Kellogg announced about 2,000 jobs could be lost through its new distribution strategy, but it’s just the latest manufacturer to make this kind of a change.
Crude Oil Could Plunge to as Low as $30 a Barrel
Crude prices could plunge toward $30 a barrel — a rout of about 40 percent from current levels — unless OPEC extends production cuts that are propping up the market, ABN Amro Bank NV said. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed at the end of November to limit collective production by 1.2 million barrels […]
Truck Groups Ask Chao to Kill Safety Fitness Determination Proposal
A large coalition of groups representing property and passenger carriers is requesting that Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao rescind the Carrier Safety Fitness Determination notice of proposed rulemaking issued over a year ago by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Ford Sees Big Russia Gamble Vindicated as Sales Finally Turn Corner
Ford has become the first major foreign carmaker in Russia to see sales grow after three bad years, potentially vindicating its decision to double down on a notoriously volatile market when rivals decided to cut and run.
After Tough 2016, Heavy-Duty Truck Orders Rise in January
After a dismal 2016, the heavy-duty truck business looks to be picking up. Analysis of January sales by two different trucking industry research firms found that orders last month were unexpectedly strong. North American Orders for trucks in the heaviest Class 8 segment reach 21,600 vehicles, a 20 percent increase compared with the same month […]
Rising fuel prices driving up US trucking costs
Higher fuel prices are likely to jack up transportation costs for US shippers this year by pushing up fuel surcharges. Steadily rising US diesel fuel prices already are pushing up surcharges added to freight rates, reversing a two-year trend that cut into the revenue and earnings of truckers and intermodal operators as fuel prices plummeted. […]
AAR Reports Weekly Rail Traffic for the Week Ending February 11, 2017
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending February 11, 2017. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 518,431 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.6 percent compared with the same week last year.
ELDs’ early adopters face productivity, operational challenges
Some are predicting “the mother of all capacity shortages,” resulting in significantly rising rates. The source of this looming crisis: the electronic logging device mandate. If it’s not pushed back or scrapped, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s final ELD rule requires virtually all interstate operators of commercial trucks that are year 2000 or newer […]
Trump reg rollback could derail rail switching rule
The Trump administration’s recent regulatory rollback has thrown into question the future of a long-standing push by shippers seeking to move their freight from one rail line to another nearby network. (This article requires registration at the Journal of Commerce. To access, please click on the above link.)
IATA: Airfreight market grows 3.8% in 2016
Global airfreight volumes in 2016 rose 3.8 percent compared with the previous year, according to the most recent data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). IATA noted the increase was nearly double the industry’s average growth rate of 2.0 percent over the last five years, with all regions except Latin America showing positive freight […]