Technology & Maintenance Council Archives

Labor and parts costs driving truck maintenance bills higher

7 March 2022

Truck maintenance costs 10% more than a year ago, owing to the higher wages for service technicians and the aging of equipment because of the supply chain crisis.

A service event benchmark study released during the American Trucking Associations’ Technology and Maintenance Council meeting in Orlando, Florida, found:

Maintenance costs rose 3.7% in Q4 and more than 10% from the previous year.
The average cost of parts and labor for vehicle repairs rose 3.7% in Q4 due primarily to increasing labor...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/labor-and-parts-costs-driving-truck-maintenance-bills-higher

Trailer connectivity tech advances as supply shortages crimp production

20 September 2021

As Class 8 truck production goes, so go the trailers they pull.

Both are bogged down by component supply shortages. Sure, there’s the persistent semiconductor shortage that many expected would be a memory by now. But supply constraints only begin with missing microchips.

“While ‘semiconductors’ has become the generic reference for the supply chain’s shortcomings, in actuality there are scores of parts that continue to be impacted,” said Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst at ACT Research.

Th...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/trailer-connectivity-tech-advances-as-supply-shortages-crimp-production

Truck Talk No. 26: Labor pains edition

9 July 2021

This week, we look at the ramifications of a vote on a third tentative agreement by striking workers at Volvo Trucks North America We also revisit patents and make bank with Hyliion Holdings founder and CEO Thomas Healy.

Holding the line

Are two strikes impacting production at Volvo Truck enough to get UAW workers a contract they will accept? The outcome of voting on a third tentative agreement by 2,900 represented hourly workers in Dublin, Virginia, should be known by Friday evening.

After...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-talk-no-26-labor-pains-edition

American Trucking Associations cancels National Truck Driving Championships

6 March 2021

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) has canceled the 2021 National Truck Driving Championships and National Step Van Driving Championships for the second consecutive year, citing COVID-related issues. The event had been planned for Minneapolis in August.

“Our industry’s creed and the very spirit of these competitions is ‘safety first,’ and this outcome reflects that,” explained Chris Spear, president and CEO of the ATA in a letter to members explaining the cancellation.

“Know that we do not...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/american-trucking-associations-cancels-national-truck-driving-championships