Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

Three class-action lawsuits filed Friday claim that agribusiness power Syngenta is to blame for depressed corn exports to China since the seed company released a genetically-engineered variant of the crop before it was approved by Beijing. At issue is Syngentas 2009 release and distribution of its MIR162 genetically-modified corn known as Agrisure Viptera, which is engineered to fend off certain insects known to decimate corn crops. While approved for use in the United States, C

By LYNDON FINNEY The Trucker Staff 10/5/2014 SAN DIEGO The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration wants to do more to recognize Americas professional truck drivers, an agency official told the American Trucking Associations Safety Policy Committee here Sunday morning. Drivers are the backbone of the countrys economic opportunity, FMCSA Chief Safety Officer Jack Van Steenberg told the panel

Truckers Connection 10/6/2014 SAN DIEGO Kriska Holdings and Britton Transport Monday were honored Monday with a 2014 Volvo Trucks Safety Award during a ceremony at the American Trucking Associations Management Conference & Exhibition here. Recognized for their exceptional safety performance and training programs, each company received $25,000 to further develop its safety-related efforts. Everyone

by: DESIREE WOOD A recent New York Times editorial urged the U.S. Department of Transportation to stop "dawdling" on issuingfederal regulations for truck driver training. They wrote, "A disproportionate number of highway fatalities involve large trucks, yet current federal standards are

Times are better for livestock farmers, but not as great for those who raise grain By Orlan Love, The Gazette CEDAR RAPIDS Farmers who for the past three years have harvested subpar crops for big money are now harvesting record crops for little, if any, profit. Meanwhile, back at the confinement unit, the reversal of farm market fortunes favors livestock producers, who are enjoying historically high prices while in

With all the legal trouble involving Turner Grain Merchandising Inc. of Brinkley, you might have missed the news that a receiver has been appointed. U.S. District Court Judge James M. Moody Jr. named bankruptcy attorney Kevin Keech and his North Little Rock law firm to take control of whats left of the commodities middleman. Keech was requested by Rabo Agrifinance Inc. of St. Louis, which last month sued Turner Grain and its executives for breach of contract. Rabo

EMERY, S.D. A $19 million grain-handling facility being built in Emery is a few weeks behind schedule in part due to rainy weather, but it is still expected be handle grain from the current harvest. The 5.2-million-bushel facility was announced in December 2013 and was to be completed in time for the 2014 harvest. Cargill AgHorizons Regional General Manager Dennis Inman told the Daily Republic newspaper in Mitchell (http://bit.ly/1xVwVrS ) that he hopes the

Since 1960, the global population has risen from around three billion to over seven billion. Global wheat and rice production has tripled over the same period, and corn production is almost five times higher. The UN predicts that by 2040 we could be looking at a world population of nearly 10 billion, with the attendant further rise in agricultural production this implies. As global agricultural production ramps up in order to meet the needs of a ballooning world population, bulk handling sites w

The Trucker News Services 10/3/2014 WASHINGTON On September 24, Elliot and Melinda Campbell (owners) and Bryan Napier (dispatcher) all of whom are associated with several trucking companies operating out of Catts Auto Sales, Chavies, Kentucky, were indicted in U.S. District Court, London, Kentucky, on charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and extortion. The indictment alleged that between October 8, 2010, and February 7, 2012, the Campbells and Napi

Here at TruckersReport were always happy when we get to report on truckers who help out others. In doing so, these truckers often put themselves in harms way. Stories like these show off truckers kind hearts and willingness to take a break from the time is money mindset to maintain their status as the knights of the road. Recently though a trucker showcased not only these attributes but also displayed exceptionally creative problem solving and quick thinking

Dont feel bad if you didnt make the latest Forbes 400 list of Americas wealthiest people; I just checked and, once again, I didnt make it either. But a handful of truckers, or people very involved with the trucking industry, did. First, a note on those I didnt feature. I thought about putting Warren Buffett (Forbes #2) on my list, based on his stakes in railroad BNSF, XTRA Lease or

Two months ago, a Santa Cruz man was on his way to work when a tractor-trailer hauling 2-tons of dirt slammed into his car on Highway 17, a mountainous road just south of Los Gatos, CA. The 25-year-old man was the fifth car in a line of vehicles damaged or destroyed by the big rig. He was partially ejected from his vehicle and died at the scene. Seven other people were transported to a hospital for treatment, one in critical condition with a lacerated liver. The family of the deceas

By LYNDON FINNEY The Trucker Staff 10/1/2014 AKRON, Ohio Calling it a true game changer for the industry, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Wednesday unveiled the most fuel efficient long-haul drive tire in North America. In commercial long-haul applications, we know fuel efficiency and savings is critical, Andrea Russell, brand manager, commercial tire marketing, said during an online

The Scoular Company says that grain-handling facilities in five cities in Idaho and Oregon will serve its renovated barge-loading facility in Burbank, Wash. The Scoular Company is purchasing grain-handling facilities from Evans Grain & Elevator Co. in five cities in Idaho and Oregon.

IRVING, Texas, Oct. 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE: DAR) Bakery Feeds group today announced the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Custom Blenders, one of the leading bakery residuals recyclers in the United States. The acquisition includes Custom Blenders' operations in Indiana, Georgia,

In Start Your Own Freight Brokerage Business, the staff at Entrepreneur Press and writer Jacquelyn Lynn explain how you can get started in the freight brokerage industry, from your first steps to hiring employees, marketing your business and managing your finances. In this edited excerpt, the auth

By Carol Bronson Pratt, Kan. The Scoular Company has broken ground on a $4.8 million project to increase the grain-handling capability at its facility that shares property with Pratt Energy, which began producing ethanol a year ago. They expect to complete the four upright concrete bins by the end of March 2015, grain elevator manager T.J. Mandl reported to the Pratt County Commission Monday afternoon. The four bins will add 720,000 bushe

The Trucker News Services 9/29/2014 LOWELL, Ark. The nations third-largest for-hire has laid down the gauntlet to shippers: expect rate increases in 2015. That the conclusion of a white paper issued last week by J.B. Hunt, which cited fiscal pressures that the carrier said was being felt across all service offerings in the transportation industry, including intermodal, over-the-road, brokerage and dedicated. J.

Nearly 4,000 Americans die in large truck crashes each year, and driver fatigue is a leading factor In 2013, more than 700 commercial drivers died on the job Nearly 50 per cent of truckers interviewed as part of a federal study said they had dozed off behind the wheel A recently proposed change to federal regulations would let drivers put in as many as 82 hours a week on the road

CHICAGO Archer Daniels Midland Co. and Marubeni Corp. have expanded Kalama Export Co. L.L.C., their joint venture in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Marubeni has added its grain export elevator operations at Terminal 5 in The Port of Portland, Ore., to Columbia Export Terminal, a subsidiary of Kalama Export. In connection with the transaction, the companies also intend to rename Kalama Export as Pacificor, L.L.C. Kalama Export Co. was formed in 1998 by Mar

By Thomas Black, Bloomberg News,Bloomberg DALLAS Tommy Walters, hauling lawnmowers to Rhode Island from Maryland with his Boston terrier Daisy riding shotgun

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner community perspective: Gov. Sean Parnells administration has failed Fairbanks. Since 2008 weve been in a desperate energy crisis. The lack of affordable, clean energy has directly contributed to deplorably bad winter time air quality, economic recession and industry leaving. At no point has the governor demonstrated the competent leadership that could have measurably improved our situation. Instead, the administration has spent hundreds

On Aug. 16, four years to the day after the highway accident that tore apart his family, Ed Slattery confronted the man who killed his wife. The two sat on the front porch of the truck driver, Doug Bouch, whose triple-trailer plowed into Susan Slatterys car. Ed Slattery had rehearsed this moment dozens of times. True, he fought to have Bouch put behind bars, but he had also forgiven him and wanted a chance to heal together. Days earlier, Slattery and Bouch spoke for the f

Grain markets are still firmly entrenched in their downward trends. Harvest is nearing completion for spring wheat and is about to hit full stride for corn and soybeans, with all of those markets continuing to feel the cash pressure as storage is quickly filled. Transportation costs have soared to all-time highs, with much of the rail capacity used up moving energy products that can more afford the higher costs. The grain complex has plunged into new four-year lows as yield reports remain high a

BY BILL ESTEP [email protected] Three people who operated trucking companies in Perry County schemed to defraud customers, threatening not to deliver loads in some cases to get payment before it was due, a federal grand jury charged Wednesday. The grand jury indicted Elliot C. Campbell, Melinda J. Campbell and Bryan Napier on charg

CAPE CORAL, FL - Florida may bear the brunt of a trucking crisis. Trucking companies are facing major road blocks from stricter government regulations, high fuel prices and a shortage of drivers. Like clock-work, shipments come around the corner at Craters and Freighters -- a nationwide company with multiple locations in Florida. The Cape Coral sho

This is no ordinary test drive. We weren't evaluating a new model or trying out some new option. This series of videos looks a truck developed by Cummins and Peterbilit and host of their suppliers that is more of a showcase for emerging technology than a package we might one day go out and buy. The two companies say they are often asked by truckers how much such a truck would cost. That's an impossible question to answer as many of the new components and technology o

OMAHA, NEB. Gavilon Grain, L.L.C. has reached agreement to form a joint venture with AgMark L.L.C., which is owned by Farmway Co-op Inc., Cloud County Co-op Elevator Association and Randall Farmers Co-op Union. Under terms of the deal, Gavilon has agreed to sell a minority interest in the companys shuttle loader facility in Abilene, Kas., to AgMark. The strategic arrangement between Gavilon and AgMark would expand the facilitys draw area and enable grain to m

Grain farmers owed money by a Manitoba hog company that went out of business two years ago are still in the midst of a legal battle.? Seventeen growers owed $903,250 by the now defunct Puratone intend to file a new statement of claim this week against former officers and directors of the company.? Their case highlights one of the major shortcomings of Canadas producer payment protection system.? The Canadian Grain Commission does not license feed mills, which means

How do drivers try to beat toll lane cameras for a free ride? Port Authority police can count the ways, and some of them rival a super spy for ingenuity. Others are as simple as putting something on license plates to make the letters and numbers hard for cameras to read as they blow through a toll plaza. We've had a few of them in the time I've been here," Joe Pentangelo, Port Authority police While it sounds

A Danielsville man took $1,750 in expense money from an Athens trucking company to take a shipment of items to New York, but instead he abandoned the truck, according to an Athens-Clarke police report. A representative of Bestway Transportation reported that on Sunday the company gave the man two checks, totalling $1,300, for gas and expenses to transport the load, but the driver called back later saying he had a tire blow out and needed another $450, accordin

Two rather large and emerging issues are facing housing huge increases in trucking costs and a shortage of skilled craftsmen. Todays column focuses on the trucking crisis facing America. Next week, well discuss Americas shortage of skilled craftsmen. Americas trucking crisis cuts across all business sectors, however, it has hit housing the hardest because of the sheer weight and volume of most of the materials used in home const

The former comptroller for a Missouri carrier has been sentenced after being convicted for stealing $4.9 million from his employer. David VanWinkle, was sentenced last week by a U.S. District Judge in Missouri to five years and 10 months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered VanWinkle to forfeit to the government $4,911,621, a 2013 Holland tractor, a 2007 Hummer H3, a 2012 John Deere seed drill, and $28,086 that was seized from various bank accounts. Va

Electric truck manufacturer Boulder Electric Vehicle has shut down and closed its factories in Colorado and California, the Los Angeles Daily News reported. The maker of electric medium- and light-duty trucks opened in 2011 and employed about 50 people at its plant in Chatsworth, California, and 40 at its facility in Lafayette, Colorado, according to the newspaper. Boulder CEO Carter Brown told the Daily News the company is not filing for bankruptcy, but it essentially has been

Daimler AG has unveiled plans for its self-driving Mercedes Benz Future Truck 2025, predicting that driverless trucks could hit highways in as little as 10 years' time. "The truck is our vision of what transportation might look like ten years from now," Wolfgang Bernhard, head of Daimler Trucks and B