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.
August Class 8 Orders Spike to a New Record
Orders for Class 8 trucks in August shattered the previous record for the month, surpassing 53,000 for the highest tally of the year and for the second consecutive month setting a record in a surprisingly active summer.
Kentucky, FHWA Officials Reach Agreement on I-165 Designation
State and federal transportation officials amended on Sept. 4 the William H. Natcher Parkway-I-165 conversion agreement to designate the highway stretching from Bowling Green to Owensboro an interstate before several interchange projects along it are completed.
Airlines Are Stepping Up Oil Hedges Before 2020 Shipping Rule Bites
Airlines are starting to hedge against the risk that fuel prices could be driven higher by rules targeting another industry’s environmental performance.
Navistar’s Net Income, 3Q Revenue Surge on Market Enthusiasm for Trucks, Engines
Navistar International Corp. reported a surge in net income and an 18% increase in revenue for its fiscal year third quarter, citing the market’s enthusiasm for its latest truck and engine products, and expressed confidence that current market conditions would continue into the first half of 2019 — and possibly beyond.
Lack of Action in Congress on Autonomous Technology Could Hinder States, Lawmaker Warns
WASHINGTON — The small role Congress currently plays in policy for autonomous vehicle technology could eventually slow, or impede, progress for states and firms testing such systems, a key House transportation authorizer warned on Sept. 5.
Florida Scores Biggest Annual Gain in Heavy-Duty Clean Diesel Trucks
Florida posted the biggest surge among states in the use of heavy-duty trucks with clean diesel engines in 2017, notching an 81% jump compared with a year earlier, according to data from IHS Markit. This increase came as fleet confidence in the technology took hold and more freight-hauling opportunities opened up in the nation’s fourth-largest state economy, other experts said.
FMCSA Medical Registry Hack Still Causes Delays Nine Months Later
An “incursion” nine months ago that shut down the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners still is causing delays in registering new examiners and backlogs for medical examiners to upload truck driver examinations, officials said.
Pavement Trade Association Files HOS Exemption Request
The American Concrete Pavement Association has requested exemption from certain hours-of-service regulations from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Hub Group Finds Buyer for Mode Transportation
Less than a month after saying it would explore strategic alternatives for Mode Transportation, Hub Group found a buyer to pay more than $200 million for its agent-based multimodal freight brokerage business.
FMCSA Chief Ray Martinez to Address Key Industry Issues at MCE
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration chief Ray Martinez will be a keynote speaker at American Trucking Associations’ conference next month to provide an update on new rules covering the industry.