Photo by Alan Rider / ENR The 2015 Ram ProMaster City (left) is smaller than the full-size ProMaster. Photo by Alan Rider/ENR The van offers a class-leading cargo capacity of 1,883 lb. Related Links: First Look: 2015 Ram ProMaster City Compact Van Test Drive: 2014 Ram ProMaster Full-Size Van When it comes to work vans, the next big thing appears to be getting smaller. Since Ford brought its European-made Transit Connect compact van to the U.S. five years ago, the small-van market has spilled open with the debut of the Nissan NV200, the Chevrolet City Express (a re-badged version of
Photo by Norman Mayersohn / ENR Nissan wants to fill a gap between half-ton and three-quarter-ton pickups with its 2016 Titan XD. Photo by Norman Mayersohn / ENR The new 5-liter Cummins V8 pounds out 310 horsepower and 555 lb-ft of torque. Related Links: Cummins Turbodiesel Option Coming to Nissan Titan Year in Review: Pickup Truck Wars Catering to hardworking customers who demand dawn-to-dusk hauling from their pickups, Nissan's latest full-size model is something of a 'tweener, offering a towing capacity of at least 12,000 lb—exceeding typical gasoline entries but designed not to be as brutish (or perhaps as expensive)
Photo by Tudor Van Hampton / ENR Falling oil prices have made alternative-fuel vehicles, such as this compressed-natural-gas pickup, less economically viable, fleet managers say. Related Links: U.S. Energy Policy Shaped by Natural Gas and Renewables Development in 2014 Expansion in Natural Gas Production Spurs Big U.S. Export Plans Oil Price Decline Prompts Industry Firms to Hope for The Best and Plan for the Worst As the price of crude oil bottoms out at its lowest market value in more than four years, the bottom-line fuel costs of many construction-fleet managers are lighter. But equipment managers are taking this market
Photo courtesy GM Thanks to its compact dimensions and upgraded interior, the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado midsize pickup provides a stress-free drive on or off the road. Photo courtesy GM The interior quality is greatly improved over Chevy's previous midsize trucks. Related Links: New GM Midsize Pickups Clock In for Work 2015 Chevrolet Colorado Reboots To Capture Small-Truck Buyers The midsize pickup is making a comeback. Once a staple of field engineers, surveyors, speciality contractors and others needing to reach the jobsite without hauling a great deal of material, the small truck for years has faced economic forces that pushed users
Photo Courtesy of Linden Comansa America Regulators have argued for years that aging crane fleets pose higher risks to the public. Related Links: Haag Crane-Age Report (free download) Crane Accidents Are Not Tied To Machine Age, Study Says Latest Tower Crane Standard Calls for Tighter Inspections Bans that limit the age of cranes used for construction can have the effect of restricting the importation of worn-out machines but do little to prevent actual crane accidents on the jobsite, according to a forensic engineering firm that studied the issue at the request of a U.S. trade group.In a 19-page report titled
Courtesy Ford Motor Co. Ford made headlines this year with the aluminum-bodied 2015 F-150. Related Links: Ford F-150 Ups Economy Bar for Full-Size Pickups New GM Midsize Pickups Clock In for Work Test Drive: 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Goes the Distance Over the course of 2014, Ford Motor Co. methodically teased out details of its revolutionary switch to an aluminum body and bed for the 2015 Ford F-150 pickup while its competitors responded in kind with bold new trucks that will help fleet owners operate with more productivity and efficiency than before.With the new F-150, Ford gets credit for reinventing
Photo Courtesy Ford Motor Co. Sales of pickup and highway trucks look healthy, but mining haulers likely will slide in 2015. Enlarge Related Links: 2014 Equipment Forecast 2015 Construction Forecast Most equipment categories are on track for a steady sales climb in 2015, but uncertainty in specific end markets—road construction and mining, for example—could bog down sales of larger machines, such as cranes and haul trucks, analysts say. Contractors are expected to continue supplementing existing fleet capacity with short-term rentals, putting pressure on suppliers to have the latest models on their lots next year."Uncertainty in the marketplace is really good
Photo courtesy Terex/Genie Aerial work platforms are a main growth area for rentals in China, experts say. Related Links: Around the World With Ron DeFeo At Bauma China, Soggy Times for Machinery The equipment rental business is growing in an unlikely global market: China. Softening construction demand is forcing Chinese construction firms to gradually shed their traditional preference for owning equipment.Similar trends have been in the works in the United States and other countries in recent years. “Contractors disposed of a lot of equipment during the recession and now, rather than buying new machines, are using rental equipment because of
Photo by Tudor Van Hampton/ENR DeFeo sees near-term expansion opportunities in India. Related Links: At Bauma China, Soggy Times for Machinery Under the longtime direction of Ron DeFeo, Terex Corp. has recently refocused product lines to curtail exposure to general equipment markets while increasing its global footprint in higher-end machinery, such as cranes, aerial work platforms and port equipment. Expecting Terex to achieve annual revenue of $7.3 billion to $7.5 billion this year, DeFeo spoke with ENR over the phone shortly after last month’s Bauma China exhibition wrapped up.ENR: What are the business prospects of Terex in the next two
Photo courtesy of Bauma China Soft global markets cast a pallor over the biennial Bauma China equipment exhibition last month. Related Links: Chinese Producers Hope 2015 Brings Better Times Machine Producers Suffer From Excess Inventory Faced with another year of flat global growth in 2015, executives in the construction-equipment business can barely hide their frustration."The U.S. market should be in a strong recovery," says Ron DeFeo, chairman of Terex Corp. "But because there is lack of confidence in the vision on infrastructure, we are still somewhat slow to recover." He did not see much business coming from reconstruction in war-
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