For-Hire Carriers Endured a Painful Year, But Certain Niches Thrived, TT 100 Shows
It has been a year of retrenchment for most, but not all, of the largest for-hire carriers in the United States and Canada, as fleets scramble to cope with record fuel prices and weak freight demand.
July 21, 2008June Truck Sales Rise 9.5%
Heavy-duty U.S. retail truck sales grew by 9.5% in June, compared with year-ago levels, and ended a streak of 17 consecutive months of contraction, according to the latest survey by WardsAuto.com.
July 21, 2008Smaller Fleets Seeking Buyers as Strategy to Avoid Bankruptcy
Behind this year’s surge in trucking company failures, brought on largely by the double-whammy of slow freight and skyrocketing fuel prices, is another ominous trend: a sharp increase in the number of motor carriers asking larger competitors to buy them out.
July 21, 2008Diesel Rises 3.7¢ to Record $4.764; Crude Drops
The U.S. retail diesel average rose 3.7 cents last week to another record, $4.764 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported, while the price of crude oil posted its largest single-day drop in 17 years on July 15.
July 21, 2008Philadelphia Manufacturing Index Declines
Manufacturing levels in the Philadelphia region showed contraction in July for the eighth straight month, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said Thursday.
July 17, 2008Housing Starts Jump 9.1%; Single-Family Home Starts Lag
New housing starts surged in June led by more multifamily construction, but single-family home starts fell, the Commerce Department said Thursday.
July 17, 2008NHTSA Chief Nicole Nason to Step Down in August
Nicole Nason, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, told Transportation Secretary Mary Peters she plans to leave the agency in August, the Associated Press reported.
July 17, 2008June CPI Jumps 1.1%; Increase Is Biggest in 26 Years
Consumer prices jumped 1.1% in June, the biggest monthly increase in 26 years, the Labor Department said Wednesday.
July 16, 2008Letters to the Editor: Speed Limiters, Freeway Trucks, Trucker Finances, Fuel Costs
I believe it would be appropriate to have a new regulation limiting the speed of vehicles on the highway. The speed at which some truckers are driving today is stupid, and some people should go to jail for that.
July 15, 2008Business Inventories Rise 0.3%
Business inventories rose 0.3% in May, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.
July 15, 2008