Equipment
March Trailer Orders Hit 29,500, Triple a Year Earlier
A Utlity 3000R refrigerated trailer on display at a trade show. March's 29,500 trailer orders marked a 12% increase over 26,414 in February. (John Sommers II for Transport Topics)
North American trailer orders for March hit 29,500, more than triple the volume compared with a year earlier, ACT Research reported.
April 14, 2021Medium-Duty Sales Rise 36.7% in March, Led by Class 5
Peterbilt's 535 and 536 models were introduced April 7. (Peterbilt)
U.S. retail sales of Classes 4-7 trucks in March climbed 36.7% compared with a year earlier, riding the surge in demand in Class 5, WardsAuto .com reported.
April 14, 2021Tractor-Trailer Interfaces Take Shape in Many Ways
Tractor-to-trailer air and electrical connections.(Technology & Maintenance Council)
Efforts to ensure the needed connections for exchanging more data between a tractor and trailer continue from many directions as electronics and sensors are increasingly coming to trailers, experts said.
April 14, 2021Hankook Debuts First Line of Trailer Tires
Hankook Tire America Corp.
Hankook Tire America Corp. debuted its first trailer tires, the company announced April 5.
April 13, 2021Rubber Scarcity Creates New Headache for Automakers
Automotive tires stacked at the Continental Tire distribution center in Sumter, S.C. (Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg)
Automakers struggling with pandemic-induced plant shutdowns and a global chip shortage now are confronting another supply chain headache: dwindling rubber supplies.
April 13, 2021NHTSA Investigates Possible Air Bag Failures in GM Vehicles
Some Chevrolet Silverado model years are part of the probe. (Paul Sancya/Associated Press)
DETROIT — The U.S. government’s highway safety agency is investigating complaints that the air bags may not inflate in a crash on thousands of General Motors vehicles.
April 13, 2021MVTS Finds FlowBelow Technologies Bring Significant Fuel Savings
Mesilla Valley Transportation Solutions realized fuel savings of 3.16 gallons per 1,000 miles, or 2.13%, testing the Tractor AeroKit. (FlowBelow Aero Inc.)
Mesilla Valley Transportation Solutions tested FlowBelow Aero Inc.’s tractor and trailer wheel covers for the first time as well as the Tractor AeroKit, and found that each technology provided significant fuel savings.
April 13, 2021Plus, Iveco Sign Memo of Understanding on Autonomous Trucks
Plus autonomous trucks. (Plus)
Self-driving truck technology developer Plus announced it signed a memorandum of understanding with Iveco, a brand of CNH Industrial N.V., to jointly develop autonomous trucks that will be deployed across China, Europe and other areas.
April 12, 2021March US Class 8 Sales Jump 33.7%
A Peterbilt 579. The manufacturer recently updated the truck's design. (Peterbilt Motors Co.)
U.S. Class 8 retail sales in March jumped 33.7% to 22,031 as all truck makers posted gains compared with a year earlier, WardsAuto .com reported.
April 12, 2021Utility Makes ConMet Preset Plus Wheel End Hubs Standard Feature
A view of Utility Trailer's facility in Clearfield, Utah. (Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co.)
Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co. announced ConMet Preset Plus wheel end hubs as the standard base specification on all Utility trailer models.
April 12, 2021