Workers build a Ford Focus on the assembly line at Ford Motor Co.'s Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images via Bloomberg News) The Biden administration is making up to $12 billion available for automakers to retrofit their facilities to make electric vehicles and hybrids. The funding comes amid tense negotiations between Detroit ...more
A cargo ship waits on Gatun Lake for its transit through the Panama Canal. The U.S. is the main source of traffic, with close to 72.1% of cargo passing through the canal either originating from or arriving at a U.S. port. (Arnulfo Franco/Associated Press) Panama Canal officials say limiting how many ships can go through ...more
Shoppers at a Buffalo Grove, Ill., store. Economist Rajeev Dhawan forecasts job growth to turn mildly negative in the first half of 2024. (Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press) Higher interest rates will significantly slow inflation and the overall U.S. economy during the remainder of 2023 and into 2024, before the Federal Reserve reverses course and cuts ...more
A portion of Interstate 275 is flooded near Tampa, Fla., as Hurricane Idalia bears down on the Big Bend region of the state the morning of Aug. 30. (Florida Department of Transportation via Associated Press) CEDAR KEY, Fla. — Hurricane Idalia made landfall Aug. 30 in Florida as a Category 3 storm and unleashed devastation ...more
Miles traveled by American motorists in the first half of 2023 increased 2.3% from the same period a year ago. (LM Otero/Associated Press) Traffic fatalities declined by an estimated 3% during the first six months of 2023 while miles traveled by American motorists increased 2.3% across the same period of time, a new report found. ...more
A worker prepares materials and construction parts at the Boeing Interiors Responsibility Center in North Charleston, S.C., on May 31. (Gavin McIntyre/The Post and Courier via AP, Pool, File) WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy expanded at a 2.1% annual pace from April through June, showing continued resilience in the face of higher borrowing costs for ...more
A Michigan state police officer monitors a weigh station. (Prepass) Federal trucking regulators are seeking public comment on a proposal to modify the current three-tier safety motor carrier fitness rating structure, including a review of data and other resources available for helping determine a carrier’s fitness to operate. The new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s ...more
Navistar’s SuperTruck II shed 500 pounds when compared with the Traton Group unit’s SuperTruck I. (Navistar) Navistar’s International SuperTruck II achieved a 60% reduction in weight compared with the baseline model due to a composite cab and trailer box, TPI Composites Senior Director of Automotive Todd Altman said Aug. 30. The baseline model for the ...more
Sen. Pete Ricketts speaks with B.J. Johnson of ClearFlame Engine Technologies. (Office of Sen. Pete Ricketts) Alternatives for reducing emissions that go beyond a federal regulatory push to expand use of battery-electric heavy trucks exist for both near- and longer-term applications, experts said in interviews after a recent roundtable discussion hosted by Sen. Pete Ricketts ...more
A semi trailer for Hillshire Farms, a subsidiary of Tyson Foods Inc., parked at a Tyson plant in Union City, Tenn. (Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg News) Tyson Foods will centralize areas such as transportation and warehousing under fresh meats head Brady Stewart in the food giant’s latest effort to restore profits. The reorganization will allow the meat ...more
