Searching a Good Broker

Searching a good broker can seem like searching for a needle in a haystack, because there are so many vying for the same business. However, a few basic tips and guidelines can help you find the right person to suit your specific needs and goals. While it may take some time…

Trucker Con-way 2Q profit rises 42%

Con-way Inc. said Tuesday that second-quarter profit rose 42 percent as the trucking operator boosted shipping rates and increased revenue across its businesses. Still the results fell short of expectations Con-way. The shares were down $2.42, or 6.8 percent, in late trading after falling 20 cents to $35.62 in the…

Big Rig Aims for 10 MPG

It was a dog and pony show starring a fuel-efficient big rig with enough bells and whistles to draw longing looks from fleet managers, drivers and trucking company executives.The low-riding, diesel fuel-sipping Cascadia Evolution, Daimler Freightliner’s next big offering to trucking companies, rolled into Memphis on a mission to create…

YRC Worldwide to provide handheld devices to drivers

YRC Worldwide will deploy more than 10,000 Intermec CN70e handheld mobile devices to drivers at its YRC Freight, Reddaway and Holland subsidiaries. The devices will enhance customer service and optimize pickup-and-delivery operations, YRC said. Drivers will be able to more expediently enter shipment information and communicate it to the dispatch…

Landis Trucking owner fined in contaminated milk scheme

Dean A. Landis, owner of Pennsylvania-based D.A. Landis Trucking Inc., pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years probation and one year of house arrest for falsifying driver logbooks in a scheme to conceal the sale of contaminated milk to a cheese manufacturer. Landis Trucking hauled at least 20 loads…

TIFIA: Transport bill yields up to $17 billion in road projects

WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced the availability of up to $17 billion in loans for critical infrastructure projects across the country as a result of the recently enacted surface transportation bill. LaHood encouraged states and cities across the country to submit letters of interest for the…

Mexican Carrier Safety Improving

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has reported Mexican-domiciled commercial vehicles entering the United States from 2008-2010 had a significantly improved safety record over previous years. Last month, The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration agency posted summaries of major safety activities, such as inspections conducted on Mexican trucks and buses…

Western Star 4700: Test Drive

For many years, Western Star Trucks played last fiddle in truck sales symphonies, with U.S. Class 8 market share numbers of 1% and less. The company’s share climbed a bit when it was bought by Freightliner in 2000. Since sibling Sterling Truck fell by the wayside in 2008, parent company…

Exavating company wins Cat CT660

Barging and excavating company LPA Inc. was delivered a Caterpillar CT660 dump truck June 13 at a celebration held for the company’s victory in an online voting competition, the Win a Cat Truck contest. The voting base included more than 300 contractors and haulers around the country and was based…

Detroit-Windsor Tunnel reopens after bomb threat

An international commuter tunnel connecting Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, was closed for nearly four hours Thursday after a bomb threat was phoned in on the Canadian side. No explosives were found. The Detroit Windsor Tunnel, a busy border crossing beneath the Detroit River, was shut down after a duty free…

Credit availability key piece of truck sales puzzle

More restricted access to credit alongside higher sticker prices for post-2010 emission-compliant trucks are two key reasons behind the long slide in Class 8 orders that’s occurred from February through June of this year, according to several industry experts. Placed alongside a slowdown in freight volumes and a broader slump…

Trucker to Congress: CSA ‘oppressive and punitive’ to ‘little guys’

The enforcement program used by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is flawed to the point that it has “wide-reaching implications … especially for small carriers.” That’s the message that owner-operator Daniel Miranda, an OOIDA member from California, delivered Wednesday to the House Committee on Small Business during the committee’s…

FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index falls in May

FTR Associates on Monday, July 9, announced that its Trucking Conditions Index for May fell nearly 4.0 points from the previous month to a reading of 5.1, its lowest level in six months. April’s strong performance was not sustained, reflecting soft pricing results for the first quarter of 2012 and…

NATO supply trucks resume Afghan trips via Pakistan

Trucks carrying NATO supplies rolled into Afghanistan for the first time in more than seven months Thursday, ending a painful chapter in U.S.-Pakistan relations that saw the border closed until Washington apologized for an airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Thousands of trucks have been waiting at ports in Karachi…

FMCSA shuts down Tennessee carrier for multiple violations

he Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Friday, June 29, ordered Tennessee-based truck company Three Angels Farms and its owners, Edwin Ayache and Dorian Ayache, to cease all transportation services immediately based on serious safety violations that posed an imminent hazard to public safety. The agency said the shutdown order…

FMCSA Shuts Down Tennessee Trucking Outfit

Tennessee Trucking: Although a new study raises doubts about the reliability of CSA scores, those scores increasingly help federal regulators shut down unsafe trucking companies. Last week the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ordered motor carrier Three Angel Farms out of service, citing, among other criteria, high CSA scores. The…

DTNA/Freightliner Welcomes by Women In Trucking as Gold Level Partner

Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) and Freightliner Trucks have jointly joined the Women In Trucking (WIT) Assn. as a Gold Level Partner. As a long-time corporate member, DTNA and Freightliner are increasing their support to the highest level of commitment to the organization. “Daimler Trucks North America encourages workplace diversity…

Amendment seeks to curtail EPA oversight of fuel standards

Yesterday, June 27, the U.S. House appropriations committee may consider an amendment to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency EPA from regulating fuel and emission standards in trucks manufactured after model year 2016. The full committee is scheduled to meet for markup of its funding bill for the interior, environment and…

ACT Research: Trailer orders soften

ACT Research has reported that trailer orders softened in May, but the decline came as no surprise as May orders have fallen below April volumes in 10 of the past 12 years. The industry researcher said the sharp decline of 23% month-over-month, however, is indicative of a soft patch in…

NAFTA surface trade hit record high in March

Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA partners Canada and Mexico was 6.2 percent higher in March than in March 2011, totaling $85.8 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics of the U.S. Department of Transportation. March was the highest…

Four private fleet drivers inducted into PMTC Hall of Fame

The Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC) has inducted four drivers into its Hall of Fame during its annual conference in King City yesterday. The Hall of Fame – found online at www.pmtc.ca –is sponsored by Huron Services Group and recognizes superior over the road performance by drivers whose…