TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA - Earnings Preview for Navistar International

Warrenville,ILL,USA -Benzinga, by Nelson Hem -June 06, 2011: -- Navistar International is scheduled to report second-quarter fiscal 2011 results before the markets open on Tuesday, June 7...  During the three months that ended in April, the company received an order from the U.S. Army for troop transport vehicles to be used in Afghanistan and another for ambulances from the Marines. The revenue forecast for that period calls for an increase of 20.3% from the same period of last year to $3.3 billion. And sequential and year-over-year growth of revenues is projected for the current quarter as well...  Navistar International operates in four segments. The Truck segment makes and distributes trucks and buses for the common carrier and private carrier, military vehicles, and student and commercial transportation markets. The Engine segment designs and manufactures diesel engines for medium and heavy trucks, military vehicles and buses, as well as sells engines for industrial and agricultural applications. The Parts segment offers truck, trailer and engine service parts. The Financial Services segment provides retail, wholesale and lease financing services for its trucks and parts...  (Picture from i20.tinypic: Navistar's MaxxPro)

ELECTRIC TRUCKMAKERS * USA - Balqon offers new one

Harbor City,CAL,USA -Fleet Owner -May 25, 2011: -- Balqon Corporation has introduced the latest model in its line-up of heavy-duty, all-electric trucks, the Nautilus XR E20. The new truck can operate for 16 hours (or up to 150 miles) between recharges, according to company president and CEO, Balwinder Samra... The new truck is designed to serve as a yard tractor, it is built on an AutoCar chassis and features a four-speed, fully automatic transmission; high-performance AC induction motor - 200 HP @ 1800-2400 RPM with 600 lb-ft of torque @1800 RPM; and is powered with a lithium iron phosphate battery pack which has an extended life cycle. There is a five- year warranty on all battery packs...  (Photo from lh3.googleusercontent: Balqon CEO B. Samra with pure battery electric XR E20 tractor)

* Smith Electric Vehicles taps A123 for batteries

Kansas City,MO,USA -Fleet Owner -May 27, 2011: -- Smith Electric Vehicles will buy batteries from A123 Systems, a developer and manufacturer of advanced Nanophosphate lithium ion batteries and systems, according to a recent announcement from A123. The company expects to begin shipping its 5kWh automotive-class prismatic modules to Smith for integration into battery packs in the second half of 2011... According to Smith, A123’s battery technology will be first implemented in the Smith Newton truck, an all-electric, 7.5 ton (16,535 GVWR)–15 ton (33,000 GVWR) vehicle that has been commercialized globally... Smith’s customers include Frito-Lay (a division of PepsiCo), Staples, Coca-Cola, Sainsbury’s and Dairy Crest, as well as the U.S. Marine Corps... (Picture from smithelectricvehicles)

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA - Mack adding second shift to keep up with truck demand

Macungie,PA,USA -Truck News (CAN) -May 20, 2011: -- Mack Trucks is hiring workers and ramping up production of its Pinnacle highway truck... The company said it requires about 300 new employees to support production demand of its Mack Pinnacle, and since it has already recalled most of its laid-off workers, most of the additional personnel will be new hires... "Customers are extremely pleased with the Pinnacle model and our MP series engines, in terms of both performance and fuel economy," said Kevin Flaherty, Mack senior vice-president, US and Canada. "With recently announced enhancements to our vehicle aerodynamics and engine offerings, we expect the enthusiasm to continue" ... Mack will be adding a second shift at its Macungie plant and says it will have the new hires up and running by early August... (Image from Macktrucks: Macungie plant Assembly Operations)

* USA - Steady growth in light & medium/heavy regs

Detroit,MICH,USA -AutomotiveWorld -May 23, 2011: -- A new report published by AutomotiveWorld.com forecasts steady growth in US light vehicle registrations to 16.3 million units in 2015, and considerable growth over the same period in new registrations of medium and heavy (on-road, including buses) vehicles...  The report, entitled Forecast: The US new vehicle market: prospects to 2015, sees growth in US light vehicle registrations of 15% in 2011, with further growth of 13% in 2012...  Whilst 2010 saw a year-on-year rise in medium and heavy registrations, this figure was still well down compared to some recent years, and the second lowest since 1991. However, the forecast anticipates growth of 41% in Class 4-8 for 2011, followed by 26% in 2012. Sales will continue to rise in 2013, but at a slower rate, before a peak in 2014 and a cyclical decline in 2015... (Photo from cache.gawkerassets: medium_GMC-Isuzu)

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA - More orders than trucks

Warrenville,ILL,USA -Fleet Owner, by Jim Mele -May 16, 2011: -- Truck manufacturers will experience “a big gap between order intake and actual build” for medium and heavy-duty trucks in 2011, according to Jim Hebe, Navistar sr. VP for North American operations... Truck makers may see an increase in new truck orders beyond already strong numbers, “but they won’t get built because of [capacity problems with] the supply base,” Hebe said at a recent press briefing. “We can’t raise production much beyond where we are right now because of supply issues” ... The problem lies with Tier 2 suppliers that build parts and components for the OEMs’ Tier 1 suppliers, according to Hebe. “With Tier 2 suppliers struggling, the Tier 1’s can’t deliver,” he said... Fleet purchasing habits for new Class 8 tractors have also been changed by the recent economic downturn, according to Hebe. Replacement level has dropped substantially, he added. “It was about 200,000 to 220,000, but now it’s down to 160,000 to 180,000,” Hebe estimated... Because new emissions technology have added substantially to cost, “fleets also haven’t adjusted to the price of 2010 trucks yet,” Hebe said. “It will take three or four years before the impact [of the higher price] is completely rolled into fleet business plans” ...

* Class 8 order backlog grows - April orders represented the strongest demand since March 2006

Columbus,IND,USA -Truck News (CAN) -May 18, 2011: -- Net orders for Class 8 trucks in North America totaled 38,100 units in April, up 31% from March levels and 157% year-over-year...  The strong demand has pushed the backlog to a 55-month high of 126,000 units, ACT Research has announced...  "Of April's orders, 70% were scheduled for build by the end of Q3. Needless to say, open build slots remaining in 2011 are filling rapidly," said Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst. "At current fill rates, the 2011 build schedule could be completely filled by sometime in July. As has been the case throughout 2011, the industry's challenge is ramping up production. The industry's ability to build trucks, rather than demand for trucks will be the constraining factor on Class 8 production this year" ...


* Freightliner Delivering 70 M2 112 Natural Gas Tractors to Ryder System

San Bernardino,CAL,USA -Trailer Body -May 9, 2011: -- Freightliner Trucks has begun to deliver the first 70 of 182 Freightliner Business Class M2 112 natural gas tractors to Ryder System, Inc., a commercial transportation and supply chain management solutions provider... The order is part of Ryder’s agreement with the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) to launch a groundbreaking natural gas truck rental and leasing project for commercial fleets in Southern California. The delivery of this initial order will be completed by the end of May...  Ryder’s liquefied and compressed natural gas trucks are equipped with the Cummins ISL-G natural gas engine, and include the Allison 3000HS transmissions for optimum performance and efficiency...

* USA - Fiat Looking for a Bigger Stake in Chrysler Group than Originally Expected

Washington,DC,USA -The Detroit Bureau -May 10, 2011: -- Fiat made surprise move in SEC filing w/ plans to boost stake up to 70% once government loans paid off as early as next month. Could push stake even higher by acquiring large chunk of Chrysler shares now owned by union health care trust... Italian automaker lining up alternative financing to replace $7.5B it owes US and Canadian governments... Move would allow Fiat to buy additional 16% stake in Chrysler for about $1.3B – bringing holdings to 46%. But Fiat’s goal now is to increase stake to nearly 70%, by acquiring US government’s 8.6% stake in automaker... Fiat’s increasingly aggressive plans for taking over Chrysler reflect the maker’s increasing optimism about the U.S. maker’s health...

* Loader is better picker-upper: Fontaine Modification

Charlotte,NC,USA -Fleet Owner -May 13, 2011: -- A new refuse collection vehicle from Fontaine Modification, Fyda Freightliner, and GSP Marketing, is said to reduce costs and improve safety for personnel. The MP8000/M2-106 dual stand-up drive combo is a multi-purpose collection truck offering loading access on either side of the vehicle... The vehicle is built using a Freightliner M2-106 conventional cab chassis from Fyda Freightliner, adds a G-S Products semi-automated dual side-loader body from GSP Marketing, and Fontaine Modification’s dual low-entry stand-up drive cab... The cab includes low-entry access on both sides and can be equipped with dual steering. The body has 1.5 cu. yd. hoppers on both sides, allowing operators to load and dump carts, trash, compost, bagged trash, or single-stream recycling independently...  (Image from ccjdigital: A partnership between Fontaine Modification Co., Fyda Freightliner and GSP built the MP8000 M2 106 Dual Drive)

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA - Class 8 orders surge in April

Columbus,IND,USA -Truck News (CAN) -5 May 2011:  --  Preliminary results from ACT Research indicate Class 8 commercial vehicle net orders climbed to 38,200 units in North America in April...  That's a 158% increase from a year ago and the largest monthly order intake since March 2006, the company announced...  The list of positive drivers leading to the April order spike is long: Healthy freight, increasing trucker profits, pent-up replacement demand, rising used equipment prices, improving credit worthiness, rising prices for new vehicles, and lead times for new equipment that have pushed out to the end of the year. If that was not enough, there is the accelerated depreciation schedule for 2011 to consider. The challenge now is for the industry to translate all of this demand into trucks" ...(Image from assets.paragonrouting: truck fleet)


* USA - Japan Disaster Hits Caterpillar Global Output - Sporadic events affecting many Cat facilities worldwide

Peoria,ILL,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by John D. Boyd -Apr 29, 2011:  --  Caterpillar, a major global manufacturer of industrial, agricultural and transportation equipment including for trucking and rail markets, said it is "experiencing sporadic production disruptions at many of our facilities around the world," because many of its suppliers in Japan were affected by the earthquake and tsunami there...  The U.S. company reported first-quarter profit of $1.2 billion, up from $233 million in the 2010 first quarter, as sales volume surged amid the global recovery...  However, Caterpillar said the outlook would be even stronger except for continuing effects of the disaster in Japan, which also killed two employees of a Caterpillar dealer...  The situation has already improved some as employees and suppliers work to get operations back to levels that existed before the disaster struck...

* W. Virginia - Truck maker Hino Motors to cut production at W.Va. plant due to parts shortage

Williamstown,W.VA,USA -The Republic/Associated Press -May 06, 2011: -- Hino Motors Manufacturing USA is cutting production at its West Virginia truck plant again because of a parts shortage created by the March disasters in Japan...  Hino cut production at the Williamstown plant to four-day weeks in April...  Sandy Ring with Hino's home office in Michigan tells that production will be reduced to three days beginning next week. Full-time and part-time employees will continue to work four days a week...  Hino's parent company, Toyota Motor Corp., has cut its U.S. production by two-thirds because of the parts shortage. Honda Motor Corp. has reduced production at 10 of its U.S. and Canadian plants. Both have said they aren't laying off workers... (Photo from 2.bp.blogspot: Hino truck)

* California - Freightliner offering natural gas version of new vocational truck

Long Beach,CAL,USA -Truck news (CAN) -May 9, 2011:  --  Freightliner has introduced a natural gas-powered version of its new 114 Severe-Duty (SD) set-back axle vocational truck...  The new 114SD SBA is a lightweight truck aimed at a range of vocational applications, including: dump; refuse; and sewer vac...  The natural gas version of the truck will be powered by the Cummins ISL G engine and it will be matched with an Allison 3000RDS transmission, the company announced...  The 114SD SBA was introduced earlier this year. Production of the natural gas version will commence in December, Freightliner announced... (Image from domesticfuel: Freightliner trucks busclass)

* California - Food truck makers revived by gourmet trend

Los Angeles,CAL,USA -The Los Angeles Times, by Sharon Bernstein -May 8, 2011:  --  The Southern California companies that outfit and customize catering trucks — or lease them out — enjoy a boom as the craze spreads throughout the country... Hopeful gourmet truck entrepreneurs come from all over the country to get retired vehicles transformed into gleaming, rolling emporiums that dish out everything from comfort food to exotic fare... Fully equipped, new trucks can run to $100,000 and much more. Customizers begin with a basic commercial truck, manufactured by companies such as Ford Motor Co. and Freightliner Trucks, to which they add sinks, counters, appliances and other equipment needed for a mobile kitchen. They also cut out serving windows and make other modifications to turn the truck into a plain or fancy catering vehicle...  The truck alone will cost $20,000 used, or up to $75,000 if Grenis opts to buy a new one... (Image by Lindsay Rebecca, from laist:  flying_pig_truck.jpg)

* New York -  Pickup Truck Sales Plunge To Thirty-Year Low

New York,NY,USA -The Car Connection -9 May 2011: -- Sales of pickup trucks, once considered the staple vehicle of U.S. automakers, fell to volumes not seen since Ward's Auto began keeping a database in 1980... April 2011 sales of compact and full-size pickups accounted for just 11.8 percent of light vehicle sales during the month. Year to date sales of pickup trucks are also down, with the truck segment accounting for just 12.6 percent of light vehicle sales... By comparison, pickup truck sales accounted for 22.9 percent of light vehicle sales at their peak in July of 2005. Back then, unemployment was at 5 percent and regular gasoline cost just $2.28 per gallon, and non-commercial demand for pickup trucks generally parallels both unemployment and fuel costs... Even in Texas, long considered the biggest truck market in the United States, sales are down... While sales of both small and mid-size cars are up, all hope isn’t lost for the truck market just yet... If history is an indicator, it will take a significant decrease in both unemployment and gasoline prices before pickup truck sales rebound to their prior levels... (Photo: A 2011 Ford F-150 towing a trailer)

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA - Mack celebrating 50 years at powertrain components plant

Mack Trucks' powertrain components plant in Hagerstown, 50 years in operation today

Hagerstown,MD,USA -Truck News (CAN) -May 4, 2011: -- Mack Trucks' powertrain components plant in Hagerstown is celebrating 50 years in operation today...  In 1959, after looking for a modern alternative to its existing engine, transmission and carrier facility in Plainfield, N.J., Mack decided to invest $45 million in a new 1 million-sq. ft. plant on 280 acres in Hagerstown. With construction complete, the first Mack engine rolled off the assembly line in 1961...  Today, the facility is approximately 1.5 million sq. ft. - the area of more than 30 football fields. More than $300 million has been invested in upgrades since 2001, including its engine development lab, according to officials...  (Image from Mack Trucks: Today, robotics, automation and assembly controls help ensure product quality, according to Mack officials)

* Paccar considers entry to China truck market

Bellevue,WASH,USA -The Puget Sound Business Journal, by Steve Wilhelm -April 20, 2011: -- Paccar is evaluating the possibility of building and selling over-the road trucks in China...  While Paccar Inc. has no immediate plans to sell DAF trucks in China, the company hopes to eventually find a joint venture partner among China’s 40 truck builders to build a truck for China...  Paccar will be watching closely the results of its newest venture, building a Brazil factory to assemble DAF trucks for the Latin American market. The company plans to break ground at the end of this year on the 300,000-square-foot Brazil plant, which is about the same size as Paccar’s Renton plant, and start production in 2013...  Paccar will build DAF trucks in Brazil, and is considering them for China, because the cab-over design fits European standards widely used around the world, and is about five feet shorter than the extended-hood Paccar and Kenworth trucks popular in North America...

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA - Good first quarter for Paccar

Bellevue,WA,USA -Truck & Business (Belgium), by Michel Buckinx -29 April 2011: -- American manufacturer Paccar has announced improved turnover and net profits for the first quarter of 2011, compared to the same period last year. This is explained by increased heavy trucks sales in Europe and North America, and by an improvement in financial services and in the spare parts division. Turnover thus reached 2.3 billion dollars, and net profits 193.3 million dollars. The European share of DAF in the over 15 tonnes segment currently stands at 16%... (Image from Paccar: A Kenworth model Paccar's truck)

* Isuzu offers telematics option

Anaheim,CAL,USA -Fleet Owner -May 3, 2011:  --  Isuzu Commercial Truck of America has added Teletrac’s Fleet Director telematics system as either a port or dealer-installed option for its 2011 and 2012 model year N-Series medium-duty trucks...  Teletrac said the most recent version of its system, Fleet Director 8.2, not only locates, tracks and monitors the position and operation of fleet vehicles, but also provides flexible “at-a-glance” dashboards and safety scorecards along with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) reporting...  All of the analytics are available in real time using data captured by Teletrac and is viewable through any web browser. The data includes speeding miles, severe speeding miles, harsh braking events, harsh acceleration events, and bad cornering events...(Photo from 3.bp.blogspot: Family Isuzu trucks)

* California -  Isuzu re-starts production of gasoline-powered medium-duty models

Anaheim,CAL,USA -Fleet Owner -May 4, 2011: -- For the first time in two years, Isuzu Commercial Truck of America is in full production of gasoline-powered N-Series medium-duty trucks at the Spartan Motors factory in Charlotte, MI... The new 2012 N-Gas models are powered by the Vortec 6.0-liter small-block V8 engine that produces 297 horsepower at 4,300 rpm and generates 372 lbs.-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm. The engine is mated to a new six-speed automatic transmission with double overdrive and lock-up torque converter for enhanced fuel economy and performance, Isuzu noted. This is an upgrade; previous N-Series gasoline models offered only a four-speed automatic...

* USA - Recall Alert: Nissan Pathfinder, Infiniti QX4

(Photo: 2002 Infiniti QX4 Luxury)

Washington,DC,USA -The Car Connection -25 April 2011: -- Nissan is issuing a recall for nearly 200,000 sport-utility vehicles sold in the U.S. under both its Nissan and Infiniti brands... The vehicles affected include 195,991 copies of the 1996-2004 Nissan Pathfinder and the 1997-2003 Infiniti QX4. Only vehicles sold or currently registered in northern-tier states are included in the recall. Those states include: Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin--as well as the District of Columbia... In both, the vehicles could be exposed to heavy road salt, which could in turn find its way into the struts. The intrusion can lead to rusting inside the strut tower housing--which may cause cracking and failure, and a loss of steering control...

* Ford Reports Best 1Q Since 1998

Dearborn,MICH,USA -Bloomberg/TTNews -26 April 2011: -- Ford Motor Co.’s first-quarter profit rose 22% to the highest level in 13 years, the company said Tuesday...  Net income rose to $2.55 billion, from $2.09 billion a year ago, the No. 2 U.S. automaker said in a statement. Sales rose 4.7% to $33.1 billion, following last year’s sale of Volvo cars...  CEO Alan Mulally put the company’s focus on fuel economy and raised U.S. prices twice this year as the cost of gasoline has risen 26%. Consumers paid $900 million more worldwide for Ford’s vehicles in the quarter than a year ago...  Ford “introduced new cargo truck in Brazil, representing our commitment to competitiveness in a critical segment in South America” and said it “expects U.S. full-year industry volume will be in the range of 13 million to 13.5 million units and, for the 19 markets Ford tracks in Europe, in the range of 14.5 million to 15.5 million units, including medium and heavy trucks” ...

* DC - NHTSA Probing GM over Faulty Gas Gauges

Washington,DC,USA -Detroit Free Press - April 30, 2011: -- NHTSA opened investigation into whether nearly 1M GM vehicles may have faulty gas gauges. Agency estimates 865K vehicles could be affected... NHTSA investigators said, "Consumers have reported incidents of inaccurate and random fuel level reading while driving, resulting in the vehicle running out of fuel and causing vehicle stall with no restart" ...  Received 668 complaints alleging inaccurate fuel gauge reading while driving. 
Model year 2005-07 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, Saab 9-7x...  Of complaints, 58 involved stalls, and 43 driver specifically reported fuel level reading indicated more fuel availability... NHTSA said at least 1 crash allegedly took place when vehicle ran out of gas...  

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA - Truck Maker Paccar Profit Nearly Triples

Net income rises 183 percent to $193.3 million on 47 percent increase in sales

Bellevue,WA,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by William B. Cassidy -Apr 20, 2011: -- Strong heavy-duty truck sales drove first-quarter revenue up 47 percent to $3.28 billion at Paccar. Excluding financial services, net sales were up 53 percent... The manufacturer's net profit soared 183 percent, rising from $68.3 million a year ago to $193.3 million. Higher utilization of truck facilities increased gross margins... Paccar builds and sells Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks in the U.S. and DAF trucks in Europe. The truck brands are sold in other overseas markets as well...

* USA - Recall Alert: 2011 Toyota Tundra Pickup

(Photo: 2011 Toyota Tundra Angular Front Exterior View)

Torrance,CA,USA -The Car Connection -26 April 2011: -- Toyota is announcing a voluntary safety recall for certain 2011 Tundra pickups, based on a rear driveshaft production lot number...  At issue is a slip yoke that may have been improperly cast during the manufacturing process, and Toyota is aware of just one failure to date in a customer owned vehicle. No accidents or injuries have been reported as a result of this condition, and no other Toyota or Lexus vehicles are impacted by the recall...  Toyota says while approximately 51,000 Tundra pickups will be recalled, less than five one-hundredths of a percent are expected to have the potentially defective part....

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * Canada & USA - Class 8 sales soar in March; Freightliner, Volvo post big gains

Heavy-duty new truck sales in March improved 44.2 percent...

Huntington,WV,USA -The Trucker -13 April 2011: ... Compared to the year before, climbing to the highest monthly total since April 2007... According to figures provided to The Trucker by Ward’s Automotive, Class 8 sales totaled 13,010 trucks in the United States, up from 9,025 trucks in March 2010. The year-over-year improvement was 15th consecutive... March sales also were up 34 percent compared to February, a sizeable but not unusual seasonal improvement... Year-to-date, 31,598 Class 8 trucks have been sold in the U.S., an increase of 34.1 percent from 2010 — a 46 percent gain from the great truck depression of 2009...   In a brand-by-brand look

* Daimler Trucks North America’s Freightliner, led the field, selling 4,982 trucks, a 27.7 percent increase from February and a 46.8 percent improvement from the year before. March was Freightliner’s best single month since February 2007... 

* Navistar sold 2,425 International brand trucks, up 62.3 percent from the previous month, and up 21.9 percent from March 2010...
 
* PACCAR nameplates Peterbilt and Kenworth sold 1,345 trucks (up 31.2 percent from February, up 10.5 percent from March 2010) and 1,507 trucks (up 43.8 percent, up 75.4 percent), respectively...
 
* Volvo Group’s Mack Trucks Inc. was up 15.7 percent from the previous month on 973 trucks sold in March (up 17.1 percent from the year before), while Volvo Trucks North America was up 30.1 percent for the month, with 1,653 trucks sold (up 167 percent from March 2010). March was the best month for Volvo since December 2007...
 
* DTNA’s Western Star nameplate tallied 123 Class 8 sales in March, down 7.5 percent from the previous month but up 98.4 percent from the year before...

The U.S. market share pie chart for the first quarter shows Freightliner with a 37.7 percent slice of Class 8, topping International (19.4 percent). Volvo’s share has jumped to 11.7 percent. And Kenworth (11.2 percent) now edges out Peterbilt (11 percent) while Mack holds 8.1 percent of Class 8... (Photo from autoempresas.net)

* Canada - Hino intros new hybrid Class 5 chassis

Mississauga,ONT,CAN -Truck News -Apr 11, 2011: -- Hino Motors Canada has introduced its new 2012 Hino 195h Hybrid Class 5 truck chassis to Canada at the ExpoCam truck show in Montreal...  The Hino 195h utilizes advanced diesel-electric hybrid technology and Hino's selective catalytic reduction system to help achieve improvements in both fuel economy and engine exhaust emissions. The truck also fully complies with EPA2010 emission regulations, officials said...  The hybrid is expected to arrive starting in December...   (Photo: Hino unveiled its new 2012 Hino 195h Hybrid Class 5 truck)

* USA - Ford To Announce Expanded F-150 Recall

Detroit,MICH,USA -The Car Connection -16 April 2011: -- Yielding to pressure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Ford has agreed to recall an additional 1.2 million F-150 pickup trucks for potential problems with their airbag system...  The NHTSA has received nearly 300 reports of accidental airbag deployment in 2004 to 2006 Ford F-150 trucks. At issue is a manufacturing defect in the airbag system, which could lead to an electrical short and potential airbag deployment. Ford previously recalled some 135,000 F-150s in a campaign announced last February, but resisted a larger recall citing a high airbag failure rate at only a single manufacturing plant. The NHTSA disagreed, and pushed Ford to expand the recall to just over 1.3 million vehicles...

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA - 180,000 Truck Shortfall Predicted for 2012

ACT Research: Soaring truck orders won't match deep capacity cuts

Columbus,IN,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by William B. Cassidy -Apr 6, 2011: ...  The surge in orders for heavy trucks isn't big enough to prevent a shortfall in available truck capacity in 2011 and 2012, according to ACT Research...  Steve Tam, vice president of the commercial vehicle sector at ACT Research, said truck capacity reached "equilibrium" last year after the second quarter surge in inventory restocking and has tightened since...  The shortfall is "fairly benign at this point," about 10,000 trucks, he said, "but we expect it to continue to grow" to 75,000 trucks by the first quarter of 2012. The shortfall will reach 180,000 trucks by the end of 2012, Tam said...  Truck manufacturers received more than 134,000 Class 8 tractor orders in the last five months alone, receiving 29,200 net orders in March, ACT Research said...  The annualized truck production rate is now at 300,000 units a year. Truck makers built 154,290 Class 8 tractors in 2010, a 30 percent increase over 2009...  But many of those orders are for tractors that will replace aging rigs, not expand truck fleets that reduced their tractor counts deeply over the past three years...  

* Freightliner enhances Cascadia’s aerodynamics

(Photo from thedieseltrader: The Freightliner Innovation Truck)

Louisville,KY,USA -Fleet Owner -Apr 1, 2011: -- New chassis side fairings and side extenders have been added to the already aerodynamic Cascadia to improve its fuel economy an additional 1.8%, Freightliner Trucks said. The new additions are on display this week at Freightliner’s booth at the Mid-America Trucking Show here... Freightliner is also offering lightweight options of the Cascadia to lower total cost of ownership for fleets...  The new aerodynamic enhancements join previous changes which included a roof deflector, chassis skirts, valence panel and bumper with closures on the vehicle, which debuted in 2007. This year’s changes, which include 20-in. side extenders, have generated the additional fuel economy improvement on 72-in. raise roof models...

TRUCKMAKERS´ NEWS * USA - Daimler Truck Raises 2011 Truck Sales Forecast

Manufacturer predicts North American sales will rise 30 to 35 percent this year

Louisville,KY,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by William B. Cassidy -Mar 31, 2011: -- Daimler Trucks North America is raising its sales projections 10 to 15 percent for 2011 as demand for its Freightliner brand heavy trucks remains strong...  The German-owned company's original projections had sales rising 20 to 25 percent this year over 2010. This week DTNA bumped that forecast up to 30 to 35 percent...  DTNA officials at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky., attributed the uptick in demand to a significant increase in the demand for trucking services...  The Daimler truck unit said it plans to expand its production schedule and create about 1,300 jobs at its locations in the U.S. and Mexico in the first half of the year... (Image from roadtransport/big-lorry-blog: Freightliner Business Class M2, medium-duty)

* Mack Trucks: “Well-positioned for success”

Louisville,KY,USA -Fleet Owner, by David Cullen -Apr 1, 2011: -- Despite ongoing weakness in the construction sector, which accounts for many of its vocational truck sales, Mack Trucks is nonetheless “well-positioned for success,” said Kevin Flaherty, senior vice president-U.S. and Canada, at a media briefing here at the Mid-America Trucking Show... Flaherty said Mack expects a Class 8 North American market this year in the range of 220,000 trucks, driven primarily by replacement demand given the average age of the existing U.S. fleet, which at eight years is the oldest since deregulation hit the industry back in 1980... Product enhancements introduced at the truck show included new “optimized” roof and chassis fairings for Mack Pinnacle on-highway tractors, additional fuel-efficient Econodyne ratings for its Mack MP engines, and interior enhancements intended o improve driver comfort and productivity... Roof fairings have been redesigned for the Pinnacle 70-in. high-rise, 70-in. mid-rise and 60-in. mid-rise sleepers. New chassis fairings are “stronger, lighter and longer, covering up to a 140-gal. fuel tank, yet costing considerably less than the previous option,” said Jerry Warmkessel, marketing manager—highway products... (Photo from Roadtransport.com/big-lorry-blog: Yank road train thumb)

* Volvo Trucks to boost production, recall 700 workers

New River Valley,VA,USA -Fleet Owner -Mar 30, 2011: -- Volvo Trucks North America will recall 700 workers and boost production levels at its New River Valley, VA, plant. The 700 additional workers will lift employment to just over 2,200 at the facility... As part of the ramp-up in production, VTNA will add a second shift. The recalls will take place in stages between May 2 and June 13, the company said... Volvo Trucks announced that its sales are up 47% through February vs. the same period last year, and its market share has increased year-to-date to 10.9%... (Image from Roadtransport/big-lorry-blog: A Volvo truck model T2000)

* New names, sleeper, and interior for Western Star’s expanded line

Louisville,KY,USA –Today's Trucking (CAN) -31 March 2011: -- Western Star is rebadging its full line of trucks, following the launch of a new Class 8 vocational truck at the recent 2011 Work Truck Show... The new naming strategy separates Western Star's family of trucks into four distinct models: the 4700, 4800, 4900 and 6900. All axle configurations are also represented and include the set-forward (SF), set-back (SB) and twin-steer (TS)... (Image from roadtransports/biglorryblog: A Western Star truck)

* USA - Mercedes-Benz M-Class Recall Affects 2000-2004 Models

Washington,DC,USA -The Car Connection -5 April 2011: -- The Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV is being recalled for problems with its cruise control...  The affected models include those from model years 2000 to 2004, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports. All were built in the Benz assembly facility in Vance, Alabama...  A total of 136,751 vehicles are being recalled, among them both the standard-issue MLs and some AMG editions. In the vehicles, the cruise control might not disengage when the brakes are tapped--even though the off switch is still functional. The brakes may still disengage the cruise control, but only if pumped...  The NHTSA says these problems could result in an accident or injury, though none have been reported...  The vehicles will be repaired free of charge, starting in September...  (Photo: 2003 Mercedes-Benz ML320)