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.
Housing Starts Rise in February
Housing starts increased 0.8% in February, and building permits rose to the highest level in five years, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.
March 19, 2013UPS Acquires VN Post Express’s 49% Interest in Joint Venture
UPS Inc. said it has acquired Vietnamese delivery company VN Post Express’s 49% interest in the two companies’ express delivery joint venture.
March 19, 2013Diesel Drops Again, Falling 4.1¢ to $4.047
Diesel’s national average pump price fell for a third consecutive week, declining 4.1 cents to $4.047 a gallon, while gasoline dipped 1.4 cents, the Department of Energy said.
March 19, 2013Obama to Nominate Civil Rights Lawyer as New U.S. Secretary of Labor
Thomas Perez, currently head of the Civil Rights division of the U.S. Justice Department, is President Obama’s choice for labor secretary.
More Than 70,000 Expected at MATS This Week
More than 70,000 trucking industry professionals from around the world are expected to attend this week’s Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky., the Louisville Courier-Journal reported.
March 18, 2013All Pilot Flying J Locations to Have DEF at Pump
Pilot Flying J said it plans to have diesel exhaust fluid at the pump available at all diesel lanes by this fall.
March 18, 2013Fastfrate Acquired by Investment Firm
Investment firm Tepper Holdings said it has acquired a majority stake in Canadian carrier Consolidated Fastfrate from private equity firm Fenway Partners. Terms were not disclosed.
March 18, 2013Oil Falls From Three-Week High
Oil fell from a three-week high in early trading Monday, declining more than $1 to just over $92 a barrel, Bloomberg News reported.
March 18, 2013Opinion: A New ‘Tax’ on Carriers
On Oct. 1, an estimated 150,000 motor carriers currently engaging in unlicensed brokerage will find themselves subject to what amounts to an enormous new tax, courtesy of the latest transportation funding law — Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century, or MAP-21.
March 18, 2013Editorial: March Madness
March is almost always an exciting time in the trucking industry, and this year it’s particularly true, with four of the industry’s top trade shows each displaying those tantalizing first glimpses of renewed growth.
March 18, 2013