Business

U.S. orders for durable goods declined in March by the most since 2014 as the coronavirus and slumping oil prices reverberated through the manufacturing sector and spurred cancelled orders for Boeing Co. airplanes.

The introduction of electric-­powered trucks represents a new frontier for the transportation industry, but this new breed of commercial vehicle will not be completely unfamiliar to fleets and maintenance shops.

Fleets that have been at the forefront of testing electric trucks are gaining insights into how these new vehicles perform in real-world freight operations.

The advance of diagnostic programs has improved maintenance and uptime for diesel trucks, and it appears the same will be true for electric-powered vehicles.

Mullen Group Ltd. posted weaker first-quarter profits on steady revenue, but the Canadian motor carrier warned that business began to erode significantly in April.

Echo Global Logistics swung to a loss in the first quarter as it faced pricing pressures and the early financial effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Volvo Group reported first-quarter net income and revenue fell amid lower truck orders and deliveries as the coronavirus pandemic intensified.

Truck dealership Rush Enterprises Inc. reported first-quarter declines in net income and revenue, citing unprecedented times.

Instacart Inc. more than doubled the number of people who pick and deliver groceries to customers over the past few weeks and said it will add an additional 250,000 in the next two months, a response to unprecedented demand for the service.

Landstar System Inc. reported lower first-quarter net income of $40.9 million, or diluted earnings per share of $1.04, compared with $63.3 million, or $1.58, in the same period a year ago.