Gatik has been operating self-driving trucks for Walmart in Bentonville, Ark., since 2019, and now makes deliveries for Sam's Club in Texas. (Gatik via YouTube) The North Texas area has quietly become the new frontier for the development of self-driving trucks, with several companies from around the world setting up operations — and using North ...more
aogreatkim via Getty Images Progressive Insurance launched a new roadside assistance coverage option for commercial heavy-duty trucks, the auto insurance company announced May 22. The Heavy Truck Roadside Assistance (HT RSA) helps cover the cost of towing and labor at the site of disablement as well as provide roadside support. It came as a direct ...more
Fleets, like Yellow, have been working on retention of back-office employees over the past few years. (Yellow) With a lingering labor shortage affecting drivers for several years, fleets are finding that there’s a steady growth of job demand for operational support roles usually known as back-office jobs. While truck drivers are critical to motor carrier ...more
A truck enters the Pennsylvania Turnpike. (Tom Volk/The Morning Call via Tribune Content Agency) WASHINGTON, Pa. — Truckers nearing the end of their workday before reaching Pittsburgh often seek out the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s New Stanton service plaza to park their rigs for the night. It’s such a popular location that there aren’t enough spaces for ...more
Daniel Acker/Bloomberg News Consumer confidence fell in May as Americans became more pessimistic about the labor market, on top of elevated anxiety over inflation. The Conference Board reported May 30 that its consumer confidence index fell to 102.3 in May from 103.7 in April. It’s the fourth time in five months that overall U.S. consumer ...more
Verne co-founder Ted McKlveen next to hydrogen storage tanks. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group via Tribune Content Agency) California has long been in the vanguard of pursuing renewable energy, and Gov. Gavin Newsom has budgeted billions of dollars for supporting and accelerating the state’s transition toward clean energy. San Francisco company Verne is looking to ...more
The Mack MD Electric, unveiled March 8, will be offered in Classes 6 and 7. (Mack Trucks) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking information by June 5 on zero-emission heavy trucks, fueling infrastructure and carbon-free port equipment to craft its clean port and heavy vehicles programs. EPA will use responses from this information request ...more
From left: Nucor EVP of Plate & Structural Products Al Behr; Nikola Global Head, FCEV Market Development Jason Roycht; PGT Trucking President Gregg Troian; and Nucor Steel Brandenburg GM Johnny Jacobs. (PGT Trucking) PGT Trucking, an Aliquippa, Pa.-based flatbed transportation company, announced on May 29 it had delivered its inaugural shipment of low-greenhouse-gas steel (GHG), ...more
Ford CEO Jim Farley with an F-150 Lightning electric pickup. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images via Bloomberg News) Hours before Tesla Inc. and Ford Motor Co. announced their surprise charging partnership, Ford’s chief executive officer offered his take as to why the U.S. has been so slow to adopt electric vehicles. The problem isn’t the cars, but ...more
From left: Satoshi Ogiso, President and CEO of Hino Motors; Koji Sato, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Corp.; Martin Daum, CEO of Daimler Truck AG; Karl Deppen CEO of Daimler Truck Asia. (Daimler Truck AG) Daimler Truck will join merging Japanese companies Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. and Hino Motors as part of ...more
