Business

Truckers and other carriers are reporting a seasonal pickup in freight volumes this fall that is in sharp contrast to 2009, when the recession ravaged cargo volumes, experts said.

American Trucking Associations said it has hired Mary Phillips as its new senior vice president of legislative affairs.

Drayage carriers said they are pressing ocean cargo lines for more details about plans to make truckers responsible for supplying intermodal chassis.

Nearly all publicly traded trucking companies will report third-quarter profits that exceed their results from a year earlier and the previous three months, analysts said.

As the trucking industry gathers in Phoenix for American Trucking Associations’ annual meeting, the national economic climate is much improved from the gloom that surrounded last October’s meeting in Las Vegas.

Officials with the largest package delivery companies said they are in the early stages of preparing themselves for the familiar flood of holiday shipments.

American Trucking Associations members gathering this week in Phoenix will meet to discuss economic recovery, the future of trucks and engines and the political and regulatory issues facing the industry.

A strong surge by Freightliner Trucks helped lead heavy-duty U.S. retail truck sales to a 21% increase in September, the ninth straight month of improved Class 8 sales from last year, WardsAuto.com reported.

President Obama last week pushed Congress to move forward with a $50 billion spending package for transportation infrastructure, his second such plea in five weeks.