Grocery stores curtail hours and enforce limits on staple purchases as coronavirus-induced panic buying empties store shelves of many items. High-touch retailers shutter stores.

American Airlines is cutting 75% of international wide-body flights because of the coronavirus, shifting bellies full of cargo to freighters that will increase shipping costs for automotive manufacturers and commodities from salmon to fashion wear.

Now in sync with lower tractor orders after equipment ordering binge, trailer bookings recorded their softest February since the Great Recession as coronavirus concerns gave fleets another reason to stay out of the market.

Class 8 truck manufacturers so far are staving off production cuts and layoffs, but they are watching their supply chains carefully for disruptions from the coronavirus that could further reduce already tepid demand for new equipment.

Steering advances, integrated steps over DEF tank among enhancements truck makers are bringing to market amid a continuing slowdown in new equipment orders

Lightweight electric van maker expects to build 300-400 units this year as transition to production inches forward while costs remain high amid Q4 revenue of just $3,000.

Western Star celebrated a production milestone the same week as parent Daimler Trucks elevated the off-highway truck segment for which the 53-year-old brand is best known.

Rather than talk about the proposed TRATON buyout of the company — the elephant in the room — Navistar executives unpacked reasons behind the disappointing first fiscal quarter they had predicted.

Difficult quarter met expectations as truck maker weighs unsolicited buyout offer from TRATON SE that would assure Big Four manufacturers remain in North American trucking industry.

Already feeble orders of new tractors took another hit in February as uncertainty over the business impact of the coronavirus kept fleets out of the market.

By providing leases that include hydrogen and maintenance for its fuel cell electric trucks for seven years, Nikola projects it will generate $3 billion in revenue by 2024.

After shunning public ownership, fuel cell truck startup Nikola watched as the WeWork debacle made private fundraising harder. Its merger with VectoIQ brings in about $700 million to help pay to build Nikola’s Class 8 truck plant and the beginning of a hydrogen fuel station network.

Higher fuel sales and restoration of the federal tax credit for biodiesel blending boosted the bottom line. However, operating margins continued to be under pressure and the travel center operator borrowed money to cover general expenses.

Wabco leverages its own intelligent antilock brakes and some help from other suppliers to create a connected and smart trailer platform.

Diesel-electric hybrids get less attention than pure electric Class 8 trucks, but niche leader Hyliion Inc. is selling them to Penske Truck Leasing with partner Dana Inc.’s Spicer Electrified components.

Roadside repair costs for trucks continuing to rise, hitting $450 per repair in the fourth quarter of 2019, up 26% over the same quarter in 2018

Over two decades and 2 million miles of trucking, Karl Williams has driven practically every brand of Class 8 tractor. Now behind the wheel of an electric Freightliner eCascadia, he relishes keeping his place in stop-and-go traffic and the sound of near silence.

Volvo Trucks North America and its sibling Mack Trucks later this year will allow individual truck drivers to schedule over-the-air updates typically handled by fleet managers.

Heavy-duty transmission maker Allison reported lower sales and profits across its product line with its North America on-highway business the sole exception.

Swollen inventories of heavy-duty trucks must shrink or manufacturers will need to cut production further to keep the industry order bank from declining further, ACT Research says.

With predictable short-haul drayage round trips from inland California to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, battery-powered trucks could account for up to half of NFI Industries’ 4,000-truck fleet by mid-decade.

As Daimler and Volvo leverage their global capabilities for battery-powered trucks in California, PACCAR picks Dana and Meritor as systems suppliers for its medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks.

By the time it begins limited production of zero-emission Class 8 electric trucks late this year, Volvo will know the pain points because of its ecosystem approach to battery-powered transportation.

North America propped up Daimler Trucks sales and earnings in 2019 as lower European and Asian volume, along with restructuring costs and settling emissions-cheating allegations dragged the industry leader’s results lower.

Old Dominion Freight Line sponsors Major League Baseball, and for eight of the 30 MLB teams, the less-than-truckload carrier helps make Florida and Arizona feel like home for six weeks of spring training.

Travel center trade group grapples with keeping incentives for biodiesel after 2022 as Trump administration devalues renewable fuel credits by exempting small refineries from the Renewable Fuel Standard.

Small companies jittery about investing in biodiesel blending with the federal tax credit in limbo are moving in now that the tax incentive on the cleaner-burning fuel is set through 2022.

ChargePoint, with more than 108,000 electric vehicle chargers, and travel plaza and truckstop association NATSO will use Volkswagen “Dieselgate” settlement money and other funds to build out an electric charging infrastructure at 4,000 travel plazas by 2030.

Year-over-year truck orders rose 10% to 17,700 in January, but bookings remain anemic as fleets place only critical equipment replacement orders.

Engine maker Cummins already was predicting a difficult 2020 before the outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China, where Cummins’ manufacturing operations are shuttered.

Power management company Eaton Corp. missed analyst estimates in the fourth quarter, partially because of weakness in the automotive sector and a $50 million warranty charge.

Startup XStream Trucking is in early talks with two major truck manufacturers about its aerodynamic drag-reducing TruckWings, but its first distribution deal makes them optional on compressed natural gas conversions by Agility Fuel Solutions.

Despite the first labor strike in 35 years and volatile orders for new trucks, Martin Weissburg says his current role as president of Mack Trucks is the favorite of his 15-year Volvo Group career.

Big investors like Carl Icahn will have a say in whether Volkswagen’s truck group buys the 83% of Navistar it does not already own, but CEO Troy Clarke’s expected age-related departure this year seems more than a coincidence in TRATON’s $2.9 billion bid.

Mack likes the stability of the medium-duty truck market, where it can sell small trucks to current customers without the dizzying ups and downs of the Class 8 market.

TRATON makes long-expected move to take over Navistar despite claiming disinterest. Navistar says it will take a look at the offer.

As more of its drivetrain business moves to electrification, Meritor focuses on integrating recent acquisitions TransPower and AxleTech.

Mack is back in medium-duty trucks with its first offering in two decades coming this summer from a new plant near Roanoke, Virginia.

PACCAR is riding a comparatively low inventory of unsold trucks into 2020 as new orders and production in the first quarter are expected to be down 5-7%, the company told analysts following its report of record revenue and profits in 2019.

Once the auto industry’s largest supplier, Delphi will disappear as it is absorbed into BorgWarner.

PACCAR overcame a slowdown in Class 8 truck orders to report record revenue and earnings in 2019, but fourth quarter results took a hit in both measures compared with a year ago.

Fiat Chrysler is recalling more than 222,000 ProMaster delivery vans whose customers include the U.S. Postal Service. The shifter cable to the transmission can detach, leading to a possible crash.

Electric trucks in big numbers are still years away, but interest among truck makers and fleets is widespread and growing.

Ryder is learning more about how to meet demand for short-term truck and trailer sharing, allowing lenders to cover lease payments and put money back in their businesses.

Seeing expansion of the truck stop business as finite, Pilot Flying J is rapidly expanding its energy business. Reflecting that is a name change to the Pilot Company, an homage to the single gas station founder Jim Haslam purchased in 1958.

The cost of hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric trucking could drop 50% by the end of the decade, making it competitive with other clean energy options and even conventional fuels like diesel.

Amazon moves to take over Pinnacle Logistics air cargo operations in Baltimore, Maryland and Rockford, Illinois, where it will rehire 3,000 Pinnacle employees facing layoff.

After making four investments totaling $12 million in electric truck systems supplier TransPower, Meritor is acquiring the rest of the company.

Fleet failures and bankruptcies contributed to a 14% decline in prices in 2019.

Honda and Isuzu said Wednesday they will work together to apply Honda R&D expertise in fuel cells to Isuzu trucks in Japan.

A slower year of trailer production is expected as the equipment backlog waiting to be built fell in 11 of 12 months in 2019.

Daimler Trucks is executing structural changes around the world because of sliding sales.

Kenworth skipped the fanfare in showing its Class 8 autonomous truck for the first time ar CES 2020.

The interior of the Nikola Two semi-tractor takes cues from modern airplane cockpits.

Add Werner Enterprises to the parade of companies testing battery-powered heavy-duty trucks in California.

Kenworth and Peterbilt will both put power electronics from Dana in their electric medium-duty trucks.

Continental Automotive’s Transparent Hood technology could help trucks see what’s over the hill ahead. #CES2020

Mercedes-Benz is shoring up its green credentials with the Avatar-inspired Vision AVTR concept car at #CES2020.

Toyota said at #CES2020 that it plans to build a 175-acre city of the future at the foot of Mt. Fuji in Japan that will operate on hydrogen fuel cells and solar power.

ZF Friedrichshafen said at #CES2020 that it will deliver a Level 4 autonomous driving system to a trucking customer by 2025.

German auto suppliier Robert Bosch combines an LCD panel, a driver-monitoring camera and facial tracking software to create a Virtual Visor that dramatically reduce sun glare for drivers.

New Class 8 truck orders dipped to their lowest level in a decade in 2019, payback for an ordering frenzy a year earlier.

Ryder is partnering with In-Charge Energy and ABB to make transition to electric vehicles easier.

Mack Trucks is recalling TerraPro models from 2019 and 2020 because the headlamps were not properly aimed during production.

Trailer orders move up and down but the overall industry is ending a decade of growth that is just beginning to slow.

It is sort of a hostage situation. New truck orders are stalled until used truck prices go higher.

Navistar International Corp. (NYSE: NAV) is regaining chunks of market share in medium- and heavy-duty trucks, winning back customers who walked away several years ago because they could not rely […]

Look for Volvo Trucks and Isuzu to start working together on electric and autonomous trucks next year.

The biodiesel blender credit reinstated by Congress Dec. 17 is a $3 billion a year boost to a less-polluting diesel fuel.

Navistar will cut 10% of its worldwide workforce even as it gained market share for the third consecutive year.

Travel Centers of America named turnaround expert Jonathan Pertchik its new CEO, effective immediately.

Navistar is recall four models of work trucks because they can move even with the parking brake on.

Platform Science ranked No. 10 on the FreightTech 25 list for 2019. Its open-platform technology streamlines transportation processes to help trucking fleets eliminate waste and save time and money.

Biodiesel blending is on the ropes awaiting congressional action on reinstating a tax credit.

Just in time for the holidays, Paccar declared a special dividend of $2.30 a share for stockholders of record by Dec. 20.

The electrification of commercial trucks is edging closer but the industry first must go through a “messy middle” that sorts out the future of diesel and other alternative fuels.

Volvo Trucks is building on sales of electric trucks for urban transport in Europe with battery-electric concepts for construction and regional distribution.

The power and fuel efficiency of truck engines continue to rise as their size and weight shrink.

The hype surrounding zero-emission electric trucks is evolving into real-world results for two major freight haulers. Both Penske Truck Leasing and NFI Industries have crossed 10,000 miles of battery-powered, zero-emissions freight hauling.

Preliminary orders for new Class 8 trucks tumbled again in November after one month of improved bookings, new evidence that a slowing manufacturing economy is sapping all but critical replacement demand.

A federal judge unsealed a 6-year-old whistleblower suit against Navistar Defense and Navistar International Corp. that seeks at least $1.28 billion in damages over allegedly forged defense contracts.

Cummins Inc. is winding down its centennial anniversary as the trucking industry it serves also slows. But the company has a history of emerging stronger from downturns.

Engine maker Cummins will lay off 2,000 workers in the first quarter of 2020, the latest impact of a trucking sector recession that is claiming jobs up and down the supply chain.

Daimler Trucks North America is recalling 2,725 Western Star brand 4900 and 5700 sleeper cabs from the 2016-2020 model years. About 4% of the recalled trucks are suspected of having an improper adhesive that could allow the vent windows to detach and fall from the trucks.

Volvo Trucks North America will lay off about 700 workers in January, extending an industry pullback in production to match slowing orders of new Class 8 trucks.

Workhorse Group has secured a $41 million loan in its third hedge fund deal in a year that the electric truck maker said will let it build out a backlog of 1,100 orders for lightweight commercial delivery vans.

The number of used Class 8 trucks for sale continues to grow as new equipment deliveries drain the backlog created during a 2018 order binge.

Hydrogen fuel cell electric truck maker Nikola Motor and Chinese battery-electric truck maker BYD teamed up to make an emissions-free beer delivery to the arena where the NHL Champion St. Louis Blues play hockey.

Pilot Flying J is targeting small trucking fleets with a new fueling network aligned with brands like Marathon Oil’s Speedway commercial fueling locations. It expects to have 250 outlets by the end of 2020.

Hydrogen fuel cell electric truck startup Nikola Corp. is touting a high-storage battery that could increase the current range of electric passenger cars from 300 to 600 miles with no increase in battery size.

Volvo Trucks North America and the Western Star brand of Daimler Trucks North America will recall nearly 3,700 trucks between them for separate steering-related issues that could cause a crash. Neither issue has resulted in any crashes or injuries, according to postings on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.

Preliminary orders for new trailers met expectations in October reached their highest level in 11 months, upholding expectations for a good, but not great 2020.

Thinking of technology as static is like buying 100 trucks and running them for 30 million miles — something you set once and forget., according to CarrierDIrect CEO Peter Rentschler.

Freightos, the world’s largest freight marketplace, sees transparent pricing of international freight benefiting shippers and forwarders alike.

Real estate is benefiting from the growth of e-commerce, where the supply chain is evolving from a cost center to a revenue generator.

Navistar will book a $140 million hit to fourth-quarter revenue because of the six-week United Auto Workers’ strike at General Motors.

In the final event of the opening day of FreightWaves LIVE, it appeared the fix was in to declare FreightWaves’ home city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, the best freight tech city in the country. But it didn’t happen.

All the platitudes about the value of a diverse workforce comes down to one question: What are you doing about it?

Author Ben Mezrich is no fan of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who Mezrich says should focus on the truth in Facebook political advertising. Mezrich wrote the best-selling story of Facebook’s founding called “Accidental Billionaires.”

Hyundai Translead, the largest producer of truck trailers in North America, is recalling 34,960 dry vans because the beam clip of the air hose spring assembly may detach from the trailer, allowing the air hoses to drag on the ground. An air leak and the increased possibility of a crash could result.