Safety
Transportation businesses face a host of dynamic risk issues that can significantly impact their financial and operational health. The news in this category focuses on the latest safety and security initiatives, resources and regulations and addresses topics that include fleet safety, claims administration, driver hiring and retention, risk management and compliance.
Texting Top Driver Distraction, New Va. Tech Study Finds
Truckers who text from the driver’s seat are about 23 times more likely to have a crash, or at least a close encounter, than are drivers who are watching the road, according to a Virginia university study for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
August 3, 2009Daily 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.
Rule Won’t Require Overhaul of Braking Systems, Experts Say
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s decision to cut the maximum allowed stopping distance for large trucks by 30% will increase truck buyers’ costs somewhat, but will not force a widespread shift to new technology such as air disc brakes, industry groups and manufacturers said.
August 3, 2009Plunge in Intermodal Business Dampens Freight Railroads’ Earnings for 2nd Quarter
A sharp drop in intermodal business helped to drag down second-quarter earnings for the largest North American railroads.
August 3, 2009Navistar Says 2010 Models Up $6,000-$8,000
Navistar Inc.’s 2010-compliant engines will sell for $6,000 to $8,000 more than its previous generation of engines, the company said last week.
August 3, 2009June Truck Tonnage Drops 13.6%
American Trucking Associations’ tonnage index declined 13.6% in June from year-ago levels, the biggest such decline since early 1996.
August 3, 2009Proposal to Reclassify Equipment Leases Seen as Tough Burden on Small Businesses
Finance and leasing industry officials said a proposal to reclassify equipment leases as a form of debt or asset, rather than an expense, would be difficult and costly for most companies to comply with.
August 3, 2009U.S. Moves Toward Stiffer Rules to Curb Oil-Market Speculators
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission last week began laying the groundwork for a stronger regulatory hand over oil traders and investors, with a series of hearings and a report on trading patterns that could lead to limits on some purchases of futures contracts.
August 3, 2009Intermodal, Rail Traffic Drop for Week
Intermodal rail traffic in the United States fell 17.9% last week compared with the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads said.
July 31, 2009P.A.M. Reports $2.4 Million Second-Quarter Loss
Truckload carrier P.A.M. Transportation Services reported a second-quarter loss of $2.4 million, or 25 cents per share, compared with a loss of $1.3 million, or 14 cents, a year ago.
July 31, 2009NAFTA Surface Trade Declines In May
Surface transportation trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico fell 35.4% in May from a year earlier, the largest year-to-year drop on record, the Department of Transportation said Thursday.
July 30, 2009