Transport Topics

A new report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on 2020 crash data shows that despite fewer miles traveled during the first year of the pandemic, 38,824 lives were lost in traffic accidents. That marks a 6.8% increase and the highest number since 2007. However, the number of fatalities in large-truck crashes declined by 6.9%, falling to 832 in 2020 from 893 in 2019. Injuries s...

The U.S. Department of Labor has partnered with American Trucking Associations for an apprenticeship program that could play a significant role in easing the industry’s driver shortage, and presents motor carriers with an opportunity to directly work with and train new entrants into their ranks. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh was joined by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and ATA leadership at...

January’s average retail sales price for a used Class 8 truck burst past $88,000 to set a monthly record and post an 83.2% gain compared with a year earlier, ACT Research reported. The average retail price was $88,293 compared with $48,190 in the same 2021 period, according to ACT. January also was up from $82,341 in December, the previous high. Estimated sales were 22,300. That was up from 20,700...

On March 1, President Joe Biden is scheduled to deliver a State of the Union address, for which he will outline an agenda for the year. Matters pertaining to Ukraine, his Supreme Court pick and ensuring funds for aspects of his domestic “Build Back Better” budget will be dominant themes. Infrastructure spending also is expected to be among the guiding principles of that agenda. Since the enactment...

Four Rocky Mountain states will cooperate on developing ways to make the most abundant element in the universe — hydrogen — more available and useful as clean-burning fuel for cars, trucks and trains, the states’ governors announced Feb. 24. Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming will plan a “hydrogen hub” to be built somewhere in the region, drawing from $8 billion in recently approved federal in...

Cellular service providers are shutting down their 3G networks this year, a shift that could impact legacy wireless systems that some fleets are still using, some experts say. The 3G networks are being shuttered to free wireless spectrum for existing 4G LTE and still-expanding 5G networks. The move will support growth for systems, devices and applications that need more bandwidth for improved spee...

The Biden Administration yesterday announced plans to make $450 million available in new grant funding for port infrastructure development. Administration officials said the funding is the largest investment in the specific program in history, and the money will help improve the movement of goods through the ports. The grants will be awarded on a competitive basis. This news comes as many ports po...

Engine maker Cummins Inc. is acquiring components manufacturer Meritor in a $3.7 billion cash deal announced yesterday. The total transaction value — at a price of $36.50 a share of Meritor stock — includes assumed debt and net of acquired cash. The purchase price is 48% higher than the $24.67 per share that Meritor’s stock closed at Feb. 18. In addition to commercial drivetrain, braking and other...

American Trucking Associations and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association have sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg urging that Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds be prioritized to boost the nation's truck parking capacity. The groups say the nationwide shortage of truck parking has plagued America's truckers for decades, with a wide range of consequenc...

Hirschbach Motor Lines announced it will acquire Oklahoma-based refrigerated carrier John Christner Trucking. Hirschbach, based in Dubuque, Iowa, is a privately owned carrier that provides refrigerated, dedicated and specialized transportation services. John Christner founded his namesake company in 1986, and later handed control over to his sons, Danny and Darryl. Post-transaction, Danny will sta...

Logistics giant C.H. Robinson is collaborating with Waymo to introduce autonomous trucks into its freight network, starting with multiple pilots in Texas. Waymo’s autonomous trucking division, Waymo Via, will use its test fleet of self-driving Class 8 tractors to haul freight between Dallas and Houston for C.H. Robinson customers, the companies announced Feb. 16. C.H. Robinson and Waymo plan to wo...

Paccar truck brands Peterbilt and Kenworth, in separate media events, announced that the Paccar TX-18 and TX-18 Pro automated transmissions will begin production in July. The new transmissions add enhancements from the earlier TX-12 for higher gross weights and additional vocational applications. The TX-18 and TX-Pro will be offered in Peterbilt’s 567, 579 and 389 models. For Kenworth, they will b...

The national average price for a gallon of diesel topped $4 this week for the first time since March of 2014. The increase of 6.8 cents a gallon brought the national average price to $4.019 a gallon. In California, the price has soared all the way to $4.994 a gallon. Crude oil also hit $95 a barrel Monday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anheuser-Busch teamed up with fleet partners Nikola and BYD Motors to deliver Bud Light NEXT using zero-emission trucks in time for yesterday’s Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The extended-range Nikola Tre hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle picked up a load of beer from the brewery in Van Nuys and delivered it to the Anheuser-Busch distribution facility in Carson. From there, a BY...

To alleviate supply chain woes around the country, Senators Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and John Thune of South Dakota introduced legislation in the Commerce Committee aimed at improving the flow of freight at commercial ports. The Ocean Shipping Reform Act looks to update the regulatory landscape for global shipping stakeholders and takes aim at the Federal Maritime Commission. “Congestion at port...

The American Transportation Research Institute released its annual list of top freight bottlenecks, and a familiar intersection came in at No. 1. For the fourth consecutive year, the intersection of Interstate 95 and New Jersey State Route 4 in Fort Lee, N.J., topped the list. No. 2 was near the Brent Spence Bridge in Cincinnati, which was damaged in 2020. This year’s third worst bottleneck was in...

Canadian lawmakers say the trucker demonstrations across the country have the potential to cause profound trade disruptions with the United States. Yesterday, the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, was partially blocked by truckers protesting Canada’s vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions. Ontario Premier Doug Ford called the bridge a “vital trade artery” th...

The national average price for a gallon of diesel jumped by 10.5 cents this week, inching ever closer to the $4 a gallon mark. It now sits at $3.951 a gallon, the highest it has been since May of 2014, according to Energy Information Administration data. In California, diesel is a nickel away from hitting $5 a gallon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The U.S. House of Representatives passed an expansive bill Friday that would invest tens of billions in the U.S. tech sector, but Republican objections that it’s too weak on China threaten its chances of making it to President Biden’s desk. The bill started as a bipartisan push to bolster U.S. manufacturing and research, and ease the dependence on China for semiconductors, but it became mired in l...

Class 8 orders in January plunged compared with a year earlier to just above 21,000, and reflected the caution truck makers continue to exhibit in the face of ongoing supply chain difficulties and an already very lengthy backlog, ACT Research reported. Orders reached 21,300 compared with 42,307 a year earlier. A lack of semiconductors from Taiwan has caused median inventory held by chip consumers,...

President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was easily approved by the U.S. Senate Commerce committee on Feb. 2. Steven Cliff, presently NHTSA’s deputy administrator, was cleared by a voice vote. His nomination will now move to the Senate floor, where Democratic leaders will schedule a vote to confirm his appointment as early as this month. Cliff has in...

Solera Holdings, the parent company of Omnitracs, has agreed to acquire asset-tracking firm Spireon Inc. in the latest example of consolidation in the trucking industry’s technology market. Solera is set to acquire Spireon from a fund managed by private equity firm Greenbriar Equity Group, but the companies did not disclose the terms of the deal. The acquisition is expected to close during the fir...

J.B. Hunt Transport Services has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the assets of Zenith Freight Lines for approximately $87 million, the Lowell, Ark.-based carrier announced Jan. 31. Zenith is a wholly owned subsidiary of home furnishings manufacturer Bassett Furniture Industries. J.B. Hunt will continue to provide services for Bassett once the deal closes as part of a long-term maste...

A 50-year-old bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh Friday on the same day that President Biden was already scheduled to visit the area to discuss infrastructure. There were minor injuries from the collapse but no fatalities. Witnesses said the loud noise from the collapse was followed by a hissing sound and the smell of natural gas. Ruptured gas lines along the bridge produced the leak. The cause was be...

If you’re in the market for a used truck, it’s going to cost you about 66% more than it would have a year ago. The average retail price for a used Class 8 truck in December hit another monthly record as it cleared $82,000. A year earlier, the average price was just $49,634. Low inventory and high demand is to blame, as fleets find themselves waiting for new trucks that they’ve ordered to go into p...