Estes Express Lines has added its first zero-emission electric Class 8 tractors to its fleet. The battery-operated trucks will service some of the company’s West Coast operations through its terminal in Banning, California. With a range of roughly 230 miles on a single charge, the 12 Freightliner eCascadia trucks are suited for local pickup and delivery assignments. The decision to deploy a dozen of the all-electric units comes following a successful trail, the carrier told Clean Trucking. Estes Vice president of Sustainability, Culture and Communications Sara Graf said the company actively seeks out opportunities to test and incorporate equipment "that will help us reduce our carbon footprint. We’re thrilled to begin including electric trucks into our fleet and look forward to adding more as availability and infrastructure allows,” she said. Banning terminal manager Michael Haynes said the trucks so far have been popular among drivers. “It’s fair to say these EV trucks caught our drivers by surprise in how much they enjoyed operating them – all of whom noted how quiet, smooth and agile they were,” he said. “It’s exciting to see Estes continue investing in and testing promising, new technologies and equipment that allow us to serve our customers to the best of our ability.” Basic service is handled by Estes' in-house shop and all major work is handled by a local dealer. The Banning facility has on-site charging infrastructure. The dozen electric trucks join in the Estes fleet 300 electric forklifts, accounting for 10% of Estes' total forklift numbers, and two electric yard jockeys to relocate trailers within a terminal and lot. Estes also recently completed two rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) installations at Estes’ terminals in Lakewood and Pine Brook, New Jersey. Both installations offset nearly 100% of the energy demands for the facilities. The total savings over a 25-year span is expected to surpass $1 million based on projected energy savings and future energy costs. The New Jersey terminals are the fourth and fifth solar installations Estes has completed with Dynamic Energy, a developer and installer of commercial and community solar projects. Similar rooftop solar projects have been installed at Estes’ terminals in West Middlesex, Pennsylvania, Elkton and Baltimore, Maryland, and Greensboro, North Carolina. Additional projects are underway in Norfolk, Virginia and Joliet, Illinois. Altogether, the 2.4 MW portfolio is expected to generate approximately 1,667,000 kilowatt hours annually, offsetting approximately 1,180 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) – the equivalent of carbon sequestered by 1,400 acres of U.S. forests each year. https://ift.tt/SqXhRJC
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Eaton's Mobility Group has added the Advantage series clutch, the best-selling clutch in North America, to its remanufactured product portfolio. The remanufactured Advantage clutches feature a unique strap drive intermediate plate design only available from Eaton. The clutches will be offered in seven part numbers to cover the majority of heavy-duty applications and will include both self-adjust and manual adjust models. “By adding our popular North American-made Advantage clutch to our line of remanufactured components we are offering our customers a more sustainable product that reduces the amount of material going to landfills,” said Tim Bauer, vice president, Aftermarket, Eaton’s Mobility Group. “This is just another step in our commitment to the environment and offering our customers the products they demand for all vehicle life cycles.” “Remanufactured products maintain the same performance characteristics and provide customers of Eaton’s remanufactured product portfolio with a cost-effective solution while offering a sustainability advantage, Bauer said. "In addition, remanufactured options carry market competitive warranties and provide superior performance for aging trucks on their late-life clutch replacement," he added. All factory remanufactured products are backed by Eaton’s Roadranger sales and service network, the nation’s leading support system for drivetrain components that provides unequaled protection, support, and training from experienced professionals. https://ift.tt/SqXhRJC Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024: Indiana looks to ban driverless trucksNearly identical bills introduced in both the state senate and state house in Indiana would effectively ban the use of driverless autonomous trucks in the state. The bills would require a human operator to be physically present in any autonomous commercial motor vehicle. Indiana state Sen. Jim Tomes, one of the authors of the Senate bill, said the bill would increase safety on state highways. "With new technology on the horizon and more self-driving vehicles being used on our roadways, it is important our laws reflect these changes to keep Hoosiers safe," Tomes said. "Driverless vehicles, especially large trucks, could pose a danger on our public roads if not monitored properly.” New York also recently introduced similar legislation. The Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association voiced its opposition to New York’s bill, with AVIA CEO Jeff Farrah saying it would “impose a premature and permanent ban on autonomous trucks.” The Teamsters union has largely been in favor of similar bills. California last year passed a similar bill, but it was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. [Related: New York driverless truck ban proposed in senate] Texas gets $70M to build hydrogen fueling stationsThe Biden-Harris Administration last week announced $623 million in grants to help build out an electric vehicle (EV) charging network across the U.S. As part of that funding, the the North Central Texas Council of Governments will receive $70 million to build up to five hydrogen fueling stations for medium- and heavy-duty trucks in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio. The project will help create a hydrogen corridor from southern California to Texas, the Federal Highway Administration said in a press release. The grants eere made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s $2.5 billion Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program, a competitive funding program, and will fund 47 EV charging and alternative-fueling infrastructure projects in 22 states and Puerto Rico, including construction of approximately 7,500 EV charging ports. The city of Blythe, California, will also receive $19.6 million for a WattEV truck charging terminal. TEL donates truck to mobile medical clinicTransport Enterprise Leasing (TEL) has donated a 2022 Freightliner Cascadia to Remote Area Medical (RAM) to power the nonprofit’s free pop-up clinics, announced Victor Duggard, chief financial officer of TEL. The truck, valued at $85,000, will transport RAM’s mobile clinic to locations throughout the region where the charity provides medical, dental and vision care to the uninsured and underserved. “There is a tremendous need for medical services for individuals without insurance or the money to get medical services in our society. This is where RAM fills the void,” said TEL CFO Victor Duggard. “Partnering with a great organization like this is a great way for us to give back in our community.” Dozens of clinics are scheduled for the coming months in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and in states as far away as Alaska. “RAM is grateful for this generous donation from Transport Enterprise Leasing,” said Chris Hall, chief operations officer. “This commercial truck will allow us to continue to provide free, quality healthcare to those in need across the United States. As we expand our services and number of clinics, our fleet of tractor-trailers becomes an ever-growing, important aspect of delivering the care that countless individuals are seeking. Barriers exist for our patients in many different ways. With this truck, we are able to continue to remove those barriers that stand in the way of access to healthcare.” https://ift.tt/SqXhRJC Class 8 preliminary net orders for December came in at 26,620 units, according to FTR, 26% below November and down 6% year-over-year but within expectations given seasonal tendencies. Total Class 8 orders for the previous 12 months have equaled 253,000 units, and more recent run rates are even stronger. The annualized rate over the past 6 months has been 302,000 units, and the three-month annualized rate is 362,000 units. FTR Chairman Eric Starks said truck OEMs are still able to fill build slots at a healthy rate and despite the slight year-over-year decrease in orders in December, the market is still performing at a high level historically. "Even as the freight markets have been weak for an extended period, fleets are still ordering equipment," he added. "Order levels were above the historical average but continue to follow seasonal trends, reinforcing our expectations for replacement demand in 2024.” The convergence of continued strong build rates, a fading U.S. tractor sales trend, and early in the year sales seasonality risk a Class 8 inventory surge early this year. Some of that dynamic can already be seen with more inventory accumulated the past two months ending November — 4,300 units — than the 3,300 units accrued across the preceding twelve months, as published in the latest release of ACT Research's North American Commercial Vehicle OUTLOOK. “Something we marveled at, as late as this September, was the close correlation between build and sales that had kept Class 8 inventory levels, both nominal and relative, near perfectly positioned very late into the cycle,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT president and senior analyst. “Increasingly, with inventories already rising and the sales calendar becoming unfriendly in early 2024, the data suggest this cycle will not provide an it’s different this time outcome, with more inventory accrued in the last two months than the preceding 12 months. Vieth noted that if there is a silver lining, ACT assumes that much of the end-of-2023 inventory build occurred in California because of expensive and complex CARB regulations that went into effect this month. “The Class 8 forecast has anticipated a production slowdown beginning in Q1. As any significant inventory stockpiling won’t occur until January and February, we are probably early in our call for build rate cuts sooner," he said. "The U.S. Class 8 tractor sales rate has been trending lower since Q2’23, and even in good markets, January and February are far and away the worst months of the year for retail sales.”
https://ift.tt/lgNVws2 Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Jan. 15, 2024: Bill intro’d, again, to hike trucking insurance minimumsIn what has become something of a ritual in Congress, a bill has been introduced that would, if passed and signed into law, increase the minimum liability insurance requirements for interstate motor carriers from $750,000 to $5 million. Reps. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (D-Illinois) and Hank Johnson (D-Georgia) introduced the “Fair Compensation for Truck Crash Victims Act” on Dec. 22. Garcia has previously authored the “Improving National Safety by Updating the Required Amount of Insurance Needed by Commercial Motor Vehicles per Event (INSURANCE) Act.” Like previous attempts to increase insurance minimums for carriers, the new legislation also ties the minimums to inflation to keep pace “with the rising cost of healthcare and other expenses,” a press release from Garcia said. The bill would require the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to adjust the liability insurance minimum every five years for inflation relating to medical care. “For too long, truck crash victims and their families have been burdened by tremendous emotional and financial consequences, facing a mountain of medical debt and shattered lives,” Garcia said. “The Fair Compensation for Truck Crash Victims Act is about justice, responsibility, and protecting our communities. It's time to ensure that trucking companies have adequate insurance to cover the true cost of their actions and prevent families from being financially destroyed by crashes they had no control over.” The bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Jared Huffman (D-California), John Garamendi (D-California), Adriano Espaillat (D-New York), and Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee). Previous attempts to increase insurance minimums have stalled before reaching the full House floor for a vote. [Related: Significant liability insurance hike floated again in Congress] Love’s celebrates 60th anniversaryLove's Travel Stops on Jan. 8 celebrated 60 years of operations, marking a legacy of innovation, growth and community impact since its first store opened in Watonga, Oklahoma, in 1964, the company said. "That year, Tom and Judy Love were looking for a way to support their growing family,” the Love family said in a press release. “So, they leased a filling station in Watonga and with Tom’s boots-on-the ground, community- and people-focused mentality he kept his entire career, that one store led to a nationally recognized brand.” Love’s said it is the only major travel stop that is still family-owned and -operated and is now a national travel stop and convenience store network with 637 locations in 42 states and nearly 40,000 employees in North America and Europe. Its growing family of companies includes Musket Corp., Trillium Energy Solutions, Gemini and Speedco. Tom Love was an innovator from the start, the company said, opening a combined convenience store and filling station at a time when that was practically unheard of. His innovative spirit is at the heart of every addition the company has had over the years – from expanding into travel stops, adding the Gemini Motor Transport fleet, and restaurant and fresh food options, to total truck care solutions, alternative fuels, and private label offerings, just to name a few. “Tom Love said it best, ‘yesterday’s trophies don’t win tomorrow’s games,’ and even after six decades we still live by that motto, constantly innovating and improving,” said Shane Wharton, president of Love’s. “The secret formula behind the company’s success is our employees and how they model the core values Love’s was built on and sustain a legacy of driving for excellence.” Love’s 60th anniversary celebrations will continue throughout the year. https://ift.tt/lgNVws2 The federal electronic logging device (ELD) mandate in Canada has been in effect now for a year, though it has not been fully adopted at the provincial level. While the U.S. has had an ELD mandate since 2018, regulations are regularly changing, making compliance a challenge – even more so for drivers who cross the U.S./Canadian border, working with two sets of regulations. Solera, which provides risk management and asset protection software, recently hosted an ELD fireside chat webinar with its regulatory compliance experts to share details on the most recent regulations implemented by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA); roadside inspection protocols for drivers; the U.S. vs. Canadian ELD certification process; and how CSA Safety scores can be impacted. Unidentified drivingDuring the webinar, unidentified driving was a hot topic among attendees, and Florence Dougherty, director of product responsible for driving digital innovation and transformation to Solera’s Omnitracs, noted the regulation around it as one of the biggest and most impactful changes to fleets. According to the FMCSA website, a driver can operate within the 150-air mile radius without logging into the ELD, and then log into the ELD once the vehicle reaches that limit. Driving time within that radius will be identified on the ELD as "unidentified driving" time, which the driver must have an exemption for. Dougherty said the FMCSA previously offered some flexibility around unidentified driving, allowing for on-duty yard move and off-duty personal conveyance classifications. “Fleets loved it,” she said, because it gave them a lot more flexibility in adjudicating the unidentified driving and getting that onto a driver's logs as opposed to annotating it after the fact. But it became a lot more restrictive in July last year when the FMCSA posted a clarification to an FAQ that explicitly stated that unidentified driving cannot be moved to a driver's logs as on-duty yard move or off-duty personal conveyance. As it's moved to the driver's logs, it has to be denoted and counted as driving, and the only thing vendors can do is put an annotation on that unidentified driving segment. “What will happen is, because it is driving, it will reflect and count down against the clock availability,” Dougherty said. “eRODS (electronic record of duty status) will be flagged in the system as a potential violation if it triggers that, but the annotation in it would allow the officer then to look at it and say it's not a violation because they are using yard move or personal conveyance.” All unidentified driving needs to be either assigned to a driver, or it needs to be noted why it doesn't belong with the driver. “That would be things like if you have a technician that's doing a road test or something like that. That would be something that would be notated for unidentified driving because it doesn't belong to a driver in your fleet,” she added. “Gotchas”There are multiple areas where regulations can catch drivers and fleets off guard and result in a violation, Dougherty said. That’s especially true around those unidentified driving categories: personal conveyance and yard moves. Dougherty said both yard move and personal conveyance are optional; they are not a requirement in the ELD, although both Canadian and U.S. ELD regulations do provide for them. It is up to the fleet, she said, to authorize or allow a driver to use yard move or personal conveyance. “If they do allow it to be used, then there are some things to kind of watch out for be mindful of,” she said. The biggest “gotcha” with yard moves is the definition of what a yard is, Dougherty said. A yard is defined as having no public access. For example, a driver can’t move a vehicle around a Walmart parking lot and have it be considered a yard move because it has public access to the docks. But if it’s a distribution center or another place that doesn’t have public access and meets the other definitions of what a yard is, drivers can legally use the yard move classification. “That’s something to be aware of and watch out for because a lot of those, if an officer sees yard move in inappropriate places, a driver could be flagged for falsification of logs,” Dougherty said. Even more challenging is personal conveyance. She said it’s more challenging because the FMCSA allows for the use of personal conveyance for a driver to get to a safe parking spot to address the parking shortages prevalent in the U.S. Because of that, personal conveyance can and often is misused. “That doesn't mean it's carte blanche to use it to take your load two hours down the road or even a half hour down the road to Love’s where you want to do your parking versus pulling into a parking lot or other place that allows for truck parking that would be a safe spot,” Dougherty said. “And the other thing to remember is the closest safe parking spot might be two miles behind you; that's where you should go, not continuing down the road. It's pretty easy for officers to spot those kinds of things in logs. So that's probably the biggest falsification of logs that get triggered at roadside inspections around personal conveyance because drivers are trying to use this to actually just keep going.” Roadside inspectionsDougherty said there are some other concerns for drivers when they hit a roadside inspection. A big one is knowing how to do an eRODS transfer as officers can and will cite drivers for failure to transfer eRODS, which carries three CSA points, impacting a fleets score. “I think the probably the most critical thing for roadside inspectors is ensuring that drivers understand and know how to readily do a data transfer in Canada or an eRODS transfer in the U.S.,” she said. “That's the first thing that officers are going to ask for because with the ELDs, they have prescribed outputs and they have standardized what officers would be looking at across any ELD vendor, so it makes it easier for the officers because they know where to find things from an eRODS perspective in the U.S. in particular.” Dougherty said drivers should have on hand and be able to provide immediately to an officer all of the things that are needed in their cab cards, which may be electronic. She also advised to place the ELD in inspector mode if the vendor used offers that feature to make things easier on the officer. U.S. vs. Canadian ELDsOne difference between the two ELD mandates is how eRODS transfers are performed. In the U.S., the FMCSA built a website that officers log into where all eRODS are transferred. Canada did not build that system and instead opted to email transfer files to the officer for data privacy, better protecting drivers and fleets, Dougherty said. She said the officers have to register with the system to receive and view the data transfer file; it can't be emailed to just anybody. But that’s not the biggest difference between Canadian and U.S. ELDs. Dougherty said one is that Canada requires third-party certification. This has led to the FMCSA to crack down on ELD vendors in the U.S. and has even resulted in some providers being delisted, she said. FMCSA has even released some Requests for Comment on whether there should be a change in the U.S. for ELD certification standards. “We'll have to see how that plays out,” Dougherty said. Otherwise, she said the U.S. and Canada’s technical standards are pretty harmonious, but there are a few things that are a little bit different in Canada. Canada introduced some operating zone changes as well as regulations surrounding the recording of specific events. “The Canadian ELD does prescribe and require that the ELD device warn a driver when they are approaching a violation. Within 30 minutes, they actually have to not only pop up a warning to the driver but also tell the driver which regulation they're close to violation time for,” she said. “In the U.S., the ELD technical standards do not prescribe anything around providing clocks or countdowns or warnings. A lot of the ELD vendors go ahead and provide that because it just makes good sense to provide that information to the drivers, but it isn’t required.” Another big difference is the number of things that are assessed in the hours-of-service regulations. There are four things that are assessed for hours of service in the U.S., but there are somewhere around 17 different items that have to be tracked and the driver needs to be warned about in Canada, which could be why warnings are required, Dougherty said. “Another thing to pay attention to – this is more on the hours-of-service regulations as opposed to the ELD’s technical standards - in the U.S., using a sleeper berth split allows the combination of off-duty time in the shorter portion of the split with the longer portion in the sleeper berth,” she added. “In Canada, both portions have to be in the sleeper berth.” Because of these differences, she offered some best practices when crossing the border. “The biggest one to talk about is making sure that the driver stops and looks at the clock and understands what hours he'll have available once he crosses the border,” Dougherty said. “A driver should be evaluated against the regulations of the jurisdiction that they're in at the time the roadside inspection happens, which means if they transfer in the middle of the day, they need to be mindful because they might have 30 hours of driving in Canada, which is fine as long as they stay in Canada, but as soon as they've crossed into the U.S. they only have 11 hours …” Drivers may need to stop and take the reset before they drive across the border. “Don't just blindly think that because you were okay in one place and do go over that there's some grace period or some amount of time that you'll be allowed and not trigger (a violation) when you cross the border,” she added. https://ift.tt/lgNVws2 Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Jan. 12, 2024: Werner's Chief Legal Officer named company presidentWerner Enterprises (CCJTop 250, No. 13) has appointed Chief Legal Officer Nathan Meisgeier company president. Meisgeier, who will continue in his role of Chief Legal Officer, was recommended to the post by Werner Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Derek Leathers and unanimously approved by the company’s board of directors effective Jan. 5. Leathers, previously also serving as Werner president, will remain Chairman and CEO. [Related: Prime Inc. names new president] “Since being promoted to Werner’s General Counsel in 2016, Nathan has been a transformative leader across the enterprise, currently acting as Chief of Staff and bringing a remarkable level of integrity and strategic vision to our company," said Leathers. "Nathan is a company-first servant leader, naturally connecting with all Werner associates – professional drivers, maintenance associates, and office personnel. Nathan exemplifies the culture that makes Werner a great place to work." Meisgeier joined Werner in 2005. Most recently serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Meisgeier has been a key member of Werner’s executive team since 2016. Prior to Werner, from 1998 to 2005, he was with Kansas City-based legal firm Stinson, Mag & Fizzell. Meisgeier graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School and holds degrees in Accounting and Economics from the University of Nebraska. “I am honored and humbled to be selected by Derek and appointed by Werner’s Board of Directors to be our company’s next president,” said Meisgeier. “In my 18 years with this great company, I have learned invaluable lessons from many current and former Werner leaders, including both Derek and CL Werner himself. I am fortunate to be a part of the best and one of the most experienced leadership teams in transportation, and I look forward to helping the Werner team write the next chapters in this company’s storied history.” Leathers added that Meisgeier's vision will be key in bringing Werner’s DRIVE strategy to bear, "as Werner continues to lead from the front," he said. "Nathan has a reputation as a top legal mind within the transportation industry, serving as the Chair of the American Trucking Associations’ Legal Reform Advisory Committee, in addition to holding many other leadership positions within the industry. Nathan also has earned the respect of transportation CEOs and political leaders across the country. I am excited to continue leading this organization with Nathan serving alongside me as Werner’s President. This change is a testament to the overall depth and strength of Werner’s entire leadership team.” PGT set to open two new locations by summerPGT Trucking (CCJ Top 250, No. 87) expects to open two new operations facilities by mid-2024. The company broke ground on facilities in Laredo, Texas, and Ghent, Kentucky, in 2023 and both facilities are set to open by summer. The 7.73-acre logistics center in Laredo is located within the Pinnacle Industry Center. "Our contractors have completed approximately 75% of the yard paving, and exterior concrete wall panels using the 'Hi-Tech Tilt' system have been poured and will be erected soon," said Laurence Cox, PGT Trucking's vice president of sustainability. "We expect to have all the steel superstructure installed before the end of the month and the building completely under roof by the first week in February." The custom Laredo facility will include a full-service operations center, modern driver amenities and a truck maintenance shop, providing a regional base for more than 70 local drivers. The 10.6-acre Ghent property is located within a 10-mile radius of some of PGT's largest customers. "The site has been leveled, and developers have laid the limestone and gravel bases, installing storm drains and various electrical conduits on the property," added Cox. "The sitework is anticipated to be complete by the end of January. A prefab building has been ordered for the project and is expected to be delivered by the end of February. We are on track to be in operation before the end of March." The new Ghent operation will bring additional jobs to the area, including opportunities for support personnel and commercial truck drivers. "As we open these additional terminals and office locations, we're not just adding points on the map; we're creating hubs of innovation, collaboration and unparalleled customer service," said Cox. "This strategic expansion is more than a physical presence; it's a commitment to fostering stronger connections, delivering efficiency and anticipating the needs of our customers." https://ift.tt/TK8pPno New York State Senator Pete Harckham has introduced legislation that would require a trained human operator be physically present in any autonomous vehicle weighing 10,000 pounds or more on New York roads, effectively banning driverless commercial trucks. A similar bill was passed last year in California but was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom. “S. 7758 will impose a premature and permanent ban on autonomous trucks in New York. AVs and truck drivers will work together to support New York’s rising freight demand and the supply chain’s manufacturers, farmers, and small businesses," said Jeff Farrah, Chief Executive Officer of the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA). "The AV industry strongly opposes S. 7758, and we urge lawmakers to not move forward with this legislation, just like several states already have." The Teamsters union has championed bills requiring human operators alongside driverless technologies, seeing the regulations as protecting truck driving jobs. New York alone, the union said, is responsible for 270,000 transportation jobs, including about 58,300 current heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. "The integral role of the trucking industry in our lives means we have to be proactive and vigilant about public safety and job security when it comes to technological innovations like autonomous operating vehicles. My bill requires autonomous vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or more traveling on New York roads have a licensed driver behind the wheel," said Sen. Harckham. "This common-sense measure will ensure greater protection for residents and property while providing job security for over 270,000 New Yorkers. I am thankful to Louis Picani and Teamsters everywhere for supporting this legislation." New York's proposed ban comes as a handful of driverless tech developers like Kodiak Robotics and Aurora prepare to remove the driver from the cab. https://ift.tt/pBlc8mJ Valvoline Global on Wednesday announced the global launch of its groundbreaking premium full synthetic motor oil, Restore & Protect. The first-of-its-kind innovation removes up to 100% of engine-killing deposits with continuous use, restoring engines to run like factory clean while protecting against future damage, Valvoline says. A diesel engine version of the product was teased earlier last year, and finished second in the Trucks, Parts, Service countdown of the most popular new products in 2023. This latest addition to the Valvoline product portfolio is a paradigm shift in motor oil performance and challenges traditional thinking about the category, the company says. With a history steeped in trust and innovation, Valvoline has consistently been at the forefront of the automotive lubricant category. [RELATED: Valvoline introduces 'advanced engine cleanup' oil] Restore & Protect, with its revolutionary technology and unparalleled benefits, marks another milestone in a legacy of firsts that spans more than 150 years, the company states. “We are thrilled to introduce Valvoline Restore & Protect on a global scale,” says Jamal Muashsher, president and CEO of Valvoline Global. “This product truly redefines what motor oil can achieve and positively impacts consumers and customers like never before. Restore & Protect is a testament to our commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovation in the automotive industry.” Restore & Protect is designed for gasoline-engine automobiles, from brand-new to older, high-mileage vehicles, and is the culmination of three years of relentless development, resulting in Valvoline’s most technologically advanced engine oil ever. This premium full synthetic product also presents two of Valvoline’s proprietary new technologies: Active Clean, which removes deposits and restores engines to run like new, and Liqui-Shield, which works proactively to prevent deposit formation and protects against future damage, the company says. https://ift.tt/pBlc8mJ Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024: ATA relaunches Women in Motion as councilThe American Trucking Associations on Wednesday relaunched its Women in Motion program an ATA Council. ATA said the move will allow “for women across the trucking and transportation industry to join a dynamic and growing community focused on professional development and mentorship.” “Since its inception, Women in Motion has been focused on promoting the role of women in the trucking industry,” said ATA COO Sarah Rajtik, co-chair of Women in Motion. “With this transition, we are hoping to capitalize on the work we’ve already done to reach a much larger group – creating more opportunities for women to connect and empower one another in order to make this great industry better for everyone.” Members of WIM are eligible to receive a number of exclusive benefits, including:
“By re-launching WIM as an ATA Council, we hope to create a community of like-minded women in this industry,” said Iowa Motor Truck Association President and CEO Brenda Neville, co-chair of Women in Motion. “I encourage any woman in this industry – from drivers to technicians and dispatchers to the C-suite – to come join us as we work to shape the future of this industry – breaking down barriers and paving the way for a new era of inclusivity and leadership in trucking.” Pitt Ohio expands next-day service to New EnglandPitt Ohio (CCJTop 250, No. 51) this week announced it now offers next-day shipping lanes to New England from three of its terminals. Previously, standard shipping to New England from Cumberland and Baltimore, Maryland and the Greater Philadelphia Area could take up to three days, the company said. With these new next-day lanes, customers in New England can now expect their freight to arrive in just 24 hours, significantly reducing wait times and exceeding expectations. "We're constantly looking for ways to improve the customer experience, and faster delivery is a top priority," said Geoff Muessig, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Pitt Ohio. "This expansion of next-day shipping lanes to New England for our customers in the Maryland and southeastern PA markets delivers on our commitment to providing customers with the most convenient and efficient shipping options possible.” The company previously announced next-day lanes to and from New England from the following terminals: Harrisburg, Hazleton, and Allentown, Pennsylvania; East Windsor and Cherry Hill, New Jersey; and Albany, Buffalo, Watertown, and Utica, New York. Volvo dealer Vanguard Truck Centers expands with acquisitionVolvo Trucks North America announced Wednesday that its independent authorized dealer Vanguard Truck Centers has acquired Nacarato Truck Centers to become one of Volvo Trucks’ largest dealer groups in North America. The acquisition expands Vanguard’s presence to 28 Volvo full-service and parts-and-service-only locations across 11 states – Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Vanguard assumed full ownership of the Nacarato locations, including all existing stock and parts. “This acquisition is not just about numbers – it's about joining two exemplary dealer groups to implement best practices, bolster synergies and continue growing customer satisfaction, expanding customer access to the seamless support and services they have come to expect from both dealer groups,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president, Volvo Trucks North America. Founded in 1976 in Nashville, Tennessee, Nacarato Truck Centers established itself as a key player in the commercial truck industry with a network of nine Volvo Trucks dealerships and service centers throughout Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, and Virginia. The Nacarato and Vanguard teams will work closely to ensure a smooth ownership transition, Volvo said. Vanguard plans to retain all existing Nacarato employees, with CEO Mike Nacarato continuing to lead Nacarato Truck Centers under its existing brand. "Over time, the groups will look for ways to leverage the combined scale of our network and strength of our teams to achieve more together for our customers and employees,” said Tom Ewing, president and CEO of Vanguard Truck Centers.. "For now, our primary goal is to support the Nacarato team as they continue to grow while providing excellent customer service.” With the completion of the acquisition of Nacarato Truck Centers on Jan. 8, Vanguard now has more than 1,200 employees. All 28 Volvo Trucks dealership locations are also Certified Uptime Dealers, providing customers with access to almost 500 service bays. https://ift.tt/pBlc8mJ |
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