Minnesota Lawmakers Agree Transportation is Key, Disagree on Funding
Minnesota's top leaders can agree transportation funding is key to helping the state and Greater Minnesota in particular. Yet legislative leaders and Gov. Mark Dayton can't decide how transportation should be funded, let alone other rural issues lawmakers should discuss during the upcoming legislative session.
February 29, 2016Tonnage Index Drops 1.4%
Truck tonnage remained in the doldrums last month, falling 1.4% from December and showing no increase on a year-over-year basis as inventory and winter weather weighed down the results, American Trucking Associations reported.
February 29, 2016Opinion: Technology Helps Truckers Handle Challenges
In the world of transportation, change is something we deal with every day. It becomes a challenge to manage customer demands, the regulatory landscape, positive driver experiences and big data while promoting an organizational culture that is ready to accommodate the changes happening in front of us.
February 29, 2016Letters: Toll Plan, Drivers and Large Fleets
Weight is a roadway’s enemy. Heavier weight requires thicker pavements, longer curves, reduced grades and more substantial bridges. These truths cannot be disputed; the construction standards associated with each item substantially increases the initial cost of the roadway network.
February 29, 2016Editorial: Maintain What You’ve Got
A lot of mixed economic news is floating around. Recent issues of Transport Topics and any other business publications can each give you a half-dozen reasons to cringe and be afraid, while there is an almost equal number of reasons to smile and be happy.
February 29, 2016Volvo Pushes Product Innovation Amid Slower Industrywide Sales
WASHINGTON — After Volvo Trucks North America’s best year for deliveries and market share in 2015, plans are under way to focus on the flatbed, tank truck and heavy-haul sectors to offset an industrywide sales slowdown, a strategy its president said could start to bear fruit in the second half of this year.
February 29, 2016XPO Posts Wider 4Q Loss, Sees Progress on Con-way Integration
XPO Logistics’ fourth-quarter earnings report last week provided the first real glimpse into its long-term financial performance after the 2015 acquisition spree that quadrupled revenue and saw it scoop up Con-way Inc., its largest asset and a major potential profit center.
February 29, 2016January US Trailer Orders Retreat; OEMs Work Off Lengthy Backlogs
U.S. trailer orders in January dropped more than 40% compared with a strong period a year earlier, reflecting large fleets already having placed orders in 2015 to secure scarce production slots in 2016, research firms said.
February 29, 2016Diesel Rises 0.3¢ to $1.983; First Increase in 14 Weeks
The U.S. diesel average rose 0.3 cent to $1.983 last week, the first increase in 14 weeks, the Department of Energy reported. Two fleet executives told Transport Topics they did not expect to see pump prices to spike but did share concerns about how regional price and tax variances can create business pressures.
February 29, 2016Prices Lower, Sales Slower for Used Class 8 Trucks
With inventories at the highest level in more than a decade, used Class 8 trucks were priced lower and selling slower in January compared with a year earlier, a pattern likely to continue throughout 2016, analysts said.
February 29, 2016