Trucking Business News

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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.

FuelBusiness

Volvo Displays ‘Green’ Trucks to Run on Alternative Fuels

WASHINGTON — Global truck producer Volvo AB recently demonstrated trucks that can run on one of seven different alternative fuels, but company officials said they could not forecast when an over-the-road model of any of these seven trucks might be available.

March 17, 2008
BusinessFuelLogistics

Schneider Sets Fuel-Hauling Service

Truckload carrier Schneider National said Monday it has added fuel-hauling capabilities to its bulk hauling division.

March 17, 2008
BusinessTechnologyEquipmentSafety

Navistar, BAE Awarded Military Truck Order

Navistar International Corp. and BAE Systems won 99% of a $1.1 billion Pentagon order for blast-resistant trucks, Bloomberg reported.

March 17, 2008
BusinessGovernment

New York State Manufacturing Index Falls to Record Low

Manufacturing growth in New York state fell to the lowest rate ever in March, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said Monday.

March 17, 2008
BusinessSafetyGovernmentTechnologyEquipment

DOT’s Road-Privatization Policy Draws Criticism

The Department of Transportation’s plan to privatize many public roadways by using more tolls has come under intense criticism by those who believe the federal highway system was set up to be paid for by taxpayers, the Washington Post reported Monday.

March 17, 2008
GovernmentBusiness

Chicago Mercantile Exchange Buying Nymex for $9.5 Billion

The parent company of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade said Monday it would buy the owner of the New York Mercantile Exchange for $9.5 billion, the Associated Press reported.

March 17, 2008
BusinessGovernment

Fed Cuts Lending Rate in Move to Stem Market Slide

The Federal Reserve Sunday cut the rate on direct loans to banks and became lender of last resort to the biggest dealers in U.S. government bonds, Bloomberg reported.

March 17, 2008
Business

Volvo, Union Agree on Contract to End Seven-Week Strike

Volvo Trucks North America and the United Auto Workers said they reached a tentative agreement for a new three-year contract at Volvo’s Virginia heavy-duty truck assembly plant, where about 2,600 workers have been on strike since Feb. 1.

March 17, 2008
BusinessFuel

Con-way Drops Truck Speeds to Cut Carbon, Save on Fuel

Less-than-truckload carrier Con-way Freight announced last week that it will set speed governors on its trucks at a maximum of 62 mph, down from 65 mph — a move the company said will cut its diesel consumption by about 3.2 million gallons a year.

March 17, 2008
BusinessTechnologyEquipmentSafety

Trucking Industry Moves From Proprietary Hardware to Open-Systems Approach

Historically, trucking companies have relied on information technology systems — both in the cab and in the office — that run proprietary software on proprietary hardware, effectively making it impossible for one manufacturer’s system to access data gathered by another service.

March 17, 2008