Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Oct. 28, 2019:
Swift lays off 56 workers in warehouse closure
Swift Logistics, a branch of mega-carrier Swift Transportation and the Swift-Knight conglomerate, informed the state of Pennsylvania last week it is closing a warehouse facility in York, Pennsylvania, and will lay off 56 employees.
The company filed a WARN notice Oct. 23 to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor.
Swift is the latest large truckload carrier in recent months to announce layoffs as the economy has flattened and freight demand has slowed. Stevens Transport earlier in October announced it is cutting 550 drivers and shuttering its tanker division. Likewise Roadrunner announced in late September it would be cutting 450 jobs and downsizing its dry van division.
Several other large carriers abruptly shut down earlier this year. HVH Transportation (No. 231) abruptly ceased operations in August. New England Motor Freight (No. 67) closed its doors in February and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
LME, Inc. shuttered in July.
Lastly, among high-profile closures, Falcon Transportation left drivers and equipment stranded in April when it suddenly closed.
Mack’s blacked-out AnthemMack debuts all-black Anthem package
Mack Trucks at the the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta Monday announced the debut of a limited edition Mack Black Anthem.
Limited to a run of 500 70-inch stand-up sleeper trucks, the Mack Black features include a black Mack word-mark across the grille; cab steps and deck plates are powder-coated in black, and flat black trim stripes are added to the air intakes on each side of the hood; black mudflap brackets, black aluminum fuel tanks, Alcoa Durablack aluminum wheels, a limited edition Anthem doorplate and a custom black Mack Bulldog hood ornament.
Inside, the steering wheel has been wrapped in black leather and gauge bezels have been blacked out and black wood trim accents added. Black seats and sleeper trim tie the rest of the interior package together.
Evolving tread design in new tires prompts CVSA inspection bulletin on tread measurements
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has issued a new inspection bulletin to roadside inspectors and the organization’s carrier partners on the particulars of measuring tread depth in new-generation tires with tread grooves that evolve as the tire wears. In a video summary of the bulletin accessible via this link, an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer illustrates the importance of measuring to the true bottom of the evolving treads, rather than from the top of a stone ejector, among other particulars.
From a CVSA video on the new bulletin, this still shows a tread-depth measurement taken in an evolving tread groove on a new-tech Michelin.CVSA notes an evolving tread design is a tread pattern that experiences a significant and noticeable transition in appearance as the tire wears down from the new state to the worn state. As the tread wears, some features disappear, while new features are revealed. This evolution in the tread pattern allows for the balancing and optimization of multiple performance characteristics over the full life of the tire as well as maximum use of all available tread rubber.
