91ÊÓƵ

Intermodal rail and trucking companies are competing to meet the transportation needs of e-commerce businesses while adapting to how these new supply chains differ from those of traditional brick-and-mortar retailers.

North American Class 8 orders cleared 18,000 in June, for a 40% year-over-year gain, according to ACT Research Co.

The mounting focus on the electrification of Class 8 vehicles will prompt changes in trailer design and key components as collaboration among manufacturers of trucking’s central pieces of equipment increases, some experts said.

Ryder System launched a preventive maintenance program for its pre-owned vehicles, the Miami-based company said. Under the program, customers can finance or prepay for their selected preventive maintenance plan when they purchase a pre-owned vehicle, the company said.

In Burgos, a province in central Spain better known for archaeological digs and blood-sausages than for innovation, engineer Veronica Pascual is building automated vehicles. Not cars, though, but forklifts, stackers and pallet trucks.

Uber has upgraded its trucks to its Advanced Technologies Group (ATG) technology stack, and they are driving on freeways around San Francisco.

Fitzgerald Collision & Repair will undergo a major expansion and create 220 new jobs in Tennessee.

Ridge Corp. teamed with aerospace technology company FlexSys Inc. to apply its advanced technology to aerodynamic devices used in the trucking industry to reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency.

A new design in engine pistons is increasing fuel efficiency and reducing particulate matter in Volvo Trucks North America’s heavy-duty D11 and D13 engines.

With its pending purchase of the Whole Foods grocery chain, Amazon.com will become a major shipper for fresh produce, a transport market that has always been difficult and is now getting even more challenging.