Equipment

Spot freight volumes fell Thanksgiving week, but they have more than recovered.

Volkswagen AG will invest 2 billion euros in a planned battery hub in Germany as part of a decision to create a dedicated company for the carmaker’s battery business.

DHL’s supply chain unit doubled its use of robots in the U.S. this year and now has about 1,500 picking robots at its warehouses around the country, on top of adding 15,000 seasonal workers, Oscar de Bok, chief executive of the unit, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV Dec. 10.

U.S. Class 8 retail sales in November were 16,539, or 7.1% lower compared with a year earlier, as results were mixed among the truck makers, WardsAuto .com reported.

Peterbilt Motors Co. reported it intends to have deployed 200 of its patented ARTech augmented reality tools to dealer locations by March 31, 2022 — a move intended to improve customer uptime.

United States Steel Corp., Norfolk Southern Corp. and The Greenbrier Cos. collaborated to create a new high-strength railcar, the companies announced Dec. 9.

A rosy supply chain arriving this holiday season to release handcuffed truck makers and reward fleets awaiting new trucks would certainly be a great gift to the industry — well, maybe next year.

Meritor Inc. announced several new business awards that expand its role in vehicle electrification, including the medium-duty segment, and broaden its global reach to offset the cyclical North American truck market, its largest customer base.

Daimler reported a custom Class 8 chassis specifically intended to support SAE Level 4 driving is being outfitted through its partnership with the autonomous technology company Waymo.