the last word

Gone racin'

International Truck & Engine Co. has been bitten by the NASCAR bug. The OEM, which supplies the Power Stroke diesel to Ford, is now sponsoring driver Terry Cook and ppc Racing for the 2004 Power Stroke diesel NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race team. International says the deal spotlights a “marketing initiative that leverages the overlap of pickup truck owners and NASCAR fans to increase diesel engine sales.”

LETTER OF THE MONTH

I'm trying to understand the impacts of the new hours of service rules. I recall it was a hot topic when they were being debated, but I don't know what the consensus was (if there was one). Do the new rules lead to an increase in the number of idling hours? Could someone please clue me in about what the actual impact is?
Linda Gaines
Center for Transportation Research
Argonne National Laboratory

Driving away hunger

TNT Logistics North America (TNT) reports having raised over $152,000 in the U.S., Canada and Mexico for the United Nation's World Food Program (WFP). The funds were collected on behalf of WFP thanks to initiatives undertaken by TNT employees last year. TNT Logistics has made a long-term commitment to WFP and explains that logistics itself can go a long way toward reducing worldwide hunger.

As the company explains, “Every day millions of people go to bed hungry, yet the planet produces more than enough food to provide for its entire population. The problem is getting the food to the people who need it in emergency situations. Good logistics is an essential weapon in the fight against hunger. As a global company, we're able to help with emergency response as well as supply chain improvements in getting food collected and distributed to the parts of the world that need it most.” Set up in 1963, the WFP is the UN's frontline agency engaged in fighting global hunger. www.wfp.org.

90 big ones

Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co. is celebrating its 90th anniversary. Brothers E.W. and H.C. Bennett founded the company back in 1914, which claims to be America's oldest continuously operated trailer maker. “From the beginning our business has been building trailers, and we still embrace the values and vision expressed by E.W. and H.C. in the early 20th century as we conduct business in the early 21st century,” notes Craig Bennett, senior vp, marketing & sales.

Robot shoes

Michelin North America says it's shodding a robotic vehicle designed by Oshkosh and Ohio State University to compete in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Assn.'s $1-million Grand Challenge event. The “completely autonomous” vehicle, dubbed Terramax, must cover a 250-mile Mojave Desert course between Barstow, CA, and Las Vegas without a driver or remote controls. Michelin is supplying its 16.00R20 XZL all-terrain non-directional military radial tire for the vehicle.