Profits at Truckload Fleets Jump, Propelled By Improving Rates
Profits increased sharply at most of the eight publicly traded truckload carriers that issued earnings reports last week, with gains coming mostly through rate increases rather than volume growth in the uneven, but modestly growing, freight market.
January 31, 2011Daily Briefings from Transport Topics
Transport Topics has partnered with Spoken Layer to make one-minute daily briefings available on all your smart devices. Simply say “Alexa, play Transport Topics” or “Okay Google, talk to Transport Topics” to get the day’s biggest trucking headlines.
PHMSA Proposes New Rule to Govern Wetlines on Tankers
Federal regulators last week proposed a rule to require tank truck carriers who haul flammable liquids to either retrofit their existing tankers to protect their wetlines or install a system to purge product from those lines.
January 31, 2011Congestion Cost Trucking $33 Billion in 2009 on Wasted Time and Fuel, Study Finds
Trucks account for only 7% of the miles traveled in the nation’s urban areas but they shoulder 29% of the costs that urban traffic congestion produces annually in wasted time and fuel, according to the annual Urban Mobility Report from the Texas Transportation Institute of Texas A&M University.
January 31, 2011President Calls on U.S. to Upgrade Infrastructure
President Obama said during his State of the Union address that the federal government should “redouble” its efforts to upgrade the nation’s infrastructure, a message met with praise from industry and labor groups.
January 31, 2011NITL, Retailers Ask Congress for Legislation Repealing Ocean Liners’ Antitrust Immunity
More than two dozen retail and shipper organizations, including the National Industrial Transportation League and the National Retail Federation, have urged congressional leaders to advance legislation that repeals the antitrust immunity that ocean liner carriers have enjoyed since 1916.
January 31, 2011ATA, Shipping Groups Push for New Hearing to Spotlight Problems With HOS Proposal
More than 30 carrier and shipper organizations, including American Trucking Associations, have banded together to seek a House Committee hearing to spotlight problems with the new federal hours-of-service proposal.
January 31, 2011DEF Industry Says It Can Meet Rising Demand
Businesses involved in supplying diesel exhaust fluid needed for about 75% of the nation’s newest heavy-duty trucks say they easily will meet the expected 300% increase in demand this year.
January 31, 2011FedEx Freight to Use Rail Intermodal for First Time, Shifting From Trucks
FedEx Freight, the second-largest less-than-truckload carrier in the nation, said it plans to use rail intermodal service for the first time as part of new “economy” freight service, beginning Jan. 31.
January 31, 2011Navistar Says It Has 50,000 Orders for Trucks
An executive with Navistar Inc. said the company has received orders for nearly 50,000 International trucks with its 2010-compliant MaxxForce engines and already has shipped 26,000 of them to customers.
January 31, 2011December Truck Tonnage Grows 4.2%
Freight tonnage ended 2010 on a high note, as American Trucking Associations reported its seasonally adjusted cargo index climbed 4.2% in December to its highest level since early in the recession.
January 31, 2011