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.
Mack Cites Comeback of Longhaul Market in 2018
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Fleets in the longhaul segment are increasingly spurring Class 8 demand as the highway market makes a comeback, according to Mack Trucks, whose new Anthem model is aimed directly at that segment.
Amazon Is Looking for Larger Whole Foods Stores to Support Delivery Plans
Less than a year after closing its acquisition of Whole Foods, Amazon.com Inc. is looking for fresh ways to expand its brick-and-mortar retail network while bolstering the online shopping business.
Trump Slaps Tariffs on $50 Billion Worth of Chinese Goods
President Donald Trump took his boldest step to level the economic playing field with China, ordering sweeping tariffs on Chinese goods in a move that could escalate already-tense trade relations between the world’s two biggest economies.
PHMSA Requests Input on Transporting Hazardous Materials With Automated Technologies
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has requested information on the use of automated technologies in the transportation of hazardous materials, according to a document published in the Federal Register March 22.
Cracks Are Starting to Appear in the Global Economy’s Momentum
The global economy’s upswing showed signs of strain in March as a drop in momentum at businesses from Japan to the euro region underscored the world’s vulnerability to confidence shocks from a trade war.
Jobless Claims Creep Higher While Benefit Rolls Lowest Since 1973
U.S. filings for unemployment insurance crept higher while the number of Americans on benefit rolls fell to the lowest level since 1973 in another indication of a tight job market, Labor Department figures showed March 22.
Americans’ Economic Expectations Match Strongest Since 2002
Americans’ outlook for the economy climbed in March for a third straight month to match the highest level since 2002, data from the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index showed March 22.
New Technicians Lack Skills, Fleets Find as Demand Grows
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — More technicians will be needed soon, nearly 77,000 more by 2026. However, plenty of students are in the pipeline. But questions remain about their ability to meet real-world needs in a shop, and about how to keep them once hired, experts said.
Video From Self-Driving Uber Car Captures First Fatal Collision
Police in Tempe, Ariz., on March 21 released dashcam videos of the fatal accident March 18 in which an Uber car operating in autonomous mode struck and killed a pedestrian, showing the car did not slow down or alter its course to avoid her.
Spending Bill Includes Extension of ELD Exemption on Livestock
Motor carriers that haul livestock will be exempted from the federal electronic logging device mandate until Sept. 30 under language included in a $1.3 trillion omnibus funding measure the U.S. House of Representatives advanced March 22.