Trucking Business News

About Business News...

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.

Letters to the Editor, Business, Safety, Fuel, Government

Letters: Early Safety Adopted; Reregulation

Any trucking company that takes the leadership position in safety and in clean air is to be commended. But doing so through high-tech safety and Environmental Protection Agency ventures makes the outcome risky.

July 20, 2009
Business

Pilot to Buy Flying J Truck Stops

Bankrupt Flying J Inc. last week sketched out a plan to sell its truck-stop operations to Pilot Travel Centers, which would add to Pilot鈥檚 lead as the nation鈥檚 largest truck-stop network.

July 20, 2009
Business, Government, Technology, Logistics

Crane Leverages Loss of EGL into New Logistics Success

HOUSTON 鈥 During the second half of 2007, when the U.S. economy and stock market were at their respective peaks, a colleague of James Crane said he was 鈥 for a brief while 鈥 bitter and unhappy. But as gross domestic product and the value of stocks, housing and other assets fell dramatically, the smile returned to Crane鈥檚 face as he realized the comfort of cash 鈥 hundreds of millions of dollars of it.

July 20, 2009
Business, Equipment

Class 8 Truck Sales Nosedive 31.2% in June

Heavy-duty U.S. retail truck sales continued to sag in June, leading to the most anemic first-half sales record in at least 20 years, according to the latest monthly survey by WardsAuto.com.

July 20, 2009
Business, Government, Safety

YRC Deal With Teamsters Expected to Save $870 Million

YRC Worldwide鈥檚 latest cost-cutting agreement with the Teamsters is expected to save $870 million over 18 months and help the company regain its financial footing, analysts and company officials said.

July 20, 2009
Business, Safety, Government

Senate Panel Approves Extension of Existing Highway Legislation

WASHINGTON 鈥 The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved an 18-month extension of existing highway legislation even as House leaders continued to oppose a delay in passing a new multiyear transportation funding bill.

July 20, 2009
Business, Safety, Fuel, Government

10% Cut in Truck Traffic Called 鈥楢lmost Ludicrous鈥

The idea of removing 10% of truck traffic from the nation鈥檚 highways by 2020 to reduce carbon emissions is 鈥渁lmost ludicrous,鈥 Ray Kuntz, former chairman of American Trucking Associations, told a Senate committee last week.

July 20, 2009
Government, Business, Safety

Maersk Chassis Fee Would Raise Costs, Truckers Warn

Drayage truckers blasted world鈥檚 largest ocean carrier Maersk Line鈥檚 plan to begin charging a chassis-use fee, saying it would raise costs and complicate operations.

July 20, 2009
Business

Truckload Fleets Slash Driver Pay to Trim Expenses

About one-third of truckload fleets have cut driver pay over the past 12 months as carriers strive to trim expenses during the extended freight recession, a new survey has reported.

July 20, 2009
Business, Government, Safety

J.B. Hunt鈥檚 Profit Drops 52% in 2nd Quarter

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. said its second-quarter profit fell 52%, hurt by mounting pressure on prices and weak demand, as the latest round of quarterly financial reports by public carriers began to roll in last week.

July 20, 2009