Equipment
Japan’s Toyota, Isuzu, Hino Join in Truck Technology Tie Up
An Isuzu truck at an industry show. (John Sommers II for Transport Topics)
Toyota, Isuzu and Hino are setting up a partnership in commercial vehicles to work together in electric, hydrogen, connected and autonomous driving technologies, the three Japanese automakers said March 24.
March 24, 2021BorgWarner Shares Drop After Skepticism on New EV Vision
BorgWarner Inc.'s integrated electric drive module sits on display at an industry show. (Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg News)
BorgWarner Inc.’s attempt to garner more respect from investors for its effort to shift to electrification fell flat, triggering an 8% slide in the auto-parts maker’s shares on the day it presented its strategic vision.
March 24, 2021Goodyear Notches Diagnostic Milestone
A Goodyear location. (Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg News)
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. announced a milestone as its tire management tools inspected nearly 4 million tires over a year to help fleets identify potential tire issues and improve overall fleet operations, and identified nearly 400,000 potential tire issues.
March 23, 2021Chip Shortage Could Stall Volvo Truck Production Up to a Month
Workers assemble a motor during production of a Volvo AB S60 sedan at the Volvo Cars USA plant in Ridgeville, S.C. (Logan Cyrus/Bloomberg News)
Volvo Group declined after the truck maker said it will have to suspend production across its operations because of the shortage of semiconductors that has disrupted the car industry for months.
March 23, 2021Kenworth Shows Off Aerodynamics of T680 Next Gen
Side view shows the tandem fairings and polished wheel covers. Remodeled steps are more stair-like. (Steve Sturgess for Transport Topics)
RENTON, Wash. — Kenworth Truck Co. spotlighted the aerodynamic and interior upgrades to its T680 Next Gen Class 8 during a small media event that began at its proving grounds here, then shifted to a 40-mile test drive during which both the day cab and highway models were on hand.
March 22, 2021Texas Law That Limits Ship Size at Port Houston Attracts Federal Scrutiny
The law limits “two-way traffic” in the 52-mile Houston Shipping Channel and limits vessel size to less than 1,100 feet. (Port Houston via YouTube)
A Texas law that restricts the size of ships that can operate within the Houston Shipping Channel and, because of that, call on Port Houston is generating controversy within the port and shipping community.
March 22, 2021Fleets’ Tire Choices Involve Many Factors
Tires represent a major maintenance expense for trucking companies as they strive to manage such costs more effectively. (Yokohama)
Selecting the right tires for a trucking fleet’s specific application and business model is both a science and an art, with experience, industry know-how and common sense mixed in.
March 22, 2021A Year of Pandemic: Commercial Vehicle Suppliers Kept Customers, Workforce in Mind
Driver with mask by andresr/Getty Images (clockwise from top left); vaccine vial by Liam McBurney/Pool via AP; COVID-19 virus by Getty Images; UPS truck carrying vaccine at Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo by Morry Gash/Pool/Associated Press
It was crucial for commercial vehicle suppliers to be identified as essential while they tried to find their way through COVID-19 when it first spread a year ago and deepened afterward, an executive with a leading supplier trade group said.
March 22, 2021Yokohama Website Redesigns Focus on Customers
Dan Javier via YouTube
Yokohama Tire Corp.’s websites for commercial and consumer customers were redesigned to enhance customer experience, the company announced March 17.
March 19, 2021Chip Shortage Forces Ford to Build Trucks Without Computers
Ford F-150 trucks sit on display at a car dealership in Peoria, Ill. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg)
DETROIT — A global semiconductor shortage and a February winter storm have combined to force Ford to build F-150 pickup trucks without some computers.
March 19, 2021