Operational costs

Negotiations between the Teamsters union and Yellow Corp. remain ongoing, with the fate of the nation’s third-largest LTL carrier hanging in the balance. Yellow is facing stiff resistance from the Teamsters over proposed operational changes that would consolidate operations between purchased regional carriers New Penn and Holland and integrate them into Yellow’s nationwide network.

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, the battle lines are being drawn in the regulatory fight over broker transparency. Plus, J.B. Hunt announced several executive changes, and self-driving startup TuSimple secures $350 million in funding.

All trucking operational costs fell in 2019 as freight demand contracted. Drivers earned less per mile but received bigger retention, signing and safety bonuses, according to the American Transportation Research Institute.

Rising driver wages and fuel costs pushed up the cost per mile to operate a commercial vehicle in 2017, according to an annual report released by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). The group said it cost $1.69 per mile to operate a truck last year, up 6% from 2016’s cost.