Truckload

The sentencing of the last of an eight-man cargo theft ring in Miami and the indictment of 12 accused freight thieves in New Jersey come as criminals increasingly target supply chains. Shippers need anti-theft strategies.

Landstar System revenue rose 8 percent in the first eight weeks of the second quarter, as the company revved capacity up to 2008 levels to handle strong freight demand and capitalize on higher rates.

As trucking firms battle for qualified drivers, Covenant Transport is offering more than 1,000 team drivers on its payroll $1,000 a week in guaranteed minimum pay, perhaps the largest guarantee of its kind yet. That kind of guarantee requires strong support from shippers.

The U.S. federal government on Wednesday mandated that heavy trucks be equipped with electronic stability controls by Aug. 1, 2017, the latest in a series of actions taken by the federal government to improve safety that will ultimately contribute to higher truck rates.

Heavy trucks orders in the US and Canada dropped for the fifth straight month in May, falling 11 percent from April, as the truck market recovered from a sharp surge in sales in 2014, FTR said.

PeopleNet, a trucking technology company owned by $2.4 billion Trimble, last week purchased Cadec Global, a pioneer in fleet management technology. The acquisition underscores growing demand for end-to-end mobile computing networks among shippers and transport operators.

The value of goods trucked across the U.S.-Mexican border is outpacing the number of trucks making the crossing, rising twice as fast, U.S. transportation and trade data show.

For companies interested in oil field transportation, now is the time to buy. Low oil prices are encouraging acquisitions across the energy sector, including trucking. Canada's Aveda Transportation and Energy plans to bolster its U.S. expansion by acquiring Hodges Trucking in Oklahoma.

Electronically tethered convoys may be on the horizon. A U.S. study looks at linking trucks via vehicle-to-vehicle technologies that control speed and braking for safer, more efficient transportation.

Despite an uncertain economy, cross-border truck rates between the U.S. and Canada are rising, driving up overall trucking costs for Canadian shippers, Nulogx says. Currency fluctations and the need to secure capacity likely play a part in the price hikes.

Contract truckload rates are defying economic gravity, rising in April when truck tonnage and spot market rates slipped. The cause: capacity. Shippers apparently are willing to pay more to secure it for the long-term.

Spot market truck freight volumes in the U.S. dropped 10 percent in April from March, but remained above April 2013 levels, according to DAT Solutions. The sagging spot market is another indication that the U.S. economy has yet to find the lever to pull to restore the stronger growth it enjoyed in 2014.

Truck tonnage slipped 3 percent in April from March and rose only 1 percent from a year ago, but remains well above 2013 levels, according to the American Trucking Associations. That signals trucking may be driving across a new economic plateau.

The number of heavy truck drivers in the U.S. rose more quickly last year, breaking past 1.6 million for the first time since 2008, as higher pay and strong freight demand attracted recruits. Demand still reportedly outstrips the number of drivers, however, which is lower than in any year from 2005-2008.

The number of tractor-trailers crossing U.S. borders rose 2.4 percent in the first quarter, following a 4 percent increase last year, according to Department of Transportation data. Border crossings between the U.S. and Mexico outpaced U.S.-Canadian truck traffic.

As truck driver pay moves up by double-digits, trucking operators need to look beyond a decades-old business model for new ways to attract, keep and satisfy drivers. Treating them better is step one, a trucking veteran says. Guaranteed salaries may be another.

ACT Research expects the number of active Class 8 tractors in the U.S. to climb from 1.35 million last year to 1.43 million this year, but faster economic growth and a driver shortage could blunt any advantage for shippers.

U.S. shipment volumes and spending rose in April from March, but were down year-over-year, thanks to tough comparisons with a booming economy in 2014, Cass Information Systems said. The freight payment provider expects more growth ahead.

The JOC Truckload Capacity Index neared a six-year high as large truckload carriers added equipment, largely to dedicated operations, in the first quarter of 2015. That gave U.S. shippers some relief from landside capacity constraints that tightened in 2014.

Strong gains in chemical manufacturing make chemicals hauler Quality Distribution an attractive acquisition target for a private equity firm such as Apax Partners. Expect Apax to help fuel Quality's expansion through additional acquisitions.

The total revenue of U.S. trucking operators, for-hire and private, broke higher than $700 billion for the first time last year, as a stronger economy generated freight and supported higher truck pricing.

Waberer’s International, one of Europe’s largest trucking operators, is purchasing 500 new trailers as it expands business in Germany and its freight-hauling network in western Europe.

USA Truck posted its first profitable first quarter in eight years this week. It also marks the fourth consecutive profitable quarter for the firm as it pursues a new corporate strategy as a “capacity solutions provider,” the company said.

More driving schools, acquisitions and an expanded owner-operator fleet helped Celadon Trucking field more capacity and increase revenue and profit in the first quarter.

The softening U.S. truckload spot market and more balanced capacity point to shippers seeking to secure more trucks from asset-based contractual partners.

Swift Transportation will hike driver pay for the second time in less than a year as it plans to expand truck capacity 4.5 percent across multiple divisions in 2015. Expect shipper rates to keep pace.

Large, diversified truckload carriers found detours around the "soft patch" in the U.S. economy during the first quarter, with most increasing revenue and profit. A lack of drivers may have held back some companies.

Thousands of independent Brazilian truckers in Brazil are wracking shippers’ supply chains by holding blockages in five states across the country in protest of what they deem are low wages.

The Cass Truckload Linehaul Index rose 5.1 percent year-over-year in March and climbed 2.3 percent from February, a sign of healthy freight demand at the end of the first quarter.

Werner Enterprises easily passed a slow-moving economy in the first quarter, increasing trucking revenue 6 percent and net profit 61 percent. Freight demand remains strong in April, the company said.

Truck tonnage increased in March after a February fall, riding a wave of stronger consumer confidence, retail sales and U.S. imports.

Con-way Truckload is purchasing 635 new tractors with automated manual transmissions in a bid to attract drivers — especially new recruits.

Refrigerated trucking operator Marten Transport nearly doubled net profit in the first quarter while expanding dedicated operations as shippers scrambled to secure truck capacity.

The pace of truck rate increases could slow this year, if manufacturing continues to grow slowly and low energy prices deter capital investment, Wall Street analysts said. However, they see a storm coming in 2016-17.

Stronger pricing, better equipment utilization and strong intermodal growth helped lift the Arkansas-based carrier's fiscal first quarter profit to $91.9 million.

Shippers need to work with trucking suppliers to find ways to 'mitigate' driver shortage as pay hikes push up rates, Werner's Derek Leathers says.

Truck volumes on the U.S. spot market shot up 34 percent in March from February, as the spring surge in freight arrived at ports, loading docks, warehouses and retail stores.

Budapest, Hungary-based Waberer's International is building a network of trucking subsidiaries in Western Europe to connect with local shippers and expand its business faster.

Federal regulators ordered a South Carolina trucker off the road last week after a series of inspections revealed faulty brakes and other safety violations.

The 50 largest U.S. trucking companies increased their combined revenue by 10 percent or more than $10 billion to $117 billion in 2014, as the U.S. economy reached and maintained a higher growth rate.