Turnover at truckload fleets remained high in the fourth quarter of 2014, according the American Trucking Association’s chief economist, Bob Costello. Costello considers turnover at truckload fleets to be a barometer of the driver shortage
Archive for the ‘CONSUMER GOODS’ Category
Trucks With 3-D Printers Coming From Amazon?
Amazon.com Inc. filed several patents for a system of printing three-dimensional products on-demand from inside a delivery truck, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Ongoing Fluctuations in Oil & Diesel Markets Equal Uncertainty for Shippers and Carriers
It’s a tough time to for shippers, trucking companies or logistics managers to be in the business of forecasting the prices of crude oil or diesel fuel.
DOT Unveils Its Long-Term Transpo Funding Bill
Although it’s likely to land with a solid thud on Capitol Hill — given that there are just two months left until current surface-transportation legislation expires — the U.S. Department of Transportation officially announced its $478-billion, six-year transportation reauthorization proposal.
Global air cargo soars on Chinese New Year, U.S. port congestion
(This article requires registration at the Journal of Commerce. To access, please click on the above link.) Global air cargo traffic soared by 11.7 percent in February, driven largely by the timing of the Chinese lunar New Year and the congestion at U.S. West Coast ports, the International Air Transport Association reported. There was a […]
Driver wage hikes could raise truckload pricing 12-18 percent
(This article requires registration at the Journal of Commerce. To access, please click on the above link.) Hefty increases in truck driver wages will propel truckload rates higher in 2015 and beyond, potentially pushing pricing up by double digits, a transportation analyst warns. Truckload rates may need to rise as much as 12 to 18 […]
“Grow America Act” Welcomed by U.S. Supply Chain Managers
The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) introduced The GROW AMERICA Act, a six-year, $478 million transportation reauthorization bill yesterday. Specific components of the GROW AMERICA act include: $317 billion towards the nation’s highway and road safety, which will increase the amount of highway funds by an average of about 29 percent above FY 2015 […]
Home Prices in 20 U.S. Cities Rose at Faster Pace in January
Home prices in 20 U.S. cities appreciated at a faster pace in the year ended in January, indicating the residential real-estate market continues to firm. The S&P/Case-Shiller index of property values increased 4.6 percent from January 2014, the biggest gain since September, after rising 4.4 percent the prior month, a report from the group showed […]
This New Indicator Shows There’s No Bubble Forming in U.S. Housing
When a parking space in Manhattan costs $136,000 and only 15 percent of San Francisco’s homes are affordable for the middle class, it’s easy to worry that another housing bubble is around the corner. The vast majority of American homeowners have little to fear: A new gauge from Nationwide Insurance in Columbus, Ohio, suggests the […]
Railroads Caught by Speed of Crude-Oil Collapse
The slowdown that North American railroad companies had been bracing for in crude oil shipments has turned into a rout, with volumes falling faster than executives had predicted. With energy companies scaling back drilling after prices for the commodity fell about 50% since July, industry executives and analysts anticipated that demand for hauling crude and […]