According to a new report, railroads are positioned to rebound faster than any other mode of shipping, both because of the wide variety of industries it supports and market confidence signaled by recent investments. The less-than-truckload (LTL) market is struggling due to low pricing, but analysts speculate that is a move to weed out the carriers who are Continue Reading

Though the year-over-year freight index is down, the Freight Transportation Services Index increased 2.9 percent since June 2009. Those gains have come since the Freight TSI’s lowest level since June 1997, which was May 2009. The index hit its peak in May 2006 with a Freight TSI of 112.9. 2009 ended with a December Freight TSI of Continue Reading

The Department of Transportation recieved requests for more than 40 times the amount of the $1.5 billion it doled out to TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grants, but the government agency said those projects it OK’d would create jobs and spur lasting economic growth, reduce gridlock for Continue Reading

Industry analysts continue to point to mid-2010 as the point at which dramatic improvements needed to boost truck sales will take place. According to ACT Research Co. (ACT), the trucking industry will strengthen in the second half of the year, in turn boosting demand for commercial vehicles later in 2010 and into 2011. With used truck values increasing and finance firms less likely to extend credit to keep struggling carriers Continue Reading

Total net orders for Class 8 trucks have reached their lowest levels since July of 2002, giving some analysts hope that perhaps that number has hit bottom. While it may have reach the point at which it will post gains, market researchers tend to think it may have a lot more to do with the hefty price tags 2010-emission compliant equipment carries, not to mention the uncertainty Continue Reading

The outlook for growth in truck tonnage for 2010 is modest at best, according to trucking groups and research analysts, affected mostly by continued sluggish consumer spending and business investment. Still, they say, the trucking industry is headed in the right direction, albeit slowly. Anticipated modest increases will help move the Continue Reading

The boost in Class 8 truck orders to close out 2009 is being attributed to pre-buys before 2010 federal emissions standards take effect, as well as higher volumes from Mexico and other export markets. Net orders for December posted a 37 percent year-over-year increase, though numbers for the year were 33 percent Continue Reading

Four of the Federal Reserve’s 12 districts, including Atlanta, Cleveland, Dallas an Richmond, reported improved transportation activity for the period between mid-November and early January. Though its latest “beige book” reports that though the transportation sector is improving, economic activity remained low. Compiled eight times a year, beige book reports are based Continue Reading

With fuel economy, weight and cost being ever-important concerns, truck OEMs stay hard at work in developing fuel-efficient solutions while complying with the latest regulations. The new SCR, or selective catalytic reduction, technology to meet 2010 federal emissions standards will do just that. And, though it carries Continue Reading

A new report from global research firm Frost and Sullivan suggests that North America should follow the Japanese, in terms of truck exports. Having battled the effects of a recession for 10 years now, the Japanese are finding success in exports, and are predicted to send more than half of their domestic truck production to Continue Reading