January 2018 Volume 37, Issue 12
TRUCK NEWS Eastern Canada’s Trucking Newspaper Since 1981
Delivering daily news at trucknews.com
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Build the barrier
Don’t call it an AMT
Trailer talk
Plan your year
A campaign is underway to have a concrete barrier installed along Ontario’s “Carnage Alley.”
Eaton’s new Endurant is the industry’s first purpose-built automated transmission.
We ask leading trailer dealers how the spec’ing process for van trailers is evolving.
Our annual Calendar of Events allows you to begin planning what will be a busy 2018.
High expectations
RET ADVERTAIL ISING P
Signs are pointing to a strong 2018 for trucking
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By James Menzies TORONTO, ONTARIO Expectations are building for a strong and profitable trucking environment in 2018. Freight volumes are strengthening, rates are improving, and the U.S. and Canadian economies continue to grow. Business inventories are better balanced than last year, and the U.S. electronic logging device (ELD) mandate is expected to remove capacity from the marketplace. All these indicators point towards a strong year for the trucking industry.
Freight demand strengthening U.S. for-hire truck tonnage increased 3.3% in October, and was up 9.9% year-over-year, according to the ForHire Truck Tonnage Index from the American Trucking Associations (ATA). That marked the largest yearover-year increase since December 2013, ATA reports. Year-to-date through 10 months, the index is up 3.1% compared to the same period last year. Continued on page 8
PM40063170
Careers: 2-3, 20-38, 55 Ad Index: 49
Elon Musk introduces the Tesla Semi, which he claims can go from zero to 60 mph in five seconds.
An electrifying debut Tesla unveils electric Semi amid much fanfare By Steve Sturgess HAWTHORNE, CALIFORNIA Tesla hit the streets running with its much anticipated “Semi” Nov. 16 at a reveal party attended by the world’s press, Tesla officials, and employees from both the assembly plant in Fremont, Calif., and the Giga Li-Ion battery plant in Nevada. No static launch for CEO and product architect of Tesla, Elon Musk, as he stepped down from the cab of the much-heralded truck to highlight its features before a sea of fans. And it was not just one static prototype on stage, but two models of the Semi that roared into a hangar at the Jet Center, a private-plane airport adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport in Hawthorne, Calif. To rousing cheers from an audience of around 1,200 people, Musk extolled the performance features of the Semi: a range of 500 miles, zero to 60 mph in just five seconds, zero to 60 of a fully freighted, 80,000-lb tractor-trailer in just 30 seconds. But most significantly for the truckers in the audience, a cost per mile of US$1.25, comparing favorably to today’s diesel truck operating costs of $1.51. He did not specify the trade cycle or the structure of the financing, but did say
that Tesla was aiming for zero breakdowns in a million miles of operation. According to Internet reports, truckload carrier J.B. Hunt is among the first carriers to publicly reveal it has reserved the truck, saying it has reserved “multiple Tesla Semis.” “Reserving Tesla trucks marks an important step in our efforts to implement industry-changing technology,” said John Roberts, president and chief executive officer at J.B. Hunt. “We believe electric trucks will be most beneficial on local and dray routes, and we look forward to utilizing this new, sustainable technology.” Production is due in 2019. In reality, the reveal confirmed what the spy and tease photos had already disclosed: a cab forward Class 8 truck with exceptional smooth lines and promised great aerodynamic performance, a fact highlighted in Musk’s remarks. He said that the 500-mile range was enabled by exceptional aerodynamics, with the Semi scoring a drag coefficient of 0.36, better even than the Bugatti Chiron’s 0.38. He also noted the cab side extenders that actively fill the gap between tractor and trailer also contribute to the overall low drag. Worth noting: the tractor at launch looked like Continued on page 18