National Trucking Week 2016: Heavy trucks & drivers deserve a “brake”

Hottest Videos of the Summer

It's been a long, hot summer, so relax this Labor Day and take a look at our hottest videos shot over the lazy-for-some season now drawing to a close

Start with the reveal of Freightliner's next-generation Cascadia. We were at the event in Colorado Springs and got a quick look at the newest truck from Daimler and the thinking behind it.

We also give you in-depth looks at the latest systems designed to coach good driving in our Focus On… series with a video on Vnomics True Fuel with Equipment Editor Jim Park. We also check out some of the latest engines from Detroit and Cummins.

And Senior Editor Tom Berg looks at Peterbilt's new 567 Heritage model, lending insight into the classic trim package, while Jim Park delves into the unique history of Cummins' one-of-a-kind diesel powered Indy Car from 1952.

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

Economic Watch: Employment Gains Again, Factory Orders Jump

The U.S. economy continued adding more jobs in August but at a slightly slower pace, leading to expectations the Federal Reserve will punt on a possible interest rate hike later this month. A separate report shows factor orders rebounded in the biggest gain in nine months.

The Labor Department reported on Friday morning that 151,000 non-farm jobs were added. That's less than the 180,000 Wall Street was expecting, but it includes an additional 3,400 payroll positions in the for-hire trucking sector.

The overall figure compares to an average of 181,000 monthly jobs additions so far in 2016 and an average of 204,000 over the past 12 months. August also marks the 78th consecutive month of job growth.

The nation's unemployment rate remained at 4.9% for the third straight month.

There were 14,900 jobs gains in the transportation and warehousing sector in August, which includes the trucking figure. Other significant job additions were recorded in the food service, social assistance, professional/technical and financial industry sectors.

The department also revised job growth numbers for June and July, but that resulted in only 1,000 fewer net jobs than it reported earlier.

The slowing in August employment growth was not unexpected given the outsized gains recorded over the previous two months. The pace of job creation is still sufficient to sustain overall economic growth, according to RBC Economics Assistant Chief Economist Paul Ferley.

“Recent expenditure data, including the July trade numbers reported this morning [showing the U.S. trade deficit falling to $39.5 billion in July from $44.7 billion in June due to a 1.9% hike in exports], are pointing to third quarter gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 3.2%,” he said – far better than the anemic 1.1% rate in the second quarter.

“Indications of sustained above-potential growth and tightening labor markets are expected to eventually return the Federal Reserve to tightening ...Read the rest of this story

Learn About Freightliner’s Next-Generation Cascadia

We've gathered all our content about the new Freightliner next-generation Cascadia for MY 2018 in one spot, and will add more as we continue our coverage:

Next-Generation Freightliner Cascadia Emphasizes Fuel Economy, Connectivity, Drivers

Detroit Adds Analytics to Suite of Connected Vehicle Services

First Look at Freightliner's Newest Cascadia

Next-Generation Freightliner Cascadia Reveal

On the Spot: Next-Generation Cascadia Designed for Drivers

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

Get you in, get you out: Mack targets quicker repairs, more uptime

read more

ATA video warns of distracted driving over long weekend

Nikola says its Class 8 trucks will be emissions free

Nikola Motor Company announced it has achieved zero emissions with its electric-powered drivetrain.

read more