How Hurricane Maria Compounded Puerto Rico’s Infrastructure Woes

How Hurricane Maria Compounded Puerto Rico’s Infrastructure Woes

The damage to Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria has been described, in a word, as “apocalyptic.” CNN outlined the extensive beating the island took, highlighting the devastation caused to communications, hospitals and the like. While relief, in the form of aid and supplies, has been dispatched to Puerto Rico, only a portion has been able to…

Healthy Living on the Road

Healthy Living on the Road

The challenges truckers face every day are well known, from limited physical activity for hours on end to coping with stop-and-go traffic in construction zones. There’s often the problem of finding a parking spot at day’s end, too. Still, the freedom of the open road and the allure of self-employment are undeniable. The trick is…

ATA data points to continued trucking growth

ATA data points to continued trucking growth

American trucking is in the midst of a strong growth trend, according to an article in logisticsmgmt.com. The rosy forecast comes from the American Trucking Associations (ATA) Trends 2017, which ATA describes as the annual compendium about the trucking industry. “The information in Trends highlights exactly what I tell elected officials, regulators and key decision-makers…

ATA backs major conclusions from study of CSA effectiveness

ATA backs major conclusions from study of CSA effectiveness

American Trucking Associations (ATA) officials said they are pleased to see that the long-awaited review of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability safety monitoring system substantiated many of the concerns ATA has raised about the program, according to the association. “We appreciate the work the National Academies of Science has done in…

East Coast port expansion will alter U.S. trucking routes

East Coast port expansion will alter U.S. trucking routes

East Coast ports undergoing new infrastructure investments will soon accommodate some of the world’s largest cargo ships moving through the Panama Canal. While the expansion is already affecting global trade, it is expected to alter U.S. trucking routes, according to an article on trucks.com. For shippers moving Asian products to the East Coast, the ability…

Swift and Knight to merge

Swift and Knight to merge

Two of the largest trucking companies in the U.S are merging in a rare consolidation in the fragmented truckload services market. Swift Transportation Co. and Knight Transportation Inc. are announcing a stock swap today that will create a single business called Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. and overhaul the leadership of the operations, according to a…

FedEx exec backs infrastructure investment, twin trailers

FedEx exec backs infrastructure investment, twin trailers

A top FedEx official called for more federal investment in America’s transportation infrastructure in testimony to the Senate Commerce Committee’s surface transportation subcommittee last week, according to a report in the Commercial Appeal. Mike Ducker, president and chief executive officer of FedEx Freight, advocated expansion of 33-foot tandem trailers and uniform national standards on innovations…

Traffic study finds Long Island exit one of most congested in U.S.

The Shelter Rock Road exit on the Long Island Expressway is among the 100 most congested stretches of highway in the United States, according to a study released on by the American Transportation Research Institute in Arlington, Va, according to a report on the TheIslandNow.com website. The North Hills exit ranked as the 90th most…

Access to big data would help trucking companies improve safety and productivity

Access to big data would help trucking companies improve safety and productivity

AMES, Iowa – The trucking industry loses billions of dollars and wastes millions of hours each year sitting idle in traffic. Helping drivers avoid congestion would increase productivity and improve safety, says a team of Iowa State University and industry researchers as reported by the Iowa State University News Service. The team has identified a…