Ongoing concern about labor and management talks regarding two separate contract negotiations and a slowing U.S. economy resulted in a big drop in container volume at two of the nation’s biggest ports on the Pacific Coast.

The possibility of a nationwide freight rail strike beginning as early as Dec. 9 moved one step closer when the union SMART-TD, one of the largest in contract talks with the six Class I freight carriers, turned down a tentative agreement negotiated in mid-September by Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and other officials.

The possibility of a nationwide freight railroad strike is increasing after another union turned down a tentative agreement that was negotiated in mid-September among the major Class I carriers, a management council and the Biden administration.

The retail holiday season is expected to be solid as economists and other experts say sales should increase between 6% and 8% over 2021’s record 14% increase from 2020. 

Derek Leathers, CEO, president and chairman of Werner Enterprises, is the new chairman of the American Transportation Research Institute, it was announced Nov. 1.

Port of Oakland Executive Director Danny Wan says the port has embarked on a plan to play to its strength as one of the leading agriculture export facilities in the world to soften the impact of COVID challenges of the past three years.

Des Moines, Iowa-based Ruan Transportation Management Systems, one of the largest family-owned-and-operated transportation and logistics companies in the U.S., announced Oct. 28 it has acquired Grand Rapids, Mich.-based National Truck Brokers.

A coalition of 322 organizations that relies on the nation’s Class I freight railroads wrote a letter to President Joe Biden Oct. 27, urging the White House and administration officials to continue to seek a settlement in the increasingly bitter contract dispute that could result in a nationwide rail strike in November or December and could cause extensive damage to the U.S. economy.

When Russian military forces invaded Ukraine in February, Sergey Bort’s thoughts immediately turned to family.

SAN DIEGO — With some economists predicting around a 50-50 chance of the U.S. economy sliding into a recession in the first half of 2023, a panel of experts at American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition urged trucking companies to prepare now for a possible economic downturn by maintaining strong levels of cash flow and — above all — avoiding panic if a recession takes hold.