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.
First Responders Work With Developers to ‘Teach’ Self-Driving Cars to Pull Over
Trade War Leaves Pacific Northwest Port Growth at Risk
An industry that saw dramatic growth in the 10 years before Donald Trump became president is now concerned his administration’s trade tussle with China, and the lack of a deal with Japan, will cut future growth short.
Housing Starts Rebound in January by More Than Forecast
U.S. new-home construction rebounded by more than expected in January amid strength in single-family starts and a nine-month high for permits, signaling the market is stabilizing thanks to lower mortgage rates.
Financing Deals Put Tesla Closer to Making Model 3s in China
Tesla Inc. secured as much as $521 million in loans from Chinese banks to build a vehicle and battery factory in the country, putting the carmaker a step closer to producing Model 3 sedans at its first overseas plant.
March 8, 2019Descartes Posts 16% Profit Gain for Final Quarter, Full Year
The Descartes Systems Group Inc. reported profits grew 16% in 2018, according to a company earnings release.
Editorial: House Hearings Spark Optimism
All of a sudden, it looks like lawmakers might be making good on the long-standing promise to get moving on what most agree is an issue with bipartisan support — yes, infrastructure funding.
March 7, 2019Fleets on Alert for 'Staged Accidents' as Spotlight Falls on Louisiana Trial
Fender benders on the interstates in and around New Orleans are as common as a homemade bowl of jambalaya for lunch. But an accident on Interstate 10 at Milepost 238 on Nov. 17, 2017, seemed a little strange, as truck driver Robert Runnels recalls it.
Amazon Purges Suppliers in Push to Boost E-Commerce Profits
Amazon.com abruptly stopped buying products over the past two weeks from many of its wholesale vendors, encouraging them to instead sell their products directly to consumers on Amazon’s marketplace.
February Class 8 Orders Slow; Backlog Falls
Class 8 orders for February trickled in to reach 16,900, down 58% compared with a year earlier, reflecting a backlog already swollen by record demand in 2018, reports ACT Research Co.
Sen. Tom Carper Pushes for Climate Provisions in Transportation Bill
An infrastructure bill would struggle to improve the country’s transportation network if it lacks language to address threats from severe weather events, the top Democrat on the Senate’s surface transportation panel said March 6.