Trucking News

Reported U.S. cargo thefts from June through August declined 16 percent from the previous three months and averaged $182,115 per incident, according to FreightWatch International.

A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would prevent the publication of safety scores for trucking and bus companies and revamp the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s CSA scoring system.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has ordered Ken’s Trucking company, based in Grand Ridge, Florida, to immediately shut down following a federal investigation that revealed numerous violations of safety regulations.

The Teamsters union and safety advocates from the Highway and Auto Safety, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways have filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in attempt to force the agencies to issue a rule outlining training standards for entry-level truck drivers.

FedEx Freight, the smallest operating division of FedEx but biggest stand-alone U.S. trucking company, flew higher than the company’s flagship Express division in the last quarter, increasing its operating profit a lofty 70 percent to $168 million on a 13 percent increase in revenue to $1.61 billion.

An influx of freight and higher rates is boosting third-quarter profitability at YRC Worldwide, the company said Tuesday.

Rail service problems are starting to hurt truckers with intermodal operations, especially those such that move refrigerated goods, a transportation analyst says.

Advances in technology and shipper demand are leading trucking companies toward the 'connected enterprise' and closer ties to customer supply chains.

Despite reports of tight truckload capacity, the number of 'active' trucking firms is rising steadily, QualifiedCarriers.com reports.

Fast-growing third-party logistics companies are tuning into and tapping broad trends driving logistics growth in the U.S. and globally, including increased cross-border trade and the expansion of intermodal rail. Here are seven trends picked by XPO Logistics CEO Bradley S. Jacobs.

Transportation analysts hailed the $700 million investment XPO Logistics won from three global funds yesterday. The question, they said, is what XPO will buy with that money.

U.S. inventory and sales data released by the Commerce Department this week point to increased need to restock already lean inventories heading into the fourth quarter.

After staying flat for most of August, spot market truck rates began rising in early September, possibly en route toward a third peak in 2014 as US trucking’s peak season begins

Three global funds will invest $700 million in XPO Logistics, accelerating the fast-growing company's acquisition plans for 2014.

The case and the severity of the sentence underscores international concern about truck driver fatigue and the enforcement of daily work limits and adequate rest periods.

Hub Group said it expects its costs to rise at least temporarily with the company’s conversion of its 350 California drayage drivers to company employees in order to settle litigation alleging they were misclassified as independent contractors.

Cargo theft is about to enter its busiest season, and motor carriers, in particular, are advised to be on guard.

Freight shipments rose 2.3 percent in August from July, according to the Cass Freight Index, buoyed by increased U.S. manufacturing and the tail end of the peak season for containerized imports.

The U.S. intermodal sector has experienced significant growing pains, ranging from more concentrated discharge of import cargo at marine terminals to a deterioration in rail service. The inability of motor carriers to attract enough drivers to handle growth in demand also puts pressure on the so-called first and last miles of the intermodal legs.

Canada’s trucking industry is consolidating from the top down, with the largest less-than-truckload players buying smaller competitors to gain territory and build density as the Canadian economy grows.

Landstar System expects to post $3 billion in revenue this year as strong freight demand and tight truck capacity boost revenue by double-digit percentages in the early third quarter.

Trucking’s hiring plans stalled in August, as for-hire motor carriers with payroll numbers tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lost approximately 800 employees.

The so-called truck driver shortage largely has benefited intermodal rail — until now. Trucking’s increasing difficulty finding drivers to pilot big rigs has helped shift freight to intermodal containers, but it could also threaten future intermodal growth.

Heavy truck orders in the U.S. continued their long climb in August, rising 29 percent year-over-year as trucking operators replace aging equipment at a faster pace.

Shippers aren’t getting much of a break from high U.S. spot market truck rates.

As U.S. manufacturing gains steam, Old Dominion Freight Line is gaining freight.

Central Freight Lines reached out toward the East Coast last month by acquiring the less-than-truckload assets and business of Drug Transport, a Georgia-based company that in August filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors in bankruptcy court in Atlanta.

Chemical manufacturers are learning that if they build new U.S. facilities, Quality Distribution will come calling. The second-largest bulk trucking operator by revenue, Quality and its subsidiaries are in the midst of an expansion driven by increased U.S. chemical production.

The market for mobile transportation or telematics technology in the U.S. is evolving quickly as a U.S. mandate for electronic recordkeeping by truck drivers draws closer. One of the biggest telematics companies, Omnitracs, is acquiring rival XRS for $178 million.

UPS is making some major moves to tap growing domestic freight in Mexico, driven by the manufacturing sector and fueled by export demand and a burgeoning middle class.

A review of publicly owned trucking company earnings in the second quarter shows the strength of freight demand building up as the U.S. economy expanded, supporting growing expectations of a busier than typical peak shipping season in North America this fall.

Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with grain handlers in the Pacific Northwest, ending a two-year battle between the two parties.

The Indian federal government has approved a proposal to delegate more project approval authority to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in a bid to minimize delays in awarding of concession contracts.

Boyd Bros. Transportation and Interstate Distributor are the latest U.S. trucking companies to boost truck driver pay as motor carriers scramble to find drivers to move freight.

Spot market truck pricing is unseasonably high in late August, with shippers paying on average 16 cents more per mile for dry van trucks than a year ago, DAT Solutions said.

A U.S. appellate court panel ruled that as many as 2,300 FedEx Ground drivers in California and Oregon were employees, not independent contractors, when they worked for the package delivery company in the last decade.

Truckload operators are increasingly willing to pay more to secure the truck drivers needed to deliver trucking capacity to shipper customers.

A survey of 2,000 truck drivers by National Retail Systems showed that 79 percent listed pay as their top reason for deciding where to work.