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.
Gasoline Rises 2.61¢ to $3.585, Lundberg Survey Says
Gasoline’s national average price increased 2.61 cents in the past two weeks to $3.585 a gallon, according to the latest Lundberg Survey of filling stations.
September 9, 2013Opinion: The Nat-Gas Conversion Bandwagon
The adoption of natural gas as a transportation fuel continues to pick up speed. It is no surprise to me: I spent more than 30 years in the waste business and was the CEO of Republic Services, which is now the nation’s second-largest waste services provider, when the industry began to consider transitioning from diesel, a fuel we had used for decades. I understand the challenges in making the decision to switch to natural gas.
September 9, 2013Editorial: A Scary September?
Not so long ago, the primary concern we had about fuel prices each year as the leaves in many parts of the nation began to change was that refineries would divert some of their processing capacity to home heating oil production.
September 9, 2013Western Express Seeks $75 Mln. in Lawsuit Against Pilot Flying J
Truckload carrier Western Express has filed a $75.5 million lawsuit against Pilot Flying J, making it the largest fleet thus far to file a legal action in response to a fuel-rebate scheme that was exposed earlier this year.
September 9, 2013Fleets’ Costs Decline 4.3% During 2012, ATRI Says
The average total operating cost to run a truck in 2012 fell 4.3% to $1.633 per mile as carriers trimmed outlays to cope with soft freight volumes, the American Transportation Research Institute said in a Sept. 4 report.
September 9, 2013SuperTech 2012 Champion Becomes ‘Go-to Guy’ for Fellow Mechanics
One of the consequences of proving that you’re the best truck technician in the land is that you become the “Google” of your world, as in, “Let’s Google it.”
September 9, 2013Appeals Court Upholds Ruling Against ABF in Dispute Over YRC Concessions to Union
Arkansas Best Corp.’s ABF Freight System unit has lost another round in its court action against the Teamsters union and YRC Worldwide Inc. over a national freight contract.
September 9, 2013Lacking Proper Funding for Maintenance, States Turn Some Paved Roads to Gravel
In another sign of the drastic actions many states are taking to deal with shortages in road funding, Texas has begun turning 83 miles of paved roads to gravel.
September 9, 2013Few Signs of Peak Season Are Emerging, Officials Say
Freight volumes have remained steady into early September, but are showing little sign of an emerging peak shipping season because of economic weakness and changing strategies by carriers and shippers, according to industry officials.
September 9, 2013Navistar Posts $247 Mln. 3Q Loss, But Still Optimistic on Turnaround
Original equipment manufacturer Navistar International Corp. lost $247 million, or $3.06 a share, during the three months ended July 31 as declines in truck and engine market share led to an 11.9% fall in sales.
September 9, 2013