Red Hook Terminal Orders TRAC Intermodal to Remove Chassis

Red Hook Container Terminal in Newark, N.J., is the latest to kick chassis off its property to free up space to store containers due to the growth of larger vessels traveling through the Panama Canal.

J.B. Hunt Profits Slip 8.3% in Third Quarter, Missing Forecasts on Earnings

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. profits fell 8.3% in the third quarter, the company announced Oct. 13, coming up short of the Bloomberg News consensus forecast of analysts.

Consumer Sentiment Unexpectedly Surges to 13-Year High

U.S. consumer sentiment unexpectedly surged to a 13-year high as Americans’ perceptions of the economy and their own finances rebounded following several major hurricanes, a University of Michigan survey showed Oct. 13.

US Core Inflation Misses Estimates; Energy Boosts Main Gauge

U.S. inflation excluding food and fuel was below estimates for the sixth time in seven months, even as a hurricane-driven spike in energy prices boosted the overall cost of living by the most since January, a Labor Department report showed Oct. 13.

US Retail Sales Rise Most Since 2015 on Storm-Related Lift

U.S. retail sales jumped last month by the most in more than two years as motor vehicles lost to hurricanes were quickly replaced and higher prices lifted receipts at gasoline stations, Commerce Department figures showed Oct. 13.

Editorial: Our Industry, Front and Center

If you’re holding this extra-large issue of Transport Topics, there’s a decent chance you’re attending American Trucking Associations’ annual Management Conference & Exhibition in Orlando since this is the special edition that is distributed at the event. Either that, or you’re a regular subscriber. In either case, we’re grateful for your interest in being up-to-date on what’s going on in the trucking industry. And there’s a lot going on.

Scott Mugno Is the ‘Brain Coach’ to FedEx’s Championship Drivers

When FedEx Express’ Roland Bolduc claimed the Grand Champion prize at this year’s National Truck Driving Championships, he did so as part of a team of about 170 company drivers who were dominant in every class. While the skills required to claim those victories are varied and unique to the competitors, the company has for years relied heavily on one man to get its drivers ready: Scott Mugno.

Tax Reform to Spark Economic Confidence, Rep. Peter Roskam Says

Hybrid Truck Startup XL Gets $22 Million From Exelon, Ikea

XL Hybrids Inc. won $22 million in venture capital funding led by units of Exelon Corp. and Ikea Group to accelerate sales of its hybrid-electric delivery trucks.

Report: Key Changes Needed to Prevent Fiery Rail Crashes

A prestigious scientific organization on Oct. 11 called for more frequent and better inspections of freight railroad tracks to prevent potentially catastrophic oil and ethanol train crashes.