Comdata targets smaller carriers with MyFleet services package

Trucking News
16 Nov by Vitaliy Dadalyan

Comdata targets smaller carriers with MyFleet services package

Utilizing its “heritage” of working with large fleets to bring industry expertise and advantages of scale to small over-the-road carriers, Comdata has launched the MyFleet Program, a custom portfolio of services that allows fleets with up to 100 trucks to address their most critical operating challenges—lowering costs, staying compliant and accessing the capital they need to run their businesses.

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Trucking News
16 Nov by Vitaliy Dadalyan

Economic Watch: Growth Continues, Sluggish in Some Areas

While the amount of U.S. industrial production was unchanged in October after falling 0.2% in September, manufacturing managed to squeeze out a gain, as optimism in the housing market continued amid signs of slower than usual growth.

Manufacturing increased 0.2% from the month before, according to a Federal Reserve report released Wednesday, the same increase as September's gain. The amount of manufacturing output is down just 0.2% over the past year.

In October, mining posted a gain of 2.1% for its largest increase since March 2014, but the measure for utilities dropped 2.6% as warmer-than-normal temperatures reduced the demand for heating.

This overall measure of output from the nation's factories, mines and utilities fell short of a consensus estimate of Wall Street analysts who predicted a 0.2% gain for October. The Fed revised down September's performance for a 0.2% drop, but August was revised upward for a 0.5% improvement.

At 104.3% of its 2012 average, total industrial production in October was 0.9% lower than its year-earlier level. Capacity utilization for the industrial sector edged down 0.1 percentage point in October to 75.3%, a rate that is 4.7 percentage points below its 1972–2015 average.

In the wake of this report, The Wall Street Journal said industrial production appears to have stabilized in recent months following two years of pressure from a strong dollar, which dampened demand for U.S. exports, and low oil prices that squeezed the domestic energy industry.

Also, a report issued earlier this month showed the nation's manufacturing sector continues improving. The Institute for Supply Management's October Purchasing Managers' Index increased 0.4 of a percentage point from September. It registered 51.9% for a second straight monthly increase.

Homebuilders Remain Confident

A separate report about the U.S. housing market, also released Wednesday, indicated builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes held steady in ...Read the rest of this story

Trucking News
16 Nov by

26 reasons Ontario’s trucking future shines

TORONTO, ON -- "Investment in our future leaders can speak volumes in promoting and strengthening your own brands. In an industry facing challenges, it is absolutely imperative to develop the leaders of tomorrow to be able to deal and guide us through these obstacles." These were the words of Steve Scorca from Purolator Inc. as he addressed a packed house of trucking executives at OTA's 90th Executive Conference in Toronto last week. ...Read the rest of this story
Trucking News
Trucking News
16 Nov by Vitaliy Dadalyan

Spot Truckload Freight Rates Slip Over Past Week

Following some improvements with both rates and freight availability on the spot truckload freight market the first week of the month the following week was one that gave back some gains.

New details from DAT Solutions its load boards show the amount of available spot freight declined 1% for the week ending Nov. 12.

With available truck capacity up 5% compared to the previous week, national average load-to-truck ratios weakened with the van ratio down 3% to 2.7 available van loads per truck while the refrigerated load-to-truck ratio dropped 5% to 6.4 to 1. The flatbed ratio was unchanged at 14.1 to 1.

As a national average, spot truckload rates remain solid, according to DAT, with vans down 3 cents for an average of $1.67 per mile. Both reefers and flatbeds fell 2 cents for averages of $1.95 per mile and $1.89 per mile, respectively. All reported rates include fuel surcharges. These declined happened as the average price of on-highway diesel dropped another 3 cents to $2.44 per gallon.

In the van sector, the two strongest spot markets remain out West, Los Angeles and Ontario, California. Los Angeles-Phoenix paid the best average rate in the region at $2.77 per mile, up 5 cents over the previous week. Philadelphia saw the biggest average outbound rate increase thanks mostly to lanes to destinations in the Northeast. That includes Philadelphia-Boston, up 10 cents to $3.20 per mile.

High van markets by region:

West: Los Angeles, $2.08 per mile, unchangedMidwest: Chicago, $2.09 per mile, up 1 centSouth Central: Dallas, $1.50 per mile, down 2 centsSoutheast: Memphis, $1.91 per mile, up 1 centNortheast: Buffalo, $1.93 per mile, down 3 cents

The number of reefer load posts declined 1.5% while truck posts increased 3.4%. DAT reported produce had an off week with several markets experiencing a large fall-off in volumes.

One area that bucked ...Read the rest of this story

Trucking News
16 Nov by

Highway safety's 10 Most-Wanted List

WASHINGTON, D.C.--Traffic fatalities across the U.S.A. rose by over 7% from 2014 to 2015 and early results show that there has been more than a 10% increase between 2015 and this year. For the first time since 2008, more than 35,000 people died on U.S. highways this year. It's the largest annual percent increase in 50 years. Indeed, in a recent interview with the New York Times, the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Mark Rosekind said, “this is a crisis that needs to be addressed now.” ...Read the rest of this story
Trucking News
16 Nov by Vitaliy Dadalyan

Scopelitis Law Firm launches consulting business

Former American Trucking Assns. Executive Vice President & Chief of National Advocacy David J. Osiecki, to lead new Washington, DC-based consulting venture

Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary, PC, the full-service national transportation law firm based in Indianapolis, announced today its latest expansion, the creation of a new, wholly-owned subsidiary, Scopelitis Transportation Consulting (STC). STC is a business consulting venture focusing on providing advisory services and implementation programs to companies in the transportation industry.

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