Trade and transport analysts see a negative market outlook worsen, though some contend that this trend could be reversed later in the year. Meanwhile, logistics managers should brace for a volatile period of rate fluctuation.
Wal-Mart to Shutter 269 Stores, 154 of them in the US
Wal-Mart is closing 269 stores, more than half of them in the U.S. and another big chunk in its challenging Brazilian market. The stores being shuttered account for a fraction of the company’s 11,000 stores worldwide and less than 1 percent of its global revenue.
Nation’s Truckers Enjoy an Average 3.4-cent Drop in Diesel Prices
Diesel fuel prices dropping nearly 6 cents a gallon in the Rocky Mountain states last week, and with smaller declines seen in all of the other regions of the nation, plenty of smiles could be seen on truck drivers’ faces at truck stops throughout the U.S. The average per-gallon price for a gallon of diesel […]
DOT releases freight plan calling for local road funding, ‘accelerated technologies,’ expediting projects
SEATTLE — The Department of Transportation this past weekend introduced a National Freight Strategic Plan that showed a number of challenges in the coming years including 70 million more people in the next 30 years; a 40 percent increase in freight volume by 2040; increasingly larger vessels and more containers at our ports; a tripling […]
SMC3 expands offerings with acquisition of Transportation Costing Group
Less-than-truckload and transit technology services provider SMC3 said it has acquired Transportation Costing Group (TCG), a provider of activity-based cost modeling software and other profitability management tools for LTL and truckload shippers.
Truck drivers wanted. Pay: $73,000
There will be a shortage of nearly 50,000 truckers in the United States by the end of this year, according a new report by the American Trucking Associations (ATA). That’s up from a shortage of 30,000 drivers just two years ago, and 20,000 drivers a decade ago.
Trucking Makes a Comeback, but Small Operators Miss Out
A recovering U.S. economy is driving record demand for trucking. But many smaller operators, who make up the vast majority of the roughly 470,000 for-hire fleets on the road today, say they’re missing out on the boom. (This article requires a subscription with The Wall Street Journal. To access, please click on the above link.)
Trucks haul 63.9% of U.S.-NAFTA freight, still most utilized mode
The value of U.S.-NAFTA freight totaled $93.0 billion in July 2015 as all modes except air carried less freight than in July 2014, according to the TransBorder Freight Data released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS
Oil prices up on news of tightening U.S. supplies
On news of slightly decreased U.S. oil supplies Tuesday oil prices rose, with Brent crude up 55 cents to $47.89 a barrel after sinking 2.5 percent Monday. U.S. light crude was up 45 cents to $44.88.
Operational Costs Rise Despite Falling Fuel Prices
Rising equipment costs and driver wages led to an increase in operational costs in 2014, according to a comprehensive report from the American Transportation Research Institute.