Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

ESCANABA, Mich. (WLUC) - With gas prices well above four dollars per gallon across the U.P., semi-truck companies wallets are a lot lighter. You go from spending $350-$400 to fill up a semi-truck and now it costs over $1000 to fill up that same semi-truck, said Josh Barron, a certified instructor for the Midwest Truck Driving School. At the Midwest Truck Driving School in Esc

BAINBRIDGE, Ga. (WALB) - Age is nothing but a number for one student at Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) in Bainbridge. William Nichols has been a star student and his family couldnt be happier to see his journey. William Nichols is a 77-year-old Commerical Drivers License (CDL) student and he isnt letting anything get in his way. I dont think there&rs

Usually I pick up down around Mobile, Alabama then I go to just north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, says driver Brandon Miller. Its like 1,002 miles and then I come back here. In his nearly 10 years of driving trucks, Miller says hes never seen anything like the current gas crisis. $5 for a gallon of fuel, because people need it to run a business and to live? Its ridiculous, he says.

The 2020s have not been kind to Ohio farmers. The already uncertain profession was made more difficult when COVID-19 struck the U.S. two years ago. What followed was supply chain slowdowns induced by a global market reeling to halt the spread of the deadly virus. This coupled with an ongoing labor shortage and deteriorating conditions caused by global climate change put farmers in a tight spot.

A General Assembly committee heard testimony Mar. 9 on legislation creating a public-private partnership to address the states historic truck driver shortage. CBIA testified in support of SB 334, which requires the Department of Correction to partner with a nonprofit to establish a commercial drivers license training program for incarcerated people. According to the American Trucking Association, United States companies saw a record deficit of 80,000 drivers last year.

In a March 7 letter to President Joe Biden, The Fertilizer Institute, the National Grain and Feed Association, and 19 other members of the Agricultural Transportation Working Group requested the administration work with the Canadian government to avert a major railway labor strike and to rescind the cross-border vaccine mandate for workers moving essential commerce.

Businesses like family-owned Heavy Salvage in Pickens, SC are selling used truck cabs, trailers and truck parts to large trucking companies that historically wouldnt buy salvage, vice president Andrew King told The Post.

Drivers there are paying more than what they're used to. "Its going up so quickly. We pay for our fuel daily, so were having to scramble and adjust and try to stay on top of it," said Johnson. Johnson says the company services more than 600 trucks from terminals across the country.

Connecticut State Police (CSP) shared details about a recent enforcement effort conducted in partnership with federal agencies intended to help identify motor carriers illegally transporting harmful devices and materials.

In 1919, a transcontinental truck convoy that included then-Lt. Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower drove more than 3,000 miles from Washington, D.C., to Oakland, California, to test the mobility of the military during wartime. That two-month trip is widely believed to have been the beginnings of Eisenhowers later support of the Interstate Highway System.

Owning your own truck can be rewarding. It can also be a daunting task if youre not ready for what lies ahead. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Associations Truck to Success course can help make for a smoother transition. This years course is scheduled for Oct. 25-27 in Blue Springs, Mo. Virtual attendance also will be available.

Born to chase the white line, Ryan Robb was a truckers trucker. On Nov. 29, 2021, when Robb, 33, passed without warning, his long-haul brothers responded in force. They measured, cut, welded, painted, and mounted a stout rack on a riga casket carriage for a beloved 64, 400 lb., big-boned country boy on his last ride. Why did a team of truckers craft a rack for a fallen comrade and drive him to a final resting spot?

Today, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced a partnership with the American Trucking Associations the largest national trade association for the trucking industry to join the Biden-Harris administrations 90-Day Trucking Apprenticeship Challenge and launch Registered Apprenticeships as a route toward getting more well-trained drivers on the road in good-paying jobs. The announcement follows a meeting with the association

The Illinois State Police is cautioning drivers to beware of a planned trucker convoy that is expected to pass through the state this week to disrupt traffic. Members of the Freedom Convoy gathered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada beginning in late January to protest COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates. The group was originally formed to contest vaccine mandates and quarantining for truckers crossing the U.S.-Canada border but grew into a protest against all COVID-related mandates and restrictions i

Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition, led the panel discussion with soy industry professionals about how transportation, emerging markets, and the supply chain play into the production decisions that Iowa soybean farmers make. Much of the conversation was steered towards the transportation side of things. Steenhoek said it was because people dont think about transportation until they hit a pothole- and weve had a lot of potholes lately, b

Jared brings on Toby Young, to talk about the Mid-America Trucking Show! MATS is the largest trucking show in the country and has been held annually for over 50 years! Toby talks about his grandfather starting this show and what you can expect when you attend in person this year! Register fo

On Tuesday, six seed corn companies that have been cleaning up the AtlEn ethanol plant site near Mead, Nebraska, filed two separate federal lawsuits seeking repayment for their work. One lawsuit alleges that AltEn, its owner Tanner Shaw, manager Scott Tingelhoff and other companies under Shaws control have mishandled the seed corn and contaminated byproducts in violation of federal and state laws and that AltEn did not meet its commitments to the seed corn companies to di

There isn't a shortage of people willing to be truckers. Instead, their industry just has a huge retention problem. Companies are hiring but people keep quitting, and it's an age-old problem.

I have lived through multiple grain embargoes, a trade war, and droughts, but this week was one for the record books. The $1 plus trading range in soybeans and wheat on Thursday were the largest daily trading ranges I have witnessed. I don’t know if the Thursday high is the ultimate high, but now I know the major chart resistance levels and where I will make sales.

Trucking companies already coping with higher fuel costs are bracing for further increases in prices for diesel as Russias invasion of Ukraine roils energy markets, sending crude oil prices surging above $100 a barrel. Average diesel prices across the U.S. have jumped more than 44 cents a gallon since the start of the year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and the national average price of $4.055 a gallon for the week ended Feb. 21 was the highest level s

Minnesota-based Cargill has a sizeable footprint in Ukraine, including a major port operation on the Black Sea, multiple grain silos and oil processing plants scattered across a country that's nearly as big as Texas.

Freedom Convoy redux? The U.S. may get a taste of Canada this week via a trucker convoy forming in Barstow, California. The Peoples Convoys press release states, American truckers are launching The Peoples Convoy, a peaceful and unified transcontinental movement, on Wednesday, February 23, 2022, from the Adelanto Stadium in Southern California. The convoys current itinerary has it arriving at the D.C. Beltway area on March 11. Whats the

U.S. governors, Canadian provincial leaders want truck drivers cross-border vax exemption reinstated A group of 16 governors from the United States and two Canadian premiers penned a letter to President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau requesting the leaders reinstate the exemption for truck drivers from cross-border COVID vaccine mandates.

Inspired by the trucker convoy in Canada, a group from California says it will now head to D.C. to protest COVID-19 restrictions. It is one of many planned convoys of truckers that is planned to come to the D.C. region next month. But they dont plan on entering the District; instead, they will terminate in the vicinity of the DC area, according to a release from the Peoples Convoy.

Jared brings on Andrea Marks with Trucker Nation to discuss the new FMCSA CDL training requirements effective February 2022. Andrea talks about what you need to know and how it could affect you and your drivers. We would love to hear your feedback, let us know your thoughts. Visit bulkloads.com and reply to our forum thread on this episode! Visit TruckerNation o

Nathan Phillips had never been to a protest before. But in early February, the 47-year-old grain farmer from Tisdale, Sask., decided he'd had enough with COVID-19 vaccine mandates from governments that he no longer trusted to do the right thing. The divorced father of two packed granola bars and a sleeping bag into his white Dodge Ram on Feb. 5 and drove 300 kilometres to join a protest in Regina, as part of what organizers have called the Freedom Convoy.

A United States Senator will soon introduce legislation to end newly implemented cross-border restrictions for truckers. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) took to social media on Friday to call for the termination of COVID-19 vaccination requirements for cross-border truckers through a new bill dubbed the Truckers Act.

Contract rates for dry van truckload have increased roughly 25% over the past year, or 59 cents per mile, according to FreightWaves invoice data. In the meantime, carrier compliance rates for accepting electronic requests for capacity have only improved to 81.9% from 78.5%, according to FreightWaves tender data basically simple cost inflation for getting the same product.

Pilot Company recently opened a new truck stop in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Company officials say that the new Pilot Travel Center, located at Exit 215 on I-25, opened this month. Amenities at the 14,300 square foot store include:

The state of Colorado will delay the implementation of clean-truck policies until the year 2026 in order to focus on better implementation and more pressing supply chain issues, the Governors office reports. The new timeline for clean-trucking rules was announced during an online meeting on Tuesday, February 15th. CPR News rep

Prairie grain companies are disappointed with rail grain movement this winter. The executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association, Wade Sobkowich, says the most recent week saw CN Rail supply only 45 percent of hopper car demand, and CP Rail supply 48 percent.

Canadian truckers who have stood their ground at the U.S.-Canada border both physically and philosophically have enthusiastic support from some big-rig drivers here in our country even as the police push in. Long and short-haul truckers rolling through cities and towns in both countries perform a "sometimes dangerous, often hard" j

INDEPENDENCE, Ky. One person is dead after being trapped under a trailer in Boone County Wednesday night. Dispatchers said a man died at Southeastern Freight Lines in Independence after he was trapped under a trailer. The man's name has not been released and officials are investigating the situation. This story will be updated with more information when it is received.

MARSHALL, Mich. Paccar Inc.s new 18-speed automated manual transmissions prove their worth long before approaching a 15-degree hill on Eaton Corp.s snow-covered proving ground in mid-Michigan. The TX-18 debuting this July in Peterbilt and Kenworth heavy-haul trucks for on- and off-highway uses doesnt drive like the family SUV, but maneuverability hauling 140,000 pounds is not that far off a family hauler when it comes to steering feel, braking and a lot of

The Wisconsin State Patrol (WSP) will take to the skies to enforce traffic laws on Tuesday and Friday. WSP says that two aerial enforcement efforts will take place this week, weather permitting. The Tuesday enforcement will take place along I-94 in Dunn County.

Why grain would get dumped on the side of the road is a mystery to many, but it happens. Oklahomans driving north on I-35 may pass a sign warning drivers to not dump their grain trailers before the Stillwater exit on the interstate. These signs are sometimes put up to serve as a reminder for haulers to clean up grain left on the ground. Grain can fall out of trucks and perhaps can be intentionally dumped to reduce load weight or cleaning out trailers.

Maybe every couple of years I will write a post about songs along a certain theme, like best prison songs or best rodeo songs. A few months ago I had been thinking that I would write a thread on trucking songs and publish it sometime between September 11th and 17th, to coincide with National Truck Drivers Appreciation Week. But since the Canadian truckers convoy/protest is in the news a lot, I figured I could just as well do it now. Pretty much all of the trucking songs I know are country mus

A Missouri task force is working to address the states supply chain slowdowns. More than 70-percent of Missouri communities rely solely on the trucking industry to get their goods delivered to them. During this weeks task force hearing, Tom Crawford of the Missouri Trucking Association said the ongoing truck driver shortage cannot keep up with the demand.

Long-haul drivers can earn a living even if they are not vaxxed, despite claims by some protesters that being unvaxxed has cost them their livelihood, the Manitoba Trucking Association says "I've seen ads recently as today for Canada-only drivers," said MTA executive director Aaron Dolyniuk, whose organization represents 60 to 75 per cent of trucks on the road in the province.

Decatur Fire & Rescue on Wednesday night helped free an employee at the Bunge Limited food processing facility in Decatur who was trapped in soybeans in an incident that officials say could have been life-threatening.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has warned law enforcement agencies that a convoy of truckers protesting against COVID-19 vaccine mandates could affect this weekend's Super Bowl in Los Angeles, CNN reported.

Nine US midwestern states, many of them top grain producers, have signed a memorandum of understanding that increases interstate truck weight limits during major disasters declared by a US president. The action is intended to expedite the movement of emergency supplies across state lines, the US Department of Agriculture said in its latest Grain Transportation Report.

Transportation is generating a new pain point for those in the agriculture industry from nut farmers to dairy suppliers. Charlie Pitigliano is a fourth-generation pistachio and almond farmer in Tulare. For 50 years, his family has owned and operated Pitigliano Farms.

A nationwide convoy starting in California before heading toward Washington, D.C. is expected to get underway on March 4 amid a growing clamor from those who believe their freedoms are under threat from government Covid-19 restrictions.

Over the last four decades, trucking capacity was generally plentiful and retailers were more than happy to outsource it, explained Gary Petty, president of the National Private Truck Council (NPTC). Freight rates were low and there was no shortage of bottom-feeder carriers willing to haul items cheaply. Companies could pick and choose from carriers, Petty told Modern Shipper. [As a result] transportation generally just sort of fell off the focus of corporat

Schedules that are constantly shifting. Changes are made at the last minute. There are problems with the routing. The trucking industry demands a flexible workforce to keep up with the seemingly limitless number of moving pieces that it deals with on a daily basis.

MONTREAL Canada's largest trucking company is virtually untouched by the vaccine mandate for truckers crossing the U.S.-Canada border, says TFI International Inc. chairman and CEO Alain Bdard. Vaccination at TFI is not an issue at all," he told analysts on a conference call Tuesday. We have a few drivers that still say no, but what we do with them is we just keep them in Canada" a strategy adopted by several large transport outfits but less available to s

Jared brings on Michael Schneider and Todd Amen with ATBS (American Truck Business Services) to discuss trucker taxes. ATBS has been in business for over 20 years and specializes in taxes, bookkeeping, and business success for truck drivers. They discuss multiple key points in this episode such as per diem and IF

Theres just a medical exam, a multiple-choice written exam, and a brief driving testwhich in some states can be administered by the school that drivers paid to train them.

New federal requirements for a commercial drivers license (CDL) take hold Monday, and it could have a major impact on anything from hauling grain or livestock to picking up a piece of equipment that's more than 150 miles from your farm.

Saturday, dozens of semis, tractors, and fire trucks lined the streets of Brainard and David City to celebrate the life of a nine-year-old boy who died earlier this week. Trucks, one of Kroy Vandenbergs favorite things, came from the Brainard area and beyond, which lined the streets for the funeral. If it was loud and it moved he was in it or running towards it, said Vandenberg family friend, Justin Vanderslice. Family friend Tyler Dickinson said Kroy had dreams of farmin

In an attempt to shore up the countrys supply chains and tackle worker shortages, the federal government is starting a pilot program that will let 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds drive big rig trucks across state lines and transport interstate commerce, after safety screenings and while undergoing supervision. Currently, truckers must be 21 or older to drive from state to state.

PHOENIX Over 400 former Arizona inmates have finished a job-skills training program in trucking, officials said Wednesday. The interagency program funded through a Department of Education grant gives certain inmates the ability to obtain their commercial learners permit prior to release from prison, according to an Arizona Department of Transportation press release.

BELGRADE Smoke billowed above Belgrade on Friday morning, leaving morning commuters all over the Gallatin Valley wondering what was burning. Crews from across Gallatin County responded around 7 a.m. to a massive fire at a grain elevator in downtown Belgrade. Crews battled the fire as the sun rose and frigid temperatures made the fight more difficult

Canadian truckers are in an uproar, to say the least, about the U.S. and Canadian vaccine mandates for crossing the border, and Marty Ellis is getting an earful. Also, the hike in minimum insurance limits we feared last year never happened, but the idea is sure to come up again. In fact, OOIDAs truck insurance department is still getting calls from concerned truckers about the issue. And a bill now before Congress would fix a longstanding problem with the background checks required for

The first of these bills, the Transportation Security Administration Security Threat Assessment Application Modernization Act, introduced by Reps. Adam Smith (D-Washington) and John Katko (R-New York), would allow drivers to use a single valid background check from a TSA Security Threat Assessment to satisfy the vetting requirements for participation in any TSA program.

Canadian Trucker Strike Dubbed 'Unlawful' | February 3, 2022

State Sen. Judy Schwank, a Ruscombmanor Township Democrat, introduced legislation last week that would create a safety net for farmers who sell grain through a broker in case that broker goes bust. This is not her first attempt at securing these protections.

Sens. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., on Wednesday introduced a bill to mitigate supply chain disruptions with trucking industry reforms. "One of the first steps towards fixing our current supply chain crises is to increase the number of truck drivers delivering goods to stores around the country," Lummis said in a Wednesday statement to Fox News Digital. "As a rural state, Wyoming is particularly reliant on trucking, but streamlining commercial drivers licensing and g

But a strike would have implications that could create a problem in the Permian Basin that would echo out into the rest of the world. The greater Permian Basin accounts for nearly 40 percent of all oil production in the United States and nearly 15 percent of its natural gas production, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. A strike would make delivery of these petrochemicals, almost impossible. Production of items such as natural gas and oil products would almost immediately be hal

North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has asked the Biden administration to drop its vaccine mandate for truckers coming to the United States from Canada, which began Jan. 22, 2022. Truckers had previously been exempted under essential worker status.

As January comes to a close, the increasing costs and scarcity of equipment, parts to fix the equipment, and the labor to install those parts on the aging equipment, has and will be a trucking problem well into 2022. Trucks and trailers both have had delivery challenges in the face of this new supply chain and part scarcity. The truck manufacturers have extended their production thus their delivery of replacement trucks to their carrier customers. It would seem to me that the trailer manufact