Transport Topics

The American Transportation Research Institute released a white paper that analyzed truck driver perspectives regarding truck parking information systems. Among the 1,103 survey respondents, 32.8% said they use both truck parking apps and variable message signs. Also, 68.7% of drivers under 45 reported using these apps. ATRI said accuracy of information and standardization among states are needed...

The Department of Transportation announced that it’s seeking to require or set standards for automatic emergency braking systems on new heavy trucks. DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it has been studying use of the electronic systems, and it plans to publish a proposed rule in April 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two of the nation’s largest third-party logistics providers have announced that they will join forces. GlobalTranz and Worldwide Express, which rank No. 27 and No. 28 respectively on the Transport Topics Top 50 list of the largest logistics companies in North America, will combine in a transaction expected to close in the third quarter. Tom Madine, CEO of Worldwide Express, will lead the combined...

J.B. Hunt has partnered with autonomous vehicle developer Waymo to move freight with self-driving trucks in Texas. Through the limited program, Waymo’s autonomous trucking unit, Waymo Via, will move loads between facilities in Houston and Fort Worth. That’s a distance of more than 250 miles. Waymo’s Class 8 trucks will drive autonomously on the freight runs, but they also will have two specialists...

XPO Logistics has moved up the potential timeline to complete a spinoff of its logistics operations into a separate company, GXO Logistics. XPO in a June 9 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission said it expects it can complete the deal in the third quarter of this year, up from earlier guidance of the second half of 2021. XPO also has provided updated financial guidance that forecasts...

National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt is stepping down at the end of the month, saying, “Fifteen years is long enough for any one person to serve on a board like this.” Sumwalt, who has a background in commercial aviation, has been chairman the past four years. He said he’s exceptionally proud of the fact that during his time on the board there has not been a major domestic...

The United States government announced yesterday it had recovered the majority of the ransom paid to the hackers of Colonial Pipeline. The company paid $4.4 million in response to the cyberattack, which halted much of the company’s operations on the East Coast and sparked fuel shortages in May. The attack was allegedly perpetrated by a Russia-linked group called DarkSide, and U.S. officials noted...

Democratic members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unveiled a $547 billion surface transportation reauthorization bill on Friday. The majority of the funding outlined in the bill, $343 billion, would be directed to roads, bridges and safety programs. The bill proposes $250 million for commercial motor vehicle parking each year for fiscal years 2023 through 2026. It also ca...

As leaders from Canadian National and Kansas City Southern promote their proposed multibillion-dollar merger, some of their customers are voicing concerns. The American Chemistry Council, a trade association, has expressed concerns to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board that the deal could limit competition in an industry that operates with only a handful of larger carriers. Any regulatory decis...

On Tuesday, news broke that JBS SA, the world’s largest meat producer, had fallen victim to a cyberattack that hobbled its operations. Yesterday, the company announced it had made “significant progress” to resolve the cyberattack. The majority of factories had returned to operation, according to the company. That’s good news for the U.S. food supply, given that JBS’ beef plants account for almost...

A little more than three weeks after the cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline, the meat supply chain has been targeted. A cyberattack on JBS SA, the world’s largest meat producer, has forced the shutdown of some of the largest slaughterhouses globally, and indications are that the closures are spreading. JBS’ beef plant in Canada, one of the nation’s largest, was shut down Monday after being hacke...

President Joe Biden on Friday unveiled a whopping $6 trillion budget proposal, which includes billions in provisions to boost transportation infrastructure. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Biden’s proposal reflects an $88 billion investment in transportation. The budget proposal outlined a discretionary request of $25.7 billion for DOT, which represents a 14.8 percent increase...

The sales price for the average used Class 8 sold in April set an all-time record. It cleared $57,000, which is 50% higher than this time last year. According to ACT Research, which calculated the figure, the surge came even as demand slipped compared with the month before. The previous high was $55,000, set in 2015. Experts are predicting this year to remain a very strong one for prices. Learn mo...

The Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously approved a five-year, $304 billion reauthorization of surface transportation programs yesterday. Now, committees with jurisdiction over transit, freight and tax policies will have to consider any missing components. Senators and their House counterparts are hoping to move the legislation through the markup process and over to Presiden...

A group of Senate Republicans plans to propose to the White House on Thursday an infrastructure package that will come in at nearly $1 trillion spread over eight years. The new offer still would be well short of the $1.7 trillion the White House proposed May 21. The Democrats have said the clock is ticking on getting a bipartisan deal done, and some already are saying GOP input isn’t needed and th...

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee scheduled consideration of comprehensive highway policy legislation for tomorrow. Top Democrats and Republicans on the committee announced May 22 they reached agreement on the surface transportation reauthorization bill, which would provide $304 billion in funding for highways, roads and bridges. It’s part of an update of the 2015 FAST Act highway...

The White House has come down in price on its infrastructure proposal, reducing the cost from $2.25 trillion to $1.7 trillion, but it appears Senate Republicans do not find that agreeable. Biden’s counteroffer on Friday still relies on a corporate tax to pay for the package, and the GOP is unwilling to revisit tax cuts that were gained during the Trump administration. In the newest proposal, the W...

U.S. House Republicans have unveiled new legislation that would authorize $400 billion over five years for surface transportation programs. The proposed bill — the Surface Transportation Advanced Through Reform, Technology and Efficient Review Act 2.0 — would update a 2015 highway law that expires in September. It would extend or create programs related to highway funding, autonomous vehicles and...

A contract has been awarded for emergency repair of the Interstate 40 bridge, but the span will likely remain closed for months. The bridge carries I-40 across the Mississippi River and links Memphis, Tenn., and West Memphis, Ark. The bridge was closed to vehicular and marine traffic May 11 after a mechanical fracture was discovered during a routine inspection. In the meantime, traffic is being di...

Truck tonnage in April increased a seasonally adjusted 6.9% compared with year-ago levels, according to American Trucking Associations' For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index. When measured against this past March, April tonnage declined 0.3%. Trucking represents 72.5% of tonnage carried by all modes of domestic freight transportation, including manufactured and retail goods, according to ATA. Trucks hauled...

Today, President Joe Biden plans to visit a Ford site in Dearborn, Mich., that will build the carmaker’s new electric F-150 pickup truck. The F-150 has been the country’s best-selling vehicle for decades, and the electric version will be unveiled May 19 during a livestreamed event. Biden is expected to tour the facility, view the new truck, receive a technical rundown from Ford engineers and offer...

Canadian National Railway appears to be the front-runner to acquire Kansas City Southern Railroad after the KCS board of directors said CN has presented a “superior proposal” to an earlier offer from Canadian Pacific to purchase the U.S.-based railway. The CN proposal totals $33.6 billion and includes assumption of nearly $3.8 billion in KCS debt. Canadian National also is offering to pay a $700 m...

The Louisiana House has passed a bill that would make staging an accident with a car or truck a serious crime. HR 15, which passed the House this week by a vote of 100 to 0, now moves on to the state Senate. If passed there, it would enact a penalty of five years in prison or a fine of $5,000 — or both — for those convicted of the crime. The legislation follows a multiyear FBI investigation into m...

Class 8 retail sales jumped 52.8% in April compared with a year earlier to 19,312, WardsAuto.com reported. In the 2020 period, sales were 12,637, according to Wards. That month saw a severe drop-off in freight, the accelerating spread of the novel coronavirus and temporary shutdowns at truck plants across various weeks. Meanwhile, year-to-date sales rose 22.1% to 73,534 compared with 60,219 a year...

The adoption of legislation designed to improve connectivity across commercial corridors and ensure long-term funding for highway programs would benefit the country’s freight supply chain. That was the assessment American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear gave during a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing yesterday. Spear called on lawmakers to adopt highway policy legislation and relate...