Jeep has confirmed that the Wrangler will get a Hemi V8 sometime in 2021, which insiders predict will be a 392. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s Headlines:
+ General Motors is recalling nearly 69,00 Chevy Bolts from 2017-19 to correct a defect that could cause a battery pack fire, while warning owners to park their cars outside. More at Business Insider.
+ The United Auto Workers has thrown its support behind Michigan congressman Andy Levin of Bloomfield Township to join the Biden cabinet as the next Secretary of Labor. More at the Detroit Free Press.
+ Ousted Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn’s legal woes deepened with the start of a civil trial in Yokohama, Japan, where the automaker is seeking $95 million in damages. More at Reuters.
+ With a convincing victory in the Turkish Grand Prix, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamiltion claimed his seventh Formula 1 world title, matching the record of Michael Schumacher. More at BBC Sport.
+ Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk, who earlier predicted that the COVID-19 outbreak would be nearly over by April 2019, now says he may have caught the virus. More at The Drive.
+ Ford CEO Jim Farley says the automaker is studying the case for manufacturing its own electric vehicle battery cells, potentially reversing a previous company decision. More at The Detroit News.
+ Toyota announced that it will partner with Iwitani to build seven hydrogen fueling stations in California, just as the 2021 Mirai fuel-cell vehicle launches next month. More at CNET Roadshow.
+ Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has confirmed that the Wrangler will be offered with a Hemi V8 sometime in 2021, which insiders predict will be a normally aspirated 392. More at Autoblog.
+ U.S. orders for semi trailers in October set an all-time record at 56,500 units, as carriers utlize more drop-and-hook runs to compensate for the current shortage of drivers. More at Commercial Carrier Journal.
+ Veteran NASCAR crew chief Jimmy Fennig, who scored 40 Cup victories with five different drivers, has been named executive vice president of competition at Roush Fenway Motorsports. More at NBC Sports.
Photo courtesy of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Review the previous Executive Briefing from November 13 here.
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There is no commercial driver shortage, there is a shortage of drivers who will work for the low wages being paid. Most fleets have a over 100% turnover every year. Drivers have been on the low end of the wage pool since the 1980’s, drivers wages have hardly changed while management wages are constantly going up. If you figure driver wages by the hour, most don’t even make minimum wage for all the hours away from home.
I have been in the industry since 1985, both as a company driver and as an truck owner operator. I have seen this myth perpetuated for years by the large carriers to make up for the fact that they can’t keep drivers. Not only are wages suppressed, there are many other things in the industry that cause drivers to swap companies or leave the industry altogether, and Govt regulation is just another of them.
Oh, I was with my last company 11 years before I became an owner operator, and have done that for nearly 25 years now with the company I’m leased to. Treat the drivers right, and they will stay with you.