Today's Trucking Staff

Stemco Completes Goodyear Springs Purchase

LONGVIEW, TX - Less than a month after the truck component supplier Stemco announced its intention to acquire the manufacturer of Goodyear air springs, it completed the deal on July 1. Terms of the transaction have not been released. With the acquisition, Stemco acquires the Super Cushion and Spring Ride lines of truck, trailer and truck cab suspension products, as well as cab seat springs from ContiTech, a division of Continental Corp. This unit was part of the business called Veyance that was recently acquired by Continental. Also included in the acquisition are the Veyance manufacturing facility in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, the Veyance research and development operations in Fairlawn, Ohio, and all North America related patents and applications.

Five Truckers Named Alberta’s Best Drivers

RED DEER, AB -- Dozens of Alberta's best and safest professional truck drivers gathered recently at Red Deer's Westerner Park for the Alberta Professional Truck Driving Championship to determine who was tops. Each competitor completed a written exam to test their knowledge of regulations, legislation, safety, security, and first aid and then they participated in a pre-trip inspection conducted under the watchful eye of an examiner. Contestants also had a turn behind the wheel as the driving portion of the event got underway. Each entrant demonstrated their driving skill as they completed seven obstacles that tested their ability to maneuver the vehicle in simulations of some of the toughest conditions drivers' cope with on the road.

Top Open-Deck/Specialty Carrier Grows with Merger

ADDISON, TX -- One of the largest open-deck/specialty transportation companies in North America is merging with Bulldog Hiway Express. The move by Daseke Inc. will give it more than 2,800 tractors and more than 5,800 open-deck trailers, serving 49 states, Canada and Mexico, according to the company.

Increased Chances for Cargo Thefts This Week

JERSEY CITY, NJ and AUSTIN, TX -- New Jersey-based theft-prevention and recovery service CargoNet has warned truckers that the long weekend, which essentially started with Canada Day and includes the American July 4th holiday, is a particularly busy time for thieves so the organization is recommending you stay on the qui vive for truck thefts.

Andreas Renschler Named Scania Chairman

SODERTAJE, SWEDEN -- The chief of Volkswagen's truck division, Andreas Renschler, has been appointed as the new chairman of the truck and bus manufacturer Scania.

Truck Dealer Celebrates 50 Years Under KW Banner

REGINA -- Custom Truck Sales recently celebrated its 50th anniversary as a Kenworth dealership with five customer events that attracted nearly 1,000 customers at its dealerships in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

U.S. Proposes Changes to Major Truck Safety Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Changes are in the works in the U.S. when it comes to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) key truck safety program. The agency announced on Monday it is proposing enhancements to its Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program, including changing some intervention thresholds to better reflect crash risk."These enhancements to SMS allow us to sharpen our focus on carriers with high crash rates, more effectively identify driver safety problems and hazardous materials carriers with serious safety problems, and more accurately account for carriers that are driving on our roads the most," the agency said on its website. These proposed changes are based on results from the agency testing and input from industry, enforcement, and other safety stakeholders. The proposed SMS enhancements include: Changing some of the SMS Intervention Thresholds to better reflect the Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories' (BASICs) correlation to crash risk.

Bubble Wrap Fun Popped by Shippers

CHARLOTTE, NC -- Cost conscious shippers have driven a change in a long-time product designed to protect goods during transit, but kids - and kids at heart - are getting their bubbles burst.

U.S. Spot Freight Rates Remain Solid

BEAVERTON, OR -- Demand in the U.S. for truckload capacity increased and national average rates on the spot truckload market remained solid during the week ending June 27, according to DAT Solutions, which operates the DAT network of load boards.

Canadian, U.S. Fuel Prices Decline Slightly Over Past Week

LONDON, ON and WASHINGTON, D.C. --The average cost of diesel fuel in Canada this week has moved down slightly this week after a brief upturn last week, hitting its lowest level in nearly two months.

Transportation Summit Can Help You with Trucking Challenges

MISSISSAUGA -- How should you react to the many challenges shaping the freight transportation industry? That is just one of the many topics that will be discussed during the Surface Transportation Summit on Oct. 14 as shippers, carriers, and industry suppliers gather for a full day's worth of presentations, workshops, keynote addresses, networking and panel discussions.

Quebec Providing $1.5 Billion for Port Improvements

MONTREAL -- Quebec's government announced on Monday it will invest more than $1.5 billion in the province's ports over the next five years as part of what it calls its "Maritime Strategy," including money for improving roads to speed up cargo movement at the Port of Montreal.

U.S. Canada Freight Flow Value Drops

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The value of U.S.-Canada freight plummeted in April, according to a new U.S. Transportation Department report, as overall freight traffic between all three North American Free Trade Agreement countries also declined.U.S.-Canada freight totaled US$48.8 billion in April, down 12.5 percent from a year earlier, as all modes of transportation - truck, rail, air, pipeline and vessel - carried a lower value of U.S.-Canada freight than a year earlier. The top commodity category transported between the U.S. and Canada was vehicles and parts, of which 58.2 percent moved by truck and 39.2 percent moved by rail. Vehicles and parts replaced mineral fuels as the top commodity in March. Mineral fuels had been the top commodity by value moved between the U.S. and Canada for 29 consecutive months starting in November 2012. This change is due, in large part, to a decline in the unit price of mineral fuels in recent months.

APTA Cautious About Increased Tolling in Nova Scotia

Dieppe, NB - One trucking group is open to a plan by the Nova Scotia government to speed up construction along what it said are some of the province's "most dangerous sections of highway" but it's not wild about seeing increased highway tolls.The sentiment from the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association (APTA) follows the government asking for proposals to conduct a feasibility study for the twinning and tolling at eight specific sections of four major highways, with the belief the additional funding could speed up the pace of roadway expansions. The association said the government's commitment to undertake a study on how to twin sections of parts of 100 series highways more quickly is a good approach, provided the government goes into the study with an open mind about its current revenues from fuel taxes and how they should be spent.

Canada’s Element Financial Purchasing Parts of GE Capital

TORONTO - The Canadian fleet management and equipment finance company Element Financial Corp. has reached an agreement to acquire GE Capital's remaining North American fleet management operations in the U.S. and Mexico, along with as GE Capital's fleet management operations in Australia and New Zealand.