Heavy Duty Distributor Council under new management

OTTAWA, Ont. -- The Heavy Duty Distributor Council of Canada (HDDC) has announced it will now be managed by the Automotive Industries Association of Canada (AIA).

The agreement took effect July 1. The organization says it shares many synergies with AIA Canada, and engages in common initiatives such as government relations, industry outreach, market research, membership development and the hosting of networking events.

Under the new arrangement, the HDDC board says members will be managed by a group with experience in building a strong voice with government. The group also said it will be building a new business plan around adding member value.

“With HDDC’s potential for growth we are looking forward to working with AIA to fulfill our members’ needs and drive the Council into the next phase of our evolution,” announced Ian Johnston, president of HDDC. “AIA will be entering into this relationship with a strong understanding of the non-profit sector and an understanding of our industry but will allow the HDDC to retain our own Heavy Duty independent identity while utilizing all the synergies the AIA has to offer.”

More information on the groups is available at www.hddc.ca or www.aiacanada.com.

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US food distributor saves $85K by using shorepower to run TRUs

DENVER, Col. -- A US specialty food company says it is saving about $85,000 a year in fuel costs by using shorepower to run reefer units at its distribution centre.

Mile Hi Foods, based on Denver, Col., delivers food to 300 national brand restaurants. In 2007, it began spec'ing Carrier Transicold's Vector multi-temperature trailer refrigeration units, which can be powered by electricity where a power source is available. The company now runs 27 Vector TRUs and over the past year has installed 17 460volt electrical outlets at its loading docks as well as 20 freestanding receptacles in its yard, so parked trailers can maintain their temperatures without running the TRU engine.

The fuel savings, according to Carrier Transicold, amount to US$85,000 a year. The company says when in electric standby mode, the TRU provides operating savings of 40-70%, depending on the price of fuel and electricity at that time.

"The driving factor (for converting to hybrid TRUs) was when fuel got up to $4 a gallon," said Ton Taddonio, president of Mile Hi Foods. "It made us rethink a lot of what we were doing. As we considered how we could save energy, we saw the sustainability benefits, too. This was perfect. It fit everything we wanted to do."

The overall savings from using electric standby amount to about 1,800 gallons of diesel a month, Taddonio estimated. He said the savings should pay for the infrastructure investment in one year.

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