Business

In speaking with hundreds of trucking company executives over the course of my career, I’ve noticed two distinctly different mentalities when discussing insurance: There are those who buy insurance, and there are those who manage risk.

Your item titled “Ram to Add Commercial Division” caught my eye and my ire.

Once again, Mother Nature has shown us that man’s best-laid plans are subject to her whims. The devastating superstorm named Sandy traveled up the U.S. Atlantic coast until it got near New Jersey, and then took a sharp left turn late on Oct. 29.

The trucking industry in the Northeast was scrambling last week in the wake of Hurricane Sandy to assess the damage to fleet facilities and roadways and to determine which customers were ready to accept deliveries.

CINCINNATI — Truck and engine makers said that meeting the federal government’s greenhouse-gas standards that take effect in 2017 while still complying with the 2010 emissions rule is a difficult challenge and could result in more “hard programming” of engine settings and fewer choices for fleets in their tractors.

The rapid growth of e-commerce is forcing all kinds of businesses — from retailers and wholesale distributors to manufacturers and import-export companies — to change the way they distribute goods.

Navistar International Corp. last week announced plans to cut costs by closing its Garland, Texas, plant, a move that affects 900 workers but not the company’s overall manufacturing capacity.

A number of trucking industry suppliers, led by engine maker Cummins Inc., all reported lower earnings in the third quarter due to falling demand for their products.

Third-quarter earnings statements of less-than-truckload carriers issued last week generally followed an industrywide pattern of mixed results, with some seeing solid gains in profitability but others reporting significant earnings drop-offs.

Fleets should expect rising insurance premiums, especially for property/casualty and workers’ compensation lines, executives and insurance brokers said.