Automotive Fleet News

LONDON - BMW, Vauxhall, and the Volkswagen Golf were among the winners at the Fleet News Awards night March 17 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

Tags: award, BMW, Volkswagen

CUMMING, GA - Gerald Eaker, global fleet safety manager for United Parcel Service (UPS) in Atlanta, passed away Dec. 31, 2009. He was 52.

Tags: obituary, UPS

WASHINGTON - Motor Coach Industries (MCI) is recalling more than 4,200 vehicles equipped with a Ricon wheelchair lift and a cassette-type wheelchair lift compartment door.

Tags: Motor Coach Industries , motorcoach recall, NHTSA, wheelchair lifts

WASHINGTON - New Flyer Industries Ltd. is recalling more than 1,800 MY 2004-2009 transit buses.

Tags: New Flyer Industries, transit buses

ROCKLEIGH, NJ - As more campaigns surface to fight distracted driving, Volvo Cars of North America (VCNA) is encouraging other U.S. employers to join the movement by enacting stronger policies regarding the use of cell phones while driving.

Tags: distracted driving, driving safety, Volvo

CAMPBELL, TX - An Americanos USA bus on Tuesday, March 16, veered out of control on a Texas highway before flipping over, killing two passengers and injuring 40 others on board, the Associated Press reported.

Tags: Americanos USA , Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, highway fatalities, motorcoaches

DINWIDDIE, VA - Virginia is reopening 19 rest stops it closed less than a year ago because of budget shortfalls, the Associated Press reported.

Tags: American Trucking Associations, highway safety

WASHINGTON - General Motors is recalling more than 9,000 MY 2009-2010 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vehicles because of problems with the defroster/defogger system.

Tags: Chevrolet Express , General Motors recall, GMC Savana , NHTSA

TORRANCE, CA - Honda said it will recall approximately 344,000 Odyssey and 68,000 Element vehicles from the 2007-2008 model years in the U.S. to modify the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) modulator.

Tags: Honda Element, Honda Odyssey, Honda recall

ARLINGTON, VA - The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said the redesigned 2011 Infiniti M37/M56, a large luxury car, has earned the institute's highest rating of "good" for front and side crash protection.

Tags: Lexus HS 250h, crash tests, IIHS, Infiniti M37, Infiniti M56, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Toyota 4Runner

STOCKTON, CA - The California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved Electric Vehicles International's (EVI) fully electric return-to-base medium- and heavy-duty trucks.

Tags: CARB, Electric Vehicles International, Freightliner, Rebate

TOKYO - Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi are among the companies that have formed the CHAdeMO Association, a group focused on increasing quick-charger installations worldwide for electric vehicles. The association will promote standardization of EV charging systems.

Tags: CHAdeMO Association , electric cars, electric vehicles, EV charging standards, EV charging stations

ST. LOUIS, MO - The National Truck Equipment Association has formed a new affiliate division, the Green Truck Association, to help fleets, manufacturers and others stay informed about regulatory and industry developments.

Tags: Green Truck Association, The National Truck Equipment Association

BURBANK, CA - General Motors Co. said it is testing a production-intent hydrogen fuel cell system that can be packaged in the space of a traditional four-cylinder engine and be ready for commercial production in 2015.

Tags: electric vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicles, fuel cells, General Motors, hydrogen fuel cells, Project Driveway

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate on March 10 restored the $1 a gallon biodiesel tax credit when the legislators voted 62-36 to pass the American Workers, State and Business Relief Act, Biofuels Digest reported.

Tags: biodiesel, National Biodiesel Board

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has named Nissan a 2010 Energy Star Partner of the Year, recognizing the automaker's achievements in energy management and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Tags: emissions reduction, EPA, Nissan

TOKYO - Nissan is planning for a production capacity of 500,000 Leaf electric cars in North America, Japan and Europe by 2012, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Tags: electric cars, electric vehicles, Nissan Leaf

AMES, IA - Renewable Energy Group (REG) said it has completed the asset purchase and consolidation agreements with commercial-scale biodiesel plants in Newton, Iowa, and Danville, Ill.

Tags: biodiesel, Renewable Energy Group

SAN DIEGO, CA - Toyota said Monday, March 15, that its preliminary test results on a 2008 Prius, which was allegedly involved in an unintended-acceleration episode last week near San Diego, were inconsistent with the driver's account.

Tags: Prius, sudden acceleration

ASHEVILLE, NC - Altech-Eco Corporation of Asheville, N.C., has obtained approval from the Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the first Year-2010 Ford Focus to receive a $4,000 Federal Income Tax Credit designation.

Tags: Altech-Eco, Focus, Ford, natural gas

KANSAS CITY, MO - Scott Beeson, the former Ferrellgas fleet manager who pled guilty last April to embezzling $3.5 million from the company, was recently sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison.

Tags: embezzlement, Ferrellgas, fraud

ST. LOUIS - James Steffen, director of fleet engineering and technical support for Memphis-based ServiceMaster, recently shared his insights at a two-day meeting of fleet operators interested in new fuel technologies.

Tags: fuel, ServiceMaster