Operations

Your Sept. 25 Pre-Trip: Volkswagen looks to Matthias Müller as new CEO

Sept. 25, 2015

Volkswagen’s supervisory board assembled this morning to appoint a new chief executive, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Cristina Commendatore

Here are five things worth knowing today: 1. After Volkswagen’s CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned this week, the auto maker’s supervisory board assembled this morning to appoint a new chief executive, according to The Wall Street Journal. Reports this morning say the board is poised to name Matthias Müller, the head of VW’s sports-car unit, as WinterKorn’s replacement. Winterkorn resigned after the company admitted to deliberately circumventing environmental regulations that could affect up to 11 million cars. The Wall Street Journal has more. 2. Swift Transportation has slashed its forecast for the year down to $1.43 to $1.52 in per-share earnings from $1.64 to $1.74, according to Nasdaq. Swift blamed tractor delivery delays and a reduction in expected volumes of seasonal project business for the cut. According to the report, Swift also said a workers’-comp claim development and the settlement of a class action lawsuit contributed to the reduction. 3. Trucking companies are doing their best to navigate traffic surrounding the Pope’s visit to the east coast this week, according to FOX 43. After visiting Washington DC, the Pope is in New York today and will then make his way to Philadelphia. One trucker from Pennsylvania said most of his routes are to New York and he normally drives through Philadelphia to save time and money, but this week he is taking alternative routes, FOX reports. A dispatcher told FOX that she had to reschedule a delivery this week due to Papal traffic.4. New Jersey’s Garden City Traffic Commission has created a forum to review and regulate truck traffic on Cathedral Avenue, according to The Garden City News. According to the report, the road is narrow and has no shoulders, and the commission is considering installing “no trucking” signs at each end of the road. Residents have complained about the amount of truck traffic that goes by residential neighborhoods. One man told the commission that he estimates at least 20 to 30 trucks take the route each day, according to the report. 5. Washington state officials are investigating the Ride the Ducks amphibious fleet after one of its vehicles was involved in a fatal crash on Thursday. According to KUOW.org, the Utilities and Transportation Commission will send investigators to inspect both vehicles and drivers involved in the crash. The other vehicle involved in the accident was a charter bus carrying foreign students from North Seattle College. Four students were killed, and several people were critically injured on Thursday.

About the Author

Cristina Commendatore

Cristina Commendatore was previously the Editor-in-chief of FleetOwner magazine. She reported on the transportation industry since 2015, covering topics such as business operational challenges, driver and technician shortages, truck safety, and new vehicle technologies. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut.