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.
Oregon Calls for Indefinite Moratorium on Oil Trains Through the State
Oregon has asked the Federal Railroad Administration to place an open-ended moratorium on oil trains traveling through the state, because preliminary findings of an investigation into the June 3 derailment in Mosier suggest inspectors might not be able to detect the problem that likely caused the crash.
Diesel Falls 0.5¢ to $2.426
The U.S. retail diesel average fell 0.5 cent to $2.426, the Department of Energy reported.
June 20, 2016Justice Department Drops Charges Against FedEx in Drug Shipping Case
The Justice Department has dismissed charges that FedEx illegally transported prescription drugs.
June 20, 2016New Louisiana Gov. Emphasizes Infrastructure
John Bel Edwards, who became Louisiana’s governor last November, is making infrastructure funding a priority.
FMCSA Defends ELD Rule in Appeals Court Filing
In a brief filed with a federal appeals court, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration defended a legal challenge to the agency’s electronic logging device rule by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.
Cass Freight Index Drops 5.8% Year-Over-Year
The Cass Freight Index that primarily measures truck shipments dropped 5.8% year-over-year last month, but it was 1.3% higher than April amid some sequential signs of modestly improving freight conditions.
June 20, 2016Controversial Proposal for $8 Billion Private Freight Rail to Bypass Congested Chicago
CHICAGO — The managing partner of Great Lakes Basin Transportation was in familiar surroundings June 15 as he promoted his idea to build a freight railroad from the LaPorte area to southeast Wisconsin, circling Chicago to serve as a bypass around that congested city.
Radiant Logistics Promotes Bento to Chief Operating Officer
Radiant Logistics has announced that Joe Bento, the firm’s senior vice president of operations, will succeed Dan Stegemoller as chief operating officer of freight forwarding operations on June 30.
June 20, 2016Despite Fears, Number of Oil Trains Increasing at Port of Tacoma
The Union Pacific oil train that derailed June 3 in Mosier, Oregon, rolled into the Port of Tacoma on June 19 with little notice, despite the intense scrutiny its wreck, spill and fire attracted to the expanding practice of shipping crude oil by rail through the Columbia River gorge and the greater Pacific Northwest.
Gasoline Prices Decrease for the First Time Since February
Gasoline prices at U.S. pumps fell for the first time in four months, according to Lundberg Survey Inc.