Business
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.
NACFE Report Predicts Multiple Fuels Will Give Way to Battery-Electric
The North American Council for Freight Efficiency forecasts commercial battery-electric vehicles and fuel cell trucks will be capable of lower total cost of ownership, compared with baseline diesel trucks, in the 2030 time frame.
Perspective: New Year, New Logistics Efficiencies
As the year comes to a close, it’s a natural time for companies to look at what worked in 2019 and what didn’t, and make plans for the year ahead. For some companies, taking a hard look at their order fulfillment workflow — and ways it might be streamlined in 2020 — is a New Year’s resolution to consider.
Celadon ‘Didn’t Get the Time’ It Needed, Analyst Says
A Wall Street analyst who tracks Celadon Group said a lack of time and weakness in the trucking sector contributed to the company’s decision to file for bankruptcy and close its doors.
Tesla on Autopilot Rear-Ends a Parked Cop Car in Connecticut
Another Tesla Inc. vehicle operating on the carmaker’s driver-assistance system branded as Autopilot has crashed into a parked emergency vehicle, eliciting fresh warnings about the shortcomings of automated technology on public roads.
Spread the News: Self-Driving Truck Makes Cross-Country Butter Delivery
A Silicon Valley startup has completed what appears to be the first commercial freight cross-country trip by an autonomous truck, which finished a 2,800-mile-run from Tulare, Calif., to Quakertown, Pa., for Land O’Lakes in less than three days. The trip was smooth like butter, 40,000 pounds of it.
Volvo Group Venture Capital Invests in Apex.AI, Autotech Ventures
Volvo Group Venture Capital AB announced it invested in Apex.AI, a startup software company involved in autonomous mobility, to help fund the development of a safety-certified software framework for autonomous systems.
House Democrats Plan USMCA Vote as Nancy Pelosi Lauds Revised Deal
House Democrats plan a vote the week of Dec. 16 on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free-trade agreement, Speaker Nancy Pelosi told her members, saying the deal was changed to meet her demands.
GM Loans Ohio Plant Buyer $40 Million to Launch Electric Truck
General Motors Co. loaned the buyer of its half-century-old assembly plant in Ohio $40 million to help the cash-strapped startup roll out an electric pickup truck.
PennDOT P3 Project Will Address I-81 Improvements
Leaders within the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation have approved a public-private partnership to reconstruct a portion of Interstate 81.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont Proposes Truck Tolls
A trucks-only tolling system in Connecticut is part of the latest iteration of Gov. Ned Lamont’s transportation investment plan.