News Briefs - June 25
The Latest Headlines:
- Schneider National Among Companies Seeking More Drivers
- Consumer Sentiment Index Rises in June
- Sales of Existing Homes Rise 2.6% in May
- Intermodal Rail Traffic Sets Record
- Nebraska Won't Raise Fuel Taxes
- Consumer Sentiment Index Rises in June
Schneider National Among Companies Seeking More Drivers
Schneider National Inc. is among hundreds of trucking companies nationwide that are struggling to fill their rigs with drivers as the economy improves, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Friday.Spokesman Tom Nightingale said the company could use another 700 drivers immediately and it was "probably one of the hardest points in our history to recruit drivers," the Sentinel reported.
Two other Wisconsin-based trucking companies -- Dawes Transport Inc. and Marten Transport Ltd. -- are also looking to add drivers, the article said. Transport Topics
Consumer Sentiment Index Rises in June
The University of Michigan said its final survey of consumer sentiment for June rose to 95.6 from 90.2 in May.The increase was the first in three months. The index's preliminary reading, released June 15, was 95.2.
The expectations index, which measures optimism about the next one to five months, rose to 88.5 in June from 81.6 in May,
he university survey said. The preliminary reading was 86.9.
The current conditions index, based on perceptions of consumers' financial situation and whether it's a good time to
ake big purchases, rose to 106.7 in June from 103.6 in May. The gauge was previously reported at 108.1. Transport Topics
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Sales of Existing Homes Rise 2.6% in May
Sales of previously owned homes rose 2.6% to a record 6.8 million annual pace in May, the National Association of Realtors said Friday.Resales account for 85% of the residential real estate market. When a home is sold, trucks are usually used to transport household appliances and furniture.
Sales were higher in two of four regions. They rose 5.5% in the West to a 1.93 million-unit pace and 3.8% in the South to a rate of 2.75 million units. They declined 1.4% in the Northeast to a 720,000 rate and fell 0.7% in the Midwest to 1.4 million.
Inventories in May rose by 0.8% to 2.38 million homes available for sale, or a 4.2 months' supply at the current sales pace. Transport Topics
Intermodal Rail Traffic Sets Record
For the fourth time this year, intermodal traffic on U.S. railroads set a weekly record, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday.Intermodal volume of 220,285 trailers and containers for the week ended June 19 was 12.4% above the corresponding week last year, and 1,829 above the record set a week earlier.
Trailer traffic was up 15.3%, while container volume showed an 11.5% percent gain, AAR said.
Through the first 24 weeks of the year, intermodal volume was 4.9 million trailers or containers, up 8.7% percent from a year ago. Transport Topics
Nebraska Won't Raise Fuel Taxes
Officials with Nebraska's Department of Revenue said they will not increase its tax on motor fuels for at least the next six months, the Associated Press reported.As a result, the tax on diesel and gasoline will remain at 24.8 cents a gallon through the end of the year.
The fuel tax is set by the state's Department of Roads to ensure adequate funding for highway projects, AP said. It is reviewed twice a year and, if necessary, adjusted to maintain a certain level of funding for state roads projects. Transport Topics
