Business
Transport Topics business coverage focuses on the financial, economic, and commercial aspects of the modern freight business. Looking at both the microeconomic and macroeconomic forces shaping bottom lines, the news in this category includes labor news, jobs reports, tonnage and sales indicators, operations analysis, money and banking, mergers, acquisitions, e-commerce, bankruptcy, insurance issues, and more.
April Trailer Orders Rise 12% After 3 Straight Monthly Drops
Trailer orders staged a comeback last month after three straight monthly declines, climbing 12% above both the year-earlier month and March, as fleets stepped up the pace of replacing older equipment, ACT Research reported.
May 28, 2012Too Few Mexican Fleets in Pilot Program, FMCSA Official Says; Warns of Tariffs
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Low participation by Mexican carriers in the cross-border trucking program could lead to the resumption of Mexican tariffs on U.S. goods, an official with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said.
May 28, 2012Trucking Companies Profit From Selling Used Oil, Turning Problem Waste Into a Revenue Stream
Not long ago, getting rid of used oil was a problem for fleets. These days, for some fleets used oil is now a profit center.
May 28, 2012Slow Freight Growth Continues as April Tonnage Rises 3.5%
Truck tonnage rose 3.5% in April over year-ago levels, American Trucking Associations reported, continuing a pattern of modest increases that mirror the overall U.S. economy.
May 28, 2012U.S. Heavy-Duty Fleet Expands at Fastest Rate Since Late 2009
The nation’s heavy-duty truck fleet grew in the first quarter for only the second time over the past 30 months, climbing 0.37% to 3.53 million vehicles registered on March 31.
May 28, 2012Automation and Data-Management Tools Seen Benefiting Fleets, Logistics Providers
PRINCETON, N.J. — Transportation companies are using automation and data management technology to streamline procedures that used to be complex or labor intensive, trucking and logistics leaders said.
May 28, 2012Fleet Finance, IT Managers Set Joint Meeting; Will Explore Efficiency, Looming Tax Changes
Trucking managers in information technology and finance will meet jointly in Tampa, Fla., next month to explore opportunities for efficiency improvement through IT and strategies for handling significant tax changes expected at the end of 2012.
May 28, 2012ATA Wants Bigger Trucks, HOS Study in Highway Bill
Bigger trucks and a field study of the hours-of-service restart provision are among items American Trucking Associations said it wants included in any highway bill that emerges from the House-Senate conference committee weighing the legislation.
May 28, 2012Volvo Trucks to Introduce LNG Engine for Its Over-the-Road Vehicles in 2014
MIAMI BEACH — Volvo Trucks said it intends to introduce a liquefied natural gas engine for its heavy-duty over-the-road vehicles in 2014, which company officials hailed as the next step in the industry’s quickly evolving move toward natural gas as a primary fuel.
May 28, 2012Diesel Average Declines 4.8¢ to $3.956; First Time Below $4 Since February
The national average price for a gallon of retail diesel dipped below $4 last week for the first time since Feb. 20, after pump prices countrywide declined 4.8 cents, according to the Department of Energy.
May 28, 2012