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 SystemSan 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)
