Economy

SCR engine education tour kicks off in Canada

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - Penske Truck Leasing and Freightliner have announced a 16-city, North American 2010 Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) Engine Seminar and Open House, debuting on Sept. 15 in Mississauga, Ont.

Taking the you out of U-Haul

VANCOUVER -- U-Haul is getting into the for-hire-carrier business --ish.

Navistar, Cat sign off on global JV

CHICAGO -- Navistar International and Caterpillar finalized their much-hyped joint venture, NC2 Global LLC, which will produce a line of commercial on-highway trucks for markets outside of North America.

TransForce in buying mood again; takes over ATS retail biz

MONTREAL -- At least one major trucking company is betting that the recession's end is near and people will begin spending money on household goods again.

Quebec carrier swallows competition

LAURIER STATION, Que. -- One of Quebec's largest for-hire carriers, the furniture experts V.A. Inc., has just acquired two of its major competitors, Nesel Fast Freight, of Brampton, Ont., and Transport Gingras, based in Flavier Station on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River.

Online tool gives a peek at freight pricing trends

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. -- There's no question: It pays to keep tabs on your competition.

Truck analysts say climb back from recession will be slow

NASHVILLE, Ind. -- While the general consensus among Bay and Wall Street types is that the general freight recession is over, recovery won't be easy or smooth.

Seven Canadian firms top Bendix distributor list

ELYRIA, Ohio -- Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems is honoring achievement in its Premier Distributor Program, which include several Canadian companies.

Industry capacity utilization falls in 2Q

OTTAWA -- All sectors except food manufacturing saw their capacity use fall, albeit at a slower pace compared with the first quarter, reports Stats Canada.

Manufacturing continues modest upward trend

OTTAWA -- Manufacturing sales in Canada increased 5.5 percent to $41.4 billion in July, building on the small 2.2 percent increase in June.

Western provinces make a pact

REGINA -- After taking the summer to let the idea simmer, Canada's three westernmost provinces agreed to move forward on a plan to collaborate on environmental and pension issues.

Volvo heavy trucks to run on CO2-free ‘black liquor’

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Starting next year, Volvo Trucks will be the first truck manufacturer to conduct comprehensive field tests of Bio-DME -- a next generation biofuel said to produce close to no carbon dioxide emissions.

Vocational owners report more reliable engines; Mercedes tops list

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. -- More vocational truck owners are satisfied with their heavy-duty engines this year from the year before, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Heavy-Duty Truck Engine and Transmission Study.

August truck orders show biggest improvement of the year

COLUMBUS, Ind. -- August commercial vehicle orders of Class 8 models shot up to their highest level since November of 2008, but were still down 30 percent year over year, according to the recently released State of the Industry report by ACT Research.

OTA boss spreads the word on rates, freight outlook

PICKERING, Ont. -- The president of Ontario's largest trucking group told a group of shippers and retailers that the cheap rates they've come to expect in this softened freight market are not sustainable.