Abrupt Capacity Shortage Threatens Trucking, Celadon’s Chief Warns Annual ALK Summit
PRINCETON, N.J. — There could be an “instantaneous capacity shortage” in the United States this year or next because of a “perfect storm” fed by an aging, shrinking truck fleet and a lack of good drivers, said Paul Will, president and chief operating officer of Celadon Group.
May 9, 2011Horizon Lines Reports $33.3 Million 1Q Loss
Horizon Lines Inc., the ocean carrier that provides service between the U.S. mainland and Alaska as well as other locations, said it lost $33.3 million in the fiscal first quarter ended March 27, a loss that was nearly three times greater than the comparable 2010 period.
May 9, 2011April Truck Orders Surge
Orders for new Class 8 trucks in North America shot up dramatically in April to around 38,000, about 160% higher than the year-ago level, lengthening delivery schedules, according to industry officials.
May 9, 2011Used Class 8 Prices Rise as Inventory Tightens
The average price of used Class 8 trucks rose again in March, increasing 6% from February, and buyers accepted higher-mileage vehicles as well, according to ACT Research Co. and retail dealers.
May 9, 2011Gasoline Hits $4 National Average, Lundberg Survey Says
Gasoline’s national average has reached $4 a gallon, about a dime below its all-time high, according to the latest Lundberg Survey of filling stations released Sunday.
May 9, 2011Trailer Production in March More Than Doubles From 2010
Both orders and factory production of new commercial trailers more than doubled in March, compared with the same month of 2010 and leading to escalating prices and longer wait times, industry officials have said.
May 9, 2011Industry Groups Blast Bill in Congress that Imposes Truck Size, Weight Limits
WASHINGTON — Trucking industry groups last week criticized a bill introduced by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) aimed at freezing truck size and weight limits on the 160,000-mile National Highway System, saying it would block increases in truck productivity.
May 9, 2011Costly Fees, Red Tape Discourage Drivers from Getting Hazmat Credentials, Hill Told
Multiple security background checks and costly fees have caused the population of truck drivers with Transportation Security Administration hazardous materials endorsements to decline by roughly 1.2 million since 2004, a top American Trucking Associations official told a congressional subcommittee last week.
May 9, 2011Truck Firms in South Continue to Operate Despite Devastation, Death from Tornadoes
At Boyd Bros. Transportation Inc. in Birmingham, Ala., Chris Cooper, grandson of the founder, has been running the firm from the cab of his pickup truck since one of the most powerful tornadoes on record devastated Tuscaloosa April 27 before reaching Boyd’s office about 55 miles away.
May 9, 2011Draft of White House Plan Mulls Mileage Tax, New Tolls
A draft of the Obama administration’s transportation reauthorization plan calls for creation of an office within the Federal Highway Administration that would spend six years studying a vehicle-miles-traveled tax to help fund the nation’s surface transportation system.
May 9, 2011