Transport Topics

Truck tonnage in April fell on both an annual and month-to-month basis as freight activity remains slow, American Trucking Associations said May 2. Tonnage slumped 3.4% last month to 112.7 when measured against the same period a year ago, and dipped 1.7% compared with March results, according to ATA’s seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index. The index was 115.8 in April 2022. ATA Chief Ec...

Volvo Trucks has signed a letter of intent to sell up to 1,000 electric trucks to a single customer in its largest EV order to date, the manufacturer announced May 22. The Gothenburg, Sweden-based truck maker said the deal with Swiss-based building services provider Holcim extends from now through 2030, with the first 130 trucks to be delivered in 2023 and 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. V...

The Biden administration has shelved a plan that would have awarded automakers such as Tesla credits for using renewable natural gas to power electric vehicles. That proposal was excluded from drafted regulation setting biofuel-blending quotas for the next three years that is undergoing final review at the White House, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified bec...

Several dozen groups gathered in Washington to draw attention to supply chain projects in need of federal support, calling on policymakers to approve long-term funding as well as reform the federal permitting process. The Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors is pressing for further attention to projects that could be advanced with funding from the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructu...

Amendments to the hours-of-service rule that went into effect in late 2020 may have increased flexibility for truck drivers, but the percentage of HOS violations rose “significantly higher” the first year of the rule’s implementation, according to a new analysis sent to Congress this month.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

U.S. retail sales for medium-duty trucks grew 16.2% in April compared with the year-ago period, according to data from Wards Intelligence. Total retail sales for Classes 4-7 trucks increased to 19,098 from 16,439. The results were the first year-over-year increase since a 3.8% gain in January.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal regulators have appointed nine individuals to serve on a truck-leasing task force that is charged with evaluating lease agreements in the trucking industry, including their potential safety and financial impacts on owner-operators. The task force will address areas that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said in a statement have long required more careful attention. Learn more...

A nonprofit called Resources for the Future recently released a study that found repeal of the federal excise tax on heavy-duty commercial vehicles should be a key tool in the United States’ push to reduce trucking’s greenhouse gas emissions through electrification. The report argues removing the currently 12% excise tax on medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks can reduce the purchase cost, and t...

U.S. Class 8 retail sales in April increased 19.4% from a year ago but declined on a month-to-month basis, Wards Intelligence reported. Class 8 sales for the month reached 22,741 units, up from 19,052 in April 2022 but down 8.4% from the 24,823 sold in March. Truck retail sales have experienced a year-over-year increase every month this year. Daimler Truck North America’s Freightliner brand led th...

Peterbilt Motors Co. introduced its new Model 589 truck yesterday during an event at Texas Motor Speedway, transitioning its classically styled heritage model onto the same wider cab platform as other trucks in its lineup while staying true to the styling that resonates with the truck’s core buyers, the company said. The truck is set to replace the legacy Peterbilt Model 389. That truck, which deb...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking public comment on the availability of zero-emission technologies in the heavy-duty vehicle and port sectors before moving ahead with funding via the Inflation Reduction Act. Specifically, EPA is interested in comments detailing the availability, market price, and performance of zero-emission trucks, zero-emission port equipment, electric charging...

The American Transportation Research Institute unveiled its top five research projects for 2023 at American Trucking Associations’ annual Mid-Year Management Session. Its No. 1 focus is a study specifically looking at the cost and impact of expanding truck parking facilities at public rest areas. Rounding out the top five are efforts looking at barriers to entry for female drivers, the impact of t...

Truck maker Navistar is expanding its electric truck offerings and has inked a partnership with infrastructure firm Quanta Services Inc. to help fleet customers implement battery-electric vehicles quickly and efficiently. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials overseeing a two-day public hearing announced that the agency plans to finalize its aggressive Phase 3 heavy-truck greenhouse gas emissions mandate by the end of this year. To many of the more than 200 individuals who testified during the May 2-3 virtual hearing, that target was either too soon, or not soon enough. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...

RXO on May 3 reported revenue exceeding $1 billion for its first full quarter as an independent company. The Charlotte, N.C.-based asset-light transportation provider posted no net income for the three months ending March 31. That compared with $39 million, or 34 cents a diluted share, during the year-ago period when the company was operating within XPO. Total revenue decreased by 23% to $1.01 bil...

The U.S. Department of Transportation on May 1 announced the issuance of a final rule approving use of oral fluid to drug test truck drivers, a move made to deter cheating on urine-based examinations while also addressing privacy concerns of test subjects. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Diesel prices fell by an average of 5.9 cents a gallon across the country in the past week to flirt with the $4-a-gallon mark, settling at $4.018 a gallon, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. Diesel is now $1.491 a gallon cheaper than a year ago. The national average price has fallen in 12 of the past 13 weeks. Diesel is already below $4 a gallon in three regions — Lower...

Daimler Truck unveiled Rizon, its newly branded lineup of Class 4 and Class 5 medium-duty electric trucks, on Thursday. With the U.S. release of its latest EV, Daimler is positioning to enter the growing segment of last-mile delivery as well as applications such as dry vans, flatbeds, landscape dump trucks and refrigerated trucks. Karl Deppen, the head of Daimler Truck Asia, introduced the medium-...

Truckload carrier Schneider posted its earnings, achieving a 6% year-over-year earnings gain despite a revenue loss during the first quarter of 2023. The Green Bay, Wis., company posted net income of $98 million, or 55 cents a diluted share, for the three months ending March 31. That compared with $92.1 million, or 52 cents, during the 2022 period. Total revenue decreased by 12% to $1.43 billion f...

Norfolk Southern reported that the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3 cost it $387 million in damages. That  impacted first-quarter profit by 33.7% when compared with the same period in 2022. The Atlanta-based Class I railroad’s quarterly income was $466 million, or $2.04 a share, versus  $703 million, or $2.93 a share. Revenue was up 7% to $3.1 billion in the first quarte...

UPS Inc. reported first-quarter earnings that were lower than this time in 2022, and were mixed compared with Wall Street expectations. UPS reported a quarterly income decline of nearly 23% to $2.55 billion, or $2.20 a share, compared with $3.30 billion, or $3.05 a share, in the same period a year ago. The company reported year-over-year revenue fell 6% to $22.93 billion compared with $24.3 billio...

The price of a gallon of diesel fell 3.9 cents last week, according to data from the Energy Information Administration released yesterday. The price bumped up 1.8 cents the week before, putting a brief end to 10 consecutive weeks of drops. Overall, the price of trucking’s main fuel is about 1.08 less than it was during this time in 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/a...

Starting in January, people powering up electric vehicles at commercial charging stations in Utah will have to pay a 12.5% tax and gas prices will drop July 1 due to new laws signed by Gov. Spencer Cox. Cox announced the new measures among transportation tax amendments in House Bill 301 during a ceremonial signing April 18 of 10 new laws “focused on smart growth.” Learn more about your ad choices....

In a victory for freight brokers, a federal appeals court has ruled that an insurance company may not pursue a claim against a transportation broker after that broker unknowingly hired a fraudulent motor carrier who vanished with a shipper’s load. The decision this month by the Miami-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit rejected an argument by an insurance company that a federal exempt...

WASHINGTON — A key representative of the trucking industry renewed calls before a Senate panel for Congress to repeal a tax on the purchase of new trucks nationwide. Andrew Boyle, first vice chairman of American Trucking Associations, explained repealing a World War I-era 12% tax on such vehicles would pave the way for the freight sector to upgrade fleets of commercial vehicles. Learn more about y...