Business

The used trailer market is surging. Values are high and inventory is sometimes scarce as buyers look for alternatives to higher-priced new equipment, largely available only after long lead times, industry experts said.

Flexible hours-of-service breaks have the potential to benefit the drivers of sleeper berth trucks, according to a new analysis released by the American Transportation Research Institute on Aug. 28.

The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a final rule to allow small railroads and their contractors to comply with employee federal hours-of-service record-keeping regulations using automated systems rather than paper records.

Investment firm Summit Partners announced the acquisition of MercuryGate International Inc., a provider of SaaS-based transportation management system solutions.

In Tokyo, self-driving taxis that transport passengers for a fee are being trialed. A serious shortage of taxi drivers lies behind the move, but the development of laws and regulations to deal with accidents and other issues still is lacking.

A labor crunch in the trucking industry is making it more expensive to deliver everything from apples to zucchini. And restaurants of all kinds are turning to local ingredients to avoid surging shipping costs.

A new trade route for energy supplies is opening up north of the Arctic Circle as some of the warmest temperatures on record shrink ice caps that used to lock ships out of the area.

DrayNow, a new load-matching service that is focused on helping shippers and freight brokerage firms find drayage capacity, has received $5 million in funding to expand its business nationwide.

Used truck sales rose in July, as did the average price in a hot market where finding inventory to buy or sell is a challenge, ACT Research Co. reported.

Consumer confidence unexpectedly rose in August to the highest level since October 2000, according to a report Aug. 28 from the New York-based Conference Board, on improved assessments of the economy and the outlook.