In December, when Tesla CEO Elon Musk was preparing to assume his new position leading the Department of Government Efficiency, a reporter asked him whether he supported removing the $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles that was passed in 2022 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. Musk replied, “I think we should get rid ...more
An Isuzu Class 6 FTR Series truck on display at an industry trade show. (John Sommers II for Transport Topics) Truck maker Isuzu will launch a battery-electric version of its Class 6 and Class 7 F-series medium-duty trucks in 2027, rather than 2026 as initially expected. The powertrain for the trucks will be supplied by ...more
(Damian Lemanski/Bloomberg News) Bankrupt battery maker Northvolt AB will continue to operate in Sweden with a staff of 1,700 while its remaining employees will be laid off. “Despite significant reductions, it is positive that the business can continue to some extent, which is likely crucial to enabling a full or partial sale of the business,” ...more
Hakan Samuelsson in 2020. (Mikael Sjoberg/Bloomberg) Volvo Car AB tapped its longtime CEO Hakan Samuelsson to retake the helm as the Swedish automaker tries to navigate its way out of a malaise worsened by looming U.S. tariffs. Samuelsson, 74, will replace Jim Rowan on April 1 and serve for two years as the board looks ...more
A truck carries new Toyota vehicles near the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego. (Ariana Drehsler/Bloomberg) Brittany Humphries and her husband, Jon Bassford, are what sales people at car dealerships might call motivated buyers. The couple, who live in suburban Maryland outside Washington, D.C., moved swiftly to lock in purchases this year to avoid the risk ...more
The price of trucking's main fuel has risen a combined 4.3 cents a gallon in the past two weeks. (Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press) The national average diesel price bumped up 2.5 cents to $3.592 a gallon, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data released March 31. The increase is the second straight, totaling 4.3 cents ...more
New trucks for sale at a Kenworth dealership. (kenworthsalesco.com) Legislation designed to repeal a World War I-era tax on new heavy-duty trucks, tractors and trailers was recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.), a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has renewed an effort to repeal this 12% ...more
Trump speaks in the Rose Garden in 2020. (Evan Vucci/Associated Press) President Donald Trump will announce his reciprocal tariff push on April 2 during an event in the White House Rose Garden, his top spokesperson said. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said March 31 the announcement would feature “country-based” tariffs, but added that the ...more
A bobtail semi truck was destroyed and a trucker was burned in an explosion caused by a portable stove inside of the truck cab over the weekend. The accident happened on Saturday, March 29th at around 5:10 p.m. at the Traveler’s Oasis off Interstate 84 near Eden, Idaho. According to KMVT, the truck driver was using ...more
As part of the agency’s new registration system, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is implementing an identity verification process to curb fraud in the trucking industry. The FMCSA recently announced that all new applicants registering for a USDOT Numberin the current Unified Registration System (URS) will be required to pass identity proofing and ...more
