Transport Topics

Mathias Carlbaum has been appointed CEO and president of Navistar International, effective Sept.1. Since April, Carlbaum has been leading the post-merger management of Navistar on behalf of Munich-based Traton Group. Carlbaum will succeed Persio Lisboa, who has held the position since July of 2020. Carlbaum previously was executive vice president of commercial operations at Traton brand Scania AB,...

Truck tonnage in July declined 2.9% when measured against the same month in 2020, according to data released yesterday by American Trucking Associations. When measured against the previous month, the index declined 1.2% in July after falling 2% in June. ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello pointed to issues such as supply chain challenges and a shortage of truck drivers as contributing to the drops. L...

The average price of a gallon of diesel dropped 3.2 cents to $3.324, marking the fourth decrease in five weeks. It’s also the largest drop in the price of trucking’s main fuel since May 4, 2020, when a decrease of 3.8 cents was reported, and the country was more than a month into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The nation’s new chief accident investigator is concerned that public confusion over automated driving systems is threatening to undermine the potential safety benefits of the technology. Jennifer Homendy, the new chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, says manufacturers must be honest about what their technology does and does not do. She cited TV advertisements that create the fa...

Supply chain challenges have prompted the governors of Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska to extend hours-of-service relief to truckers who haul fuel. Iowa Motor Truck Association President Brenda Neville said she has heard from convenience stores that have not been able to accommodate all of their customers on certain days because they run out of gas and haven’t been able to get fuel deliveries. Minnes...

Autonomous truck developer Waymo Via announced plans to build a 9-acre facility near Dallas that will serve as a regional hub for advancing operations and service for automated Class 8 trucks. The facility will be Waymo’s central launch point in the southwest U.S. for testing with its carrier partners, the company said. Waymo also announced a partnership with Ryder System Inc. for fleet management...

A Department of Commerce advisory group says the nationwide shortage of truck drivers is likely at an all-time high, and is urging federal officials to mount a widespread effort to address the problem. The 45-member panel is endorsing efforts to allow individuals younger than 21 to drive trucks in interstate commerce, which is currently prohibited by federal law. Infrastructure legislation that re...

Tropical Storm Fred crashed ashore on the Florida panhandle Monday with powerful winds, becoming the fourth system of the 2021 hurricane season to strike the U.S. Fred’s top winds were 65 miles per hour when it made landfall near Panama City, Fla. The storm was expected to weaken after landfall, but will still cause disruptions as it slices through Alabama and Georgia and into the Carolinas over t...

Kansas City Southern Railroad has rejected the latest bid of $31 billion from Canadian Pacific in an attempt to keep its planned merger with Canadian National on track. Kansas City Southern said Aug. 12 that its board unanimously decided to continue backing CN’s higher offer of $33.6 billion. KCS shareholders are scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to accept CN’s offer, but the U.S. railroad sai...

Jennifer Homendy was recently confirmed by the U.S. Senate to become the National Transportation Safety Board’s chairwoman. Prior to kicking off their congressional summer recess, senators gave her nomination voice-vote approval Aug. 9. Homendy’s confirmation occurred shortly after a Senate committee had easily approved her nomination to lead the transportation investigatory agency. Homendy has se...

U.S. Class 8 retail sales improved 16.3% in July to nearly 17,000, but still landed at the year’s second-lowest level, WardsAuto.com reported. Sales reached 16,824 compared with 14,462 in the 2020 period, according to Wards. July’s sales surpassed the 2021 low of 15,369 in February. Yet, all truck makers improved sales in July compared with a year ago, except Volvo Trucks North America, which expe...

Legislation aimed at modernizing the country’s mobility networks, freight corridors and transit systems gained approval in the U.S. Senate on Aug. 10. After weeks of bipartisan negotiations, senators voted 69-30 to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a $1 trillion measure consisting of President Joe Biden’s signature infrastructure and climate change proposals from his “build back bet...

Xos announced an agreement to deliver 120 zero-emission, medium-duty electric trucks to 35 different FedEx Ground operators in five states. Xos builds Classes 5-8 electric commercial vehicles. The FedEx Ground operators that will be receiving the trucks are in California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Texas, and the companies expect delivery to occur at the end of this year and into 2022...

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollutants from heavy-duty trucks in a series of major rulemakings over the next three years. The EPA said that by December 2022, it will propose and finalize new stringent emissions standards to reduce nitrogen oxide pollution from trucks starting in model year 2027. The agency’s plan,...

Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, the main sponsor of a program to pave the way for commercial driver license holders under 21 to operate commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce, expressed optimism about his proposal’s chances of passing in the U.S. Senate. Young said he anticipates colleagues in the chamber will advance the DRIVE Safe Act as part of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill. Young s...

The American Transportation Research Institute is developing an assessment tool to identify the safest drivers among 18- to 20-year-olds, an important age group that the trucking industry is targeting for expanded eligibility of commercial driver licenses for interstate travel. ATRI’s Young Driver Assessment Tool — which is in phase one of beta testing — has demonstrated that there is the potentia...

Nikola Corp. posted a widening second-quarter financial loss as the zero-emission vehicle startup said it is moving forward with its battery-electric and fuel cell-electric trucks. In a regulatory filing Aug. 3, the company reported a net loss of $143.2 million. No revenue was reported, as Nikola has yet to begin retail sales of its vehicles. Chief Financial Officer Kim Brady said the Phoenix-base...

XPO Logistics Inc. on Aug. 2 completed its previously announced spinoff of GXO Logistics Inc., creating two independent, publicly traded companies. Going forward, XPO will offer primarily less-than-truckload transportation and truck brokerage services, while GXO will provide contract logistics services. XPO CEO Brad Jacobs and company executives were on hand to ring the NYSE opening bell on GXO’s...

The $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan cleared another big hurdle on Friday when the Senate voted 66-28 to begin debate on the bill. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that the chamber should be able to process the legislation quickly given the bipartisan support, and that the bill could be finished within a couple of days. But Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas predicted, “It’...

Trevor Milton, the founder and one-time executive chair of Nikola Corp., surrendered yesterday in New York to face charges alleging he lied to investors about the capabilities of his electric and hydrogen-powered truck startup. Milton stepped down from Nikola in September when allegations of fraud surfaced. At the time, Milton said he would defend himself against such accusations. In the indictmen...

President Joe Biden pledged to increase investments in American companies and workforce training during a visit to a Mack Trucks plant in Pennsylvania Wednesday. After touring the facility, the president stood between a set of Mack trucks on a makeshift stage next to the factory floor. He praised the company’s management and union personnel as he promoted proposals aimed at boosting domestic manuf...

UPS reported a strong second quarter as busy e-commerce trends continue. Overall, the Atlanta-based carrier earned $2.68 billion, compared to $1.77 billion in the same quarter last year. And while the company’s numbers for domestic revenue were a little bit below Wall Street analysts’ expectations, revenue for international operations rose more than predicted. Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

Sens. Ben Cardin and Todd Young introduced a bill to repeal the federal excise tax on new trucks. The 12% tax has been around for more than a century. Industry analysts say it can add about $21,000 to the cost of a new truck or trailer, and critics say the tax discourages buyers from purchasing newer, cleaner vehicles. Stakeholders such as American Trucking Associations and American Truck Dealers...

Truck parking is now prohibited in the city of Minneapolis following a vote by the city council Friday. The restrictions on truck parking state all vehicles that weigh more than 26,000 pounds are prohibited from parking on any city street unless they are actively loading or unloading, they are stopped by a police officer, or they are in a zone with signage allowing parking of vehicles with increas...

Uber Freight announced it will acquire managed transportation provider Transplace from TPG Capital for $2.25 billion. The deal consists of up to $750 million in common stock of Uber Freight’s parent company, Uber Technologies Inc., and the rest in cash. Once the deal is finalized, Uber Freight’s brokerage will continue to operate independently from Frisco, Texas-based Transplace’s managed transpor...