The less than truckload sector of the trucking industry, the part that handles small parcels of freight including UPS and FedEx, has struggled with high costs, low profits, and poor earnings ratios for decades. This sector also took some of the hardest hits to the transportation industry during the economic crisis that began in 2008….
The deadly rail accident in Quebec last month, blamed on the lack of proper application of hand brakes on a train carrying crude oil from North Dakota to Canada, has caused more news this week. According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration has issued a letter to the American Petroleum Institute…
Businesses are looking forward to the August 13 announcements by the Commerce Department after economists report their expectations that the economy has gained momentum again in July, following three consecutive months with better figures. A survey of 64 industry leading economists, conducted by Bloomberg, indicates the economy is finally beginning to overcome the obstacles imposed…
Spot freight consists of shipments that fall outside an ordinary shipping contract. When shippers have loads not covered under carrier contract, they turn to a spot freight broker or a load board, which shops the shipment to carriers to find the most suitable vehicle and rate to make the shipment. Since spot freight load availability…
Democrats and Republicans ended sessions to enjoy a five-week break while none of the 12 annual spending bills required to continue government operations have yet been passed. One of the most hotly contested bills before Congress is the Transportation Bill, which failed to get funding from either Congressional house. Republicans and Democrats are at a…
Gains and loss reports for the first half of 2013 are in, and show mixed signals in terms of our overall economic situation. The economy grew at a sluggish 1.7 percent annual rate for the second quarter (April through June), according to the announcement by the Commerce Department on Wednesday. Though this was a better…
It took just a few weeks for U.S. and Canadian transportation authorities to issue new regulations on rail operators following the July incident reported here yesterday. On July 23, Transport Canada issued a new rule requiring at least two crew members to be on board any train carrying hazardous materials.
On July 6, Canada experienced the worst rail disaster since 1910. Seventy two freight cars parked safely in a parking area were improperly secured and left to roll into the downtown area of Lac-Megantic, Quebec, killing as many as 50 people and destroying 30 buildings. The train, which belonged to Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway…
E-waste, or electronic waste, is becoming quite a problem in developing nations. Not only are these countries producing mass amounts of their own e-waste, it has been common practice for developed countries to send their e-waste to developing nations for disposal, and the result isn’t pretty. Most of this waste comes from manufacturers and businesses…
A new study by Stratfor Global Intelligence concludes that China is stepping down from its unofficial position as the go to cheap labor source of the world, and other developing countries are now emerging as a replacement option for global manufacturers in need of a cheap labor source. By the year 2015, China’s most expensive…