Truck demand outstripping supply  Aug 15, 2011 12:06 PM, By Jim Mele, editor-in-chief Supply constraints will keep Class 8 retail sales at about 196,000 units in North America despite market demand for as many as 275,000 trucks, according to Mark Lampert, sr. vp of sales and marketing for Freightliner Trucks...

CARB rejects port truckers bid  Aug 15, 2011 11:32 AM After agreeing to a panel hearing, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has decided against a recommendation to delay the scheduled emissions upgrades for drayage trucks in the Port of Oakland...

Retail sales inch up in July  Aug 15, 2011 11:25 AM The Dept. of Commerce reported that U.S. retail sales edged up slightly July, following a similarly small increase in June...

BMO: Risk of “double dip” remains low  Aug 15, 2011 11:23 AM Though the BMO Financial Group, like many institutions, now believes the U.S. economy will grow far slower than previously forecasted, it’s confident that a “double dip” recession remains unlikely and that the U.S. government will regain its AAA credit rating in the near future...

Shippers Condition Index up slightly  Aug 15, 2011 10:50 AM The monthly FTR Associates’ Shippers Condition Index (SCI) rose slightly in June to a reading of -3.1. The current index reading was published in the company’s August Shippers Update...

Downgrade for truck freight forecast  Aug 12, 2011 11:18 AM, By Sean Kilcarr, senior editor Far more uncertainty is now projected for truck freight volumes going forward, according to the latest analysis conducted by research firm FTR Associates, largely because the U.S. economy is performing far more poorly than previously thought...

Deloitte: Consumer spending on the rise  Aug 12, 2011 11:16 AM Declining energy prices and stabilization in the housing market drove an increase in consumer spending for July, according to data tracked by global consulting firm Deloitte LLP...

Long-time Xtra Lease executive Ron Hughes dead at 63  Aug 12, 2011 11:14 AM Ron Hughes, vice president-national accounts for Xtra Lease, has passed away at the age of 63 following a short illness, the company announced...

Freak accident suspends trailer atop freeway sign  Aug 12, 2011 11:07 AM You have to see the picture to get the full effect of the tractor-trailer rig that wound up atop a freeway sign in Houston in a freak accident Tuesday...

Couple sentenced for $1.3 million embezzlement scheme  Aug 12, 2011 10:49 AM, By Deborah Whistler, contributing editor A Canfield, OH, couple was sentenced last week after being convicted of stealing $1.3 million from an Austintown trucking company. Scott and Linda Adair were sentenced in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, according to a report by WKBN 27 News. Victims of the embezzlement scheme testified at the sentencing...

CSA creating driver anxiety, fear of job loss  Aug 11, 2011 11:01 AM, By Wendy Leavitt, director of editorial development More than 77% of drivers incorrectly believe that a trucking company inherits past CSA violations from new hires, according to a recently released report from the American Transportation Research Institute...

J.J. Keller names vice presidents  Aug 11, 2011 10:59 AM J.J. Keller has named four new vice presidents to support its continued growth...

Crime-fighting truck drivers  Aug 11, 2011 10:57 AM, By Deborah Whistler, contributing editor Denver’s Taxis on Patrol crime prevention program has been expanded to utilize commercial truck drivers throughout the state to serve as crime fighters...

PennDOT needs truck drivers  Aug 11, 2011 10:48 AM, By Deborah Whistler, contributing editor The Pennsylvania Dept. of Transportation is accepting applications to hire 24 seasonal truck drivers to plow snow and complete highway maintenance work this winter, according to Pennsylvania DOT’s District 8...

July PCI indicates an economy gone “wobbly”  Aug 10, 2011 10:42 AM The 0.2% dip in the Ceridian-UCLA Pulse of Commerce Index (PCI) during July after a 1% gain in June indicates that “wobbly, slow growth” should be expected for the U.S. economy for the rest of 2011...

Old Dominion opens drayage facility  Aug 10, 2011 10:37 AM Old Dominion Freight Line has opened a new drayage facility in the Baltimore area. The site, the third such facility the company has opened this year, will serve the ports and container yards around Baltimore...

Hot August Nights close roads in Sparks, NV  Aug 10, 2011 10:34 AM, By Deborah Whistler, contributing editor Sparks, NV, will experience road closures this week in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Hot August Nights, a car show and festival, according to KOLO TV...

Bottoming home values could be good sign for trucking  Aug 10, 2011 10:21 AM The decline in U.S. home values and prices is slowing considerably, according to a quarterly analysis conducted by real estate research firm Zillow, indicating the housing market may be stabilizing. That’s good news for trucking as the U.S. housing market produced 37% of the industry’s freight mix between 2006 and 2011, according to data compiled by FTR Associates...

Significant traffic delays, detours expected in Federal Way, WA  Aug 10, 2011 10:19 AM, By Deborah Whistler, contributing editor Truckers can expect delays and a “significant increase in traffic” on the streets of Federal Way Washington...

Trucker dies in fiery I-95 crash  Aug 10, 2011 10:16 AM, By Deborah Whistler, contributing editor A truck driver died in a fiery accident on Interstate 95 near Lorton, VA, that closed all the northbound lanes of the Interstate for several hours Monday morning...

Federal fuel efficiency rules revealed  Aug 9, 2011 11:24 AM, By Sean Kilcarr, senior editor In two years, buses, medium- and heavy-duty trucks will be required to meet federally mandated fuel efficiency rules designed to reduce the level of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions they produce...

Volvo Financial Services appoints vp of U.S. retail operations  Aug 9, 2011 10:22 AM Nicholas Rocco has been named vice president of retail operations for Volvo Financial Services. Rocco will have responsibility for both the truck and construction retail operations, including credit and collections functions, the company said...

New York State Police up enforcement for ‘Speed Week’   Aug 9, 2011 10:19 AM It’s “Speed Week” and the New York State Police will be targeting speeding motorists through Aug. 14, according to Major Donald L.X. DePass Jr., Troop D. The highway enforcement campaign coincides with the NASCAR race occurring at Watkins Glen International Raceway on Aug. 14, according the Madison County Courier ...

I-85 lane closures this week in Georgia  Aug 9, 2011 10:13 AM, By Deborah Whistler, contributing editor Several sections of I-85 in the Logansville-Grayson area will be closed nights through Aug. 12, according to the Georgia Dept. of Transportation, as work continues on the new high occupancy toll road planned for portions of I-85. There are no daytime lane closures planned...

Police seek trucker involved in road rage incident  Aug 9, 2011 10:11 AM, By Deborah Whistler, contributing editor Police are looking for a truck driver who is suspected of assaulting a woman in Comstock Township, MI, in a road rage incident, according to WWMT Channel 3 News, a CBS affiliate...

Baltimore area road work and closures planned  Aug 9, 2011 9:53 AM, By Deborah Whistler, contributing editor There are several road closures due to highway construction and work projects slated for Baltimore, Harford, Carroll, Howard and Talbot Counties in Maryland, according to the Baltimore Sun...

Technology expert Klososky to deliver keynote at NationaLease conference  Aug 8, 2011 10:58 AM Scott Klososky will deliver a keynote address at the NationaLease 67th Annual Meeting, Sept. 18-19, in San Francisco...

O Canada! Rules change for border crossings  Aug 8, 2011 10:57 AM, By Brian Straight, managing editor While the focus in recent years has been on the U.S.-Mexico border and the fight for free access to U.S. roadways for Mexican trucks, a significant change is occurring at America’s other border as well. And it’s a change that many smaller U.S.-based shippers and carriers may not be ready for...

S&P downgrade is ‘troubling news for manufacturers’  Aug 8, 2011 10:55 AM After Standard & Poor’s stripped the United States of its AAA credit rating late Friday, “manufacturers are bracing for a negative impact on many levels,” the National Association of Manufacturers said this weekend...

East Manufacturing names vp of materials  Aug 8, 2011 10:41 AM David Kinsely has been promoted to vice president of materials for East Manufacturing Corp. Kinsley was most recently director of materials...

Central Freight Lines earns safety award  Aug 8, 2011 10:35 AM Central Freight Lines, a less-than-truckload (LTL) for-hire carrier, was award a First Place Safety Award from the Texas Motor Transportation Assn. (TMTA) for achieving the highest safety standards in the state of Texas...

Trucking running ahead of overall hiring rate  Aug 5, 2011 11:30 AM For-hire trucking added 4,400 jobs in July, while employers in total hired 117,000 workers in the same month, according to an Associated Press report by Christopher S. Rugaber datelined today...

KPMG: U.S. auto execs see more revenue, jobs ahead  Aug 5, 2011 11:27 AM Despite the shaky status of the nation’s economy, U.S. automotive executives say they expect improvements in revenue to continue, which will translate into more capital investment in their operation and employment in the coming year, according to a recent survey by KPMG LLP...

RBC survey: Debt ceiling deal rattled consumers  Aug 5, 2011 11:25 AM The U.S. consumer outlook index compiled and tracked by RBC Capital Markets took a hit for August as a majority of those surveyed said the down-to-the-wire deal between Congress and President Barack Obama to raise the nation’s debt ceiling ended up making them less confident in the country’s economic recovery...