Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

There's no shortage of people facing extraordinary adversity to help us maintain some semblance of civilization in these pandemic times. There are the usual suspects doctors, nurses, firefighters who make courage under fire seem so routine. And then there are truckers. Rain, shine or pandemic, the U.S. relies on about 3.5 million truck drivers to keep goods the lifeblood of an economy in circulation. That includes canned foods and non-perishables like tuna and

As coronavirus precautions grow, so does the disappearance of the everyday luxuries many have taken for granted. For those who spend their life on the road, those luxuries have long been considered just that. But after a life of planning around the scarcities, shutdowns and restrictions have put a halt to that routine.

Farmers literally fed the Allied forces and the worlds war-ravaged citizens during World War II. This time the war is against a different enemy COVID-19 the novel coronavirus. Everyone on the farm, and all those in the supply chain leading to the grocery store, are working hard to keep their fellow citizens fed.

THE Governments second coronavirus economic package will support trucking operators and deliver business confidence, Australian Trucking Association Chair Geoff Crouch said yesterday. Although trucking businesses in the grocery and fuel supply chains are working flat out, others face months of reduced or no work, Mr Crouch said. Small and medium sized trucking businesses that employ staff will be eligible for a cashflow boost of up to $100,000 with a minimum paymen

The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) is asking state officials to keep animal feed production and retail sites open as states are closing non-essential businesses.

As more states like California and New York are ordering its millions of residents to stay home because of the coronavirus, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has listed which industries and workers are essential to fighting the pandemic. The list of essential employeeswhich is advisory, not a federal directivewas made as

Farmers across the U.S. are prepping for planting season, amid concerns about how the Covid-19 pandemic could disrupt the supply chain, lead to labor shortages and influence price manipulation. Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, raised these concerns in a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday. The letter discussed the need for farm laborers, as the State Department is not processing any non-emergency visas and the unique markets farmers are fac

Truck drivers in the coronavirus pandemic are putting in a lot of time to get their deliveries to stores, but as more Americans start panic buying supplies, the more work they put in. "You really can't do nothing but go in and go out," said Richard Joseph, a truck driver. "Use the bathroom, get what you got to get and leave." Being a truck driver can be a lonely

The current freight maret environment is unlike any weve seen in recent years. Domestic freight volumes are more than 10% higher than the 2018 summer peak, and capacity is near Christmas holiday levels. Spot rates are flying to the upside and carriers have entered a dominant pricing power position for the first time since our genesis publication in September.

Our nations health-care workers are giving us a daily profile in courage as they serve on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19increasingly at the expense of their own health. But theres another group of Americans out there quietly and often very much alone, working long hours to keep supply lines intact so that our health-care workers have vitally needed medical supplies and the rest of us have groceries and other essential supplies. Im speaking of the app

Canadas grain companies are still moving grain to market, but have implemented measures to protect staff and customers from COVID-19. Richardson-Pioneer, Viterra, G3, Cargill and Parrish and Heimbecker are all taking farmers grain but are restricting contact between staff and farmers and moving it to market, while using social distancing.

Airfreight stakeholders are asking governments to exempt all-cargo carriers from certain health and operating rules because of their critical role in helping delivery medicines, medical equipment and medical supplies needed to combat the coronavirus. Air cargo is also critical now for transporting food items and online purchases as people hunker down in their homes to minimize social contact.

It's a job most Americans depend on without even knowing it. Right now, thousands upon thousands of truckers are rapidly trying to meet the demands of supermarkets, and hospitals all across the country. "We need truck drivers now more than ever to be on the road," Jennifer Licktieg CEO President of TBS Factoring Service. Just this week the Federal Motor Safety Administration reduced its hours of service regulation. Amid Covid-19 concerns, stores are hoping that means they will be able to re-s

The unemployment numbers in Kansas mirror those across the country, growing and growing quickly. At the same time, demand for truck drivers to keep the supply chain moving also is growing.

Griffith, IN, March 17, 2020 -- Bulkmatic, one of the largest dry bulk transporters in North America, today announced the acquisition of Paris Transport Inc. and start of operations at the terminal and warehouse locations in Paris, IL. The acquisition will create additional capacity and improved service for Bulkmatic customers in the Central Illinois and Indianapolis markets. Customers of Paris Transport, Inc. will have continuity in management as the Paris management team is staying on and w

Truckers are trying to navigate growing challenges on highways and at loading docks as they seek to keep supply chains running to meet surging coronavirus-driven demand for consumer staples and medical equipment.

Truckers are taking precautions amid the COVID-19 pandemic and so are the roadside rest stops that give them some much needed time off the road.

With Pennsylvania having at least partially backed off its plan to close all rest stops, the question is just what other services may be lacking for drivers on the road. It does appear that Pennsylvanias decision to close the rest stops, retracted in part two days later, is an outlier. There are no other reports of states where state-operated rest stops have been closed, according to several agencies following such developments. Norita Taylor, a spokeswoman for the Owner-Operator Indep

The sprawling Port of Los Angeles, which handles more container cargo than any U.S. seaport, expects goods flowing in from international shippers, particularly China, to stay below average through the first quarter of 2020 due to coronavirus-related disruptions. But a slow recovery could begin by May.

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Transportations Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today issued an expanded national emergency declaration to provide hours-of-service regulatory relief to commercial vehicle drivers transporting emergency relief in response to the nationwide coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The nations truck drivers are on the front lines of this effort and are critical to Americas supply chain, said U.S. Secretary

Last week the Department of Transportation relaxed some of the rules on driving hours for truckers if they're hauling medical or emergency supplies. Truckers who aren't hauling those items, however, are starting to see a decline in business, similar to other industries dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. "I heard on the news that everything was shutting down, the truck drivers can't get any food, you can't get a shower certain places because they are closing everything down but we're the ones

Shortly after issuing a nationwide Hours of Service regulation waiver for truckers hauling Coronavirus relief supplies, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) took a moment to thank the men and women of the trucking industry for coming to the aid of a nation in crisis.

PennDOT officials Wednesday said they plan to reopen at least 13 of the highway rest stops that were closed in an effort to contain the coronavirus outbreak facing the nation. The decision to reopen the rest stops, which should have never been closed in the firs

CHINO, Calif. The turning radius took some getting used to. So did the gigantic steering wheel. But the electric version of the Freightliner Cascadia big rig was otherwise easy to drive, as I navigated the warehouse parking lot, dodging delivery trucks for Amazon and J.B. Hunt.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on March 18 issued an expanded national emergency declaration to provide hours-of-service regulatory relief to commercial vehicle drivers transporting emergency supplies in response to the coronavirus outbreak. FMCSAs expanded declaration provides relief for CMV operations providing direct assistance supporting emergency efforts intended to meet immediate needs for:

Driver John olszewshis isnt worried about the food aspect of the shut down as his wife packs meals for him. Its the inability to stop and rest at a brick and mortar facility that he says is making it harder on drivers. Even rest stops in some places are shut down. On the Pennsylvania turnpike, those have closed, said olszewshi. I think its going to effect a lot of drivers, said Perryman.

The unprecedented surge in truckload volumes to restock retail stores with groceries, soap and hand sanitizer, bottled water and electronics is tightening trucking capacity and pushing spot rates up. On a national basis, contracted truckload volumes are now up 16.5% year-over-year (OTVIY.USA). Meanwhile, the rate at which these loads are being rejected by carriers and brokers has reached 9.76% (OTRI.USA), well above any level reached last year except during the Christmas holiday. In Allentown

In 1938, the federal government enacted what are called hours-of-service (HOS) rules for truck drivers, intending to cut down on fatigued driving and resulting accidents. After President Trump declared a national emergency last Friday to help deal with the coronavirus outbreak, the U.S. Department of Transportation has exempted certain truck drivers from HOS rules. This kind of regulatory relief has happened on the state level before, states pausing drive time limits inside the state during n

For government-related freight affected by COVID-19, most prime contracts contain an excusable delay provision under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), which provides that the contractor will not be in default due to failure to perform its contractor obligations if the failure occurred due to causes beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of the contractor.

Groceries began reappearing on American store shelves this week, thanks to the strength of a supply chain that includes farmers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers — all of whom are literally risking their lives to stay on duty. A crucial part of that supply chain is the American trucker, who makes sure that goods are delivered in a timely fashion. That is always the case, but it is especially true in the sudden global emergency we face today.

Groceries began reappearing on American store shelves this week, thanks to the strength of a supply chain that includes farmers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers — all of whom are literally risking their lives to stay on duty. A crucial part of that supply chain is the American trucker, who makes sure that goods are delivered in a timely fashion. That is always the case, but it is especially true in the sudden global emergency we face today.

Truck companies do not usually have very exciting products they are 100% rational purchases and their advertisements are directly focused on the professional public. There is no talk of the latest infotainment or design system; there is talk of maintenance costs and drag capacity. But Volvo Trucks has taken a different approach when updating its entire line-up of heavy-duty trucks.

Pennsylvania has closed all 35 of its highway rest stops to all activity following the declaration of a state of emergency. A spokeswoman for the states Department of Transportation said the closure impacts not only the limited facilities at the rest stops, like bathrooms and vending machines. It also shuts down parking access as well. We are reeva

E-commerces significant impact on the supply chain and how tech is changing last-mile fulfillment Download this just released research brief where we hear from shipping operations executives sharing their thoughts on current parcel shipping trends. All ResourcesBy Jeff Berman, Group News Editor March 16, 2020 On the heels of President Trump late last week issuing a national declaration emergency in response to the frenetic impact of the coronavirus, the Department of Transport

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The volume surge in freight primarily as a result of restocking store shelves is continuing and has reached a significant milestone in a key supply/demand metric. FreightWaves outbound tender rejection index (OTRI) has surpassed year-ago values. The OTRI measures carrier willingness to accept loads tendered to them by shippers under a previously agreed upon contract. It is expressed as a percentage of loads rejected to total loads tendered.

Its been one year since the bomb cyclone hit. The historic storm system dropped two feet of snow in the Plains and Midwest and several inches of rain, which wasnt what an already elevated Missouri River needed. The bomb cyclone system the catalyst for massive flooding in March, impacted Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas. A year later, while so much has changed, theres lot that hasnt, as the devastation still stares farmers, landowners and residents in the face.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is postponing its Truck Safety Summit due to coronavirus-related concerns. FMCSA announced March 13 that it was delaying the event because of recent travel restrictions throughout the country. President Donald Trump announced March 11 that he is suspending all travel from Europe to the U.S. for 30 days beginning at 11:59 p.m. on March 13.

TEXAS, USA To combat empty shelves at grocery stores, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is waiving some trucking regulations to help expedite delivery of resources around Texas. "As the State of Texas works to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus, we are taking precautionary measures to ensure that Texans have access to the goods and supplies they need," Abbott said in a news release Saturday. "Suspending these state trucking regulations will improve our ability to deliver the necessary suppli

World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus briefed reporters this week about the spread of coronavirus,or COVID-19. The threat of pandemic has become very real," he said. "But this would be the first pandemic that could be controlled." "We're not at the mercy of the virus, noted the organization on its website. The WHO says it has been reluctant to use the word "pandemic" and the briefing added clarification regarding why the term isn't yet appropr

U.S. highway-safety regulators are suspending rules that limit daily driving hours for truck drivers moving emergency supplies such as medical equipment, hand sanitizer and food in response to the nationwide coronavirus outbreak. The Transportation Departments Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced the nationwide exemption late Friday, following President Trumps declaration of a national emergency over the pandemic.

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Kenworth Truck Co. is introducing an optional diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) tank with integrated steps designed for its T680 and T880 models. The access steps to the deck plate are mounted directly over the DEF tank without requiring additional frame space. The placement of the steps can free up as much as 16 inches of frame space, a boost to space-constrained truck operators. The resulting shorter wheelbase can enhance the maneuverability of the trucks in tight urban areas or on job sites. The

As imports drop and experts begin to discuss the economic impact, a Morgan Stanley survey has found that half of all respondents still believe the impact is low. The survey of 350 freight transportation participants found that 80% of stakeholders were seeing an impact to their business from coronavirus, up from 60% just two weeks ago. About half expect a medium to high impact in the next three months, but respondents did not agree on what that impact will look like, and their in

Joker lorry driver's motorway load is a single multipack of toilet roll as virus panic-buying continues. And some items have surged to the top of people's shopping lists, with toilet roll now seen as a prized possession. But one lorry driver has taken it a step further by strapping a single pack of Velvet to the back of his truck.

Amidst the current trucking insurance crisis, insurance premium costs per mile increased over 17% between 2013 and 2019. Commercial truck insurance is one of the largest expenses for motor carriers, so understanding the causality behind the rate increases is vital to mitigating its effects. While there are many factors that contribute to these increased expenses, including equipment repair, increased safety measures and rising medical costs, the most damaging culprit is hidin

Bulkmatic, LLC. announced the opening of a bulk transloading railyard in Kansas City, MO. The location, served by the Kansas City Southern Railway, offers shippers a strategically located central US location. Customers in the Kansas City area with bulk trucking and rail transload needs will now be able to experience Bulkmatics industry leading technology, security, safety and customer service. The facility has storage and transload capacity for over 100 railcars and is capable of handl

Companies across the US are requiring their employees to work from home as a response to the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 123,000 people and killed more than 4,500.

As the coronavirus spreads, shippers are implementing new procedures for truck drivers making deliveries and arriving for pickups. Numerous shippers contacted for this story either declined to comment on their current practices or did not respond, but social media has been abuzz in recent days with stories from drivers detailing their experiences. Some drivers have stated that shippers are asking them to sign documents declaring their past international travel. I picked up a preloaded

Insurance is making it untenable to do business. For 101 Transport, the point of untenable was reached after one of his companys trucks was involved in a serious accident in Utah. Following the accident, 101 Transport saw its insurance premiums increase by 70%. The government has got to step in on this issue before more companies go out of business, he said.

The new 50 per cent investment allowance is a win for the ATA and every trucking business. The allowance will encourage trucking businesses to invest in new trucks and trailers and reflects the key arguments we put forward in our recent brief to the Treasurer, Mr Crouch said. The allowance will significantly boost the sale of new trucks and trailers. Many of them will be made in Australia, by Australians. The purchase of these new trucks and trailers will not only

Just hours after assuring attendees that the 2020 Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) would go on as planned, event organizers have confirmed that the show is canceled. The MATS trucking show was scheduled to take place at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville, Kentucky, from March 26 28, 2020. However, on March 12, a MATS representative confirmed to CDLLife over the phone that the event organizers have decided to cancel the event in the face of mounting concerns over the spread of Coro

Whitney MacMillan, ​a billionaire and the former chairman and chief executive officer of agribusiness giant Cargill, passed away on March 11 in Vero Beach, Florida at 90 years old. MacMillan transformed ​the company over nearly ​five decades. The patriarch of the Cargill-MacMillan clan, MacMillan spent 44 years at his familys midwestern grain trader. He took over as CEO and chairman of the board in 1976 and led the company to become a global conglomerate. ​He retired in 1995 at the com

The trucking industry, a key link in Canadas supply chain, is facing a driver shortage that could exacerbate disruptions to supply chains caused by recent rail blockades and the COVID-19 outbreak. Approximately 300,000 truck drivers in Canada move an estimated $850-billion worth of goods annually, including $550 billion in imports and $300 billion in exports, according to research released Wednesday by Trucking HR Canada and the Conference Board of Canada. For comparison, Canada

PRINCE ALBERT -- Prince Albert area farmer Ken Blocka is close to two months behind schedule for grain hauling. We are holding onto a lot of crop from last year that we cant move. And even with depressed prices we cant move it so we are looking at moving it possibly when we are seeding and its just not a good combination. Blocka, who has been farming for 37 years, said farmers typically haul grain in the winter and spend early spring doing maintenance on mac

Itll never happen to me. Thats a phrase that far too many of us have thought far too often when it comes to railway incidents. Its that mindset the CN Police Service is looking to change with a new safety program focusing on a specific group that frequently encounters railway crossings: grain truck drivers.

A Missouri-based trucking company has agreed to a multi-year pilot program with a trucking technology company that provides human-guided autonomous convoying. Springfield, Missouri-based Wilson Logistics recently entered into a partnership with autonomous tech company Locomation. Locomotion says that they are the worlds first trucking technology platform to offer human-guided autonomous convoying.

The trucking industry has been in a recession for a while. Nowafter the Covid-19 coronavirus has pummeled the sectortrucking stocks reflect that fact. But there are some glimmers of hope. Recession is a scary word. It usually refers to a couple of consecutive quarters of diminishing economic output. But shipping is volatile and freight goes into and out of recession about twice as often as the broader economy.

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

Funding would be awarded on a competitive basis and applicants would be required to submit detailed proposals to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The primary focus would be to construct new truck parking facilities and convert existing weigh stations and rest areas into functional parking spaces for truck drivers. After decades of ignoring the problem, Congress is finally getting seri

Larry Richard remembers when he used to listen to experts recommend farmers make heroic efforts to get it out of the field and not risk winter harvest losses. That was old school, when corn varieties werent as good as they are today, Richard says, happily harvesting corn in the snow near Fargo, N.D. Nearly half of North Dakotas corn crop was left in the field last fall. Richard, 66, had 960 corn acres. Last fall, he harvested 100 acres to fill a contract but starte

There are no technical details about this concept, nor are there any statements out of Bugatti. Its not like they are going to stop building multi million dollar hypercars for fast trucks right? Still, it would be epic. It looks amazing, but woefully unbelievable especially for Bugatti. Right now, the French Automaker Bugatti (whos owned by Volkswagen) builds a soon-t

CHICAGO, IL - March 10th, 2020 - Barchart, a leading provider of commodity data and agribusiness solutions, announces the release of Marketplace, a solution that connects grain buyers with their producers in ways that were not previously possible. Part of the cmdty by Barchart product line, elevator-branded Marketplace mobile apps create a private community between grain buyers and producers that is linked through an immersive chat experience and physical grain trading capabilities.

FREDERICK Tillman Producers Co-op, an ag cooperative based out of Frederick, officially began operating as part of CHS, the nations leading farmer-owned cooperative, on March 3. The group joins the CHS ag retail unit based in western Oklahoma (chswesternok.com) and operates under the legal name of CHS Inc. Voting members of Tillman Producers Co-op approved the merger with CHS last fall.

The corn and soybean markets continue to be plagued by the coronavirus and its impacts across the globe. July corn was up 6.5 for the week ending March 6. July soybeans were down 2 and May wheat was down 9. See current market prices.

HORACE, N.D. Larry Richard remembers when he used to listen to experts recommend farmers make heroic efforts to get it out of the field and not risk winter harvest losses. That was old school, when corn varieties werent as good as they are today, Richard says, happily harvesting corn in the snow near Fargo, N.D. Nearly half of North Dakotas corn crop was left in the field last fall. Richard, 66, had 960 corn acres. Last fall, he harvested 100 acres to fill

If the path to autonomous trucking were a highway, it would be strewn with confusing laws, conflicting definitions, ignored recommendations, unproven technology and the rush for profits. Above this mythical highway would hang a pulsing yellow caution light. Im a strong proponent of proven truck technology and have invested in advanced systems to protect our drivers, the public and freight. But when it comes to driverless vehicles, I see causes for concern, especially in the areas of in

Had Charles Dickens been a trucker in 2019, it would have been highly likely that he would have truncated this famous sentence to It was the worst of times. The freight recession that started in early 2019 has unfortunately continued, and for many has gotten worse. Profits have been almost non-existent for carriers of all sizes, and for a large portion of the carrier population, the entire year of business ended with absolutely nothing to show for it, not to mention cash injecti

OSWEGO COUNTY Page Transportation Inc. will hold a hiring event at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 20 at Oswego County Workforce NY, 200 N. Second St., Fulton. The trucking company has an immediate need to fill several positions, including local CDL-A drivers at their Oswego, N.Y. location, and level A, B and C mechanics, a welder/fabricator, and a parts department associate at their Weedsport, N.Y. location.

MANKATO The United States has long had a competitive edge in exporting grain and other farm products because of a robust transportation system. That edge, say ag and transportation leaders, is being lost as infrastructure deteriorates. Every year there seems to be more regulations, more problems that face our transportation system, said Tom Slunecka, CEO at Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council in Mankato. Globally, the United States always had the advantage

Poor sleep has impacts on employee health and well-being that can negatively affect an employer’s bottom line. In fact, sleep deprivation increases the chances of workplace injuries by 70%. This is partially due to tired workers being less able to concentrate on workplace safety guidelines.

Had Charles Dickens been a trucker in 2019, it would have been highly likely that he would have truncated this famous sentence to It was the worst of times. The freight recession that started in early 2019 has unfortunately continued, and for many has gotten worse. Profits have been almost non-existent for carriers of all sizes, and for a large portion of the carrier population, the entire year of business ended with absolutely nothing to show for it, not to mention cash injecti

Two New Jersey state troopers are being hailed as heroes for saving a man from a fiery wreckage. On Monday, Lt. Edward Ryer and Trooper Robert Tarleton rescued a truck driver from a burning tractor-trailer moments before it exploded and their valiant act was captured on video. As seen in footage captured on Tarletons body camera, the state trooper was making a routine traffic stop on Interstate 287 in Bridgewater Township when a semi truck nearby slammed into a guardrail and ca

Commercial truck driving can be a dangerous profession. In addition, the trucking industrys occupational hazards affect not only those employed in the sector but they also pose a risk to the general public who drive alongside big rigs every day. Effectively managing these risks is vital, especially when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reported that 4,136 people died in lar

Trucking markets are taking the coronavirus in stride at least by some measures. Even as imports and intermodal volumes plunged in February and into March, contracted truckload volumes are up. On a national basis, contracted truckload volumes (OTVI.USA) surged in the past week and are up more than 5% year-over-year. Capacity has tightened, too: Tender rejections are up slightly to 5.83%, breaking above the 5.5% level where they hovered through February. Thats still too loose to

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association worked closely with members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to develop meaningful truck parking legislation that would garner support throughout the industry. After decades of ignoring the problem, Congress is finally getting serious about fixing the severe lack of truck parking across the country, said OOIDA President Todd Spencer. Finding a safe place to park is something most people take for gr

The question seemed to catch Jim Mullen, acting administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a bit off guard: Was it true that in Canada, a lot of carriers were altering records coming out of their electronic logging devices (ELDs) and showing incorrect data on driver compliance with that countrys hours-of-service (HOS) rule?

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. There are many substances you might not think are explosive that, under the right conditions, actually are, says Kingsly Ambrose, agricultural and biological engineering professor. Ambrose studies particle technology, grain processing and particulate flow. One of the particles especially vulnerable to combustion is grain dust, found in grain handling facilities. Explosions at such facilities can be significant, potentially resulting in fatalities, in

Fierce winds are still pounding parts of the Plains, in some of the usual trouble spots for truckers namely Wyoming and Montana. Its been a bumpy ride in portions of these states for the past day or two, and the weather wont let up until late this afternoon and evening. Southeastern Wyoming is notorious for wild winds, even in the absence of snowstorms. Although snow hasnt been falling there the past two days, the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) shut

Aurora Cooperative Elevator Co. entered into a definitive agreement to purchase Pacific Ethanol Inc.s ownership interest in Pacific Aurora LLC, including its two ethanol production plants and a grain elevator located in Nebraska.

Farmer cooperatives have been trying for more than two years to reestablish a tax deduction comparable to what they received before the 2017 tax law was passed. Last summer, the Treasury Department proposed rules that limited the Section 199A(g) deductions to patronage income, but the Treasury rule would eliminate cooperatives' ability to combine "non-patronage income" as part of the deduction calculation.

Commodities in the U.S. are taking a beating and hurting Kansas farmers and ranchers. The culprit is the fear of coronavirus. The market is looking toward the future, and traders think the future might be bleak. Therefore, prices are declining for beef and a little less for grains.

Autonomous trucks will be safer and more fuel-efficient, and will reduce congestion. These vehicles will self-drive only on highways, maintaining a major role for human drivers on the off-highway sections of routes. The benefits will be felt throughout the entire economy.

Its the freight on the Pacific Ocean that has us worried. Customs imports into Los Angeles/Long Beach are 23% below 2019s Chinese New Year-related trough. Intermodal shipments out of the same market are also down well below last years trough. Trucking spot markets are already pricing in anticipated weakness in California, with rates rising going into Southern California markets and outbound rates falling through the floor. Freight brokers told us this week they were movin

Todays 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals case involves an agreement between a broker and a truck driver to haul milk from Indiana to Minnesota, and the question of when the trucker had an accident for which he was liable, whether he acted as an independent contractor or an agent for the broker, thus subjecting the broker to liability for the collision.In Kolchinsky v. Western Dairy Transport LLC, 2020 WL 604490 (7th Cir. 2020), William Bentley, owner and sole member of Bill Bentley Tru

Major changes to federal hours-of-service (HOS) regulations have been sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for final review after two years of revisions and thousands of public comments. Jim Mullen, Acting Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), announced the progress today at the annual meeting of the Truckload Carriers Association in Orlando, Florida. We think it is a very big deal, Mullen said in an interview with Fre

The coronavirus isnt hammering the grain markets the same way it is hitting the stock market, but it isnt helping an already challenging situation. Weve got large supplies in the United States and the world, says Don Roose, president of U.S. Commodities in West Des Moines. And weve got large supplies from South America coming soon. The coronavirus hasnt been a huge factor in the markets, Roose adds, but it has added just one more

At a session at the Truckload Carriers Associations annual meeting near Orlando on March 1, Tim Hindes, the CEO of recruiting and retention-focused StayMetrics, laid out that scale in response to how different generations and worker classifications might respond to the question: How grateful should you be to have your job as a truck driver? Should drivers be grateful to have a job? Hindes asked the audience. He then proceeded to give what he envisioned would be the answer

The outbreak of the coronavirus, originating from Wuhan, China, comes at one of the worst time for the shipping industry, which is currently struggling with the additional fuel costs from IMO 2020 and the switch to low-sulphur fuels, according to Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO), the largest of the international shipping associations representing shipowners. Demand is destroyed in China due to the coronavirus. Demand stemming from consumer spending, power generation an

To Thompson, ensuring today's farmers have access to lending programs like the one that helped him start his own farm more than 30 years ago is vital. "We need a way to provide for them to do that," he said. "Not just the trust fund kids, we need real, hard-working mountain kids who come through the ag program to but land, or inherit land, if they have family land, to be able to use that land to make a living."

Relentless storms that have marched across the Midwest and into the South this winter have already filled rivers to the brim and are threatening to make farm fields too soggy to plant as spring arrives. And there isnt much to suggest an easing ahead. Heavy rains forecast through next week could push waterways higher where the Mississippi and Ohio meet in Illinois, and into northern Mississippi and Arkansas.

Dalmac Energy, a trucking company serving Canada's struggling oilpatch, has shut down as a creditor-imposed bankruptcy looms. Alberta-based Dalmac ceased operations abruptly on Jan. 27 as a court-appointed receiver assumed control over the firm, CEO John Babic told FreightWaves. Dalmac had about 60 power units, down from about 200, and around 80 employees, mostly drivers.

Costs in the trucking industry far surpassed the increases felt by many other industries. By comparison, inflation in the U.S. was 2.49% for the same period. Shipping rates arent growing at the same steady rate as costs, so motor carriers are shouldering the burden of many of these increases. No one cost center is responsible for this jump in expenses. The industry is feeling pressure from many quarters, from rising insurance premiums to shortages in diesel technicians. In order to suc

If you love trucking and barbecue, youve got to take a look at how one Texas trucker is combining the two worlds for a good cause. Veteran trucker and Texas resident Terry Folsom was recently featured on Ridiculous Rides on the Barcroft Cars YouTube channel for his 1997 Peterbilt 379 with a 76 foot barbecue grill/pit trailer that he says is the biggest in the world. The trailer features 24 smoking compartments and a firebox in the shape of the state of Texas at the rear of the trailer.

A shortage of drivers continues to be one of the greatest challenges facing the trucking industry today. Based on a 2019 report by the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the industry was short roughly 60,000 drivers in 2018, up nearly 20% from the prior-year

https://www.bulkloads.com/tools/podcasts/grow-from-4-to-70-brokers-in-5-year-with-john-kuhlman-of-agforce/

The coronavirus or COVID-19 is having far-reaching global effects on countries and their economies but is also hitting the Midwest hard. While confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States remain low, impacts are already being felt in Nebraskas rural communities. The most obvious area is the impact the virus is having on the grain commodities, which have been falling since Feb. 24. Weve been down so much in the markets this week, as the news came out about it spreading

Details are skimpy at this point, but a lot more refiners are going to need to account for ethanol somehow in their operations The most recent shift in the Trump administrations policy on biofuels, particularly ethanol, is likely to have an impact in the transportation sector both on the rails and on the roads. Tracking the ups and downs of U.S. regulation on biofuels can be head-spinning. But what reports this week said is about to happen is that the administration is going to roll ba

When Bob mentioned how he missed the days of driving his semi-truck and he wished he could take one last ride, our team knew that we needed to help make this happen. Bob had been a long haul truck driver throughout his life and since retiring he really hadnt been inside a semi. We found a semi and driver! We quickly learned that one of our CNAs husband, Johnnie, worked for a local dairy who graciously allowed him to use one of their trucks to take Bob on a ride. Next, we needed to figu

You cant fit FFA in a box. Its not just farming or welding or raising livestock or public speaking or growing vegetables. Its a nearly limitless opportunity for young people to figure out who they are and what they want to do in life. Its cutting-edge, innovative, empowering and most importantly, fun. In a world where more and more young people are glued to electronic devices and missing out on community, FFA offers connection, hands-on learning and adult mentors t