Trucking Business News

About Business News...

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.

Government, Business, Safety, Equipment

August Class 8 Truck Sales Slide 33%

Sales of new heavy-duty trucks in the United States fell 33.3% in August from year-ago levels, the eighth consecutive monthly decline.

September 21, 2009
Business, Government, Safety, Fuel, Logistics, Autonomous

DOT, EPA Propose National Standards for Fuel Efficiency, Greenhouse Gasses

The Obama administration last week issued its proposed new fuel efficiency and first-ever national greenhouse gases reduction standards for passenger cars and light trucks.

September 21, 2009
Business, Fuel, Safety

House Passes Legislation to Fund Research on Technology for Alternative-Energy Vehicles

The House passed legislation last week authorizing $2.85 billion for the development of electric and hybrid technologies that can be used to create alternative-energy vehicles.

September 21, 2009
Business, Government, Safety, Autonomous

FMCSA Allows Longer Period to Comment on UCR Fee Hike

As trucking groups continue to express opposition toward the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s proposal to more than double registration fees starting in 2010, the agency said it was extending the public comment period by 10 days.

September 21, 2009
Business, Government, Safety, Logistics, Autonomous

Mohawk Truck Technician Tops at SuperTech 2009

RALEIGH, N.C. — After four years of learning, technician Christopher Tate, 37, overcame the challenges of 81 competitors, 14 skills station hurdles and a four-hour written test to lay claim to the title of grand national champion of SuperTech 2009.

September 21, 2009
Business

FedEx’s Net Income Drops 53% in Quarter

FedEx Corp.’s Freight unit re-versed two quarters of losses and posted a $2 million profit in the first quarter of fiscal 2010, but the corporation’s net income fell 53% to $181 million from a year earlier.

September 21, 2009
Business, Safety, Government

House Panel Develops Highway Law Extension

The House transportation committee is preparing a short-term extension of the current highway funding law, while continuing work on a long-term replacement for the legislation that expires in less than two weeks.

September 21, 2009
Business, Government, Safety, Equipment, Autonomous

Buyers to Have More Brake Choices

RALEIGH, N.C. — The federal stopping-distance rule announced in late July will generate lots of technical choices for truck buyers, but manufacturing executives told fleet managers here the engineering changes should be minimally disruptive.

September 21, 2009
Government, Business, Fuel

Diesel Price Declines Again

The U.S. retail diesel average price fell 1.3 cents to $2.634 a gallon in its second consecutive post-Labor Day dip, the Department of Energy said last week.

September 21, 2009
Business

Chrysler’s Illinois Plant to Boost Output

Chrysler Group will add a second shift with about 850 workers at its Belvidere, Ill., plant to boost production of its Dodge Caliber crossover car, Bloomberg reported.

September 18, 2009