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.
March Tonnage Rises 3.1%
Truck tonnage rose 3.1% in March from a year earlier despite residual problems with harsh winter weather, American Trucking Associations reported, buoying hopes of a stronger trucking market.
April 28, 2014ATRI Slams Safety Claims in HOS Restart Report
The American Transportation Research Institute said a government-commissioned study of the federal hours-of-service rule change was overly generous in crediting the new regulation for improving safety.
April 28, 2014FMCSA to Raise Minimum Levels for Carriers’ Required Insurance
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said it plans to raise the required $750,000 insurance minimum for interstate motor carriers because the amount is not adequate to cover the cost of some serious crashes.
April 28, 2014Booming Oil, Gas Industry Drives Tank-Trailer Surge
The past few years’ boom in the oil and natural-gas recovery technique known as hydraulic fracturing has led to a corresponding boom in the tank and bulk trailer business, both for haulers and for manufacturers of the equipment.
April 28, 2014Congress Returns to Work; Road-Fund Pressure Mounts
Lawmakers are scheduled to return to Capitol Hill on April 28 for just 43 days before their extended summer recess, giving them a short window to approve a long-term, comprehensive transportation funding bill.
April 28, 2014Severe Winter Cuts UPS Earnings; Package Unit Hurt Most by Storms
UPS Inc. last week said its first-quarter net income fell 12%, as higher costs triggered by bad winter weather cut companywide profitability by $200 million.
April 28, 2014Truckload Carriers Report Mixed 1Q, But Expect Improvements for Rest of Year
Comments with first-quarter earnings reports issued last week continued to trigger optimism about a pickup in freight in 2014, though severe winter weather dampened results for several prominent truckload fleets.
April 28, 2014Faster Union Voting Plan Angers Business Groups
The National Labor Relations Board’s proposed rule governing “representation-case procedures” garnered nearly 75,000 comments, including dissents from two of the board’s five members.
April 28, 2014BNSF, CP Pledge to Provide Trains to Ship Fertilizer to US Farmers
The two main railroads serving the oil-producing states in the Upper Midwest have pledged to dedicate enough equipment to get adequate fertilizer shipments to farmers there in time for spring planting.
April 28, 2014Diesel Average Increases 1.9¢ to $3.971, Ending String of Five Straight Declines
The average retail price of diesel increased 1.9 cents to $3.971 a gallon last week, ending a five-week decline, the Department of Energy reported.
April 28, 2014