Freightliner will transfer selected functions from its corporate headquarters in Portland, Ore., to a South Carolina location closer to customers and Freightliner Trucks production facilities. Company officials confirmed that 341 positions are affected, including Freightliner Trucks sales and marketing functions.
Ryder System launched its RydeGreen line of tractors and trailers designed to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The line features equipment that has been
certified by the SmartWay Transport Partnership, an initiative of the Environmental Protection Agency and the transportation industry.
The Boler Company signed a definitive agreement to acquire Watson and Chalin Manufacturing, a manufacturer of truck and trailer suspension systems. Both Hendrickson and Watson and Chalin will be standalone companies under The Boler Company organization.
Isuzu Commercial Truck of America announced the availability of what it says is the industry’s first gas-powered low-cab-forward crew-cab truck. The new model features a Vortec 6.0L V8 engine with 325 hp, and a Hydra-Matic 4-speed automatic transmission with lockup torque converter and overdrive.
ArvinMeritor said last month it plans to begin production by May at a new Commercial Vehicle Systems (CVS) facility in Monterrey, Mexico, providing about 400,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space for the company’s axle and brake assembly operations and component manufacturing. The company’s CVS axle operation in Arden, N.C., is expected to close by next September.
Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co. said that its plant in Paragould, Ark., reached a production milestone with its 75,000th dry van that rolled off the assembly line in August. The plant builds the 4000D-X dry van, which accounted for more than 50 percent of Utility’s dry van production in 2006.
Caterpillar Inc. said it had received a J.D. Power and Associates Award for ranking highest in customer satisfaction for its pickup-and-delivery heavy-duty diesel engines as part of the 2007 Heavy-Duty Truck Engine/Transmission Study.
