MY ETT News » statistics

Class 8 order backlog nears 5-year high

Rhonda Flathman — Thu, 19 May 2011 20:17:33 +0000

Class 8 truck orders are posting double- and triple-digit increases, and while that’s good news, it’s creating another challenge, according to analysts. Order levels up 31 percent from March to April and up 157 percent in year-over-year numbers have created a backlog that’s nearing a five-year high. A senior analysts with ACT Research Co., is even predicting all the build slots for this year could be filled by July. The “good problem to have” will be
finding ways to ramp up production, but it’s being called a constraining factor as well. “The industry’s ability to build trucks,” says ACT’s president and senior analyst Kenny Vieth, “rather than demand for trucks will be the constraining factor on Class 8 production this year.”

North American Class 8 net orders topped 38,100 units in April, according to data tracked by ACT Research Co. , up more than 31% from the level set in March and representing a 157% year-over-year increase as well.

Actual Class 8 sales also soared in April, growing 35.9% in the U.S. over last April and 13.7% in Canada, according to WardsAuto.com.

According to Kenny Vieth, ACT’s president and senior analyst, the order level is the strongest since March 2006, resulting in a Class 8 order backlog of over 126,000 units, a 55-month high.

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Latest stats show road fatalities continue to decline

Rhonda Flathman — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:50:05 +0000

According to the latest statistics published by Transport Canada, the country’s transportation safety initiatives are paying off. From 2007 to 2008, the country saw a 12 percent drop in deaths on its roads, marking the lowest death toll in nearly 60 years. With these improvements, Canada is on pace to reach its goal of a 30 percent drop in fatalities as compared to averages from a baseline period of 1996-2001 and 1998-2010. In 2008, there were 2,419 road user fatalities, down from 2,761 the previous year. Fifty-four per cent of fatalities were motor vehicle drivers, 20% were passengers and
12% were pedestrians.

OTTAWA, Ont. — Transport Canada published statistics today that show road safety is continuing to improve.

The Canadian Motor Vehicle Traffic Collision Statistics: 2008 revealed there were 12% fewer deaths on Canadian roads in 2008 than in 2007, reaching the lowest death toll in nearly 60 years.

Canada is also on pace to achieve its goal of reducing fatalities by 30% from a baseline period average of 1996 to 2001 to the average from 1998 to 2010.

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Most carriers unranked as CSA launches

Rhonda Flathman — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 21:44:12 +0000

With the rollout of CSA 2010 earlier this week, only a fraction of the 758, 682 active motor carriers are ranked–barely 12 percent, according to analysis from CCJ magazine. The data detailing safety performance under the FMCSA’s new measurement tool went public for the first time on Sunday, Dec. 12, when the program was officially launched. Of the 92,184 carriers that are ranked in at least one BASIC, 52,967 carriers have at least one alert, meaning they exceeded the threshold for intervention. The greatest number of alerts, 29,207, are in the Fatigued Driving BASIC, followed by the
Vehicle Maintenance BASIC at 21,791. The Controlled Substances BASIC had the fewest alerts at 3,605. The majority of carriers are unranked because generally they must have had three to five inspections in the past two years to be ranked in any category.

Barely 12 percent of active motor carriers are ranked in any of the five safety categories within the new Safety Measurement System that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration made public for the first time on Sunday, Dec. 12, according to an analysis by Commercial Carrier Journal. The SMS, which replaced SafeStat, is a key component of what FMCSA now formally calls Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) — not Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010. The agency published SMS data and metrics after a federal appeals court turned down an emergency request for a stay..

CCJ’s analysis of data published at FMCSA’s Analysis & Information website shows that only 92,184 of the 758,682 active motor carriers in the agency’s database are ranked in any of the five publicly available Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs) — Unsafe Driving, Fatigued Driving, Driver Fitness, Controlled Substances and Vehicle Maintenance. The Cargo-Related and Crash Indicator BASICs are, for now, withheld from the public due to agency concerns that the data could be misleading.

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Unemployment Rate Climbs to 9.8%, Payrolls Rise

Rhonda Flathman — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 19:43:32 +0000

Though the unemployment rate grew in November, the trucking industry added 1,400 jobs last month, according to the U.S. Labor Department. The number of out-of-work Americans is the highest since April, reported Bloomberg. Despite that bleak news, there are pockets of positivity. Growth in the trucking industry for one, and rising payrolls overall, but particularly in the private sector. Government jobs overall have reduced payroll, though the
federal government has added workers. State and local governments have had to cut 13,000, according to reports.

The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 9.8% in November, while the total number of jobs and the number of trucking jobs increased, the Labor Department said Friday.

The jobless rate was the highest since April, Bloomberg reported.

Trucking employment rose by 1,400 jobs, holding at about 1.26 million, according to Labor figures.

Private payrolls rose by 50,000, missing the 160,000 predicted by economists, Bloomberg reported.

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Manufacturing sector shows increasing strength

Rhonda Flathman — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:27:44 +0000

Manufacturing continues to get stronger, according to the latest numbers from the Institute for Supply Management. The rate of activity for October marked the 15th consecutive month of growth, according to the index’s PMI. What was particularly good news is the index of new orders, which is also an indicator of near-term shipment volumes, came in at 58.9 percent, up almost eight percentage points from September. Production was also up from September, a little more than six points for a final reading of 62.7 percent. What it means is that the economy is poised to make
strong gains this quarter with manufacturing activity leading the way. Since its strong showing in April, growth has continued but at a slower rate.

Manufacturing activity grew for the 15th consecutive month in October and at a faster rate than in September, the Institute for Supply Management reported Nov. 1. ISM’s composite index, the PMI, was at 56.9 percent in October, up from the 54.4 percent recorded for the previous month. The index for new orders — a key components of the PMI and an indicator of near-term shipment volumes — was especially strong at 58.9 percent, which is 7.8 percentage points higher than September. The production index also was strong at 62.7 percent, up 6.2 points.

Click here to visit CCJ and read the complete story.

Tonnage index drops sharply in August

Rhonda Flathman — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:51:28 +0000

According to the latest numbers from the American Trucking Associations’ seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index, the economy is slowing and is expected to remain sluggish through the end of the year. But the ATA’s chief economist, Bob Costello, says that the trucking industry has changed “dramatically for the better,” even despite the largest month-to-month drop–2.7 percent–since March 2009. Costello says that carriers can now do better with small increases in demand, particularly since equipment supply was thinned during the recession. The base year for ATA’s index is 2000. ATA calculates the tonnage index based on surveys from its membership; the reported figure is preliminary and is subject to change in the final report issued around the 10th day of the month.

The American Trucking Associations’ advance seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index in August plunged 2.7 percent from the July level. The drop was the largest month-to-month decrease since March 2009. The SA index dropped from 110 in July to 106.9 in August. Compared with August 2009, SA tonnage climbed 2.9 percent, which was well below July’s 7.4 percent year-over-year gain. Year-to-date, tonnage is up 6.2 percent compared with the same period in 2009.

On an absolute basis — without adjusting for seasonality — the index was up 3.2 percent from July to August.

Click here to visit CCJ and read the complete story.

NTSB calls for new commercial vehicle safety technology requirements

Rhonda Flathman — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:41:30 +0000

The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) is making some sweeping recommendations affecting commercial vehicles in its report on a fatal crash that occurred in June 2009. That multi-vehicle accident near Miami, Okla., killed 10 people when a truck driver approaching the scene did not slow down or make an attempt to avoid a collision, according to the report. Among its recommendations, the NTSB cited the need for a fatigue management system, event recorders and collision warning systems. To read the full report, click here.

The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday, Sept. 28, determined that driver fatigue stemming from sleep loss, circadian disruption and sleep apnea were at fault in its investigation of a highly publicized multi-vehicle accident in June 2009 involving a tractor-trailer that killed 10 people near Miami, Okla. According to the NTSB’s analysis, the 76-year-old truck driver failed to react to slowing and stopped traffic ahead by applying brakes or performing any evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision. The accident occurred shortly after a minor accident in the same area caused traffic to back up.

The NTSB identified several major safety issues during its investigation, including the need for a fatigue management system, event recorders and collision warning systems. “The time to act on all three of these safety fundamentals is now so that this kind of horrific tragedy will not occur again,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman.

Click here to visit CCJ and read the complete story.

FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index expected to remain in positive territory

Rhonda Flathman — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:26:56 +0000

According to the FTR Trucking Conditions Index, the trucking industry has experienced stabilization over the last several months and should expect to remain in positive territory for the rest of the year. The Trucking Conditions Index is a compilation of factors affecting trucking companies. According to FTR, the current index is showing a solid improvement from 2009 and is expected to continue on an upward trend through 2011. In spite of weakening economic fundamentals, trucking continues to prosper as freight, capacity and rates edge higher.

FTR reported Thursday, Sept. 9, that its Trucking Conditions Index, at 0.8 for July and reported in the September Trucking Update, is expected to remain in positive territory for the remainder of the year. The Trucking Conditions Index, above neutral for the fifth consecutive month, is a compilation of factors affecting trucking companies, and FTR says the readings over the last several months indicate a stabilized environment for the industry in general.

According to FTR, the current index is showing a solid improvement from 2009 and is expected to continue on an upward trend through 2011. In spite of weakening economic fundamentals, trucking continues to prosper as freight, capacity and rates edge higher.

Click here to visit CCJ and read the complete story.

Traffic fatalities hit record lows in ‘09

Rhonda Flathman — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 15:06:40 +0000

Despite an increase in vehicular traffic, fatalities declined to record lows in 2009 and injuries from highway crashes continue to drop, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The number of highway deaths in 2009 fell to the lowest number since 1950. But for safety officials, the news kept getting better. Deaths across multiple categories, including truck-involved, motorcycles and alcohol-impaired driving, decreased. Though reduced travel due to the recession may have had some impact, traffic safety professionals felt these numbers reflected the efforts of various programs, such as safety belt and alcohol law enforcement campaigns.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is reporting that traffic fatalities declined in 2009 to record lows. That news comes alongside a continued drop in injuries due to highway crashes. Both developments are remarkable in that there was an increase in vehicular traffic last year.

NHTSA said highway deaths due to crashes fell to 33,808 in 2009; a 9.7% decline from 37,423 deaths reported in 2008. That’s the lowest number since 1950 (when 33,186 people perished in highway collisions) resulting in a fatality rate of 1.13 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) for 2009. That compares markedly to a rate of 1.26 deaths per 100 million VMT for 2008.

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Monthly freight index up 0.3%, year-to-year up 4.8%

Rhonda Flathman — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:25:04 +0000

For the third consecutive month, the Freight Transportation Services Index posted a gain over the previous month. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the Freight TSI rose 0.3 percent in April over its March level. Though its year-to-year growth is nearly 5 percent, April numbers remain well below all previous year-over-year marks since April 2000. The index takes into account the output of the for-hire transportation industry including trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air.

Freight Index Indicates Month-to-Month and Year-Over-Year Gains
The Freight Transportation Services Index rose 0.3 percent in April from its March level, rising for the third consecutive month, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported.

BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that the Freight TSI has risen 4.9 percent over the last 11 months, starting in June 2009, after declining 15.3 percent in the previous 10 months beginning in August 2008. The index has increased in nine of the last 11 months. The index started 2010 with a decrease of 1.4 percent in the first four months.

Click here to visit CCJ and read the complete story.