Transport Topics
Episodes
Transport Topics (March 2, 2021)
02 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Shipping has started for the third COVID-19 vaccine. Johnson & Johnson’s version was cleared by U.S. regulators over the weekend, allowing for the d...
Transport Topics (March 1, 2020)
01 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
TravelCenters of America Inc. reported a fourth-quarter loss and a decline in revenue while also noting it is preparing for the alternative energy mar...
Transport Topics (February 26, 2021)
26 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Based on January sales of used Class 8 vehicles, ACT Research is projecting a 6% increase in total sales this year compared to 2020. Roughly 20,700 us...
Transport Topics (February 25, 2020)
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Trucks traveled more swiftly on historically congested roads in 2020, as the pandemic kept some automobiles off the road. That’s the finding of a ne...
Transport Topics (Feb. 24, 2021)
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
January truck tonnage fell 2.1% compared with year-ago levels, but ticked up 1.4% over December 2020 — a continuation of several months’ worth of ...
Transport Topics (February 23, 2021)
23 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Yellow Corp., the company formerly known as YRC Worldwide, announced a new initiative yesterday that seeks to bring up to 1,500 new truck drivers to t...
Transport Topics (Feb. 22, 2021)
22 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A district court judge in Chattanooga, Tenn., wants prosecutors and defense attorneys to decide on a fall date for the retrial of former Pilot Flying ...
Transport Topics (February 19, 2021)
19 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For the second summer in a row, COVID-19 has forced the cancellation of the National Truck Driving Championships and National Step Van Driving Champio...
Transport Topics (February 18, 2021)
18 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Details of the Biden administration’s infrastructure package haven’t been unveiled, but that day might come soon. White House Press Secretary Jen ...
Transport Topics (Feb. 17, 2021)
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Daimler Truck A-G announced Tuesday it appointed John O’Leary as the next president and CEO of Daimler Trucks North America, the leading truck maker...
Transport Topics (Feb. 15, 2021)
16 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Kenworth introduced its T680 Next Generation on-highway flagship truck that includes a 15-inch digital display, fully LED headlamps, additional advanc...
Transport Topics (February 12, 2021)
12 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Texas and Ohio, which serve as important freight hubs, earned mediocre grades on the infrastructure report cards released by the American Society of C...
Transport Topics (February 11, 2021)
11 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Utah-based motor carrier C.R. England this week filed a civil lawsuit alleging that a New Orleans law firm and six co-conspirators were paid nearly $5...
Transport Topics (Feb. 10. 2021)
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will quarantine for 14 days after being in close contact with a member of his security detail who tested posit...
Transport Topics (February 9, 2021)
09 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Daimler AG’s plan to spin off its truck division has earned praise throughout the industry since its announcement last week. But perhaps no one is h...
Transport Topics (February 8, 2021)
08 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The company formerly known as YRC Worldwide, now going by Yellow Corporation, released its first earnings report since its name change, reporting Q4 n...
Transport Topics (February 5, 2021)
05 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
North American Class 8 orders are off to a stronger-than-expected start in 2021. ACT Research reported 42,200 in January — a 146% improvement from a...
Transport Topics (February 4, 2021)
04 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Freight operations in the Northeast are resuming after a snowstorm walloped the region and caused some temporary restrictions on commercial vehicle tr...
Transport Topics (February 3, 2021)
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. Department of Transportation has a new leader in Pete Buttigieg, a 2020 presidential candidate and the former mayor of South Bend, Ind. Butti...
Transport Topics (February 2, 2021)
02 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Senate will vote at noon today on the nomination of Pete Buttigieg to head the Department of Transportation. During his Jan. 21 confirmation heari...
Transport Topics (February 1, 2021)
01 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Maryland Department of Transportation has released its latest strategic highway safety plan, identifying actions to help eliminate fatalities on s...
Transport Topics (January 29, 2021)
29 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Used Class 8 sales rose in December, marking a seventh consecutive month of year-over-year increases. Sales reached 21,500 compared with 19,300 a year...
Transport Topics (January 28, 2021)
28 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Navistar announced yesterday it would develop a zero-emission longhaul truck using fuel cell systems supplied by General Motors. The goal is to bring ...
Transport Topics (January 27, 2021)
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Trucking has embraced risk management and technology that drives efficiency in response to the coronavirus pandemic.That was the assessment by XPO Log...
Transport Topics (January 26, 2021)
26 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The for-hire trucking world saw a major change yesterday, as news broke that TFI International was acquiring UPS Freight in an $800 million deal. Acco...
Transport Topics (January 25, 2021)
25 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A so-called spotter who participated in at least two staged accidents against trucks in the New Orleans area has been sentenced to 21 months in prison...
Transport Topics (January 22, 2021)
22 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the early days of President Joe Biden’s administration, a new Department of Transportation is starting to take shape. Yesterday, Transportation S...
Transport Topics (January 21, 2021)
21 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Labor Department issued an opinion letter ruling that motor carriers can supply independent contractors safety equipment such as dash cams, speed ...
Transport Topics (Jan. 20, 2021)
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Trucking closed a tumultuous 2020 on an upswing, as truck tonnage in December rose a seasonally adjusted 2.3% year-over-year and jumped 7.4% compared ...
Transport Topics (January 19, 2021)
19 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s 2018 determination that interstate motor carriers...
Transport Topics (January 15, 2021)
15 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The North American Council for Freight Efficiency has announced plans for a technology demonstration of a variety of battery-electric trucks in everyd...
Transport Topics (January 14, 2021)
14 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
WardsAuto.com reported Jan. 13 that sales for U.S. Class 8 trucks in December reached 21,402, the high mark for 2020. However, this figure was down 7....
Transport Topics (January 13, 2021)
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Almost half of all commercial motor vehicle drivers could be at risk for obstructive sleep apnea, according to a new study. Prior studies have estimat...
Transport Topics (January 12, 2021)
12 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
ArcBest announced yesterday that the president of its less-than-truckload subsidiary fleet ABF Freight will retire later this year. Tim Thorne spent m...
Transport Topics (January 11, 2011)
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. labor market lost jobs in December for the first time in eight months, even though transportation-related businesses showed solid growth, the...
Transport Topics (January 8, 2021)
08 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced her resignation yesterday via her Twitter account. The news came a day after a mob of President Donald ...
Transport Topics (January 7, 2021)
07 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. Labor Department issued a final rule Wednesday revising its interpretation of independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Ac...
Transport Topics (January 6, 2021)
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Daseke Inc. announced that Chris Easter has retired as CEO and as a member of the board of directors. Jonathan Shepko has been appointed interim CEO u...
Transport Topics (January 5, 2020)
05 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is proposing to revise regulatory guidance related to how truck drivers record yard moves as part of t...
Transport Topics (January 4, 2021)
04 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With 2020 squarely in the rearview, trucking experts are now looking to 2021. And, in large part, they’re feeling optimistic. Analysts believe the i...
Transport Topics (December 29, 2020)
29 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear said he believes the trucking industry has performed beyond expectations in a year defined by mon...
Transport Topics (December 28, 2020)
28 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Nikola and Republic Services have discontinued their collaboration on refuse truck development and canceled Republic’s August order for at least 2,5...
Transport Topics (December 23, 2020)
23 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Truck tonnage in November declined a seasonally adjusted 3.8%, according to an American Trucking Associations report published yesterday. That marks t...
Transport Topics (December 22, 2020)
22 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Pete Buttigieg, President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for transportation secretary, explained Sunday that his agenda would focus on climate change initia...
Transport Topics (Dec. 21, 2020)
21 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Trucking is responsible for 83% of the nation’s agricultural freight movement by tonnage, according to a report published this month by the U.S. De...
Transport Topics (Dec. 18, 2020)
18 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has published a final rule to increase flexibility in the commercial driver license skills test proces...
Transport Topics (December 17, 2020)
17 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. hit its first speed bumps, officials said Dec. 16. First, four delivery trays of the Pfizer-BioNTec...
Transport Topics (Dec. 16, 2020)
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Pete Buttigieg, the former Democratic presidential candidate as well as former mayor of South Bend, Ind., will be nominated to lead the U.S. Departmen...
Transport Topics (Dec. 15, 2020)
15 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Toyota is developing a second-generation fuel cell system that it says is nearly ready for heavy-duty truck builders who are looking to build hydroge...
Transport Topics (Dec. 14, 2020)
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Daimler Trucks North America announced that its truck manufacturing plant in Portland, Ore., will be the first to achieve carbon-neutral production in...
Transport Topics (December 11, 2020)
11 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Class 8 U.S. retail sales in November reached 17,803, down 4% compared with 18,545 a year earlier, according to a report Thursday from WardsAuto.com. ...
Transport Topics (December 10, 2020)
10 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
General Motors’ self-driving car company Cruise is sending out vehicles with nobody behind the wheel in San Francisco as it navigates its way toward...
Transport Topics (December 9, 2020)
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
FedEx and UPS executives are supposed to be among the attendees Dec. 10 when Congress will press the industry on distribution plans for COVID vaccines...
Transport Topics (December 8, 2020)
08 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The national average price for a gallon of diesel fuel increased 2.4 cents last week to $2.526, according to the Energy Information Administration. Th...
Transport Topics (Dec. 7, 2020)
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Doctors and diabetes experts say a growing number of truck drivers and Americans in general are unaware they have Type 2 diabetes. Many are ignoring c...
Transport Topics (December 4, 2020)
04 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Fleets and dealers placed almost 52,000 Class 8 orders in November, the fourth-highest monthly volume in history. That’s according to Act Research, ...
Transport Topics (December 3, 2020)
03 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
XPO Logistics has announced plans to split itself into two publicly-traded companies. XPO, a perennial rankings-topper on the Transport Topics Top 50 ...
Transport Topics (December 2, 2020)
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced yesterday that it has taken regulatory measures to facilitate the safe and rapid transport of the much...
Transport Topics (December 1, 2020)
01 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Truck drivers and other workers in critical and essential jobs could be among the earliest people to receive COVID-19 vaccinations as several major ph...
Transport Topics (Nov. 30, 2020)
30 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Members of Congress return to Capitol Hill after Thanksgiving to close out a post-election lame-duck session that will include government funding legi...
Transport Topics (November 25, 2020)
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Truck tonnage in October declined a seasonally adjusted 8.7% when compared with year-ago levels, according to the American Trucking Associations index...
Transport Topics (November 24, 2020)
24 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The national average price of diesel rose again, this time by 2.1 cents per gallon, according to the Energy Information Administration’s weekly data...
Transport Topics (Nov. 23, 2020)
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Manufacturing has improved greatly since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, but a lot of work remains, experts said during a panel discussion Nov....
Transport Topics (November 20, 2020)
20 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A case that alleges ocean carriers are overcharging truckers for use of container chassis at ports will proceed after a judge denied a request for dis...
Transport Topics (November 19, 2020)
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted Nov. 18 to redeploy airwaves assigned 21 years ago for a vehicle safety system that hasn’t come to ...
Transport Topics (Nov. 18, 2020)
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
State and federal transportation officials are contributing to an emergency response effort after a truck crash damaged the Brent Spence Bridge, which...
Transport Topics (November 17, 2020)
17 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has determined that Washington state’s meal-and-rest-break rules for commercial truck drivers are pr...
Transport Topics (November 16, 2020)
16 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
U.S. trailer orders for October soared to 54,200, the third-best month in industry history, according to an ACT Research report. A year ago, orders we...
Transport Topics (November 13, 2020)
13 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Class 8 U.S. retail sales in October remained 18.4% below year-ago levels, but closed in on 19,000, according to a WardsAuto.com report yesterday. Sal...
Transport Topics (November 11, 2020)
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has overturned the award of a potential nine-year, $19.9 billion contract to a New Jersey company for moving...
Transport Topics (November 10, 2020)
10 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The truck making world will soon have a new kid on the block. Fully embracing an alliance begun in 2017, the boards of directors at Traton SE and Navi...
Transport Topics (November 9, 2020)
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A previously unidentified New Orleans attorney alleged to be a co-conspirator in a sweeping federal investigation into staged accidents with tractor-t...
Transport Topics (November 6, 2020)
06 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
While the presidential race remained up in the air Nov. 5, a number of Congressional campaigns had already claimed victory. For the top transportation...
Transport Topics (November 5, 2020)
05 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Though the presidential election was coming down to the wire Nov. 4, the fates of two transportation-related issues in two states were officially sett...
Transport Topics (Nov. 4, 2020)
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Volvo Trucks North America and other industry associations and companies have helped facilitate the modification of California utility rules to give p...
Transport Topics (November 3, 2020)
03 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
An election year marked by a historic health crisis and often-contentious political rhetoric will come to a head today as remaining voters cast their ...
Transport Topics (November 2, 2020)
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Legislation that aims to promote the adoption of new technologies throughout the country’s transportation networks was recently introduced in the U....
Transport Topics (October 30, 2020)
30 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today marks the end of Anne Reinke’s first week as new president and CEO of the Transportation Intermediaries Association. She will be responsible f...