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.
Opinion: Automate Your Dock for Big ROI
Not much has changed since the 1970s when, as a young technology marketer, I stood on the docks of countless trucking companies for hours, sometimes days, clipboard in hand, trying to measure the time and efficiency of dock management. Armed with data laboriously collected, I would confront trucking executives with the evidence that I thought would persuade them to invest in the latest technology of the day to automate wherever they could.
March 14, 2016Meal, Rest Break Measure Not Included in Senate Panel's Aviation Reform Bill
WASHINGTON — A trucking-related provision hotly debated in the House has not been included in an aviation reform bill a Senate panel will take up March 16.
FMCSA Revises Process to Speed Up Investigations of High-Risk Carriers
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has revamped its carrier prioritization process to enable safety investigators to take more immediate action against carriers with the highest crash risk.
New Lease Accounting Procedures Require Fleet Review, Experts Say
Long-awaited nationwide lease accounting standards will require fleets to take a close look at their accounting procedures to assess how the changes affect their financial decisions, industry experts said.
Navistar Narrows 1Q Loss, but Revenue Shows Decline
Truck maker Navistar International Corp. posted a smaller quarterly net loss in the fiscal first quarter than in the same period a year earlier, even though revenue also declined.
Daseke Continues to Seek Additions to Flatbed, Heavy-Haul Enterprise
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Flatbed entrepreneur Don Daseke continues to build his company by hunting for merger candidates even though the current business environment does not favor an initial public offering for what is now the second-largest company in his sector of trucking.
Feds Propose Training Rule
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last week published its negotiated proposed entry-level driver training rule that would revise standards for a commercial driver license to be obtained by new interstate and intrastate commercial vehicle operators.
House T&I Staff Director, Eno’s Davis Talk Infrastructure at IBTTA March 14-15
The role tolls play in funding infrastructure projects around the country will head the discussions at the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association’s policy summit in Washington, D.C., March 14-15.
March 11, 2016FedEx Freight Ordered to Bargain With Teamsters at Two Terminals
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered FedEx Freight to recognize and bargain with Teamster locals at two terminals, siding with a National Labor Relations Board ruling to that effect.
Cass Index Declines 2.6% in February, Compared to 2015
The Cass Freight Index, a barometer of U.S. freight activity that’s primarily based on trucking shipments, dipped 2.6% last month from the same period of 2015, reflecting a continued drag from a sluggish economy.
March 11, 2016