Coronavirus
Biden’s Go-Big Stimulus Plans Will Test Closely Divided Senate
President-elect Joe Biden's interest in a large stimulus bill likely will face a test in the Senate. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)
President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to pass a multitrillion-dollar economic stimulus package early in his administration faces challenges in a closely divided U.S. Senate, with a potential impeachment trial for Donald Trump that could add to delays.
January 11, 2021Trucking Jobs Gain in December Outweighed by Wider Labor Trouble
A worker preps food at a restaurant in downtown Memphis, Tenn. (Nina Westervelt/Bloomberg News)
The U.S. labor market lost jobs in December for the first time in eight months, yet transportation-related businesses showed solid growth, the Labor Department said Jan. 8.
January 8, 2021Initial Jobless Claims Remain Elevated Heading Into 2021
A worker removes chairs from the outdoor dining tent of a restaurant in New York. (Angus Mordant/Bloomberg News)
Applications for U.S. state unemployment benefits were little changed at elevated levels in the final week of 2020, indicating the labor market remains battered with the pandemic dragging on.
January 7, 2021US Trade Gap Widened to Second Biggest on Record in November
Gantry cranes stand above the APM shipping terminal at the Port of Los Angeles. (Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg News)
The U.S. trade deficit widened to the second largest on record in November as merchandise imports reached a more than one-year high in the midst of the holiday shopping season, causing the shortfall in goods to climb to the highest yet.
January 7, 2021Democrats’ Senate Sweep in Georgia Signals Boost to Economy
A person holds a "New Year New Senate" sign during a "Get Out the Vote" event in Georgia on Jan. 3. (Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg News)
Chances of another federal stimulus package got a boost as Democrats swept this week’s Senate runoff elections in Georgia, offering the prospect of more support for people and businesses hammered by the pandemic.
January 6, 2021US Imports No Saudi Crude Oil for First Time in 35 Years
An oil pumping jack operates in Texas. (Matthew Busch/Bloomberg News)
The U.S. didn’t import any Saudi crude the week of Dec. 28 for the first time in 35 years, a reversal from just months ago when the Kingdom threatened to upend the American energy industry by unleashing a tsunami of exports into a market decimated by the pandemic.
January 6, 2021TRB Hosting Virtual Annual Conference
NASEM TRB via YouTube
The coronavirus pandemic’s impact on transportation modes, the role of transit, and technological advancements will dominate this year’s annual conference of the Transportation Research Board.
January 5, 2021MATS Postpones March Event
An exhibit at MATS in 2019. (John Sommers II for Transport Topics)
The 50th anniversary of the Mid-America Trucking Show has been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns.
January 5, 2021US Manufacturing Gauge Expands at Fastest Pace Since 2018
A worker places a sole on a leather boot at a factory in Omaha, Neb. (Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg News)
A measure of U.S. manufacturing expanded in December at the fastest pace in more than two years, bolstered by a pickup in new orders and the strongest growth in production since 2011.
January 5, 2021Pricier Vehicles Seen Driving Rebound in US Auto Market
A line of Alfa Romeo Stelvio vehicles sit at the Port of Marseille in France. (Balint Porneczi/Bloomberg News)
Demand for higher-priced vehicles from retail buyers at the end of 2020 helped lift U.S. auto sales out of a springtime slump and buffered the impact of a sharp drop in fleet sales to rental car companies.
January 4, 2021