P.M. Executive Briefing - Feb. 18
In observance of the President's Day holiday, the A.M. and P.M. briefings will not run on Monday. They will return on Tuesday.
This Afternoon's Headlines:
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Nissan Calls Truck Unit Noncore, Possibly Signaling Eventual Sale
Nissan Motor Deputy CFO Thierry Moulonguet said in an interview that the company has decided ailing truck unit Nissan Diesel Motor is not a core business; as the parent company is ridding itself of unessential businesses, this could signal that Nissan Diesel will be sold.
Managing director Tsutomu Abe of Industrial Bank of Japan, an important creditor of the truck maker, said to his knowledge the long-term plan is for Nissan and its controlling shareholder Renault to sell their shares of Nissan Diesel to a suitable buyer after the truckmaker is improved. Wall Street Journal (02/18/00) P. A12; Shirouzu, Norihiko
Safety Ignored in Death of Trucker
A coroner's jury Thursday urged changes in the polyethylene foam industry, concluding the September 1997 death of Scarborough, Ontario, truck driver John Koleros in an explosion resulting from fumes from the foam was preventable. Koleros lit a cigarette inside an unventilated trailer containing a dangerous amount of isobutane gases, causing the explosion.The jury urged a safety program be created, said other deaths could be avoided by switching to ventilated trailers, said evidence showed there was not enough information or education for drivers hauling the plastic foam, and recommended that carriers bar smoking near trailers.
It recommended safety guidelines be given to customers and carriers, urged stricter shipment tracking, and said foam should be marked with curing dates and not shipped before then. Toronto Star (02/18/00); Mitchell, Bob
ASE Certification Vs. Trucking Growth
Certification by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence has become less relevant in hiring qualifications for medium/heavy truck technicians during the booming economy that has caused more trucks to be sold and repaired.According to ASE's executive director of operations Bill Dempsey, slightly fewer than 68,000 of the almost 400,000 ASE-certified repair technicians are qualified to work on medium/heavy trucks. In addition, technological innovations, which older technicians do not feel comfortable repairing or do not have the requisite knowledge to repair, have rapidly entered the truck market.
Many maintenance managers prefer to train an upstanding youth to fill a certain position, which would create loyalty to the company, than rely on documented qualifications. However, ASE certification remains the benchmark for a technician's skills.
ASE is introducing a new Truck Equipment certification series, starting with the E1 test on truck equipment and to be followed by the E2 test on electrical/electronic systems and E3 test on auxiliary power systems. Commercial Carrier Journal (01/00) Vol. 157, No. 1; P. 54; Norville, Norm
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