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.
Postal Service Slammed with Seasonal Shipping
This week is expected to be the busiest week of the holiday mailing and shipping season for the Postal Service. The agency expects to process and deliver nearly 3 billion pieces of mail, including packages, this week alone.
China Inks Deals With Shell, Majors as Xi Signals Open Trade
China signaled its openness for business with a raft of deals that’ll give oil majors, including Royal Dutch Shell Plc, new opportunities to develop fields in partnership with the nation’s biggest offshore explorer.
December 18, 2018Housing Starts Top Forecasts; Permits Rise
U.S. new-home construction rebounded in November to the best pace since August while permits rose to a seven-month high, a sign homebuilding is potentially stabilizing even as higher prices and borrowing costs pose headwinds.
Medium-Duty Sales in November Point to Ongoing Strength
Sales of medium-duty trucks in November barely budged from a year earlier, rising just 1.4% and boosted primarily by a modest gain in the lighter classes, WardsAuto.com reported.
New Round of BUILD Grants Addresses Freight Corridor Needs
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s first round of Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development discretionary grants allocated a record amount of funding for road projects, some of which specifically address important freight routes.
Average Price of Diesel Drops 4¢ to $3.121 a Gallon
The U.S. average retail price of diesel dropped 4 cents to $3.121 a gallon, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported Dec. 17, as crude oil prices dropped below $50 per barrel.
Capitol Agenda for the Week of Dec. 17: Thanks for the Memories, 2018
With the end of the year finally upon us, we take a page from late-night TV host Jimmy Fallon and fill out a few ‘thank you’ notes. Here's the week ahead for trucking on Capitol Hill.
Homebuilder Sentiment Tumbles to Weakest in Three Years
Sentiment among U.S. homebuilders fell in December to the lowest level since 2015, missing all forecasts and signaling that the industry’s struggles are intensifying amid elevated prices and higher borrowing costs.
Nissan Holds Off on Picking Ghosn Successor as Tensions Brew
Nissan Motor Co. will split chairman duties among its executives, putting the brakes on naming a successor to Carlos Ghosn as the pay scandal that landed the high-flying executive in a Tokyo jail widens to include the automaker itself.
December 17, 2018Amazon Thrives on FedEx Delivery Model, but Driver Pay Challenges Persist
Five years on, Amazon.com Inc.’s chief executive officer is betting on decidedly more terrestrial technology: Drivers. As in real people. Tens of thousands of them. High-tailing it through town in gas-slurping vans to leave packages on doorsteps just like the milkman, postal worker, UPS guy and pizza dude before them.