Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

The trucking industry is asking for more government regulation to help increase transparency about pricing as shipping rates plummet, putting more companies at risk of failing during the coronavirus pandemic. Following a demonstration on Capitol Hill over the weekend, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association penned a letter to Congress this week, accusing brokers who set up transactions between drivers and shippers of skirting regulations CORONAVIRUS-INDUCED LOW SHIP

BULKLOADS.COM RELEASES FIRST PHASE OF THEIR BULK TMS SYSTEM FOR SHIPPERS, BROKERS AND CARRIERS. THIS FIRST PHASE INCLUDES A DOCUMENT LIBRARY WHERE CARRIERS CAN SEND DOCUMENTS TO SHIPPERS & BROKERS THROUGH THE APP TO BE RETRIEVED ON THE WEBSITE. The demand for digitizing tickets and bill of ladings has been pressing and even more so during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Bulkloads.com is the leading load board for the bu

Most people want to be shown appreciation for their hard work. An unsolicited thank you can go a long way. Truck drivers have heard plenty of thank yous since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March. As inventory at grocery stores and hospitals dwindled, people began to grasp the importance of having men and women who are willing to travel across the country delivering freight. In April, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee orchestrated a tweet

The export market heated up this week as China bought U.S. beans for August/September shipment, but then the President suggested the trade deal could be secondary to China, who might be responsible for the coronavirus. Could this mean that the trade war is not yet behind us?

The continuing anger on the part of independent owner-operators targeting the broker community for low trucking rates has now led to the owner-operators trade group asking Congress to amend a current federal law governing broker-carrier relations. In a letter sent Wednesday to all 535 members of Congress, Todd Spencer, the president and CEO of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, asked for what the organization called two simple solutions to federal regulat

According to the American Trucking Association, there are over 3 million truck drivers currently employed throughout the United States. Almost 8 million total employees work at jobs in an industry that impacts literally every other in the country. Trucks move about 70 percent of our goods to points across the country, in 2018 alone they generated almost $800 billion in revenue.

The COVID-19 pandemic has drawn attention to the fact that Americas economy rolls on the back of the nations trucking fleet. According to the American Trucking Association, nearly 71% of all freight tonnage in the U.S. moves on the back of trucks. 10.5 billion tons of freight annually requires more than 3.6 million heavy-duty trucks and more than 3.5 million professional truck drivers. "We're out here away from our families trying to provide the best we can for your families," E

For Northeast Transport, out of Crawford, Maine, business was strong at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. The 35-truck fleet rode the early, albeit brief, uptick in reefer freight, but as the shutdowns increased, the amount of available freight on the spot market had diminished, said Rob Bisset, Northeasts director of sales and logistics. When freight demand fell off a cliff, rates went with it.

Johnsons company is able to keep rolling by transporting agricultural goods to farmers, ranchers and businesses throughout North Dakota and nearby areas. Economically, theres nothing in the oil industry so weve been all agricultural to continue business, Johnson said. Weve been transporting fertilizer and last years crops for farmers to be able to buy the fertilizer and put this years crop in we actually got back into (gr

Officers from the Arkansas Highway Police Division of the Arkansas Department of Transportation are distributing 100,000 masks to commercial truck drivers at weigh stations and rest areas across the state. Arkansas was the first state to receive masks from the U.S. Department of Transportations Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Over the past year, several analysts and experts in economic trends have flashed warning signs about the U.S. economy. Not waving a red flag of concern would be a challenge in todays somewhat chaotic environment, with discussions of trade wars, tariffs and an impending downturn in economic activity across the board. Although it is impossible to predict when the next recession may strike, freight -- one of the broadest indicators of economic movement -- has been sending mixed signals th

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an especially confounding event for independent truckers. I had a conversation yesterday with TBS Factoring Service President Jennifer Lickteig. Asked for her thoughts on the position of her owner-op and small fleet clients through it all, she invoked the sort of rock and a hard place situation Daniel and Phyllis Snow and so many others have voiced. Lickteig said shes become much more concerned with the general health of trucking. Rates she&

Businesses across the country are shut down due to COVID-19, but truck drivers are not. The result? A bidding war between truckers that is driving down pay rates, and making a tough time even tougher for independent drivers. CBS 2 is working for Chicago, committed to telling stories of economic hardship. Morning Insider Tim McNicholas shows us how local truckers are hurting.

A weekend May Day rally in Washington by small-business truckers claiming they are being mistreated in the freight market during the coronavirus pandemic ended with a positive message from President Donald Trump. Trump, who spent the weekend at the presidents retreat in Camp David, Maryland, acknowledged the demonstrators parked in their trucks directly south of the White House along Constitution Avenue. Thanks for the meeting at the White House with my representat

SCHUYLER, Neb. (NCN) - An eastern Nebraska meatpacking plant is temporarily closing as its workforce deals with the impacts of COVID-19. Cargill announced Monday that it started the process to idle its Schuyler beef plant. In a statement, the company says its shutting down because of its commitment to prioritizing employee health. This was a difficult decision for our team as we operate an essential service, but our values are guiding our actions, North America Lead Jon N

Rodney Morine believes his second chance is no better than his first to secure a loan through a government program intended to help small businesses like his survive the pandemic. I have zero confidence, said Morine, an independent truck driver in Opelousas, Louisiana, whose revenues have dropped by half since the coronavirus outbreak hit the U.S. Morines pessimism highlights

In a time of coronavirus and social distancing, there are some people who willingly leave their homes and travel for hundreds or thousands of miles to make sure folks in Utah get their food, essentials and even some luxuries. These truckers also face uncertainty in a time when demand in some sectors is low and their companies are facing smaller profit margins.

Iowa is the largest producer of pork and corn in the U.S. As many meat processing plants shut their doors due to COVID-19, demand for pigs plummeted. The effects have trickled down the supply chain to the farmers who raise hogs and to the grain farmers who supply them feed. NewsHour Weekends Melanie Saltzman reports as part of our "Future of Food" series with Pulitzer Center support.

In a time of coronavirus and social distancing, there are some people who willingly leave their homes and travel for hundreds or thousands of miles to make sure folks in Utah get their food, essentials and even some luxuries.

All trucking companies charge their customers for the fuel that they spend. Because the price of gas varies wildly, and because a single trucking trip can rack up hundreds or thousands of dollars in fuel, the fuel surcharge is necessary to ensure that the trucking company can move goods profitably.

But what to do when home is 2,000 miles away? Drivers trying to quarantine in their trucks could experience severe health problems, while posing a risk to others as they try to wait out the virus in a truck-stop parking lot.

Tyson Foods announced it is doubling bonuses, increasing short-term disability coverage and implementing additional health screening measures as part of its ongoing efforts to support frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Wednesday, the company said it will offer $120 million in thank you bonuses for 116,000 U.S. frontline workers and truckers, up from the $60 million an

The coronavirus crisis hasnt been easy for taxpayers. Relief legislation thus far has added roughly $3 trillion to the federal debt, or about $20,000 for each family in the U.S. And now, some of the nations largest shippers and retailers are pushing for a major increase to the size of trucks allowed on the nations highways, an effort that will balloon infrastructure costs and endanger first responders and motorists nationwide. Most certainly, U.S. truck drivers are heroic

On April 27, Governor Mike DeWine announced a gradual plan for reopening Ohios economy after six weeks of a mandatory stay-at-home order that expires on May 1. The Responsible Restart Ohio plan has three phases: On May 1, medical procedures that do not require an overnight stay can proceed On May 4, manufacturing, distribution, and construction businesses may reopen, provided they can meet mandatory safety requirements for customers and employees On May 4, general office environments m

On December 10, 2019, Martin was heading through northern Wisconsin with a load bound for Duluth, Minnesota. Near the town of Bloomer, Wisconsin, he noticed a large four-door pickup truck losing traction and sliding from side to side across the southbound lanes. It was the only vehicle on that side of the road. I think they hit an icy patch coming around the bend and couldnt recover, Martin told the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA). All he could do was watch as the dr

In the past week, truck drivers in three different states have launched demonstrations this month as pay plummets. The rate of moving goods via truck has fallen to the lowest levels seen since 2009, according to leading freight payment provider Cass Information Systems. There are nearly two million truck drivers in the US. Many have struggled with the shuttering of manufacturing, construction, and other industries that employ drivers to move freight.

A truck driver for LS Wilson Trucking out of Utah, Simmons is afraid to go home because he doesnt want to risk bringing the coronavirus with him. His wife has had pneumonia, and he wants to protect her. At truck stops, he is eating alone more often because of social distancing practices in force at restaurants. No more small talk with a driver sitting next to him at the counter.

As a way to say thank you to long haul truckers, two companies teamed up to serve free lunch to drivers along Highway 16. AFD Petroleum teamed up with Opa's Bake Shop in Hinton to serve up over 70 safe and tasty lunches to hungry truckers at the Medicine Lodge rest stop. "A lot of people have the luxury of working from home, truck drivers don't get that luxury so a lot of them are still on the road," said Kennedy Gordashko, from AFD Petroleum.

Consider what happened during two recent downturns. From the start of the Great Recession in December 2007 to the employment trough, truck transportation employment fell by 13 percent, but residential construction employment fell by close to 40 percent, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Then, from mid-2014 when oil and gas extraction jobs peaked to the trough three years later, trucking jobs increased by 2 percent while oil and gas jobs fell by almost 30 percent. BLS data

Bob Sinner, president of SB&B Foods in Casselton, North Dakota, has spent the past two decades developing his business into a successful global ocean container shipper of specialty food-grade soybeans. However, Sinner has always been pressed to ensure that his business in the American heartland has adequate access to 20-foot containers, which are vital to filling his high-end customers orders. With the ocean container industry now in turmoil due to the coronavirus pandemic, he is w

HUNTINGTON, Ind. (WANE) A grain mill company serving both Huntington and Wells County has voluntarily surrendered its licenses. Salamonie Mills and Agland Grain are a grain mill company that supplies a wide range of agriculturally-related products including livestock feed and grain bin storage in both Huntington and Wells County.

We would like to just go in and sit down and take a break, have a meal. For a lot of drivers, its a way to unwind, Reynolds said as she sat in the trucks cab recently, next to her new mask and hand sanitizer. Its got a lot of drivers wound up.

SALT LAKE CITY If a railroad locomotive is an iron horse, then a vast herd of them has been put out to pasture in Salt Lake City. Theyre lined up, nose to tail, waiting to go nowhere at least for now. By some estimates as many as 200 railroad engines each one costing about $3 million have been sidelined over the last year or so in a Union Pacific rail yard just north of downtown Salt Lake City. And it has nothing at all to do with the new coronavirus. A

MILWAUKEE A Wisconsin truck driver is off a ventilator and recovering from the coronavirus at home. Community members held a truck parade last Sunday as a show of support for Billy Shultz. "I want to help as many people as I can beat this," he said this Sunday. "It's a very scary thing. It's very real, but like I said, it can be beat." Shultz spent nearly two weeks on a ventilator in a hospital intensive care unit.

Food has no substitute. That is why, amid the increased government restrictions on movement in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19, agriculture was listed as an essential service whose value chain remains moving albeit within directed and, where necessary, authorised parameters.

(Bloomberg) -- For the first time in a decade, the world risks being cut off from Russian wheat at a time when some key buyers are rushing to import it. The top shipper last month limited sales through June to protect its own supply as the coronavirus crisis sparks food-security concerns around the world. Although the curbs were seen loose enough to ensure normal trade flows for this time of year, Russia has already burned through the entire quota. It will halt grain shipments to all but four

Its not unusual to see the Lady Lake post office handle a slew of packages at Christmas. It is unusual to experience that type of volume in the spring. But the spike in activity is occurring here and across the country because of the coronavirus pandemic. Its been extremely busy, said Lady Lake Postmaster Denise Buell. As more people stay home, they are getting the items they need by mail or delivery. The facility averages about 15,000 to 18,000 inbound packages a

The decision affects the corn dry mill facilities in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Columbus, Nebraska and ADM said it plans to furlough about 90 employees in each facility for four months.

Farmers in the upper Midwest euthanize their baby pigs because the slaughterhouses are backing up or closing, while dairy owners in the region dump thousands of gallons of milk a day. In Salinas, Calif., rows of ripe iceberg, romaine and red-leaf lettuce shrivel in the spring sun, waiting to be plowed back into the earth.

A professional truck driver recently received an award for his driving skills that prevented a collision on an icy highway from becoming a fatal accident. The crash victim was convinced that the truckers safe driving saved her life. I TRULY BELIEVE YOU SAVED MY LIFE AND I CANNOT WRITE THE WORDS THANK YOU ENOUGH TIMES. CRASH SURVIVOR TO TRUCK DRIVER ERIC EATON

The Kansas agricultural industry is practicing ways to work in a new fashion, based on adjustments the COVID-19 pandemic has incited. Anybody thats involved in agriculture realizes that prices, as well as production practices are being impacted a little bit, Lyon County Extension Office Agent Brian Rees said. Farmers and ranchers still need to prepare ground, plant crops, buy fuel, buy crops, buy feed, ship and transport livestock. Were getting into a season

Sustainability dashboards, emissions reduction tracking part of new offerings to reduce shippers environmental footprint

After at least a dozen truckers, hauling critical items, complained they are being targeted by predatory towing companies in the Queen City, a half dozen state lawmakers now pledge to take action following a series of FOX 46 investigations. I am appalled, said Rep. Rachel Hunt (D-Mecklenburg), after viewing FOX 46s reports.

Pacific Ethanol Inc. announced Friday it has closed on its agreement to sell its 74% ownership interest in Pacific Aurora LLC to Aurora Cooperative Elevator Company (Aurora Cooperative) for a total valuation of $52.8 million.

A group of over 75 truckers protesting low freight rates, high operational costs and additional freight broker regulations partially blocking Interstate 610 in Houston around 2pm, April 20st. The group is reportedly asking for additional freight broker regulations and transparency, as they feel freight brokers are keeping additional profits as rates continue to plummet. Drivers held a huge sign th

The COVID-19 pandemic affects freight shipping, as well as numerous other sectors. Now is the time for companies to rise to the challenge and impress their customers who may require assistance with their supply chains during the coronavirus crisis. Here are five ways they can do that:

The drivers displayed a large banner reading, We are the resistance. Honest prices on loads. Fair fees from insurance companies. Broker regulations.

An increasing number of U.S. states and Canadian provinces have suspended truck weight restrictions to allow vehicles to deliver bigger loads of emergency supplies during the coronavirus pandemic. However, its important to remember that the regulations for proper cargo securement remain unchanged. With many fleets running larger loads than they usually do, its critical to remember cargo securement regulations have not been lifted and that they need to take extra steps to

Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG) today announced that it has agreed to sell 35 U.S. interior elevators to Zen-Noh Grain Corporation. The completion of the sale is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval. "This transaction will allow Bunge to operate more efficiently and reinvest in higher returning areas of the company while reducing costs and strengthening our balance sheet," said Greg Heckman, Bunge's Chief Executive Officer. "Bunge will continue to be an industry lea

The New York City Department of Transportation has opened two temporary overnight parking locations to assist drivers hauling COVID-19 relief and essential products. The rest areas are located in Hunts Point and Staten Island. To help truckers safely meet Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMSCA) mandatory rest periods, the city has established the temporary rest areas at two strategic freight hubs. Each area will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for rest periods during t

WASHINGTON, DC, US A $19 billion aid package to boost a US agriculture sector reeling from the effects of COVID-19 will feature direct payments to producers and purchase of agriculture products to feed the hungry, the US Department of Agriculture announced April 17. The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) will draw from funds provided in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES), the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), and existing authorities,

The week of April was 13-17 was Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week. This time of year is the perfect time to refresh our memories with grain bin safety tips, plus after harvesting a lot of wet grain last year, it is especially important to be cautious. There is no shortage of sad grain bin-related tragedies. Nearly two dozen people are killed each year in the U.S. in grain entrapment incidents. Flowing grain is dangerous, and behaves like quicksand. In just 20 seconds, an adult can be completely bu

A group of around 75 truck drivers stopped traffic along a Houston freeway for about three hours on Tuesday, protesting low cargo rates and high maintenance costs. The drivers, mostly independent owner-operators, parked a long line of trucks along the right shoulder of the 610 East Loop in Houston, forcing police to shut down the freeway during afternoon traffic.

There arent many bright spots for Magic Valley agriculture right now in the face of the COVID-19 crisis. Farmers are dumping milk and potatoes onto the ground. Beef prices have taken a nosedive, and some processing plants have closed. When you look at wheat, corn, sugar beets, alfalfa and barley, there don't appear to be any big winners. Farming amid the coronavirus Roarey Kennedy, warehouse laborer, looks over a conveyor belt while it moves seed March 30 at Davidson and Company in Ede

Truck drivers in Colorado Springs say they are traveling longer distances in shorter times as people stay off the roads during COVID-19. The Pilot Travel Center was busy with truckers Saturday as they stopped to rest at the truck stop near Monument.

In an update to a status report issued earlier this week, the U.S. Treasury Department revealed Friday that transportation and warehousing accounted for $10.6 billion of the $342 billion in loans secured through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that Congress passed and President Trump signed into law on March 27. The program was designed to provide loans that could mostly be forgiven to companies with 500 employees or fewer, with 75% of the money to be used to maintain payroll for roughl

It is always great to hear the story of how a business began. There is so much to be learned from a story like this. Today I speak with Gary Liberty about the origins of Liberty Logistics which began in 2013.

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. Chet Eby is making sure you will get all of the bacon you need for breakfast, or that thinly sliced prosciutto and provolone sandwich youve been craving. It is a Wednesday afternoon, and the 31-year-old has his young sons, Austin and Evan, with him hauling a load of 20-pound piglets from Cumberland County to Iowa. He is one of millions of road warriors behind the wheel of trucks traveling across the country every hour of every day to make sure the necessities

At a time of widespread shutdowns, truck drivers form the lifeblood of our economy and the absolute lifeblood. For days, and sometimes weeks on end, truck drivers leave their homes and deliver supplies that American families need and count on during this national crisis and at all other times. Theyre always there. Their routes connect every farm, hospital, manufacturer, business, and community in the country.

Coronavirus has stricken workers at nearly half of Wayne Farms' 11 chicken processing plants and two of its 17 feed mills and hatcheries in the southeastern U.S., the poultry producer confirmed on Wednesday. However, the Continental Grain Co. subsidiary declined to specify the number of employees who tested positive for the virus nor identify the affected sites, with a spokesperson saying the situation is "constantly changing."

Green Plains Inc. today announced the successful startup of its high protein ingredient production facility and the first shipment of the product from its biorefinery in Shenandoah, Iowa. The shipment is destined for one of the premier ingredient processors and suppliers in the pet food industry. Green Plains has already sold a majority of its planned high protein production for 2020.

Freight market forecasting is a tricky game these days. Historical freight market data models provide good reference points, but because of the unprecedented nature of COVID-19 (a classic example of a black swan event), we have to rely on current data to understand what is taking place in the freight market. The good news is that this is the very data that SONAR has been building for the past two years. SONARs data comes from a number of disparate sources, but most importantly, electro

The April 9 USDA report seemed to factor in a 50% ethanol grind reduction for at least March and April. There may need to be more reductions in future reports if shelter in place continues. The USDA also increased feed usage, likely to make up for reduced DDG production and consumption. With what we know today, these adjustments appear reasonable. Reduced gas consumption due to shelter in place orders will likely impact corn prices for the rest of the year. Normal gas consumption is unlikely

In my last column, I discussed how total grain production and total grain exports have not increased dramatically over the last five years. So why are grain companies building new facilities over this same time period? Grain handling is a volume and numbers business. If grain companies dont handle the volume, they need to change the numbers so they net out profitable in the end. But how do they do that if someone else is controlling the sales and handling

In recent weeks, the coronavirus has upended America's $800 billion trucking industry. Typical manufacturing supply chains have all but dried up, while the pressure to move more retail and medical goods have heated up. In March 2020, overall trucking volumes jumped by 32% compared to the same month last year, according to freight data and media company FreightWaves. The demand forced the federal government to lift a safety law that dictates how many hours a truck driver can work for the first

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

Im wondering if you find it as ironic as I do. Not too long ago, experts and business folks were waxing poetic about the advent of self-driving trucks. These autonomous behemoths would replace human truck drivers (like yourselves) and fill our highways with legions of robotic Freightliners, Kenworth T680s and Volvo FH16. Youd all be out of work, but hey, they said, thats busin

As the nation faces concerns over COVID-19, Eric McCray realizes that the trucking community is the heartbeat of America, keeping the supply chain moving and store shelves stocked. Our drivers are essential workers, said McCray, director of human resources for TCW. We make sure everything runs like its supposed to.

The American food industry -- groceries, restaurants, everywhere you go to get something to eat -- is largely traced back to the American farm. And like everything else in a world under COVID-19 restrictions, farmers are feeling the crunch. "I have good friends in farming I've talked to from Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee," said Pulaski's Joel Wilson. "We're in the same boat as far as having

The shutdown of a Smithfield Foods Inc. hog-processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, affects hog producers in three states and threatens the availability of 18 million servings of pork a day. The plant, which has 3,700 employees, is linked to hundreds of cases of coronavirus in the state. Laid-off workers are being paid for the next two weeks, Smithfield said. The processing plant gets 30%-35% of its hogs from 550 independent family farms in South Dakota with the rest from neighboring I

The trucking industry saw a stunning surge in demand in the first quarter as consumers panic-bought with unprecedented enthusiasm. But that boom is now crashing. It will likely lead to another round of bankruptcies in America's $800 billion trucking industry, which saw an unusual surge in business failures last year.

Tractor-trailer drivers shipping product to market in the Front Range and east toward the Nebraska state line on Interstate 76 were greeted Saturday in Fort Morgan by a number of military veterans wishing to express their support for over-the-road haulers. The idea stemmed from Jim Carr, a Patriot Guard rider, who as of Saturday had spent the past 15 days on an overpass west of Limon showing his support for drivers in the trucking industry ensuring supply chain stabilization during the COVID-

Stay home. Save Lives. Theres a lot of traffic on the road that shouldnt be on the road, Uvanile-Hesch told FreightWaves. What are you people thinking? Uvanile-Hesch, a driver for Sharp Transportation Systems, will begin hauling that message across Canada and the United States on Tuesday. The 53-foot trailer wrap will be hard to miss: Apart from the message, it features photos of medical personnel wearing face masks and the hashtag &ldqu

With the time to harvest corn and soybeans in central Illinois still several ... that we're going to have a good growing season, Kleinschmidt added.

Many of the worlds leading industries are grinding to a halt as governments across the globe attempt to thwart the further spread of COVID-19. Industries that involve bringing large numbers of people together physically are bearing the brunt, including sporting events, restaurants, education, and tourism. But there are a few that have been deemed essential to everyday life, including healthcare, emergency services, food manufacturing, and farming.

If anything will be ascertained from the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic of 2020, it will be that transportation, namely truck drivers, has and always will keep this country moving; just ask anyone who rejoiced at the sight of newly stocked toilet paper on grocery store shelves. Everyone has been affected in some ways by COVID-19for truck drivers, maintaining the lifeblood of food and essentials, coronavirus has brought both good and bad.

Due to COVID-19, rest stops have been shuttered, and restaurants are now closed except for takeout and drive-thru. It can make life on the road especially hard.

If anything will be ascertained from the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic of 2020, it will be that transportation, namely truck drivers, has and always will keep this country moving; just ask anyone who rejoiced at the sight of newly stocked toilet paper on grocery store shelves. Everyone has been affected in some ways by COVID-19for truck drivers, maintaining the lifeblood of food and essentials, coronavirus has brought both good and bad.

One thing that we seldom think about, though, is how everything that sustains us reaches hospitals, grocery stores, gas stations, manufacturers and more. It comes by truck, with a professional driver behind the wheel. Truck drivers, like others who lack the option to work from home, are continuing to move goods and emergency supplies while the rest of the world hunkers down.

Federal regulators have asked for public comment on a petition for a five-year exemption for small-business truck brokers from a $75,000 security bond requirement. The petition, filed with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in September by the Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC), is a resubmission of a 2013 bond exemption request by the Association of Independent Property Brokers and Agents, which merged with SBTC in 2016. The FMCSA denied the request in 201

Coronavirus: NGFA wants action on driver licenses and punitive shipping fees 09-Apr-2020 By Jane Byrne The US National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA), in a letter to US state governors, has tried to press home the need for officials to adopt measures to allow the issuance of new commercial drivers licenses (CDL) during shutdowns or reduced operations of state motor vehicle offices in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- Days after President Trump extended Americas quarantine guidelines, Tyler Beaver, the 31-year-old founder of brokerage Beaf Cattle Co., couldnt get hold of the rations that feed his clients cows. Hed already tried sellers in the traditional producing areas of the U.S. such as Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, only to find they were mostly sold out. Soon, in a bid to c Read more at: https://www.bloombergquint.com/businessweek/farmers-are-pa

A feud over oil prices between Saudi Arabia and Russia that began in early March, combined with a decrease in demand as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, has caused crude oil prices around the world to plummet. This has led to lower diesel prices at the pump for fleets in recent weeks a trend that experts say is likely to continue in the coming months.

One of the biggest concerns in the grain industry during this time is wheat harvesting. We dont know if well be able to, because we typically have to bring in people from out of the state, and there are harvesters that come from overseas," said David Graf, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent. So thats the real concern and it could be a real problem here within the next few weeks.

Big rig truck drivers are essential in getting goods where they need to go during this coronavirus pandemic, but changes on the road, are impacting their industry. ADVERTISING Truck drivers are noticing a big difference on the road since Californias shelter-in-placer orders. The traffic conditions are a lot better, driver Andre Nunn said. Most places that I go its scarce to find cars, driver Bob Keck said. It would be so congested, people are taking i

Nearly 80 associations representing the U.S. food and agriculture supply chain requested urgent engagement from Trump administration officials to ensure the competitive, fluid movement of shipping containers to international markets.

Smart Freight Funding is the premier factoring service in the bulk transportation industry that saw the need for a quick pay service that didn't bind carriers to contracts or outrageous fees. We remove the headache of paperwork for carriers by handling the billing and payment process that can sometimes prevent their trucks from moving forward. We believe carriers are the backbone of America, therefore we work with every operation from single truck owner ope

ST. LOUIS, MO - Today, Bunge announced a $2.5 million commitment to COVID-19 relief efforts. The funds will support health and hunger causes directly related to the pandemic in the communities where Bunge operates.

CLINTON An Archer Daniels Midland official confirmed Monday that four employees at the ADM Clinton corn processing complex have tested positive for COVID-19. ADM Media Relations Representative Jackie Anderson confirmed four employees at the corn processing complex tested positive for COVID-19, are currently receiving treatment and are quarantined at home.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. There are more than 3.5 million truck drivers on the road, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, shipping the products the country needs to keeps moving, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and some have decided to thank as many as they can.

I started the month of March as a trucker, and ended the month as an essential worker. This was the story for every worker that is part of the supply chain. What we are all learning is that we are deeply interdependent. Gone are the days of thinking that any line of work is unimportant or insignificant in its contribution to the whole. The term unskilled labor has carried with it the belief that anyone can do these types of jobs. We are learning otherwise.

The outpouring of appreciation for truck drivers during the coronavirus pandemic runs from President Donald Trumps Twitter account to free roadside lunches and thank-you posters scrawled in crayon by young children. The homage grows daily at the hashtag #thankatrucker on Facebook and Twitter.

The federal Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) was signed into law on March 26 and includes language requested by the Department of Transportation (DOT) to clarify state authority to issue special permits for increased truck weight. Under either a "major Disaster" or "emergency," states can issue special permits for heavier trucks to deliver relief supplies, ensuring the validity of state-issued special permits. The U.S. DOT authority allows states to "increase truck wei