Peterbilt

Aurora closes in on production version of self-driving truck technology

Aurora Innovation developed a Level 4 autonomous truck back in 2018, but it didn’t really focus on commercial vehicles until 2020. Now, with Volvo and Peterbilt in line for its self-driving system, Aurora is closing in on a production-intent version.

The Mountain View, California-based company is making the most of its own Aurora Driver system and using Uber ATG software it acquired in December as part of Uber’s $400 million investment in exchange for 26% equity. For years, Aurora and Uber ATG...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/aurora-closes-in-on-production-version-of-self-driving-truck-technology

Canada Peterbilt dealer Cervus to go private in $240M sale to Brandt Tractor

A truck between the logos of Peterbilt and Cervus Equipment.

Heavy equipment seller Cervus Equipment, which owns a large Peterbilt dealer network in Canada, has agreed to be acquired by Brandt Tractor for CA$302 million ($240 million) in a deal that will take the company private. 

The deal, announced Monday, has Alberta-based Brandt Tractor paying CA$19.50 per share for Cervus (TSX:CRV), a 22% premium over Friday’s closing price. The transaction would close in the fourth quarter if shareholders approve the sale at a special meeting in September.

“As a...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/canada-peterbilt-dealer-cervus-to-go-private-in-240m-sale-to-brandt-tractor

Exclusive first ride: Plus autonomous truck is a gentle giant on the highway

CUPERTINO, Calif. — So what is it like when a robot is doing the driving of a fully loaded Class 8 heavy-duty truck?

Really smooth. Really well mannered. And the sense that surrounding traffic is oblivious to the likely future of trucking, at least of this hourlong ride on several northern California freeways on a sunny afternoon in early July.

Freightwaves accepted an invitation from startup autonomous trucking software maker Plus to experience the current state of its Level 4 software retrofit...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/exclusive-first-ride-plus-autonomous-truck-is-a-gentle-giant-on-the-highway

The Log Book: Pilot gifts custom Peterbilt to 40-year driver

The Log Book is a weekly rundown of human-interest stories related to the transportation industry. This week: Pilot gifts throwback Peterbilt to driver after 40 years of safe driving, AIT Worldwide Logistics stays committed to St. Jude Children’s Hospital and J.B. Hunt gives additional $5 million to Arkansas Children’s health care initiatives. 

Pilot gifts custom Peterbilt to 40-year driver

In 1971, Daniel Abshire’s father, Jim, was the second driver to be hired by the trucking firm Pilot Co....

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/the-log-book-pilot-gifts-custom-peterbilt-to-40-year-driver

Truck Talk: Making the case edition

This week, we’re looking at the meaning of electric trucks delivering groceries, autonomous trucks delivering watermelons and other “firsts” trying to make the case for advanced transportation technologies. And a sort of contrarian view on both.

Proving their mettle

Individually, claims of being first don’t always add up to being newsworthy. But taking a step back to consider the “points on the board” being scored by startup autonomous and electric truck companies may tell a different story.

Consid...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-talk-making-the-case-edition

Camera monitoring systems gain fleet favor as adoption grows

Mario Gafencu wishes the Stoneridge Inc. MirrorEye Camera Monitor System (CMS) was around when he was rolling up 2.5 million accident-free miles as a professional driver. His first 20-mile drive on a snowy January day last year was all the evidence he needed.

“Regardless of all the road spray from all the vehicles on the road that day, my view of the traffic around my vehicle was clear and unobstructed,” Gafencu recalled. ” I was no longer guessing and hoping that a vehicle was not in that right...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/camera-monitoring-systems-gain-fleet-favor-as-adoption-grows

Dana raises sales and profit estimates after strong Q1 results

Commercial vehicle driveline supplier Dana Inc. (NYSE: DAN) beat top and bottom line analyst expectations in Q1 despite supply chain constraints and rising commodity prices.

The Maumee, Ohio-based company experienced less exposure to the global semiconductor shortage than it expected.

“We saw our customers diverting chips toward the key truck platforms that we produce,” Jonathan Collins, Dana’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, said on the company’s earnings call Wednesday.

The...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dana-raises-sales-and-profit-estimates-after-strong-q1-results

Flush with new models, PACCAR posts strong first-quarter financial results

PACCAR Inc. (NASDAQ: PCAR) set a record for sales of truck parts in the first quarter, suggesting that an industry backlog constrained by supply chain shortages is prompting truck owners to hold on to their older equipment longer.

“Inventory is relatively tight right now,” PACCAR CEO Preston Feight said on the company earnings call Tuesday. “The industry is at 1.9 months. We’re at 1.7. I wouldn’t expect to see a lot of change in that given the demand that is out there. I think that inventory is...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/flush-with-new-models-paccar-posts-strong-q1-numbers

Volvo gets first double-digit order for Class 8 electric trucks

Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) will lease 14 VNR Electric daycabs to a Southern California food distributor. It is Volvo’s first double-digit order of zero-emission battery-electric tractors.

The truck leases and charging infrastructure will cost Quality Custom Distribution (QCD) about the same as diesel-powered trucks because of a $3.9 million grant to Volvo Financial Services from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Inland Port Program.

The port program consists of California’s largest...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/volvo-gets-first-double-digit-order-for-class-8-electric-trucks

Playing nice: PACCAR siblings take turns in product spotlight

The Peterbilt and Kenworth divisions of PACCAR Inc. (NASDAQ: PCAR) share many of the same underlying products. But they practice great courtesy in steering clear of each other when it is time to talk about them.

Kenworth revealed the first full makeover of its Class 5-8 work truck in three decades on Monday. The brand invited media to Phoenix a few days earlier for a preview and short drives. Kenworth closed off part of Third Street downtown to film Monday afternoon’s virtual dealer reveal.

On...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/playing-nice-paccar-siblings-take-turns-in-product-spotlight

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