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.
Field of 77 Cities Vies for DOT’s Smart City Challenge Honors
Seventy-seven cities applied for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said Feb. 8.
February 8, 2016Class 8 Truck Orders Drop 48%
January’s Class 8 North American orders just cleared 18,000, down 48% year-over-year but within expectations as fleets’ ordering patterns shifted into a more typical range, analysts said.
Winter Storm Bears Down on Northeast
A major winter storm is threatening to hit Massachusetts, with up to a foot of snow creating dangerous road conditions, canceling flights and disrupting package delivery.
Washington State Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson Voted Out
The Washington state Senate fired Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson on Feb. 5 by refusing to confirm her — some three years after she was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee.
February 8, 2016VW Trucks Chief Open to IPO, Deals in Expansion Strategy
Volkswagen AG’s heavy-truck division is exploring options for growth that could include acquisitions and an initial public offering as it seeks to reap the benefits of more independence within its rapidly reorganizing parent company.
Traffic Fatalities Up 9.3% for First Nine Months of 2015, NHTSA Says
Early estimates of the overall number of traffic fatalities in the United States show about a 9.3% increase the first nine months of 2015 compared with the same period in 2014.
Virginia Port Authority Hoping for Increased Volume to Climb Out of $5.5 Million Hole
Volume will determine whether the Virginia Port Authority can climb out of a $5.5 million hole in the first half of the fiscal year and come out ahead, leaving it with the $2.8 million in operating income it originally budgeted, the port said.
FedEx Ups Game in Charitable Giving
FedEx Corp. rolled out a stronger charitable giving program, FedEx Cares, which will invest $200 million in more than 200 communities over five years.
World's Largest Energy Trader Sees a Decade of Low Oil Prices
Oil prices will stay low for as long as 10 years as Chinese economic growth slows and the U.S. shale industry acts as a cap on any rally, according to the world’s largest independent oil-trading house.
February 8, 2016Trade Gap Widens as Exports Fall to 4-Year Low
The trade deficit widened in December as stable U.S. domestic demand supported imports while weaker growth abroad held back overseas sales.