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.
Pre-Delivery Inspection: An Important First Step
It’s a simple process, usually included in the purchase price, but the first and arguably most important step for any transportation company when a trailer and tractor are ordered. Pre-delivery inspection is what the name implies: the inspection to make sure everything on a vehicle is working before it is delivered to the customer.
September 15, 2014Letters: ELDs and Fleet Size, Innovation Needed
The last paragraph of the story “ELD Comments Pour Into FMCSA; Support Splits Along Carrier Size” incorrectly referenced comments I filed on behalf of five companies located in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, and engaged in truck-transport operations via saddle-mounted vehicle transporter combinations.
September 15, 2014Opinion: It’s Always Time to Appreciate Truck Drivers
Too often in life we dwell on the negative. I know that I’m guilty of it, and I’m sure many of you are, as well.
September 15, 2014Editorial: Freight Rail Slowdown
Railroads are in an enviable position: They have more customers wanting to move more products than the few national carriers can handle. But a shortfall of investment in track, in railcars and in train crews has produced critical delays that hurt large swaths of the national economy, from farmers to auto manufacturers to intermodal shippers.
September 15, 2014Railroad Delays Criticized
Senate leaders and rail customers last week lambasted railroads for unresolved delays that continue to tie the U.S. freight network in knots, slowing truck, automotive and grain shipments along with it.
September 15, 2014Execs Say LTL Market Sizzles, Fueling Strong Freight Growth
Freight markets are heating up noticeably as the third quarter draws to a close, with particular strength in the less-than-truckload sector, sources said.
September 15, 2014Western Star Unveils New Highway Tractor; 5700XE Aimed at Small, Medium Fleets
HENDERSON, Nev. — Daimler’s Western Star unit launched a new highway tractor offering improved fuel efficiency while maintaining the brand’s classic styling.
September 15, 2014Hub Group Announces Plan to Classify Calif. Drayage Drivers as Employees
Hub Group Inc. said it has decided to voluntarily categorize drayage drivers in California as employees, taking a different stance from other fleets around the country that continue to insist that intermodal truckers are contractors.
September 15, 2014TMC to Host 10th Annual SuperTech, Discuss Maintenance Issues at Meeting
The nation’s top truck technicians will put their skills to the test at the SuperTech 2014 competition during the Technology & Maintenance Council’s fall meeting Sept. 22-25 in Orlando, Florida.
September 15, 2014DOT, Treasury Praise Public-Private Deals to Help Fund Large Transportation Projects
WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told federal and state officials who met with Wall Street financiers at the Treasury Department on Sept. 9 to look for ways to access private financing for large-scale transportation projects.
September 15, 2014