All publicly traded freight railroads reported higher profits in the first quarter, led by a strong rebound in coal transportation from the doldrums of recent years and continued improvement in the intermodal sector.

While crossing a small wooden bridge in northwestern Iowa on March 16, 20 rail tank cars in a mile-long train transporting ethanol flew off the tracks, sending fireballs into the sky as thousands of gallons of the biofuel leaked into the creek below.

Trailers purchased by fleets in 2018 must comply with Phase 2 of the greenhouse-gas rule from the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, but there will be a menu of equipment options for achieving compliance.

U.S. trailer orders climbed past 26,000 or about 24% higher, year-over-year, as cancellations increased to the highest level in five months, ACT Research Co. reported.

The freight train derailment on the Newburgh and New Windsor waterfront March 7 was just one of several making news across the country during the week of March 13.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Capitalizing on strong replacement demand, trailer makers said they are expanding product lines and features amid industrywide orders that skyrocketed 92% in January to more than 32,000.

U.S. net trailer orders in January shot up 92% year-over-year to almost 33,000 as dry van demand surged ahead, much as it has since November, ACT Research Co. said.