Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

* Barges not offered in central Midwest mid-Dec. to March * Severe river restrictions, possible closure expected * Grain exporters move supplies via rail at higher costs By Karl Plume Dec 5 (Reuters) - Some freight companies have pulled their barges from the mid-Mississippi and Illinois Rivers until March as low water after a severe drought disrupted business during the peak of the grain export season, industry sources said on Wednesday. Some grain terminals along the Mississippi

* FAO food price index falls 3 points to 211 points in Nov * FAO trims cereals output forecast for 2012, sees tight stock levels * Price volatility set to continue-FAO senior economist (Adds senior economist quotes, detail, background) By Catherine Hornby ROME, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Global food markets face further volatility in 2013 as stocks and supply of key cereals have tightened, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday, even as world food prices fell for a second month in N

The investors in the dry bulk industry are desperately waiting for the time when the industry will finally display a turnaround. For once, they felt that the miseries of this industry were over when the Baltic Dry Bulk Index (BDI) rallied for continuous 27 days (from 27th September to 23rd October) and showed a gain of 45% in such a short span of time. However, unfortunately, that was not the bottom in the dry bulk industry. Most of the investors tend to forget that China, always, accumulates s

In November, Colorado and Washington voters approved a bill that would legalize recreational use of marijuana. Apparently, many truck drivers have questioned the DOT regarding the legalization and its impact on DOT drug testing. The DOT has responded that while it may be legal for those who are not operating commercial vehicles, marijuana use will still be prohibited for CDL holders. Official DOT Statement: We have had several inquiries about whether these state initiatives will have an

LITCHFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- The federal government has ordered a Georgia-licensed trucker whose tractor-trailer struck and killed an Illinois State Police trooper making a freeway traffic stop to stop commercial driving. The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a statement saying it has declared Johnny Felton Jr. an imminent hazard because he failed to exercise appropriate care regarding his medical conditions. The statement didn't identify those conditions. When reached Tuesday by telephone

Mon, 12/03/2012 - 5:50pm | The News-Gazette CHAMPAIGN— The Andersons Inc. announced on Monday it has completed the purchase of most of the grain and agronomy assets of Green Plains Grain Co. The Andersons, based in Maumee, Ohio, already has grain terminals in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Nebraska. Locally, it has grain handling and storage facilities in Champaign and Mansfield. The purchase includes seven facilities in Iowa and five in Tennessee. The added facilities have a co

By Steven Johnson | ECT Staff Writer Published: December 3rd, 2012 Did investment behemoth Berkshire Hathaway act illegally when it acquired BNSF Railway Co. in 2010? That’s what coal shippers contend, and they want federal regulators to take steps they say would even out an imbalance between the railroad and its customers. “The law is clear that BNSF cannot ‘retain the fruits of its unlawful conduct,’” according to a filing by a coalition that includes NRECA and Basin Electric Power

NSW Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) director of customer and compliance Peter Wells has issued a reminder to the transport industry to check loads before heading out on to the road network. “We know the majority of the industry does the right thing and works professionally to both secure their loads properly and also to make sure they are not more than 4.3 metres high for general truck access,” Mr Wells said. “While most people are doing the right thing, the number of overheight truck i

WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued an imminent hazard operations out-of-service order to an Illinois trucking company the agency said had “engaged in and continues to engage in a pattern and practice of blatantly ignoring and/or violating significant provisions of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.” The order, issued Nov. 23 to C & D Transportation of Elk Grove Village, Ill., said the carrier had “willingly violated an out-of-service order and co

While authorities have pegged thick Texas fog as the main culprit in the 140-car Thanksgiving pileup on I-10 just southwest of Beaumont, big rig truckers posting on Internet message boards suggest that civilian and professional drivers maintaining potentially reckless speeds, despite the conditions, may have been another major contributing factor. Crowded with motorists and tractor trailers, the I-10 phalanx was moving at near 70 miles per hour despite the pea soup fog that rolled in, author

AVALON — A large natural gas pipeline, a railcar full of anhydrous ammonia and hundreds of thousands of bushels of corn could have added up to a serious fire. Instead, firefighters and railroad employees were able to move the railcar of anhydrous ammonia and keep flames away from the gas line and stored corn during a fire Tuesday night at Gavilon Grain, 9231 E. Avalon Road in Avalon. No damage estimates were available Wednesday, and the cause of the fire remained under investigation. T

With all the lottery madness going on, we thought we’s share a heartwarming story about a truck driver and two-time lottery winner with you. Bill Morgan is one lucky man. Morgan was severely injured in a truck accident. At the hospital, he was given medication that damaged his heart. 37-year-old Morgan fell into a coma. Doctors advised his family to turn off life support. Miraculously, Morgan woke up and made a full recovery. Some time later, Morgan won a scratchers jackpot. When th

By RUSSELL ANGLIN AMARILLO GLOBE-NEWS AMARILLO — The father of an Amarillo woman who was killed after falling through a hole in an east Amarillo grain elevator has filed a lawsuit against the elevator’s owner, Wilburn Edwin Axe, court records said. Kelsey Tortoreo, 20, fell 80 feet to her death through a hole in the easternmost building of the Garvey Grain Elevator, 2400 N.E. Third Ave., in May 2011. The lawsuit, filed Nov. 21 by Tom Tortoreo, names Axe and Amarillo Grain Terminal as de

BULLSKIN TWP. — State police are investigating the theft of more than $8,000 from a trucking business that was stolen through a virus contained in an email. View Original Article

“Weighing” the Pros and Cons For 30 + years trucking on US Roadways has meant an 80,000 lb max load weight. Permits are available on a case by case basis for both weight and height but those are exceptions. In Canada the max weight limit is 95,000 lbs, Europe 97,000 and Mexico 106,000. While the trucking industry is opposed for logical reasons which include: Decrease in shipping costs, Combat new HOS and increase in infrastructure costs. Shippers are interested due to the increase in c

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the commonwealth's Department of Environmental Protection are intensifying efforts to stop trucks from bringing overweight loads to Pennsylvania landfills. DEP released the followin message to landfills: We are having problems with overweight trucks coming in from New York and New Jersey. We are working with the authorities in those states to correct this problem, and they are helping us do that. "As DEP's part of the effort to stop ove

GIRARD - A truck driver apologized to a judge before he was sentenced to 90 days of electronically monitored house arrest and fined $500 Monday. Eugene White, 65, pleaded no contest in October to three counts of vehicular homicide in a 2010 crash on Interstate 80 in Hubbard Township that killed a Warren woman and her siblings. White, of Shilo, also was placed on five years' probation and had his driver's license suspended for the same period. His semi rear-ended a 2007 Ford Explorer on

The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill. McClatchy-Tribune Information Services Nov. 26--TUSCOLA -- Cargill's grain elevator in Tuscola is adding a loop railroad track to give it access to the CSX railroad, the company recently announced. The elevator already has access to the Canadian National and Union Pacific rail lines. Connecting with the CSX line will give the elevator the ability to ship to markets in the East and Southeast, as well as the Gulf of Mexico. As a result, local farmers w

I thought this was an interesting little piece about driverless trucks operating in an Australian mine. We’re in the middle of yet another technological revolution and as always, some will win and some will lose from this. I have a feeling that the biggest losers of this particular part of it will be unions like the Teamsters: although not without a very large fight, probably lasting decades, about it. Mining company Rio Tinto has turned to driverless trucks to operate mines in Western Austr

Flames burned and smoke rose off the foundation of a wood grain elevator Friday evening after a blaze burned it to the ground at 2 a.m. While Adam Harpe scans through his brother's photos of the blaze, he's thankful his St. Marys business is still intact. "I was concerned with maybe if there was some smoke, depending on which way the wind was going, if it was getting inside the doors or anything like that,” says Harpe, who owns Premier Custom Baths downtown, “But I came down this morning and t

The mother of the Dallas trucker being detained in Mexico says Mexican officials have given little explanation for holding her 27-year-old son Jabin Akeem Bogan following completion of his seven-month prison sentence in Veracruz. On Nov. 20, Aletha Smith said Mexico’s immigration department immediately assumed custody of Bogan upon his release from prison five days earlier. Other than indicating the Demco Express driver was did not have proper documentation to be in the country, Mexican offic

The fall harvest in Southeast Missouri is wrapping up, but farmers' ability to ship their grain this winter remains in question. After battling an extreme drought and excessive heat all summer, fall rains put the harvest slightly behind schedule. This combination has left the Mississippi River's water levels dangerously low for barges, which carry 60 percent of the nation's grain exports. They may not be able to navigate the river once the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers begins reducing flow fr

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- Prolonged drought is prompting some Midwest farmers to sell discarded corn stalks to feed hay-deprived cattle. The Columbia Missourian reports that area corn farmers are collecting stalks that usually are left in fields. The leftover stalks are known as corn stover. A market summary compiled by the Missouri Department of Agriculture shows that corn stover is selling in Missouri for $60 to $100 per ton, or $35 to $45 per large round bale. The state agency didn't track

Pity the grain trader? As if there is not enough grousing over US Department of Agriculture data – with trend corn yield estimates seen by many as unduly high, harvested acres ditto, and so on – it is not as if forecasts for these statistics from brokers comes without question marks. And that leaves the investor - dealing live when big USDA reports are released since Chicago extended trading hours earlier this year – with the task of not just comparing USDA estimates with expectations for

GRANDVIEW, Wash. -- If you ever get nervous driving past a semi-truck, a high-tech web of gadgets could keep you safe. You think your job is stressful? Try hauling a tractor-trailer across the state on little sleep. "I want to protect my life just as much as anyone else, so I'm going to make sure to take care of priority number one," says truck driver Chris Foster. Truckers like Foster are allowed on Washington roads for no more than 11 hours in a single day. At that point, a trucker n

WASHINGTON — Millions of bushels of Midwest corn are the lifeblood that feeds Lincolnway Energy’s thriving ethanol plant in north-central Iowa, but it is the highway of glistening steel rails and brown wooden ties snaking out of the facility that acts as the lifeline of the six-year-old business..... Read the full article by clicking here

DES MOINES — The Iowa Economic Development Authority Board on Friday awarded tax benefits to Grain Millers of St. Ansgar that will help in a $21.9 million expansion project. The project involves constructing a four-story facility, improving an existing processing line, adding a packaging line and purchasing equipment. The St. Ansgar-based company is a privately-held industrial and consumer ingredient processing company that sells products to major food companies in North America. The pr

THE ghosts of numerous controversial past trading deals are returning to haunt Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) in Australia as the US food giant continues its $2.7 billion play for GrainCorp. ADM recently confirmed possible violations to foreign bribery laws following a review of its own anti-corruption compliance program, initiated in 2008 and revealed to US and overseas regulators in 2009. The latest revelations follow a run of high profile penalties, including a prison sentences totalling mo

The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to enforce a final decision and order issued to North Canton-based trucking company Star Air and owner Robert R. Custer for terminating two truck drivers in violation of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act's whistleblower provisions. The company has been ordered to pay $612,205. The Labor Department's Administrative Review Board issued a final decision to Star Air on Dec. 19, 2011, requiring the company to rein

To our north, where the lines on the map change from red or blue to grey or disappear entirely, there’s a whole world of trucking going on that hardly anyone knows about. It’s not the tame and safe world of EOBR- and ECM-controlled LCVs on four-lane highways. It’s a world where drivers and machines live on the edge — sometimes ­literally — in a barely-managed co-existence with nature, the elements and the terrain. Drivers push their trucks into places they’re not supposed to go, but go they d

Northwestern North Dakota is swamped by truck traffic and being a truck driver is not for the feint of heart. You have to put in long hours, and you need to be on the lookout for thousands of other drivers. This fall, more than 700 trucking companies have requested to start working in the state. The roads in oil country are filled with impatient and tired drivers. "A lot of the accidents I`ve seen out on the highways: people falling asleep, people passing where they shouldn`t be trying to

Efficiency is the name of the game at harvesttime, and having a semi truck and wagon adequately sized to move the right amount of grain for your operation is key. Agriculture.com Machinery Talk member Nebfarmer is considering getting a 10-wheel after struggling to keep up with his hauling demands this past year, and recently sought help. "I bought a super-cheap 6-wheeler last winter, and I still couldn't keep up hauling what I wanted to," he says. "I figured if I put the $1,000 to $3,000 I wi

Bio-fuel is a big trend in the transportation industry right now. Biodiesel makes it easy for trucking companies to institute big changes in their business practices because many engines can run on biodiesel with little to no modification. In most cases, bio-fuel does burn cleaner than its more widely used counterpart. There are advantages, especially in an industry like commercial trucking that uses a ton of gas. The thing is that people view biodiesel with so many happy little rainbows cloudin

WASHINGTON — Women have passed men on the nation's roads. More women than men now have driver's licenses, a reversal of a longtime gender gap behind the wheel that transportation researchers say is likely to have safety and economic implications. If current trends continue, the gap will only widen. The share of teens and young adults of both sexes with driver's licenses is declining, but the decline is greater for young men, according to a study by the University of Michigan's Transportation

David City, NE – Timpte, the industry leader in manufacturing bulk commodity trailers, is proud to announce the opening of a new Factory Direct Sales Branch Office in Sioux City, Iowa. The new Factory Direct Sales Branch Office is conveniently located at 4325 South York Street, Sioux City, IA 51106. The new location offers new and used grain trailers for sale, as well as over-the-counter parts and service. Timpte will now have the Northwest Iowa Sales Representative Kirk Martin based

Mississippi River shipping interests are warning that commercial traffic will grind to a halt in December because of a combination of slower Missouri River inflows and obstructions, and they’re urging that Congress take action. The requests come as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to gradually ease the flow of water out of its Gavins Point Dam in Yankton, S.D., a move aimed at preserving water levels in the drought-stricken reservoir system. Those restrictions, however, will lead to

Most commenters on Overdrive‘s Facebook page were not thrilled to hear news that incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama had been re-elected and were quite vocal on where they stood relative to the national political scene. Most cited concerns over the president’s economic policies in an already-shaky economy. Those who supported the president’s re-election piped in when asked if they right guy had won, though most simply said “Yes,” and did not elaborate much. In an Overdrive Hot Butt

The early years of the 21st century have brought with them an abundance of supply chain technology tools allowing companies to electronically communicate with more ease, speed, and efficiency than ever before. Now, if they can only work on the more traditional forms of interaction: such as the verbal kind. Over the past two years, four studies—two from Scranton, Pa.-based third-party logistics service provider (3PL) Kane Is Able; one from Raleigh, N.C.-based consultancy Tompkins Associates

Last week, four major trucking contractors—Los Angeles Harbor Grain Terminal, Pacheco Trucking, Perez Express Trucking and Franco Trucking—were named in a complaint presented to the Long Beach City Prosecutor's office. With charges filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court, the complaint alleges employees, officers and contractors within said trucking companies overloaded their trucks—some to the extent of exceeding the maximum weight by 14,000lbs—and drove them on highways. The worry is hig

Wilbur-Ellis Co. has acquired the assets of Mott Grain (No. 99 on the CropLife 100), located in Mott, ND. The acquisition broadens Wilbur-Ellis’ footprint in Southwest North Dakota and will complement the company’s aerial application business, the largest of its kind in both the North Dakota and South Dakota areas as well as the surrounding region. “Wilbur-Ellis sets a high standard for acquiring profitable businesses with people who have a work ethic similar to ours, which is exactly what we

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Walmart is getting into the super-trailer business. Yesterday at its headquarters in Meadowvale, the giant retailer unveiled a new truck and trailer that can haul 40 per cent more goods from warehouses to stores. "It's no bigger or longer than a traditional truck," said Andy Ellis, Walmart Canada's senior vice-president of supply chain and logistics. "I would not want to put a longer, wider, higher truck on the road. "By increasing what we can put inside the vehicle, you actually take t

CHICAGO, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Archer Daniels Midland Co, one of the world's top grain traders, said it is negotiating with the U.S. government to resolve possible violations of U.S. foreign bribery laws and could face penalties. ADM said in a quarterly report filed on Monday that it "initiated discussions" with the Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission after recently completing an internal review of questionable transactions relating to grain and feed exports. The transaction

One man was hospitalized with potentially serious injuries Monday night after fire broke out atop the DeBruce Grain Elevator on South Hoover, authorities said. The fire was reported at 5:32 p.m. at the grain elevator company at 5755 S. Hoover, a Sedgwick County dispatch supervisor said. KFDI Radio reports DeBruce employees checking for the source of smoke from a machine room atop the elevator found a grain belt on fire. Fire crews from both the Wichita and Sedgwick County fire departments

IRVINE, CA — Attention: Animal haulers. Be prepared to have PETA sniffing around your rear bumpers. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has proposed a roadside sign to honor 1,600 lbs of saltwater bass that died when the container truck hauling them to market got into a three-way crash on Oct. 11. According to local media reports, in a statement to Irvine’s street maintenance chief, PETA volunteer Diana Kourda said the sign will remind passing drivers that “fish value their liv

A Colorado truck driver has pleaded not guilty in Christian County to a charge of second degree assault on a law enforcement officer. Nineteen year old Jesse De Jongh of Canon City, Colorado waived formal arraignment Wednesday. De Jongh was arrested following a pursuit earlier this month after allegedly stealing 700 dollars worth of fuel from a gas station along I-44, then heading south on 65. De Jongh allegedly tried to hit a sheriff’s deputy with his truck during the pursuit. The chase

Boston startup Freight Farms has commercially launched its first shipping container farming systems, which will be growing food in Boston for wholesaler Katsiroubas Brothers Fruit and Produce. Freight Farms raised $31,000 on Kickstarter last December and took part in this year's MassChallenge accelerator. The startup plans to begin raising its first funding round next week, and will be seeking $1 million, co-founder Brad McNamara said. The company has developed a shipping container that ca

ST. CHARLES COUNTY - A Marthasville trucker who failed to properly secure a 42,000-pound bulldozer he was hauling was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison for the deaths of two women who died when the equipment fell off his flatbed and smashed their car. Adam L. Steinmann, 27, was found guilty by a jury in August of two counts of involuntary manslaughter and a misdemeanor count of driving with a suspended license. Steinmann was eastbound on Highway D near Sneak Road on July 8, 2009, wh

NASHVILLE, Ind. -- The US trucking industry incurred short-term losses of US$140 million per day as a result of Super Storm Sandy, industry analyst FTR has estimated. However, those losses will be easily recouped thanks to an increase in freight demand, Noel Perry, senior consultant with FTR reports. His per day estimate of loss revenue is based on 20% of the industry not moving freight because of the storm and its aftermath. “While some fleets will surely lose revenue during the initial p

Gavilon Liberty Grain, LLC celebrated the grand opening of its Kimball, S.D., facility. The high-speed grain and dry fertilizer shuttle facility—Gavilon’s first in the state of South Dakota—is located near the intersection of U.S. Interstate 90 and state Highway 45 in Brule County, S.D. The grain facility will handle corn, soybeans, milo and wheat, and the fertilizer facility will distribute urea, monoammonium phosphate and potash. The facility unloaded its first unit train of fertilizer in appr

Where can you buy large quantities of food at wholesale cost? It would appear you can on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. That is because Archer Daniels Midland (ADM -0.92%) is selling for less than book value. It's hard to believe that would be the case in a world with food shortages, inadequate distribution, insufficient arid land, high demand for potable water and seasonal weather patterns wreaking havoc on farmland in the United States, Russia and Africa. But it is. On Wednesd

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Other than increasing freight rates, the best way for produce companies to secure the trucks they need when they need them, according to a transportation specialist, comes down to one word that Aretha Franklin taught everyone to spell: Respect. Doug Stoiber, vice president of produce transportation operations for Raleigh, N.C.-based L&M Transportation Services, told attendees at a Fresh Summit 2012 work session that the U.S. needs about 111,000 more truck drivers to reach opti

Supply Chain companies will likely become surprised by significant, unexpected liability if they fail to consider recognized technical legal distinctions classifying the type of company they will be considered to be, for purposes of legal transactions and claims. Unexpected and costly legal liability exposure can be created if supply chain companies do not take steps to protect themselves, depending upon the intended status as either a transportation broker, a warehouseman, or a carrier.

By GRANT SCHULTE Associated Press LINCOLN, Neb.--The parents of a couple who died with their children in a fiery chain-reaction accident in western Nebraska have filed a wrongful death lawsuit faulting three truck drivers and the transportation companies that employed them. One of the drivers died in the September accident and another is facing manslaughter charges. The lawsuit alleges that truck driver, Josef Slezak, had been on the road for too long. The lawsuit was filed late Monday in U

A growing number of extreme "short-haul" loads, along with weaker freight demand overall, contributed to a $6.1 million net loss on 2.3% lower revenue of $100.3 million for TL carrier USA Truck in the third quarter this year, compared to a net loss of $4.3 million on $102.6 million in revenues for the same period in 2011. Click Here to Read the Full Story

In the continued quest to find new and alternative forms of energy, Fort Collins is taking a look at the concept of a biomass-fueled generation facility, which could possibly run on local breweries' spent grain. Click Here to Read Full Story

Why the CB radio is entrenched in trucking culture By: Harry Rudolfs 2012-10-30 The modern trucker has an array of communications technology at his or her fingertips. I've heard one estimate that half of long-distance drivers carry laptops, 80-90% have cell phones, and some even pack iPhones. This is not to mention company-issued equipment like satellite-tracking, electronic on-board recorders (EOBRs) and two-way radios. But the faithful CB remains an important part of the highway dri