P.M. Executive Briefing - Jan. 10
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Westport Delivers LNG Heavy Trucks to Private Fleet
Westport Innovations has delivered its first liquefied natural gas-powered fleet of heavy trucks to Raley's Supermarkets, a customer of heavy-duty engine maker Cummins Inc. (CUM)Westport said it was the beginning of a field trial for the company's low-emission technology, which will hopefully lead to commercial sales of LNG fuel systems in new trucks equipped with Cummins ISX engines.
Westport, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, also announced that it has commissioned a truck upfitting operation on Sacramento, Calif., at a facility owned by Cummins West, which distributes Cummins engines.
Westport and Cummins were awarded a federal grant in November to jointly develop a 400-horsepower natural-gas engine. Transport Topics
Privately Held NTE Reports Growth in 2000
Privately held NTE Inc., which provides online services for shippers and carriers, reported its fiscal year growth Wednesday.The company said the actual number of traded shipments grew 45%, while the percentage of shipments tendered jumped 85%.
NTE was founded in 1994 as National Transportation Exchange and is based in Downers Grove, Ill. Transport Topics
Mitsubishi, Volvo and Renault to Jointly Build Midsize Trucks
Mitsubishi Motor Corp., AB Volvo (VOLVY) and Renault SA (13190-PAR) plan to build a midsize truck together by 2004, Nikkei English News said Wednesday.
For the joint project, France's Renault will manufacture the truck cabs, Japan's Mitsubishi will supply the engines and Volvo will coordinate the final assembly, the article said.
This three-way relationship is not unusual, since Volvo has agreed to buy Renault's truck unit and also owns a 5% stake in Mitsubishi. Renault also holds a stake in Volvo. Transport Topics
Study Says Auto Industry Slow to Get Online
A study by consulting firm KPMG LLC has found that auto suppliers and manufacturers haven't jumped onto e-commerce as quickly as other industries have, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.The reasons for avoiding online business include lack of trust between suppliers and automakers, high costs and limited technology skills, the study noted.
However, industries that depend heavily on trucks – such as chemical manufacturers – have quickly adapted to doing transactions online, the survey said. Transport Topics
@Track Gets Recapitalization Plan With English Firm
Wireless fleet tracking company @Track Communications (ATRK) has agreed to a recapitalization plan with Minorplanet Systems PLC of Leeds, England, the companies announced Wednesday.MPS will buy 140 million shares of @Track common stock, and will also subscribe to 10 million shares of @Track common stock - for $1 a share - to be used as working capital. In return, MPS will get the exclusive license to market, resell, distribute and operate its technology throughout North America.
MPS said it is particularly interested in the service vehicle segment of @Track's business.
Richardson, Texas-based @Track's installed base has more than 65,000 units, including service-vehicle fleets. TrackWare and HighwayMaster are two of @Track's main products. MPS has about 1,300 customers, with an installed base of about 26,000 vehicles. MPS technology can track a vehicle from any Internet-enabled device using the Global Positioning System. Transport Topics
Clarifying: No NHTSA October Recalls Announced
Due to an editing error, Tuesday's P.M. Executive Briefing carried an old truck recall item from the Web site of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.To clarify, NHTSA's latest published list of recalled motor vehicles was its September 2000 list, released in November. The agency has not yet posted its listing of recalls for October 2000.
We regret any confusion this may have caused.
Headlines From Today's A.M. Briefing
- Cummins Laying Off 140 at Ind. Plant
- UPS Said to Eye Manila Hub
- Crude Prices Up Slightly on Gasoline Stockpile Ideas
- Chao, Others Mentioned as Possibles for Labor Job
- Wabash Completes Breadner Acquisition
- Wholesale Stockpiles Kept Piling Up in Nov.
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