Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

The spending budget for the federal governments fiscal 2023 includes an increase in funding for the Department of Transportation that is higher than the level requested by the White House. The $1.7 trillion Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 which advanced through the U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 23 after moving through the Senate the day before allocates $106.3 billion to DOT and its agencies, $3.4 billion more than the agency

Just before noon on Thursday, December 29, 2022, reports of a tractor trailer hauling grain crashing off MO-126 near State Route M in western Barton County alerted the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Tpr S. Carpenter of Troop D tells us the driver of the hauler was not injured in the crash.

A semi truck careened off of Interstate 10 in Tucson on Tuesday after the driver passed out at the wheel. The accident happened on December 27th in Tucson, Arizona on Interstate 10 near Valencia Road. According to News 4 Tucson, the trucker was driving along I-10 wh

US shippers of grain, food and other products expect to face better prospects for logistics in 2023, hoping much of the COVID-induced issues are in the past as well as a nationwide strike by railroad workers that was averted by legislative action.

But compared to the trucking bloodbath of 2019, the industry hasnt seen a wave of large firms declaring bankruptcy. Trucking companies, instead, seem keen on expanding. Hiring activity, according to federal data that tracks preemployment queries for commercial drivers, has actually increased. Federal employment data reflects that trucking payrolls have increased by around 55,600 drivers, or a 3.6% increase, from January to November.

The Illinois Farm Bureau has significantly increased funds earmarked for commercial drivers license scholarships in 2023 to $100,000. President Rich Guebert tells Brownfield their members have been widely impacted by trucking shortages.

U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse says livestock haulers have different needs than other truckers because of the live cargo theyre carrying

Our rundown of OOIDAs biggest accomplishments in celebration of the Associations 50th anniversary continues with a look at hours of service. Through an onslaught of proposal and rulemakings, OOIDA has consistently had one goal at front of mind: providing truckers the flexibility to do their job.

When Carl Johnson founded City Dray Line in 1920, the Prohibition era had just begun, Warren G. Harding was elected president, and car production was starting to ramp up to meet the demands of middle-class Americans. The trucking industry as we know it today was in its infancy.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data shows the number of monthly net operating authority revocations in 2021 surpassed the most recent pre-pandemic peak in 2021. The current figure is roughly double 2019. But that doesnt mean each revocation resulted in a truck hitting the used market.

Lance Lillibridge, a farmer in east central Iowa, knows farmings ups and downs. He has been in this business since he was "knee-high to a grasshopper" and is the first of a family of farmers to own his land. But he said the sharp increase in fertilizer prices this year has put him in a challenging position.

One of the biggest problems in trucking is the way some shippers, receivers, brokers and others coerce truckers into situations where they end up violating the regulations. Of course, if things go south, its the trucker who faces the consequences. However, OOIDA some years ago fought to get a regulation on the books to combat that. Well find out how it all happened from Jay Grimes of OOIDA.

The $1.7 trillion Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, is an omnibus spending bill that combines 12 appropriations packages, including $106 billion to fund the U.S. Department of Transportation. Congress is expected to approve and pass the 4,155-page bill by the end of the week to avoid a partial government shutdown before the Christmas holiday.

The Atlantic Grains Council, Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, Grain Farmers of Ontario, Grain Growers of Quebec, and Ontario Bean Growers are calling on the federal government to send the estimated $34.1 million paid in fertilizer tariffs up to June 30, 2022 directly to those farmers who paid it.

Heads of some publicly traded companies, including U.S. Xpress and Werner, suggested that smaller carriers could falter given market challenges. CEOs noted issues such as lower spot rates along with higher fuel costs and interest rates.

Several trucking companies, logistics firms and cold storage providers are collectively owed millions of dollars after an Iowa-based frozen meat importer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection recently. South American Beef Inc., headquartered in West Des Moines, filed its petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Iowa last week.

In addition, continuing discussion about a coming recession isnt inspiring confidence. On Dec. 14, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate for the seventh time in 2022, this time by a mere half percent. The good news is that the increase was only 0.5% instead of the .75% amount of the previous four jumps, purportedly indicating that inf

Firefighters were battling a fire at The Andersons Inc. Hemlock elevator and storage facility, 485 S. Hemlock Road, for more than 13 hours that began Sunday night. According to Richland Township Fire Chief Jeremy Scott, firefighters from 29 different departments from across and outside of Saginaw County had the blaze 95% contained as of 11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 19.

In August 1997, the Teamsters walked off the job at UPS Inc. in the first non-wildcat strike in the relationships long history. With an all-Teamsters labor force and no plans to call in replacement workers to deliver goods, UPS shuttered its massive U.S. ground delivery network rather than risk permanently damaging its reputation with customers.

"We have closed a few origination facilities in North Dakota due to travel concerns in the area," the spokesperson said, including "a few grain elevators and a few edible bean facilities."

And maintaining a truck is an expensive endeavor. And the stress of doing that is made all the worse by the economics of trucking right now, with low rates and high fuel costs, among other factors. And while most truckers are keeping up, is everyone?

New-truck, maintenance costs could sideline fleets, harm economy, industry warns

When I first met Missouri-based Jared Flinn, operating partner of the BulkLoads.com load board specializing in bulk freight, that business was at the two-guys-in-a-basement stage, following Flinns work trucking himself a little, then managing logistics for a big commodities outfit

Earlier emergency orders have been extended in Georgia for supply chain and oversize permits and in Nebraska for driving hours hauling fuel. Citing the ongoing need for relief due to regional fuel shortages, acting Gov. Mike Foley signed Executive Order 22-07 on Dec. 1 temporarily authorizing drivers in Nebraska to work extended hours when transporting diesel, biodiesel, gasoline or gasoline blends, fuel oil, ethanol and propane. Gov. Pete Ricketts (who was on overseas travel Dec. 1) issued t

A historic drought on the river has shuttered the critical node of barge transportation, leaving farmers and other shippers searching for alternative options to get their goods to port before winter. From the waterhead in Minnesota down to the port in New Orleans, barges deliver over 60 percent of corn and soybean exports and around $100 billion worth of cargo every year, including fuel, grain, industrial chemicals, and building materials.

Water shortages, supply chain issues, inflation create challenges, almond industry leaders say.

Grain contracts and the problems many farmers had during last years drought were discussed during a panel discussion at the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) annual general meeting in Saskatoon on Friday.

On Feb. 27, 1992, Stella Liebeck ordered a 49 cent cup of coffee from a McDonalds drive-thru in Albuquerque, New Mexico. What happened next forever changed trial jury awards and has had a lasting impact on multiple industries across the U.S., especially commercial transportation.

The Biden administration has released $36 billion in bailout money for the Central States Pension Fund (CSPF) that will go toward protecting the pensions of over 350,000 workers, including drivers who work for or have retired from less-than-truckload carriers Yellow and ABF Freight. The money was authorized within the Butch Lewis Pension Plan Relief Act of 2021, legislation that was rolled into the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan signed into law by President Joe Biden in March last year.

An explosion and fire at an agricultural plant Thursday in eastern Iowa has caused injuries and an evacuation of people near the operation. The explosion and fire happened about 11:15 a.m. in Marengo at a plant owned by Heartland Crush, a soybean crushing company. Hours later, the fire continued to burn.

Relief would apply only to daily and weekly hour-of-service limits

The sudden closure of a furniture company has left an Alabama trucking company as well as many others waiting to reclaim their property.

John R. Coleman, 46, of Greenwood, Mississippi, is the former CEO of Express Grain Terminals, LLC.

President Joe Biden on Friday signed into law a resolution intended to avert a freight rail strike, based on an agreement reached between some rail unions and freight rail companies.

Staying in the agricultural hauling business means meeting weight regulations. Blue Ink Tech, a leader in trucking technology, has released the most recent addition to its BIT Full Service Platform: the BIT Air Scale, which gives ag and cattle haulers access to real-time weight information on their phone or tablet.

Its not just Snowman's classic black-and-gold throwback paint scheme from Smokey & the Bandit on owner-operator John McCormick's beautiful rig thats all behind the name. The owner-operator christened the rig "Bandit" more than a year after he first purchased it working through the MHC Kenworth dealer in Springfield, Missouri.

Another driver requests exemption from parts of HOS regs For the third time this year, a truck operator is seeking an exemption from certain provisions in the hours-of-service regulations. Owner-operator Lee Schmitt requested and was later denied an exemption from four provisions of the regs, and operator Ronnie Brown III, whose petition is still pending, requested an exemption from the HOS regs and the ELD rule.

Arizona authorities seized $39,500 in cash from Johnson in August 2020. The money, according to Johnson, was to buy a used truck at auction. But police thought he had transported it on a flight from North Carolina as part of a drug deal and confiscated the funds.

Family-owned Mid Continent Trucking of Denison, Iowa, notified drivers and employees recently that after 24 years, the refrigerated carrier was ceasing operations two days after Thanksgiving because of worsening economic conditions and tumbling freight rates.

Technology companies supplying critical semiconductor chips to the economy have started shifting cargo shipments from railroads to trucks with a national freight rail strike looming. The moves are being made, DHL Global Forwarding tells CNBC, in an effort to avoid any pre-strike rail preparations that would force freight rail companies to prioritize cargo.

Cargill and Owensboro Grain Company, a fifth-generation family-owned soybean processing facility and refinery located in Owensboro, Ky., announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement where Cargill will add Owensboro Grain Company (OGC) to its North American agricultural supply chain business.

A handful of farm groups have been rejected in their effort to exempt truckers hauling live animals from federal mandates limiting the hours a driver can be on the job.

Each insurance company has what you might call an appetite. If we do not fit into an insurance companys appetite, they wont provide us insurance. For example, Progressive is not able to provide insurance to any trucking company that hauls loads requiring placards.

Representing strength and endurance, the Mack truck was born in 1900 with the first vehicle by Jack Mack and family at the Mack Brothers Company in Brooklyn, N.Y. Except it was a bus. And didnt have the classic bulldog emblem yet.

Freight demand has declined due to persistently high inflation, labour shortages and overstocked shelves.

A Missouri requirement is costing the trucking industry time and money. The federal government requires truckers to get physicals every two years. Brent Witte, with Witte Brothers Exchange in Troy, says many states let truck drivers submit this information online, but not in Missouri.

For years we've been hearing about a persistent shortage of truck drivers. But what if we're thinking about it wrong? What if the issue is that the shipping industry systematically mistreats or undervalues drivers, creating an ongoing and unsustainable churn?

Isaac Instruments is one of Canadas largest providers of trucking telematics. Isaac is also making a push into the U.S. market. The companys core offering is a tablet that functions as an electronic logging device. ELDs are required in North American trucks. They ensure that drivers are abiding by hours-of-service laws. In the U.S., that means no more than 11 hours of consecutive driving in a 14-hour period.

A proposal meant to revolutionize roadside inspection by requiring fleets and owner-operators to equip their trucks with a new electronic identification system was roundly rejected by much of the trucking industry.

Union leaders said Monday they believed that a compromise could still be reached to avoid a work stoppage that could disrupt the flow of goods around the U.S. Four out of 12 unions have now rejected the proposed contract, while the other eight have ratified the deal. Both sides have agreed to a cooling-off period until early December.

We are laser focused on providing the most affordable coverage for bulk freight haulers. We have live and breathed both sides of the business and are passionate about giving our clients the attention they deserve. Contact us and I promise you won't be disappointed. Jared Flinn

Ocean shipping demand is traditionally measured in ton-miles: volumes multiplied by distance. So, heres a paradox: Ton-miles for liquefied natural gas shipping have fallen in 2022, because most cargoes from the U.S. are being pulled to war-stricken Europe instead of going longer-haul to Asia. And yet, LNG shipping spot rates have skyrocketed to Guinness Book levels of up to $500,000 per day.

Jar

CHS Co-op and ADM along the Mississippi River front in Winona were very busy this past week at the peak of the 2022 harvest. Barges were being loaded and grain trucks were unloading.

A slowing economy and deteriorating freight conditions are already baked in the cake, according to Mullen Group senior executive officer Murray Mullen. But its small operators wholl face the greatest challenges as deteriorating conditions are met with rising costs.

Among them was a representative from The Truckload Carriers Association, who wrote that ELDs should be required on as many trucks as possible, including rebuilt or remanufactured engines or glider kits that can accommodate ELD technology. FMCSA should push for expanded ELD adoption, because it is an important tool to track compliance for the hours-of-service regulations, which were designed to improve safety.

American farming increasingly relies on software to keep the U.S. the worlds top food producer. But all that reliance on code-driven machinery has drawn ransomware attacks that could prove particularly devastating during harvest.

The California Air Resources Board is considering a proposed regulation to phase out big rigs and other trucks with internal combustion engines and replace them with zero-emission vehicles.

Federal regulators have attempted to clarify differences between brokers, bona fide agents and dispatch services in new interim guidelines issued Tuesday by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Mandated by last years infrastructure bill, the guidelines are aimed at cracking down on companies that engage in truck brokering but without proper authority from FMCSA, an issue that brokers claim illegally undercuts their business.

Over the years I realized there weren't any books to teach kids about the importance of trucking and agriculture. I started sketching ideas which led to these books. I have one released on Amazon you can order by clicking on the link. If you can't afford one let me know and I'd be happy to get one dropped in the mail for you to give to your child, grandchild, niece, nephew, etc... Thank you and God Bless! Jared Flinn

Utah-based Savage recently was recognized as one of the 2022 Top Companies for Women to Work For in Transportation by the Women in Trucking Association. Savage, a provider of industrial logistics infrastructure and supply chain services, is one of several companies that provide bulk transportation on this years list, which includes Dupr Logistics, Highway Transport, Prime, Inc., Quality Carriers, and Schneider. WIT planned to honor all 100 companies at its Acceler

3.6% of the company's workforce has been let go.

In this episode, Jared continues his discussion with Michael Belzer. In thi

The Department of Energys Energy Information Administration in its monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook released this week revised its outlook for retail diesel prices for the fourth quarter of 2022 and the beginning of 2023.

Robert LeDoux was sitting in his truck waiting to unload when the explosion happened. His dashcam captured the explosion.

The USDAs Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) says the number of grain barges being unloaded in New Orleans during September and October dropped significantly. An AMS report says the number of barges is 20-30 percent lower than in recent years. The slowdown coincides with river closures and restrictions on barge companies that reduced the bar tow.

A Michigan jury recently awarded $7.7 million to a man who was seriously injured in 2018 when the wheel came loose from a box truck heading in the opposite direction, jumped the median and crashed into the front of his vehicle. It took an eight-person jury less than two hours on Friday to find Lower Huron Chemical & Supply Co. of Wayne, Michigan, solely responsible for failing to follow the Department of Transportations regulations for the inspection, repair and maintenance of its

Recent data from the American Trucking Associations found that the average truckload driver made over $69,000 including salary and bonuses in 2021 an 18% increase from 2019. At the same time, however, driver compensation that is, a lack of it ranked as the No. 1 issue among company drivers and third among all drivers, according to the latest annual survey released in October by the American Transportation Research Institute, which works closely with ATA.

The annual rite of fall in western Minnesota and the Red River Valley of eastern North Dakota also attracts retired men and women, seasonal laborers and others who drive trucks for a variety of different industries.

Recently, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., posted a campaign video on Twitter that caught the attention of longtime truck driver Gord Magill, who is based in upstate New York. Magill and other truckers werent happy with Kellys message. In the video, Kelly discussed a bill he introduced this year with Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo. The legislation would do away with certain requirements for obtaining a commercial drivers license. As Kelly said in his campaign video, the law would ea

As a veteran in the industry for nearly 20 years, I've had a front row seat dealing with thousands of companies in our industry from large grain and feed trading entities to a single owner operator trucking company. I've seen the companies that thrive and the companies that don't make it unfortunately and figured out why. We have used this knowledge to create a single platform that will equipment your company with the most innovative and profitable tools to keep your business on the leading e

In this episode, Jared brings on Michael Belzer, a professor at Wayne State

The National Grain and Feed Association, along with 192 other members of the Agricultural Transportation Working Group, want Congress to prevent a potential strike by railroad union members over the labor contract between the unions and the railroads.

CHS Inc. reported net income soared to $1.7 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, due to higher refining margins as well as strong demand within the global grain and processing and wholesale agronomy businesses. In fiscal year 2021, CHS reported net income of $554 million.

Last week, 63-year-old Brian Lovett died of cardiac arrest while on the job at ADM Grain Company in Seward. His death happened before he was able to complete his own harvest on his Winnebago farm. On Thursday, sixteen neighboring farmers came together to honor him by completing the job.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, on Oct. 26, issued a state of emergency in the state due to extremely low inventories and outages of certain liquid products including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, propane, ethyl alcohol, natural gasoline, diesel exhaust fluid, and anhydrous ammonia.

I started with one truck. During my time as an owner-operator, I turned it into a kind of rolling university. In the beginning, I didnt even know what a load board was. But I was always eager to learn more and elevate within this industry.

The transportation industry is shouldering the burden of sky-high diesel prices, as suppliers blame supply chain shortages and red tape for impacting prices at the pump. But President Biden has painted oil companies as the scapegoat for high gas prices, accusing them of hiking prices to enhance their profit margins, while critics have shot back accusing the administration of hampering American energy production. South Carolina Trucking Association CEO Rick Todd joined "Fox & Friends First

The 28-year-old co-owned a trucking company in Buffalo, the U.S. Attorneys Office says, in which he managed drivers and coordinated shipments. Prosecutors say that for roughly a year, starting in mid-2020, Fares received payments after fraudulently applying for unemployment benefits and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation.

Owner-operators Toni and Chris Murphy of New Egypt, New Jersey, said its been hard to fight back against an invisible tech-savvy fraudster who stole their trucking companys identity, posted loads using their Department of Transportation number, collected payment for those loads, then disappeared, leaving the Murphys to deal with the fallout.

Hey guys, many of you farm and truck. Check out my latest podcast with Tanner Winterhof as we dive into farming operations that have trucking entities as well. Tanner also hosts the Farm4Profit podcast you can check out here.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Production at Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM) could come to a stop within hours if union workers reject a contract offer and walk off the job. According to Teamsters Local 238, over 200 members are preparing for a strike as the unions contract expires at midnight. Jesse Case, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 238, said, I think all were asking for is a fair deal. Case said the union and the company go through the negotiation process ever

Domestic U.S. shipping demand is receding and freight rates are falling, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports, in a sign that shifting demand by overstocked retailers is unraveling traditional seasonal shipping patterns. The changes are cascading across freight operations, cutting into inbound shipping volumes and bringing fewer goods onto the roads, according to WSJ.

Dry van truckload contract rates have fallen about 9% since the start of the summer but have slowed their rate of descent this fall, according to FreightWaves Van Contract Initial Report Index (VCRPM1), which is based on the linehaul-only portion of freight invoices. Is this a sign that shippers will not be aggressively peeling back the past two years of rate increases?

Be afraid of plaintiffs counsel who make millions of dollars a year looking for weaknesses, attacking truck drivers and trucking companies alike, a lawyer has warned Canadian carriers operating in the U.S.

John Mullis has been hitting the open road since 1979. Im with a pretty good company and they take care of us pretty good, he said. Over the years, hes seen diesel prices go up and down, but lately, hes noticing an uptick in certain cities. Not only that, but he also is concerned about supply. Its going up and going up... when you can find it, said Mullis.

For every kernel of corn from the Baker family farm left at Gavilon Grain Thursday, John Baker probably doubled the number of "thank yous" he gave to the volunteers who harvested the fields.

Rail companies and labor unions have reached stalemate over paid sick leave, raising the prospects of a worker strike in coming months. With harvest just over halfway complete, the threat of a rail strike could not come at a worse time.

Dozens of farmers came together to support a family after their father passed away unexpectedly, leaving five fields unharvested.

The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission on Thursday agreed to accept a $15,000 penalty from Hefty Seed Company, based in Baltic, South Dakota, for not having a state-required license to buy grain.

On the grounds of Williamsport High School in western Maryland, three 17-year-olds pile into the cab of a white Volvo truck, pens and pads in hand.

A north central Iowa organic soybean business filed for bankruptcy Monday, saying it owes at least 100 creditors $10 million. It's the state's second grain business to run into financial insolvency this year.

Global grains merchant Archer-Daniels-Midland Co on Tuesday posted its strongest third-quarter profit on record on robust demand for grain and oilseeds and tight supplies, and said full-year earnings would exceed previous guidance.

Freight factoring company, Smart Freight Funding, helps trucking companies of all sizes keep their trucks moving by getting paid quicker. Smart Freight Funding works with single truck operations, individual owner-operator, and larger companies managing several trucks and drivers. We offer competitive low rates, quick pay, and superb customer service. The team behind Smart Freight Funding has more than 50 years combined driving, dispatching, contracting and accounting experience in

The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has an array of new resources at its disposal, and regulators are looking to put them to work at a time when the trucking industry is in the spotlight.