Business

Maryland wants to be the next state to join the automated vehicle revolution.

A Skagit County Superior Court judge ruled Dec. 15 that the state Department of Transportation cannot be charged or held responsible for the Skagit River Bridge collapse in 2013.

Consumer confidence jumped to the highest level since 2004, extending a surge in Americans’ optimism for their finances and the U.S. economy after Donald Trump’s election victory.

Purchases of new U.S. homes increased in November to the second-fastest pace in almost nine years as the beginning of a spike in mortgage rates persuaded buyers to quickly sign contracts.

A $20.2 million federal grant in 2010 for California’s transportation division and the San Diego Association of Governments to complete its Otay Mesa Port-of-Entry project along the border enhanced freight interconnectivity and mobility, officials said on Dec. 21.

Schneider National Inc., which ranks No. 7 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers, filed an S-1 form with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Dec. 22 that could pave the way for the truckload giant to go public in 2017.

Truck Alliance Inc., an Uber-type service for trucks known in China as Huochebang, raised about $115 million in a financing round that valued the startup at $1 billion.

BlueGrace Logistics, a third-party logistics firm, has acquired Continental Traffic Co. in the latest sign of growth over the last year-and-a-half.

Orders for U.S. business equipment climbed more than forecast in November, a sign that corporate investment is starting to firm up.

The number of Americans filing applications for unemployment benefits rose more than expected to a six-month high last week, potentially reflecting seasonal swings in a still-healthy labor market.