Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

National Farmers Union (NFU) submitted comments to Thomas Yager of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) about a possible reinterpretation of the Motor Carrier Act of 1935, the Motor Carrier Safety Act of 1984, and the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986. The FMCSA is exploring the possibility of categorizing "implements of husbandry and other farm equipment" as commercial motor vehicles, thus requiring a commercial driver's license (CDL) to operate. "Most farmers have

The quantity of beef available to consumers in the United States has declined a startling amount in recent years, and that trend is going to continue. Unfortunately, even higher retail beef prices can be expected for consumers, said Chris Hurt, a Purdue University Extension economist. "The declining supplies are related to continuing liquidation of the cow herd in the past few years due to high feed prices, a weak U.S. dollar that is spurring beef exports, and, of course, drought in the South

Truckers traveling through Illinois soon will be able to drive the same speed as other vehicles on more roadways throughout the state. Other new truck rules also are approved. At the encouragement of truckers, Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law on Wednesday, July 27, a bill that takes the next step toward uniform speeds on roadways in the state. OOIDA leadership says Illinois truckers should be congratulated for their years of hard work pushing lawmakers to rid the state of speed limit differenti

Egypt bought 240,000 metric tons of wheat from Russia, Nomani Nomani, vice-chairman of the country's General Authority for Supply Commodities, told reporters today. The state-run authority, also known as GASC, bought 60,000 tons of milling wheat at $254.65 a ton from Glencore International and a similar amount of the grain at $254.80 from Viterra, Nomani said. It also bought 60,000 tons of the wheat at $255.25 a ton from Aston FFI and a similar quantity at $255.20 a ton from Louis Dreyfus, h

Overland Park-based Agrex Inc Agrex Inc Latest from The Business Journals Vancouver port lands M dealAgriculture commodities firm Agrex merges with subsidiary FGDIChildren's Learning Center remains on Moody Ave. Follow this company . will form a joint venture with a unit of Cargill Inc. to own and expand a Cargill grain elevator in Indiana. Agrex will team with Cargill AgHorizons in a 50-50 joint venture called AC Grain LLC. The companies said in a Friday release that the new joint venture

Brazil is buying record amounts of U.S. ethanol as soaring sugar prices encourage refiners to turn less of the cane crop into fuel for cars. Ethanol cargoes will climb 14-fold to 6.9 million barrels in the 12 months ending in March, said Christoph Berg, managing director of F.O. Licht GmbH, a Ratzeburg, Germany-based research company. The U.S. sent 1.57 million barrels to Brazil in April, a record 5.8 percent of its output and almost three times more than the month before, data from the Depar

Wheat use in feed is set to reach the highest in more than 20 years, lifted by its "competitive cost" and supplies boosted by harvests which look like beating previous expectations, the International Grains Council said. The IGC, in a much-watched monthly report, hiked its estimate for the world wheat harvest in 2011-12 by 8m tonnes to 674m tonnes, citing "significant upward revisions" to hopes for Europe, India, Russia and the US. However, most of the increase – 6m tonnes - will be swallo

Pilgrim's Pride Corp. reported this morning a loss of $128.1 million for its second quarter, bringing its 2011 loss to date to $248.9 million, attributing its plight to record-high corn and other costs and weak consumer demand in a marketplace burdened by excess production. The company said its total feed ingredient costs for the first half of this year have been $400 million higher than in the first half of last year, while demand at foodservice and retail that normally strengthens in the mi

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Gov. Sam Brownback has signed an order making it easier to deliver hay quickly to drought-stricken parts of Kansas. An executive order signed Wednesday suspends certain motor carrier rules and regulations for people hauling hay to livestock. Those include rules on permits, load sizes and nighttime travel of oversized loads. Severe drought has left pastures in poor condition in many parts of Kansas, making it hard for livestock producers to feed their herds. Brownback says t

FARGO -- The upshot of a three-day tour of North Dakota's wheat fields by a bushel and a peck of industry types was that the crop looks surprisingly good. "It's better than I expected," said Ben Handcock, who has organized the tour for 20 years for the Wheat Quality Council. "It's better than most people expected." The group's field sampling found that the hard red spring wheat crop, while behind normal maturation, has a yield potential of 41.5 bushels an acre. Except for the last two yea

With more than $107 billion in revenue, Cargill Inc. Cargill Inc. Latest from The Business Journals Five Wichitans named to Brownback's Council of Economic AdvisorsLiberty buying old Tonka Toys HQMosaic sales, profits skyrocket on higher prices Follow this company holds a claim as the world's largest private company. But are family members interested in keeping it that way? That's the theme of a corporate profile of Cargill by Bloomberg, which is fascinating both for its illustration of ju

With freight volume scoring its biggest year-over-year gain since January and rates rising for truckload (TL) and practically galloping ahead for less-than-truckload (LTL) motor carriers right now, one might presume this year's second half will end up the better half of trucking in 2011. But there's a lot more to where trucking may be headed then current data points might indicate, according to an expert analyst who closely tracks both the TL and LTL segments of trucking. Share Arti

Morning Summary: The trade obviously continues to focus on the weather. I am personally of the opinion that with additional rains being forecast for the northern half of the corn belt during the next few days, and the southern areas remaining blistering hot and dry, the trade is thoroughly confused. The recent heavy rains being reported in some areas is now a concern, but most traders are uncertain if they should buy into the potential yield problems being associated with the record high temps

The American Trucking Association reported yesterday that its truck tonnage index, a key barometer of economic activity, increased 6.8% in June from a year ago, the largest annual gain since an 8% increase in January. On a monthly basis, truck tonnage in June was 2.8% higher than May. ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said "After growing 5.5% in the first half of the year from the same period last year, the strength of truck tonnage in the second half will depend greatly on what manufacturing

The grain-elevator company where a teenager died after suffocating in a pile of grain two years ago failed to properly train workers, to close and lock out the chute to a grain bin, and to develop required emergency action plans, federal authorities charged Tuesday. The U.S. Attorney's Office filed a criminal charge of aiding and abetting and violating federal workplace-safety regulations against Wiley-based Tempel Grain Elevators. The charge carries up to a $500,000 fine and one year of supe

HUGOTON, Kan. (AP) -- The federal government will provide funds for a project to convert switchgrass to biofuels in southwest Kansas. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that it will help fund the project on 20,000 acres in southwest Kansas and a small part of Oklahoma. The switchgrass will be grown around a biomass conversion plant in Hugoton. Abengoa Biofuels says the plant will be operating by 2013. The company said in a news release that the plant will convert 315,000

Cargill Inc. Chief Executive Officer Greg Page, who runs the largest agricultural company in the U.S., has a good idea whom to blame for the global surge in food prices at the end of 2010: governments. Page urged 708 delegates and guests at the National Grain and Feed Association convention in San Diego in March to take action, Bloomberg Markets magazine reports in its September issue. He said government hoarding was the biggest contributor to the rise in prices, which had soared 15 percent

Cash premiums for U.S. corn and soybeans shipped this month to export terminals near New Orleans widened relative to Chicago futures as increased processor demand reduced shrinking supplies for exporters. The spot-basis bid, or premium, for corn delivered this month was 86 cents to 91 cents a bushel above September futures, compared with 80 cents to 86 cents yesterday, U.S. Department of Agriculture data show. The soybean premium was 76 cents to 84 cents a bushel above August futures, up fro

The US grain farming industry includes about 200,000 farms with combined annual grain revenue of more than $60 billion. No major companies dominate the industry. Farms in the industry generate at least half of their revenue from field corn, wheat, or rice. Producers of sweet corn, a vegetable, are not included in the industry. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE Demand is driven by government policies and consumer trends in eating grains, meat, and corn-based sweeteners, like high-fructose corn sy

Trucking company executives want lawmakers to raise the bar for new companies entering the industry. In testimony before a Senate subcommittee this past week, the American Trucking Associations American Trucking Associations Latest from The Business Journals FedEx sending 115 drivers to trucker championshipTrucking convention rolling to GrapevineATA: Truck shipments fall again Follow this company urged Congress to adopt several association initiatives to improve highway safety, including a

Congress was sent a letter by the Coalition for Transportation Productivity (CTP) in order to confront what it said is "misinformation" surrounding federal truck weight legislation known as the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act (SETA). In the letter, CTP says it has "dispelled incorrect allegations about SETA that have been propagated by groups opposed to the legislation." Share Article Tools BookmarkEmailReprintSavePrintCommentAdvertisement Advertisement "The Safe and Effi

Re: "Single desk helps farmers," by Allen Oberg, Letters, July 21. I would like to respond to the letter from Allen Oberg in support of the Canadian Wheat Board's (CWB) current single-desk grain marketing system. While many Prairie farmers do indeed support a single desk, a vocal minority seems to have convinced the Conservative Party of Canada that a deregulated free market in grain is the best way to maximizing farmers' incomes. The real issue here is about democracy and the way Prair

Farmers and ranchers in Hawaii and the Pacific Rim will receive $2.6 million in payments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help compensate for the high cost of getting their product to market on the Mainland, Sen. Daniel K. Inouye and Sen. Daniel K. Akaka have announced. The Reimbursement Transportation Cost Payment Program for Geographically Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (RTCP), provides payments intended to offset a portion of the costs of transporting agricultural products an

BRUNSWICK -- The Missouri River gave the shipping industry too much of what it needed this summer. After a lasting drought in the river basin decimated the corridor's barge industry for the past decade, this summer's flooding has washed away hopes for a bounce-back year. MoreStory -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related Media The towboat Mary Lynn

MOLINE, Ill. -- After focusing on moving earth for agriculture and industry for most of its 174-year history, Deere and Co. now is fighting for its place in the skies. By Christopher Gannon, Gannett Inspector Jamie Christenson looks over a model 4730 sprayer on the assembly line at John Deere Des Moines Works plant in Ankeny, Iowa, on July 13. EnlargeCloseBy Christopher Gannon, Gannett Inspector Jamie Christenson looks over a model 4730 sprayer on the assembly line at John Deere Des Moin

Lots of married couples work in the same office, but Doug Morgan and Cathy Dufrene are a special case: They spend 24 hours a day, six days a week together in the tiny cab of a semi-trailer truck. And to hear them tell it, they've never had an argument. "Really and truly you've got to get along to be in something this small," Dufrene said. Morgan and Dufrene, who live in Charlotte, drive 6,800 miles a week for Con-way Truckload. Not only do they survive the long trips to California and back

VALLEY SPRINGS, S.D. -- The Valley Springs Farmers Elevator is expanding its capacity by an additional 120,000 bushels, due mainly to increasing yields for corn, soybeans and other crops. Construction on the current 250,000-bushel facility is expected to be completed by September. Elevator manager Brian Fick says the added capacity is needed to keep up with burgeoning crops. The South Dakota Agriculture Department says the state's corn crop is at 5.4 million acres, up 850,000 acres over la

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) -- YRC Worldwide Inc. has recruited a past employee to serve as its new chief executive officer. The Kansas City Star reported that the Overland Park-based trucking giant chose James L. Welch on Friday to make good on promises that the newly restructured company will recover and prosper. The 57-year-old Welch has spent 29 years with YRC, including leading its vast trucking operations. Since October 2008, he has led Dallas-based Dynamex Inc., a transportation compan

Commodities prices have fluctuated in recent years, and so has revenue for Overland Park-based commodity trading company Lansing Trade Group Lansing Trade Group Latest from The Business Journals Lansing Trade Group takes over Nielsen Grain Co. facilityLansing Trade Group, C.A. Perry & Son join to run grain facilitiesKansas City-area agricultural companies harvest modest growth in revenue Follow this company LLC ­-- more than $1 billion each way. Lansing, which landed at No. 6 on this year'

McPherson County -- Call it the silver lining, the saving grace or just the best option for a bad situation. The failed dryland wheat crop that dotted the McPherson County landscape is now disappearing - quickly. Weeks of heat and no rain crippled the crop to the point that plants did not produce any usable grain. That left the crop invaluable for its traditional use, and farmers scrambling to find an alternative. That's where Allan Sents, owner of McPherson County Feeders, came in. Sents do

The federal government pays oil companies about $6 billion a year to blend ethanol into your gasoline; it's been subsidizing ethanol for 33 years now. But any agreement in Washington, D.C., to raise the debt ceiling will most likely include a plan to cut off that subsidy. And after all these years, many in the ethanol industry say they don't really care. The end of the subsidy -- and the mixed reaction to that idea -- reveals how the world of corn ethanol has changed dramatically. Blending

Jeff Langenhahn knows trucking. He has driven professionally for 26 years, including almost 18 years with Con-way Freight, and has logged 2 million miles behind the wheel over that time. It shouldn't come as surprise, then, that the Plover resident has found success in competition that gauges drivers' skills. Langenhahn, 45, took first place in the tanker division at the 2011 Wisconsin State Truck Driving Championships, held in Waukesha in June. He'll compete next in the National Truck Drivi

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) welcomed the announcement that Mexico and the United States have signed an agreement ending a 16-year dispute that will allow Mexican trucks access to operate in the United States and slash Mexican tariffs placed on U.S. exports to Mexico. Today's signing between the Mexican Ministry of Communication and Transportation and the U.S. Department of Transportation on Long-Haul Cross-border Motor Carrier Services (MoU) formalizes the agreement annou

Train whistles and the clickety-clack of freight cars rolling along the tracks were welcome sounds to the ears of many Petalumans last week. But the resumption of rail deliveries is welcome news for more than just nostalgic reasons. Local businesses such as Hunt & Behrens, Dairyman's Feed & Supply and Petaluma Poultry are happy because they will realize big savings on their shipping costs. Feed transport costs, which have skyrocketed in recent years, will be reduced to about half of what t

The efforts of the Multi-County Truck Regulatory Agency seem to be paying off, the agency's board learned from its patrol officer during its regular meeting Wednesday. "We're getting calls from the grain elevators about their worst offenders," said Tim Gillespie, truck regulatory officer. "And they're telling us that weights are coming down." The four-county agency was formed this past winter to reduce the numbers of overweight trucks on county roads. The involved counties contribute to c

Aventine Renewable Energy Holdings, Inc. /quotes/zigman/593525 AVRW +17.38% , a leading producer and marketer of ethanol and related products announced that it has taken another step on its path toward a stronger financial future: Aventine has entered into a credit agreement with Wells Fargo Credit Finance, LLC. The new credit facility, if fully drawn, is a $50 million asset based revolving credit facility with a borrowing base principally supported by the inventory and account receivable of

A Reddick, Ill., grain facility will deal more in distillers grains, among other changes, following a lease of the assets to Lansing Trade Group LLC. Nielsen Grain Co. turned over operations to Lansing following an agreement on July 15. Lansing plans to expand the facility's capacity and increase marketing alternatives for producers. The grain facility handles corn, soybeans, wheat, distillers grains and soybean meal. Lansing had done some business with the grain company before, including mov

If you want to become rich, Jim Rogers, investment whiz, best-selling author and one of Wall Street's towering personalities, has this advice: Become a farmer. Food prices have been high recently. Some have questioned how long that can continue. Not Rogers. He predicts that farming incomes will rise dramatically in the next few decades, faster than those in most other industries -- even Wall Street. The essence of his argument is this: We don't need more bankers. What we need are more farmers. T

The head of U.S. grain-trading giant Bunge Ltd. (BG-N71.060.700.99%) welcomes Ottawa's decision to dismantle the Canadian Wheat Board and says his company is preparing to jump into the market. "I think pretty much every [country] has eliminated their board trade because it's not always well managed," Bunge chief executive Alberto Weisser said in an interview from Winnipeg, where he was visiting some of the company's Canadian operations. "The concept is brilliant, but it's how it is managed. A

As the contentious debt ceiling negotiations in Washington approach the eleventh hour, the nation's top farm and commodity groups are hoping to slip a letter under President Barack Obama's door. "As organizations that have a stake in agriculture and a robust rural economy, we urge a timely resolution to the ongoing debt ceiling negotiations," says the letter, dated July 19. The letter, organized by National Farmers Union and also signed by 33 other key groups, asks the President, and the m

Cargill grain has launched the process of trying to sell it's Albright grain elevator. Expressions of Interest on the facility are being accepted, with site tours for prospective buyers slated to take place this week, and any potential bids having to be closed by the end of the month. County of Grande Prairie Economic Development Manager Walter Paszkowski is hopeful someone will be interested in buying the facility and resuming service to that area. The elevator was closed by Cargill on

OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Gavilon, LLC today announced that it completed the acquisition of the refined products rack marketing business from Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. The business complements the company's physical energy services and will significantly expand its participation in the wholesale fuels business. The Houston-based refined products rack marketing team is led by Rob Fuller, head of refined products marketing and trading at Gavilon. For business inquiries, please con

Lansing Trade Group Lansing Trade Group Latest from The Business Journals Lansing Trade Group, C.A. Perry & Son join to run grain facilitiesKansas City-area agricultural companies harvest modest growth in revenueAg firms harvest revenue growth Follow this company LLC, an Overland Park-based commodity trading company, has taken over Nielsen Grain Co. operations in Reddick, Ill. According to a release, Nielsen leased assets to Lansing after a long-standing relationship between the two compan

JOLIET -- The idea of putting a city fee on cargo containers shipped through CenterPoint Intermodal Center-Joliet was put on the shelf Monday. The proposal from District 1 Councilman Larry Hug was powerful enough to draw several shipping and trucking industry representatives to a workshop meeting of the Joliet City Council, where the idea of a $50 fee was considered. They told the council that such a fee would chase business away from the new intermodal center. The city's own attorney said

MADISON, Wis. (Legal Newsline) - Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen and Secretary Ben Brancel announced a $100,000 judgment on Friday against a grain company and its owner over alleged state grain security law violations. Bowers Feed and Grain Inc., and owner Jim Vandenberg, a Brown County, Wis., grain warehouse keeper and dealer, allegedly violated state grain security laws by failing to hold a grain warehouse keeper's license or a grain dealer's license, repeatedly failing to pay ca

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated almost 40 Nebraska counties as disaster areas as a result of widespread flooding along the Missouri River and its tributaries in 2011. The Monday announcement means that "hundreds of producers" in affected counties are eligible to apply for low-interest emergency loans from USDA's Farm Service Agency. Fifteen Nebraska counties, including Cass, Nemaha, Otoe, Richardson and Sarpy, were on the primary list approved by federal officials. Twe

(PRWEB) July 19, 2011 Anderson Hay & Grain Co., Inc., a leading U.S. based exporter of hay and straw products has been named among the Top 100 Exporters by the Journal of Commerce (JOC). As a fast growing, family owned company, Anderson Hay & Grain Co., Inc. is proud to be named among this elite group of American companies. Anderson Hay & Grain Co., Inc. is a leading second generation, family owned and operated, company specializing in hay export, specifically Timothy Hay, Alfalfa Hay an

(Reuters) - Rising fertilizer prices and robust food demand helped Mosaic Co (MOS.N) post a better-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday. The results for the fiscal fourth quarter ended May 31 bode well for the Minnesota-based company as it becomes truly independent from agricultural giant Cargill CARG.UL, which sold its majority stake in Mosaic earlier this year. Net income rose to $649.2 million, or $1.45 per share, compared with $396.1 million, or 89 cents per share, in the year-ago

The federal government just can't stay out of agriculture. From subsidy programs that decide winners and losers in the markets by favoring corporate farms over family farms to ethanol rules that sacrifice food for fuel to laws that give undue influence and power to a select few pesticide and seed producers, Washington has maintained a stranglehold over farming that has forever altered the industry's competitive landscape and doomed consumers to pay ever-higher prices at the grocery store. It

Lansing Trade Group, LLC has assumed operations at Nielsen Grain Company in Reddick, IL. After a brief closure for the change of operations, Lansing said it will start accepting grain and grain products into the facility for merchandising and storage. Lansing plans to expand the footprint of this facility with added capacity, while increasing marketing alternatives for producers and for the movement of distillers grains. Additionally, Lansing Transportation Services, LLC will begin operations of

MAUMEE, Ohio, July 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Andersons, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANDE) today announced it has entered a grain merchandising agreement with Trotter, Inc., of Arcadia, Neb. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081104/CLTU081LOGO ) The agreement provides The Andersons with access to an additional 4.1 million bushels of storage space in Nebraska. "This agreement reinforces The Andersons' ongoing commitment to customers in Nebraska," says Hal Reed, President of The Andersons

Amarillo, Texas - Amarillo fire crews worked late into the night Friday, into early Saturday morning to put out a fire at a grain elevator. The fire broke out on South Manhattan street late Friday night, and burned a storage room in the vacant building. It's undergoing a major renovation, so luckily there wasn't any major financial loss and no one was injured. As far as the cause, the fire department says it's a spark, ember of flame from operating equipment, and that it was not set int

Agriculture has been a big part of northwest Oklahoma's economy since the area was settled. That holds true today. Although agriculture has diversified, wheat remains king in the area. The Enid area remains the prime wheat-growing area of Oklahoma. Although the prolonged drought has battered wheat producers throughout the state, farmers in this area came away in better shape than many. Overall production in Oklahoma is forecast to be 74.8 million bushels, quite a bit below last year's p

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics' Freight Transportation Services Index shows that truck freight shipments in May fell to their lowest level since November 2010. The index dropped 1.8% in May from April, the second straight monthly decline. Freight shipments had been hot, increasing in 17 of the last 25 months. But freight shipments, according to the Freight Transportation Services Index, have fallen in three of the last four months. Shipments had i

By Karl Henkel [email protected] YOUNGSTOWN Bob Costello says the trucking industry could have big problems in the coming years. It has nothing to do with high gasoline prices. It has everything to do with employment. Costello, chief economist for Virginia-based American Trucking Association, expects a shortage of truckers to surpass 100,000 in the next few years as economic activity continues to pick up. "We expect it to get as bad as it's ever been," he said. "Which is qui

By Charlie Morasch, Land Line staff writer Fresh off the recent announcement that the U.S. and Mexico will expand cross-border trucking comes startling figures that show the saturation of organized crime in Mexico and the target that commercial trucks have become. According to TSA's "Transportation Suspicious Incidents Report", criminals in Mexico hijacked more than 10,000 commercial trucks last year. The hard statistic gives a rare glimpse into the world of cargo theft in Mexico. News

The forecast for Arkansas' winter wheat crop says the record yield of 61 bushels per acre set in 2006 could be tied this year. The Arkansas Crop Production Report by the National Agricultural Statistics Service places the expected yield at seven bushels per acre higher than last year. The average nationwide is expected to be about 46 bushels per acre. The expected strong yield comes despite floods, drought, high winds and hail during the growing season earlier this year. Extension wheat ag