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.
Virginia Tech Receives Contract to Study Split Sleeper-Berth Time
Virginia Tech, along with subcontractors from Washington State University and technology vendor SmartDrive, has been awarded a $2.5 million contract from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to study a flexible hours-of-service safety provision that will allow longhaul truck drivers to split their required sleeper berth time into shorter periods.
Diesel Drops 2.4¢ to $2.211; Oil Inventories Hit New Peak
The U.S. average retail diesel price fell for the eighth consecutive week, dropping 2.4 cents a gallon to $2.211, as oil inventories stood at the highest point in nearly a century, the Department of Energy reported Jan. 4.
Prices of Used Class 8s Dip in November; Mileage Declines
The average price of used Class 8 trucks sold in November dipped in a seasonally subdued market where the average mileage continued to fall, ACT Research Co. said.
Contract Talks Between Teamsters, Car Haul Management to Resume
Contract talks between the Teamsters and management negotiators for automobile transporters are due to resume this week as the parties seek to reach a tentative deal after union rank-and-file workers soundly defeated an earlier four-year proposal.
Three Air Cargo Companies Agree to Pay $100 Million to Settle Price-Fixing Litigation
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings Inc. and its affiliates Polar Air Cargo and Polar Air Cargo Worldwide Inc. have agreed to pay a total of $100 million to settle price-fixing litigation brought in 2006, the law firm Hausfeld said.
January 8, 2016Penske Truck Leasing Expands Northeast Footprint
Penske Truck Leasing Co. has opened a 14,400-square-foot facility in Norton, Massachusetts, that offers full-service truck leasing, consumer and commercial truck rental and contract truck fleet maintenance services.
January 8, 2016Canada Trucking Chief David Bradley Plans to Step Down at End of 2017
David Bradley, president of both the Canadian Trucking Alliance and the Ontario Trucking Association, announced on Jan. 8 that he will leave his posts at the end of 2017.
Cooper Tire Agrees to Buy Majority Stake In Chinese Rubber Company
Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. said it has entered into an agreement to purchase 65% of China-based Qingdao Ge Rui Da Rubber Co. for about $93 million and will rename the business Cooper Qingdao Tire Co.
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts Announces Infrastructure Bank
In hopes of accelerating infrastructure construction and repair, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts unveiled a transportation infrastructure bank at a Jan. 7 press conference in Lincoln alongside state Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Jim Smith.
Trucking Adds 5,300 Jobs in December
The trucking industry added 5,300 jobs in December as the unemployment rate held at 5%, the Labor Department reported Jan. 8.
January 8, 2016