PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
Following are personnel changes and announcements in the trucking industry.
CrawfordMERA announces that Mark DiGiampietro, president, Flight Systems Electronics Group, and Matt Pohlman, vice president, global supply chain management, Delphi Product & Service Solutions, have joined the organization’s board of directors.
FleetPride, Inc. has promoted Lee Stockseth to president. He now will hold the dual title of president and chief operating officer.
Auto Truck Group has promoted Matt McGowan to the position of director sales, Western region.
SheltonAccuride Corporation announces its board of directors has elected Lead Independent Director John W. Risner as its new board chairman. Risner replaces William M. Lasky, who stepped down from the role last month.
Ancra International has hired Ryan Friend as regional sales executive for the Northeast region.
StoneFontaine Fifth Wheel announces Roger Crawford has been promoted to president – North America OEM, while Fontaine Parts Connection has added Todd Shelton as president and Larry Stone as vice president of business development.
Fontaine Trailer Company has promoted Alan Briley to vice president of sales and marketing.
Tom Lynch has been promoted to manager of OEM accounts at Peterson Manufacturing, and Kevin Cornelius has been named the new general manager of Peterson’s Maxi-Seal Harness Systems division.Polar Service Centers has named Jerry Cignarella general manager of its Northeast region.
Used Commercial Vehicle Registrations Hit Record High In 2011
A Polk analysis of new and used commercial vehicle registrations (Class 3-8) in the United States finds 1.25 million units were registered during the 2011 calendar year. Used commercial vehicle registrations reached a record level for a calendar year of 791,288 units, surpassing the previous record of 671,887 units registered in 2010, a 17.8 percent increase in year-over-year registrations.
Polk says 2011 ranks third in the total number of commercial vehicle registrations in a single calendar year since it began tracking this information in 2004. The current record of total commercial vehicle registrations in a calendar year is 1.35 million units in 2005.
“Good quality used commercial vehicles continue to be in high demand, as shown by the record level of used vehicle transactions reported during each of the first three quarters 2011,” says Gary Meteer, account director for commercial vehicle solutions at Polk. There is a shortage of good, clean equipment, he says.
Economic News
The following is economic news from the trucking industry:
The American Trucking Associations announced that its advance seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index rose 0.2 percent in March after increasing 0.5 percent in February. The adjusted index stood at 119.5, up from 119.3 in February. The baseline year for the index is 2000.
FTR Associates has released preliminary data showing April Class 8 truck total net orders at 16,877 units, the lowest number since September 2010 and 55 percent below the same month a year ago. Preliminary order numbers are for all major North American OEMs. FTR says April continued the downward trend in Class 8 orders for 2012, with annualized units for the past three months now at 234,600.
After shedding jobs in March for the first time since July, for-hire trucking companies added 1,800 payroll jobs in April, according to the latest estimates released May 4 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS revised preliminary March figures downward by 500 jobs, so the drop in March was 2,500 jobs.
Northwood University Offers New OPS Management Program
Starting in the fall semester 2012, Northwood University will offer a new degree program in Operations & Supply Chain Management (OPS). Northwood says graduates of the program will be equipped to lead operations and supply chain management activities around the world.
According to Northwood University professor Douglas Hentschel, the match between Northwood and the OPS degree offering “makes perfect sense.”
“Industry professionals have advised us that there is a very high demand for staff who are competent in these areas and that there is a shortage of graduates with proficiency in these disciplines,” Hentschel says. “The growing globalization of supply chain management dovetails with our mission to develop the future leaders of a global, free-enterprise society so the program offering makes perfect sense,” he continued.
The OPS program is said to complements Northwood’s existing offerings in management and entrepreneurship.
“Operations and supply chain management has rapidly grown in terms of importance,” says Joseph Wulffenstein, chair of Management Information Systems and division chair of Quantitative Studies at Northwood University. “As global competition increases, industries must strive to become as efficient as possible. Well trained, quantitatively proficient professionals in operations supply chain management are as vital to today’s global enterprises as blood flow is to the body.”
Long Island Truck Parts Celebrates Anniversary
Long Island Truck Parts, Inc. is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
Opened by Anthony Naples in 1972, Long Island Truck Parts is a second generation, full-line, heavy-duty aftermarket parts distributor. Long Island starting primarily as a driveline house, and has grown into one of the larger aftermarket suppliers on Long Island, the company says. It now has three locations in New York: Medford, Riverhead and West Babylon.
“The bottom line is that this business is a people business built on relationships and trust, and we are grateful to have a motivated and loyal staff,” says Robert Naples, Long Island president.
Long Island Truck Parts will celebrate its anniversary this fall with a customer appreciation celebration with vendors, family and friends.
Dealership News
The following is news from dealerships in the trucking industry:
Paccar Leasing Company announces the opening of three new franchise locations in the Atlanta area: Peterbilt PacLease of Atlanta, Jackson, Ga.; Peterbilt PacLease of Atlanta, Kennesaw, Ga; and MHC Truck Leasing, Norcross, Ga.
Construction was recently completed on an addition to the Peterbilt of Norfolk building in Nolfork, Neb. Eight service bays were added.
Mack Trucks has named TransEdge Truck Center of Pittsburgh its 2011 North American Distributor of the Year.
Rihm Kenworth has expanded its reach west across Minnesota by opening its fourth location, a 16,000-sq.-ft. full-service dealership in Sauk Centre.
Peterbilt Motors Company has awarded three franchises with Dealer of the Year awards. Stahl Peterbilt – Edmonton, Canada has been named 2011 North American Dealer of the Year, while Rush Peterbilt Truck Center – Houston has been named 2011 Medium-Duty Dealer of the Year and Allstate Peterbilt Group – South St. Paul, Minn. has been named 2011 Paccar MX Engine Dealer of the Year.
