People in the News
Following are personnel changes and announcements in the trucking industry:
Daimler Trucks North America has made two senior leadership changes. John O’Leary has been named chief financial officer, and will continue to serve on the company’s Executive Operating Committee. Friedrich Baumann has been appointed to succeed O’Leary as senior vice president of service and parts.
MeirellesDan Shoemaker has been appointed general manager of JX Peterbilt-Green Bay in DePere, Wis.
Horton Holding Inc. has named Lowell Schwab to its board of directors.
Fras-le has appointed Rodrigo Meirelles as vice president and general manager for its North American and European operations.
Ancra Canada, a division of Ancra International, has appointed George Bates as regional sales manager for Atlantic and Central Canada.
Grote Industries has named Josh Wilber as director of human resources.
Bauer Truck Repair Named Truck Service Expert Of The Year
HDA Truck Pride’s Truck Service Experts program has named Bauer Truck Repair in Shippenville, Pa. as its 2011 Truck Service Expert of the Year. The award was presented to Matt Bauer at the HDA Truck Pride’s annual membership meeting.
Minimizer Announces Expansion
“We have a commitment to our customers to provide quick turnaround on orders,” says Craig Kruckeberg, Minimizer’s chief visionary officer.
“Our volume of sales was reaching a point that necessitated an investment in our shipping space to maintain our commitment.”
Tyler Kruckeberg, Minimizer’s shipping manager, designed the building, which features state-of-the-art workflow patterns and control stations, the company says. Minimizer says the facility was designed in a year and constructed in eight months.
Economic News
The following is economic news from the trucking industry:
FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index for May, as reported in the July 2012 Trucking Update, fell markedly from the previous month to a reading of 5.1, down nearly 4.0 points.
The amount of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry was unchanged in May from April after a one-month rise, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ Freight Transportation Services Index.
For-hire carriers added 2,000 payroll jobs in June, but that was coupled with a 2,600-job downward revision in initial May figures, according to the latest estimates released Friday, July 6, by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Payroll employment in trucking was up 0.15 percent over May and 3.1 percent over June 2011. Employment is up by 108,500 jobs, or 8.8 percent, from the bottom in March 2010, but it remains 110,700 jobs, or 7.6 percent, below the peak in January 2007.
Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement partners, Canada and Mexico, was 8.2 percent higher in April than in April 2011, totaling $79.8 billion, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported June 26.
CVSN Opens Registration For Fall Summit
CVSN says you can make your hotel reservations online, view the meeting agenda, speaker list and special events news and passport information at www.cvsnADS.org, or www.cvsn.org. CVSN also has included passport information on the website. For more information, contact CVSN at 904-737-2900.
Allison Invests In Odyne Systems
“Odyne Systems’ expertise and experience in the development and manufacture of advanced hybrid control systems made them an attractive partner,” says Lawrence E. Dewey, chairman, president and CEO of Allison Transmission.
“Fundamentally, I believe commercial vehicle operators who require a clean and sustainable stationary power source will appreciate the features and benefits that Odyne and Allison bring to the industry.”
Meritor Adds To Aftermarket Portfolio
Meritor’s Aftermarket business has added heavy-duty truck and trailer oil-bath wheel seals to its wheel-end parts offerings. The new additions continue Meritor’s “complete solutions” approach to expanding its aftermarket product portfolio, the company says.
Meritor says the new products are available in a standard and a premium version and are being distributed from the company’s North American distribution centers in Florence, Ky. and Brampton, Ontario.
“Adding the wheel seals will serve to strengthen our comprehensive all-makes, wheel-end offerings to fleets, dealers and distributors across North America,” says Tim Bauer, business unit director, Undercarriage Products, Meritor.
Navistar To Change Engine Exhaust Technology
Navistar International has announced plans to use a new diesel emissions technology for its MaxxForce 13- and 15-liter engines that now relies solely on exhaust gas recirculation.
The new aftertreatment technology is called In-Cylinder Technology Plus (ICT+), says Dan Ustian, Navistar chairman, president and CEO.
ICT+ is similar to the selective catalytic reduction emissions systems used by all of Navistar’s heavy-duty engine competitors in the United States; however, the company says ICT+ is distinctly different from “liquid-based aftertreatment” systems. SCR uses urea-based diesel exhaust fluid. ICT+ combines the “best attributes” of the company’s current EGR solution with a urea-based treatment system to reduce emissions, says Navistar spokesman Steve Schrier.
Navistar’s MaxxForce 13- and 15-liter engines will use ICT+ beginning early next year.
With the new technology, “we have a high degree of confidence in the certainty of approval by the EPA,” says Troy Clarke, newly appointed president of Navistar’s truck and engine business. “Based on what we’ve seen so far with new technology, we’re excited. We are looking at meeting EPA’s 2014 and 2017 greenhouse gas standards early.”
Engs Joins VIPAR
Engs Motor Truck Co. in Sparks, Nev., has become VIPAR Heavy Duty’s newest stockholder.
Engs Motor Truck Co. is a full-service facility with a parts warehouse and 10 service bays.
According to VIPAR, Engs serves the greater northern Nevada heavy-duty truck market under the direction of president and owner, John Engs.
“We are pleased to welcome Engs Motor Truck to the VIPAR Heavy Duty network,” says Jim Pennig, VIPAR vice president of business development.
“They provide a key presence for us in the Nevada market with complete truck repair services and a strong inventory of truck wheel end and suspension parts.”
Engs Motor Truck Co. has 12 employees and is led by Engs, Dave Mansfield, general manager and Dustin Smith, director of operations and purchasing. â–
