Technician Shortage Increasing Labor Rates

Commerical Truck Technician Shortage Leads to Increasing Shop Labor Rates

The Heavy Duty Truck maintenance and repair industries are experiencing a skilled labor shortage as those working the technician positions in the Baby Boomer demographic retire in greater numbers than those replacing them, causing the unintended consequence of higher shop labor rates. “The key differences impacting maintenance costs today are skilled labor shortages combined with advancements in vehicle technology. Employees with advanced technical skills are becoming more difficult to find…

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Baker College Gets Paccar MX-13 Engine Donated

Paccar MX13 Diesel Engine Donated to Vocational School

Baker College’s Auto/Diesel Institute (ADI) of Michigan has been given a $51,558 PACCAR MX-13 diesel truck engine, a donation from Berger Dealer Group, of Dearborn, Mich., to enable engine-specific technician training. Berger also donated the specialized tools, software and related manuals to service the engine. PACCAR engines are designed for optimized performance, weight savings and durability in Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF Trucks. The 12.9L PACCAR MX-13 is PACCAR’s largest heavy-duty…

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ExpoCam Kicks Off Today in Montreal Quebec

ExpoCam 2017 Kicks off today in Montreal Quebec

With an eye to changing commerce patterns, Volvo Trucks North America and Navistar’s International division both unveiled regional semi-truck models for the North American Market at ExpoCam, Canada’s largest truck trade show. Volvo debuted its new VNR regional semi-truck, its first full redesign of a mid-range tractor since 1996, Wednesday night. Not to be outdone, Navistar on Thursday also introduced its new generation International RH Series regional haul truck line at…

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Toyota Unveils Hydrogen Powered Class 8 Truck

Toyota Reveals its Hydrogen Powered Class 8 Tractor

Toyota’s family of eco-friendly vehicles gained a supersized sibling this morning in the form of Project Portal, a hydrogen fuel cell-powered commercial truck. Along with representatives from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the California Energy Commission (CEC), the zero-emission truck proof of concept will be unveiled today at the Port of Los Angeles where it will take part in “a feasibility study examining the potential usage of fuel…

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Ford Recalls 48k F250 Trucks due to Rollaway

2017 Ford F-250 Super Duty Trucks Rollaway Recall

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Ford F-250 Super Duty trucks equipped with 6.2L Gasoline engines and six-speed automatic transmissions. These transmissions may have a damaged park rod actuating plate that can result in unexpected rollaway even though the transmission has been shifted to ‘Park.’ As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 102, “Transmission Shift Lever Sequence/Starter Interlock/Transmission…

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Isuzu Issues Recall Involving 21,000 Trucks

Isuzu Technical Center of America, Inc. (Isuzu) is recalling certain 2015-2017 NPR HD, NPR XD, NQR and NRR trucks. During manufacturing, the stamping equipment may have created burrs on the frame crossmember that the transmission is mounted to. These burrs may cause the transmission mounting studs to break. CONSEQUENCE: If the studs break, the transmission may not be properly supported, preventing it from shifting correctly and increasing the risk of…

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Electric Truck Sales to Increase Tenfold

Electric Truck Sales Predicted to Increase Ten Fold

According to a new report from Navigant Research, global annual electric powered medium-duty and heavy-duty truck sales are expected to grow from about 31,000 vehicles in 2016 to nearly 332,000 by 2026. The report forecasts sales of medium- and heavy-duty trucks for each major world region — segmented by electrified powertrain type, including hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery electric, and hydrogen fuel cell — through 2026. As local and national governments…

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Isuzu NPR & Chevrolet Low Cab Forward Recall

Chevrolet Low Cab Forward & Isuzu NPR HD Truck Recall

Isuzu Technical Center of America, Inc. (Isuzu) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Isuzu NPR and NPR HD vehicles manufactured August 26, 2013, to November 11, 2016, and 2016 Chevrolet Low Cab Forward 3500 HD, 4500HD, and 4500XD vehicles manufactured July 27, 2016, to November 11, 2016. The affected vehicles have a throttle pedal that may get stuck under the steel stopper bolt, causing the pedal to remain in the…

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