Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

A federal judge called trucking company owner George Wintz Jr. "a working fool" before sentencing him to 3 1/2 years in prison for embezzlement and bank fraud in embezzlement schemes Wintz used to keep his trucking, warehousing and distribution business afloat. Wintz, 73, of Minneapolis, is owner and president of Triangle Warehouse, which operates more than 1,000 pieces of equipment, including single and tandem axle tractors, as well as dry vans and flatbed trailers. The company offers cartag

TheStatehouseFile.com September 28, 2012 INDIANAPOLIS A new report shows that the state's trucking and transportation industries accounted for one in five of Indiana's workplace fatalities last year. Deaths in ... View Original Post

The Associated Press 9/26/2012 FONTANA, Calif. -- A Southern California trucking firm operating in 11 Western states is paying $630,000 to settle a racially-charged harassment and discrimination lawsuit. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a federal court lawsuit a year ago claiming black, Hispanic and East Indian truck drivers were the targets of widespread harassment, discrimination and retaliation at Fontana-based Scully Distribution Services. Miami-based Ryder System

Nearly a year after a deadly explosion, a northeast kansas grain elevator is ready to re-open. The City of Atchison issued Bartlett Grain its Certificate of Occupancy today. The permit means that the grain elevator is back open for business. Six people were killed in a blast at Bartlett Grain last October. The families of four workers filed wrongful death lawsuits against the company last month. An investigation ruled the explosion was an accident but OSHA cited the company for se

It's full speed ahead on transforming a city block in downtown Omaha into Gavilon's new world headquarters. Click Here to Read Full Story

Cape Town - Three people were hospitalised on Wednesday and several trucks burnt and stoned in violence plaguing the nationwide truckers' strike, as negotiations deadlocked once more. This after bosses and workers had earlier edged close to 9 percent but failed to reach agreement. Now positions have hardened, with the SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) reverting to its demand for 12 percent and the employers to an offer of 8 percent. Road Freight Employers' Association spoke

by Aman Batheja In a matter of weeks, a 41-mile stretch of toll road with the fastest speed limit in the country will open in Central Texas. But truck drivers may steer clear of the new high-speed road, said John Esparza, president of the Texas Motor Transportation Association, which represents the trucking industry in Texas. "It's going to be a deterrent, yes," Esparza said of the road's 85 mph speed limit. The Texas Department of Transportation has said it pursued a higher speed li

Trucking freight broker runs for Montana state senate BY: ALLEN SMITH Dan Metully of Transport Watch and co-owner of TFI Logistics, Inc., of Stevensville has entered the race for a seat in the Montana Legislature, representing Senate District 45. Transport Watch was created to address issues of transportation fraud and other instances of improper business behavior within the transportation industry; a service that has reached as close to home as Florida cities, Ocala and Orlando. View

By Tom Polansek CHICAGO, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Grain traders circulated a petition on Tuesday asking the Chicago Board of Trade to reduce the nearly non-stop trading hours it implemented earlier this year. Nearly 300 people signed the petition, started by a longtime independent trader, on its first day. The petition calls on CME Group Inc, which owns the Board of Trade, to shorten the trading hours for corn, wheat and soybean futures and options that it expanded earlier this year to fend

By Bijoy Anandoth Koyitty Tue Sep 25, 2012 11:47pm IST (Reuters) - C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc (CHRW.O), a third-party provider of freight transport, will buy privately owned Phoenix International for $635 million in cash and stock to expand its forwarding business. The acquisition gives C.H. Robinson a strong footing in the international forwarding business, which involves mostly ocean shipping, at a time when high costs are hurting the trucking industry. "We view this as a nice acquisi

Article by: DAVID SHAFFER , Star Tribune Cargill Inc., one of the world's largest commodities traders, says it's a victim of an obscure type of business fraud involving the sale of fake renewable energy credits. Click Here to Read Full Story

* Illinois testing shows above-normal aflatoxin in corn * Illinois is the No. 2 U.S. producer of corn * Move follows similar request from No. 1 corn state Iowa * Blended grain to be used for animal feed CHICAGO, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Illinois, the No. 2 U.S. corn producer, has requested that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allow the state to let its grain handlers blend corn containing aflatoxin, a naturally occurring toxic substance, with other grain to make animal feed. The

Reuters By Carey Gillam KANSAS CITY, Missouri | Sun Sep 23, 2012 12:18pm EDT (Reuters) - Mike Yoder's herd of dairy cattle are living the sweet life. With corn feed scarcer and costlier than ever, Yoder increasingly is looking for cheaper alternatives -- and this summer he found a good deal on ice cream sprinkles. "It's a pretty colorful load," said Yoder, who operates about 450 dairy cows on his farm in northern Indiana. "Anything that keeps the feed costs down." As the worst drought

Click Here to Watch Video A Russian truck driver has escaped a potentially fatal crash by performing a miraculous stunt: after his cab collided with another truck, he escaped unscathed and on his feet after flying through his front windshield. The feat was caught on video. Uploaded to YouTube on Monday, the video was captured by an interior mounted camera in an anonymous vehicle as it traveled down a rural Rus

Sara Higgins More than 100 caddies have been working alongside their players this weekend to try and win a piece of the $550,000 up for grabs at this year's Web.com tournament at Midland Country Club. For 52-year-old Ohio native Mike Sturgill, it's been a chance to revisit a passion he left almost a year ago to work in the oil fields of the Permian Basin. Read more: Veteran caddie leaves the fairways for oil field - Mywesttexas.com: Top Stories http://www.mywesttexas.com/top_stories/art

By David Tanner, Land Line associate editor OOIDA is encouraging small-business truckers to participate in a U.S. DOT-sponsored discussion about freight efficiency, to make sure the agency takes detention time, truck parking, truck size and weight and other issues into account once the new highway bill takes effect. The U.S. Department of Transportation is conducting the National Dialogue on MAP-21 Transportation Performance Measures online as part of the new highway law known as Moving Ah

Excavators, tractors, diggers, fire engines and other larger vehicles are rolling into town on Sunday, Sept. 30, for Opus' 10th annual "Big Rig Gig," a hands-on experience and fundraising event for the whole family. The Big Rig Gig will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Darien Town Hall lower parking lot, 2 Renshaw Road. In the event of rain, the event will be inside the Darien Town Hall gym. Children of all ages will be allowed to get up close and personal with more than 20 trucks,

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20120921/NEWS01/309210022/Grain-train-derails-near-Havre

RIDGEFIELD -- Truckers will drive winding back roads or take Highway 30 up through Longview to avoid the Ridgefield Port of Entry weigh station -- and the hefty fines awaiting a truck that doesn't pass inspection. But an 80,000-pound semi attempting to sneak around the scales can be easily spotted. More than 20 officers from the Clark County Sheriff's Office, La Center and Ridgefield police departments, Washington State Patrol and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration enforced tr

In parts of Brazil, where infrastructure to get grain from the field to the terminal, some large trucks actually have to keep air lines running to each tire in case the rough road causes a tire blowout or dramatic loss in pressure. In some cases, the driver can adjust air pressure from the truck's cab. But, with a new tool in the works at one giant of the tire industry, such precautions may be a thing of the past. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company researchers have spent the last year working on a

Reuters * Ruling lets Iowa grain handlers blend off infected corn * Blended grain can be used for animal feed * Aflatoxin a risk for corn stressed by drought * FDA has relaxed its no-blending policy in problem years CHICAGO, Sept 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a request to allow Iowa, the nation's largest corn producer, to blend corn containing aflatoxin, a naturally occurring toxic substance, with other grain to make animal feed. The FDA appr

CINCINNATI – Get out your handkerchief and read the following, penned by an injured owner-operator named Tim, somewhere in the United States. "I want to buy groceries for my family. On 07-27-2012, while working, I fell off of my rig and broke my lower spine. I spent six days in the hospital and had to have surgery. I'm going to be off work for around six months. I'm an owner-operator and we have no income at all. The medical bills so far are totaling $150,000, and are pouring in. We have four

By: Hollie Hojek hhojek@kcautv.com The brand new, multi-million dollar grain elevator in Anthon, IA, is all about speed, and efficiency; two things farmers like, very much, especially during harvest season. "The faster we can get it out the better it is," says Todd Klaschen of Anthon. "Really fast, by the time you get out of the truck he's already got you weighed, as fast as you can dump, and you're ready to go," says Chase Fitch of Correctionville, IA. Three minutes, that's ab

by Sean Kilcarr in Trucks at Work You've probably seen, heard, or actually perused some of the obesity report recently published by two public interest groups, Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Now, the whole subject of obesity gets a lot of folks riled up and rightly so because – let's face it – all sorts of strange government policy efforts are being ginned up in the name of public health, such as New York City's initiative to ban oversized

Nixa, MO (PRWEB) September 18, 2012 BulkLoadsNow.com, a fast-growing bulk freight matching site, has reached almost 400 hundred users on its smart phone app in only 6 weeks. "We have always tried to be innovative with the features we provide our customers," Matt Fredin, Operating Partner said. "With the app, we are providing the same features in an easier and faster type of communication. And we are excited to add more features to it in the future." Smart phone apps are a growing trend in t

FMCSA reported it halted the company's operations after a review of the company's operations uncovered extensive hours of service violations. Sep 17, 2012 The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced Sept. 14 it has ordered Kansas City, Kansas-based trucking company HP Distribution LLP and an affiliated company, HP Distribution LLC, to immediately cease all transportation services because of "serious safety violations that posed an imminent hazard to public safety." FMCSA rep

By JESSICA HOLDMAN | Bismarck Tribune Trucking companies are facing a labor shortage exacerbated by the needs of the oil field, but its growing population has also made North Dakota a more attractive state for truckers. "The driver shortage is probably one of our biggest concerns," said Tom Balzer, executive vice president of the North Dakota Motor Carriers Association. Randy Roberts, terminal manager for Midwest Motor Express in Bismarck, said companies are stealing drivers from one an

By Chris Branam Twentyfive of the newest truck driver trainees at P.A.M. Transportation Services Inc. gathered recently in the company's training center to learn how to use gadgets that are the source of conflict in American trucking. View Original Post

(ABC 6 News) -- Truckers have incredibly demanding jobs. From the uncertainty of our weather, pressure cooker deadlines, and not to mention the responsibilities on the road. That's why every two years they're required to go through a medical exam. Now, thanks to a federal regulation from the Department of Transportation, those exams must be conducted by federally trained physicians. "They're dealing with everything from weather conditions to time constraints, they have to be able to physi

By Kristen Miller Enterprise Dispatch Editor Truck drivers are essential to the American economy as a majority of all goods will or have been transported over the road. However, often their dedication and hard work is overlooked by the average consumer. This week, Americans take the opportunity to honor all professional truck drivers for their hard work and commitment during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week now through Saturday, Sept. 22 In Minnesota alone, trucks transported 85

September 14 2012 at 04:30pm By Reuters Falls in global grain trade after searing droughts in Russia and the United States will bear down hard on a depressed dry cargo freight market and pile pressure on ship owners, already reeling from a four-year slump. The seaborne cereal trade accounted for at least 10 percent of total dry bulk commodities transported last year and has traditionally provided a seasonal earnings boost for ship owners. But the worst US drought in more than half a c

By Lisa Dayley RUPERT – During what is the busiest time of the harvest, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is asking farmers to register trucks weighing 26,001 pounds or more directly with the state either online, at ports of entry or in Boise beginning Oct. 1. Trucks weighing less may still be registered at county offices. The news didn't set well with Minidoka County Assessor Max Vaughn who made the announcement during the Minidoka County Commissioners weekly meeting held on Monday

By Jeff Plungis - Sep 13, 2012 1:37 PM CT A safety-rating system developed by the U.S. Transportation Department unfairly tarnishes trucking and bus companies for crashes that may not be their fault, a House committee was told. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's scores are hurting companies with good operating histories, lawmakers said, citing complaints they've received from trucking companies. Brokers, shippers and insurers are less likely to do business with companies with

Ella Copeland Rail freight in the US is booming due to a rise in the transportation of oil, as petroleum exploration companies turn to the railway network to deliver raw materials. The boom started in January this year, after TransCanada's $7 billion pipeline proposal was denied, causing a 40 percent rise in rail deliveries in the first half of the year, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). SEE RECENT STORIES FROM THE WDM CONTENT NETWORK: EADS and BAE confirm

The Trucker News Services 9/13/2012 ARLINGTON, Va. -- By the pinch in their pocketbooks, truckers and carriers knew it already: Operational costs have risen steadily since 2010, with fuel prices and driver wages taking the largest bites, according to a recent study. The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) Sept. 12 released the findings of its 2012 update to "An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking." The research, which identifies trucking costs from 2008 to 2011 der

SOURCE: THE ANDERSONS, INC. NEWS RELEASE CREATED: SEPTEMBER 6, 2012 The Andersons, Inc. announced on Aug. 27 that its newly constructed 3.8 million bushel elevator in Custer County, Nebraska, U.S., will be open for the 2012 harvest. "Opening the largest elevator in Custer County, with both train and truck loading capabilities, puts us in a great position to serve the local agricultural community," said Chief Executive Officer Mike Anderson. "While we realize this year's crop is challenge

2 hours ago • By ROD STETZER | rod.stetzer@lee.net(0) Comments BLOOMER -- Even Bruce Mlsna is impressed by the numbers. Four hundred tons of steel was used to construct a 105-foot wide, 119-foot tall bin to hold corn, beans, oats and wheat. "That's 735,000 bushels. One bin," said Mlsna, general manager and CEO of River Country Co-op, which finished work Wednesday on a new grain storage facility, called Bloomer Grain, off of County SS in rural Bloomer. A public open house for the faci

Logistics as Percent of US GDP could Soar, John Larkin Says; Driver Shortage, Changing Carrier Strategies, New Regulations and More Could Hit Shippers over next 2-3 Years SCDigest Editorial Staff As usual, the transportation sector analysts from Stifel, Nicolaus & Company did a great job refreshing the understanding of their clients and many others on the state of transportation during last week's annual "Shaking the Sand Out of the Sneakers" teleconference detailing key logistics theme

Lance Murray Digital Content Producer- Dallas Business Journal The American Trucking Association is asking the State of Texas to slow down, saying the state's approval of an 85 mile-per-hour speed limit on a stretch of Hill Country highway is not safe. In a statement issued this week, association President and CEO Bill Graves urged the state to reverse its decision for the nation's highest speed limit on the stretch of State Highway 130 that runs between Austin and San Antonio. "At the end

Trans Alliance, LLC and Trans Alliance Group, LLC are new companies in Greenville, OH. These companies will start operations officially January 1, 2013. Trans Alliance, a 25 truck, bulk and van freight Transportation Company, will serve the customers of the current Garber Ag Freight, Inc. Trans Alliance Group, a freight brokerage and warehouse provider, will serve the customers of the current Garber Logistics and Warehousing (GLW Group, LLC). Trans Alliance and Trans Alliance Group are owned by

By Jim Park, Equipment Editor There are still legions of drivers who are not practicing even the most basic fuel-saving techniques. Just hang around an intersection with a lot of truck traffic and listen to how drivers go through the gears coming away from a traffic light, or visit a truckstop on a mild spring or fall evening and listen for the idling engines. Here are five easy ways to reduce fuel consumption without investing a penny in additional technology. Progressive shifting

By Aaron Corvin Columbian Staff Reporter Monday, September 10, 2012 A group representing grain shippers in the region, including United Grain Corp. at the Port of Vancouver, said Monday it expects to reach an agreement on a new labor contract with union dockworkers that will keep wheat, soybeans and corn flowing to markets. "I don't think there's any reason to presume otherwise," said Pat McCormick, spokesman for the Pacific Northwest Grain Handlers Association, a consortium of six Nort

Area farmers face winter wheat seeding dilemma by DOREEN HEINTZ News-Argus Staff Writer Published: Monday, September 10, 2012 10:10 AM MDT For the most part, harvest is near completion in Central Montana. According to a spokesperson from Gavilon Grain Company in Moore, area farmers have completed their harvest with the only grain still coming in from the White Sulphur Springs area. At the present time, Gavilon Grain has approximately one million bushels of winter wheat on the ground east of

A North Dakota man accused of defrauding agriculture customers out of more than $200,000 has pleaded guilty in state court. DEVILS LAKE, N.D. (AP) -- A North Dakota man accused of defrauding agriculture customers out of more than $200,000 has pleaded guilty in state court. Authorities say Michael Jelle sold grain dryers and parts as the "Dryer Guy" in Maddock, and failed to deliver goods to customers. KZZY radio reports that Jelle has agreed to plead guilty to six misdemeanor counts tha

The Associated Press 9/10/2012 AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas will soon open a stretch of highway with the highest speed limit in the country, giving eager drivers a chance to rip through a trip between two of the state's largest metropolitan areas. The Texas Transportation Commission has approved a speed limit of 85 mph for a 41-mile toll road several miles east of the increasingly crowded Interstate 35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio. "I would love it," Austin resident Alan Guckian said.

By ANN MARIE AMES JANESVILLE -- Rock County Judge Ken Forbeck all but banged on his podium when he said, "Show me the money!" He spent several minutes grilling Heidi Wieser of Sauk City, formerly of Roscoe, Ill., about what she did with nearly $1 million she embezzled from Rock Valley Trucking, a Janesville business that is a division of Hufcor. "For the benefit of the victims and the benefit of society, I would like to know where that money is and if any of it is available," Forbeck sa

Professional Driver from Port Huron: "I just want to say this is to all those who drive four-wheel vehicles in Michigan. Please don't text and drive. It is worse than drunken driving. If you're texting and driving and we see you doing so, we will give your plate number to the police department and let them take care of you." Click Here to Read Full Story

Foul play not suspected By Megan Erbacher Posted September 7, 2012 at 6:34 p.m EVANSVILLE -- A Georgia man was found dead in the cab of his semi tractor-trailer Friday afternoon after he failed to pick up his load from the T.J. Maxx warehouse. George Frey, Jr., 35, was found in his Premier Transportation truck parked on a dead-end street in the 1900 block of Lynch Road near the T.J. Maxx distribution center. Evansville Police Department Sgt. Jason Cullum said Central Dispatch receiv

By Daniel Ferry, The Motley Fool Posted 8:37PM 09/07/12 It's been a rough year for Navistar International (NYS: NAV) . The truck and engine manufacturer has been steadily losing market share, under EPA scrutiny over the production of engines that don't meet 2010 emissions standards. Now, facing a daunting turnaround effort, Navistar must race to come out with its own compliant engine technology and re-establish its reputation before its competitors capture its customers. Recently, the EPA n

Truck enthusiasts from across the country converge in Morris for Route 66 trip By Jessica Shumaker -- jshumaker@morrisdailyherald.com Antique semi-trucks bearing license plates from locales as far-flung as Maine and British Columbia could be found in a grassy area north of the TA Travel Center in Morris Thursday night. Mack, Kenworth and Peterbilt were some of the top names on display as part of the first show associated with the American Truck Historical Society's cross-country convoy,

By Oliver B. Patton, Washington Editor The ink on the new highway bill is hardly dry, yet one transportation group already is pushing for an amendment. The Association of Independent Property Brokers & Agents is lobbying to repeal the $75,000 bond requirement for brokers and freight forwarders that's in the law Congress passed in June. The provision is due to go into effect next July. Between now and then, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration must complete a rulemaking to im

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Family members of four people killed in a 2011 grain elevator explosion in northeast Kansas are suing employees of Bartlett Grain Co., including its current president Bob Knief, less than five months after federal investigators pinned the blame for the blast on the Kansas City, Mo., company. The wrongful death lawsuits were filed Aug. 27 in Jackson County Circuit Court in Missouri on behalf of Bartlett employees Chad Roberts, 20; Ryan Federinko, 21; Curtis Field, 21; an

YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC ZILLAH -- Investigators suspect fatigue got the better of a 22-year-old trucker, who rolled his semi off the highway in Zillah on Thursday morning. Feliciano F. Sanchez of Long Beach, Calif., veered off Interstate 82 as he headed east, overcorrected and rolled his 2013 Freightliner tractor and trailer into the median about 4:25 a.m., a Washington State Patrol news release said. Sanchez was not injured and his truck suffered moderate damage, the release said. In

By Terry Anderson, Midwest Producer News Editor | Last winter, when John Q. Farmer had time to work the numbers, he might have found some futures prices that looked awfully enticing. He may have been confident that his corn acres would produce at least 150 bushels per acre. After all, they had pushed or topped 200 bushels for the last five years. What he didn't consider is a summer with extended heat and no rain. When his 1,000 acres struggled to produce 50 bushels per acre, he couldn't del

by Innovation Trail Sep 06, 2012 -- Last summer, an anti-fracking group leaked a state transportation department document estimating the financial impact on New York's roads if hydro fracking for natural gas extraction goes ahead. The total expected was $200 to $400 million annually. As the Innovation Trail's Ryan Delaney reports, many local governments have been working to make sure drilling companies will be accountable. Hear this Listen with NCPR player Download audio Share this F

BY: ALLEN SMITH With thirteen million CDL holders and millions of currently active truck drivers in the United States, the 2012 Presidential candidates would be wise to listen to what they have to say. In an industry that has been hit hard by governmental regulations, both professional truck driver and motor carrier are also struggling with the environmental choke hold that has been placed upon them by the agency that actually runs the energy department: the EPA. So much in fact, that a

Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) -- A freight train struck the rear of another freight train in southwest Chicago early Sunday, derailing several rail cars and damaging a third freight train on an adjacent track, authorities said. Local reports said power was briefly knocked out to more than 2,500 people in the neighborhood. There were no immediate reports of any injuries following the derailment shortly before 2 a.m. CDT Sunday, CSX rail spokesman Bob Sullivan told The Associated Press. E

TruckingInfo.com The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ordered Tennessee-based trucking company Terri's Farm to immediately cease all interstate transportation services, based on evidence that it was a chameleon operation for an unsafe company previously shut down by the agency. Following a thorough review of the company's operations, FMCSA shut down Terri's Farm after finding that it was operating the same vehicles and maintaining the same operational and safety management struc

BY JOHN G. STIRLING, THE PROVINCE Truckers take some unhealthy risks in efforts to put bread and butter on your table and indeed their own. My friend Tim is a case in point. He has been driving for more than 40 years and is currently rehabilitating at home after a nasty accident. He was stepping out of his cab when he twisted his ankle on the side of the pavement and fell heavily. His wrist hit the cab door and came close to shattering. The doctors told him that though he'd not broken h

Transport | Posted by: Charles Pauka A truck fitted out with interactive games and information is taking toVictoria's highways and freeways in a two-month road show to encourage greater respect between car and truck drivers. Victorian minister for Roads Terry Mulder unveiled the 'Road to Respect' campaign today at Birrarung Marr, alongside the striking semi-trailer. "The Road to Respect campaign aims to encourage all road users to share the road, in particular focusing on the relationsh

The Associated Press 9/4/2012 JOPLIN, Mo. -- A 180-mile stretch of U.S. 71 from south Kansas City to Joplin will officially become Interstate 49 on Dec. 12, much to the delight of transportation officials and cities and towns along the route. U.S. 71 is already a divided highway with a 70 mph speed limit, but the change to an interstate meant eliminating all intersections and cross roads along the route. The Missouri Department of Transportation has awarded $63.3 million since 2009 to remov

By David Frum, CNN Contributor updated 11:01 AM EDT, Mon September 3, 2012 (CNN) -- Prediction: 2013 will be a year of serious global crisis. That crisis is predictable, and in fact has already begun. It will inescapably confront the next president of the United States. Yet this emerging crisis got not a mention at the Republican National Convention in Tampa. We'll see if the Democrats do better. The crisis originates in this summer's extreme weather. Almost 80% of the continental Unite

The Associated Press Published: Sunday, Sep. 2, 2012 - 11:02 am BUCYRUS, N.D. -- A Japanese conglomerate is building a new grain elevator in southwestern North Dakota, giving the company easier access to the wheat Japan already imports from the upper Great Plains. Jim Peterson, marketing director for the North Dakota Wheat Commission, said Japan buys about 24 million bushels of the state's hard red spring wheat annually. Hard red spring wheat is used to make bread, rolls and other baked goo

Friday, August 31, 2012 | Updated: Saturday, September 1, 2012 1:42am Let's face it, all that cheap American natural gas hasn't done much for your car lately. For 18-wheelers, however, it's a different story. Truckers nationwide have shown enough interest in the low-cost fuel to influence a rush of new vehicle manufacturing and bring about a wave of momentum behind the resource. Manufacturers are planning to release four new natural-gas-powered truck engines and several new truck models

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS August 31, 2012 - 2:18 pm EDT MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Federal officials have ordered Murfreesboro truck company Terri's Farm to cease all interstate transportation services. According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Terri's Farm is merely a reincarnation of horse transporter Three Angels Farms, which was shut down by the agency in June. The closing of Three Angels came after investigators found multiple safety violations. They include

Posted 8/31/2012 6:33 PM by Zacks Equity Research from Zacks.com in Investing, Business, Read more: http://community.nasdaq.com/News/2012-08/risk-reward-balance-ch-robinson-analyst-blog.aspx?storyid=169296#ixzz25EJ4tCf0 C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. ( CHRW ) is one of the first-in-class third-party logistics (3PL) companies given its consistent growth rate over the past few years. The company's asset light model, with diversified freight forwarding solutions, provides more earnings flexibil

BLADE STAFF STONY RIDGE -- A predawn crash of two tractor-trailers killed a trucker from Wisconsin and shut down the Ohio Turnpike's eastbound lanes near I-280 for about five hours Friday. Georgi Belchev, 54, of Franksville, Wis., died at the scene after his truck, loaded with cardboard boxes, crashed into the rear of another semi that had slowed and was pulling into the exit lane at the I-280 interchange, Exit 71, troopers at the Ohio Highway Patrol's Swanton post said. He was trapped in

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Bloomberg By David Wilson - Aug 28, 2012 11:00 PM CT Trucking companies are failing to show the kind of growth typical of an expanding U.S. economy, according to Christian Wetherbee, a Citigroup Inc. analyst. Shipments by truckload carriers this month are "barely positive" by comparison with a year ago and little changed from July, Wetherbee wrote yesterday in a report. The companies ship entire tractor-trailers of goods on behalf of one customer. As the CHART OF THE DAY depicts, the findi

Carriers transporting North America's bulk agriculture products rely on harvest seasons to increase trucking demand and trucking rates to keep them moving. This year due to the drought suffered across the United States many farmers are calling their crops a loss and bulk freight truck operators are feeling the farmers' pain. Impact to carriers may be minimal immediately but the loss of crops may be felt more during the non-harvesting seasons. Bulk freight carriers rely on from farm-to-elevator,

August 28, 2012 - 2:24pm A trucking firm has been ordered to reinstate a whistle-blower truck driver who refused to drive an explosive-filled truck with a co-driver who smoked and pay $315,000 in back wages and damages, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Tuesday. OSHA said it ordered M3 Transport L.L.C./SLT Expressway Inc., and its successors in interest, Lyons Capital L.L.C. and Glendale, Ariz.-based Roadmaster Group, to pay the truck driver $315,000 for allegedly viol

Bloomberg News By Alan Bjerga on August 29, 2012 A projection that U.S. farmers will make a record profit amid the worst drought in more than five decades shows that government help for producers can be scaled back, critics say. Higher prices and crop-insurance payments will outweigh losses from dry conditions, propelling aggregate farm profits to $122.2 billion this year, up 3.7 percent from 2011, the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast yesterday. "It's compelling evidence that

By Special to the Gazette Tuesday, August 28, 2012 Made For Agriculture Incorporated, headquartered in Columbia, Mo., announced that MFA Enterprises, a wholly owned subsidiary of MFA Incorporated, has purchased Irsik & Doll's feed mill and grain elevator in Emporia and Emch Feed and Elevator Company, Inc., of Madison. The arrangement will bring MFA added feed manufacturing and grain merchandising strength provided by the addition of these facilities. MFA had 2011 fiscal year net sales

Posted: Aug 27, 2012 11:41 AM | Last Updated: Aug 27, 2012 11:41 AM HAPPY VALLEY/GOOSE BAY, NFLD. -- Have any freight sitting up in Labrador that has to come west? How about assigning it to the most experienced team in the world? While we haven't done any actual research to back this up, it only stands to reason that Vernon Erb and his buddy Harold LeBold would win the "most-experienced team" title. After all, Erb, 76 and LeBold, 78, grew up together and have been friends most of th

Emergency conditions allowing truckers to bypass normal restrictions PR Newswire SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Aug. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- TheTruckersReport.com (http://www.thetruckersreport.com) has reported that truck drivers in many states have taken advantage of the temporary measures put into effect by the DOT, and that individual drivers are also expediting procedures in states that are not in an officially declared state of emergency by taking on larger loads and running routes more of

11 hours ago • By ART HOVEY / Lincoln Journal Star For now, the attitude of those on the front lines of Nebraska's corn harvest could be described as watchful waiting. That's because it's too early to say whether aflatoxin contamination is going to be a serious problem. But those in charge at grain elevators and grain inspection points are acutely aware that it could become one in this drought year. "Back in 2002, there was a high amount of aflatoxin in the crop," said Mark Fulmer of

Drought Leaves Shippers Scraping Bottom to Move on River By Brian K. Sullivan on August 26, 2012 The tow boat Major General John Peabody uses to survey his domain as regional head of the Corps of Engineers couldn't stop last week in Greenville, Mississippi. The water in the harbor was so low that the 241-foot Mississippi V had to dock in Arkansas, at the end of a gravel road where grain trucks kicked up clouds of dust that covered cars with silt. A year after the river flooded, drought

By Joel Makower Published August 27, 2012 Forget the Volt, the Leaf, the Prius, even the Tesla. An entirely different transportation revolution is happening when it comes to big rigs. In recent years, commercial truck fleets have begun changing course, steering toward next-gen technologies that embrace electric, hybrid-electric, and other fuels instead of petro-based diesel, and innovative drive-train technologies. It's a development that's born partly of concerns about carbon emissions and

The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) could later this week bring the country to its knees if they carry out their threat to strike. The union, which held its special Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting in Benoni at the weekend, yesterday said it supported the leadership of the ANC for a second term. Road Freight covers truck drivers and if the union goes on strike it might affect the delivery of goods such as petrol. The union said it was demanding a 12% s

"The Star of the South," by Dick Callaway, Walter R. Turner and Charles W. Wadelington. By Pete Prunkl For the Salisbury Post SALISBURY -- To many in Rowan County, trucking means Freightliner. But our Cleveland mega-employer was a latecomer to overland transportation. It was born in 1942 in Portland, Ore. Corbitt Truck Co., the subject of a new book, originated in 1910 in Henderson, N.C.; it was our state's only home-grown truck assembly plant. The plucky rural company didn't believe in

By Sandi Soendker, Land Line editor-in-chief A man whose name is synonymous with trucking radio has signed off the air. North America's legendary radio truck show host Dale Sommers, The Truckin' Bozo, died Friday, Aug. 24, 2012, in a hospice facility near his home in Hernando, FL. He was 68. Sommers, widely known for his long-running talk and call-in show geared toward over-the-road truckers, enjoyed a successful broadcast career that spanned more than 50 years. Photo credit: Tampa Bay

The Associated Press Published: Friday, Aug. 24, 2012 - 6:54 pm RICHFIELD, Minn. -- A truck driver who stopped along Interstate 35W in Richfield to look at a blown tire was hit by a car and killed. The Minnesota State Patrol says the crash happened about 7 p.m. Friday. The man was on the right shoulder, looking at a tire on his semitrailer, when a car drifted onto the shoulder and hit the semi, then hit the driver. The man's name hasn't been released. Read more here: http://www.sacbee

By Reed Black, Land Line Now staff reporter A truck driver who says he almost always stops at a restaurant in Newton, KS, says he decided to keep driving on June 26 , a decision that ultimately saved another driver's life. Steven Huett, who drives for Illinois-based Tennant Truck Lines, told "Land Line Now" that he came across another one of the company's trucks that day that was pulled off on the shoulder along Highway 50 near Peabody, KS. It was a 105-degree day, and when Huett checked

BY KERRY WILLS / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2012, 6:00 AM A Dallas trucker who faced decades in prison after making a wrong turn into Mexico will get his charges lessened and may only have to pay a fine, authorities said Thursday. A Mexican appeals judge reduced the charges of Jabin Bogan, who was stopped in Mexico while carrying a trailer full of ammunition. Bogan, who faced a potential 30-year prison sentence, says his GPS stopped functioning and he made a wrong turn from We

Todd Dills |August 23, 2012 The Association of Independent Property Brokers and Agents, founded by former DOT officer James Lamb and which I've written about in the context of the issue the organization was founded to fight -- the boost from $10,000 to $75,000 in minimum surety bond requirements for brokers that was in the highway bill package passed in June -- is calling that measure "inconsistent with the Federal Transportation Policy set forth in 49 USC § 13101? of the U.S. Code, which ass

By Ricardo Lopez, Los Angeles Times August 22, 2012, 6:51 p.m. The worst drought in decades has destroyed more than half the U.S. corn crop, pushing prices to record levels and squeezing livestock owners as they struggle to feed their herds. To cope, one Kentucky cattle farmer has turned to a child-tested way to fatten his 1,400 cows: candy. "It's so hard to make any money when corn is eight or nine dollars a bushel," said Nick Smith, co-owner of United Livestock Commodities in Mayfield,

James Topham and Karl Plume Reuters 7:21 a.m. CDT, August 23, 2012 TOKYO/CHICAGO (Reuters) - The completion of Japanese trader Marubeni Corp's purchase of U.S. grain merchant Gavilon is being delayed by at least two months as talks on ownership of an important West Coast export terminal and regulatory reviews hold up the $5.6 billion deal, people familiar with the matter said. Marubeni's biggest acquisition catapults it into the top ranks of global grain merchants and puts it in pole p

A fire at a wooden grain elevator at Citizens L.L.C. location on N. Cochran Avenue has been contained after firefighters from several departments were called to the scene beginning around 8 a.m. Click Here to Read Full Story

August 22 2012 at 11:35am By HARRY RITCHIE Review: World's Most dangerous Jobs By Paula Reid (Summersdale) What's it like to be an astronaut? How do you get to be an undercover cop? How much do you earn as an ice-road trucker? In this compilation of interviews, Paula Reid asks 21 adrenalin junkies about the incredibly dangerous jobs they do - jobs that she arranges in alphabetical order, from astronaut and avalanche controller to volcanologist and world superbike champion, via bomb

By Audrey White / The Dallas Morning News Published: August 22. 2012 4:00AM PST The parking lot of a Pilot Flying J truck stop in Dallas is home to the first in a chain of fitness centers targeted at truck drivers, whose sedentary careers can lead to health problems. The facility, which opened in June, is the first of at least six gyms that partners Snap Fitness and Rolling Strong hope to open this year. "It's a tough job driving on the interstate all day long without access to exercis

By WILLIAM DOTINGA FRESNO, Calif. (CN) - A trucking company urged its female dispatchers and freight managers to snake a competitive advantage by having sex with clients, a former employee claims in court. Gust Express owner Michelle Gust encouraged female dispatchers and freight managers to "sexually flirt with customers to gain a business advantage," according to the complaint in Fresno County Superior Court. Julie Brannum said she endured the unwelcome orders while working for

By: Amy Dalrymple, INFORUM WILLISTON, N.D. – Truck traffic kept interrupting a press conference here Monday that marked the opening of a new truck bypass, and that couldn't have made Williston Mayor Ward Koeser any happier. Each truck that takes the new 16-mile route that officially opened Monday is one less truck that will travel through Williston, where traffic counts exceed 28,000 vehicles a day compared to the 4,000 vehicles that traveled there four years ago. "Every time a truck go

The Associated Press Published: Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012 - 5:16 am BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- Authorities in central Illinois are working to determine what led to the death of a 48-year-old Heyworth man after a fall last week at a Cargill Inc. soybean-processing plant. Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/21/4743944/worker-dies-days-after-fall-at.html#storylink=cpy Click Here to Read F

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS August 19, 2012 - 10:07 am EDT RAVENNA, Ohio -- Troopers in Ohio say a Wisconsin truck driver is dead after his rig started rolling at a rest stop and pinned him against another truck. The State Highway Patrol says the accident happened Saturday afternoon at a rest area along Interstate 76. Troopers say that 57-year-old Frank Shackelford, of Lake Geneva, Wisc., got out of his truck but didn't put on the emergency brakes. The truck rolled forward as he was walk

ALTA, Iowa (KTIV) - In the firefighting world, you look for opportunities to sharpen your skills, outside of the real deal. So, when local crews got the chance to train on a massive scale, they jumped at the opportunity. Firefighters rarely get requests to start fires. "In fact, they're happy we do it," said Cliff McFarland, an organizer of this mass drill. The end has come for this old obsolete grain elevator. "With the size of farm equipment today, it just didn't provide a lot

The Trucker News Services 8/20/2012 The average U.S. diesel exhaust fluid pump price dropped dramatically between June and July, reports Integer Research in its monthly DEF Tracker. The fall comes after four straight months of rising prices and is the lowest average price recorded since DEF Tracker was launched in October 2011, Integer Research noted. Love's Travel Stops, which offers bulk DEF pumps at 150 of its locations, introduced a lower national pump price during July, according to t

Boston Business Journal by Galen Moore, Web Editor Date: Monday, August 20, 2012, 8:33am EDT Truck drivers carrying hazardous (hazmat) loads must now take a long detour under new policy from the state Department of Transportation. The new daytime regulation quietly took effect earlier this summer, the Boston Globe reports. It stops hazmat drivers from cutting through the North End and other Boston neighborhoods, en route to Interstate 93 and other points south of Boston. Instead, they'll h

Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. -- As the harvest season approaches, farmers in some areas of Missouri are carefully watching river levels in light of Missouri's extremely dry conditions. Lower water levels on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers can limit producers' ability to move grain and other farm products by barge. The Missouri Department of Agriculture requested, and the Missouri Department of Transportation agreed, to allow heavier than normal loads of grain throughout the harvest

08/17/2012 10:11:29 AM Coral Beach Transportation officials anticipate an audit report on the trucking pilot program with Mexico within a month, and U.S. produce professionals are a bit anxious, fearing a negative report could lead to another round of retaliatory tariffs. Mark Powers, vice president of international trade and transportation for the Northwest Horticultural Council, Yakima, Wash., said the apple, pear and cherry industry in the Northwest paid tens of millions of dollars durin