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.
Navistar Unveils Strategic Plan to Increase Market Share
BOULDER, Colo. — Navistar International unveiled a strategic plan Aug. 6 that company leaders said will help it expand its market share, sharpen its focus on customers and reduce the time it takes to repair trucks through a strengthening of its existing dealer network.
Scout, Amazon’s Self-Driving Delivery Robot, Heads to California
Amazon said Aug. 6 that its six-wheeled self-driving robots, about the size of a smaller cooler, will begin delivering packages to customers in Irvine, Calif., after testing them in a suburb of Seattle earlier this year.
U.S. Xpress Posts Steep Drop in Net Income in 2Q
U.S. Xpress Enterprises reported a steep drop in net income in the second quarter of 2019, with a posting of $2.9 million for the period ended June 30.
TravelCenters of America Reports Higher Net Income, Revenue as Fuel Sales Jump
TravelCenters of America Inc. reported net income of $1.21 million, or 15 cents per share, in the quarter ended June 30.
Daseke Posts Net Loss but Revenue Jumps 20% in 2Q
Daseke Inc. reported a net loss of $6.4 million, or 10 cents per share, in the quarter ended June 30, compared with net income of $13.5 million, or 22 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter.
Swift to Pay CRST $15 Million in Damages Over Driver Recruiting
A lawsuit CRST Expedited Inc. filed against Swift Transportation Co. that alleged Swift “poached” drivers was one of three such challenges CRST has lodged against competitors, but is so far the only one that has resulted in a financial penalty.
Expeditors Reports Higher Net Income, Revenue in 2Q
Expeditors International of Washington Inc. on Aug. 6 reported net income rose to $153 million, or 88 cents per share. That’s up 9% from $140.6 million, or 79 cents a share, in the same quarter a year ago.
Taking in Just $70 a Day, Lordstown GM Plant Savior Workhorse Is in Trouble
Now more than ever, Workhorse looks more like Lordstown’s lottery ticket than a savior to be taken seriously. While it’s hard to imagine at this juncture the company having the capital needed to get GM’s factory humming again, it has a ray of hope to point to: a potentially lucrative contract to build next-generation mail trucks for the U.S. Postal Service.
FMCSA Renews Vision Waivers for Commercial Drivers
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration agreed to allow 126 drivers to operate trucks along interstates after it provisionally renewed their exemptions from a vision requirement.
Consumers Gauge Inflation Better Than Economists, CBO Finds
A new Congressional Budget Office research paper showing consumer price expectations better gauged the future direction of inflation than economists’ forecasts over two decades through 2018.