GM enters electric Class 8 market with Nikola tie-up, ATRI asks for truckers’ top industry concerns

Updated Sep 10, 2020

Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020:

GM takes stake in Nikola in electric truck partnership
Nikola Corporation and General Motors on Tuesday announced a strategic partnership that gives the Detroit automotive behemoth an ownership stake in the Arizona-based hydrogen-electric startup in exchange for use of GM’s battery system and fuel cell tech.

Nikola initially will utilize GM’s Ultium battery system and Hydrotec fuel cell technology for its Badger pickup. Nikola will exchange $2 billion in newly issued common stock for in-kind services and access to General Motors’ global safety-tested and validated parts and components. General Motors will also engineer and manufacture the Nikola Badger battery electric and fuel cell versions.

The agreement with Nikola also extends General Motors’ utilization of its fuel cell technology to the Class 7/8 semi-truck market and represents a high-volume commercialization of its Hydrotec fuel cell system, which was developed in collaboration with Honda.

ATRI asks drivers to rank top trucking concerns
The American Transportation Research Institute launched today its 2020 Top Industry Issues Survey, asking trucking industry stakeholders, including owner-operators, to rank their top concerns for the industry along with potential strategies for addressing each issue.

The survey, in its 16th year, not only ranks the issues overall but also provides details on where critical topics are ranked differently by carriers and truck drivers. The report also allows stakeholders to monitor issues over time to better understand which issues are rising or falling.

The results of the 2020 survey will be released October 27, 2020 as part of the American Trucking Associations Virtual Management Conference & Exhibition. The survey can be completed here through Oct. 16.

Pork rinds maker honoring truckers, donates to relief fund
Pork rinds maker Southern Recipe will honor America’s truckers with its ninth annual Truck Driver Appreciation campaign. They will also donate $7,500 to St. Christopher Truckers Development and Relief Fund to help support truck drivers in need.

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In this year’s campaign, the maker of pork rinds and other snacks will focus on truck drivers “who are fighting obstacles and moving mountains to ensure America continues to thrive during the current world pandemic,” the company says.

Through Sept. 15, Southern Recipe will unveil new videos from truck drivers driving through the nation’s COVID-19 pandemic to ensure food is on grocery store shelves. Through this campaign, Southern Recipe and SCF hope to help everyone in the U.S. better understand the work truckers do.

Additional details of the campaign can be found here.

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