Aftermarket Parts and Service Sector Really Growing - Can OEM's Take Share?
February 12, 2011
Sales of "part's" for vehicles / equipment in-service are the most profitable part of a durable goods business. Trucking is no different, but offers bigger growth potential today - and in the future. Those well-positioned in the after-warranty space will see more opportunity. With new truck pricing, tougher financing, etc. - older trucks are being put back into service and kept longer. Therein lies more opportunity.
Railroad Internal Numbers Give Some Interesting Insight Into The Economy
January 30, 2011
AAR: “Modest gains” in Week 3 traffic | www.railwayage.com
Union Pacific Corporation, Berkshire Hathaway owned BNSF, CSX and Norfolk Southern have reported their good 4th Quarter numbers revenue growth in the teens with profits up double of that and OR's around 70. Everything except for autos and building materials look good, so what does that mean? Our esteemed colleague Toby Kolstad addresses this sector very well, so we'll just add some comments on how us truckers look at it.
Truckload Truckers' Numbers Looking UP - With A Couple (Good) Surprises
January 28, 2011
Fiscal Fourth Quarter 2010 Truckload (TL) Carriers are reporting better results across the board. Swift Transportation and Knight Transportation are even adding notable capacity! Heres a quick look...
CSA 2010 Effect On Driver Shortage - Not So Much In The Near Term...
January 23, 2011
Nascent freight predictions have many fleets and investors turning their focus toward the impact of CSA 2010, the aging driver pool and other issues on "an impending acute" driver shortage. Our requests around what CSA 2010 really means - are up from shippers, logistics providers, smaller truckers and others watching the industry. We agree that the driver pool is changing, but we don't see it as the crisis and happening as quickly as some think. Here are some thoughts.
Navistar Class 8 Monthly Market Share In The Teens - Way Off Their Highs
January 17, 2011
Navistar Corporation Class 8 market share will most probably stay in the teems for a while. The November Wards Class 8 US share (customer deliveries) came at 16.3% for Navistar - off 10%+ from earlier in the year. Is it the 13 Liter versus 15 Liter question, Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) versus Selective Catalyst Reduction (SCR) or a little of both?
Redone Revisited HOS Revisions - Time Rules Will Cost Truckers
December 28, 2010
Trucking industry unhappy with proposed drive time rules | www.thecitywire.com
Improved trucking profits come mostly from improved productivity - as in most businesses. Other regulations have direct equipment capital, computer-related and training costs, but the Hours-of-Service (HOS) rules affect utilization - the real driver of trucking profits.
Navistar: Where Are The 2010 MaxxForce-powered Trucks - And How Are They Doin’?
December 16, 2010
2010-compliant Navistar Corporation MaxxForce 13 Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Class 8 trucks are hitting the road in limited quantities. The most anyone seems to have are JB Hunt with 300+ on the ground, Con-way Truckload with a hundred and few others, but many are having to wait for theirs. We are involved with smaller users, some with several dozen - and offer the following...
Truck / Trailer “Requests For Financing” Offers Insights Into Higher Order Rates
December 9, 2010
Strong Class 8 orders bode well for trucking overall | fleetowner.com
The referenced article by Sean Kilcarr in Fleet Owner from earlier this week gives a good overview about the current increase in truck orders from the seasonal standpoint. We wrote a couple weeks ago (link) about financiers temporarily relaxing qualification standards to refill their portfolios with good credits - in order to help make their numbers look better. Here are some other issues to think about.
SWFT IPO Terms Released - With Even Better Potential Today Than Before
December 1, 2010
Swift Announces $942.6 Million IPO | www.truckinginfo.com
Swift Transportation’s IPO registration announced in July had the terms released yesterday. The 67.3MM shares at the expected $13-$15 will result in a $943MM raise - and a market value of $1.8B. Current revenue is estimated to be almost $2.2B with its 12,000+ company-owned trucks and almost 4,000 independent contractors. This looks good in spite of the reported loss last year…
Why Are New Trucks Sales Up? A Big Reason Is…
November 21, 2010
Financing availability is the key to ultimately swinging demand - and some think we are seeing a “clean-up the portfolio” bubble for better credits on the part of financiers. We agree and offer the following.
Chesapeake Energy bites the natural gas bullet
January 25, 2012
Flurry of newbuild drilling rig deliveries in 2012 may dampen rig rates
January 20, 2012
Talisman joins the ranks of cautious E&P companies
January 12, 2012
Early signs of caution begin to cloud frontier exploration and production
January 4, 2012
Two global energy pipeline projects deserve attention
November 15, 2011