Traton, Navistar Agree to Definitive Merger
Fully embracing an alliance begun in 2017, the boards of directors at truck makers Traton SE and Navistar International Corp. approved a definitive agreement to merge, the companies announced Nov. 7.
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Stocks Surge to All-Time Highs on Vaccine Optimism
Stocks surged around the world and bonds tumbled after a large-scale coronavirus vaccine study delivered the most-promising results in the battle against the worst pandemic in a century.
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Already Flooded, South Florida Feels Wrath of Eta
Torrential rain from Tropical Storm Eta caused dangerous flooding across Florida’s most densely populated urban areas on Nov. 9 after it made landfall in the Florida Keys.
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TA Net Income Soars to $8.6 Million in Q3
TravelCenters of America Inc. reported third quarter net income rose as revenue slipped.
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Bendix Expands Goals to Fight Climate Change
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems announced it is committing to cut its carbon dioxide emissions in half by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2021.
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Simulators Hold Potential for CDL Training, Testing, Experts Say
Simulators can serve as a resource for truck driver training and testing, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, according to experts assembled for a webinar hosted by the Transportation Research Board on Nov. 6.
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Landstar VP, CFO Kevin Stout Transitions to Advisory Role
Landstar System Inc. announced that Kevin Stout ended his role as vice president and chief financial officer Nov. 2 and will become special adviser to company President Jim Gattoni.
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Southwest Warns Workers of First Layoffs in Company History
Southwest Airlines Co. issued notices for what could be the first involuntary furloughs in its 49-year history, after a union declined to discuss concessions aimed at cutting payroll costs.
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Transportation Leaders Call for GAO Study on 5.9 GHz Spectrum
The leadership of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives called on the U.S. Government Accountability Office to review the safety implications stemming from the possibility of sharing the 5.9 GHz spectrum band.
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VW Poised to Sign Off on $3.7 Billion Navistar Deal
Volkswagen AG’s board is preparing to sign off on its heavy-truck unit Traton SE acquiring U.S. manufacturer Navistar International Corp., according to people familiar with the matter.
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Mississippi DOT Cautions Drivers About Log Trucks
The Mississippi Department of Transportation has issued a notice reminding drivers to stay alert for log trucks, especially as people on the road adjust to the end of daylight saving time.
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Labor Market Extends Gains, Jobless Rate Declines to 6.9%
The U.S. labor market strengthened in October, defying expectations for more subdued gains amid an intensifying pandemic and lack of additional fiscal relief.
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USPS Says Thousands of Mail-In Ballots May Have Gone Missing
The U.S. Postal Service on Nov. 5 told a judge that a review of processing data revealed roughly 4,250 mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania and North Carolina may have gone missing.
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Transport Topics Radio
Transport Topics Radio is a weekly news roundtable airing Saturdays on SiriusXM channel 146 from 1-3 p.m. ET and rebroadcast Saturday nights from 11 p.m.-1 a.m. ET, and Sundays from noon-2 p.m. ET and 9-11 p.m. ET. Check out this week's lineup.
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New Orleans Attorney Indicted in Staged-Accident Scam
A previously unidentified New Orleans attorney alleged to be a co-conspirator in a sweeping federal investigation into staged accidents with tractor-trailers was named in a Nov. 5 federal indictment for his alleged role in the conspiracy.
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XPO Posts Revenue Increase, Net Income Decrease in Q3
XPO Logistics Inc. saw revenue tick up and net income dip in the third quarter, and the company said business activity has bounced back from earlier downturns.
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Wabash Reports Q3 Earnings Decline, Prepares for Increased Demand
Trailer and truck body manufacturer Wabash National Corp. reported lower net income and revenue in the third quarter, and saw gains in its consolidated gross margin.
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GM to Invest $1 Billion to Resurrect Pickups in Ontario
Canada’s Motor City is about to come back to life after a near-death experience threatened to end more than a century of production.
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Infrastructure Directive Unclear as Vote Counting Continues in Trump Versus Biden
A presidential contest still without a victor leaves unanswered questions about the direction of the country’s infrastructure agenda for the next four years, and probably beyond.
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EPA Recognizes 75 Freight Industry Leaders for Environmental Performance
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency honored 75 carriers, logistics providers and freight shippers with its annual SmartWay Excellence Awards.
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Governor recognizes Truck Driver Appreciation Week in Arkansas
Little Rock, Ark. – In an executive proclamation, Gov. Asa Hutchinson officially declared September 13 - 19 Truck Driver Appreciation Week in Arkansas. The Arkansas Trucking Association, along with American Trucking Associations and the entire trucking industry, is celebrating the millions of professional truck drivers who work each day to deliver America’s freight safely. “Even as many Arkansans are adjusting to new ways of working, learning, exercising, and even socializing, truck drivers are...
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Arkansas trucking names top truck driver and safety professional of the year
On Monday, August 17, the Arkansas Trucking Association announced the Driver of the Year, Dave Hall, and Safety Professional of the Year, Leslie Stout. Hall is a driver for ABF Freight, a carrier headquartered in Fort Smith. Stout is the director of safety at CalArk International in Little Rock. Both honors were bestowed at the Safety Awards Luncheon during the ATA Annual Business Conference & Vendor Showcase in Rogers, Ark. The statewide trucking association annually recognizes one driver f...
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Old Dominion Freight Line Named Safest Trucking Fleet
Old Dominion Freight Line was honored at Arkansas Trucking Association (ATA) Awards Luncheon at the organization’s annual business conference this week in Rogers, Ark. The association recognized winners in six different categories, as well as an overall grand champion celebrating the safest fleets among the Arkansas Trucking Association member companies. Read More ...
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Trucking Conference Looks to the Horizon
Trucking execs, industry and political leaders gather in Rogers for Annual Conference The Arkansas Trucking Association will host its annual business conference and vendor showcase in Rogers next week. The educational forums will be held Monday, August 17th and Tuesday August 18th at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center. The event’s forum topics will help attendees answer the question, what’s “on the horizon” for the state, nation, and trucking? A lineup of expert speakers will discuss industr...
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Arkansas Trucking Association announces technician scholarship recipient
The Arkansas Trucking Association is pleased to announce the 2020 recipient of the Carl Tapp Memorial Scholarship Fund. Hugh “Mac” McConnell IV, a recent graduate of Central Arkansas Christian School will receive $7,500 to pursue training for a career in medium/heavy duty truck technology. “Truck drivers and diesel technicians are essential to the Arkansas economy and way of life. The success of our industry and state depends on a professional, smart, capable, problem-solving workforce,” says Sh...
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Higher speed limits coming to Arkansas
The Arkansas Department of Transportation is raising the speed limit on highways and interstates. State highway limits will be raised five miles per hour. Interstates inside the city will be 65 MPH and outside, 75 MPH. Opponents of the increase cited safety concerns, and the Highway Commission has committed to monitor the safety of the motoring public as the speed limits go up. Read More ...
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ATRI invites carriers to participate in operational costs research
The American Transportation Research Institute has issued a call for motor carriers to participate in ATRI’s annual update to its Operational Costs of Trucking report. Now in its 12th year, ATRI’s annual Operational Costs of Trucking collects cost information derived directly from trucking fleets and owner-operators, and is among the most requested ATRI research studies. ATRI’s annual analysis is used as a key benchmarking tool by motor carriers of all sizes. Public sector agencies als...
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Electric Trucks Will Help ‘Kill Dirty Diesel,’ California Lawmakers Say
Parked east of the California Capitol steps was a long line of vehicles as clean as they were large, including a yellow school bus, a UPS delivery truck and an AC Transit bus — all with electric or hybrid motors
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Scarce Truck Parking Has Atlanta Looking for Solutions
Not nearly enough parking exists in metro Atlanta for truckers who must comply with federal rules that limit how many hours they can drive – a shortage that’s about to get worse, thanks to new enforcement procedures
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More than 600 Comment on EPA’s Proposed Renewable Fuel Standard
Comments on a plan by the Trump administration to halt the future growth of biomass-based diesel fuel and reduce the short-term requirements for all renewable fuels were largely split down the middle, pro and con.
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Equity Group Buys Majority Stake in Chemical Hauler Odyssey
A private equity group has reached a deal to become the majority owner of Odyssey Logistics & Technology, a third-party logistics company specializing in chemical transportation.
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Britain to Test Part-Driverless Platoons of Trucks
Britain is set to conduct road trials of self-driving trucks, involving a “platoon” of vehicles controlled by a driver in the front.
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Mississippi Transportation Commission Opposes Longer Combination Trucks
Legislation that would authorize the use of twin 33-foot trailers nationwide would decrease safety and damage freight infrastructure, the Mississippi Transportation Commission recently told a federal policymaker.
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Kansas DOT Grants Help Ease Freight-Route Congestion
Certain cities in Kansas are using state Department of Transportation funding to reshape roads near distribution centers that draw freight congestion.
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Trump’s Planned Infrastructure Boom Bumps Up Against Worker Shortage
President Donald Trump’s plan to boost the economy with millions of jobs rebuilding roads, bridges and ports has a snag, the construction industry says: There aren’t nearly enough skilled workers to fill them.
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Effort to Halt ELD Mandate Withdrawn From House Funding Bill
A proposal to deny funding for the enforcement of the December mandate on electronic logging devices was removed from a fiscal 2018 funding bill the House is scheduled to consider next month.
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Companies Add More Jobs Than Forecast, ADP Data Show
Companies added more workers than forecast in August, indicating the U.S. job market remains solid, according to data released Aug. 30 from the ADP Research Institute in Roseland, New Jersey.
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Second-Quarter Growth Revised to 3% in Momentum Boost
U.S. second-quarter growth was revised upward to the fastest pace in two years on stronger household spending and a bigger gain in business investment, putting the economy on a stronger track, Commerce Department data showed Aug. 30.
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Wabco, Nexteer Sign Long-Term Cooperation Agreement
Wabco Holdings Inc. signed a long-term cooperation agreement with Nexteer Automotive, a provider of intuitive motion control, as it prepares for the advent of self-driving commercial vehicles, according to the company.
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FHWA Gives $25 Million to Texas Relief
Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao announced Aug. 29 that the Federal Highway Administration will make $25 million in emergency relief funds available to Texas in order to repair some of the damage wrought by Hurricane Harvey.
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Port of Corpus Christi Remains Closed After Drilling Ship Breaks From Dock, Sinks Tugboat
The Port of Corpus Christi remains closed after an oil drilling ship broke from its mooring Aug. 26, sank a tugboat and beached in the ship channel’s entrance to the Gulf of Mexico.
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New Low-Sulfur Rules for Maritime Fuels Force Fleets to Scramble
The International Maritime Organization announced that shippers and global refiners must reduce sulfur content in marine bunker fuels by January 2020, five years earlier than had been expected.
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Cummins Debuts All-Electric Demonstration Truck, the Aeos
COLUMBUS, Ind. — Cummins Inc. today unveiled its all-electric powertrain demonstration truck.
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About 114 Multiemployer Pensions in Deep Trouble
About 114 multiemployer pensions covering more than 1 million workers are due to run out of money within the next two decades, but the overall state of the system is healthy, according to reports from two actuarial consulting firms.
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Daimler Sets Up Silicon Valley ‘Shark Tank’ to Take Company into the Future
Facing a future in which private car ownership may fade, Daimler is ramping up efforts to create new products and services — even business models.
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ATA Milestone Lego Trucks
Celebrate the Arkansas Trucking Association's 85th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the Arkansas Trucking Championship. Be a part of our long history with this custom Milestone LegoTM Truck. Order one assembled and display your pride for Arkansas trucking right out of the box. Or if you're ambitious, order unassembled and build it yourself. $100 plus shipping & handling Order now! Save
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Arkansas Commercial Truck Safety and Education Program Applications Now Available
The Arkansas State Highway Commission is pleased to announce the next application cycle for the Arkansas Commercial Truck Safety and Education Program. Act 1176 of 2013 authorized the Arkansas Commercial Truck Safety and Education Program (ACTSEP). The purpose of this act is to advance State interests in roadway safety by proposing to improve the safety of the commercial truck industry through cooperative public private programs that focus on increased enforcement, regulatory compliance, indust...
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Truckers Fight Trafficking in Arkansas
On April 18, Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed into law a bill that will require truck drivers to complete training on recognizing the signs of human trafficking before obtaining their commercial drivers license. Arkansas is the first state to pass this kind of legislation. With the support of the Arkansas Trucking Association, the bill was sponsored by Rep. Charlotte Douglas (R-75th) and co-sponsored by Sen. Linda Collins Smith (R-19th). Read More ...
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Even in trucking, punctuation matters
A recent court decision came down to a missing comma when a Maine court sided with a group of dairy truck drivers in a dispute on overtime pay. In May 2014, a group of dairy truck drivers sued Maine-based Oakhurst Dairy for $10 million in overtime pay. Oakhurst Dairy cited a Maine law that said that certain jobs are exempt from overtime pay. Oakhurst Dairy won that lawsuit. Read More ...
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Ark. Voters Won't Decide on Fuel Tax Increase or Other Highway Funding in 2018
A proposal to put highway funding measures on the Arkansas ballot in 2018 failed to get a majority (51 votes) in the House when a group challenged the proposal’s inclusion of a fuel tax increase. The house bill, sponsored by Rep. Dan Douglas (R-91st District) proposed allowing voters to approve the state Highway Commission issuing bonds for 20 years and paying those bonds with a 6.5 percent sales tax increase on the wholesale price of gasoline and diesel. Read More ...
