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.
So. Calif. Ports Expected to Approve Program to Speed Purchase of 500 More LNG Trucks
Harbor commissioners at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., are expected to approve a plan next month to spend $46.5 million in new grant funding from the state to fast-track the purchase of up to 500 new liquefied natural gas trucks, officials with both ports said.
July 27, 2009Senators Address 3 DOT Nominations
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee advanced the nominations of several other key administration officials to the full Senate on July 21, including the nomination of Deborah Hersman to lead the National Transportation Safety Board.
July 27, 2009Senate Panel Passes FAA Reauthorization without Changing Courier Labor Rules
A Senate committee last week approved a bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration without a provision that would make it easier for some employees at FedEx Corp. to unionize.
July 27, 2009UPS 2nd-Qtr. Earnings Fall 49%, but 3 Main Units Stay Profitable
Second-quarter net income at UPS Inc. fell 49%, compared with a year earlier, but all three main divisions remained profitable despite the ongoing recession and a 16.7% decline in global revenue.
July 27, 2009Last Year’s Diesel-Price Nightmare Teaches Fleets to Diversify Options in Buying Strategies to Cut Costs
Diesel prices have dropped almost 50% since record levels last year, but fleets continue to work on cutting fuel costs, one of their largest expenses.
July 27, 2009Dems Still Split on Funding of Nation’s Highway Needs
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats continued to spar over how best to address the nation’s road transportation needs, as the Senate and House moved on opposing paths.
July 27, 2009Diesel Drops 4.6¢ to $2.496 in 4th Straight Weekly Decline
U.S. retail diesel prices dropped 4.6 cents last week to $2.496 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported — the fourth straight decline — but rising crude oil costs will soon lead to a reversal of that trend, a department analyst predicted.
July 27, 2009Oberstar ‘Troubled’ by Wetlines Warning
House Transportation Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.) said he was “deeply troubled” over a claim by truck safety inspectors that proposed legislation requiring the purging of flammable materials from tanker wetlines would be “difficult, if not impossible,” to enforce.
July 27, 2009ATA Joins Industry Group on Contractor Law to Protect Owner-Operator Business Model
Concern about the possibility of legislative threats to the use of owner-operators has led American Trucking Associations to join a Washington, D.C., lobbying group.
July 27, 2009Horizon Lines Loses $31 Million in 1Q
Ocean shipper Horizon Lines lost $31.1 million, or $1.02 a share, in the second quarter, compared with a profit of $5.8 million, or 19 cents, a year earlier.
July 24, 2009