OEM Trucking

CN orders 50 electric trucks from Lion Electric Co. to support its intermodal operations in its largest urban markets in Canada.

Demand headwinds will place “downwards pressure on revenue and earnings likely into 2021” for trailer manufacturer Wabash National. This was part of the rationale behind credit rating agency Moody’s lowering its ratings on the company.

From 15,000 workers on furlough in April, Daimler Trucks North America has seen steady build activity to meet replacement demand into 2021 as its order backlog grows.

Navistar picks Detroit suburb near major electrification suppliers to locate its NEXT eMobility business unit as it prepares to make its first battery-electric trucks and school buses.

The California Air Resources Board has mandated a percentage of zero-emission Class 8 trucks must be built for sale in California. Darren Prokop’s commentary covers the ins and outs of this regulatory mandate.

Nikola Corp. founder and Executive Ehairman Trevor Milton says he is justified in threatening on Twitter to sue a reporter he accuses of lying about the startup electric truck maker to drive down its high-flying stock price.

Trevor Milton takes a $1 annual salary as CEO of newly public Nikola Corp., but his net worth on paper is approaching deca-billionaire status based on his 35% share of the battery electric and fuel cell truck startup’s shares.

Surging shares in electric Class 8 truck maker Nikola Corp. could help show the way for other high-tech transportation companies this year.

Daimler Trucks AG is creating a fuel cell subsidiary as a forerunner to a 50-50 joint venture with Volvo Group to make fuel cell-powered backup systems for data centers and eventually hydrogen-fueled heavy-duty trucks.

Daimler Trucks looked at the mileage data of 130,000 trucks it monitors and predicts mileage driven could reach pre-COVID-19 levels by the end of June.

Navistar included only one full month of impact from the COVID-19 pandemic in its loss-making second quarter. How bad will it be for manufacturers who report on a traditional April-June quarter?

Heavy-duty truck maker Navistar reported a $38 million loss in its fiscal second quarter, the first look at the financial damage from COVID-19-related manufacturing shutdowns.

Near-shutdown of Class 8 truck production in May resulted in stagnant orders as COVID-19 lockdowns took hold.

Battery electric and fuel cell startup Nikola Corp., which surprised the trucking industry by having a “blank check company” back its bid to go public, expects its shares to begin trading under its own name on the NASDAQ later this week.

Growing competition leads Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. to decide against selling medium-duty trucks in the U.S. and Canada after current inventory is sold. Parts and service pledged through 2028.

With a June 2 merger vote that would make fuel cell electric truck maker Nikola a public entity, the company’s book value has quadrupled to $12 billion in the last week.

Navistar extended CEO Troy Clarke’s contract until July as a buyout offer by Volkswagen subsidiary TRATON Group is on hold amid the cash-devouring coronavirus pandemic.

Interest is rising in Workhorse’s electric truck-based drone delivery system as the company seeks $40 million credit line to scale production.

Volkswagen truck holding company Traton Group urges a Euro-style “cash for clunkers” program to boost new truck purchases following lower first-quarter sales, profits and orders.

Uncertainty beyond loss-making second quarter concerns Daimler leaders, though robust supply chain and cash position suggest fast production ramp-up when economy recovers

Daimler AG revealed difficult first-quarter results, removing mystery from next week’s earnings report, which shows all segments struggling, including its truck manufacturing business.

PACCAR Inc. posted decent first quarter earnings despite shuttering its plants in late March because of the coronavirus pandemic. While truck orders cooled, parts sales set a record as the truck maker tries to build on 81 consecutive profitable years.

Electric and fuel cell truck maker Nikola gets its pick of candidates as job insecurity led so many to apply that Linked In briefly shut down CEO Trevor Milton’s account.

Navistar makes $300 million in across-the-board cuts to conserve cash but will repay employees with interest for their 10% to 30% pay reductions next March.

Nikola Corp. filled VectoIQ’s $230 million public shell company after former Wall Street analyst and General Motors executive Steve Girsky shopped more than 100 smart transportation companies and signed 75 nondisclosure agreements and six letters of intent.

Truck component supplier Meritor idles plants and cuts base salaries up to 50% to save the ship from rough seas.

All four major heavy-duty truck manufacturers now have suspended production for at least two weeks, with market leaders Daimler Trucks North America and PACCAR Inc. the latest to stop building trucks because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Supply chain disruption from coronavirus adds Navistar plant in Ohio to truck operations suspending production and pulling earnings guidance.

Volvo Trucks North America and its sibling Mack Trucks later this year will allow individual truck drivers to schedule over-the-air updates typically handled by fleet managers.

Market Expert Mike Baudendistel looks at the prospects for the truck original equipment manufacturers in 2020.

Daimler Trucks is executing structural changes around the world because of sliding sales.

FreightWaves founder and CEO Craig Fuller writes about the issues the trucking industry dealt with in 2019 and what is ahead in 2020.

Navistar International Corp. (NYSE: NAV) is regaining chunks of market share in medium- and heavy-duty trucks, winning back customers who walked away several years ago because they could not rely on the company’s products. Navistar has averaged a percentage point of additional core share a year since 2016. It is noteworthy in an expanding market […]

Navistar will cut 10% of its worldwide workforce even as it gained market share for the third consecutive year.

Volvo Trucks is building on sales of electric trucks for urban transport in Europe with battery-electric concepts for construction and regional distribution.

Daimler Trucks North America is recalling 2,725 Western Star brand 4900 and 5700 sleeper cabs from the 2016-2020 model years. About 4% of the recalled trucks are suspected of having an improper adhesive that could allow the vent windows to detach and fall from the trucks.

Volvo Trucks North America will lay off about 700 workers in January, extending an industry pullback in production to match slowing orders of new Class 8 trucks.

Continental AG is looking to rapidly restructure its workforce and phase out production plants to catch up with new-age mobility options like electric and connected vehicles.

Volvo Trucks North America and the Western Star brand of Daimler Trucks North America will recall nearly 3,700 trucks between them for separate steering-related issues that could cause a crash. Neither issue has resulted in any crashes or injuries, according to postings on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.

Preliminary orders for new trailers met expectations in October reached their highest level in 11 months, upholding expectations for a good, but not great 2020.

Navistar will book a $140 million hit to fourth-quarter revenue because of the six-week United Auto Workers’ strike at General Motors.

Western Star is recalling 2,546 heavy-duty trucks because the sleeper side door can detach while the truck is in motion, creating a risk of the falling door striking another vehicle.

The United Auto Workers voted 79% in favor of a new four-year contract at Mack Trucks following a 12-day strike that idled six facilities in three states and halted production at Volvo Trucks’ only assembly plant in North America.

Truck maker TRATON Group S reported higher revenue and profit for the first nine months of the year, but warned of a tougher 2020 with an accelerating slump in orders and global economic uncertainty.

The color of the Mack Trucks bulldog carries special meaning. Gold means all of the key components were homemade. Chrome says others’ parts are on board. Now, it comes in black.

BorgWarner Inc., which makes engine components and drivetrains for combustion, hybrid and electric vehicles, reported lower third-quarter earnings on slightly higher sales.

Navistar is skipping the chase for incentives on demonstration electric trucks to consult with customers on custom-built zero-emission medium-duty models with total cost of ownership rivaling a diesel truck.

Daimler Trucks North America, the industry sales leader, is not sweating the loss of big chunks of heavy- and medium-duty market share trucks through the first nine months this year.

The news this week that Hyundai Motor Company is planning a hydrogen-powered tractor for global markets, including the U.S., could be the beginning of a larger presence for the company into North America.

Indiana-based Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) reported third quarter total revenue of $5.77 billion,  a decrease of 3% from the same quarter in 2018.  North America revenues decreased by 6%, while international revenues declined 25%, officials said. The company, which designs and makes diesel engines and components, estimates that revenue will fall 2% in full-year 2019. […]

A telematics-based pay-as-you-drive program from Daimler Trucks Financial could help trucking firms on the financial brink because of high lease payments and insurance premiums.

The door to TRATON Group selling trucks in North American opened a crack with a memo of understanding between Navistar and TRATON to sell Scania mining trucks in Canada.

Mack Trucks is well on its way to making up lost production from a 12-day United Auto Workers’ strike and sees state-level infrastructure spending buoying its off-highway vocational truck business in 2020.

Kenworth Truck Co. is finally satisfied that over-the-air software updates are safe for its trucks.

The United Auto Workers is ending its strike against Mack Trucks after 12 days. The first walkout in 35 years idled six facilities in three states and forced the layoff of 3,000 workers at Volvo Trucks only North American assembly plant.

Daimler AG reported high sales and earnings in the third quarter but is cautioning that tougher times lie ahead for its Mercedes-Benz car and Daimler Trucks businesses.

Designs of future vocational trucks by students at the ArtCenter College of Design may contain some long-term value for the Western Star Truck Sales subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America.

Hyundai Motor Co. is expanding its fuel cell ambitions to heavy-duty trucks and trailers with a pair of concepts for next week’s North American Commercial Vehicle show in Atlanta.

Paccar Inc. delivered 31,000 trucks in the third quarter, helping the parent company of Kenworth Truck Co. , Peterbilt Motor Co. and DAF beat earnings estimates.

AB Volvo through its venture capital group is investing in an Israeli cybersecurity startup while also combining all of its autonomous ventures into a single group.

Swedish truck maker AB Volvo reported higher third-quarter profits and sales on Friday, October 18. But it warned that orders for new trucks in North America and Europe continue to decline and a strike at its Mack Trucks unit could pinch profits depending on how long it lasts.

A United Auto Workers strike against Mack Trucks could soon impact its sibling Volvo Trucks because both get engines and transmissions from the same plant in Hagerstown, Maryland.

The United Auto Workers plans its first strike against Mack Trucks in 35 years for Sunday, Oct. 13. A total of 3,500 union-represented workers at plants in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Florida would be affected.

Amazon ramps up truckload business by going all-in on power unit investment

Preliminary Class 8 retail sales for September set an all-time record, but large fleet deliveries likely inflated the results that erased the previous record set in December 2006. Meanwhile, the backlog of trucks waiting to be built is falling, which is leading to layoffs..

Volvo Trucks North America and its Mack Trucks sibling are partnering with connected transportation company Geotab to send electronic logging device data to the cloud and back for interference-free reporting.

Mack Trucks thinks it will weather the trucking industry’s expected downturn in 2020 by focusing on its off-highway models.

Peter Voorhoeve recently passed his first anniversary as president of Volvo Trucks North America after five years running Volvo Group’s (OTC: VLVLY) Australian operations. During his brief tenure, Volvo’s market share is down nearly a percentage point. But he isn’t sweating it. “For me, market share is a result, not an objective,” Voorhoeve said in […]

Navistar is building a new Industry 4.0-ready plant near San Antonio, Texas that will help raise earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.

Navistar plans a new manufacturing plant near San Antonio, Texas and aggressive financial goals into the middle of the next decade.

Daimler Trucks and Buses has entered a long-term supply agreement for lithium-ion batter technology for its coming range of electric trucks.

Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) is on track to deliver five Class 8 VNR electric trucks to California for its multi-partner Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solutions (LIGHTS) program before the end of the year, but the infrastructure to charge them may be lagging.

Volvo Trucks will offer its Dynamic Steering system as an option in 2020. Volvo says it reduces the strain of maneuvering a heavy-duty truck steering wheel by up to 85 percent.

Class 8 truck manufacturers are beginning to pare production as the backlog of record orders from 2018 shrinks and new orders continue to be slow.

Daimler Trucks is moving closer to its goal of commercially producing Level 4 autonomous trucks with public road testing in Virginia.

Nikola Corp. revealed two more funding sources of its heavy-duty fuel cell truck on Thursday, September 5. German supplier Robert Bosch LLC and South Korean solar panel maker Hanwha Group each invested at least $100 million cash in earlier funding rounds.

Navistar International Corp. blew past revenue and earnings estimates for its third fiscal quarter. It is reducing production but expects to gain market share in a softening market.

U.D. Trucks, the Japanese unit of Swedish truck maker AB Volvo. conducted the first test of an Level 4 autonomous truck in the island nation. The test run at a sugar processing facility in Hokkaido prefecture is partially aimed at addressing a shortage of truck drivers worsened by an aging population.

Nikola Corp. expects to raise more than $1 billion in its Series D runding raising. That starts with London-based CNH Industrial that invested $250 million in cash and in-kind help.

The U.S. Army is conducting live-fire testing on an armored heavy-duty dump truck from Mack Defense, the first of up to 683 trucks included in a $296 million contract.

Daimler Trucks North America celebrated the 750,000th build at its plant in Cleveland, North Carolina as its parent company prepares to build its heavy-duty Actros at its joint venture. in China.

Daimler is recalling more than 8,000 Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Sprinter vans because of a software defect that can dim or extinguish the rear taillights.

Partially synthetic lower viscosity 10W-30 and 5W-30 oils are supplanting the industry standard 15W-40 heavy-duty oil. The new formulas cost more but can bring up to 2 percent better fuel economy with longer intervals between changes.

Hino Trucks is already increasing its investment in a new plant in West Virginia, where it will build Class 7 and 8 trucks in addition to medium-duty models.

FreightWaves chief analytics officer Dean Croke – who has also driven more than 2 million miles behind the wheel of heavy-duty trucks – previews Copilot by Pronto.

The concept of customer experience has been around for decades but it is getting new emphasis in trucking as electric and autonomous technology arrives.

Women In Trucking will honor transportation firms at its Accelerate! Conference & Expo.

Navistar is the first to slow production lines for new trucks. It is targeting medium-duty units because inventories are up 30 percent year over year.

Cowen analyst Jeffrey Osborne has raised his estimate for Workhorse Group Inc. shares from $2.00 to $4.00 based on the company beginning production in the fourth quarter of more than 1,100 lightweight electric-powered NGEN vans.

Daimler Trucks is sending the first two eCascadia Class 8 battery electric-powered trucks to fleets in Southern California in late August as part of a 30-truck test fleet preceding regular electric truck production.

When Mack Trucks set out to design the Anthem, it turned to drivers for input. The result is a Class 8 tractor that is both comfortable and functional, providing all the benefits of an aerodynamic over-the-road tractor in a Classic Mack.

Jack Cooper Ventures says it will be “business as usual” as the auto hauler undertakes a restructuring.

The company itself is silent so far, but the union spelled out some of the developments.

The rise and fall of interest in natural gas trucks typically depends on the price of oil. Now, the availability of clean energy credits in California and tougher NOx rules expected from the California Air Resources Board are additional reasons for purchase.

July heavy-duty truck orders were the lowest since 2010, more evidence of a trucking sector recession taking hold.

Kenworth Truck Co. stayed with its approach to promoting general managers from the engineering ranks.

Oshkosh Corp. has a green light from the U.S. Army to enter full production of its Joint Tactical Light Vehicle that will replace the HUMVEE in war zones.

The saga of the closed General Motors Lordstown plant continued with Vice President Mike Pence erroneously declaring that Workhorse Group Inc. had secured funding to buy the plant.

Volvo Trucks North America is recalling VAH, VHD, VNL and VNR trucks from the 2019-2020 model years because the air tank can fall off the truck and create a road hazard. It said it knows of no crashes related to the manufacturing defect.

Traton SE crossed $1 billion in operating profit for the first six months of 2019 but expressed concern about slowing orders in the second half.