Transport Topics

A new survey from the Women In Trucking Association shows that female drivers would recommend that motor carriers adopt training policies allowing them the option for a same-gender trainer when involved in on-the-road activities, among other recommendations. The association said that the North American trucking industry gradually has come to a consensus on the need to encourage more female truck d...

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is formally withdrawing its emergency temporary standard mandating that companies with at least 100 employees require their workers to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, the agency announced yesterday. The withdrawal of the standard, which also allowed for weekly testing, comes after a Jan. 13 U.S. Supreme Court opinion remanded the standard to a lower...

The average price of a gallon of diesel is still rising, increasing 5.5 cents to $3.78, according to Energy Information Administration data released yesterday. Diesel has seen a recent spike, rising 16.7 cents over the past three weeks, after a brief stretch of falling prices around the holidays. Trucking’s main fuel is now a dollar and change more than it was at this time last year. Learn more ab...

The Port of Los Angeles moved record cargo volumes in 2021 amid an import surge at the biggest U.S. container gateway and supply chain snarls brought on by the pandemic. The West Coast port handled 10.7 million 20-foot-equivalent container units in 2021, 13% more volume than in 2018, the previous record year, Executive Director Gene Seroka said. Neighboring Port of Long Beach also hit a record thi...

President Joe Biden conceded that the Build Back Better Act probably would have to be broken up so that key components of the $2 trillion climate and social safety net legislation could pass the Senate. The bill has met resistance from Republicans and also Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Krysten Sinema of Arizona, who say the price tag would contribute to an inflation level that already...

U.S. retail sales in December of Classes 4-7 commercial vehicles reached the second-highest volume for 2021 despite declines across the board. Sales in the month fell 8.9% compared with a year earlier, WardsAuto.com reported. Sales were 22,326 compared with 24,507 a year earlier. December’s total trailed only March’s 23,575. Full-year sales increased 10.1% to 239,703 compared with 217,753 in the 2...

The national average price for diesel surged for the second straight week, climbing 6.8 cents to $3.725 a gallon, according to Energy Information Administration data released Jan. 18. Trucking’s main fuel has risen 11.2 cents a gallon on average in the past two weeks after dropping 12.1 cents over the previous seven weeks. A gallon of diesel now costs $1.029 more than it did at this time in 2021....

The U.S. Department of Transportation is allocating $26.5 billion for repairs to bridges around the country in what the White House is calling the nation’s largest investment in bridges since the creation of the interstate highway system. The Bridge Formula Program was made possible through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed by President Joe Biden in November. The program will be ad...

The Supreme Court has stopped the Biden administration from enforcing a requirement that employees at large businesses, including trucking companies, be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing and wear a mask on the job. The ruling is a victory for American Trucking Associations, which led a consortium of industry and business groups in challenging the mandate in court. Quote “Today,...

Class 8 U.S. retail sales in December rose 15.5% compared with a year earlier, and reached the high point for the year, WardsAuto.com reported Jan. 12. Sales hit 24,716 compared with 21,402 in the 2020 period. For the full year, sales climbed 15.6% to 221,889 compared with 191,900 a year earlier, according to Wards. Truck makers’ respective 12-month market shares remained largely the same — except...

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently affirmed in a series of guiding principles that the landscape for transportation operations must prioritize safety, economic growth and climate change. Specifically, the department noted officials would benefit by pursuing policies that would facilitate the development of infrastructure capable of withstanding the impact of severe weather events. Such...

The DRIVE-Safe Act, included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed by President Joe Biden in November, creates an apprenticeship program under which drivers younger than 21 can drive commercial vehicles interstate. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking emergency approval from the White House Office of Management and Budget to launch a pilot of the apprenticeship...

An attorney representing a coalition of trucking and business interests told the Supreme Court Friday that the Biden administration’s sweeping proposed COVID vaccine mandate was overly burdensome for employers and would result in large numbers of employee resignations. The mandate would require private-sector firms with 100 or more employees to order employees be vaccinated or submit to testing. C...

Class 8 orders in December were the second-weakest of the year. Production remained constrained by a bedeviling supply chain, which continued to make truck makers very careful about adding new orders to the pipeline, ACT Research reported. Preliminary net orders were 22,800, according to ACT, which will revise the net total when truck makers release the final adjusted figures. However, as was note...

Amazon is partnering with Stellantis NV to develop software with the carmaker and agreed to buy a new electric delivery van. Stellantis will work on digital technology with the e-commerce giant and use its cloud services, according to a joint statement. Amazon also will be the first commercial customer for the new Ram ProMaster electric delivery vehicle due in 2023. The announcement at the CES con...

Schneider National announced it is growing its dedicated operations with the acquisition of truckload carrier Midwest Logistics Systems. The Green Bay, Wis.-based transportation, intermodal and logistics services provider acquired 100% of the equity interest in the company in a deal announced Tuesday. The carrier will run as an independent subsidiary with its professional drivers and associates co...

The average retail price of a used Class 8 vehicle in November bounced up 11.8% compared with the previous record just set in October and soared 67.8% higher compared with a year earlier, ACT Research reported. November’s record average retail price was $80,769. A month earlier the average retail price for a Class 8 was $72,204. A year earlier it was $48,118, according to ACT. “We thought we were...

As 2021 draws to a close, diesel and gasoline prices are declining, but still running about a dollar a gallon more than a year ago. In the latest report from the Energy Information Administration, the national average for a gallon of trucking’s main fuel sits at $3.615 a gallon. The price has fallen for six consecutive weeks for a total of 11.9 cents a gallon over that span. But it’s still 98 cent...

Despite concerns about the supply chain and the omicron variant of the coronavirus, holiday sales rose at the fastest pace in 17 years. Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards, reported Dec. 26 that holiday sales had risen 8.5% from a year earlier. The results, which covered Nov. 1 through Dec. 24, were fueled by purchases of clothing and jewelry...

Ports across the country are about to receive a financial windfall. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is awarding more than $241 million in grants to bolster U.S. ports, part of the Biden administration’s plan to shore up the supply chain and accelerate the flow of freight. The funds are being made available immediately to 25 projects in 19 states. Next year, the amount of money for port imp...

President Joe Biden said that his administration, together with labor unions and companies, succeeded in averting a holiday season supply chain crisis. After his remarks on the supply chain, Biden held a virtual meeting with leaders from companies including FedEx and Yellow Corp. Fred Smith, CEO of FedEx, said: “So, the supply chain issues are not all solved, but there’s a lot of effort underway t...

Truck tonnage in November posted the strongest year-over-year gain since spring, according to American Trucking Associations. It comes as no surprise as busy consumer spending in brick-and-mortar stores and online propelled a surge in freight activity. The seasonally adjusted ATA For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index rose to 114.5 last month, a 2.5% increase compared with November 2020 and a 1.3% improveme...

FMCSA Deputy Administrator Meera Joshi has been selected by New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams to be that city’s deputy mayor for operations, a move that spells the end of Joshi’s nomination to become leader of the federal safety agency. Joshi previously had served as CEO of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, and with this appointment joins a list of five women Adams on Dec. 20 sel...

A coalition of trucking, transportation and manufacturing stakeholders are expressing concern over the persistent shortage of semiconductors needed for manufacturing new trucks and how it is affecting the broader economic landscape. In letters sent to President Joe Biden, members of his Cabinet and congressional leaders, the groups note that new vehicles are increasingly reliant on semiconductors...

The Biden administration is launching a multifaceted program aimed at expanding recruiting efforts in trucking. The Biden-Harris Trucking Action Plan emphasizes apprenticeship programs, as well as encouraging veterans to consider trucking as a post-military career. American Trucking Associations Executive Vice President of Advocacy Bill Sullivan applauded the plan and said the organization looks f...