Government

After some confusion, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department in California said March 17 the car plant was not “essential,” and like most other businesses must shut down under the county’s shelter-in-place order that took effect March 17.

American Trucking Associations is asking the Trump administration to take specific steps that will help the trucking industry in its efforts to keep stores and medical facilities stocked with supplies as the country battles the coronavirus pandemic.

FedEx announced March 17 that year-over-year quarterly net income for its fiscal third quarter fell 57% to $315 million, compared with $739 million in the same period a year ago. But Q3 revenue rose 3% to $17.5 billion from $17 billion a year ago.

Days after not ruling out a nationwide lockdown to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, President Donald Trump did not specify when the country would return to a sense of normalcy.

The U.S. government is coming out with new regulations aimed at changing automotive passenger safety standards that could be barriers to autonomous vehicles.

Tesla Inc.’s factory and other California operations will remain open in spite of a San Francisco Bay Area lockdown, with Elon Musk telling employees he will keep going in to work despite the spread of the coronavirus.

Boeing Co. has asked White House and congressional officials for short-term aid for itself, suppliers and airlines as the outlook for the travel industry worsens by the day because of the coronavirus outbreak, people familiar with the matter said.

The Trump administration is discussing a plan that could amount to as much as $1.2 trillion in spending — including direct payments of $1,000 or more to Americans within two weeks — to blunt some of the economic impact of the widening coronavirus outbreak.

The U.S. economy is rapidly moving from 121 consecutive months of growth to a recession, the result of consumers and businesses hitting the brakes over mounting fears of the coronavirus.

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have teamed up to institute restrictions on social gathering places. Trucking Association of New York President Kendra Hems said it still is too early to tell what the restrictions’ impacts on the industry will be.