Author Archive

CVSA’s International Roadcheck Rescheduled for Sept. 9-11

The postponed International Roadcheck event has been rescheduled for Sept. 9-11, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance announced Aug. 10. CVSA officials postponed the event in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Although the coronavirus pandemic understandably shifted priorities and personnel during the spring, the commercial motor vehicle law enforcement community has reasserted its focus on the […]

Fresh threat to US food exports: China COVID inspections

February’s coronavirus shutdown in Wuhan, China hit American food exports hard. Shippers transport perishable food in refrigerated containers called “reefers.” When unloaded, they must connect to electric power via “reefer plugs.” Reefer plugs at China ports filled up after the Wuhan outbreak. Now, it’s happening again. Reefer-plug capacity maxed out in February because China severely […]

United Airlines records $1.6B Q2 loss; cargo revenue soars

United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAL) achieved 36.3% growth in cargo revenue in the second quarter after transitioning idle aircraft to cargo-only flights, but the glimmer of good news was overshadowed by a $1.6 billion net loss. It was the worst quarter in United’s 94-year history. Revenues fell 87% year-over-year as travel demand evaporated because of travel […]

Excess insurance seemingly unattainable thanks to rising rates

You’d be hard-pressed to find a trucker who doesn’t think bloated insurance rates are an issue. With the rise of “nuclear verdicts” against trucking fleets, the ever-present danger of distracted driving, and legislative pressure to further regulate the industry, it’s no wonder insurance premiums are stuck in the clouds. For the most part, motor carriers […]

ACT, ATA indices for June show significant upturn in trucking activity

Two recently released indices show that June continued the trucking market’s climb from its low levels of April. The ACT For-Hire Trucking Index in June climbed to 70.4, up from 50.2 in May. in April, it was 19.3. Although the June number was more than three times that of April, that does not mean that […]

Love’s Travel Stops to require face masks starting July 29

Love’s Travel Stops announced Tuesday that it is joining a growing list of retailers that are requiring customers to wear face coverings in an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19. The new face-covering policy starts on July 29 and will be required at all Love’s Travel Stops, Love’s Country Store, Love’s Truck Care and […]

Carriers may face penalties, shutdowns under Virginia COVID-19 regs

Virginia recently became the first state to impose enforceable COVID-19 safety requirements in the workplace — not just guidelines — which has the trucking industry scrambling to figure out how the new law will affect drivers and operations. The final rule, made public July 17 by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI), applies […]

Leaders say USMCA aiding border industries’ recovery from pandemic

The new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is already proving that keeping trade flowing through North America benefits all three nations, according to Ruth Hughs, Texas secretary of state. “[Texas] would not be the economic powerhouse that we currently are without our trading partners in Mexico and in Canada,” Hughes said during a panel discussion, “USMCA […]

Airlines seek government help to survive winter doldrums

Airlines need more government help dealing with the fallout from the coronavirus if they are to get through the winter doldrums, when revenues tend to wane, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said Tuesday. The key to survival during the winter is schedule flexibility at large airports and for that airlines say they need relief […]

Port Houston: ‘Worst should be behind us’

Executive Director Roger Guenther believes Port Houston has turned a corner. “We had nine blank sailings in the month of May,” Guenther said. “But the worst should be behind us. We are aware of seven blank — or canceled — sailings to Houston in June and only three for the month of July.” Container volume […]