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.

Government, Business, Safety, Fuel

Kuehne & Nagel Profit Rises 34%

Kuehne & Nagel International AG, the world’s largest ocean freight forwarder, said Monday its third-quarter profit rose 34%, helped by increased air and ocean shipments, Bloomberg reported.

October 22, 2007
Government, Business, Safety

Trucking Leaders Gather to Discuss Global Economy, Regulations

Against the backdrop of political and regulatory uncertainty, American Trucking Associations members will come together this week to talk primarily about the business of trucking, the state of the industry, the health of the economy and new opportunities for carriers here and abroad.

October 21, 2007
Business, Equipment

Truck Sales Plunge 58.8% in September

Heavy-duty U.S. retail truck sales continued this year’s collapse in September, falling 58.8% as Class 8 volume totaled less than half year-earlier sales for the fifth month in a row, according to the latest survey from Ward’s Communications.

October 21, 2007
Government, Business, Safety

11th Driving Hour to Remain in HOS Rule, Graves Predicts

WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is expected to issue a revised hours-of-service rule that would keep two key provisions a federal court struck down but would address the court’s concerns over those provisions, according to ATA President Bill Graves.

October 21, 2007
Fuel, Business, Logistics, Government

Crude Oil Nears $90 a Barrel; Diesel Fuel Inches Up to $3.039

The national average retail price of diesel fuel rose 0.4 cent to $3.039 a gallon last week, the Department of Energy reported, and analysts were predicting additional increases as crude oil prices neared an un-precedented $90 a barrel.

October 21, 2007
Business

Daimler Unveils New Heavy-Duty Engine

REDFORD, Mich. — The Daimler Truck Group on Friday unveiled the first fruit of its five-year, $1.5 billion program to develop a single heavy-duty diesel engine to serve its markets around the world.

October 19, 2007
Government, Business, Safety

FMCSA Eases Hay, Straw Tie-Down Rule

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said last month that bales of hay and straw could be secured by less stringent methods than standard cargo-securing regulations require, because of the nature of those commodities.

October 19, 2007
Business

Caterpillar’s 3Q Profit Rises

Heavy equipment and diesel engine manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. said Friday its third-quarter profit jumped 21%, though it cut its full-year earnings outlook.

October 19, 2007
Government, Business, Safety

Rush Reports 3Q Earnings Dip

Truck dealership Rush Enterprises said its third-quarter earnings dipped to $13.1 million or 34 cents a share, from $16.4 million or 43 cents for the same quarter last year.

October 19, 2007
Business, Technology, Equipment, Safety, Government

iTECH: There’s More to Return on Investment Than a Price Tag

Return on investment is a standard measurement of the dollar value of an information technology system. Small or medium-sized fleets likely focus their financials on cost per truck — “per seat,” in the IT lexicon.

October 19, 2007