Will Trump’s Take on Trade Be Boost or Bust for Fleets?

Image: Mexico Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes

Candidate Donald Trump made scrapping or reworking various free trade agreements the United States is party to a central theme of his presidential campaign last year. Such rhetoric was highly popular with his supporters. And in his first full week in office, President Donald Trump has made reexamination of international trade agreements a top priority for his administration.

But the North American trucking industry has benefited greatly from various free trade agreements – notably the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In the past week, President Trump pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and angered Mexico with his insistence that NAFTA be renegotiated to give the U.S. a stronger commercial hand while creating a funding stream that would have the Mexican government pay for a wall along the southern border to check illegal immigration into the U.S.

So far, the Canadian government has expressed concerns about President's Trump's trade moves, while the Mexican government has signaled it would walk away from all trade agreements with the U.S. and seek new international trading partners if it is treated in a way it perceives as being unfair.

Last summer, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported that cross-border trade generated by NAFTA was worth $89 billion to the trucking industry. So are President Trump's recent actions a positive move for trucking? Or should American fleet executives be concerned?

Bill Sullivan, executive vice president of advocacy for the American Trucking Associations, said that ATA wants to help the Trump administration find a way forward on trade that keeps goods flowing and creating more jobs. "Trade and trucking are synonymous, and the increased movement of freight yields more good paying jobs and growth in American companies,” Sullivan said.

“We want to help the administration and Congress build a trade framework that helps grow our economy, ...Read the rest of this story

Auto Care Association Releases Heavy Duty Product Study

The Auto Care Association recently commissioned a Heavy Duty Industry Feasibility Study on behalf of its HDDA: Heavy Duty segment to determine the viability of establishing product information standards for the heavy-duty aftermarket supply chain. Findings of the industry-driven study were presented January 25 during Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) in Las Vegas.

“There has been increasing interest in the heavy duty community to find a way to standardize and streamline aftermarket product data to improve accuracy and efficiency and, in turn, boost the bottom line,” said Bill Hanvey, president and CEO of the Auto Care Association. “This study is the first step toward the development of a standard that will enhance product management and support processes, increase productivity and decrease costs in the supply chain.”

The three-phase HDDA study, conducted by Pricedex Software Inc., investigated current industry data exchange practices, reviewed reference data tables used in each sector, and determined industry practices for product attributes and product category hierarchies. Input from manufacturers, distributors, ERP vendors and industry associations was sought and an advisory committee of industry executives provided information and oversight.

The Heavy Duty Industry Feasibility Study concluded that:

“We are very pleased to announce we are moving forward with this important initiative because of the overwhelming support of the industry,” continued Hanvey. “A work group of stakeholders is ...Read the rest of this story

Hotlanta: Atlanta Tops DAT’s List of Places to Find Spot Freight

Atlanta was the hottest place to find spot truckload freight in 2016, according to DAT Solutions which operates the largest on-demand freight exchange for spot market truckload freight.

For the second consecutive year, Atlanta was the market with the most available spot van and refrigerated loads. Little Rock, Ark., repeated as the number-one market for flatbed freight posts.

DAT's rankings are based on an analysis of over 100 million annual freight matches and a database of 33-billion market transactions on the DAT network load boards. Spot freight is seen as a dynamic economic indicator because it is unscheduled freight, according to DAT.

Related: Lessons From Interesting Times in the Spot Market

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Robert Nuss Named 2017 ATD Truck Dealer of the Year

Photo: ATD

Robert Nuss, president of Minnesota-based Nuss Truck Group, has been named the 2017 Truck Dealer of the Year by the American Truck Dealers, Heavy Duty Trucking magazine and Procede Software.

Nuss received the award on Jan. 27 during the 2017 ATD Convention & Expo,in New Orleans, La. Nuss Truck Group, which is based in Rochester Minn., offers Mack Trucks, Volvo Trucks, Isuzu Commercial Trucks, and Volvo Construction equipment.

Nuss has served on the Mack Dealer Council as its chairman and it was noted that he actively gives back to the community through involvement in local charitable organizations, such as the Rochester Area Foundation, Rochester Boys & Girls Club, Seasons Hospice, and others.

He was one of five nominees for the Truck Dealer of the Year award, which honors excellence in business practices, industry leadership and community service. Faculty members from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business choose the winner.

All nominees were selected by state, metro and national association leaders. The other four nominees for the 2017 Truck Dealer of the Year award were:

Read what all five nominees have to say about dealer trends affecting fleets in the February issue of Heavy Duty Trucking magazine.

Related: Tom Bertolino Named 2016 Truck Dealer of the Year

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Knight Transportation Reports Fourth Quarter and Annual 2016 Revenue and Earnings

Covenant Transportation Group Announces Fourth Quarter Financial and Operating Results

Knight Transportation misses 4Q profit forecasts