Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020:
The new HX Series features a redesigned cab that comes with a durable three-piece hood that is crack-resistant, strong and specifically engineered to offer outstanding front-forward visibility.International revamps severe-duty HX lineup
Almost five years following its initial launch, International Trucks plans to refresh and beef up its HX Series as part of its ongoing search for marketshare in the construction segment.
Available in either set-forward (HX520) or set-back (HX620) front-axle models, the severe-duty HX was International’s first new vehicle since 2010 when it debuted in 2016 and now becomes the first truck launched under Navistar’s 4.0 strategy and its Project Compass initiative, a program that focuses on flexible, modular designs that streamline the customer experience and deliver improved support and service.
The new HX Series can be spec’d with dual steering gears and advanced anti-lock brake systems that result in better turning, maneuverability, traction and control. The HX620 comes standard with the International A26 engine with up to 500 horsepower and rear-mount PTO capability.
Both the HX520 and HX620 can be ordered with the Cummins X15 engine, delivering a variety of ratings up to 605 hp and 2,050 lb.-ft. of torque.
The new HX Series features the Eaton Fuller manual transmission, Eaton Ultrashift automated manual transmissions or the Allison 4000 Series Transmissions, all PTO-capable. The automated manual and automatic transmissions are operated through a stalk shifter control that allows the driver to keep their eyes on the job.
See the full report on the updated HX lineup on Overdrive sister site CCJ. –Jason Cannon, CCJ Editor
Michigan agriculture officials are asking truck drivers to be on the lookout for the spotted lanternfly invasive insect. Photo courtesy of Richard Gardner, Bugwood.org.Michigan officials ask truckers to look out for invasive insect
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is asking truck drivers, carriers and warehouse workers to be on the lookout for the invasive spotted lanternfly after the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed dead spotted lanternfly insects were found in Michigan recently.
MDARD is asking people involved in transporting and handling goods or freight to become familiar with identifying spotted lanternfly adults and egg masses, as both could become attached to vehicles or goods themselves and unintentionally be brought into Michigan.
Spotted lanternfly adults are roughly one inch long. Their folded wings are gray to brown with black spots. Open wings reveal a yellow and black abdomen and bright red hind wings with black spots transitioning to black and white bands at the edge. Egg masses resemble old chewing gum, with a gray, waxy, putty-like coating.
Drivers in Michigan who find a spotted lanternfly egg mass, nymph or adult are asked to take one or more photos, make note of the date, time and location of the sighting, and report to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development at 800-292-3939.
The insects were first found in southeastern Pennsylvania in 2014, and infestations have since been confirmed in Delaware, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, West Virginia, Connecticut and Ohio. The spotted lanternfly could damage more than 70 varieties of crops and plants, including grapes, apples, hops and hardwood trees.
Beginning in 2019, truckers picking up or delivering freight in certain Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Virginia counties were required to obtain a Spotted Lanternfly Permit through a free online course.
DAT adds three-day average to its rates-analysis options
DAT Freight & Analytics announced today that DAT RateView now offers three-day average lane rates — the company viewed the shift as one undergirding what could be a “new industry standard in truckload price analysis and forecasting.” Its previous averaging was based on a prior-seven-day average of actual freight bills. “While a weekly average is a great guide for pricing, some markets move faster than seve-day rates can capture,” the company said.
The RateView was established in 2010. It converts hundreds of billions of dollars in completed freight transactions into insights and intelligence available to truckers, brokers and shippers across more than 65,000 lanes.
Loadsmart adds LTL and rail loads
Loadsmart last week announced it has expanded its digital brokerage offerings to include rail and less-than-truckload, which the company says rounds out its brokerage operation to include all major transportation modes. The company already operates in the truckload, port drayage and transload sectors. The company says its offering that service to its shipper customers, meaning those loads will be available in the Loadsmart platform for carriers to move.
