Technology Briefs - Oct. 14 - Oct. 20
The Latest Headlines:
- Ashley Selects AirIQ to Manage Trailers
- Ridge Considers SEC Cybersecurity Filings
- Minorplanet Receives Price Warning From Nasdaq
- Peterbilt Motors Plans to Offer Natural Gas Engines at Factory
- Ridge Considers SEC Cybersecurity Filings
Ashley Selects AirIQ to Manage Trailers
AirIQ Inc. said that Ashley Distribution Services Ltd. selected it to manage its entire fleet of about 1,200 trailers used for delivering furniture to stores and warehouses throughout North America.Using AirIQ's products, Ashley Distribution will be able to automatically track arrival and departure times of its furniture shipments. In addition, if a trailer door was opened unexpectedly, dispatchers would alerted of the possible theft.
The deal is worth $1.54 million, AirIQ said in a release. Transport Topics
Ridge Considers SEC Cybersecurity Filings
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said publicly traded companies could be required to disclose whether they are doing anything to secure information on their computer systems, Reuters reported.The government used a similar approach to encourage companies to fight the "Y2K bug," the worry that data could be lost when computers' internal clocks switched over to the year 2000, Reuters said.
Ridge said he met with William Donaldson, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, to discuss whether companies should be required to disclose cybersecurity efforts in their SEC filings. Transport Topics
Minorplanet Receives Price Warning From Nasdaq
Minorplanet Systems USA Inc., a provider of wireless management systems for commercial fleets, said it was notified by Nasdaq it had until Jan. 6 to comply with the exchange's minimum-bid requirement.Nasdaq requires that stocks maintain a minimum closing price of $1 a share for 10 consecutive trading days.
The company said in a release that if it is unable to comply with the minimum price requirement by Jan. 6, the stock could be delisted from Nasdaq.
It would have a chance to appeal the decision after Jan. 6, the release said. Transport Topics
Peterbilt Motors Plans to Offer Natural Gas Engines at Factory
Truck maker Peterbilt Motors Co., a subsidiary of Paccar Inc., said Oct. 6 it would soon offer factory installation of natural gas engines for its low-cab-forward Model 320 truck. Refuse haulers often use the model.Peterbilt said it would begin limited production later this year of the Model 320 with the Cummins-Westport C8.3G natural gas engine using a liquid natural gas fuel system. Full production is scheduled for the first quarter of 2004.
Trucks with the Cummins-Westport engine will have an insulated fuel tank with 119-gallon capacity and a methane detection system, the company said.
A diesel and LNG-fueled Caterpillar C-11 engine would be offered later in 2004, the company said.
Peterbilt said it previously worked with third-party companies to perform the natural gas conversion. Transport Topics
This story appeared in the Oct. 13 print edition of Transport Topics.
