Fed ‘Beige Book’ Cites Freight Slowdown
The U.S. economy has weakened since the start of the year, hitting both freight transportation and manufacturing, both of which are dealing with soaring energy prices, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday.
March 5, 2008ISM Services Index Improves, but Still Shows Contraction
The economy’s service sector contracted in February but improved from January, the Institute for Supply Management said Wednesday.
March 5, 2008Fourth-Quarter Productivity Revised Upward to 1.9%
Fourth-quarter U.S. worker productivity rose 1.9%, up from an earlier reported 1.8% figure, the Labor Department said Wednesday.
March 5, 2008DHS Announces TWIC Enrollment Dates for 10 Ports
The Department of Homeland Security said enrollment in its Transportation Worker Identification Credential program will begin at 10 more locations in coming weeks.
March 5, 2008Opinion: Be Ready to Explain Your SAFER Scores
Look closely at the tractors traveling down the road today and see if you can spot the real-time digital readout of the unit’s Safety and Fitness Electronic Record System scores.
March 4, 2008Letters to the Editor: Port Restrictions, Congress and LCVs, Hours of Service, Farewell Trucking
This is in response to the Port of Long Beach’s idea to restrict trucks at the port. It sounds like they are trying to eliminate owner-operators by forcing them to upgrade their trucks when they can barely survive with the cost of fuel and insurance, among other things, going through the roof.
March 4, 2008Landstar CEO Sees Higher Truck Rates
Landstar System Chief Executive Officer Henry Gerkens said the company may benefit from higher freight pricing this year as excess truck capacity shrinks, Bloomberg reported.
March 4, 2008Diesel Jumps 10.6¢ to Record $3.658
3he average national price of retail diesel fuel jumped 10.6 cents to a record $3.658 a gallon, following last week’s record $3.552, the Department of Energy said.
March 4, 2008NAFTA Surface Trade Climbs 3.1%
Surface trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico jumped 3.1% in December from a year earlier, the Department of Transportation said Monday.
March 3, 2008Coalition Presses Congress for Action on Safety Technology Tax Incentives
WASHINGTON — A coalition of law enforcement and equipment manufacturers pressed Congress to act on a bill that would give fleets a tax incentive for purchasing safety technology.
March 3, 2008