Equipment
Commercial freight transportation is a machine-based business. Highly technical equipment and advanced engineering are at the center of supply chain and require constant innovation. Transport Topics equipment coverage focuses on the machines and other physical assets that make delivery possible. It looks closely at available truck, trailer, and chassis models, developments in the engineering space, and maintenance innovations and best practices.
March Trailer Orders Hit 29,500, More Than Triple a Year Earlier
North American trailer orders for March hit 29,500, more than triple the volume compared with a year earlier, ACT Research reported.
Medium-Duty Sales Rise 36.7% in March, Led by Class 5
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.
Tractor-Trailer Interfaces Take Shape in Many Ways
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.
Hankook Debuts First Line of Trailer Tires
Hankook Tire America Corp. debuted its first trailer tires, the company announced April 5.
April 13, 2021Rubber Scarcity Creates New Headache for Automakers
Automakers struggling with pandemic-induced plant shutdowns and a global chip shortage now are confronting another supply chain headache: dwindling rubber supplies.
NHTSA Investigates Possible Air Bag Failures in GM Vehicles
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 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.
Plus, Iveco Sign Memo of Understanding on Autonomous Trucks
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%
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.
Utility Makes ConMet Preset Plus Wheel End Hubs Standard Feature
Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co. announced ConMet Preset Plus wheel end hubs as the standard base specification on all Utility trailer models.
April 12, 2021