Trucking

Education of all levels of drivers is needed to prevent crashes and casualties.

Management from the nation’s largest flatbed operator, Daseke, says the demand backlog extends for “the foreseeable future.”

Ascend announced Tuesday that it is expanding its footprint with the acquisition of Dedicated Transportation Solutions.

The owner of an Iowa trucking company was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for his role in a seven-year, $1.4 million payroll tax scheme.

Paccar Q4 new truck deliveries were up 45% over Q3, suggesting some easing of supply chain disruptions and semiconductor shortages.

The American Chemistry Council chats with FreightWaves about why government leaders should keep transportation issues at the forefront of policymaking, especially in light of anticipated growth in production of chemicals.

In the aftermath of Central Freight Lines’ abrupt closure five weeks ago, many of the company’s 2,100 employees, including 1,325 truck drivers, are struggling with paycheck concerns and questions about when or if they will receive vacation pay and unemployment benefits, while others claim they were subjected to unsafe working conditions at the company’s headquarters in Waco, Texas.

As truckers across Canada protest vaccine mandates at the U.S. border, an unvaccinated owner-operator says she faces financial ruin over the jab requirement.

The less-than-truckload service provider is using low-carbon diesel, efficiency improvements and electrification to reduce emissions.

Zero-percent factoring will be able to provide relationships and data that can be used as a foundation for other trucking support businesses, according to BasicBlock’s CEO.

“We decided this rebrand was right for us now because we knew people tend to think of us based on what our business did when they met us or based on what service they hired us for. We’re so much more now and wanted our name and brand to represent that.” says CEO Peter Rentschler.

The infrastructure, cost and emissions benefits of renewable natural gas make it a promising alternative fuel to decarbonize trucking, experts said.

Driving long-haul reefer trucks can be challenging, according to message boards and trucking forums.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Mexico’s commercial truck makers finish the year on a high note; a German automotive company is opening a $59 million plant in Querétaro; Nissan is laying off more than 500 workers at a Mexican plant; and LGT Transport is opening a trucking facility in Texas.

This week: DHL helps rescue five lions and a tiger; Schneider receives the SanMar Mask Award; and C.H. Robinson begins taking applications for student scholarships from carriers and employees.

As the U.S. cuts off borders to unvaccinated truckers, the impacts for Canadian trucking companies run the gamut from a punch in the gut to business as usual.

Manufacturers are feeling the pressure to up their production big time, and that means finding ways to get around continued hurdles like shortages.

Triumph’s CEO Graft is not holding back, likening the automated deals to the invention of the telephone in terms of technical significance.

Carriers, truck brokers and leasing companies will see annual fees collected by states reduced by up to $15,000 per year.

Host John Kingston also looks at renewable diesel, which might not be as plentiful as envisioned.

Supply chain disruptions are blamed for mixed results at Gulf Coast ports.

Leveraging its nationwide network of more than 7,000 attorneys, TVC has a high success rate reducing or dismissing citations.

The U.S. government moves forward with its COVID-19 vaccine mandate despite fears that thousands of truck drivers will leave cross-border freight.

Heartland Express announced 2021 was its best year since going public. Fourth-quarter results were in line with consensus.

Extending a long-term relationship with Isuzu, Cummins will power a Class 6 medium-duty cabover battery-electric prototype.

P.A.M. Transportation Services finished 2021 on a high note, posting another large earnings beat during the fourth quarter.

The Biden administration announced Robin Hutcheson will replace Meera Joshi as FMCSA deputy administrator.

David Weil would have a key role in determining the federal definition of an independent contractor.

The Biden administration has rejected assertions made by safety groups that more flexible hours-of-service rules will make roads less safe.

Legion Logistics Chief People Person Kyle Kosco chats with FreightWaves’ freight broker/3PL market expert Mary O’Connell on the strategies that go into creating a company culture that attracts and retains employees.

“People see themselves valued more by the marketplace sometimes than they do by where they are, and that’s why you suddenly see a lot of this Great Resignation business,” said Adrian Chapman, owner and CEO of Cover 3 Consulting.

FreightWaves’ Kevin Hill chats with SandTable founder Michael Fullam about his recent brokerage launch during the Sales & Marketing Summit.

As carriers face stiff competition for drivers, Ten4 Recruiting President Matt Beach explains what it takes to recruit them — beyond big bonuses and higher rates.

“Before you start your TikTok or before you start your social media platform, make sure that you have a goal in mind,” said Luke Kostka, co-founder and creative director at New Norml Media.

ArcBest announced a $25 million investment in a software company that provides remote operation of forklifts and trucks.

Communicating expectations with drivers and customers lowers the sales risk in the volatile perishables market.

Schneider’s intermodal profits in the first nine months of 2020 were double those of a year earlier.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services beat fourth-quarter expectations. Visibility into 2022 remains murky but management is calling for continued growth.

While vaccine mandates prompt real fears of a cross-border capacity crunch, the cost of moving freight between the U.S. and Canada has been underpriced for too long.

J.B. Hunt’s fourth quarter comes in ahead of consensus as the intermodal, brokerage and truckload divisions see notable year-over-year improvements.

Nikola secures a long-term battery supply for its electric trucks with Proterra, which earlier locked up critical cells with LG Energy Solution Electric.

All Daimler Truck segments reported higher sales in 2021 as the recent spinoff posted its first numbers as a publicly traded entity.

Another guilty plea last week brings the total to 30 for the U.S. attorney’s office.

XPO adds two terminals and 50 dock doors to its North American network.

KLLM Transport Services is the latest carrier to announce a historic pay increase for drivers.

Comments coming into FMCSA look to be mostly opposed to the Apprenticeship Pilot Program.

Used truck prices continued to rise as 2021 ended with a short supply of late-model used trucks the main culprit, but there were other reasons too.

For years, the industry has asked for the ability to expand its driver workforce. FMCSA’s apprenticeship program is that opportunity, and now is time to jump on this opportunity.

“We need to be able to not only get that data, but as a transportation industry, we need to understand how to interpret that data,” said Brad Benbow, business growth investments at Ardagh Group.

A confluence of critical events will determine if the company can deliver on its margin improvement pledge.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Mexican fishing vessels will be barred from US Gulf ports; Mexico drops to third place among U.S. trade partners; Canada joins Mexico in a USMCA automotive dispute; and FedEx will open a distribution center in central Texas.

This week: the transportation industry supports Truckers Against Trafficking, J.B. Hunt drivers donate school supplies to their kids’ teachers and Mayor Pete gets a bobblehead.

As the vaccine mandates begin for truckers at the U.S.-Canada border, here are five burning questions about what’s required, how many drivers might leave and what the freight markets are telling us.

Time is running out for trucking companies to upgrade or replace third-generation mobile devices to 5G network services or face possible violations if logging devices can’t function properly.

Schneider National says it will shut down its Canada-based business, impacting 150 personnel including truck drivers, by the end of March.

Jackknifed trucks were a problem during the recent snowstorm that shut down I-95; a senator thinks he has a solution.

The Biden administration unveiled on Friday the state allocations for a historic $27 billion bridge replacement and construction program with California coming out on top.

Truck Tech is a weekly newsletter providing perspective and context on autonomy, electrification and other technologies impacting the fleet ecosystem.

Also covered on the podcast is the spillover from the natural gas price surge.

Sandeep Kar, Noregon’s new chief strategy officer, pinpoints the issues facing his industry and his priorities in his new role.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is ramping up studies analyzing truck driver pay and unpaid detention time.

Worker outages and parts shortages becoming status quo for beleaguered trailer manufacturers.

Canadian officials say rules for unvaccinated Canadian truckers at border are still coming into force after erroneous statements sow confusion.

The partnership between Trucker Path and Loadsmart aims to provide more freight hauling opportunities to small carriers and owner-operators.

There is no turning back on the transition from diesel to battery- electric trucks, especially with hefty incentives offsetting their higher upfront cost.

American Trucking Associations was one of the many plaintiffs in the lawsuit that challenged the OSHA rules on 100-plus worker companies.

There had not been formal guidance on truck driver status since the secretary of labor said they would not fall under the rule.

At least one Canadian carrier is taking it on the chin when it comes to losses suffered after devastating floods.

Canada has scrapped plans to subject unvaccinated Canadian truckers to testing and quarantines after returning from the United States.

Federal watchdogs tell the Biden administration that more research is needed to ramp up a national user fee system to eventually replace the gas tax as the main way to fund highway construction.

Ascend is a new dry van regional middle-mile carrier offering driver pay in the $71,000 to $82,000 range annually.

December data from Cass Information Systems shows freight shipments and expenditures continued a surge to close 2021.

Sales focus on Asia by spin-off of Horizon Fuel Cell Technology brought weak prices despite surpassing delivery projections.

Private money can add parking better than public money because there is only so much that can be done with public spending on interstate rest areas.

Transport refrigeration company Thermo King’s R452A refrigerant will reportedly reduce carbon emissions by 50%.

Following numerous transportation and logistics deals in 2021, industry insiders discuss lofty expectations for 2022.

The Project Evolve initiative may take UPS’ visibility tools further than they’ve ever gone before.

Port X Logistics adds warehousing and transportation provider Denver Express to its portfolio.

A truckload carrier-backed study finds cocaine and opioid abuse by truckers are underreported at FMCSA.

With a growing stack of letters of intent, Nikola approaches player status in electric trucks if its demonstration units meet performance requirements.

A bill in the state of New York proposes environmental and social disclosure requirements for fashion companies.

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) predicts the industry will be a record 80,000 drivers short in the next year.

2021 was a banner year for The Port of Virginia, SC Ports and Alabama Port Authority.

Fuel savings realized from the SuperTruck II program could translate to less battery mass and greater driving range for electric trucks.

Canada Cartage makes its fifth acquisition in the past year as it buys Quebec-based dedicated contract carrier Laurentien Transportation.

Intermodal trucking company RoadOne adds dedicated carrier EHS Trucking to its network. The deal marks its ninth acquisition in the last five years.

A U.S. trade agency said lower cucumber and squash import volumes would have led to higher import prices and a shift toward consumption of domestic varieties.

A perplexing power distribution module causing lighting failures on Freightliner Custom Chassis has led to a third recall for the problem.

The omicron variant is depleting aircrews at FedEx just as it has among passenger airlines, resulting in customer delays for both industries.

The Top 500 list of the largest U.S.-based for-hire trucking fleets is ranked on the basis of tractor count.

Christenson Transportation announced Monday that it is expanding its freight network with the recent acquisition of Sharp Transport Inc.

“The first thing to do is to have an understanding of what type of offset it is that you’re looking for because there’s quite a range of pricing,” said Andrew Hall, director of sustainable finance at Trayport.

An NLRB judge appears mostly critical of the trucking company’s behavior but ruled in its favor on the key legal question.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Asian firm to build $43M EV motor core factory in Mexico; Mexico requests USMCA resolution panel to settle dispute; East West manufacturing expands into Texas and Mexico; and CBP seizes fake AirPods, Nintendo consoles in Houston.

This week: Operation Lifesaver celebrates 50 years of rail safety education, PCG donates 20,000 boxes to service organizations and Gopuff begins delivering COVID-19 tests in 20 mins.

A collaborative effort kept the delivery Grinch at bay this peak season.

Minnesota trucking company Bay & Bay Transportation says it was recently targeted in a ransomware attack for the second time since 2018.

UPS matched last year’s performance, while the Postal Service improved considerably, ShipMatrix says.

Truck Tech is a weekly newsletter focusing on autonomous, connected and electric innovations in the trucking ecosystem for fleets.

Host John Kingston dives into the surging price of oil and diesel.