Trucks

Mexico truck makers break export record in August

Truck safety lobby pressures DOT on crash prevention

Pitney Bowes Parcel Shipping Index predicts record numbers ahead

Transborder freight between the U.S. and North American countries (Canada and Mexico) in January 2022

FreightWaves Founder and CEO Craig Fuller provides commentary/analysis on the trucking industry’s “driver shortage.”

These are the five spots where truckers are most likely to experience a rollover, according to a telematics company.

Big Benefits for Small Fleets: The CarrierHQ Difference

Understanding the differences among truckloads

The Northeast is the most likely region for collisions between commercial trucks and wild animals. These are the top five specific locations.

After months of tepid increases or decreases, industry tacks on a lot more workers

This look at the past week in images features a container crane collapse, Alaska snow and a decorated semi trailer.

Stats for Average Truck Speeds on Select Metropolitan Area Interstates

The automotive writer who tracked down Ford’s long-lost turbine semi-truck, ‘Big Red,’ says, “There is more to come.”

There’s a steep learning curve for importers and exporters now that the U.K. is no longer part of the European Union. Botched customs forms are leading to freight backlogs.

The online auction from Ritchie Bros. attracted 8,600 bidders from 62 countries using the Ritchie Bros. mobile app.

Darren Prokop writes about the key role that transportation in the war against COVID-19 – particularly trucks.

Winter weather can have a major impact on freight movement. Read meteoroligist Nick Austin’s article about winter weather conditions.

After consecutive years of record numbers, equipment orders have fallen to replacement cycle levels, making it feel like the industry has fallen off a cliff.

The key metric “net revenue per truck per week” is explained by Chris Henry.

Scott Burke expected the worst when the bird of prey hit his fully loaded Kenworth tractor-trailer going 50 mph. Instead, he got his rig to safety — and the bird is expected to make a full recovery.

As more and more carriers close up shop, leasing equipment has become a gamble that some companies may not want to take.

Manufacturers also call for the rapid roll-out of dedicated charging and refueling infrastructure to help reduce the share of trucks running on diesel.

Mexico’s national association of heavy duty truck and bus manufacturers (ANPACT), reported the manufacture of commercial trucks grew 6% in July, producing 20,006 units, when compared against 18,863 units in […]

Kentucky-based Legion Logistics has opened a new satellite office in the city of Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico.  The new international office, staffed by two bilingual freight specialists, gives Legion Logistics […]

Sandeep Kar has written a thought-provoking article about changes in trucks and how those changes affect truck drivers. He also writes about what the future may hold for truck drivers in the coming years.

United States and Mexican avocado growers and importers recently broke ground on a partnership facility called “Casa APEAM” in Uruapan, Mexico. The new $12 million facility will be a venture […]

After the threat of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, Mexican freight transporters  are now facing a new challenge with an anti-immigration checkpoint in Ciudad Juarez that is stretching wait times up […]

Why is it hot for carriers in Fayetteville, AR and why is rail suffering?

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill directing the Texas Department of Transportation to study the Ports-to-Plains Corridor, a plan that could extend Interstate 27 from Laredo all the way […]

Today on FreightWaves NOW, we hit reefer volumes and seasonality action out West, intermodal and rail year-over-year updates, and a jobs report.

Volvo and Mack used trucks are now backed by factory warranties of up to 24 months and 250,000 miles for parts and labor on certain components.

Managing a truck’s lifecycle proper requires understanding thousands of data points. Fleet Advantage is trying to make that process easier with its ATLAAS Unified system.

Providers are in the process of shutting down older 3G cellular networks, and that means the fleets running equipment on these networks could see disruptions.

Truck Parking Europe displays more than 34,000 parking spaces across Europe, and has over a million downloads on its smartphone application.

Nikola Motors is setting up its hydrogen truck manufacturing plant in Arizona, which is expected to roughly bring  about 2,000 jobs by 2024.

A convoy of more than 150 trucks is trekking 2,500 miles from Alberta to Canada’s capital, Ottawa, to push for more pipelines and less regulation of the energy regulation

Traffic jams are the worst. These 10 U.S. roads are the most likely to have bottlenecks that lead to traffic jams.

A high-level review of road safety governance has begun in Australia.A lack of road safety carries a terrible toll in lives and injuries in Australia

In partnership with Reliance Partners …Winter has set in, making it hard for truckers to navigate the snowed-in and slippery roads. Marilena Acevedo from PetroChoice outlines measures that could be taken by the fleet leadership and drivers to stay safe during these times.

Ford will build vans and midsize pickups under an alliance formed with Volkswagen, while tapping into VW’s autonomous and electric expertise.

New truck orders dipped in November, along with seasonal trends, but remain strong year-to-date with 468,000 units ordered so far in 2018.

The tax changes of 2017 caused some fleets to consider leasing as opposed to buying, and new accounting rule changes could have a similar effect, says Fleet Advantage.

In a surprise move, the Environmental Protection Agency has announced the Cleaner Trucks Initiative (CTI), which will try to rein in oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions from commercial vehicles.

It’s high-cotton for transport start-ups, panel says.

International’s new CV Series of Class 4-5 trucks is designed to help smaller companies scale and give larger fleets the opportunity to expand their businesses with one truck maker.

Fleet Advantage, the truck fleet analytics company has added new features to its ATLAAS solution including customizable dashboards that allows real-time truck visibility and identifying when an assest becomes economically obsolete.

International Trucks has introduced a new spec package for its LT Series that it says will increase fuel efficiency by up to 8%.

Peterbilt Motor Company has added two additional ratings to its MX-13 engine family for the 2019 model year, both aimed at increasing uptime and improving fuel economy for truck owners.

FreightWaves adds additional functionality to SONAR with tri-delta functionality on the Headhaul Index as well as the newly revised Trucks in Market, making it easier than ever to identify market disruptions.

The underlying science of glider kit emissions was the topic of a hearing on Thursday in Washington, although opponents of glider kits were not part of the panel.

Hurricane Florence bears down on the Carolinas. Freight markets are reacting before the first rain drops have fallen.

For those in the trucking industry, Mack Trucks – with its 111-year heritage – is certainly an iconic brand. For new Mack Trucks President Martin Weissburg, that was reinforced over the past four years as he led Volvo Construction Equipment in Europe.

Family owned TEC Equipment operates 26 Mack and Volvo truck dealerships in five states. In June, the company opened a $30 million location in Fontana, CA. Here is a look at that facility.

The American Trucking Associations and three Northeast-based motor carriers have sued Rhode Island over the implementation of truck-only tolls, claiming they are discriminatory and violate federal commerce laws.

Ford Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to potentially develop commercial vehicles as part of a strategic alliance.

There is now a bill in both the House and Senate that would repeal the 12% excise tax on new trucks and trailers.

Navistar has rolled out a series of new products in the last few years and the strong overall economy is helping the once-beleaguered truck maker rebound with another strong performance in its second-quarter earnings, beating Wall Street estimates.

Cashflow Corner presented by TriumphPay …For truck owners, it’s become more important than ever to ensure you know where your truck is, because if you don’t, it’s going to cost you.

After setting one record high after another in the early weeks of 2018, the weekly DAT Dry Van and Reefer Barometers have finally pulled back slightly, before stabilizing in a strong growth range.

Nikola Motor has sued Tesla for patent infringement on its Nikola One, at left. The Tesla model is at right. Nikola claims Tesla violated patents on door placement, wraparound windshield and the fuselage.

Tax changes have made leasing an even more inviting proposition for fleets, says the COO of Fleet Advantage.

Mack Trucks said it will have a fully electric Mack LR refuse truck model with an integrated Mack electric drivetrain operating in North America in 2019 and Freightliner introduced the EconicSD low-entry, cab-over-engine waste collection truck.

President Donald Trump’s tariffs appear to be driving up demand for American-produced aluminum and steel, but they are also driving up costs for equipment manufacturers.

What’s in a name? Well, while everyone understands what you’re referring to when you use one of these terms, they don’t actually all mean the same thing.

Demand for cheap products is rising, and a national “just-in-time” delivery network has placed trucking companies under economic pressure to move heavier and heavier loads.

Cashflow Corner presented by TriumphPay …Large fleets are benefited for years from fuel and maintenance discounts. Now, smaller fleets and owner-operators are starting to reap some of those same benefits.

Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) is pushing a vehicle miles tax in Washington as the solution to funding road and infrastructure improvements rather than raising fuel taxes.

Last fall, it was revealed that Hino – traditionally a medium-duty truck company owned by Toyota – would build a Class 8 truck for North America. That truck was unveiled on Wednesday at the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis.

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency provided more details into its Run on Less challenge from last fall that showed a real-world truck could achieve 10 mpg.

Have ELD’s worsen the truck parking problem? Perhaps, but the real problem remains where spots are located and letting drivers know those locations.

The Port of Dover has been honored with one of the UK’s highest awards for its congestion mitigation efforts.

As the UK government battles congestion at the ports of Dover and Folkestone, a decision by the government to rent space at Manston Airfield in the county of Kent for 3 million pounds is coming under fire.

What does the Tesla Semi look like? This gallery shows the truck for the first time, including what the inside of the day cab looks like.

James Hoffa, Teamsters’ president, doesn’t want anyone to forget the safety of trucks operating on American and Canadian roads. In an op-ed piece for The Detroit News, Hoffa noted that Teamsters chapters in the United States and Canada have joined forces to push an initiative for policy changes that will be beneficial for safety.

Mack Trucks executives updated general market conditions before officially unveiling its new Anthem long-haul model on Tuesday at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

Fleets outfitting their tractors with 6×2 axle are still finding benefits, but adoption of the configuration has been slow according to a North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) and Carbon War Room update to its 2013 Confidence Report on 6×2 axles.

Calling it the “most innovative, most exciting trucks from Volvo in 20 years,” Volvo Trucks North America officially took the wraps of its updated VNL family of trucks.

Volvo Trucks this week introduced its updated VNL series, provided additional updates on its recently introduced VNR series, and showed off its new Customer Center at its growing Dublin, VA, facility.

Stanford researchers have successfully charged an object while it was in motion, potentially leading to in-motion charging of vehicles in the future. “The hope is that you’ll be able to charge your electric car while you’re driving down the highway,” says Shanhui Fan, professor of electrical engineering at Stanford.

A new market analysis by Noel Perry, truck & transportation expert for FTR Transportation Intelligence, argues the economics of 33-foot doubles – and, based solely on economic reasons, there is a valid case, Perry says.

In Pakistan, drivers care so much for their trucks that they turn them into works of art. Also, NATSO opposes rest stop privatization plan, working with robots and the path to better trade deals.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has proposed a pilot program on truck driver split-sleeper berth time and hot it affects driver safety performance and fatigue. Also, a new driver training rule has gone into effect and how do you value truck manufacturers? 

If past Roadcheck trends hold true, shippers moving flatbed loads will face higher rates because of this year’s inspection blitz. But they won’t be the only ones impacted by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual safety campaign, which begins today and runs through June 8.

Since its founding, LinkeDrive has become synonymous with driver performance coaching. Its PedalCoach product has helped thousands of drivers achieve higher fuel efficiency and boost safety performance. It turns out, though, that the data it is generating has a lot more potential.

A boom in U.S. oil production is not only helping keep fuel prices low, but it is driving more trucking business. The addition of a 2-rig, 8-well design could drive between “5,850 to 8,905 truckloads of equipment, drilling fluids, sand, water, etc.”

A Court of Appeals has granted a 90-day delay requested by EPA and NHTSA in a lawsuit brought by the Truck Trailer Manufacturer’s Association over the government’s Phase 2 Greenhouse Gas regulations. EPA requested the delay in part so that it can review the rule, throwing some uncertainty into implementation of the rule.

Unlike autonomous vehicles, a driver remains in ultimate control of a truck while in platoon formation. Because of this, it is likely that two-truck platooning will be available to fleets later this year. 

This Week in Trucking, the EPA has filed a court brief seeking a delay in a challenge to its greenhouse gas regulations, leading to speculation that the agency may review the upcoming Phase 2 rules. Also, the government has acknowledged it is lacking answers for regulating automated vehicles, Amazon jumps into the driverless vehicle arena and the economy is off to a slow start in 2017.

This Week in Trucking, the CEO of Old Dominion Freight Line suggests boosting federal fuel taxes to pay for infrastructure improvements and Texas is the first state to require ELDs for intrastate commercial drivers. Also, Toyota unveils a hydrogen fuel cell Class 8 tractor.

While life on the road can be difficult for many truck drivers, it’s not made any easier by the demands from carriers looking out for the bottom line. That’s why One20 has been busy building a series of products and services designed with the truck driver in mind.  

Trucking fleets have been hit with a series of equipment price increases in recent years due to new government regulations, including thousands of dollars for tractors due to greenhouse gas regulations. The new electronic stability control regulation, though, may be one where the benefit far outweighs its minimal cost.

There is a lot of fear among drivers that they are being displaced by autonomous vehicles, and plenty of companies building these vehicles are looking to do just that. But one company is approaching the autonomous space with an eye on keeping drivers employed and improving their lives.

This week in the Week in Trucking, we look at improving truck orders and optimism among carriers, why consumer GPS devices don’t work in trucking, GE’s approaching to training workers and how one carrier is finding success by offering its drivers video.

In this week’s edition of the Week in Trucking, a major bridge collapse in Atlanta will cause traffic nightmares for months and the trucking industry sees a significant drop in driver turnover. Also, are regulations forcing trucking companies to run unsafe trucks?

Each week, the industry sees the introduction of new technologies and regulations along with information that affects how each carrier, shipper, and 3PL operates. Each Friday, FreightWaves will provide a look back at some of the industry’s top stories you may have missed. 

A University of Michigan study found that only 9.7% of those surveyed said they have no concerns about fully autonomous vehicles. But what about driving alongside an 80,000-lb. autonomous big rig? These are already being tested on roads and could be operational within five years. Is the industry ready for the disruption autonomous trucks will cause?

In a world of volatile diesel fuel prices that rise and fall on a daily basis, the biggest operational variable for any trucking fleet is not within their control. Nikola Motor is promising to change that with its hydrogen-powered electric tractor. U.S. Xpress, is one fleet that believes the future may be hydrogen.

For anyone involved in the movement of goods, weather plays a great unknown. It can cause delays and even cancelled orders, which means lost revenue. But one company is trying to help identify potential weather issues so vehicles can be safely rerouted.