Working smarter and harder: Metal 3D-printed parts for trucks

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Class 8 orders continue to roll

Class 8 net orders remained strong in July, according to data tracked by ACT Research, while medium-duty truck orders took a significant mid-summer dip, though order levels remain higher compared to 2016.

ACT said Class 8 orders increased 4% in July versus June this year and are up 81% year-over-year, noted Kenny Vieth, ACT's president and senior analyst, in a statement.

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Back on the hunt: XPO shares plan for more acquisitions

XPO Logistics signaled Aug. 2 it is looking for additional acquisitions, and has set aside $8 billion toward that effort.

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Agenda Announced for Inaugural Fleet Forward Conference

Bobit Business Media announces the agenda for Fleet Forward Conference, a new event dedicated to providing fleets with smart mobility solutions through curated networking and high-level education.

Taking place at Miami Hilton Downtown, Fleet Forward Conference convenes with a cocktail reception on the evening of Nov. 7 followed by a full day of programming on Nov. 8.

Fleet Forward Conference is designed to bring fleets of all types — including commercial, corporate, rental, government, and municipal fleets — together with traditional fleet suppliers and new technology providers.

An idea lab to discuss new mobility concepts and the evolution of fleet processes, Fleet Forward will enable partnerships and facilitate end-user solutions with the goal to create more efficient fleets, says Chris Brown, event chair.

“Fleets play a vital role in this transportation revolution,” says Brown. “We're on the path to autonomous vehicles, but there are changes happening right now that will affect fleets. We look forward to facilitating these discussions.”

Registration for the event is open now. Auto Rental Summit registrants can attend Fleet Forward for free.

For agenda and speaker enquiries, contact Chris Brown at [email protected]. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Joni Owens at [email protected].

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Agenda Announced for Inaugural Fleet Forward Conference

Bobit Business Media announces the agenda for Fleet Forward Conference, a new event dedicated to providing fleets with smart mobility solutions through curated networking and high-level education.

Co-located with Auto Rental Summit (Nov. 6-7) at Miami Hilton Downtown, Fleet Forward Conference convenes with a cocktail reception on the evening of Nov. 7 followed by a full day of programming on Nov. 8.

The event is designed to bring fleets of all types — including commercial, corporate, rental, government, and municipal fleets — together with traditional fleet suppliers and new technology providers.

An idea lab to discuss new mobility concepts and the evolution of fleet processes, Fleet Forward will enable partnerships and facilitate end-user solutions with the goal to create more efficient fleets, says Chris Brown, event chair.

“Fleets play a vital role in this transportation revolution,” says Brown. “We're on the path to autonomous vehicles, but there are changes happening right now that will affect fleets. We look forward to facilitating these discussions.”

Registration for the event is open now. Auto Rental Summit registrants can attend Fleet Forward for free.

For agenda and speaker enquiries, contact Chris Brown at [email protected].. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Joni Owens at [email protected].

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

XPO Profit Jumps As It Mulls More Acquisitions, USA Truck Losses Grow

XPO Logistics' profit during the second quarter was 11.7% higher than a year ago, as a separate report said the company is looking to greatly expand its business in the next year or two. In contrast, USA Truck saw its second quarter loss more than double as revenue declined.

Net income totaled $47.6 million, or 38 cents per share, compared to $42.6 million in the second quarter of 2016, or 35 cents per share. Revenue increased nearly 2.2% to $3.76 billion.

“The most notable growth came in last mile and contract logistics, two fast-growing parts of the supply chain where we hold leading positions in e-commerce,” said Bradley Jacobs, chairman and CEO. “Importantly, we're continuing to grow adjusted EBITDA faster than revenue in both transportation and logistics."

The company's transportation segment generated revenue of $2.41 billion in the quarter. This compares with $2.42 billion for the same period in 2016, which included $133.4 million of revenue from the North American truckload unit divested in October 2016.

Segment revenue was led by increases in truck brokerage and last mile, partially offset by a decrease in global forwarding revenue and unfavorable foreign exchange rates, according to the company.

Operating income for the transportation segment increased to $160 million in the quarter, compared with $153.2 million a year ago.

XPO's Logistics segment generated revenue of $1.4 billion for the quarter, compared with $1.33 billion for the same period in 2016.

The year-over-year increase was primarily due to strong demand for contract logistics in both Europe and North America, partially offset by a decline in managed transportation revenue and unfavorable foreign exchange rates, according to XPO. In Europe, contract logistics growth was led by e-commerce and cold chain contracts in the UK and the Netherlands. In North America, the largest gains came from the e-commerce and industrial sectors.

Operating income for ...Read the rest of this story

ATRI Announces New Focus on Web

The American Transportation Research Institute has a new web address, www.truckingresearch.org, aimed at making it easier to access the organization's work.

"ATRI is the leading voice on trucking research and now we're doing more to raise that voice so it can be heard loud and clear by industry, our public sector partners, and lawmakers across the country," said Rebecca Brewster, ATRI president and COO.

In addition to relaunching its website at a new address, ATRI announced that it is taking steps to streamline its online presence and promote its ongoing research efforts. These efforts include the annual top industry issues survey, the cost of congestion report and identification of the nation's top freight bottlenecks.

"Key to our success as an organization is not only the quality of our research but in our ability to disseminate the findings far and wide," Brewster said. "We are taking steps, including this new web address, to get critical research findings and analysis out in the world so it can be used to improve the trucking industry's safety and productivity."

Related: ATRI Updates Online Guide to Sustainable Freight Practices

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