March 2008 Volume 28, Issue 3 Delivering daily news to Canada’s trucking industry at www.trucknews.com
Trucks 4 $ale Making sense of the dollar’s impact on truck pricing By James Menzies MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – In this topsy-turvy world of ours, it’s difficult to make heads or tails about the impact the surging loonie is having on equipment pricing. On one hand, the rise of the Canuck-buck has been favourable, driving down the price of new trucks and mitigating the increased costs of new-emission engines. But on the flip side, come trade-in time, owner/operators may have lost all the equity they were counting on having built-up in their existing ride. “A lot of people that bought trucks a few years ago, bought them at an exchange rate when our dollar was at 65 cents and they bring them in today and if the truck was worth $140,000$145,000 five years ago, it’s worth $110,000-$115,000 today,” explained John Nelligan, dealer principal with Harper Ontario Truck Centres, a Sterling and Western Star dealer in Mississauga. “They owe more than it’s worth. They’re kind of in a crunch right now and they can’t get out of the truck for what they have in it.” Continued on page 36 ■
FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS: Organizations here at home as well as in the US are calling for fuel tax hikes and road tolls to help fund aging infrastructure. Industry reaction to the suggestions has been mixed.
User fees may take a bigger toll Studies north and south of the border call for more fuel taxes, road tolls industry has released a study urging a range of new municipal taxes – including road tolls and fuel taxes – in order to fund road and public transit systems, reduce traffic congestion and cut greenhouse gas emissions. The study, commissioned by the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of
By Adam Ledlow TORONTO, Ont. – Two recent studies from unrelated groups in Canada and the US have each called for an increase in federal fuel taxes within weeks of each other. An Ontario-based alliance composed of management and labour groups in the construction
• No place to rest: Harry Rudolfs laments the closing of some
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Page 20
• Taking on the feds:
A group of owner/operators are challenging Revenue Canada in hopes of earning a hefty excise fuel tax rebate. Some say, they just may win. Page 38
• Feeling the force: Truck News gets an up-close look at the MaxxForce, International’s foray American big bore engine market.
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• Mark Dalton in Survival of the Fittest: Mark struggles to understand how he gained so much weight.
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The LoneStar is born
Inside This Issue... major Ontario rest areas.
Ontario (RCCAO) and authored by Trent University economics professor Harry Kitchen, was released Jan. 21. The study says local governments in the Greater Toronto Area including Hamilton (GTAH) should be allowed to
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