Business

About Business News...

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.

Business

Jobless Claims Fall to Eight-Week Low Amid Holidays

Filings for U.S. unemployment benefits declined to the lowest level in eight weeks, showing volatility typical around the holiday period.

Michelle Jamrisko | Bloomberg News
January 5, 2017
Business

Companies Added 153,000 Employees in December, Says ADP

Companies added fewer jobs than forecast in December, data from the ADP Research Institute in Roseland, New Jersey, showed Jan. 5.

Sho Chandra | Bloomberg News
January 5, 2017
Business, Logistics

Intermodal Traffic Drops in 2016, First Annual Drop Since 2009

After four consecutive years of record-breaking intermodal growth in the railroad industry, container and trailer traffic dropped 1.6% in 2016, according to data from the Association of American Railroads.

Ari Ashe | Staff Reporter
January 4, 2017
Business, Fuel

Oil Industry Seeking Regulatory Changes

WASHINGTON — The American Petroleum Institute will pursue an aggressive policy agenda during the first 100 days of the incoming Trump administration and throughout Donald Trump’s four-year term, the trade group’s president said here during API’s annual State of American Energy event.

Jonathan S. Reiskin | Associate News Editor
January 4, 2017
Government, Business

Truck Driver Was Nation’s Most Fatal Occupation in 2015

A Bureau of Labor Statistics study revealed that 745 truck drivers died on the job in the United States in 2015, the most of any profession. BLS defines a truck driver as someone who operates a tractor-trailer combination or a truck with a capacity of at least 26,000 pounds and has a commercial driver license. The 745 truck drivers who died was down from 761 in 2014.

David Elfin | Staff Reporter
January 4, 2017
Business

UPS' 'National Returns Day' Expected to Break Records

UPS expects to deliver 1.3 million returned packages to retailers on Jan. 5, which the company has dubbed "National Returns Day," according to a press release from the company.

Brandi Bottalico | The Frederick (Md.) News-Post
January 4, 2017
Business

Sunteck, TTS Merger Now Official

The merger between Sunteck Transport Group and TTS, agreed upon in late October, is now official, the new company announced in a statement.

January 4, 2017
Business, Logistics

Construction Begins on New Jersey Intermodal Terminal

Construction has begun on an intermodal terminal at the Global Container Terminals in Bayonne, New Jersey, to connect on-site to CSX and Norfolk Southern railroads and to offer an alternative that could result in fewer containers being placed on trucks.

January 4, 2017
Business

Amazon Says Shipments for Independent Merchants Doubled in 2016

Amazon.com Inc. said the number of items sold for independent merchants that use its logistics service more than doubled to 2 billion last year, evidence the online retailer’s stepped-up investments in warehouses are paying off with expansion into new areas like fashion and household goods.

January 4, 2017
Business, Logistics

Maersk, Alibaba Partner to Offer Online Ship Booking

Maersk, the world's largest container shipping line, has teamed up with Alibaba to allow customers to reserve space on its vessels through the Chinese company, illustrating growing cooperation between e-commerce and logistics firms.

Brenda Goh | Reuters
January 4, 2017