Autonomous

President Obama’s recent announcement that he was kicking off a major effort to improve the fuel efficiency of commercial vehicles was welcome news to the trucking industry.

Reading the May 24 “Opinion” column on how hard it would be for the smaller freight brokers to exist with a higher bond, my heart goes out to them, but my sympathies run with the trucking companies that use these brokers, small or large.

What a difference a year makes: Just one year ago, trucking trade publications were reporting on truckload rates plummeting 27% over the previous year, trucking companies beating down shippers’ doors looking for business, carriers dealing with 50% to 100% excess capacity over the previous two years, and thousands of trucking companies going bankrupt.

American Trucking Associations, truck manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have urged the Senate to address a research and development bill on increasing fuel efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in medium- and heavy-duty trucks.

Clearly, apprehension over the potential ramifications of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s new truck safety ratings program is growing as we move closer to full implementation of the plan.

Transport Topics Online will be closed Monday for the Memorial Day holiday. Please check back on Tuesday, June 1, for the latest trucking and freight transportation news.

Retail sales of medium-duty trucks totaled 19,991 units in April, a 7.9% increase from a year earlier, WardsAuto.com reported May 13.

New orders for heavy-duty trucks increased 91% in April, from the same month of 2009, ACT Research Co. reported.

Flatbed carrier Boyd Bros. Transportation has ordered 325 trucks with 2010 engines from Navistar Inc., the manufacturer said Thursday.