24 Aug Below-Forecast US Jobless Claims Signal Tight Labor Market The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits was less than estimated last week and near a four-decade low, indicating the job market remains tight, Labor Department data showed Aug. 24. Read more...
24 Aug Fuel Economy Improves for 9th Straight Year, NACFE Study Finds Nineteen fleets tracked by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency showed fuel efficiency improvements last year, for the ninth straight year, but the gain was just 1% year-over-year as some fleets dropped certain fuel-saving technologies and as other factors such as extreme summer heat played a role in fuel consumption. Read more...
23 Aug More Trailer Makers Explore Options as E-Commerce Outpaces Total Retail Growth Trailer makers Hyundai Translead and Strick Group are exploring options to provide equipment deliveries in the final mile as growth in e-commerce outpaces growth in retail sales overall, they said in separate announcements. Read more...
23 Aug 2017 Roadcheck Places 23% of Commercial Vehicles Out of Service Nearly one of every four trucks that received comprehensive Level I inspections during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s International Roadcheck this summer were taken out of service, CVSA reported on Aug. 23. Read more...
23 Aug Mississippi Senate Panel to Again Study State’s Transportation Woes The Mississippi Senate Transportation Committee has two days of hearings scheduled for Aug. 24 and Aug. 25 for members to again hear about the poor condition of the state’s transportation system. Read more...
23 Aug Little Known Bill on ELDs Quietly Gaining Supporters in US House A U.S. House of Representatives bill that would delay the December mandate for electronic logging devices is quietly gaining co-sponsors despite lacking support from congressional Republican leaders, a committee of jurisdiction and most of the trucking industry. Read more...
23 Aug Home Sales Dropped in July After Solid First-Half Run A decline in U.S. purchases of new homes in July may be a sign the industry took a breather following an even stronger run of sales than previously reported, according to government data Aug. 23. Read more...
23 Aug In Latest Speech, Trump Promises Infrastructure Bill After announcing an advisory council on infrastructure policy would not convene amid corporate leaders’ response to his reaction to racial violence, President Donald Trump expressed commitment to ensuring long-term funding legislation for the country’s transportation network is approved. Read more...
23 Aug July Trailer Orders Increase 41%; Industry Optimistic for 2018 U.S. trailer orders jumped 41% in July compared with the weak 2016 period, supported by demand for dry vans and flatbeds — and trailer makers said they expected similar conditions in 2018. Read more...
23 Aug More States Explore Truck-Platooning Technology and Regulations It could be years before drivers on U.S. highways catch a glimpse of a tractor-trailer rig cruising down the highway with another truck trailing a perilous 20 or 30 feet behind. Read more...