P.M. Executive Briefing - Oct. 6
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GM Moving Janesville, Wis., Medium Truck Production to Flint Plant
General Motors (GM) announced Friday that it expects to shut down most of the medium-duty truck output at its Janesville, Wis., assembly plant in two years, Bloomberg reported.The move is part of a long-planned shift of production to a Flint, Mich., facility.
The Janesville medium-duty C-series truck assembly line has about 900 workers, and the company declined to say how many of them might be taken to Flint.
Biodiesel Planned for 100% of 95-Truck Garbage Fleet
For the first time in the United States, a recycler and garbage hauler plans to run its entire truck fleet on biodiesel fuel, Reuters reported.Locally owned GreenTeam of San Jose, Calif., is currently making the necessary changes to its fleet of 95 trucks, hoping to cut some 50,000 pounds of air pollution annually when the work is done.
Production of biodiesel in the U.S. total about 30 million gallons a year, taken from french fry oils, sewage plant grease screenings and other vegetable oils. Transport Topics
Heat Bills Will Rise About $200 for Oil, Gas Consumers
Consumers could spend an average of $190 to $240 more this year to heat their homes if they use oil – or even natural gas – according to an Energy Department prediction, the Associated Press reported today.Home heating oil and diesel fuel for trucks are virtually the same, so the pricing and supply factors affecting one can affect the other.
The three-time streak of unusually mellow winters is about to yield to a long cold spell, putting strains on reserves of gas as well as oil – even when the releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve are factored in.
Additional oil from the SPR will augment supplies by producing three to five million more barrels of heating oil and diesel fuel, an Energy official said, according to AP.
The analysis, performed by the Energy Information Administration, did not take into account the new stockpile of 2 million barrels of heating oil planned for the Northeast by President Clinton. Only a severe supply interruption could trigger release of that trove. Transport Topics
Midrange Fleets Can Benefit From Extended Drain Intervals
Heavy-duty, high-mileage truck fleets have been able to save money in recent years by extending their oil- and filter-change intervals. But this is also a possibility for medium-duty trucks used in local operations, or midrange fleets, after considering several factors that determine whether intervals can be extended by hours or by mileage, according to the latest issue of Light and Medium Truck magazine.The drain applications and duty cycles of the fleet's vehicles must be considered when trying to extend oil drain intervals. Fleet oils, premium oils and extended service oils are generally available to fleet operators.
Oil contamination rates must also be taken into account. Engines of many midrange fleet trucks that serve less-than-truckload shippers experience extended idling and low average road speeds, which can increase oil contamination rates.
An extensive testing program, including fleet profiling and assessment of risk involved, is also needed to determine any oil-drain interval extension possibilities. Transport Topics
For more light- and medium-truck news and information, see the October 2000 edition of Light and Medium Truck.
U.S. Air Freight Kept Growing in August
The Air Transport Association said U.S. airlines saw their cargo volumes rise 9.3% in August, the Journal of Commerce Online reported.Air cargo is always a truck cargo as well, since air shipments must ride in trucks not only locally, but regionally as well in trips that can go hundreds of miles.
The association said international air freight shipments rose 13.2%, in line with the continuing strength in foreign trade flows. Domestic traffic went up 5%, the trade group said.
JOC also reported that shipments out of Japan of recalled Firestone tires are in such large volumes that they are squeezing the Asian air freight system, causing backlogs in air traffic in Japan and South Korea. Transport Topics
Linens Maker Closing Two Plants
In a blow to the truckers that haul its freight as well as the company employees, textiles producer WestPoint Stevens (WXS) said it will close two factories in the Carolinas in coming months, the Associated Press reported.The Georgia-based firm said it will immediately put its Rosemary Griege towel-making plant in Roanoke Rapids, N.C., on four-day weeks, then close it Jan. 29 to lay off about 450 people, AP said.
Its Liebhardt plant that makes pillows and mattress pads in Union, S.C., will close Dec. 31 and lay off about 115.
The company has 39 textiles plants, mostly in the Southeast.
Any time a company closes factories, that of course hurts truck business by stopping both the shipments of raw materials coming in and finished products going out. Transport Topics
Headlines From Today's A.M. Briefing
- Full House Slated to Vote on Transport Bill With Hours Deal
- House Commerce Committee Unanimously Approves Safety Bill
- Mexico’s Fox Urges Lower Oil Prices
- Rail Intermodal Traffic Breaks 200,000 Mark
- Professional Trans. Group Gets Credit Extension, Retools
- Ryder Warns of 3Q Charge Amid Truck Market Downturn
- U.S. Employment Grows More Than Expected
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