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07/27/24 - Go Industries Launches Big Tex Heavy Duty Truck Grill Guards for Ultimate Vehicle Protection

Fastertruck News - 07/27/24 - 01:26:58am - Go Industries Inc. has launched its new Big Tex heavy duty truck grill guards. These grille guards are designed to offer strong protection and an improved look for full-sized Chevrolet, GMC, Dodge, ...

07/27/24 - 'Trucking Simulator' to be at Cheyenne County Fair Friday and Saturday

Fastertruck News - 07/27/24 - 12:27:12am - Come to the Cheyenne County Fair, experience the simulator, participate in the raffle, and learn more about career, education, and scholarship opportunities in the trucking and mechanics industries.

07/26/24 - Does Nissan Still Make A Cummins Powered Diesel Truck?

Fastertruck News - 07/26/24 - 11:26:28pm - Truck fans were initially thrilled when Nissan introduced the Cummins diesel-powered Titan XD in 2016. But that excitement did not last long.

07/26/24 - I-15 shut down until further notice for truck fire sparked by load of lithium batteries

Fastertruck News - 07/26/24 - 09:52:25pm -

Interstate 15 is shut down in both directions near the Nevada/California state line as crews battle a truck fire sparked by a load of lithium-ion batteries. 

The fire occurred on northbound I-15 at mile marker 113 between Barstow and Baker, California on July 26th. 

According to 3 News, a semi truck overturned on I-15, which caused the load of lithium-ion batteries to catch fire. The responding fire department warns that fires involving these kinds of batteries  “can escalate to thermal runaway,” and require large quantities of water to extinguish. 

As a result of the wreck and subsequent battery fire, Highway Patrol has closed the interstate between Afton Canyon and Basin roads. 

“Public safety is of the utmost importance, and keeping the area clear allows emergency responders to manage the situation effectively and prevent potential harm,” the fire department said.

There is no estimated time of reopening for the interstate, and officials warn that GPS systems may guide drivers down dirt roads that are not suitable for many vehicles.

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07/26/24 - Traton Q2 Profits Rise 4.4% Despite Navistar’s Mirror Woes

Fastertruck News - 07/26/24 - 09:46:47pm -

Traton’s profits rose in Q2 2024 as higher prices and South American demand trumped a slump in truck sales for Navistar’s International Trucks brand due to a shortage of mirrors.

07/26/24 - Road to NTDC Spotlight: Nate Lewis

Fastertruck News - 07/26/24 - 09:46:47pm -

For Nate Lewis, the National Truck Driving Championships is an occasion to celebrate his family's trucking legacy. The next chapter will be written in Indianapolis.

07/26/24 - How to Choose the Best Lawyer for Your Truck Accident Case

Fastertruck News - 07/26/24 - 09:25:30pm - Introduction Truck accidents can be catastrophic, often resulting in severe injuries, significant property damage, and complex legal battles. If you or a loved one has been involved in a truck ...

07/26/24 - Two finally arrested in road rage shooting that left trucker in critical condition

Fastertruck News - 07/26/24 - 08:52:45pm -

Two people were arrested this week for a road rage shooting that left a trucker in critical condition earlier this month. 

The shooting occurred on July 3rd on Interstate 65 northbound in Whitestown, Indiana. 

According to Fox 59, police were called to the scene of a semi truck that ran off the road. Witnesses told officers that the driver had been shot, and officers administered first aid until EMS crews arrived. The truck driver was then taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. As of July 25th, the driver remained in the hospital and was in stable condition. 

Witnesses told police that a black sedan had been brake checking multiple commercial vehicles and causing traffic disruptions before shooting the truck driver and causing the semi truck crash. They said that a female had been driving the car while a male sat in the passenger seat. 

Police say they conducted a “long and in-depth investigation” including witness interviews and video footage in order to determine suspects in the incident. James Brown has been identified as the suspected shooter in the incident, and Kendra Johnson-Brown has been identified as the driver of the car involved in the incident.

 Both suspects were arrested on Thursday, July 25th and booked in Boone County jail on multiple charges. These charges include felony counts of aggravated battery, attempted murder, and criminal recklessness.

The post Two finally arrested in road rage shooting that left trucker in critical condition appeared first on CDLLife.

07/26/24 - ECONOMIC TRUCKING TRENDS: Freight volumes weaken but balance returning to market

Fastertruck News - 07/26/24 - 08:25:37pm - The latest trucking economic data paints a mixed picture that reflects softening freight volumes, but an improving alignment in supply and demand.

07/26/24 - TFI to Put LTL, Truckload Units on Diets as Q2 Profit Falls

Fastertruck News - 07/26/24 - 07:42:54pm -

TFI International is cutting costs across both its Less-Than-Truckload and Truckload businesses amid what CEO Alain Bédard described as a stubbornly lackluster freight environment.

07/26/24 - Ryder reports Q2 results; numbers continue to outperform prior cycles

Fastertruck News - 07/26/24 - 07:20:01pm -

MIAMI, Fla. — Ryder System Inc. has reported $3.2 billion total revenue for Q2 in 2024 compared to $2.9 billion for Q2 2023. 

“Ryder delivered solid second-quarter results and continued to outperform prior cycles,” said Robert Sanchez, Ryder chairman and CEO. “Comparable EPS were above our forecast primarily reflecting better-than-expected ChoiceLease results. ROE of 16% demonstrated the increased resilience of our transformed business model and is in line with our expectations for the latter stage of a freight-cycle downturn. 

Sanchez added that contractual lease, dedicated, and supply chain businesses generated higher year-over-year earnings. Higher ChoiceLease results and maintenance cost-savings initiatives benefited FMS. Strong automotive performance benefited SCS. In DTS, integration of the Cardinal Logistics acquisition remains on track and the company continues to expect to achieve planned synergies. 

“Long-term secular growth trends remain intact for all of our contractual businesses, although we are experiencing near-term sales headwinds that include customer fleet reductions and delayed decision-making that reflect the extended freight downturn and overall economic uncertainty,” Sanchez said. We remain well positioned to grow with our customers as conditions improve. 

According to Sanchez, a strong balance sheet and increased return profile gives the company ample capacity to support organic growth and strategic acquisitions and return capital to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends. Ryder recently announced a 14% increase to its quarterly dividend which Sanchez said demonstrates continued confidence in the earnings power of the company’s transformed business model. 

Looking Forward 

“Our high-performing contractual portfolio and transformed business model have enabled us to deliver solid results amid a challenging freight environment,” said John Diez, Ryder CFO. “The business remains well positioned to benefit from the expected cycle upturn with ample capacity to fund growth, pay a reliable dividend, and return capital to shareholders. The high end of our full-year forecast range continues to assume a gradual recovery in rental and used vehicle sales in the second half, while the bottom end reflects ongoing weak conditions. We now expect to generate higher free cash flow for the year reflecting lower capital spending due to softer lease sales activity.” 

07/26/24 - 'Fraud apocalypse': Brokers circling the wagons, shutting carriers out of freight

Fastertruck News - 07/26/24 - 06:54:13pm - One is required, and one is not," he said. The records that brokers are accessing within FMCSA's systems or through third-party data miners are "the ones that are not required." But what about the ...

07/26/24 - Work group reviewing trucking state income apportionment devolves into contentious dispute

Fastertruck News - 07/26/24 - 06:24:59pm - Stakeholders are accusing a minority of hijacking a work group tasked with reviewing how trucking receipts are apportioned to states.

07/26/24 - Schneider intermodal working to unlock customer growth, flexibility in Mexico

Fastertruck News - 07/26/24 - 06:21:01pm -

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Schneider National Inc., a multimodal provider of transportation, intermodal and logistics services, is helping shippers create flexible growth opportunities, find efficiencies and take advantage of industry leading offerings.

“It’s much easier and quicker for shippers to move their freight across the border than the ocean, and that’s been a real learning for them over the past few years,” said Erin Van Zeeland, Schneider chief commercial officer, group senior vice president and general manager of logistics. “When companies diversify the transportation modes they use to move their freight – such as combining intermodal, truckload and dedicated – they are able to experience better on-time service, seamless transportation and a higher level of security for their freight.”

According to the Mexico Institute for Competitiveness, in the first half of 2023, foreign direct investment related to nearshoring in Mexico increased by 47%.

In a press release, Schneider said that the trend is driven by companies that are switching from distant production hubs to locations closer to the final consumer, called nearshoring, allowing them to thrive on proximity and cost optimization. Nearshoring also allows companies to achieve operational efficiency while maintaining control over projects in terms of cost-effectiveness, logistics and risk mitigation.

Schneider, which has been operating in Mexico for the last 32 years, recently relocated to a new office in the Polanco District of Mexico City. This move makes it even easier for the company to meet with customers and prospects from a centralized location.

The company said it provides customers with strategic cross-border transportation solutions by analyzing their freight needs and then collaborating to help them implement solutions including Intermodal, Van Truckload, Dedicated, Expedited, Bulk, Brokerage and more.

Last year, Schneider expanded its cross-border capabilities by becoming a strategic intermodal carrier on CPKC’s flagship north-south route, according to the release. Schneider’s rail partnership with CPKC creates more options for customers and furthers efficiency by increasing reliability, security and capacity.

“Today, reliability is more important to customers than ever, and our relationship with CPKC allows us to provide faster transit times with more consistent service and a higher level of security while still delivering on-time,” said Michael Baumgardt, Schneider senior vice president and general manager of intermodal. “Customers are also showing a strong commitment to improving their environmental impact, and they are looking for greener solutions to transport their goods with responsible providers that can offer a variety of services to cover their needs. Schneider can do all that and more.”

Schneider noted in the release that rail freight transportation facilitates fuel savings, with one ton of freight being shipped up to 500 miles on the equivalent of a single gallon of fuel. Schneider’s north-south zero-handoff route with CPKC saves approximately 3,400 pounds of CO2 emissions and 157 intermodal gallons per trip compared to existing over-the-road routes.

07/26/24 - Trucker’s body found on highway, police searching for second driver

Fastertruck News - 07/26/24 - 05:51:53pm -

Police are searching for the second truck driver involved in a fatal crash after the body of a trucker was found on an Indiana highway. 

The deceased driver was found on Thursday morning just before 3 a.m. at the 317 mile marker along Interstate 69 in Allen County, Indiana. 

According to WANE News, a body was found on I-69 near a semi truck parked on the highway shoulder. Police arrived to find evidence that a red or maroon Volvo commercial vehicle was involved in the incident, but drove off. Officers say that the Volvo semi truck likely has front passenger side damage and a missing mirror. 

The body found in the road has been identified as 48-year-old Brad Anthony Nacio, reported Fox 59. The coroner determined his cause of death to be multiple blunt injuries from a crash, and his death has been ruled an accident. Officers believe he was driving the semi truck parked on the highway shoulder just before he died. 

Authorities are currently searching through traffic cameras and weigh station entry footage in their search for the red Volvo tractor trailer driver. 

Indiana Department of Transportation, Michigan DOT and other authorities to look through traffic cameras and weigh station entries. Anyone with information about the semi is asked to contact the Allen County Sheriff’s Department through dispatch at 260-449-3000.

The post Trucker’s body found on highway, police searching for second driver appeared first on CDLLife.

07/26/24 - Oil Drilling Recovery Unlikely This Year, Baker Hughes Says

Fastertruck News - 07/26/24 - 05:39:58pm -

Baker Hughes Co. lowered its expectations for U.S. shale activity, saying an anticipated recovery in oil drilling is no longer likely this year.

07/26/24 - OOIDA: EPA rule makes truckers ‘guinea pigs’

Fastertruck News - 07/26/24 - 05:24:21pm - The EPA’s emission standards for heavy-duty trucks will harm small-business truckers, OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh said.

07/26/24 - Glimpsing the future: Shell Starship program continues to push boundaries  

Fastertruck News - 07/26/24 - 05:12:17pm -

HOUSTON — In the continuing effort to redefine what’s possible in transportation, Shell’s Starship program ranks at or near the top of radical engineering feats in truck technology. The program, which unveiled the original Starship in 2018, has since begat two other generations of the groundbreaking truck and trailer, providing a tantalizing glimpse of what’s to come in the field. 

Ryan Manthiri, engineering manager for the program, said while the concept vehicles combine a series of highly complex design and technological elements, the astonishingly simple premise upon which they were conceived has remained constant. 

“Commercial global transport accounts for about 9 percent of global CO2 emissions. That’s basically made up of, like, 17 million vehicles that operate in this global supply chain carrying around 22 trillion ton kilometers of cargo each year,” he said. “The scale of the challenge to decarbonize the sector is huge. 

“We wanted to create a material demonstration for the sector of how we can come together, collaborate across different even technical boundaries to showcase significant reductions in energy usage and CO2 emissions,” he continued. “That was the underlying philosophy for the truck itself.”

During the 2024 Shell Rotella SuperRigs event, Brian Rector, left, one of the two drivers piloting the Shell Starship on its U.S. tour, and Heather Duffey, Shell’s global commercial road transport communications manager share details about Starship 3.0. (Linda Garner-Bunch/The Trucker

 

Starships 1.0 and 2.0 leaned heavily into radical new design, advanced technology and space age lubricants built on increasingly efficient diesel power plants, achieving fuel economy and freight-ton efficiency that well exceeded the national average for Class 8 diesel trucks. Starship 3.0 is steeped in these elements while rolling out one important difference, the incorporation of alternative fuels.  

“Nobody knows what the next thing is. There’s really no definition, you know, is it going to be hydrogen? Is it going to be electric? Is it going to be natural gas?” said Heather Duffey, Shell’s global commercial road transport communications manager. “The answer was yes to all of it, right? So that’s where we started looking: ‘What can we do now? Let’s not talk about what’s further down the road, because there’s plenty of stuff we can do now to go ahead and start reducing carbon emissions.’ 

“At the same time, our customers, especially large fleets, are not going to just make a change just to make a change and see how it works,” she noted. “That’s where we were like, ‘Let’s put it to the test. Let’s see what we can do. Let’s see how we can showcase our technological leadership in the industry and in this sector.’”

Front view of the Shell Starship 3.0 (Linda Garner-Bunch/The Trucker)

 

Starship 3 includes two models, one operating on a Cummins X15N natural gas engine and the other is a hybrid model, soon to be introduced in China. The latter model, developed in partnership with Chinese manufacturer FAW, boasts an engine that runs on Shell biodiesel, which further improves the truck’s carbon footprint.  

Both trucks operate on next-generation specialty Shell lubricants such as Rotella natural gas engine oil and Spirax transmission and axle oils. While lubricants are generally considered an afterthought in existing trucks, when dealing with something as futuristic as the Starship, no detail is too small to escape innovation. 

“The lubricants that we have that support the truck are just as critical as the hardware,” Manthiri said. “The engine is the heart and the lubricant is the lifeblood — and in this truck we have specially formulated natural gas engine oil. We’ve done similar things with the transmission oil making sure that the lubricant selection across the power train and the drive line are there. We want all the power coming from the engine to hit the floor with minimal resistance. That’s where these advanced lubricants come in.”  

The payoff of the program has been immediate and eye-catching. Each version of the truck was put through its paces, running cross-country with a maximum-capacity load, and delivered results in fuel efficiency and emissions far superior to industry averages for a Class 8 truck. In the latest of these tests, Starship 3.0 delivered 80,000 pounds with more than two and half times better efficiency on a ton-miles per gallon basis and more than three times better emissions on a ton-miles per kg of CO2e. 

Asked why an oil company would take the lead in truck design, Duffey says Shell has always stressed innovation through its internal Discovery Hub. Applying that expertise to a truck, while unique, is in keeping with the company’s forward-thinking mentality. She also said with few exceptions — the Cummins engine being one — Shell Starship sought to incorporate the best available technology regardless of origin. 

“We built this to be purposely OEM agnostic, as much as possible” she said. “We felt like that was really important so that we could give a truly unbiased view of different technologies. We wanted to make sure that we weren’t showing any kind of bias towards one OEM over another in order to see what we can do and give a true evaluation of that to our customers. We work with a lot of really large fleets and OEMs, and it’s nice to be able to see the things that they have developed from the work that we’ve done that will have an impact on the industry going forward.” 

The concept is not just for the present, but will be something that can be used for the future.

“One thing we frequently refer to is being a lab on wheels. That’s what Starship is,” Manthiri said. “It’s been a great proving ground for technology in hardware, lubricants and fuel.” 

07/26/24 - Ryder Posts Q2 Profit Surge, Revenue Up 10% on Leasing Gains

Fastertruck News - 07/26/24 - 04:38:44pm -

Profits and revenues at Ryder System Inc. increased in the second quarter of 2024 on the back of higher returns from its leasing and maintenance program, the integration of the Cardinal Logistics acquisition and the absence of an accounting charge taken in the year-ago period.

07/26/24 - Ottawa’s Jade Racicot and Golden Fries at the forefront of a changing food truck industry

Fastertruck News - 07/26/24 - 04:23:33pm - It’s the height of festival season in Ottawa and for Jade Racicot, owner of Golden Fries, that also means it’s the height of food truck season.