Paying More to Drive the Highways
From the Golden Gate Bridge to the New Jersey Turnpike, the nation’s toll booths are getting dramatically more expensive to drive through.
California: A board is considering a proposal for a $1 increase in the toll for the Golden Gate bridge. (The current fee is $5.) In addition, San Francisco may make drivers pay an extra $2 when they exit the bridge.
The sharp increases come as states endure financially lean times triggered by the housing and credit crunch and struggle to find money to maintain or replace vital infrastructure.
Big toll hikes are planned for most of the nation’s signature toll roads, bridges and tunnels. The increases would add dollars, not cents, to the cost of passing through many toll booths.
For example, in March, the toll for cars driving on the George Washington Bridge linking New York and New Jersey — the nation’s busiest toll bridge — jumps to $8 from $5 during peak hours. Truckers will pay $35, up from $25.
“People view highways as free, but they’re not,” says Patrick Jones, chief executive of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, which represents toll authorities. He says Congress’ decision to keep the federal gas tax at 18.4 cents per gallon, unchanged since 1993, has led to a greater reliance on tolls.
Some major toll hikes planned:
California: The Golden Gate Bridge will raise its toll to $6 from $5 if a board approves after public hearings. Separately, San Francisco is considering a new $2 toll when drivers get off the bridge.
Indiana: The cost of driving all 157 miles of the Indiana Toll Road will rise in April to $8 from $4.65 for those paying cash. The price will not change for those with electronic i-Zoom accounts.
Massachusetts: Rates for the Sumner and Ted Williams tunnels in Boston rose to $3.50 from $3 on Jan. 1. The money will help pay for the “Big Dig,” a $14.6 billion downtown Boston highway project that was plagued by cost overruns.
New Jersey: Gov. Jon Corzine wants to increase tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway by 50% every four years, starting in 2010, and add an extra adjustment for inflation.
New York: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will raise tolls on the Holland and Lincoln tunnels and its bridges by $2-$10 per trip on March 2. The state will impose smaller toll increases on nine other New York-area bridges and tunnels on March 16.
Pennsylvania: The state has asked the federal government for permission to add tolls to Interstate 80. The cost of driving the 316-mile road would be $25 for cars and $93 for trucks. The state will increase tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike by 25% in 2009, making the cost similar to the proposed I-80 tolls.
“People aren’t thrilled by paying tolls, but that’s no different than any other form of taxation,” says Barry Schoch, a consultant heading Pennsylvania’s effort to put toll booths on I-80, which is now free.
“A toll increase is always political melodrama,” Port Authority spokesman Marc LaVorgna says. “The decisions are often avoided until the need is desperate.”
YRC Worldwide Monday reported a fourth-quarter loss of $735.8 million, or $12.99 a share, as it took a charges on writing down its acquisitions.
The loss compares with net income a year earlier of $46.5 million, or 80 cents a share, YRC said in a statement. Revenue fell 2.4% to $2.35 billion.
YRC had said earlier this month that it expected to take a $700 to $800 million charge for the quarter, primarily related to its 2005 acquisition of USF Corp.
That charge was $782 million for goodwill and other assets related to acquisitions, the company said Monday.
Excluding the previously announced writedown and other charges and gains, YRC said it earned 1 cent a share.
For the full year, YRC lost $638.4 million, or $11.17 per share, compared with earning $276.6 million or $4.74 per share, in 2006.
“The economic environment was challenging throughout 2007 and it was increasingly so in the fourth quarter,” said Bill Zollars, YRC’s chairman and chief executive officer.
“We expect the first quarter to also be difficult given it is seasonally the softest and we don’t anticipate the economy improving in the near term,” he said in a statement. “As the largest [LTL] provider, we are well positioned to benefit from economic recovery, when it occurs.”
YRC Worldwide is ranked No. 4 on the Transport Topics 100 listing of U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.
Drivers around the country will see big hikes in toll fees this year for roads, bridges and tunnels, USA Today reported Monday.
The increases come as states endure lean budgets as they struggle to find money to maintain and replace infrastructure, the paper said.
In March, the toll for truckers crossing the George Washington Bridge into New York City from New Jersey will pay $35 in peak hours, up from $25, USA Today reported. Autos’ fees will rise to $8, from $5.
Patrick Jones, chief executive officer of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, which represents toll authorities, told the paper that Congress’s decision to keep the federal gas tax at 18.4 cents per gallon, which has not changed since 1993, has led to a more reliance on tolls.
The paper cited other planned toll hikes, including:
• The Golden Gate Bridge will boost its toll to $6 from $5 if approved by an oversight board, as well as a possible new toll of $2 for drivers exiting into San Francisco.
• The cost of driving the 157-mile Indiana Toll Road will rise in April to $8 from $4.65 for cash customers, though it will not change for those with electronic i-Zoom accounts.
• In Massachusetts, rates for the Sumner and Ted Williams tunnels in Boston rose to $3.50 from $3 on Jan. 1, and the funds will help pay for the city’s $14.6 billion “Big Dig” project.
• New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) wants to increase tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway by 50% every four years, starting in 2010, and add an extra adjustment for inflation.
• The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will raise tolls on the Holland and Lincoln tunnels and its bridges by $2 to $10 per trip in March. The state will impose smaller toll increases on nine other New York-area bridges and tunnels on March 16.
• Pennsylvania has asked the federal government for permission to add tolls to Interstate 80. The cost of driving the 316-mile road would be $25 for cars and $93 for trucks. The state will increase tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike by 25% in 2009, making the cost similar to the proposed I-80 tolls.
Con-way Inc. said late Monday its fourth-quarter net income fell to $34.5 million, or 73 cents a share, from $82.4 million, or $1.66 per share, a year earlier.
Revenue jumped 20.2% to $1.2 billion, from $998.6 million a year ago, the company said in a statement.
Fourth-quarter operating income dropped 36.2%, to $70 million.
Excluding one-time items such as a restructuring charge, the company said it earned 88 cents a share, compared with 83 cents the previous year.
For the full year, Con-way earned $146 million, or $3.04 per share, down from $259 million, or $4.98, in 2006.
Con-way is ranked No. 6 on the Transport Topics 100 listing of U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.
The average national price of diesel fuel fell for a third straight week, dropping 1.1 cents to $3.259 a gallon, the Department of Energy said Monday.
The downturn followed last week’s 5.6-cent drop and a decline of a nickel the week before, bringing the three-week drop to 11.7 cents.
Gasoline, meanwhile, fell 4 cents to $2.977, the first time in five weeks the price has been below $3 a gallon.
Diesel’s price is now 84.6 cents higher than the same week last year, while gasoline is 81.2 cents higher, DOE said.
The price fell in all five regions, led by a 2.6-cent drop on the West Coast, to $3.301 a gallon.
Each week, DOE surveys about 350 diesel filling stations to compile a national snapshot average price.
2009 Ford F-150
For truck guys Matt O’Leary and Pat Schiavone, P415 was just another assignment. To their bosses in Dearborn, though, P415-the internal codename for the 2009 Ford F-150-was almost certainly Ford Motor Company’s single most important new-model design and development program this decade. Last year, one in three vehicles carrying the Blue Oval badge sold in America was an F-Series. On a world scale, the F-Series accounts for 13 percent of global Ford Motor Company sales.
Chief engineer O’Leary and chief designer Schiavone seem remarkably relaxed about it all, however, as they walk us through the detail of the new F-150. That’s because they’re old hands at this game: They and their teams worked together on the F-150 that launched in 2004. O’Leary’s spent 30 years at Ford, most of it working on truck programs. Schiavone grew up around trucks-his father was in the construction business-and has helped design three generations of F-150.
The Backbone
Both men also understand that full-size-pickup buyers are among the most conservative consumer groups in the auto biz. Which is why the 2009 F-150 is a carefully considered study in evolution, not revolution. It starts with the fully boxed frame, which is 25 pounds lighter and 10 percent stiffer, thanks to hydroformed high-strength-steel side rails. The double wishbone short- and long-arm front suspension with coil-over shocks shares components with the 2008 Expedition. The 36mm front stabilizer is hollow and eight pounds lighter than the previous component. At the rear are six-inch-longer leaf springs, the extra length forward of the axle centerline to provide better lateral compliance and reduced rear-axle steer.So far, so truck. But O’Leary’s engineering team has delved into Ford’s electronic goody bag to give the new F-150 a level of refinement, security, and user-friendliness unheard of in a pickup truck a few years ago. Ford’s traction- and stability-control systems are now standard on all F-150 models, from the base work truck up. In addition, Ford’s software geeks have figured out a way of using these systems to detect trailer sway: By tracking the yaw motions of the truck, the system can sense whether a trailer is swinging and then use a combination of braking and engine torque control to bring it back under control. If the F-150 is fitted with Ford’s optional Trailer Brake Controller, the system also will use the trailer brakes to bring things back under control. Additionally, the new six-speed automatic transmission includes a towing mode that not only holds a lower gear for hauling up hills, but cleverly works to hold the rig to a constant speed on a downhill stretch.
Brute Strength
Pickup-truck buyers brag about two things: towing performance and payload capacity. O’Leary claims the new F-150 has class-leading towing capacity across all cab configurations and the industry’s highest payload capacity. But the fact the new F-150 will be available only with V-8 engines under the hood makes a strong statement on paper. Base powerplant, even for the pool guy’s regular cab XL, is the 4.6-liter two-valve V-8, which makes 248 horses at 4750 rpm and 294 pound-feet of torque at 4000 rpm. O’Leary claims the engine, though still hooked to a four-speed automatic, delivers the same fuel economy as the 4.2-liter V-6 that serves as the base engine in the current F-150.An all-new 4.6-liter three-valve engine, based on the Mustang small-block, will be the new F-150’s volume-selling powerplant. This engine makes 290 horses at 4750 rpm and 317 pound-feet of torque at 4000 rpm and drives through the new six-speed automatic. O’Leary says despite the extra power, the new engine returns better fuel economy (about one mpg on the highway, and two mpg in the city) than the base version.The top-range engine (at least until the hush-hush 6.2-liter Hurricane V-8 makes its debut in the next-generation Harley-Davidson edition) is the familiar 5.4-liter Triton V-8. Power is up 10 horses to 310 at 5500 rpm, and torque has been boosted to 365 pound-feet at 3750. The revamped Triton is E85 capable. Look for a diesel in the F-150 in 2010.
Design Cues
Like the mechanicals, the new F-150’s design is evolutionary as well, picking up cues from its bigger Super Duty brothers. The dip in the side window-first seen on the HN80 Louisville heavy truck before migrating down through the Super Dutys-is the most obvious piece of Ford truck DNA on the new F-150.While it might look familiar, parked next to the current model, the changes are obvious, most notably at the front, where the nose has been raised four inches and the grille reworked to echo the “girder” themes of the Super Dutys. Along the body side, big undercuts emphasize the wheel openings, and at the rear is a tailgate with stamped moldings that echo the classic stainless-steel cladding of old F-150s. The taillamps feature a lens within a lens.The windshield is a carryover item from the current F-150, but the roofline has been raised 1.5 inches to meet tougher rollover standards and to package the optional side-curtain airbags without intruding on headroom. As before there are three basic cab configurations: regular cab, SuperCab, and SuperCrew, the last with a whopping six-inch stretch over the current model that gives it class-leading interior room. The most notable thing when you slide in behind the wheel of a crew cab is that the B-pillar is no longer forward of your shoulder. The front-door aperture is much longer (instead of the door from the regular cab, the SuperCrew uses the front door from the SuperCab) yet there’s an acre of room for back-seat passengers.
Big Improvements
With crew cabs now comprising 60 percent of the pickup-truck market, it’s not surprising Ford has spent a lot of time and money on the SuperCrew. To improve cargo-carrying capacity, the floor behind the front seats is completely flat (which meant big engineering changes to sills and moving crossmembers on the frame, among other things). The rear-seat cushion cantilevers out from the rear of the cab and has gas struts that allow you to fold it up against the backrest with one hand (or with the nudge of your knee, if your hands are full). Unlike the current F-150, there is no jack or premium sound-system subwoofer in the way, either. Schiavone claims the SuperCrew has more useable space inside than its Dodge or Toyota rivals.”We took the same logic with the interior as we did with the exterior-toughen it up,” says Schiavone. “We think we now have the right mix of ‘truckiness’ and elegance.” The new dash features strong architectural elements, a modern integrated audio system, and new gauges. There are new seats-more sculpted and more comfortable-and new center consoles.
Dressed to Impress
When the new F-150 hits Ford dealer showrooms, buyers will be able to choose from no fewer than seven distinct trim levels (see sidebar). One of the new additions to the lineup is the truck you see on these pages, the Platinum, an ultralux F-150 positioned above the King Ranch. “King Ranch has kind of a southwest feel,” says Schiavone. “This is more Chicago.” The Platinum gets a unique grille, unique 20-inch polished alloy wheels, and two unique interior environments-the stone and brown you see here, and a stunning black with dark brown seats that almost makes a Lincoln Navigator look dowdy-plus dark wood and real brushed stainless-steel trim on the dash.The success of the upscale F-150 King Ranch, which started out as a 1500-unit-a-year feature vehicle and is now a highly profitable 30,000-unit-a-year series all its own, proves the point. Cowboys like fancy clothes. But that doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten how to shoot.
XL
Base engine: 248-hp, 4.6L 2v V-8. Four-speed automatic. Black bumpers, mirrors, and door handles. No foglamps. Dark interior environment with gray seats. Hose-out rubber floormats. 17-in steel or alloy wheels.
STX
Base engine: 248-hp, 4.6L 2v V-8. Four-speed automatic. Body-color bumpers, grille surround, foglamps. Same dark interior environment as work truck. 17-in alloy wheels standard; 18s optional.
XLT
Base engine: 248-hp, 4.6L 2v V-8. Four-speed automatic. Chrome grille, bumpers. Black with gray (cool) or chocolate brown with tan (warm) interiors. Silver paint on dash, dark finish on center stack, upgraded instrument cluster. 17-, 18-, or 20-in wheels. SuperCab and SuperCrew feature 4.6L 3v V-8, six-speed automatic.
FX4
Base engine: 310-hp, 5.4L 3v V-8. Six-speed automatic. Body color bumpers, door handles, and on mirrors. Black interior, optional light gray seats. Full-length center stack and center console with carbon fiber look trim. Silver gauges. 17-in wheels for off-roaders. 18s and 20s available.
Lariat
Base engine: 310-hp, 5.4L 3v V-8. Six-speed automatic. Two-tone with Pueblo gold lower. Chrome grille with mesh instead of bars. Body-color “skull caps” on mirrors. 18- and 20-in wheels offered. Wood on center stack, console, and doors.
King Ranch
Base engine: 310-hp, 5.4L 3v V-8. Six-speed automatic. Basically a Lariat with King Ranch leather on seats, console and steering wheel, different wood trim, and pale carpets. 18- or 20-in alloy wheels with premium paint trim.
Platinum
Base engine: 310-hp, 5.4-liter 3v V-8. Six-speed automatic. Body-color bumpers with thin chrome trim. Chrome on mirrors. Unique interior environments with brushed stainless-steel accents. Wood on steering wheel. Unique polished 20-in alloy wheels.
Tags: 2009, F-150, Ford F-150, Ford Trucks
With truck sales sagging nationwide because of the slowdown in home construction, General Motors is taking its latest truck models to work sites and marketing directly to the people most likely to buy them.
The Hard Days Work Tour is another twist in the latest trend in the highly competitive automotive business: Targeting specific groups of potential customers with events that put the vehicles right in from of them. From taking trucks directly to construction sites to offering test drives at football games, companies are looking for new ways to attract customers.
GM’s Work Tour kicked off recently at Arizona State University’s new East Valley campus, where about 300 hard hats gathered for a free lunch and a look at the trucks. They also lined up for a free power-tool raffle and certificates worth $250 toward the purchase of a GM truck.
“Well, it’s a great way to get people’s attention,” said Kevin Davis, a construction worker from Queen Creek.
The Work Tour touts GM’s renewed lineup of full-size pickups and work trucks, with a small fleet of them being transported to work sites around the country, giving construction workers, contractors and trades people a chance to check them out and, GM hopes, head out to a local dealer to buy one. About 22,000 workers are expected to see the new trucks, according to GM.
“Most trucks are sold to construction workers,” said Rob Minton, a spokesman for GM’s truck operations. “A lot use them as personal vehicles as well as work trucks, and we’re going after them, too.”
The $250 certificates and tool raffle help GM keep track of how successful the Work Tour has been.
“They get to see the trucks, get a free lunch and leave with a $250 certificate burning a hole in their pockets,” Minton said. “If they take the certificate to a local dealer, we’ll know they got it from us.”
GM is not the only automaker marketing to contractors and workers, many of whom have delayed replacing their work vehicles until home construction picks up.
Last year, Toyota launched its redesigned Tundra pickups by taking them to work sites.
“This kind of thing, where you’re focused on and targeting a specific group of people who use your products, is really smart,” said Brian Moody, senior road-test editor for Edmunds.com. “For the cost of a lunch, you have an audience of people who are specifically in your target demographic.”
Light-truck sales were down in 2007 for the domestic brands, dropping about 3 percent through November compared with the same period in 2006, according to Automotive News, an industry newsletter.
November 2007 was down 8.2 percent for the domestics, compared with November 2006.
Sales of Ford’s best-selling F-Series pickup sank to 635,520 during the first 11 months of 2007, compared with 725,459 in 2006, a drop of 12.4 percent. Chevrolet’s newly redesigned Silverado reached 564,697 in 2007 compared with 583,673 in 2006, losing 3.3 percent.
Overall sales of light trucks, including the import brands, were down 1.7 percent for the first 11 months of 2007, with November seeing a loss of 6.8 percent compared with November 2006.
Moody noted that because work trucks are a necessity for workers and trades people, sales are likely to rise as people buy replacements. Such programs as Work Tour can prompt them to buy one of the trucks they’ve seen.
“I don’t think people are going to stop buying pickups,” he said. “It’s just becoming increasingly competitive as to whose pickup truck they’re going to buy. This kind of targeting could make a big difference.”
For hard-working construction crews, the Work Tour allows them to examine the products without using personal time to shop at dealerships.
“A lot of us don’t have the time,” said Fred Schmidt, a worker from Gilbert. “When we get home, we’re tired, and on the weekend, we have other things to do. Everything’s a little more relaxed here, kind of like a tailgate party.”
Before arriving at the ASU work site, Work Tour was set up at a Lowe’s Home Improvement Center in Mesa to catch construction people as they picked up the day’s building supplies.
Efforts to market new cars have become familiar sights at professional sporting events, carnivals or any other function likely to attract large numbers of people who may be in the mood to buy.
Ford and Chrysler have brought test-drive festivals on adjacent weekends to Firebird Raceway in Chandler, where people could try out vehicles.
During the Ford Innovation Drive program, drivers could drag-race Mustang GTs on the Firebird race track and take a four-wheel-drive Explorer over a steep mini mountain that was built for the occasion.
Chrysler set up test tracks for drivers to test out about half a dozen of its latest offerings.
Chevrolet is taking its all-new Malibu to events around the country for people to test-drive, and Ford and Chevrolet both offered test drives of new vehicles during last fall’s Arizona International Auto Show.
According to Ford, nearly 10 percent of showgoers who test-drive their products eventually will buy one of them.
Even motorcycle companies have gotten into the act, with a number of them offering test rides during the recent International Motorcycle Show at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.
GM is partnering in Work Tour with Micro Target Media, an outdoor advertising company that takes mass-marketing messages to crowds gathered at such events as NASCAR races and Ironman competitions. The company, which sets up fencing and portable toilets at events and work sites, uses the temporary setups to mount advertising campaigns.
Many of the workers at the ASU site found out about the Work Tour event from large posters hung inside the portable-toilet enclosures, which were chosen for statistical reasons.
“A construction worker makes 3.2 trips to the john during a work shift,” Minton said.
Just a few of the original 250 Victory Edition Corvette Coupes that arrived in Europe before the summer are now left unsold. The Victory Edition Corvette is a stylish tribute to the iconic brand’s success in international motor sport.
Produced to celebrate the success of Corvette in sports car racing with more than 50 race victories – and in particular the prestigious Le Mans 24-Hour event - the Victory Edition Corvette is based on the Corvette C6 Coupe which shares strong links with the Corvette C6.R race car and the high performance version Corvette Z06.
The Victory Edition offers the LS2 6.0L V-8 engine producing 297kW (404 hp) and 546 Nm of torque, matched to a rear-mounted transaxle that helps improve vehicle weight distribution. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard, with the option of an electronically controlled 6-speed Paddle Shift transmission with automatic modes.
The Victory Edition Corvette is available in two colours reflecting the Corvette racing heritage; Black or Velocity Yellow Tintcoat, distinguished by Competition Grey aluminium wheels, 18-inch front and 19-inch rear. A body-colour wide rear spoiler is a further distinguishing feature.
The interior features two-tone leather seats with Corvette flag emblems and contrasting stitching. Cars with the black exterior feature an ebony and red theme while ebony and titanium grey colours mark the interior of Velocity Yellow cars. Both interiors are further enhanced by Competition Grey door sill plates, a carbon-look interior trim package and a unique, numbered ‘Victory Edition’ badge.
The Victory Edition Corvette features a DVD Navigation System with touch screen and voice guidance, along with a Luxury Package. This includes heated seats, a memory package with presets for two drivers for the 6-way power driver’s seat, exterior mirrors and powered telescopic steering wheel. A head-up display including G-force meter, auto-dimming inside rear view mirror and a premium Bose 7-speaker sound system.
Every Corvette Victory Edition has a numbered car identification interior badge. And, as part of their ownership experience, buyers are invited to participate in a 1 day free Corvette Drivers Training event with professional instructors at selected race tracks across Europe.
