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Apr 8, 2015
CEO of newly profitable USA Truck takes medical leave

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor John Simone, the CEO who drove USA Truck back to profitability last year after several years of losses, will take medical leave, the Van Buren, Arkansas company said today. The truckload carriers board named Director Thomas Glaser interim chief operating officer. The board understands that it is in Johns best interests at this tim

Apr 8, 2015
Freightliner SuperTruck shows other transport trucks how efficiency is done
Apr 8, 2015
OBAMA SEEKS POWER TO MANDATE PAID WAITING TIMES
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Apr 8, 2015
CEO of newly profitable USA Truck takes medical leave

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor John Simone, the CEO who drove USA Truck back to profitability last year after several years of losses, will take medical leave, the Van Buren, Arkansas company said today. The truckload carriers board named Director Thomas Glaser interim chief operating officer. The board understands that it is in Johns best interests at this tim

Apr 8, 2015
Freightliner SuperTruck shows other transport trucks how efficiency is done

Article Summary Back in 2009, the US Department of Energy issued its SuperTruck Challenge. The program provided funding for truck manufacturers to design and build a prototype vehicle that was at least 50 percent more freight-efficient than a baseline 2009 truck. Daimler Trucks North America recently unveiled its response the Freightliner SuperTruck. It goes beyond the 50 perc

Apr 8, 2015
OBAMA SEEKS POWER TO MANDATE PAID WAITING TIMES

US president Barack Obama is seeking new powers to require trucking companies to pay their drivers for time spent loading and unloading freight. The Obama administrations proposed multi-billion dollar transport plan includes a clause that will, if passed, allow the federal transportation secretary to order trucking operators to compensate drivers for non-driving work at a rate at least equal to the federal minimum wage. The current US federal minimum hourly wage is $7.25.

Apr 8, 2015
NC Court of Appeals Finds Freight Broker Liable for Driver's Workers' Comp Claim

4/7/2015 by Jonathan Crotty,

Apr 8, 2015
Same Day Load Payments And We'll Float your Fuel

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 t

Apr 7, 2015
Northwest Iowa feed mill plant making $7.2 M expansion

By - Associated Press - Saturday, April 4, 2015 SHELDON, Iowa (AP) - Ag Partners feed mill plant in northwest Iowa is planning an expansion with $7.2 million in improvements to increase the plants ability to make livestock feed. The Sioux City Journal reports (http://bit.ly/1NPKyyw ) that Ag Partners officials announced the expansion

Apr 7, 2015
Marubeni Australia confirms closure

Marubeni Australia confirms closure http://www.farmweekly.com.au/news/agriculture/cropping/grains/marubeni-australia-confirms-closure/2728543.aspx JAPANESE trading house Marubeni has decided to close its Australian grain business. In a letter obtained by Fairfax Media, Marubeni Australia managing director Makoto Kajitani confirmed the company was closing its grain business in Australia. He said this was due to the companys global grain stra

Apr 7, 2015
High Speeds Blamed For More Crashes Involving Truckers

BALTIMORE (WJZ) Big rig tires are only supposed to go a maximum constant speed of 75 miles per hour, but truckers across the country are exceeding that limit. As Amy Yensi explains, that could be causing an increase in crashes. A Virginia highwaythe site of a deadly crash. A truck flips into a ditch, killing the driver. Between 2009 and 2013, heavy trucks and buses were responsible for 14,000 fatal accidents. Government figures show that 22

Apr 6, 2015
Heavier trucks proposal raises road costs, dangers

LANCE LANGFORD, PRESIDENT, MINNESOTA STATE PATROL TROOPERS ASSOCIATION http://www.sctimes.com/story/opinion/2015/04/03/heavier-trucks-proposal-raises-road-costs-dangers/25277527/ We've all been there driving on Interstate highway 94 to the Twin Cities or going up north next to big, heavy semitrailers. There are some, like the o

Apr 6, 2015
CTP hits back at railroad interests in latest battle over truck weight reform

Brian Straight Fleet Owner The Coalition for Transportation Productivity (CTP) is calling for the non-profit group, Coalition Against Bigger Trucks, to disclose who it is funded by following a New York Times investigative report published this week

Apr 6, 2015
FMCSA Grants HOS Exemption to Concrete Drivers

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has approved a request from the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association that will exempt the industrys drivers from an hours-of-service requirement that they take a 30-minute rest break within the first eight hours of driving. The two-year exemption, requested by the association in August 2013, permits drivers to use 30 minutes or more of on-duty waiting time to satisfy the requirement for the rest b

Apr 4, 2015
Cooperatives Celebrate Completion of Superior Grain Elevator

Superior, NE -Up stairs and through loading stations, people got an inside look at Superior East, Aurora Cooperative's new grain terminal, on Thursday. The multi-million dollar elevator can hold 1.25 million bushels of corn, soybeans, wheat or sorghum in its silos, and more outside with a piling system. Company leaders say they'll unload trucks and put those crops on trains at the new facility faster than ever. Two-fold opportunities, one is to load trains on the B

Apr 4, 2015
FMCSA says it expects 22 firms to register ELDs

The Trucker News Services 4/2/2015 WASHINGTON The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says it anticipates 20 United States-based and two foreign electronic logging device providers will register ELD devices with the agency. Those estimates are part of a Federal Register notice to be published Tuesday that the agency is posting in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The FMCSA said it i

Apr 3, 2015
Bill to Allow Grain and Livestock Trucks to Load Heavier

Missouri lawmakers pass bill to help agriculture industry Missouri lawmakers send bill aimed at helping agriculture industry to Gov. Nixon for approval

Apr 2, 2015
Georgia trucker deemed unsafe, ordered to cease operations after crash

By Tyson Fisher, Land Line staff writer A Georgia-licensed trucker has been found to be an imminent hazard to public safety by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, according to an agency news release. The 63-year-old man, who tested positive for drugs, struck a Georgia Port Authority officers vehicle with his truck. Back on March 2, Georgia trucker Robert Lee Turner

Apr 2, 2015
Trucker rest requirements would change in Kansas

By Megan Hart [email protected] The Kansas Corporation Commission voted Tuesday morning to change requirements that delay truckers getting back on the road. Congress changed the rules for resetting at the end of a truck drivers week in a wide-

Apr 2, 2015
Do you need Instant Cash Flow? Same Day Funding on your Loads

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 t

Apr 2, 2015
Trucking companies serving oilsands see business plummet

The decline in oil prices has put the brakes on much of Alberta's trucking industry. Since June 2014, truck operators supplying Alberta's oilsands region have been facing an increasingly unstable work environment rife with layoffs, said Bruno Muller, president of Caron Transportation Systems based in Sherwood Park. Suncor to cut 1,000 jobs in response

Apr 1, 2015
Truck parking: Open the gates

There are plenty of factors that contribute to tightening truck capacity and rising transportation costs, but one of the most overlooked is the lack of adequate truck parking. Securing a truck to haul a load may be problem No. 1 for many shippers, but for the truck driver, the big problem may be where to park that rig during breaks and rest periods. The problem is likely to get worse as the U.S. economy continues to expand and freight volumes pick up, and it's an is

Apr 1, 2015
Baldwin introduces rail shipper bill

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., introduced legislation March 24 to address challenges faced by Wisconsin businesses when shipping by rail. The Rail Shipper Fairness Act aims to reduce costs and improve service problems faced by a broad coalition of Wisconsin rail shippers, including farmers, manufacturers and utilities. Our W

Apr 1, 2015
House, Senate give preliminary OK to N.C. gas tax deal

By GARY D. ROBERTSON The Associated Press 3/31/2015 RALEIGH, N.C. Gasoline taxes in North Carolina appear headed downward by a little bit very soon as the General Assembly voted Monday night for a compromise plan that avoids a sharp drop this summer that bill supporters said would wreck future road-building plans. The House and Senate gave preliminary approval to the agreement announced late last week. Additional votes in each chamber are

Apr 1, 2015
AP Exclusive: Many truck tires can't handle higher speed limits; wrecks and blowouts cited

Many tractor-trailers on the nation's roads are driven faster than the 75 mph their tires are designed to handle, a practice that has been linked to wrecks and blowouts but has largely escaped the attention of highway officials. Nearly all truck tires have been built for a maximum sustained speed of 75 mph since the middle of last decade, when drivers across the vast majority of the U.S. were allowed to go no faster than 65 or 70 mph. But 14 states, mainly west of the Mississipp

Mar 31, 2015
Trucking group opposed 75 mph speed limi

In a recent editorial, The Lima News editorial board opposed the proposed increase in the speed limit and we couldnt agree more. Unfortunately, the editorial purported that the Ohio Trucking Association touts the economicbenefits of being able to transport goods more quickly throughout the stat

Mar 31, 2015
Shell, AirFlow Building Truck Expected to Break mpg Records in 2 Years

Nicknamed the StarShip, Shell Lubricants and AirFlow Truck Co. owner and designer Bob Sliwa are developing a new hyper-fuel mileage Class 8 tractor trailer expected to break fuel-efficiency records after its 2017 debut. This next-generation concept truck is an exciting project for Shell, according to Selda Gunsel, vice-president of technology for Shell Global Solutions. The transportation industry is dynamic and we intend to stay at the forefront of innovation collaborat

Mar 31, 2015
FMCSA denies brokers request for exemption from bond

The Trucker News Services 3/30/2015 WASHINGTON The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said Monday in a Federal Register notice to be published Tuesday that the agency had denied an application from the Association of Independent Property Brokers and Agents (AIPBA) for an exemption for all property brokers and freight forwarders from the $75,000 bond provision included in MAP 21. The agency noted that on Dec. 26, 2013, it had

Mar 30, 2015
New shipper coalition blasts carriers for focusing on price instead of service

A week after announcing its formation, a new shipper coalition in Shanghai lambasted container lines for focusing on price to the detriment of service. The Global Shippers Alliance which consists of membership from the European Shippers Council, the Asian Shippers Association and the American Association of Exporters and Importers took heat in return from carriers, as members were accused of overbooking shipments by as much as 3

Mar 30, 2015
Trucker Threatens FMCSA Inspector After Receiving Fine

When inspectors put rigs out of service to keep the roads safe, it costs truckers time and money. Aside from maybe a bit of grumbling, generally drivers finish up for the day with no further incident. Recently though, one driver got so upset that he has been charged with threatening an FMCSA inspector. But he didnt stop there. According to the office of Inspector General, Ronald Mockelman was issued a fine for making a threat of bodily harm to a feder

Mar 28, 2015
Industry, gov’t support needed to keep truckers trucking goods

When store shelves become sparsely stocked and farm products are stalled at point of origin, it will be too late to sound an alarm.? So its time now to look carefully at the shortage of truck drivers across Canada indeed, across North America and figure out solutions.? Trucking firms across the West already report difficulty finding enough drivers to ship goods. They anticipate the situation will grow worse because few people are joining the industry.?

Mar 28, 2015
Farm varmints take a ride to the grain elevator

Dad recalls years ago climbing a bin to check the corn only to find six eyes staring back at him. Mama Raccoon and two pups had decided to call it home. Apparently, she had navigated the grain leg and drop pipes and decided the bin was a nice place to have a family. Not wanting the fight that day, he drew corn from a different bin. He went back a few weeks later, and all was well as the family had moved out. Related:

Mar 28, 2015
Calif. Man Electrocuted While Dumping Grain

March 27--The death of a 51-year-old Hanford man who was electrocuted Wednesday while unloading grain from his tanker truck has been ruled an accident, Fresno County Coroner's officials said Thursday. Officials say it was around 3:15 p.m. when truck driver Luis Santos attempted to drop off a load of grain at a dairy southwest of Easton. Santos had to climb on top of his steel tanker to loosen the grain, which officials said often sticks inside truck trailers since it c

Mar 27, 2015
Driver wage hikes could raise truckload pricing 12-18 percent

Hefty increases in truck driver wages will propel truckload rates higher in 2015 and beyond, potentially pushing pricing up by double digits, a transportation analyst warns. Truckload rates may need to rise as much as 12 to 18 percent to pay for higher driver wages. While our current earnings models assume low-to-mid-single-digit (truckload) price increases over the next couple of years, we would like to point out these estimates will likely be proven wrong,&

Mar 27, 2015
45 minutes and you could be a trucker

his week's crash on the 401 near the 404, involving a transport truck has raised more than a few questions. We know the driver of the rig has been charged with Careless Driving. And we know he's a 21 year old man from Brampton. But Provincial Police have already said speed is believed to have been a factor, and now they are saying inexperience behind the wheel of a big rig could have played a role. Newstalk1010 has learned that to drive a transport truck in th

Mar 27, 2015
Name of the game still fuel savings

LOUISVILLE, Ky. Volvo Trucks is still working on its DME or dimethyl ether diesel alternative fuel internally behind the scenes, OEM officials said today at the Mid-America Trucking Show here. But they havent decided, yet, on a release date because they recognize the market isnt developed enough, yet. The comments were made following the introduction of several different money-saving equipment and technology offerings by Volvo, including a packa

Mar 27, 2015
ATA again urges FMCSA to remove from CSA crashes not fault of truck

ARLINGTON, Va. Citing three recent fatal accidents involving commercial vehicles at which the CV was not at fault, the American Trucking Associations has again urged the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to make a common sense change to its Compliance, Safety, Accountability safety measurement system, specifically the removal of crashes trucking companies and their drivers did not cause. ATA identified the inclusion of all crashe

Mar 27, 2015
Freightliner SuperTruck hauls goods, sips fuel

Freightliner has unveiled the result of its SuperTruck project, and it lives up to the name. The tractor-trailer was developed in partnership with a five-year, $115 million Department of Energy program that challenged truck makers to improve big rig fuel economy by at least 50 percent, and match the funding by the same amount. Related Image

Mar 26, 2015
Nearly $90M in truck freight stolen in cargo thefts in 2014, report shows

Just shy of $90 million in cargo was stolen in 2014 in truck-trailer cargo theft incidents, according to a report released this month by CargoNet. Nearly half of that was high-value electronics loads, which averaged $549,539 in stolen goods per theft incident and totaled $42 million in the year. CargoNets figures are similar to those also r

Mar 26, 2015
Trucker hauling beer fails breathalyzer

A semi-truck loaded with bottles of beer was impounded after the driver failed a breathalyzer test on the Trans-Canada Highway. The man behind the wheel of the big rig was spotted driving erratically, possibly impaired, in Langley during the day on March 9. After making an unspecified hand gesture to another commercial trucker passing by, that driver notified RCMP Fraser Valley Traffic Services and officers caught up with the white truck in Abbotsford

Mar 26, 2015
Freight Factoring Specifically for the Bulk Trucking Industry

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 t

Mar 25, 2015
Trucking Industry Sues Oregon Over Fuel Law

Oregons new governor Kate Brown two weeks ago signed into a law a bill requiring distributors to reduce the carbon intensity of vehicle fuel by 10 percent over the next decade. Now the American Trucking Associations has joined with the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers and the Consumer Energy Alliance in suing Oregon to block the fuel standards. The Oregon program is set up to give a big boost to Oregons small bio

Mar 25, 2015
Prepare for major changes in trucking environment, shippers told

ORLANDO, Florida Shippers are being warned to prepare for major and potentially costly changes in the way they contract or hire trucking companies to move freight across the U.S., as economic, regulatory and legal pressures reshape the transportation landscape. The days when a shipper or consignee could tell a trucking c

Mar 25, 2015
Missouri bills on the move cover liability, certain truck weights

By Keith Goble, Land Line state legislative editor Missouri state lawmakers are moving forward with changes to various rules that affect truck drivers. The Senate Small Business, Insurance and Industry Committee voted to advance one bill to remove joint and several liability from Missouri law and replace it with a several only liability provision. Mike Matousek,

Mar 24, 2015
Trucking firm using drones to drum up business

J.E. Oswalt & Sons, an 88-year-old Midlands company that got its start moving homes by rolling them atop logs out of the way of road construction, is embracing a new technology drones to entice customers to its heavy-duty cargo hauling business. David Oswalt, owner of the Batesburg company, which moves cargo for customers to and from the Port of Charleston, decided on a whim in January to let friend James P

Mar 24, 2015
Judge in Toledo blocks new Ohio law on traffic camera use

The Associated Press 3/23/2015 TOLEDO, Ohio A northwest Ohio judge has blocked in Toledo a new state law sharply restricting use of traffic camera enforcement around the state. The Blade newspaper of Toledo reports (http://bit.ly/1DO1aos ) that Lucas County Judge Dean Mandros on Sunday granted the city's request for a temporary injunction. Mandros says his ruling means the status quo remains for now

Mar 23, 2015
How Trucking Companies Escape Liability After Deadly Events Like the U.S. 27 Crash in South Florida

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL--(Marketwired - March 20, 2015) - On Tuesday in Palm Beach County, a trailer came loose on U.S. 27 and caused a fatal trucking crash. A 2008 Ford Focus struck the trailer, killing the driver, Carolina Ortiz. Sadly, three children in the car, Luis Varona, Alejandro Varona and Melissa Varona, were also killed. "This is an incomprehensible loss, but it is unlikely that this is what the trucking company is focused on. How soon before the t

Mar 21, 2015
Challenges loom for key US truck safety intiative

WASHINGTON, D.C. The U.S. Department of Transportations key truck safety initiative the Compliance, Safety, Accountability or CSA program is coming under fresh fire on Capitol Hill and from a federal watchdog agency, even as federal truck safety regulators take that initiative mobile. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last week introduced QCMobile, a smartphone app that puts trucking company safety ratings, CSA scores and

Mar 21, 2015
For Glencore’s Next Move Watch Agriculture Rather Than Iron Ore

(Bloomberg) -- With only one acquisition in the past 11 months, Glencore Plcs billionaire chief Ivan Glasenberg is in the midst of a deal-making drought. As the industry awaits his next move, the focus has been on whether hell make another run for the worlds second-biggest miner Rio Tinto Group, which spurned an approach last year. Underpinned by a stellar $800 million increase in profits from the division last year, agriculture may offer a more temp

Mar 21, 2015
North Dakota welcomes Paterson Grain

Paterson Grain is expanding its network of grain handling facilities into the United States.? The Winnipeg grain company has been given a green light to build a new grain terminal at Bottineau, North Dakota, 60 kilometres south of Deloraine, Man., and 20 kilometres south of the Canada-U.S. border.? Officials in Bottineau confirmed March 12 that city councillors ap-proved a conditional use permit that will allow Paterson to build a terminal and loop track siding on the south side

Mar 21, 2015
Mexican farmers are trucking produce where tons of it gets thrown into landfills

Mexican farmers are trucking produce into an Arizona townwhere tons of it gets thrown into landfills Nogales, Arizona, is the largest inland food port in the world. Much of the fresh produce trucked up the food superhighway of Mexicos west coast comes through thereand a shocking amount of it doesnt travel much far

Mar 20, 2015
U.S. Refiners Sue BNSF Over Tanker-Car Charge

By

Mar 20, 2015
LTL’s road to riches

Less-than-truckload growth accelerated in a big way in 2014 as total market revenue grew 7.5 percent to a record $35.4 billion. After years of losing share to parcel and truckload carriers, it seems the LTL industry is finally regaining some of its old business. SJ Consulting Group estimates that LTL tons grew 5.5 percent in 2014, or about 50 percent faster than the 3.5 percent increase in total truck tons reported by the American Trucking Associations.

Mar 20, 2015
How Will 3D Printing Affect Trucking?

Business is booming, fuel prices are down. So its time to start thinking about the next threat to the industry: 3D printing. Advocates of 3D printing have said it can transform manufacturing. This week, a new startup company announced a new 3D printing technique it says may actually deliver on that promise. In traditional 3D printing, the machine "prints" layers of material to create a 3D object. This takes time and leaves ripples showing where those layers were laid down

Mar 20, 2015
Trucker dies after being hit by trooper who was looking for him

TALLULAH, LA (WAFB) - Louisiana State Police reported an Alabama truck driver died after being hit by a trooper in north Louisiana early Tuesday morning while the trooper was looking for him after an 18-wheeler was found abandoned. The man who died was identified as David Watford, 47, of Cottonwood, AL. The trooper involved in the crash was identified as Master Trooper Kenny Baker. He is assigned to Troop F in Monroe. The crash happened around 12:30 a.

Mar 20, 2015
Bill would expand trucker drug testing options to hair samples

Both chambers of Congress introduced recently a bill that would allow trucking companies the option to drug test their drivers via hair sample rather than urine sample to satisfy federal drug testing requirements. Driver database rule made official: FMCSA unveils rule to implement drug/alcohol clearinghouse A proposed rule establishing a database of CDL holders who have failed or refused to take a drug test will soon be published, FMCSA announced

Mar 19, 2015
ATA, Nearly 40 Others Pressure Congress Not to 'Devolve' Federal Transportation Funding

American Trucking Associations and nearly 40 other trade groups and businesses have sent a letter calling on Congress to pass a long-term transportation bill while opposing any move toward devolution. Thats the notion voiced by some in Congress that federal funding for transportation programs should be eliminated and that the states should collect fuel taxes and support and maintain roads on their own. Last year, a measure known as the Transportation Empowerment Act was i

Mar 19, 2015
FMCSA Offers App for Truck Safety Information

Safety performance information on trucking and bus companies is available through a new smart phone application authorized by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. QCMobile is made for Apple and Android devices, FMCSA said March 17. Law enforcement personnel and people in the insurance and third-party logistics industries make up the primary target group, but it is available to the public, the statement said. QC stands for query centr

Mar 19, 2015
Construction to begin in weeks on 10-acre, million-bushel grain elevator

GREENWOOD TOWNSHIP Construction of a grain elevator and grain storage facility in Greenwood Township is expected to begin in the coming weeks. We plan to break ground this spring as soon as we can, said Jenifer Pemberton, a spokeswoman for Deerfield Farms Service Inc. Were looking for completion (of the first phase) by the fall of 2015. A grain elevator is a tower

Mar 18, 2015
Agspring adds Idaho company to its acquisition bin

Fast-growing Leawood company Agspring announced on Monday that it acquired an Idaho grain company. Agspring purchased Moreland Grain and Seed for an undisclosed price. Moreland, based in Blackfoot, Idaho, has been in business for more than three decades and has the capacity to store 1.8 million bushels of grain. Agspring will merge Moreland Grain into its Thresher Artisan Wheat subsidiary. The subsidiary has o

Mar 18, 2015
Bunge sells Cincinnati grain elevator

ST. LOUIS Bunge North America has sold a grain elevator in Cincinnati to Vogt Warehouse, said Deb Seidel, a spokesperson for Bunge. While the grain elevator is located at 2885 Sharon Road in Cincinnati, Vogt Warehouse has a facility at 2795 Sharon Road. We had already determined the Cincinnati location did not fit our long-term strategy and intended to sell the facility, Ms. Seidel said. Bunge closed the elevator in Aug

Mar 18, 2015
Shots Fired at Trucker

Shots Fired at Trucker on Dan Ryan Expressway Trucker Matt Mackey with Dayton Freight Lines said he was traveling northbound on the Dan Ryan -- Interstate 90 -- when a gold Chevroley Impala drive up beside him Illinois State Police were working Tuesday morning to reopen lanes and ramps that were closed after shots were fired at a tractor trailer traveling on the Dan Ryan Expressway.

Mar 18, 2015
Third Circuit Says Trucker Entitled to Overtime

Professional motor carriers generally are exempt from overtime payment under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The Third Circuit recently held, however, in McMaster v. Eastern Armored Services, Inc., No. 14-1010 (3d Cir. Mar. 11, 2015), that this exemption did not apply to the plaintiff, a motor carrier employee of the defendant who drove vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds approximately 49% of her total work days. The Court based

Mar 18, 2015
Why the T in TSA doesn’t stand for trucking

Innovation leads to regulation. Nowhere is that more true than trucking. Seemingly every good idea to make trucking a more efficient business is met with a higher regulatory standard that makes the work seem hardly worth the effort. But being in front of Washingtons whims is a good thing, even if it doesnt always feel like it. When two airplanes slammed into the World Trade Center in 2001, air travel in U.S. changed forever. Maybe it was for the good,

Mar 18, 2015
Don't use FMCSA app for safety data, ATA warns public

The Trucker News Services 3/17/2015 ARLINGTON, Va. Less than eight hours after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced it had developed a user friendly app for the general public to find Compliance Safety Accountability scores on motor carriers and bus companies, the American Trucking Associations said the available CSA data was unreliable and urged the public not to use this app given the serious flaws that have been identified by t

Mar 17, 2015
Higher Insurance Rates Possible for Truckers

National Grain and Feed Association leaders are concerned about a proposed Department of Transportation Rule that could lead to significantly higher insurance levels for truckers. NGFA is urging the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to forego issuing the rule and to evaluate the impacts of additional premium costs on commercial freight transportation. Associations Director of Economics and Government Relations, Max Fisher says there are no specific figures as to how high a le

Mar 17, 2015
Judge Nixes FMCSA Motion to Dismiss Truck Driver DataQ Lawsuit

A federal court judge last week ruled in favor of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) in regards to the trucking associations ongoing DataQ lawsuit. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied the U.S. Department of Transportations motion to dismiss a complaint filed by OOIDA challenging the accuracy of the data the department maintains and reports about truck drivers under the Privacy Act. The defendants inc

Mar 17, 2015
Bigger Rigs Are Better In the Trucking Industry, Says the Third Circuit

The Third Circuit joined other circuits in its ruling this week that trucking companies are not relieved from the payment of overtime wages to their employees whose job in whole or in part affects the safe operation of vehicles lighter than 10,000 pounds. In general, the Fair Labor Standards Act provides that employers are required to pay employees 150% of wages for the hours they work over 40 hours per week. Prior to this decision, some trucking

Mar 17, 2015
Truckers not in any hurry to drive faster

Don't expect to see a lot of big trucks barreling down the interstate at 70 mph. That's what executives at trucking firms said last week after the Arkansas Highway Commission's decision to remove the 65 mph speed limit for heavy trucks on rural interstates. Arkansas Department of Highway and Transportation employees are scheduled to take down the old speed limit signs for trucks beginning today. Since 1996, trucks traveling in Arkansas have been

Mar 16, 2015
Long-haul truck driver has no tax home

A long-haul truck driver who spent most of the time on the road and had no other home did not have a tax home that would allow him to deduct his unreimbursed travel expenses because he was not away from home, the Tax Court held (Howard, T.C. Memo. 2015-38). The truck driver, who resided in Missouri, spent 358 days in 2009 on the road. His employer, a Nebraska trucking company, did

Mar 16, 2015
Coyote Logistics prepares for IPO of more than $2 billion: WSJ

(Reuters) - Transportation and logistics services company Coyote Logistics LLC is in talks with banks to prepare for an initial public offering, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing sources. The Chicago-based company, backed by global private equity firm Warburg Pincus LLC, could be valued at more than $2 billion including debt, the Journal said. (on.wsj.c

Mar 16, 2015
Man sentenced in anhydrous case at Atkinson Grain

Lisa Hammer, [email protected] A Kewanee man was sentenced Friday to five years of TASC probation in Henry County Circuit Court on three meth-related charges from 2013. Robert A. Oldeen, 30, pleaded guilty in December to Class 1 felony

Mar 16, 2015
Feds take South Dakota trucking company off the road

http://www.yankton.net/news/state_ap_sd/article_9a2a3446-3f99-5f2f-b68e-dd094ef58e33.html

Mar 16, 2015
Oil is on its way down again; will gasoline, diesel prices follow?

NEW YORK Good news heading into the weekend. The price of oil is on yet another ride down as swelling global supplies overwhelm rising but still relatively weak demand. The price of oil has fallen close to its lowest price in six years, and many expect it to fall much further in the coming weeks because supplies are still heading up and the summer driving season is still months away. The lower crude prices will mean gasoline prices wil

Mar 14, 2015
Fuel Efficiency Standard Could Save Biggest Trucking Fleets $1.7bn

FedEx, Walmart, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and UPS five of the countrys biggest trucking fleets could cut their fuel use by 500 million gallons a year under the new heavy duty truck fuel efficiency standard, saving $1.7 billion on fuel, according to a Union of Concerned Scientists study. The EPA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Mar 14, 2015
Grain scandal takes its toll on Delta farmers

By JACK WEATHERLY Harper Ross will not be planting this year for the first time in 24 years, he says, because of the losses he suffered at the hands of an Arkansas-based grain dealer. Ross sold off most of his 6,000 acres in Leland after he and five other Mississippi farmers lost $1.8 million on corn they sold last year to Turner Grain Merchandising of Brinkley. In addition to the corn, Ross individually booked rice valued at $1.8 million with T

Mar 13, 2015
Four Things Shipping Companies Don't Know about Surety Bonds

by Todd Bryant Are surety bonds becoming a chore for your shipping company? With all the tasks on a managers to-do list, it may feel like bonding requirements are just one more thing to take care of. However, the more you know about surety bonds, the more value they can bring to your shipping company. Even though you are legally required to have them, most shipping companies are still in the dark about surety bonds: how they work, how to reduce costs and how to make

Mar 13, 2015
Truckers Not Welcome in Ontario!

A list posted to the website Smart-Trucking.com highlights reasons why Ontario hates truckers. The whole list plus more can be found here. Do you agree with the points made? Heres the list: It isnt difficult to recognize the signs that indicate truckers are not welcome in Ontario, Canada. Its a Canadian province with an extremely high volume of domestic and U.S. truck

Mar 13, 2015
Ergon BioFuels Enters into Comprehensive Service Arrangement with Gavilon

VICKSBURG, Miss.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ergon BioFuels LLC, (Ergon BioFuels) a subsidiary of Ergon, Inc., today announced that it has entered into a comprehensive services arrangement with Gavilon to originate and market grain at the companys Vicksburg, Miss. facility. Under the terms of the agreement, Gavilon will operate the 3.2-million-bushel warehouse at the Ergon BioFuels facility and begin buying

Mar 12, 2015
Are 3,000 more heavy freight trucks headed our way?

Trucks, trucks and more trucks. A plan by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council that could recommend redirecting 3,000 heavy freight trucks per year from I-95 in Connecticut to the North Fork via the Cross Sound Ferry has Orient residents up in arms. Especially since the freight management plan could be approved without a local public hearing. This plan is off everyones radar, said Orient Association president

Mar 12, 2015
Paoli Coop, Scoular partner

WRITTEN BY HOLYOKE ENTERPRISE Paoli Farmers Cooperative and the Scoular Company jointly announce that the two companies have formed an agreement to partner on grain marketing and handling activities at the cooperatives facility in Paoli. Weve always been committed to serving area producers and staying current to meet their needs, from updati

Mar 12, 2015
New Central Kan. grain elevator set to open before harvest

Great Bend Post GREAT BEND -Bartlett Grain broke ground east of Great Bend last July for the location of their new grain elevator. The bulk of the structure is built but there are still electronics to be installed. Manager Andrew Fullerton says Bartlett Grain is right on schedule to be up and running by May 1, before the summer harvest. Now it is just a matter of getting their name out to the public to make them aware they are open. Folks that farm in the

Mar 11, 2015
Bunge buys assets of Heartland Harvest

Bunge North America said Friday it has purchased the assets of Heartland Harvest Inc., a North American producer of die cut pellets used to make extruded foods. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Heartland Harvest at its Kankakee, Illinois, facility produces die cut pellets made of starches that are expanded through popping, baking or frying to create food products. Bunge said it will keep the majority of employees working at the plant. "Consumer demand for innovative

Mar 11, 2015
Legislature asks Congress to raise truck weight limits

Idaho Legislature asks Congress to raise truck weight limits The Idaho Legislature has passed a memorial bill expressing its desire that the federal government increase truck weight limits on Idaho's interstate highways to 129,000 pounds. BOISE Idahos Hous

Mar 11, 2015
Trial lawyers vs. truckers: a feud over trucks, crashes, insurance and devastation

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- It's truckers versus trial lawyers -- and the truckers sure aren't happy. The federal government is considering making commercial truck drivers or their employers raise the minimum amount of insurance they must carry. The $750,000 minimum insurance under federal law has not changed in 30 years. "We share the road with these guys every day," says Matthew Rizzi, an Akron attorney. "They can share some

Mar 11, 2015
President of trucking research institute indicates capacity shortage could get worse

Rebecca Brewster, president and chief operations officer of the American Transportation Research Institute, spoke with Stifel Nicolaus analysts about the key factors affecting the trucking industry. The American Trucking Research Institute identifies and analyzes the top challenges in the industry throughout the coun

Mar 11, 2015
Faster Freight Payments with Fuel Discounts up to $.20/gallon

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 t

Mar 10, 2015
Wrightspeed’s Ian Wright set to Electrify Trucking

Ian Wright, one of Tesla Motors co-founders, is setting his sights on transforming the trucking industry. He and his company, Wrightspeed, are set to electrify trucks, and not just one truck at a time. Elon Musk and company have transformed the way we view electric vehicles. From glorified golf carts, we now see them as zippy and sexy eco warriors on the road. It makes much more sense (economically) to go electric with trucks than with the family car.

Mar 10, 2015
5 reasons to start a freight brokerage in 2015

Sam Jermy - Logistics - 15 hours ago Follow @SupplyChainD on Twitter. For those who have been thinking about opening a freight brokerage in 2015, theres good news. Positive tr

Mar 10, 2015
Feds take trucker off the road

MITCHELL, S.D. A South Dakota one-man trucking company has been ordered to stop all commercial operations after safety violations were found in a federal investigation last year. After an unsatisfactory safety review, Roth Trucking, owned by Lonnie Roth of Mitchell, has been shut down by the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration after it found repeated instances of unsafe driving, including the use of alco

Mar 9, 2015
rial closer for man accused of setting fire to truck with another man inside

A Raleigh, N.C. man accused of setting a truck on fire with a Homestead man inside it nearly two years ago in Marathon might finally go to trial in May. Stuart Collins, 29, has been held at the Stock Island Detention Center since pleading not guilty to attempted second-degree murder, second-degree arson and criminal mischief stemming from the July 12, 2013, fire outside JJ's Doghouse, a bar. His bond is $1.05 million. Collins originally faced five charges but acting Monroe Count

Mar 9, 2015
Bunge purchases specialty extrusion business

ST. LOUIS, March 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Bunge North America, the North American operating arm of Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG), announced that it has purchased the assets of Heartland Harvest, Inc., a North American leader in the production of die cut pellets used to make extruded foods. Financial terms of the acquisition have not been released. Heartland Harvest produces die cut pellets made of a variety of starches which are

Mar 9, 2015
Trucker drove 90 mph during ice storm after accident

HANCOCK, N.Y. (AP) State police say a New York City truck driver drove 90 mph during an ice storm after failing to stop when he collided with another tractor-trailer on an upstate highway. Troopers say 24-year-old Juan Torres of Queens was driving west on Route 17 Wednesday morning when his tractor-trailer jack-knifed and hit a truck th

Mar 7, 2015
Ex-Oil Patch trucking company owner sentenced for smashing into wife's car

HALLIDAY, N.D. A judge has sentenced a former Oil Patch trucking company owner to five years in prison, with two years suspended, for intentionally slamming his car into his wifes, causing life-threatening injuries. George Misrasi, 58, gave up what likely would have been an appeal with the sentence deal as there was scientific evidence that went

Mar 6, 2015
Trucking Safety Chief Defends Driver Rest Regulations

The trucking industrys overseer is giving little ground to critics who asked Congress to loosen U.S. regulations and revise a rating system designed to root out unsafe carriers. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrations acting chief, Scott Darling, defendedrules ai

Mar 6, 2015
FMCSA asked by National Grain and Feed Association to reconsider raising insurance requirements on truckers

In recently submitted

Mar 6, 2015
Get Paid Faster and Save on Fuel Costs

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 t

Mar 6, 2015
30 fire departments called to fight fire at Deerfield grain mill

DEERFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) Approximately 120 firefighters from 30 different communities in Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire worked through Friday morning to put out a fire at an old, vacant grain mill in the Franklin County town of Deerfield. The fire call came in at around 3:00 A.M. Flames were contained mostly to the top floor of the at least four story building, according to Amherst Assistant

Mar 5, 2015
Two South Dakota grain companies announce merger plans

By: Jonathan Knutson, Agweek Two South Dakota-based grain companies announced Tuesday they want to merge. North Central Farmers Elevator and Wheat Growers plan to unify into a new cooperative, subject to a vote of the full membership of both cooperatives. The boards of directors of both cooperatives already have unanimously appro

Mar 5, 2015
U.S. shipping industry rate revenue expected to rise in 2015

Activity in the national shipping industry was likely up almost 3% in January, according to the Cass Freight Index. A national trucking index was up 1.2% in January. Both reports indicate the shipping industry recovery seen in 2014 is continuing into 2015. The Cass Freight Index reported that shipments were up 2.7% in January compared to January 2014, and freight expenditures were up 3%. However, January shipments were 4.7% below December numbers, and expenditures were down 5.7% compar

Mar 5, 2015
Shipper or broker: Who’s on the hook?

Q: Im in business helping carriers collect their freight charges from shippers when brokers and third-party logistics providers dont pay those charges. I have had a lot of success. In most cases, the shippers and their attorneys initially refuse to pay on the ground that theyve already made payment to the brokers, but when I challenge them they usually admit they owe the bills and send me a check. S

Mar 5, 2015
Bill puts reins in truckers' liability

Arkansas lawmakers introduced a bill Tuesday to protect trucking companies from being held responsible for accidents that result from the negligence of a shipping company. At the request of the Arkansas Trucking Association, Senate Bill 755 was introduced by Sen. Jon Woods and Rep. Micah Neal, both Springdale Republicans. Shannon Newton, the association's president, described the bill as the group's No. 1 priority during the current legislative session. <

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