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.
Retail Sales Increase by Most Since 2012
Retail sales rose 1.1% in March by the most since September 2012, helping the economy recover from a weather-depressed start to the year, the Commerce Department reported April 14.
April 14, 2014Cummins Showcases Engine to Power New Chinese Truck
COLUMBUS, Ind. — For one day, the center of the Chinese truck universe was this southern Indiana town more than 6,700 miles from Beijing.
April 14, 2014Execs Seek HOS Change During Capitol Hill Visit
WASHINGTON — Trucking executives from Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio asked members of their congressional delegation here April 9 to help roll back provisions of a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rule that imposes limits on truckers’ work schedules.
April 14, 2014Panama Canal Tour Sparks Talks on Need for Infrastructure Funds
The Panama Canal expansion project was intricate and inspiring for leading trucking executives, who said they are now more convinced than ever of the urgent need for U.S. highway funding in order to handle the larger freight volumes bound to emerge at ports in the coming years.
April 14, 2014March Truck Orders Soar 24.4%
New Class 8 truck orders climbed 24.4% in March from the same period a year ago, ACT Research Co. reported, and manufacturers are taking additional steps to ramp up production.
April 14, 2014Trucking Bankruptcies Rise
Trucking fleet failures more than doubled in the first quarter from a year earlier as rising costs, regulatory burdens and inclement weather sank marginal fleets, a new report found.
April 14, 2014Editorial: Trucking and a Shrinking Globe
A pair of events reported on the front page in this edition of Transport Topics underscores the dramatic growth of the economic phenomenon known as globalization and its effect on trucking.
April 14, 2014Report Calls for Separate Emissions Rule for Heavy Trucks Powered by Natural Gas
Federal regulators should develop a separate standard for natural gas-powered vehicles when they finalize the second phase of the government’s emissions reduction and fuel-efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, according to a new report by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences.
April 14, 2014Senators Say They Have Reached Agreement on Framework for Highway Funding Bill
Four U.S. senators leading the debate for a long-term transportation bill said that they have reached a bipartisan agreement on the broad principles for legislation they will begin working on after the Easter recess.
April 14, 2014Attorneys Warn Brokers on Contracts, Citing Liability With Carriers, Shippers
TUCSON, Ariz. — Transportation attorneys speaking to brokers here emphasized the importance of clarity in their contractual relationships with carriers and shippers to protect against liability.
April 14, 2014