“The macro economy is not in a recession, but the freight market has been in a recession, including truck freight," says American Trucking Associations Chief Economist Bob Costello. (vitpho/Getty Images) Trucking industry experts are expecting a modest peak shipping season due to freight demand and inventory trends. “My assessment is this is not likely to ...more
A truck chassis on the assembly line at Kenworth's Chillicothe, Ohio, plant. (Kenworth via YouTube) North American Class 8 orders ended a three-month streak of positive year-over-year growth by falling 12% in August, according to ACT Research. ACT preliminary data showed orders fell to 19,000 units from 21,600 during the year-ago period. The report did ...more
UPS used drones to deliver coronavirus vaccines in 2021. (Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist) Two more companies have been granted approval to fly drones beyond the sight of ground operators in a key step that could eventually enable widespread package delivery and other commercial uses for the aerial devices. UPS Inc.’s UPS Flight Forward division ...more
Jonathan Dooley of eLeapPower outlines the company’s integrated power electronics systems for electric vehicles. (Seth Clevenger/Transport Topics) MUNICH — Canadian startup eLeapPower said it is bringing its integrated power electronics to the medium-duty battery-electric truck market in North America. The company’s integrated inverter system is designed to reduce weight, maximize space and save production costs ...more
Drivers are given little or no control over the personal data their vehicles collect. (dusanpetkovic/Getty Images) BOSTON — Cars are getting an “F” in data privacy. Most major manufacturers admit they may be selling your personal information, a new study finds, with half also saying they would share it with the government or law enforcement ...more
(Daimler/PR Newswire) Daimler Truck Holding, Accelera by Cummins and Paccar are forming a joint venture to advance battery cell production in the U.S. and move ahead with their long-term climate change goals. In addition, the three say this will significantly accelerate the development of electric vehicle battery production, creating U.S. manufacturing jobs in a rapidly ...more
Jaxport’s Blount Island Marine Terminal. (Mark Bias for Jaxport) Florida state legislators have given Jacksonville Port Authority officials a $30 million check to purchase two new ship-to-shore container cranes for the Blount Island Marine Terminal. While presenting the check recently, State Rep. Paul Renner (R), speaker of the House, said, “Our ports must be well-equipped ...more
A commercial truck driver closes his trailer after being inspected at Vandenberg Space Force Base. (Calif. Airman 1st Class Rocio Romo/U.S. Space Force) With lawmakers returning to Capitol Hill after the Labor Day holiday, attention will be devoted to arriving at a final version of the National Defense Authorization Act. During the post-summer work period, ...more
Vedder Transportation Group specializes in tank truck transportation of food-grade liquids and dry bulk commodities. (Vedder Transport) TFI International acquired tank transport specialist Vedder Transportation Group, the company said, in what was its ninth acquisition so far in 2023. Montreal-based TFI, which ranks No. 4 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest ...more
The shirt of United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain during an interview with The Associated Press on Sept. 6. (Carlos Osorio/Associated Press) DETROIT — The head of the United Auto Workers warned Sept. 6 that the union plans to go on strike against any Detroit automaker that hasn’t reached a new agreement by the time ...more
