Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has ordered three truck drivers off the road, declaring each an “imminent hazard to public safety,” the agency reported. The orders were issued against Stewart Snedeker, 59, licensed in Illinois; Scotty Arnst, licensed in Texas; and Tracy Ferrell, 41, licensed in Michigan, FMCSA said in Oct. 25 statements. All three were licensed commercial drivers and violated federal safety regulations before collisions in which people were killed or injure

Written by Reuters (Reuters) - U.S. agribusiness conglomerate Cargill Inc said it will close its Lockney, Texas, feedlot next summer due to shrinking supplies of cattle and high feed costs. The pending closure comes months after the company shut one of its Texas beef packing plants also because of fewer cattle. "Due to the drought-depleted beef cattle supply in the region, and after a careful examination of the region's overall beef production situation, Cargill determined that it could

http://www.truckinginfo.com/ As the American Trucking Associations annual Management Conference and Exhibition started winding down on Tuesday afternoon in Orlando, Fla., after a hot-and-humid four days, one announcement made near the end following many other press conferences made me wonder if hell was about to freeze over and was I going to have to ice skate back home rather than going to the airport. It was the launch of Trucking Moves America Forward, described as a “fundraising effo

McALLEN — Federal authorities have arrested the owner of a trucking company accused of using his employees to move marijuana loads to various northern cities. Javier Casas, the owner of Heavenly Transport LLC, was arrested Tuesday afternoon by agents with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement as part of an ongoing investigation that began Jan. 12 into the use of tractor-trailers to move drugs, court records show. On Wednesday, Casas went before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dorina Ramos, who forma

OSHA said it has ordered North Branford, Conn.-based Palumbo Trucking Inc. and owner David Palumbo "to withdraw a retaliatory lawsuit filed against two former workers of the commercial motor carrier who raised safety concerns." The agency also has ordered Palumbo to pay the whistleblowers $60,000 and take other corrective actions. "Filing a baseless, retaliatory lawsuit against workers who engaged in protected activity has a profound, chilling effect," said Marthe Kent, OSHA's New England

By Kim Wilson, Multimedia Produce RUTHVEN, Iowa (KTIV) - A big mess after a train collides with a semi-truck, hauling grain. It happened about 11:30 Wednesday morning on Stewart Street in Ruthven, Iowa, near the Pro-CoOp Elevator. Authorities say 62-year-old Ernest Pooler of Ruthven saw the train as he crossed, but didn't realize it was moving. The train struck the rear axles of his semi, and tore the trailer in half. Most of the corn inside the truck spilled onto the road. No o

By The Scoular Company | October 24, 2013 Pratt Energy’s plant in Pratt, Kan., restarted operations in September. The Scoular Co. Pratt Energy’s plant in Pratt, Kan., restarted operations in September. The Scoular Co. After being shut down and idle for more than five years, the ethanol plant in Pratt, Kan., is back in business under the ownership of Pratt Energy, a partnership between The Scoular Company and Pratt Biofuel Investors. Pratt Energy is operating the plant

The U.S. Department of Labor has ordered a trucking company in North Branford to pay $60,000 to two former workers, plus legal fees. In September 2012, a mechanic and a driver reported to the North Branford police and the state Department of Motor Vehicles that a truck in the fleet was unsafe. Polumbo Trucking, owned by David Polumbo, terminated both workers within a month of the complaint, but the federal government's investigation determined that their job losses were not retaliation.

by Sean Kilcarr in Trucks at Work http://fleetowner.com/blog/freight-expert-shares-his-views I’ve had the good fortune to listen to John Larkin speak numerous times and have leafed through untold numbers of freight analysis updates he’s penned over last decade, dating back to my days covering the air cargo markets (when the cameras I owned only used FILM!) Currently managing director and head of transportation capital markets research for Wall Street firm Stifel, Nicolaus & Co., Larkin (

The Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report of a stolen grain truck with 250 bushels of high moisture corn that had been left in a field overnight off County Highway 35 near Dent. A 1969 red Chevy pickup was also reported stolen. The incident occurred sometime between midnight and 8 a.m. on Tuesday morning, according to reports from the department. The approximate value of the corn is $2,000. There are no suspects in the theft and the incident is under investigatio

By Clarissa Hawes, Land Line staff writer http://www.landlinemag.com/ The owner of a Massachusetts-based trucking company has been charged with one count of bribery after allegedly offering a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator investigator $1,000 to avoid a negative safety review. Irfan Dushku, 60, owner of Korca Enterprises Inc., of Worcester, Mass., was charged with bribery of a public official in the U.S. District Court in Worcester on Sept. 26. An FMCSA investigator had report

by Sean Kilcarr in Trucks at Work There’s been a ton of mixed indicators recently on the imminent direction of the U.S. economy in terms of whether it’ll grow or continue stagnating. Yet most experts now seem to think things will continue to muddle along in positive territory – with some dubbing this the “Great OK” – even if they retain some significant doubts about how sustainable both global and U.S. economic growth will be. Of course, all of this boils down into fairly simple terms: wil

Nixa, MO (PRWEB) October 23, 2013 Fall harvest activity caught up to bulk truck freight capacity creating tightness across the truck freight industry. BulkLoadsNow.com, a leading load posting site for the dry and liquid freight industry, reached 35% more loads posted in the third week of October compared to the previous month. The youngest load posting site online, launched in 2011, has far exceeded projected growth and is now one of the most used online resources for bulk freight. “Shipper

By: Lou Smyrlis 2013-10-20 ORLANDO, Fla -- US trucking is "on the cusp" of a capacity crunch, according to American Trucking Associations vice president and chief economist Bob Costello. Costello told the popular All Eyes on the Economy panel that eventually demand for freight services will outstrip the slowly growing supply of trucks and drivers and lead to a capacity crunch that will drive freight rates upwards. "We just need to wait till late next year or 2015. We need two or three

Associated Press WICHITA, Kan. — To steal huge shipments of valuable cargo, thieves are turning to a deceptively simple tactic: They pose as truckers, load the freight onto their own tractor-trailers and drive away with it. It's an increasingly common form of commercial identity theft that has allowed con men to make off each year with millions of dollars in merchandise, often food and beverages. And experts say the practice is growing so rapidly that it will soon become the most common way

The Globe and Mail On a cool weekend earlier this fall, someone sneaked into a gated truck yard west of Hamilton and drove off with a tractor trailer, stealing its load of 18 tonnes of frozen beef from Texas. The theft generated some brief news items and social-media jokes about barbecue maniacs needing Flintstone-style servings of meat. But the reality is that there is no shortage of people willing to buy discounted meat from a dubious source. Or electronics. Or liquor and tobacco. Or eve

By Stephen J. Lee, Grand Forks Herald The Associated Press 10/20/2013 Editors Note: This article is an AP Member Exchange Feature by the Grand Forks Herald OSLOW, Minn. — Every October, Ryan Scott moonlights from his day job in Grand Forks to work an eight-hour night shift hauling sugar beets for friends from their farm to giant piling sites during the Red River Valley's most unusual harvest. Starting Oct. 1 — it was Oct. 2 this year because the first day was too warm to start piling suga

By Grace Ryan Harvest will be a little easier this year as the NSW Roads Minister, Duncan Gay announced a five per cent increase on the General Mass Limits (GML) in grain trucks last week. "The new Grain Harvest Management Scheme will result in an increase in road freight productivity during the grain harvest season which will lead to fewer truck movements on state, regional and local roads," he said. See your ad here "Under the new scheme, a typical 19-metre six-axle semi-trailer,

By CHRIS LUSVARDI - H&R Staff Writer DECATUR — State lawmakers who could soon help determine the future location of a new global headquarters for Archer Daniels Midland Co. are trying to ensure their concerns are taken into consideration. Those representing the Decatur area want to do what they can to lessen the impact ADM’s planned changes, announced in September, would have on the region. State Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, said discussions have been taking place with the company on an

http://www.dcvelocity.com/authors/Mark_B_Solomon/ The federal government's new rules governing a commercial truck driver's hours of service (HOS) has reduced median driver wages by between 3.2 and 5.6 percent by cutting the number of hours in a driver's workweek, according to a survey by the National Transportation Institute (NTI), a Kansas City-based consultancy. The survey, to be released later this month, canvassed 412 trucking firms. Specific wage reductions will depend on the nature

Posted by Mark Williams Ever worry about the safety record of the guy or gal behind the wheel of a big rig? These are just about the biggest vehicles you'll see sharing the highway with your full-size or midsize pickup truck, but don't jump to conclusions about their safety records. According to the Commercial Carriers Journal, fatality rates for all vehicles have been dramatically falling for the last 35 years, but in rear-end collisions involving a big rig and a passenger vehicle, cars a

By Jeff Sturgeon The Associated Press 10/19/2013 ROANOKE, Va. — Virginia Department of Transportation officials describe the latest project happening at their Hanging Rock Area Headquarters near Salem as a national model. Yet, they also understand that the initiative — composting road kill carcasses — can turn some stomachs. "We don't necessarily want to put one of these right next to a subdivision," said Jimmy White, VDOT project manager. The Hanging Rock composter is set just inside a

Overdrive Staff http://www.overdriveonline.com/ George R Brown, president of Culpeper Transport Co. in Culpeper, Va., wrote with this comment on last weekend’s Ride for the Constitution trucker protest: When All Trucks StopHaving been thru all of the trucker shutdowns of the past nearly fifty years this one falling on its face came as no surprise. Even with all the media coverage it was pretty much a mini free for all with several trying to organize something. The only shutdown that ev

MISSISSAUGA, Ont.--Transportation Media and Dan Goodwill & Associates hosted the 2013 Surface Transportation Summit today in Mississauga, Ontario, featuring leading carrier, shipper and economist presentations. In a session on Dedicated Transportation, and the outsourcing of fleet management, Jeff Lindsay, president and CEO, Canada Cartage, and Angelo Sarracini, president, Bailey Metal Products Limited, spoke about the steps they took to partner on outsourcing Bailey’s fleet to a dedicated se

The Trucker News Services WINDSOR, Colo. — While carriers may be focusing on safety, fewer shippers are unconcerned about CSA scores, the third-quarter Transport Capital Partners truck industry survey revealed. The survey also showed that the use of electronic logging devices continues to grow and increasingly truck speeds are controlled. The number of shippers not concerned by carrier CSA scores has increased from 15 percent to 22 percent, approximately the same numbers as in May 2012. It

By OLIVER GOOD Staff writer Grain elevators, they’re right there, jutting into the horizon, a silhouette on the skyline of many Kansas towns so familiar they’re almost taken for granted, yet they are vitally necessary to the annual farming cycle. Elevator operator John Ottensmeier can help those curious to understand the inner workings of a classic grain elevator and the storage process crops go through once harvested and deposited there. Trucks of varying sizes and holding capacities vis

By Kevin Jones http://www.ccjdigital.com/ Trucks need to pay more to use the nation’s highways – that’s the essence of a recent hearing on funding the nation’s freight system. With the clock ticking on the bill that funds America’s highways and bridges, a congressional panel called on a pair of experts who had reported – extensively – to Congress five years ago. And Jack Schenendorf and Robert Atkinson picked up right where their respective commissions left off, letting the House transpo

by Allison Warren awarren@kcautv.com At Visser Elevator in Sioux Center, they said they haven't seen too much of an effect yet because the USDA would typically have plenty of reports come out before harvesting is done. So for now producers and consumers are able to use private data collectors. But the USDA numbers are much more accurate and soon those numbers will be much more crucial. "If the government wasn't shutdown, I believe it was last Friday they would have had a USDA report

The Trucker News Services 10/16/2013 WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama Tuesday quietly signed into law legislation to ensure any federal standards governing screening, testing, or treatment of individuals operating commercial motor vehicles for sleep disorders would be through a rulemaking instead of guidance, which has previously been the case. The bill, introduced by Reps. Larry Bucshon, R-Ind., and Dan Lipinski, D-Ill., passed the House 405-0 and the Senate on unanimous consent. While

By Kyle Stock http://www.businessweek.com/ As problems go, the U.S. trucking industry is facing a good one. Thanks to a gushing oil industry and a homebuilding renaissance, everyone needs trucks. The industry, however, is running short on supply—specifically drivers. Trucking outfits are bristling under new federal rules that drastically constrain how long drivers can stay on the road. Since July 1, truckers have been limited to about 70 hours of driving per week, down from 82 hours. And n

http://www.newspressnow.com/news/local_news/article_8b0100eb-85dd-5e71-8f7d-b94d70ce7575.html View Original Article

http://www.truckinginfo.com/ In the third quarter Transport Capital Partners' trucking industry survey, shippers are still largely unconcerned by carrier CSA scores, the use of e-logs continues to grow, and truck speeds are controlled. TCP provides advisory services related to transportation mergers and acquisitions, capital sourcing, operations, and long-term strategy. The number of shippers not concerned by carrier CSA scores has increased from 15% to 22%. These are approximately th

House Freight Panel Takes on the Most Difficult Issue: Funding October 14, 2013 By Oliver Patton http://www.truckinginfo.com/ The House panel studying freight transportation saved the toughest for last: how to pay for it. It was a sign of the enduring paralysis over funding that the panel had Jack Schenendorf and Robert Atkinson as witnesses in its final hearing last week. They led the two seminal commissions that reported to Congress five years ago that the national highway infrastr

By Jim West jim.west@albanyherald.com ALBANY — A former employee of an Albany transportation company has pleaded guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to a scheme to overcharge the Department of Defense for transportation services, according to Justice Department officials. #The services were rendered through the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), and officials say the overcharges resulted in the loss of millions of dollars to the U.S. government. #Kelli Durham, 33, of Leesbu

Kern County deputies arrest man they say tried stealing $100,000 in almonds By BakersfieldNow.com staff WASCO, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A truck driver was arrested Thursday on suspicion of trying to steal $100,000 worth of almonds from a Wasco grower. Inland Container Express made a contract with a company to transport the Sunny Gem almonds to North Carolina. That freight broker grew suspicious when the fraudulent company turned in paperwork with a list of fake numbers. “We immediate

The Trucker Staff 10/14/2013 WASHINGTON — By most all accounts, the supposed three-day rolling protest by truckers was much ado about nothing. After garnering some media coverage Friday, there was no coverage by major newspapers and wire services over the weekend. Most of the media attention in Washington focused on the government shutdown, the looming debt ceiling deadline and a protest by Tea Party members who took down barricades to the World War II memorial and piled them against the f

Franque Thompson COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (KPTM)- The government shut down won't allow people to go to work or get paid. So for most people, their spending is limited. An Iowa semi-truck driver said people aren't buying anything so he's starting to see less work. "When the wheels aren't turning, you don't get paid—not when you get paid by the mile," said Gary Baumbach, truck driver for Hanson Company in Griswold, Iowa. Baumbach said he's grateful his wheels are still turning even if they'r

by Matt Standa KTVB.COM WEISER -- The impact from a freight train cut a semi-tractor trailer in half just outside of Weiser Thursday evening, according to witnesses and the Washington County Sheriff's Office. The crash happened about two miles west of Weiser at the intersection of State Highway 70 and Pioneer Road. That's where a semi hauling a John Deere front-end loader became stuck on the tracks around 7:15 p.m. Washington County resident Alex Chavarria was on the scene after the acciden

Dubuque fire crews are on scene making sure a fire at Gavilon Grain is contained. Emergency crews were alerted shortly before noon today about a fire in a grain dryer at the business, at 635 Commercial St. in the Port of Dubuque. View Original Article

Doug Stanglin and Michael Winter, USA TODAY Police stop four slow-moving trucks but traffic flows normally on rainy Friday Only a few dozen independent truckers were spotted on rain-swept highways around the nation's capital Friday morning at the beginning of a purported three-day "Ride for the Constitution" rolling protest seeking to impeach President Obama and pressure Congress. There were no signs that the trucks were slowing down traffic any more than normal on the congested capital

By Lori Aratani http://www.washingtonpost.com/ Organizers of the “Truckers Ride for the Constitution” rally say they are indeed coming to Washington on Friday — but whether they will shut down the Beltway or just make a lot of noise remains to be seen. Zeeda Andrews, one of the organizers of the event, said the ride is a go but emphasized that it will be peaceful. She said that Georgia trucker Earl Conlon “overstepped his boundaries” earlier this week in saying the event was just a ploy to

by Josh Feldman On Thursday night, Megyn Kelly spoke to two people outraged over the government shutdown: a trucker organizing a protest, and a man who actually spent his time mowing the grass outside the Lincoln Memorial. Ernest Lee is one of the many truckers backing the Ride for the Constitution protest to “get the attention of our unrepresenting representatives” by “causing the world’s biggest traffic jam” in DC. Lee said, “This is an Egypt moment for the entire country to say ‘We have

By SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL — THE BELLINGHAM HERALD SUMAS - An explosion shook the southern end of Sumas Wednesday, Oct. 9, when a spark from feed mill equipment caught a shaft full of grain and dust on fire around 5 p.m., according to firefighters. Mill workers at EPL Feed were transferring feed from outside storage bins through an elevator system when a bearing from one of the motors at the top of the shaft overheated and created a spark, District 14 Fire Chief Jerry DeBruin said. "There's s

George W. Price, Chicago The Illiana Expressway (“Showdown over the Illiana” Editorial, Oct. 6) should get no federal or state funding. Instead, let the trucking companies that would benefit from it invest their own money in a corporation set up to buy the land, build the road and operate it as a tollway. If they don’t think the expressway would get enough traffic for the tolls to repay their investment, then the taxpayers shouldn’t pay for it either. Let it die. — George W. Price

The Trucker Staff 10/9/2013 MARSHFIELD, Wis. — The New Jersey law firm that filed suit against Roehl Transport claiming that the carrier pays student drivers less than minimum wage is no stranger to the motor carrier litigation arena. The website of Swartz Swinder LLC of Cherry Hill, N.J., notes that the firm, which specializes in employment law, has and/or is involved in class action lawsuits against C.R. England, P.A.M. Transportation, Stevens Transport, U.S. Xpress and Werner Enterprises.

October 2013, TruckingInfo.com - WebXclusive by Sandy Miller, J.W. Surety Bonds As of Oct. 1, the MAP-21 provision requiring all FMCSA registered freight brokers to provide proof of a $75,000 surety bond or trust fund is in effect. Federal law was also broadened to include freight forwarders who were not previously subject to the trust or bond requirement. While much has been reported about the FMCSA’s 60-day phase in period, the fact remains you need a $75K bond or trust in place now in

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20131008/NEWS/131008049/Grain-truck-collides-train-near-Menlo-driver-hospitalized?nclick_check=1 View Original Article

Lincoln Journal Star Interstate Commodities Inc., a New York agribusiness company that has an office in Omaha, has purchased Cargill's grain elevator in Lincoln at 3001 Cornhusker Highway. Terms were not disclosed. The elevator has a capacity of 10 million bushels, according to Cargill, which makes it among the larger elevators in Nebraska. It's the first grain storage acquired in Nebraska by ICI, according to the Nebraska Public Service Commission. The employees at the elevator tran

By Lori Aratani http://www.washingtonpost.com/ It can be hard to get attention for your agenda in a town like Washington, but Georgia trucker Earl Conlon figured out a way: take the Beltway hostage. Conlon’s comments in a U.S. News & World Report story that he and thousands of truckers from across the country (and possibly Canada) planned to come to the nation’s capital Friday and bring traffic to a standstill on the inner loop of the Capital Beltway zinged across the Web and were picked u

The Trucker News Services 10/8/2013 WINDSOR, Colo. — Nearly two-thirds of carriers surveyed in this quarter’s Transport Capital Partners (TCP) Business Expectations Survey indicated they plan to increase capacity, a number that has remained fairly constant since August 2010 and one way to fill seats is raise driver pay. But the same survey revealed that the number of carriers expecting to raise driver pay has fallen from 79 percent in August 2012 to 66 percent in August 2013. What’s more,

By KEVIN ROBILLARD | 10/9/13 5:05 AM EDT Right-wing activists who have made a media splash by claiming they’ll use big trucks to jam Beltway traffic this weekend are off to a rocky start. Barely a day after U.S.News & World Report wrote about the “Ride for the Constitution,” organizers are condemning a former compatriot who suggested that the group will “arrest” congressmen. Meanwhile, mainstream trucking industry organizations are disavowing any connection with the activists, including so

http://www.wnd.com/ Bikers came to Washington, D.C., by the thousands only a few weeks ago to express their patriotism for their country and their frustration at those running it, and only days later truckers in a loosely defined group holding a conversation on Facebook said they would do something similar. The details now are becoming clear, and one component of the trucking fraternity has announced plans for arrests. Of members of Congress. With or without help from police. Acco

By Transport Topics The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration would be blocked from implementing or enforcing any regulations on sleep disorders of commercial truck drivers that are not adopted in a rulemaking process under a Senate-passed bill that has been sent to President Obama for his signature, Bloomberg News reported. The measure, H.R. 3095, was cleared by unanimous consent after the House passed it by a 405-0 vote Sept. 26, Bloomberg reported. The measure is supported by t

October 2013, TruckingInfo.com - WebXclusive by Jim Park - Also by this author We don't hear many reports of wheel separations anymore, but that doesn't mean we have solved the problem. Reliable estimates suggest unplanned separations still occur at a rate of probably several per day. Exact numbers are hard to determine because many incidents go unreported. "We do not have much information about wheel off incidents," says William Schaefer, director of Vehicle Programs at the Commercial Ve

Dr. Victor L. Martin http://www.gbtribune.com/ Sometime over the last year or so, one of these columns was supposed to focus on the new Farm Bill. Needless to say, that hasn’t happened and likely won’t for some time to come. One of the casualties of the impasse in Washington going largely unnoticed isn’t just the lack of a Farm Bill but as of October 1 there is no authority to continue under the previous one. Adding to the mess for agriculture is the closure of Farm Service Agency offices and

By Web Staff A company has been ordered to stop dumping material at its site in Waianae. This comes after complaints about illegal dumping by SER Trucking. The company has been hauling sludge from a dredging project in Hawaii Kai, and dumping it on a property in Waianae Valley Road owned by SER Trucking. The city issued the company a notice of violation for not having a grading permit on Friday. If SER Trucking does not correct the violation by Oct. 7 the city will fine them $1

REUTERS JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A trucking company worker was arrested on charges of making a false bomb threat that prompted a five-hour evacuation at Jacksonville International Airport in Florida, jail records showed on Wednesday. Zeljko Causevic, 39, of Jacksonville, walked up to a Transportation Security Administration agent on Tuesday evening, pointed to his camouflage backpack and said, “I got a bomb in here,” the arrest report said. He carried a luggage scale, batteries and cell pho

The Associated Press 10/4/2013 SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Powerful storms crawled into the Midwest on Friday, dumping heavy snow in South Dakota, spawning a tornado in Nebraska and threatening dangerous thunderstorms from Oklahoma to Wisconsin. A foot of snow had fallen in western South Dakota's scenic Black Hills by early Friday, thanks to a storm gaining strength as it slowly moves east from Colorado and Wyoming. Blizzard conditions were expected in the area, with as much as 3 feet of snow and w

By CHARLES S. JOHNSON Gazette State Bureau HELENA — The state Transportation Department intends to arm 35 officers from its Motor Carrier Services Division, a move that drew opposition from the lobbyist for Montana’s trucking industry. Motor Carrier Services officers oversee the enforcement of state transportation laws regulating the size and weight of trucks, and they can check truck drivers’ permits. On Tuesday, Transportation Director Mike Tooley told the Legislature’s Revenue and T

Trucking Company Makes Big Pay Move Updated: Thursday, October 3 2013, 06:58 PM CDT CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (CBS 2/FOX 28)--Over the next year, CRST expedited will pay out an extra ten million dollars to their truck drivers. It's the largest increase in the company's history. CRST president says the idea is to keep current drivers and draw in new ones. It's another busy lunch hour at Village Meat Market and Cafe, and owner Lou Thompson says business would be a nightmare if there were no truckers to

Graves: Government Shutdown Could Hurt Trucking The shutdown of the federal government could harm the overall economy, which would hurt the trucking industry, American Trucking Associations President Bill Graves said. Appearing on the Fox Business Network Oct. 3, Graves said trucking is recovering from the recession of recent years, but the effects of the government shutdown and potential problems with the United States hitting its debt limit in coming weeks could reverse that. “We thin

THE head of the trucking firm which owned the truck involved in the Mona Vale disaster inferno and which has since found to have more than 100 defects in its vehicles in NSW is a businessman worth $500 million. As it emerged that Mark Rowsthorn the chair of Cootes' Transport parent firm McAleese was listed in the top 40 richest people in Australia by Forbes, the Victorian government said it would launch its own inspection of the firms vehicles and review its accreditation that allows it to perf

With Final Report Due Soon, House Freight Panel Takes on Truck Weights By Oliver Patton http://www.truckinginfo.com/ A panel of legislators looking for ways to improve freight transportation is close to finishing its analysis and will post its report by the end of the month. The report will shape deliberations by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on the next highway bill, due in a year’s time. The panel, chaired by Rep. John Duncan, R-Tenn., is composed of members of

Archie Ingersoll | The Journal Gazette FORT WAYNE – It almost never happens, but Tuesday it did. A paramedic performed an emergency field amputation on a trucker’s leg to free him from an early-morning wreck on Interstate 69 after he had been pinned in his cab for about 2 1/2 hours. “The patient’s condition was deteriorating rapidly. The decision had to be made to get him out as soon as possible,” said Mike Gillespie, a spokesman for Three Rivers Ambulance Authority. “It was truly a ma

Brampton Guardian ByPam Douglas INDIANA— A Brampton man was found dead in the sleeper compartment of his tractor-trailer after it caught fire in a rest stop in Indiana early this morning. Indiana State Police identified Baljinder Dhami, 30, of Brampton as the lone occupant and victim of the fire that engulfed the truck around 5:40 a.m. today on a ramp from a rest area on I-69 northeast of Indianapolis. A police officer spotted the truck engulfed in flames and called the Gaston Fire Depar

By Elisa Sand, esand@aberdeennews.com 11:06 a.m. CDT, October 1, 2013 The passenger in a grain truck was treated and released Monday after a single vehicle accident east of Columbia. Brown County Deputy Brian Koens said Kenney Thomason of Thomason Harvesting was driving a grain truck east on Brown County 11. Koens said the truck rolled at the curve where the highway takes a sharp curve north. "The road has a steep grade," Koens said. "Once it started off the road, it rolled." Read t

by Todd Dills http://www.overdriveonline.com/ Robert Steele thinks so. Operating a fleet of three trucks, one of which he drives himself, out of St. Augustine, Fla., he’s seen several direct accounts he’s had with certain shippers run under by operators who are either getting two-three times his fuel mileage or (yes, most likely) don’t know or don’t care how much it costs to operate a truck and are content to run up and down the road with little to no profit. “Some of these guys,” he says, “a

Sean Kilcarr http://fleetowner.com/ One of the major trends highlighted at FTR’s annual Transportation Conference last week is how shipper/carrier collaboration will only increase as it remains one of the last ways both parties can control both capacity and costs in the years ahead. “Carriers have largely exhausted the ways they can save money,” explained Noel Perry, FTR’s senior consultant and president of research firm Transport Fundamentals. “Equipment is not getting cheaper, they must

http://www.truckinginfo.com/ Companies directly in trucking, as well as those that have an interest in it, are among many of the nation’s wealthiest public companies and are increasingly revealing their campaign-related contributions and political policies, and doing so voluntarily, according to The Center for Public Integrity. It reports a new study by the nonpartisan Center for Political Accountability and the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at the University of Pennsylvania

By Truckinginfo Staff UPDATED, 12:00 a.m.--Federal truck safety programs will continue to operate despite a partial government shutdown that took effect at midnight. By Diliff via Wikimedia Commons By Diliff via Wikimedia Commons Other Transportation Department activities will be curtailed, however. Congress had until the end of Monday to agree on a plan to continue funding government operations. The Senate on Monday afternoon rejected a House plan that would continue funding for t

By DOROTHY COX The Trucker Staff 9/30/2013 Truckers will keep on working should government funding come to a dead stop this week or after Nov. 15, and so will federal transportation agencies, possibly with fewer employees, according to two memos. And a U.S. Department of Transportation statement says contingency plans have been put in place just in case. A House government funding bill — which previously had included language to strip out Obamacare money — would keep federal agencies work

by MICHAEL CARL In less than two weeks, thousands of truckers will descend on Washington, D.C., driving their big-rigs and calling for the restoration of a constitutional republic – but now their plan has taken a new twist: Their friends and families will simultaneously join other Americans rallying on overpasses across the nation for Obama’s impeachment. The Truckers’ Ride for the Constitution movement has a new ally in their protest against what organizers say is corruption in government

BY CESAR NEYOY - BAJO EL SOL A seven-year legal battle came to an end recently as 10 former employees of San Luis Trucking received a total of $500,000 in compensation from the defunct firm’s parent company for what the workers alleged were unfair labor practices. Kathleen A. Mangas, an agent of the National Labor Relations Board, recently traveled to San Luis to deliver the payments representing lost wages to the ex-drivers who had filed a complaint against Factor Sales in 2006, the same

US commodities trader Cargill bought a large area of farming land in Colombia many times bigger than the legal limit by setting up dozens of “shell companies”, violating the spirit of agrarian reform laws, charity Oxfam said in a report yesterday. In the research report “Divide and Purchase,” Oxfam says Cargill set up the companies to buy land up to the legal limit for any individual or company, to farm all of the adjoining land as a single plantation and get around restrictions designed to p

MAUMEE, Ohio, Sept. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Andersons, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANDE) announces today it has completed the purchase of Mile Rail, LLC, a railcar repair and cleaning provider. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081104/CLTU081LOGO) "The addition of Mile Rail complements our existing railcar repair network and expands our geographical footprint," says Rasesh Shah, president of The Andersons' Rail Group. "Additionally, the skilled and customer-service oriented 52-member workforce

By David Tanner, Land Line associate editor http://www.landlinemag.com/ The U.S. Department of Transportation and its agencies are making plans in the event Congress fails to pass an annual funding bill and government programs are shut down. As far as trucking and safety programs are concerned, most would go on functioning as normal – at least for a while – in the event of a shutdown. Passing an annual funding bill is a duty of Congress, but this year the U.S. House and Senate are at logg

The Trucker News Services 9/27/2013 Four of the five transportation modes carried more U.S.-NAFTA trade in July 2013 than in July 2012 as the value of overall U.S. trade with its NAFTA partners rose 6.3 percent from year to year, according to the July North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) freight data. It was released today by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation. BTS, a part of the Department’s Research and Innovative T

Deborah Whistler | Fleet Owner http://fleetowner.com/ Beginning Oct. 1 anyone acting as a broker or a freight forwarder, including motor carriers who broker loads, are required to register and obtain broker or freight forwarder authority from FMCSA. Brokers and freight forwarders will also now be subject to a minimum $75,000 financial security requirement. FMCSA acknowledged that there are motor carriers that occasionally broker loads that have not previously been required to obtain oper

"Truckers to Shut Down America" posted a press release today, letting Americans know that they are not sitting down and taking what they believe is an unconstitutional attack by Facebook on their right to freedom of speech. The group is calling for Americans to unite in demanding that the federal government cease and desist their repeated trampling on the United States Constitution with a "general strike" on October 11-13. They also seek to draw attention to the plight of truckers, who have b

(Reuters) - Bunge Ltd will restart its soybean processing plant in eastern Kansas within the next few weeks after it receives enough freshly harvested beans to crush, a company spokeswoman said on Thursday. The company anticipates resuming operations at the processor in Emporia during the "first week of October," spokeswoman Deb Seidel said. "Obviously, that depends on the weather and how quickly farmers get in the fields to harvest," she said. Two nearby soy processors owned by Cargill

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has ordered Laredo, Texas-based REDCO Transport, Ltd., USDOT No. 1670585, to immediately cease its trucking operations, declaring the company to be an imminent hazard to public safety. REDCO operates a fleet of 112 trucks transporting general freight. “It is unacceptable for commercial truck and bus companies to disregard critical safety regulations that serve to protect the motoring public,” said U.S.

Truck freight to see little near-term improvement, FTR Conference speakers say By Avery Vise http://www.ccjdigital.com/ The underlying fundamentals of the U.S. economy point to a freight market that probably will continue to improve over the next year or so but not necessarily enough to justify growth in carriers’ truck and trailer fleets. That was the overall message from the first day of the 2013 FTR Transportation Conference in Indianapolis. The current economic recovery is challengin

by Sean Kilcarr http://fleetowner.com/ INDIANAPOLIS. The economic and regulatory pressures faced by the trucking industry now and in the near future will continue to generate a large amount of uncertainty well into next year, according to a general overview of the themes FTR & Associates plans to address this week here at its annual transportation conference. “When is the last time in history we’ve seen the U.S. economy grow at an average of 2% for several years straight?” Jonathan Starks,

SAN PIERRE A fire damaged a grain elevator in the town of San Pierre in Starke County. It started around 9p.m. Tuesday, and we haven't yet learned why. So far, there haven't been any reports of injuries, but a viewer in the area says the tower of the elevator appears to be leaning. The elevator is located in the town of San Pierre, just off highway 421, across from the Oasis restaurant. The fire was put out before sunrise, though crews continued to monitor hot spots.

by Billy Hallowell There’s something to be said for faith and devotion. An example of these elements in practice comes from Green Bay, Wis., where 72-year-old Harold Scott has set out on a $750,000 effort to bring Christian messages to men, women and children who are traveling along some of the state’s most frequented highways. Christian Trucker Harold Scott Is Spending $750,000 of His Own Cash on Bible Billboards Photo credit: Harold Scott Scott, a truck driver, fears that society has b

by Lalit Kumar, The Motley Fool Pricing wars are never good for any industry. When any company or a group of companies try to gain market share by lowering prices, others often have to follow suit to protect their own market share, and the profitability of the whole industry suffers. The U.S. less-than-truckload, or LTL, industry has endured one such price war during the 2008-09 recession -- and it may now be poised for another. LTL industry and 2008-09 price war Before getting into de

Todd Dills http://www.overdriveonline.com/ In what seems to have started with a Facebook page launched by Florida resident Zeeda Andrews (aka Zeeda Hutton), a self-described “former country singer” with little connection to trucking other than long past truck-stop performances, an October 11-13 nationwide shutdown and concurrent convoy to the nation’s capitol drifted toward what could be called a mini semblance of organization over this past weekend. Andrews appeared Saturday, Sept. 21, o

By DAVID MERCER and SOPHIA TAREEN http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ DECATUR, Ill. — Agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland Company said Monday that after 44 years in the small central Illinois city of Decatur, it is looking for a new location for its headquarters with better access to its global customers. ADM said it is already considering a list of potential locations for what it's calling its new global headquarters, but doesn't plan to publicly discuss where it could be headed or how

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Since the enactment of MAP-21, there has a lot of confusion on what options freight brokers have and the differences amongst them. The confusion stems from inaccurate information flooding the online world on already confusing financial products. In this article we’ll explore what options are out there and provide a direct comparison of each to see which is best for you. We will go beyond costs and look at a comparison of what you’re actually buying and how likely you are to actually qualify for

by Matthew DiLallo, The Motley Fool The United States has an abundance of natural gas supplies. Some estimates suggest we have enough in reserve to supply our economy for more than 100 years. What we don't have is an ample supply of oil, and we're up against stiff global competition for every barrel that's produced. That mix of tight supplies and increasing global demand is the economic recipe for higher prices. This trend, when combined with what I'm about to point out , will put signifi

http://www.examiner.com/ The administrators of the group "Truckers To Shut Down America" were temporarily booted from posting in Facebook for saying "God Bless America." On Sunday afternoon, they were finally back up and posting on their Facebook page, which has gone viral. Today, the Examiner spoke with the group's founder, Zeeda Andrews. A former trucker herself, Andrews has tapped a nerve by calling for a "General Strike" to protest "the corruption that is destroying America." Americans

By BOB UNRUH http://www.wnd.com/ Bikers from across America roared into Washington Sept. 11 to get the attention of the White House and Congress with the message they’re really not fans of the “change America” themes pursued of late. Organized through a loose coalition of Facebook pages and a contingent of volunteers who each took care of their own state, it resulted in official estimates of about a million motorcycles descending on Washington. Now, the big rigs want Washington’s atten

By ANDREW TAYLOR The Associated Press 9/20/2013 WASHINGTON — Here's the truth about a government "shutdown." The government doesn't shut down. So the world won't end if a dysfunctional Washington can't find a way to pass a funding bill before the new budget year begins on Oct. 1. Social Security checks will still go out. Troops will remain at their posts. Doctors and hospitals will get their Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. In fact, virtually every essential government agency, like

By John Caniglia, The Plain Dealer CLEVELAND, Ohio — The joke about the plane that couldn't fly refuses to go away for Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and his family business, Pilot Flying J. As lawsuits against the company mount, one stands out for its financial depth. A case brought last month in New Orleans by Western Express says that Pilot Flying J's scheme to defraud the trucking company cost it more than $75 million. Western's lawsuit comes months after an FBI affidavit, using secretl

By Dale Hildebrant - Farm & Ranch Guide WEST FARGO, N.D. - For over 40 years, Caterpillar and Cat dealers have supported the on-highway truck customers with industry leading products and support. Cat has now taken that one step further with the introduction of the Class 8 CT660 Vocational Truck line. There was a constant line of people at the recent Big Iron Farm Show here looking over the new Cat truck that was set up as a fifth-wheel equipped heavy hauler. But Rick Rhone, Jr., with Butle

By Ryan Crossingham, Farm & Ranch Guide Leading Edge Industries has developed a new innovative technology that will ensure that grain haulers and farmers can achieve optimal loads that maximize the value of every trailer load. The Load Judge, a new technology that debuted at the IDEAg Dakotafest in late August, uses patented, high-tech sensors and a user-friendly application to load grain trailers with high accuracy. "The process was inspired to accomplish some goals and problems loadin

http://www.truckinginfo.com/ Truck drivers supposedly knew of an alleged fuel scheme involving fraud in biofuels was going on but may not have said a word. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, announced on Wednesday the return of indictments against six individuals and three companies for offenses involving federal renewable fuel programs, allegedly creating losses to victims totaling more than $100 million. The 88 counts

Some safety advocates believe stricter trucking laws could save lives. September 20, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- According to the latest Department of Transportation data, trucking accidents that cause injury are becoming increasingly common. In 2009, there were approximately 51,000 large truck crashes that resulted in injury. By 2010, that number had crept up to 56,000, and it reached 60,000 in 2011. Final numbers have not yet been compiled for 2012 or 2013, but initial estimates indicate t

By Michael Dorstewitz, http://www.bizpacreview.com/ Email Mike at michael@bizpacreview and follow him on Twitter at @MikeBPR. A group of freedom-loving truckers appearing almost to have accepted a baton from the 9/11 Two Million Biker D.C. rally. They plan to shut down America on the weekend of Oct. 11-13, by calling a trucking general strike. Four days after the crowded Sept. 11 biker rally that far surpassed the paltry showing at the so-called “Million Muslim March,” the truckers set up