Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

Prices of newer used trucks with low mileage are reaching historic levels with new truck deliveries slowed by supply chain issues and an ongoing shortage of microchips. [Auction] pricing for trucks with under 600,000 miles is in the stratosphere, J.D. Power Valuation Service reported in its latest Commercial Truck Guidelines newsletter. For example, model-year 2018 trucks with under 500,000 miles are selling at auction for around $70,000.

Stakeholders debated at a congressional hearing Tuesday the extent to which the government should be involved in protecting the workforce against potential negative consequences of vehicle automation. As the trucking industry advances from semi-automation to driverless trucks, one concern drivers have raised is their eroding privacy as autonomous systems make increasing use of in-cab video monitoring. Heavy-duty truck driving is already a highly surveilled occupation; can you speak to

More information is surfacing about the Hernando de Soto Bridge on Interstate 40 between Arkansas and Tennessee, including how long the bridge has been damaged and how much the closure is estimated to be costing the trucking industry.

We have made it easier and faster to send freight tickets and get paid faster through the BulkLoads app.

It was originally touted to be the best of boons for the environment: when E-3 Biofuels planned to open an ethanol plant at Mead, Nebraska, it boasted the intent to be the only full circle energy system in existence. Methane produced by anaerobic digesters using manure from the associated 30,000 head feedlot, Mead Cattle Company, would power the plant, wet distillers grain made from local corn would feed the cattle in the feedlot. Local farmers could sell their corn directly and

Two of the biggest global meat suppliers JBS and Tyson announced this week that consumer prices would rise due to soaring grain costs and unfavorable market conditions. The consumer price index shows meat prices up 2% already in April, which are expected to increase as the rise plays out across the meat industry.

Unlike taxes on gasoline or diesel, a fee based on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) gets much closer to capturing the externalities and to approximating the road maintenance cost of each driver, according to the Tax Foundation, an independent tax organization that has opposed increasing traditional taxes, such as fuel taxes.

Loaded trailers may be indistinguishable from one another, but not to insurance policies. Trucking companies keep a sharp eye out for payload discrepancies and are known to limit their liability significantly for high-priced freight. Limits put a ceiling on the amount that a carrier will pay out on a load in the event that a claim is filed. Many opt to just increase their entire policy limit or rely on the saving grace of shippers interest policies to secure proper coverage. This scena

The U.S. Coast Guard has reopened the Mississippi River Friday, following the closure of a cracked bridge on the Tennessee-Arkansas state line.

Drivers waited in long lines at gas stations in the Southeast on May 12 after a hack of the nations largest fuel pipeline led to distribution problems and panic buying, draining supplies at thousands of gas stations. There is no gasoline shortage, according to government officials and energy analysts. But there is a problem getting the fuel from refineries on the Gulf Coast to the states that need it, and officials are scrambling to find alternate routes to deliver that fuel.

Steve Morgan, a very popular guest on The BulkLoads Podcast joins Jared again to discuss fertilizer. Steve talks about hauling fertilizer and the trends that we are seeing. Click Here

A Tampa chemical trucking company is being sold to railroad giant CSX Corp. in a deal expected to create a sprawling rails-to-roadways chemical distribution network across North America.

Just as modern farm tractors all seem to incorporate similar styling and design cues in their general appearances, the same is true for modern heavy trucks. Aerodynamics figure prominently in modern truck design due to the fuel savings to be had when racking up thousands of kilometres every month. Manufacturers have been influenced in how they style their models by cost-conscious fleets eager to cut down on fuel use.

Animal feed and pet food ingredients and additives supplier Trouw Nutrition started work on a $12 million expansion of its Blending Innovation Center campus in Highland, IL on May 5, the firm announced in a recent release.

Archer Daniels Midland Company ADM revealed plans to build a crushing facility in Spiritwood, ND, in a bid to meet the growing demand for renewable products. This will be the first-ever soybean crushing plant and refinery in the North Dakota state and will satisfy the needs of food, feed, industrial and biofuel customers, as well as producers of renewable diesel.

Middleton and Lewis Agricultural products was founded in 1921 in Parksley by James Middleton and William Lewis I. Originally the company was a produce broker of Eastern Shore grown products, including potatoes, vegetables, corn and other things grown here in an altogether different era of Eastern Shore agriculture. In the 1940s, the company refocused its efforts on grain and poultry and eventually became Associated Grain.

Federal regulators on Sunday lifted hours of service (HoS) rules for truck drivers transporting gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel as part of the governments emergency response to a cyber-attack that has frozen a critical oil pipeline connecting Texas to New Jersey.

The Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) has already filed a petition at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requesting that the agency issue a rulemaking aimed at raising standards for dispatch services. That petition, which generated over 160 comments since it was filed in November, is still under review, according to FMCSA. But while FMCSA considers whether to issue a proposed rule, TIA is also floating the idea of getting lawmakers to include t

Produce truck rates are up 70% or more compared with a year ago, and industry sources dont think relief is coming anytime soon.

Many truckers left the industry after the pandemic hit, and the massive shortage caused rates to transport products like gasoline to fall. With COVID-19 restrictions easing, demand has risen -- but with fewer truck drivers, a massive shortage is possible. And its not just going to be gasoline. Its not going just going to be wood, Grundy told KENS. Youre talking about all your retail goods just like clothing, food, toilet paper, you name it.

On May 5, California-based tech company Plus.ai announced that former FMCSA head Wiley Deck has joined the company as as Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy.

Jared brings on Robin Gregg with RoadSync to spotlight their newly created app, BigRig411. This app is centered around helping truck drivers, owner-operators, and commercial trucking fleets locate expert service providers that provide truck repair, tire repair, towing services, and truck and trailer parts. <

Corn futures surged above $7 a bushel for the first time in more than eight years as lack of rainfall in Brazil added to supply concerns. Corn climbed as much as 3.6% to $7.04 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade, the highest since March 2013. The futures for July delivery pared gains to close the day with a 2.5% advance at $6.9675. Soybeans and wheat also rose.

Now 78 years old, Gary Short has poured his blood, sweat and oil into building Atlantic Bulk Carrier (ABC) for most of his life. He doesnt want it to go the way of Blockbuster Video after he leaves. So as the company he founded in 1971 celebrates its 50th anniversary, nothing gives Short more comfort than knowing that the next generation of family leadership plans to keep ABC moving forward another 50 years.

CNN reported that industry group National Tank Truck Carriers said nearly 20% to $25% of tank trucks arent being used right now as there are not enough qualified drivers available. The year before the pandemic struck, that number was only at 10%.

Constable Gianni Parmigiano of the Peel Regional Police was on patrol in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga when a tractor-trailer caught his eye. Something seemed a little odd with the rear license plate. So Parmigiano, also a commercial vehicle inspector certified by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), decided to pull the truck over. It didnt take long to see why the license plate had drawn his notice.

A worsening shortage of truck drivers is raising concerns among local farmers that, unless a solution emerges soon, there might not be enough hauling capacity to bring this year's harvest to market. The California Trucking Association says initial indications suggest the shortfall could be as high as 30 percent because of a confluence of factors including an aging workforce and some drivers possibly choosing to collect unemployment benefits rather than return to work during the pandemic.

The United States is the number 1 destination of human trafficking and South Carolina as a state sits between 2 of the top 20 human trafficking hubs in the countrythat is Charlotte and Atlanta, said South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.

In the unfortunate event of a truck-related fatality, its common for the driver steering the 18-wheeler, and company he or she works for, to get the blame. Its no help to the trucking community that the photographs of the scene play up the horror element: a chunk of highway surrounded by yellow police tape and shaded

A Nebraska farmer says hes learning his lesson watching the runup in commodity prices. I guess I need to come back to college to learn how to market grain a little better, Jason Penke says. He farms near the northeastern town of Craig. I dont have a whole let left to sell but its kind of neat to watch the prices go up I just wish I had a little more corn left in the bin that wasnt sold, Penke said.

Joes Trucking has operated successfully for 20 years as a registered intrastate carrier, handling dedicated freight for two well-known manufacturers that routinely move goods between San Antonio and Dallas. What started as a single-truck operation by 2020 had grown to 10 trucks, none of which have ever left the state of Texas.

George A. Archer and John W. Daniels began a linseed crushing business in Minneapolis in 1902. In the 119 years since then, the company has grown from a regional linseed oil business to a global leader in human and animal nutrition.

In 2014, Maschhoff Transport was faced with increased transport operating costs. Our fuel efficiency was below the national average and our maintenance cost per mile on our trucks continued to increase. Our analysis indicated we could not stay competitive transporting pigs unless we updated our aging fleet consisting of 16 trucks. The big question for us was what truck brand would give us the best fuel economy, warranty, driver comfort and safety features?

I am behind the wheel sometimes eight to 12 hours a day. I rely on B20 a fuel blend of 20% biodiesel and 80% diesel to operate the semis diesel engine. It requires no engine modifications. The addition of B20 improves lubrication, which extends the engine life, and may even provide better fuel mileage for me in the long run. There are other benefits as well for a market Illinois soybean farmers have long been associated with helping to build. B20 has become a proven, hi

Baucham is making three round trips a night with containers from the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports to warehouses in Southern Californias Inland Empire, up from two a night during more normal times. The drive is an hour each way. Hes got to fill the tank on his 65-foot-long 18-wheeler every other day for all the shoes, clothing and electronics hes moving. Sometimes I wonder where were going to put it all, said Baucham, 66. Whether its champag

The Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company began operations 25 years ago as among the first ethanol plants in Minnesota. It was launched as a pioneer of the Minnesota model: A farmer-owned cooperative producing value added earnings for corn growers.

At a time when US commerce is speeding up, truck drivers are getting fewer speeding tickets. However, the number of violations for excessive speeding 15 miles per hour or more above the speed limit is on the rise, as is the number of violations issued for speeding in highway work zones. The number of truck driver speeding violations dropped 12.1 percent year over year to 124,355 in 2020, the lowest number since 2015, according to a JOC.com analysis of Federal Motor Carrier Saf

Several trucking and logistics companies are collectively owed hundreds of thousands of dollars after an Indiana-based household goods brokerage shuttered operations and filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in mid-April. Guardian International Inc., doing business as Guardian Freight, filed its petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Indiana on April 14. Although incorporated in Maryland, the household goods companys principal office was in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In its

Baker Hughes reported on Friday that the number of oil and gas rigs in the United States decreased by 1 this week, bringing the total rig count to 438. In the week prior, the U.S. oil and gas rig count increased by 7.

The dry bulk shipping sector saw its ninth straight day of improvement on Thursday, primarily due to China's relentless imports of iron ore for steel production.