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.
Hub Group Switches Drivers to Employee Status
Hub Group Inc. has decided to voluntarily make drayage drivers in California into employees, taking a different stance from other fleets that continue to insist that intermodal truckers are independent contractors.
September 10, 2014DOE Lowers Diesel-Price Forecast
Diesel’s national average retail price will be $3.86 a gallon this year, the Department of Energy said, lowering its most recent forecast by 2 cents.
Visteon Board Said to Weigh Splitting Into Two Companies
Visteon Corp., the auto-parts maker that was once a unit of Ford Motor Co., is exploring a plan to split into two companies, one focused on electronics and the other on climate controls, people familiar with the matter said.
September 10, 2014Peterbilt Demonstrates Autonomous Driving Technologies
Peterbilt Motors Co. said it demonstrated autonomous driving technologies in Detroit on its Model 579 concept truck.
September 10, 2014Wholesale Inventories Rise in July
Wholesale inventories rose 0.1% in July, the smallest increase since the same month last year, after rising 0.2% the prior month, the Commerce Department reported Sept. 10.
September 10, 2014Lawmakers Tout TIGER Grants for Infrastructure Projects
Several members of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, are boasting about grants that the Department of Transportation has awarded to projects in their districts ahead of an official announcement by the department.
Movers Seek Hours-of-Service Exemption
The American Moving & Storage Association has applied for an exemption for its 3,700 member companies from federal regulations preventing motor carriers from driving following the 14th hour after coming on duty.
Cass Freight Index Rises in August
The Cass Freight Index, a measure of shipping activity in trucking and other transportation modes, rose in August but expenditures dipped, Cass Information Systems said.
September 9, 2014Vigillo Expands Athena Data-Mining Platform
Vigillo is offering new fuel and maintenance dashboards within its Athena “big-data” platform, representing a further expansion of the company’s data analytics capabilities.
Three Ocean Carriers Plan New Alliance
France’s CMA CGM, the world’s third-largest container shipping company, has signed an equipment sharing alliance with China Shipping Container Line and United Arab Shipping as carriers continue to seek new partners.
September 9, 2014