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.
Medium-Duty Sales Reflect Stable Demand; All Classes Rise
U.S. retail sales of medium-duty trucks in April posted double-digit gains across all classes, WardsAuto.com reported.
Seasoned Competitor Wade Wagemann Returns to Defend South Dakota Title
Wade Wagemann of YRC Freight will be gunning for his ninth appearance at the National Truck Driving Championships as he competes for the 13th time at the South Dakota Truck Driving Championships, which are being held May 18 at the Southeast Technical Institute in Sioux Falls.
May 14, 2019US-China Trade War to Worsen Before 2019 Deal, Survey Shows
Economists expect the trade war between the world’s two largest economies to get worse before it gets better — culminating in a deal by year-end.
Walmart Matches Amazon With Free One-Day Shipping on Many Items
Walmart Inc. wants to one-up Amazon.com in the fight for online shoppers. The world’s largest retailer is rolling out a next-day delivery service to counter Amazon’s recent move to speed shipment times for top customers to just one day from two.
VW Stock Gets Boost From Planned IPO of Heavy-Truck Division
Volkswagen AG shares climbed the most in two weeks after the German automaker revived plans for a partial offering of its Traton SE heavy-truck division and said it may dispose of two noncore businesses.
Amazon Says It Will Back Its Employees Who Quit Jobs to Start Delivery Businesses
NEW YORK — Amazon, which is racing to deliver packages faster, is turning to its own employees with a proposition: Quit your job, and we’ll help you start a business delivering Amazon packages.
PrePass Adds Safety Alerts to Bypass App
PrePass announced an enhancement to its weigh station-bypass app that gives truck drivers roadway safety notifications at no extra cost to PrePass users.
May 14, 2019OEMs Offer Over-the-Air Software Updates as Latest Advance in Truck Maintenance
Truck manufacturers increasingly are enabling fleets to update truck software and programming parameters “over the air” — an innovation that is saving days of downtime.
Transportation Experts, Government Leaders Stress Human Factor of Infrastructure
WASHINGTON — As cities continue to grow and infrastructure rapidly incorporates more technology, former Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx cautioned industry leaders and experts to remember the humans who will be affected.
Diesel Drops 1.1¢ to $3.16 a Gallon; Oil Slides to $61 a Barrel
The U.S. average retail price of diesel fell 1.1 cents to $3.160 a gallon. Oil prices slipped to $61 a barrel as the United States and China imposed higher tariffs on the other’s goods, which chilled the outlook for demand.