minuteman Trucks Inc., in Walpole, Mass.

The wheel clamps and grips are built to provide a solid attachment, while a proprietary rolling run-out compensation procedure is designed to accommodate a wide range of vehicles without hardware changes; no additional adapters are needed to measure wheels and tires.

The TabCruzer is Gamber-Johnson’s solution to mounting tablet computers in commercial vehicle applications, the company says.

The TabCruzer is said to be compatible with the iPad and iPad2 and allows users to charge their iPad within a vehicle. It also gives customers the ability to easily sync their iPad with their main computer. Gamber-Johnson says the docking station is ergonomically designed with a small footprint to maximize vehicle space.

TabCruzer is said to feature a one-handed docking latch to ensure the tablet is properly positioned and secure within the docking station. The docking station features an optional locking mechanism to protect the iPad and deter theft while docked.

“Gamber-Johnson is proud to market the TabCruzer powered docking station for the iPad,” says Tom O’Brien, product manager, Gamber-Johnson. “As business executives, sales professionals and service and field workers spend more hours on the road, TabCruzer will provide them with the full functionality of their iPad’s features while on-the-go, including access to important information and the ability to stay connected with customers and businesses.”

The TabCruzer comes with a 12-volt DC power supply, USB cable for charging and 3.5 mm stereo cable. The USB cable can disconnect from the power supply and connect to a computer for convenient syncing of information, Gamber-Johnson says. In addition, users can play back audio by integrating with a vehicle’s sound system through the use of the 3.5 mm stereo cable.

The plan includes financial incentives to enable customers to see a quick return on a premium of about $35,000 for the new technology. That’s largely due to a natural gas costing $1.50 a gallon less than diesel.

“By the end of 2013, virtually every product we have will be available in natural gas,” said Jim Hebe, Navistar senior vice president for North American sales.

The Navistar-Clean Energy plan differs from other alternative fuel initiatives because natural gas in this scenario does not depend on government subsidies, said Daniel Ustian, Navistar chairman, president and chief executive officer, during a press conference in Chicago. “It can stand on its own and stand very tall,” Ustian said.

Clean Energy will invest $200 million to build liquid natural gas fueling facilities, said Andrew Littlefair, Clean Energy president and CEO. The company announced last month that is expects to have 70 stations open by the end of 2012 in 33 states, many of them at Pilot-Flying J Travel Centers.

The earliest openings will cover major highway segments linking San Diego, Los Angeles, Riverside and Las Vegas; the Texas triangle (Houston, San Antonio, Dallas/Ft. Worth); Los Angeles and Dallas; Houston and Chicago; and Chicago and Atlanta. Other facilities will cover major highways in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Kansas, Oklahoma and Alabama. Opening of the first 150 stations through 2013 is planned to coincide with the introduction of Navistar’s new gas engines.

Swift Transportation has been testing some of them, said Jerry Moyes, founder and CEO. “We like what we see,” Moyes said. “There is a savings to it.”

The initiative should go a long way toward ending the United States’ dependence on OPEC oil, said T. Boone Pickens, a 30 percent shareholder of Clean Energy. “The cheapest fuel in the world is in the United States,” he said. “This opportunity cannot go unused.”

Officials said the partnership will help accelerate the adoption of natural gas technologies by including incentives to neutralize the cost difference for the diesel fuel equivalent for those who purchase at least 1,000 diesel gallon equivalents of natural gas each month. At today’s prices, gas is $1.50 a gallon cheaper than diesel. Clean Energy will guarantee fuel prices for five years at a significant reduction from diesel.

Navistar will continue to offer DuraStar and WorkStar vocational trucks with its natural gas-powered MaxxForce DT developed in conjunction with Emissions Solutions Inc.

For the regional haul and Class 7 and Class 8 vocational market, Navistar will offer the Cummins-Westport ISL-G in the International TranStar and WorkStar. Additionally, Navistar will enter into a phase II developmental agreement with Clean Air Power on the ProStar, WorkStar and PayStar vocational trucks, powered by a diesel pilot injection LNG MaxxForce 13-liter engine.

“One of the major obstacles in customer transition to natural gas has been the lack of a gas-powered range of engines designed to meet the multiple requirements without compromise,” said Hebe. “When the MaxxForce 13L is introduced in mid-2013, customers will have a capable range of natural gas engines and trucks, from 7.6 liter to 13 liter, with horsepower ranging from 200 to 450.”

Fontaine’s Charlotte location is home to the company’s headquarters, Innovation Center and one of its six nationwide truck modification centers. All 58 of the company’s Charlotte employees are part of a company-wide safety program established in 2009, and last month’s milestone celebrates the company’s commitment to the new system.

“The very nature of the truck modification business makes it susceptible to accidents,” says Will Trantham, Fontaine president. “There are a lot of variables to control and the work is very hands-on: We’re literally taking apart and rebuilding trucks every day. So we’ve made safety a priority for everyone in the company.

“Every employee is held accountable for safe work practices. Our engineers make safety a foremost consideration when designing new products. We’ve also invested in new equipment that enables us to utilize safer modification processes.”

Every time a Fontaine modification center reaches 100 days without a lost-time accident, the company’s senior management team meets with each employee at the location to shake hands, say thank you for being safe and gather suggestions for additional improvements. The company says this approach seems to work, as several other Fontaine facilities are on track to hit the 1,000-day milestone in 2012 and 2013.

Employees at the Charlotte location were treated to lunch on Jan. 18 to celebrate their accomplishment. Fontaine says its safety program incorporates best practices developed by executive vice president Paul Kokalis while he was in charge of the company’s Dublin, Va., operation. At the Charlotte modification center, David Hambrick, facility manager, has taken ownership of the program, recognizing the many benefits of having safe employees.

Capacity pressures from forecasted 4 percent growth in truck loadings alongside driver recruitment challenges should keep TCI in good positive territory throughout 2012, FTR says.

“Demand for truck transport continues to grow at rates outstripping the growth in GDP,” says Larry Gross, FTR senior consultant. “We believe this growth trend will continue, barring an exterior shock to the economy such as an uncontained European default situation or a disruption emanating from the Mideast. Growth should be sufficient to keep the balance firmly in favor of trucking carriers throughout the year.”

The Trucking Conditions Index is a compilation of factors affecting trucking companies. Any reading above zero indicates an adequate trucking environment with readings above 10 a sign that volumes, prices and margin are in a good range for trucking companies.

Painter was president of Quality Trailer Products, a Polar company, since 2000. “Jim is an accomplished senior executive whose leadership within Polar over the last 11 years has been outstanding,” says Ted Fick, Polar Corp. president and chief executive officer. “As president of Polar Tank Trailer, his immediate focus will be on advancing our fastest-growing business unit.”

Polar Tank Trailer builds custom tank trailers for dry and liquid bulk cargoes, including oil and fuel, food products, asphalt, chemicals and corrosives. Quality Trailer Products manufactures and distributes both original and aftermarket components for commercial trailers.

Before joining Quality Trailer Products, Painter was an officer and vice president at Simpson Industries, where he was responsible for the Engine Products group, a global manufacturing operation. He also held positions of increasing management and executive responsibilities at Rockwell International, including president of the Rockwell Clutch Co. and general manager of the Specialty Axle Division.

Dietemann will be responsible for Polar’s growing trailer parts manufacturing and distribution business. With four assembly plants and 19 service centers, Quality Trailer Parts supplies fenders, brakes, axles, wheels, lights and other trailer products under the Rockwell American and Century Wheel & Rim brands.

Dietemann has been general manager of the company’s Rockwell American leaf spring manufacturing business in Seagoville, Texas, since December 2010.

“Chris has been responsible for one of our key product lines in Rockwell American and has done an excellent job,” says Ted Fick, president and chief executive officer of Polar Corp. “He’s going to be great leader for Quality Trailer Products and a valuable member of our executive team at Polar.”

Prior to joining the company, Dietemann held senior management positions in sales, marketing and supply chain management at GFRC Gladding Systems and Cartucho Holdings. He also was vice president of operations and general manager at the Texas division of Hendry Telephone Products for eight years.