Author: Vitaliy Dadalyan

Spot Truckload Rates Jump in Wake of Hurricanes

The number of loads on the spot truckload freight market fell 3% during the week ending Sept. 9, which included the Labor Day holiday and supply chain disruptions caused by two hurricanes, according to freight matching provider DAT Solutions and its load boards.

Truckload capacity also tightened with truck posts down 15% compared to the previous week. A 20% reduction is typical for a holiday week. Van and flatbed load-to-truck ratios increased as a result:

Van ratio: 6.6 to 1, up 17%Flatbed ratio: 34.4 to 1, up 29%Reefer ratio: 11.3 to 1, down 2%

Diesel prices continued to climb, rising 4 cents to $2.80 gallon as a national average. Higher fuel prices put pressure on national average spot rates compared to the previous week. All rates include fuel surcharges while average rates at their highest levels in at least the last four weeks.

Vans: $1.93 per mile, up 3 centsFlatbeds: $2.24 per mile, up 4 centsReefers: $2.18 per mile, up 8 cents

Nationally, van load posts declined 3% and truck posts lost 17%. Houston freight levels bounced back to 88% of where they were before Hurricane Harvey, a remarkable achievement considering that the rebound happened during a four-day holiday week, according to DAT.

Reefer load posts declined 10% and truck posts fell 8% compared to the previous week. Outbound reefer rates in Atlanta rose 6 cents to an average of $2.46 per mile as freight hubs in the Southeast helped to re-stock markets in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma that are usually served out of Houston. In Dallas, demand for reefer trucks led to a 19 cents increase to an average of $2.26 per mile outbound.

Flatbed load posts increased 4% nationally due in part to the need to move relief supplies and heavy equipment in Houston and Louisiana. Available capacity fell 20%, in line with expectations given ...Read the rest of this story

Fuso’s electric truck now available to commercial fleets

Mitsubishi Fuso announced at its global launch that UPS is its first commercial customer in the U.S. to place three electric delivery trucks into service.

NEW YORK, NY. Construction clanking, sirens from emergency vehicles, and other typical city traffic noise served as the backdrop for Thursday's global launch of Mitsubishi Fuso's medium-duty electric delivery truck here in New York City's East Village.

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FTR: Class 8 production to top 300,000 units in 2018

INDIANAPOLIS. North American Class 8 truck production will hit 300,000 units in 2018, a level seen only once in the past 10 years, according to the transportation equipment experts at FTR. In other forecasts presented at 2017 FTR Transportation Conference here this week, commercial vehicle trailer production will see a modest increase, paced by an improving flatbed market, while medium-duty truck production will mirror the U.S. economy, with slow but steady growth.

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FHWA three-truck platooning test

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently sponsored a two-day demonstration of three-truck platooning on public roadways in Northern Virginia; the results of four years' worth of research and testing. Guided by police escort, the three tractor-trailers took journalists and other industry experts from a staging area in Centreville, VA, along routes established on Rt.

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Challenges ahead for ELD ‘foot draggers,’ panel concludes

Panel at FTR annual conference concludes trouble is ahead for late adopters of electronic logging devices (ELDs).

INDIANAPOLIS. Fleets that haven't already made the transition to ELDs could have some unpleasant surprises in store, panelists at the 2017 FTR Transportation Conference explained here Tuesday. Issues include lost productivity, driver turnover, customer expectations, the availability of ELD units, and even whether or not the units will perform as advertised—and as required by the regulations.

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