Navistar, Caterpillar Broaden Truck Ties
from Fleet Owner
Caterpillar Inc. and Navistar International Corp. have revealed more details of their rapidly evolving alliance, announcing that they will jointly build and market trucks in global markets before the end of the year as well as create a full lineup of vocational trucks to be sold by Caterpillar dealers in North America. More

Chrysler President: 30 Days Enough for Fiat Deal
from Yahoo! News
Chrysler President and Vice Chairman Jim Press said the government's May 1 deadline for the automaker to complete a deal with Fiat allows "ample time" to reach a definitive agreement that is key to saving Chrysler from bankruptcy. More

Fed Pushes Back Recovery Forecast
from CNN
Federal Reserve policymakers lowered their economic outlook for the rest of the year at its meeting last month, suggesting that they may not be done taking unprecedented steps to try and jumpstart a recovery. More

Ag Trucking Lobby Helps Drive Weight-limit Bill
from Fleet Owner
Efforts by the Agricultural Transportation Efficiency Coalition (AgTEC) have helped move ahead legislation to increase the allowable weight to 97,000 lbs for a single truck on the federal highway system. More

Toyota to Revamp in U.S.
from The Detroit News
Toyota Motor Corp. is considering a major reorganization of its U.S. operations, bringing sales and manufacturing under one powerful executive, in an effort to keep closer tabs on its American business, which traditionally has been Toyota's biggest source of profit but is now losing money. More

Ford Cuts Debt, Saves $500M Annually
from The Detroit News
Ford Motor Co. said it sliced nearly $10 billion off its debt load, a move that will save $500 million a year in interest, through debt restructuring initiatives the automaker rolled out last month. Wall Street reacted warmly to the results, with Ford shares closing Monday at $3.77 a share, up 16 percent. But several analysts warned that Ford still faces significant liquidity challenges, at least until the full benefits are realized from its recent cost-cutting agreement with the United Auto Workers. More

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Daimler Foresees Gradual Improvement from Profit Drop
from Bloomberg
Daimler AG, the world’s second-largest maker of luxury cars, forecast a “gradual improvement” in profit this year following a “substantial burden” on earnings and sales because of the deepening global recession. More

GM in ‘Intense’ Preparations for Possible Bankruptcy Filing
from Reuters
General Motors is in "intense" and "earnest" preparations for a possible bankruptcy filing, a source familiar with the company's plans told Reuters. A plan to split the corporation into a "new" company made up of the most successful units, and an "old" one of its less-profitable units, is gaining momentum and is seen as the most sensible configuration, said another source familiar with the talks. If the plan goes through, the new GM is expected to assume some previous creditor debt from bankruptcy proceedings, such as secured debt, said the second source, adding that GM bondholders are likely to lose substantial value in bankruptcy. More

Trucking Sees Diesel Fuel Price Level Off
from Fleet Owner
The average retail diesel price in the U.S. rose just one cent from the week earlier to ring up as $2.23 per gallon for the week of April 6, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). That modest rise comes on the heels of the 13-cent jump recorded the week before, suggesting that retail prices for on-highway diesel fuel have leveled off. More