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.
Maersk to Boost Fuel Surcharge
A.P. Moeller-Maersk, the world’s largest ocean shipping line, is boosting its North America to Europe rates due to higher fuel costs, Bloomberg reported Monday.
April 16, 2007Bankruptcies Increase as Freight Declines
Trucking company failures jumped in the first quarter of 2007, and industry observers warned of tougher times ahead because of an uncertain economy, weak freight loads and rising fuel costs.
April 16, 2007IRS Says Fleets Face Sanctions
IRS officials told trucking executives that motor carriers must account properly for driver per-diem expenses or risk losing the tax-exempt status of the plans.
April 16, 2007Corrosion Takes Increasing Toll on Fleets, Trailers
What cigarettes are to smokers, corrosion is to highway trailers.
April 16, 2007Diesel Gains 5¢ to $2.84 a Gallon
The average price of U.S. retail diesel fuel climbed another 5 cents last week to $2.84 a gallon, reaching a seven-month high, and the Department of Energy warned that prices are unlikely to fall anytime soon.
April 16, 2007U.S. Xpress to Report 1Q Loss
Truckload carrier U.S. Xpress Enterprises said Friday it will report a first-quarter loss next week on declining freight demand and rising fuel costs.
April 13, 2007March Producer Prices Rise 1%
The producer price index rose 1% in March, the Labor Department reported Friday. The core PPI excluding food and energy was unchanged.
April 13, 2007Intermodal Traffic Falls Again
Rail and intermodal traffic declined last week compared with a year earlier, continuing a trend over the past month, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday.
April 12, 2007UPS Signs China Air Pact
UPS Inc. and the Shanghai, China, Airport Authority signed an agreement Thursday that is a step toward construction of an air hub at the Shanghai airport.
April 12, 2007CN Workers Begin Strike
Canadian National Railway Co.’s 2,800 union conductors and yard workers began rotating strikes Wednesday after rejecting a proposed one-year contract, Bloomberg reported.
April 12, 2007