MercuryGate Launches Multimodal Procurement System
MercuryGate International, a global provider of cloud-based transportation management software, has launched a freight sourcing and procurement product designed to enable users to manage requests for proposals for all transportation modes within a single system.
April 18, 2016US Needs to Be Energy Independent
I read Transport Topics regarding Exxon Mobil’s recent shipment of its first tanker load of U.S. crude oil from Beaumont, Texas, to its refinery in Sicily, Italy. The article also indicated that a 40-year export ban had been lifted.
April 18, 2016Fleet Failures Rise Sharply
Fleet failures rose sharply in the first quarter as slackening demand, stagnant freight rates and other factors sidelined 3,585 trucks, about three times more than the same quarter last year as well as the final three months of 2015, according to a new Avondale Partners report.
April 18, 2016Congressional Capacity
As expected, 2016 has been a slow year on Capitol Hill, especially when it comes to transportation.
April 18, 2016The ELD Mandate's Carrot and Stick
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration finally released the long-awaited electronic logging device mandate’s final rule in December. The rule states that motor carriers without a current solution in place now have until December 2017 to implement ELDs for any vehicle or combination of vehicles with an actual weight and/or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 10,001 pounds or more. The rule is meant to improve compliance with hours-of-service safety rules.
April 18, 2016Industry: Training Proposal to Worsen Driver Shortage
Many in the trucking industry say the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s proposed entry-level driver training rule has the potential to exacerbate the nation’s driver shortage. The rule requires that students log at least 30 hours of behind-the-wheel training time.
April 18, 2016March Truck Sales Dip 2.9%, Reflect Ongoing Slowdown
U.S. retail sales of Class 8 trucks dipped by 2.9% in March from a year earlier to 20,034, WardsAuto.com reported.
April 18, 2016ELD Mandate Poses Special Challenge for Truck Leasing, Rental Operations
As the trucking industry prepares for the federal electronic logging mandate, carriers and equipment providers are grappling with one of the murkier aspects of the regulation — how to use the technology in lease and rental vehicles.
April 18, 2016Use of Technology, Faster Deliveries Offer 3PLs Path to Grow, TIA Says
SAN ANTONIO — Despite a number of continued regulatory concerns, freight brokers and logistics companies have the ability to expand their businesses through better use of technology and by participating in the growing demand for faster delivery of goods purchased online, officials of the Transportation Intermediaries Association said.
April 18, 2016UPS Asks European Court to Reverse Ruling That Blocked Its Acquisition of TNT Express
UPS Inc. signaled its continued interest in Hoofddorp, Netherlands- based package and freight carrier TNT Express — currently pledged to a merger with FedEx Corp. — by asking a European Union court to reverse a 2013 regulatory ruling that blocked UPS from acquiring TNT.
April 18, 2016