Battery-Electric Trucks Built in US Delivered to Fleets
Smith Newton is battery-electric with 100+ mile range on a charge which can travel at 50 mph and carry payload of 16,000+ lbs. The first US-built units have been delivered to two utility and four local delivery fleets for fixed route use.
Dealers Launch Their Own Stimulus Plan
The Automotive Stimulus Plan, funded by dealers, is intended to work alongside the CARS program and include provisions for used-car sales and leases. The mpg requirements are lower and buyers don't even have to have a car to trade in.
Cash for Clunkers Needs More Funding
An avalanche of auto sales has pushed the government's $1 billion Cash for Clunkers program to its funding limit. Nearly 250,000 vehicles have been sold through the program. The White House is working with Congress to find more money. Some lawmakers may ask for additional fuel efficiency guidelines before approving the money.
GAO Report Says Unsafe Truck, Bus Companies Operating Under Other Names
Truck and bus companies are cited and sometimes closed for unsafe practices, but over 500 are still operating with different company names but the same owners, vehicles and drivers. GAO and Congress have the FMCSA scrambling to improve identification of these violators.
