Business

About Business News...

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.

Business

Initial Jobless Claims Fall to One-Year Low

Initial jobless claims fell to their lowest level in a year, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

December 3, 2009
Business, Logistics

Dynamex Reports Lower 1Q Income

Logistics and delivery firm Dynamex Inc.’s fiscal first-quarter profit fell slightly to $3.03 million, or 31 cents a share, from $3.05 million, or 30 cents, a year ago.

December 2, 2009
Business, Safety, Government

Economy, Transport Activity Show Modest Increases, Fed Says

The U.S. economy improved modestly from October through mid-November as consumer spending rose in most areas and transportation activity showed some signs of improvement, the Federal Reserve said.

December 2, 2009
Business, Safety, Government, Equipment

Navistar Sets Venture to Build Electric Trucks

Navistar International Corp. said Wednesday that one of its affiliates will create a joint venture with U.K.-based Modec Ltd. to build Class 2 and 3 all-electric commercial trucks in the United States for sale to North, Central and South American markets.

December 2, 2009
Business

November Auto Sales Improve

U.S. auto sales improved year-over-year in November for the first time this year without a government-backed stimulus plan involved, a signal that buyers are returning to showrooms as the economy stabilizes, Bloomberg reported.

December 2, 2009
Business

UPS Chief Predicts Modest Gain in Holiday Shipments

UPS Inc.’s chief executive officer said he expects shipments to increase in the low single-digit range from a year ago during the peak season between Thanksgiving and Christmas, boosted by online purchases, Bloomberg reported.

December 2, 2009
Business

Opinion: Leasing Makes Hybrid Trucks Affordable

Interest in adopting environmental initiatives remains high among trucking firms in spite of the difficult economic conditions in which they’re operating, according to a new survey conducted by PHH Arval. Results of that survey were reported in the Transport Topics 2009 “Top 100 Private Carriers” supplement to the Aug. 3 issue.

December 2, 2009
Government, Business, Safety

Bill Calls for Study of Cargo Tank Rollovers

A provision in the hazmat safety bill pending passage by the full House instructs the Department of Transportation to issue a report summarizing the agency’s research and its efforts to address the growing problem of cargo tank truck rollovers.

December 1, 2009
Government, Business, Safety

Colo., N.C. Set Text-While-Driving Bans

Colorado and North Carolina have joined what is now nearly two dozen states banning texting while driving.

December 1, 2009
Business, Safety, Government

NAFTA Surface Trade Declines in September

Surface transportation trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico fell 20.2% in September from a year earlier, the Department of Transportation said Tuesday.

December 1, 2009