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.
Rising Freight Rates Should Help Push Pay for Drivers Higher, Execs Tell Conference
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Freight rates will continue to rise by several percentage points this year, carriers and shippers said, which should open the door for further pay increases for drivers.
February 27, 2012Federal Regulation Burden on Agenda as Truckload Fleets Gather at Meeting
The truckload industry, on the upswing as rates and freight rise, gathers for its annual meeting next week in Florida in a business environment that also includes unresolved questions such as the effects of more government regulation.
February 27, 2012TNT Express Rebuffs UPS, but Talks Continue on Deal
UPS Inc. said late last week it was continuing talks to buy European package carrier TNT Express, after the Dutch company rebuffed a $6.5 billion bid, sparking speculation that a higher price and other bidders, such as FedEx Corp., could emerge.
February 27, 2012Bendix Begins Brake Fix
TAMPA, Fla. — Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems said it has distributed the first of more than 130,000 kits to fix a defective brake-system valve, but said the process could take about six months to complete as manufacturers, dealers and fleets scramble to repair more than 67,000 affected U.S. and Canadian trucks.
February 27, 20122011 Class 8 Fleet Declines Despite Jump in Registrations
The total U.S. Class 8 fleet dropped 2.1% in the 4th quarter of 2011 compared with the last quarter of 2010, as fleets continued to squeeze out their oldest trucks to bring freight capacity more into alignment with available loads, according to R.L. Polk & Co.
February 27, 2012TMC Leader Lee Long Aims to Broaden Appeal of Truck Technical Careers to Younger Students
TAMPA, Fla. — Lee Long, the maintenance director of Southeastern Freight Lines and new chairman of American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council, said his biggest interest is drawing more people into work as heavy-duty technicians.
February 27, 2012Industry Leaders, Family, Friends Pay Tribute to Don Schneider During Memorial Service
Trucking industry leaders, company associates and family members paid tribute to Don Schneider, the former president and CEO of Schneider National Inc., in a memorial service attended by an estimated 700 people at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis., on Feb. 15. Schneider died in January after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
February 27, 2012Navistar to Pay Penalty on 13-Liter Engines That Were Sold But Didn’t Meet 2010 Rules
The Environmental Protection Agency has formally granted Navistar Inc. approval to pay up to a $1,900 penalty for each new heavy-duty engine it produces that is not compliant with 2010 federal emissions standards, the agency confirmed last week.
February 27, 2012Diesel Average Up 1.7¢ to $3.96
The price of retail diesel rose last week for the fourth consecutive time, edging up 1.7 cents a gallon to $3.96, the U.S. Department of Energy reported.
February 27, 2012Oil Ends Week Over $109 a Barrel
Oil extended its longest rally in two years, rising to finish the trading week over $109 a barrel, Bloomberg reported.
February 24, 2012