News Briefs - June 9
The Latest Headlines:
- Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on Fleet Rules
- Canada Likely to Push U.S. to Open Border to Beef
- Gasoline Prices Fall Again, Lundberg Says
- Hino Targets U.S. Mid-Sized Truck Market
- Mitsubishi Fuso to Recall Trucks
- Volvo to Begin Joint Venture in China
- Con-Way to Open New Service Center
- KAG Purchases Bulk Carrier Beneto
- Canada Likely to Push U.S. to Open Border to Beef
Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on Fleet Rules
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether cities can require operators of public and private vehicle fleets to buy the least-polluting cars, buses and trucks available, Bloomberg reported Monday.The court will hear arguments by the Engine Manufacturers Association that the federal Clean Air Act overrides such a rule adopted for the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
The Clean Air Act gives the Environmental Protection Agency authority to set emission standards on new vehicles, but an exception in the law allows California to set its own standards and other states join those standards. This allows local governments to impose conflicting standards on new vehicles, EMA said.
The justices will hear arguments in their term starting in October and will rule by July 2004, Bloomberg said. Transport Topics
Canada Likely to Push U.S. to Open Border to Beef
The Canadian government is expected to start making a formal appeal to the United States to lift a ban on Canadian beef, pending an international review of its mad cow investigation, the Calgary Herald reported Monday.Industry officials hoped a good review from the international experts would help persuade the United States -- Canada's largest beef market -- to open its border to beef trade. Beef exports were banned last month after the discovery of mad cow disease last month.
The cattle industry is losing millions of dollars a day, which has led to hundreds of layoffs in the processing and trucking sectors, the article said. Transport Topics
Gasoline Prices Fall Again, Lundberg Says
Gasoline prices fell two cents per gallon over the past three weeks, according to the Lundberg survey of service stations nationwide.About one-third of commercial trucking uses gasoline.
The average price for a gallon of self-serve gas nationwide, including all grades and taxes, was about $1.54 last Friday.
Analyst Trilby Lundberg said prices have been declining at a slower rate than earlier this year, suggesting prices are bottoming out and will soon rise, the Associated Press reported.
Gas prices have dropped 22.42 cents per gallon since peaking on March 21 at an average of $1.76 per gallon, the survey said. Transport Topics
Hino Targets U.S. Mid-Sized Truck Market
Japanese truck maker Hino Motors Ltd. said it would seek a 10% share of the mid-size truck market in United States by 2010 by marketing low emission engines and improved fuel economy, Bloomberg reported Monday.ino exported 2,000 trucks to the United States last year and plans to expand by using a plant owned by one of the Toyota companies to make 10,000 trucks a year by 2006, Bloomberg said.
A new model the company plans to introduce this year would be as much as 15% cheaper to run in terms of fuel costs, the company told Bloomberg. Transport Topics
Mitsubishi Fuso to Recall Trucks
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. will spend $3.46 million to recall 16,345 small trucks to repair faulty front wheel parts, Bloomberg reported Monday.The Mitsubishi Fuso Canter trucks affected by the recall were built between May 24, 2002, and May 22. Truck exports out of Japan were not affect by the problem, Bloomberg said.
Mitsubishi Fuso is 42% owned by Mitsubishi Motors and 43% by DaimlerChrysler AG. Transport Topics
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Volvo to Begin Joint Venture in China
Volvo Trucks said Monday it had signed a joint venture agreement with China National Heavy Truck Corp. to build heavy-duty trucks in China.The new company will be called Jinan Huawo Truck Co.
Volvo said in a statement it expects the demand for heavy trucks in China to nearly double in six to seven years.
"China is a key market for the Volvo Group and we have been working systematically to establish all our business areas in China," said Leif Johansson, chief executive of Volvo Trucks.
Production is scheduled to begin at the end of the year. Transport Topics
Con-Way to Open New Service Center
Less-than-truckload carrier Con-Way Central Express said Friday it would open a new service center on June 30 near Ann Arbor, Mich.The 54-door facility will replace a smaller service center in Ypsilanti, Mich. The company said in a release it planned to hire about 16 new employees.
"Our growth in business has required us to build this larger facility that will triple our daily freight handling capacity," said David McClimon, president and chief executive officer of Con-Way Central Express.
Con-Way Central Express is a business unit of Con-Way Transportation Services. Con-Way is a subsidiary of CNF, which is ranked No. 4 on the 2002 Transport Topics 100 list of largest U.S. and Canadian trucking companies. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
KAG Purchases Bulk Carrier Beneto
The Kenan Advantage Group said June 3 it purchased Beneto Bulk Transport. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Beneto operates 237 power units and 252 trailers. It had about $72 million in revenue last year.
The Kenan Advantage Group operates seven subsidiary carriers including Advantage Tank Lines, Beneto, Kenan Transport, GENI Transport, North Canton Transfer, McDaniel Transportation and PCT.
It operates a total of 1,703 power units and 2,175 trailers. Transport Topics
