Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

Posted by Brett EmisonApril 18, 2013 10:11 AM Conspicuity. It's awkward word for a deadly problem. "Conspicuity" refers to a driver's ability to see, perceive, identify, and appreciate a semi-truck's position and speed on a roadway, particularly at night. Conspicuity-related crashes are particularly dangerous and deadly because side- and rear-collisions involving tractor trailers often result in underride crashes in which a passenger car submarines beneath the trailer, which can act as a g

By Monte Plott, CNN updated 12:36 AM EDT, Thu April 18, 2013 (CNN) -- A massive explosion ripped through a fertilizer plant in the town of West, Texas, Wednesday night, sending scores of injured to area hospitals, sparking fires and triggering evacuations. WHAT'S NEW -- "It was like a nuclear bomb went off," West Mayor Tommy Muska said. -- Some 10 to 15 buildings have been "totally demolished" and "probably 50 homes (were) heavily damaged," said George Smith, community emergency medical

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Alisha Mims • NPR and the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) released a report last month documenting the dangerous working conditions and lack of oversight in U.S. grain bins. They found that nearly 180 people have been killed in grain entrapment accidents at federally regulated facilities in 34 states since 1984, and that, although the employers were issued a total of $9.2 million in fines, their overall penalties were ultimately reduced by 59 percent. NPR’s Howa

By The Capital-Journal Kansas released more details Wednesday about a planned student center that will house James Naismith's original rules of basketball. The three-story structure will be called the DeBruce Center in recognition of the contributions of Paul and Katherine DeBruce of Mission Hills. It will be connected to the northeast corner of Allen Fieldhouse on Naismith Drive and will include dining facilities and meeting spaces for faculty, students and visitors. The 31,000-square fo

NASHVILLE, Tenn.: A truck stop company owned by the family of Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam says it is under criminal investigation after an FBI raid. Jimmy Haslam, the CEO of Pilot Flying J, said Tuesday during a news conference in Knoxville that the investigation appears to involve what he called a small number of trucking customers who were owed rebates that weren’t paid. Jimmy Haslam says the company disputes that. Jimmy Haslam also said “it’s business as us

The following statement was made by Bill Penn as president of the Block Island Residents Association to the members of the Public Utilities Commission during a public hearing held at Town Hall on April 4 about the proposed agreement with Interstate Navigation: The Block Island Residents Association (BIRA) is an organization created in the 1970s with the purpose to serve as a medium for community, cultural, recreational and social activities, to advance the civic interests of Block Island, an

Pete Kleckner writes in about the pay for professors at UND and NDSU By: Pete Kleckner, Grand Forks Herald CROOKSTON — I read the story about the pay for the professors at both UND and North Dakota State University, and I am shocked that someone actually got paid to do this kind of survey (“Report: UND, NDSU professor’s salaries lagging,” Page A1, April 12). I have a BA degree and can’t find employment in my field, so I returned to driving truck. My salary isn’t even half of what these

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - A big rig loaded with frozen chicken ran afoul of construction in the westbound lanes of Interstate-30 in Fort Worth early Tuesday morning. According to police officials, the truck’s driver clipped a retaining wall near the University Drive exit and lost control of the large vehicle. The driver was not seriously injured during the crash, but he was taken to a nearby hospital to be checked out. Police do not suspect that alcohol was involved in the incident. Sev

Deborah Lockridge Editor in Chief, TruckingInfo.com The truckload industry has a driver turnover problem that never seems to go away. Many people believe it's because driver pay is too low, and there's certainly evidence that trucking sectors that pay more don't seem to have as big a turnover problem. Yet driver surveys done for the Truckload Carriers Association's Best Fleets to Drive For program seem to indicate that driver pay -- and some other issues -- may not matter to drivers as mu

Anthony Halley | April 14, 2013 The world's leading commodities trading houses such as Glencore, Cargill, Vitol, Trafigura and Mitsubishi, which represent a "vital nexus between producers and consumers of raw materials" have earned $250 billion over the past decade, surpassing the likes of JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, according to a comprehensive industry account conducted by the Financial Times. The commodities 'supercycle' that began in 2000 in response to rapid As

BY MIKKEL PATES SOURCE: AGWEEK MAGAZINE CREATED: APRIL 9, 2013 CHS, based in Inver Grove Heights, Minn., is suing the defunct Anderson Seed of Mentor, Minn., for $1.4 million on behalf of CHS Midwest Cooperatives of Pierre, S.D., which sold sunflower seed to Anderson Seed and its processing plant in Redfield, S.D. Among other things, CHS is asking to "pierce the corporate veil" and hold company president Ron Anderson and his daughter, Stephanie, the company's manager, personally respon

JAMES MCCARTHY Legal challenges over federal regulations governing hours-of-service for long-haul truck drivers have put Maine trucking companies in a bind: Do they wait for a favorable court ruling on their national trade group's challenge of those rules before the July 1 compliance date? Or do they take on training and implementation costs that could be negated if the regulations are overturned? At issue are rules the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says are intended to reduce

When you look around in your home and elsewhere, it's highly unlikely to locate things that haven't been brought to you either directly or indirectly by a truck. This indicates the overwhelming spread and scope of the truck freight industry. However, the good news for you is that the industry still has an ample room for people like you who want to begin and flourish as a freight broker. Simply put, a freight broker is either a person or a company that works as a mediator between a shipper who

Editorial: Motor Carrier Challenges This Editorial appears in the April 8 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today. This week’s Transport Topics illustrates some non-freight challenges that the trucking industry currently faces: scammers and juries that want to send “messages” to truckers by whacking their wallets. Fleets are the latest victims of a “phishing” scheme, whereby crooks have gotten their hands on expense checks carriers sent to drivers at truck stops

FTR Associates says index jumped more than 2-percentage points from January. By DC Velocity Staff A monthly index of economic conditions in the trucking industry continued its upward move in February, rising more than two points from January's levels to 12.9 percent, according to FTR Associates, a transportation consulting firm that publishes the index. The index, a combination of multiple data points that measures real-time and future industry conditions, is now in a range that reflect

With the size and volume of farms getting larger, often up to 10,000 acres or more, even small errors in accuracy of weighing product and inputs can make a major impact on the bottom line. Yet many farmers are far from the nearest load scale or rely on grain cart spindle scales or volumetric measurements whose accuracy is often less than desired. As an alternative, more farmers in the U.S. and Canada are turning to axle pad scales, which allow them to quickly check weigh product in the truck r

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Unlike ordinary drivers, the Iowa Supreme Court says licensed truckers will not be given a break if they're caught driving with a blood-alcohol concentration barely over the legal limit. View Original Article

Officials allege the company failed to provide workers' compensation insurance over a 250-day period, but accepted government funds to maintain the policy. By Denise Bonura/The Record Herald Posted Apr. 11, 2013 @ 1:00 pm A Quincy Township trucking company and its president face criminal charges for allegedly accepting government funding to pay for workers’ compensation to employees, but failing to maintain the insurance policy. The trucking company, operating under a contract with the Uni

Grain explosion occurs at facility owned by KC company Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/11/4176568/grain-explosion-occurs-at-facility.html#storylink=cpy View Original Article

TCP business survey: 62% of carriers using fewer brokers than 6 months ago The Trucker News Services 4/11/2013 Results from Transport Capital Partners’ (TCP) first-quarter 2013 Business Expectations Survey found that while some carriers are reporting an increase in brokered freight services in the last three months, a majority of carriers (62 percent) are using fewer brokers than six months ago. The percentage of carriers reporting an increase in brokered freight services doubled between

by Nat Rudarakanchana | April 10, 2013 A four cent hike in the state’s diesel tax is under discussion in the Senate Transportation Committee, leading representatives for truckers and bus drivers statewide to plea for “moderation” in any such increase. A four cent per gallon increase on the state’s 29 cents per gallon tax, which accompanies a 24.4 cents per gallon federal tax, would raise $2.4 million. According to lobbyists for the fuel industry, Vermont’s diesel tax burden is about 16th h

he April 7 explosion at Bartlett Milling Co.’s Statesville, N.C. facility illustrates the need for a combustible dust standard from OSHA, says the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health. Apr. 10, 2013 Sandy Smith “Repeat” and possibly even “willful” violations potentially are in store for Bartlett Milling Co., following an explosion at its Statesville, N.C. facility. While no one was killed in the explosion, one worker seriously was injured and, unfortunately, the company was

The Associated Press TEMECULA, Calif.—Authorities say a man who allegedly stole a big-rig truck in Riverside County and hurt seven people in crashes claimed he was fleeing from zombies. Nineteen-year-old Jerimiah Hartline of Tennessee was arrested on Saturday after the rig, loaded with strawberries, overturned on Interstate 15 in Temecula after a series of crashes. He remains jailed Wednesday. California Highway Patrol Officer Nathan Baer tells the Riverside Press-Enterprise ( http://bi

By ELIZABETH THOMAS / WCNC.com STATESVILLE, N.C. -- The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health says the explosion at the Bartlett Milling Company in Statesville over the weekend is "even more tragic because it appears to have been entirely preventable." One man was seriously injured when an explosion led to a fire and wall collapse at the flour mill Sunday morning. (Click here for photos from the scene) Statesville Police say two maintenance workers were repairing a piece of e

by Kevin Mahoney The high cost of feed ingredients fueled by a national drought was among the factors that caused Cargill’s third-quarter earnings to drop from $766 million to $445 million. Cargill said Tuesday that its third-quarter net earnings were down 42 percent from the same period a year ago, due in large part to the most severe U.S. drought in half a century. While net earnings slid from $766 million to $445 million, revenue for the quarter, which ended February 28, edged up 1

SCDigest Editorial Staff You could argue that that that the high point of the US rail system was in the late 1800s, before automobile and truck transport started to eat into both passenger and freight volumes. That ultimately led to decades of decline in the late 20th century, with rail carriers losing millions annually and seeing some of the lowest returns on invested capital of any business sector in the US, hitting bottom probably sometime in the 1970s. SCDigest Says: UPS put lots

Submitted by BizStream Hi-Pro Feeds recently celebrated completion of its first year in operation, materially achieving an aggressive target. Hi-Pro formerly was a division of Viterra, a large producer and marketer of commodities. It used to trade under the name Unifeed and Unifeed Hi-Pro Inc. In April 2012, the division was spun off from Viterra following a management buyout backed by the investment firm Birch Hill Equity Partners. The company was renamed Hi-Pro Feeds after the existin

by Jon Talton Last week I wrote a commentary on the deplorable working conditions of short-haul truckers at the Port of Seattle. The drivers, who face rotten wages and lack of benefits, are also only allowed to use two portable toilets at the terminal entrance. This brought an interesting response from my go-to guy in the trucking industry, Steve Gordon of Pacific-based Gordon Trucking. He said I “should keep in mind those deplorable restroom facilities are not at all uncommon in our industry

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The founder of Farm Rescue has launched a separate foundation to further his cause of helping farmers stricken by major illnesses, ailments or disasters. Farm Rescue helps farmers in the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa and eastern Montana with planting and harvesting. Founder and CEO Bill Gross says the new Farm Rescue Foundation will help farmers in the recovery process with specialized equipment, or with some farm tasks they're unable to do. Langdon farmer Brett Kakela (KA

By Scott Flaherty Law360, New York (April 08, 2013, 1:55 PM ET) -- U.S. Xpress Inc. has agreed to pay $2.75 million to settle a putative class action in Tennessee federal court alleging the trucking company failed to provide the proper disclosures related to background check reports obtained for job applicants, according to a Friday filing. The settlement, which is subject to court approval, would resolve claims brought under the Fair Credit Reporting Act by a proposed class of consumers i

Transport Topic http://www.ttnews.com Carriers as Brokers Editor’s Note: This letter refers to the March 18 “Opinion” by David Dwinell, in which he said a section of the new transportation funding law amounts to a new “tax” on carriers. Dwinell said, “Most freight today . . . is brokered not only when a shipper enters an agreement with a licensed broker but also when one authorized motor carrier ‘hires’ another authorized motor carrier to haul cargo in its place. Many, if not most, of t

Dee Duren, NewsOn6.com - email Catoosa firefighters are pictured at Diamond S Trucking on Tiger Switch Road. Damage was mostly confined to a single semi, though a nearby truck was starting to melt. CATOOSA, Oklahoma - Authorities say a caller alerted Catoosa firefighters to a burning semi-trailer truck and kept a business from suffering more property damage early Sunday. The truck fire took place at Diamond S Trucking, 406 Tiger Switch Road. "Whoever called it in really saved us cause

A new Colorado State Patrol website is providing specific information for truckers on the Interstate 70 mountain corridor to help them anticipate and prepare for changing conditions on the highway, the agency announced last week. View Original Article

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A truck driver from Oklahoma has been awarded more than $2 million for injuries sustained while unloading Dollar General merchandise at a store in Troy. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/XiluYk ) reports that a federal jury in St. Louis granted the $2.2 million award this week to Gregory Baird. Baird was unloading merchandise in the dark on Black Friday in 2007 when an improperly loaded 38-pound box fell on his head. Attorney John Anderson says it knocked him uncons

By Eric Pfeiffer, Yahoo! News A Pennsylvania state trooper not only survived being hit by a pickup truck, she also managed to physically chase down the driver. WTAE Pittsburgh reports that Trooper Heather Gonglik was helping direct traffic through a sobriety checkpoint when she stopped a Ford pickup to talk to the driver. After speaking briefly, the driver put his foot on the gas, hitting Gonglick, and sped away. (A report from the Associated Press says Gonglik was dragged for 20 feet by t

Written by Paul Boothe, Group Logistics Manager, Ryder There are many factors you should consider when trying to understand how freight brokers can fit in to your transportation strategy. To ensure safe and secure delivery of your freight, it’s critical to implement a solid plan for qualifying, monitoring and utilizing brokers. It’s also important that you have a strategic partnership developed with one or two solid brokers. Freight Brokerage 101… A freight broker acts as an intermediar

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS April 03, 2013 - 5:46 pm EDT LEXINGTON, Nebraska — One person has been injured in a grain elevator explosion at a feed yard in south central Nebraska. The explosion occurred Wednesday morning at Dawson Feeders in Lexington. Office Assistant Tracey Johnson says Zellidhay Villatoro was working when she was burned in the explosion. She is being treated at the burn center at Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center. Authorities have not released more details. KRVN rep

BY KEITH BARRY 04.04.13 Peterbilt and Cummins have successfully demonstrated a tractor-trailer that gets just under 10 mpg under real-world conditions. A single-digit fuel economy rating doesn’t sound like much to brag about, but in the world of tractor-trailers, it’s a massive improvement over the status quo. In fact, it’s a full 54 percent increase in fuel economy over the average tractor-trailer on the road today. The corresponding fuel savings could save owners around $25,000 in diesel

http://www.truckinginfo.com A 97-count indictment has been filed charging 28 people with violations including conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering for their roles in a scheme that allegedly skimmed more than $1.7 million from trucking companies according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It charges that the defendants fraudulently obtained account numbers and codes used by independent trucking companies to wire money to the companies’ driver

http://www.emporiagazette.com by Jason Johnston Bunge North America announced today that it will suspend the crush operations at the soybean processing plant in Emporia, temporarily laying off about a third of the employees effective May 1, and expect to resume crush operations with the fall harvest. "The U.S. soybean supplies are tight due to the drought, particularly in the Kansas region, and so the processing industry has excess crush capacity and it is also because of a strong export

http://www.hoosieragtoday.com Posted on 02 April 2013 by Gary Truitt Last Thursday’s USDA Quarterly Stocks and Prospective Plantings reports were released in the middle of the trading day. Farmers and grain merchandisers say this is something that needs to stop. For decades, USDA reports were released before the market opened or after trading had stopped. With the advent of 24 hr a day trading that is becoming impossible. Last week the government took the unprecedented step of releasing t

CRAIGHEAD COUNTY, AR (KAIT) – Police are investigating the overturning of a grain truck early Tuesday morning. The grain truck overturned on Highway 49 near Gibson Switch, spilling grain into a ditch. No one was injured, but police say traffic is moving slowly as crews work to get the tractor trailer out of the ditch. Copyright 2013 KAIT. All rights reserved. View Original Articl

WEST VALLEY CITY — A bomb squad blew up a suspicious package at offices for the C.R. England trucking Monday evening. West Valley City police officers on the scene, at 4701 W. 2100 South, said a disgruntled employee made called in a bom threat after leaving a suspicious-looking box outside the office building. The threat forced employees to evacuate and prompted police to clear the area. After blowing up the box, officers found religious pamphlets and a towel inside. So far, investig

A truck driver who rescued a family of six from a smashed minivan has been named the 30th Goodyear Highway Hero. Chosen from four finalists, Jason Harte of Rogers AR accepted the 30th Goodyear North America Highway Hero Award during the Mid-America Trucking Show recently. Harte, who works for Missoula MT-based Sammons Trucking, was driving down an Interstate in July 2012 when he saw a speeding pickup truck push a minivan off the road and slam into another car, pushing it to the highway med

By ASSOCIATED PRESSpublished Saturday, March 30, 2013 ATLANTA — Federal authorities have shut down an Atlanta-based trucking company, saying the firm failed to cooperate with safety investigators. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (http://bit.ly/173YJeF ) that Southern Transportation Inc. received an order Friday forcing it to cease operations. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, an arm of the U.S. Department of Transportation, says it shut down the trucking company bec

By: Bob Mercer, Republic Capitol Bureau PIERRE — Gregory Farmers Elevator Company saw its grain-buyer and grain-warehouse licenses suspended Friday morning by the state Public Utilities Commission. Commissioners voted 3-0 to suspend effective immediately. Commissioner Chris Nelson said it’s clear the action was needed to protect against any further farmer losses. There will be an automatic revocation in 15 days unless the elevator’s management appeals or presents a work-out plan. Mor

by JESSICA VESS / KVUE News & Photojournalist KENNETH NULL khou.com Posted on April 1, 2013 at 7:25 AM Updated today at 7:41 AM AUSTIN -- Toll rates are dropping across parts of Central Texas. The Texas Department of Transportation is kicking off a pilot program to encourage semi-truck drivers to use the toll roads. Drivers will stop paying the higher truck rate and will instead pay the same price as passenger vehicles. The discount applies to tolls that stretch between Georgetown and

A Recent Huffington Post Article Encourages Companies to Hire More Veterans -- a Cause That Is Near and Dear to Transwood, Inc. OMAHA, NE, Apr 01, 2013 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Transwood, Inc. is a nationwide trucking and transport company that has been serving clients ever since 1928 -- and while the company is passionate about quality and about customer service, it is also committed to the cause of assisting and supporting America's veterans. As such, the company's attention was drawn to

You've probably hear a lot about the chaos of logistics in Brazil, but I ask this question: why? The fact is that with a record crop, we need many trucks to bring the beans to our ports, then the most basic premise of the market asserts itself: Supply v. Demand There is a great demand for trucks to drain the soybeans in Brazil, but the truck fleet hasn't grown at the same pace as our production. That means freight is restricted. Keep in mind that Brazilian production should increase

By Alaric Nightingale - Mar 26, 2013 10:03 AM CT Rates for Panamax ships carrying grains ended their longest rally in a decade amid speculation demand temporarily declined before holidays starting at the end of this week. Earnings for the vessels, which also carry coal, slid 0.5 percent to $9,632 a day, according to the Baltic Exchange in London today. Rates rallied every day from Feb. 6 to yesterday, the longest advance since 2003. The Baltic Dry Index, a wider measure of commodity-shippin

By David Jones NEWARK, New Jersey | Thu Mar 28, 2013 6:56pm EDT (Reuters) - An Illinois truck driver has been released on bail after being charged with allegedly trying to sell 21 tons of stolen Muenster cheese, valued at $200,000, at a New Jersey Turnpike rest stop, police said. Veniamin Balika, 34, was charged with receiving stolen property and fencing following his arrest at the Vince Lombardi service area, according to New Jersey State Police. The cheese came from K&K Cheese, manuf

http://www.landlinemag.com By Charlie Morasch, Land Line contributing writer Federal prosecutors have charged 28 individuals for allegedly stealing $1.7 million from U.S. trucking companies by hacking accounts owned by money wiring providers, including Comdata and Fleet One. On March 6 in Cleveland, U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach and acting special agent of Homeland Security Investigations William Hayes announced a 97-count indictment that followed a two-year investigation, according to

By Jeff Berman, Group News Editor March 29, 2013 Annual growth for the third-party logistics (3PL) market in 2013 is expected to be north of 6 percent, with much of current market activity centered around mergers and acquisitions, with many of the same underlying market fundamentals of 2012 still intact, according to Evan Armstrong, president of supply chain consultancy Armstrong & Associates. Speaking on Logistics Management’s first quarter News Webcast earlier this month, Armstrong said

"Burn down out cities, but leave our farms alone." That was the message from one angry small business owner, who said that new diesel regulations will ruin the North State agriculture and trucking industries. Assemblyman Dan Logue (R-Linda) organized the town hall Thursday night in order to allow business owners the chance to vent their frustrations. They say new diesel emissions regulations will cost jobs, raise prices on consumers, and put many small business owners out of business. Randy

PRWEB.COM Newswire Barefoot Bay, FL (PRWEB) March 28, 2013 When Sandy Bent, owner of All Systems Go Transport, Inc. (ASGT) in Barefoot Bay, FL started her transportation broker business in 2005, she never imagined the demand that would grow for hauling bulk liquid commodities. “I’ve worked in the trucking industry for over 25 years,” said Bent. “When the average person thinks about trucking, they imagine the 18-wheeler trailer, van or flat-bed truck. It’s what is most commonly seen on the

BY NICHOLAS BROWN A truck called the “SuperTruck” has achieved fuel efficiency 54% greater than that of average long-haul trucks. The SuperTruck achieved 9.9 MPG under real-world driving conditions, while typical long-haul trucks achieve 5.5 MPG to 6.5 MPG. Doesn’t sound like much, but this improvement is actually huge. The SuperTruck was created out of a partnership with Cummins and Peterbilt Motors. It was estimated that this fuel economy improvement would save drivers $25,000 annually ba

The Associated Press DES MOINES, IOWA — The Labor Department says a Des Moines trucking company failed to properly pay some employees for overtime. The department's Wage and Hour Division says Contract Transport Inc. did not pay some drivers for delay time during trips and instead paid them based on a predetermined number of hours. Some delays were caused by weather, construction or other factors. The company has agreed to pay 201 drivers more than $160,000 in back wages and fringe bene

By BRIAN ELLISON, MATTHEW LONG-MIDDLETON AND JEREMY BERNFELD In 2011, an explosion at a grain elevator in Atchison, Kansas, killed six people—employees and inspectors there—and rocked a community. Federal prosecutors are now considering charges in the case, but with 2010 the worst year on record, why does this keep happening? We explore the world of safety and regulation in the grain industry. Investigative reports this week from NPR News' Howard Berkes, Harvest Public Media's Jeremy Bernf

DCVELOCITY.COM As an alternative to hiring brokers, some shippers are setting up their own in-house services. By Toby Gooley Traditionally, transportation brokers—middlemen who match available loads with empty trucks, charging a fee to the shipper—have been outsiders, either independent businesses or divisions of asset-based companies. A growing number of shippers, however, are setting up their own in-house truck brokerage operations, says Charlie Saffro of CS Recruiting LLC, a Chicago-

By JOE TACOPINO Last Updated: 5:41 AM, March 25, 2013 The sole jackpot-winning ticket in Saturday’s $338 million Powerball lottery was sold to a big-rig driver at a New Jersey Turnpike truck stop, according to a manager at the store. Isaiah DeVries, of Love’s Travel Stop in Bordentown, said the trucker excitedly called up the store yesterday and said his life had changed. “He’s sitting in his truck in Delaware,” DeVries told The Post last night. “He is trying to figure out what to d

HOWARD BERKES and JIM MORRIS March 24, 201312:01 AM The commercial grain industry responded to a record number of grain entrapments and deaths in 2010 with more safety videos, publications and training programs. "Have tragic incidents still happened? Yes," says Jeff Adkisson, who heads the Grain and Feed Association of Illinois. "Are we working to reduce them further? Absolutely." Randy Gordon, president of the National Grain and Feed Association, sees no need for additional regulation

March 23 BY MIKE MCGRAW The Kansas City Star A year and a half after a Kansas grain elevator explosion killed six workers, federal prosecutors now are considering criminal charges against the Kansas City-based owners. Bartlett Grain or its top officials should be held criminally liable for the deaths at the company’s Atchison, Kan. elevator, say federal workplace safety officials who have referred the case for criminal prosecution. But that doesn’t mean a criminal case will be filed.

If you look at almost any employment section, you will find multiple job opportunities in transportation. If you choose to be a commercial driver, a charter-bus driver, a driver for the moving industry or for METRO rail, you have a very good chance of a long-term career in Houston. "There is definitely an advantage to being in Houston because the economy is so much better than the rest of the U.S. - Houston is a big place. Any day you can pick up the Chronicle ... and there are companies

A grain truck slid into a freight train Monday morning in Columbia County, according to the sheriff's department. The truck driver, David L. Huebner, 51, of Columbus was injured and taken to University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison. He was issued a citation accusing him of failing to stop at a stop sign and not wearing a seat belt. Huebner's truck crashed into a Canadian Pacific Railway train, which consisted of two engines and five cars, traveling 10 mph at Meek Road near the village

The driver of a tractor-trailer that hit a guardrail at Walmart Plaza in Franklin Township then allegedly tried to leave the scene was charged with three offenses. Patrolman Dominick Zeveney, officer in charge, responded to the accident, reported March 14 at 7:21 a.m., and learned that the truck was making a right turn at the shopping complex off Route 513 and hit a guardrail, going over it and knocking down a pole and a stop sign. The driver, John R. Vice, 62, of Greenville, S.C., tried

Zeeland Farm Services has picked up the 2013 Outstanding Growth Award from the Association for Corporate Growth/West Michigan Chapter in Grand Rapids. Cliff Meeuwsen, president of the family-owned business that is now a major player in the worldwide soybean market, received the award on behalf of ZFS at the ACG Outstanding Growth event recently in Grand Rapids. The Outstanding Growth Award honors a West Michigan company that demonstrates sustained growth in sales, profitability, employment

TruckingInfo.com FTR Associates’ Shippers Conditions Index for January slipped an additional two points since the previous report, falling to a negative 7.1, reflecting deteriorating conditions for shippers in the early months of 2013. Translated, it means that motor carriers and other transportation providers have more clout to obtain rate increases. Slowly increasing freight volumes and capacity restraints from federal regulations affecting trucking starting this summer will worsen the s

By Aprille Hanson The Trucker Staff 3/20/2013 LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Paul Williams, executive vice president of commercial vehicle tires with U.S. Continental Tire the Americas, LLC, stressed today at the 2013 Mid-America Trucking Show that Continental is not just a “tire corporation” by launching the sale of the ContiPressureCheck system, as well as speaking more about its VDO RoadLog electronic recording device. True to its roots however, the company also introduced its newest tire, Conti Hybr

John R. Karman III Reporter- Business First It’s billed as the world’s largest heavy-duty trucking event, and it’s easy to see why. The 42nd annual Mid-America Trucking Show is expected to bring more than 70,000 industry professionals from all 50 states and more than 70 countries to Louisville this week, according to a news release. Its estimated economic impact is more than $14 million. The trade show, an industry only event, will be held March 21 to 23 at the Kentucky Exposition Center.

Transporttopics.com By David Dwinell Owner LoadTraining.com This Opinion piece appears in the March. 18 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today. On Oct. 1, an estimated 150,000 motor carriers currently engaging in unlicensed brokerage will find themselves subject to what amounts to an enormous new tax, courtesy of the latest transportation funding law — Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century, or MAP-21. The new law’s brokerage provisions appear t

A 51-year-old Columbus man was injured this morning when the grain truck he was driving failed to stop at a rail crossing and was struck by a train five miles north of DeForest. According to a press release from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Department, David L. Huebner was transported by Arlington EMS to the University Of Wisconsin Hospital, Madison. The preliminary investigation confirms that a farm grain-style truck was travelling west on Meek Road at 11:18 a.m. and failed to stop at th

The iconic literary masterpiece Two Solitudes, written by Montreal professor Hugh MacLennan in 1945, has defined for generations of Canadians the French-English divide that once was Canada’s defining dynamic.? That famous description perfectly applies to today’s debate between commodity shippers and commodity carriers — let’s say farmers and railways.? A rail car and a steamer passing in the night.? As Parliament has been dealing with the government’s attempt to push through Bill C-52,

March 17, 2013 12:00 am • RUSS OECHSLIN Journal Correspondent SUPERIOR, Iowa | The Andersons Inc. began in 1947 with a single grain silo. The Maumee, Ohio, company in December closed on its purchase of the elevators and related operations of the seven Green Plains Grain Co. sites in Northwest Iowa. In its 65 years, the company has grown into a diverse public company reporting $5.3 billion in sales and $79.5 million in net income in the last fiscal year. Last year's area acquisition i

Austin, TX (Law Firm Newswire) March 18, 2013 – Truckers are in high demand. Trucking companies are not doing enough checking on hiring to ensure drivers are safe. “This accident happened when a 32-year-old State Trooper was hit by a semi as he was standing on the shoulder of a highway. As it turned out, the truck driver had a medical condition that made him unfit to drive,” explained Brooks Schuelke, an Austin personal injury lawyer with Perlmutter & Schuelke, L.L.P. The trooper was in the

Written by Frank N. Wilner, Contributing Editor The National Industrial Transportation League (NITL) and the American Chemistry Council (ACC) want the Surface Transportation Board to annul market forces and require that at least two Class I railroads be available to compete for freight carloads—even if the tracks of only one railroad serve a shipper’s facility. The expectation is lower freight rates—a free lunch, requiring railroads provide something in exchange for nothing. A more likely o

The dry bulk market has maintained its rising momentum, on the back of increased cargo availability. According to yesterday's figures, the industry's benchmark, the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) was up by 10 points, reaching a total of 875 points. Capesizes were unchanged yesterday, as the relative Capesize Index was steady at 1,314 points. Still, the Capesize market gained an impressive 11 percent just in one day, during Tuesday. This was the biggest single day gain since mid-January. During yesterday

The Tennessee Highway Patrol has started using an 18-wheeler to catch drivers texting, drinking or not wearing their seatbelts as part of an effort to combat the dangerous problem of distracted driving. Officials say it has been a “great success,” and they will continue using the semi at random. BY VICTORIA TAYLOR / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Take note, Tennessee drivers: the troopers high in the cab of that black and tan truck can see you breaking the law. Some Tennessee state troopers are ridi

DCVelocity.com Judge orders XPO to return Robinson's customer lists, stop soliciting employees governed by nondisclosure agreements. By Mark B. Solomon The new kid on the freight broker block is in a legal smackdown with the big kid on the freight broker block. Depending on how the scales of justice tip, the outcome could spell trouble for the newbie. On Jan. 17, a state court judge in Hennepin County, Minn., ruled that several employees of XPO Logistics Inc., a nearly two-year-old c

By Transport Topics Cummins Inc. and Peterbilt Motors Co. said they have developed a demonstration “SuperTruck” capable of averaging 10 miles per gallon in real-world conditions, a 54% increase in fuel economy. The two said Thursday that the truck features a higher-efficiency engine and an aerodynamic tractor-trailer that significantly reduces drag. The higher fuel economy would save about $25,000 annually based on current diesel prices for a longhaul truck traveling 120,000 miles per y

An ambitious proposal to move most truck freight off Interstate 35 and onto an elevated conveyor-type, driverless shuttle system hasn't moved much off the drawing board in the last year. But Dallas-based Freight Shuttle International's revolutionary proposal, which has been embraced by the Texas Department of Transportation, still has every argument in its favor. Freight Shuttle International and TxDOT signed a “reservation of right-of-way agreement” about a year ago. That means TxDOT will res

By Polina Marinova, Special to CNN (CNN) -- John Drury is a 6-foot-7 truck driver with tattoos on his head, neck and arms. Not surprisingly, he's known as "Big John." During the week, Drury spends 50 hours behind the wheel. But on weekends, the 43-year-old is a certified dance fitness instructor who breaks it down to Rihanna and Justin Bieber. Living by the T.I. song lyrics permanently tattooed on his head -- "The old me is dead and gone" -- Drury has danced away 97 pounds since February 20

Samuel K. Burlum Wednesday, March 13, 2013 • 1:27pm As a part of a three segment series, I took a look inside the war that is being waged on the American truck driver. Two major issues have forced both national carriers and owner-operators to have concern about the profitability of the trucking industry. We previously spoke about the environmental compliance lurking in the shadows nibbling at the heels of the transportation industry, forcing owner-operators to go for broke. Truckers wil

Hong Kong: Shippers and shipping lines both need to raise their game if global container supply chains are not to be habitually subject to wildly fluctuating service levels. This was a key take-away from Day 1 of the TOC Container Supply Chain Asia conference being held in Hong Kong, on 12-14 March. Addressing the conference session ‘Carriers Close Up’, Mark Holloway, Head of Supply Chain Asia for global beverage group Diageo, explained that his company’s supply chain is focused on “cost, servi

Posted by Betsy The House Transportation Committee has given its unanimous support to SB 1064, removing the expiration date from a 10-year pilot project allowing extra-heavy trucks on 35 specific routes in southern Idaho. Roy Eiguren, speaking for the Right Truck for Idaho Coalition, said the pilot project showed big economic gains for shippers like Amalgamated Sugar Co. and U.S. Ecology Corp., and no significant increased damage to the specific routes, according to the Idaho Transportation D

By Bloomberg News - Mar 13, 2013 1:58 AM CT Chinese feed mills bought twice as much corn this month than in February, said five company officials in the grains industry with direct knowledge of the transactions. The mills bought 600,000 metric tons in nine cargoes of U.S. corn for delivery starting in October, boosting total purchases this year to about 900,000 tons, said the officials, who asked not to be identified because the deals are private. They requested that the sellers and purchase

By: Lou Smyrlis 2013-03-12 WINNIPEG, Man. – Canada’s transport regulations are under review and the person in charge of overseeing that review, minister of state for transport Steven Fletcher, would like to see fewer of them in the future. “We are trying to reduce the regulatory burden on business,” Fletcher told Manitoba Trucking Association’s Annual General Meeting here this morning. “The final report should be ready this spring and we are identifying regulations that should be repealed o

Commerical Carrier Journal A recent uptick in freight volume likely will continue as most fundamental drivers look positive, says the head of a leading transportation forecasting firm. One thing that doesn’t look so strong despite considerable attention is the near-term adoption of natural gas as an alternative to diesel, says Eric Starks, president of FTR Associates. Speaking to attendees at Heavy Duty Dialogue 2013 in Nashville, Tenn., Starks said that freight was steady throughout 2012

The Lima News State Rep. Lynn Wachtmann is dancing on the line of unethical behavior as he lobbies for a change in the trucking industry that would benefit his own business. Wachtmann is pushing the plan to raise the maximum weight limit for trucks using state highways from 80,000 pounds to 90,000 pounds. Such a move, he contends, would benefit Ohio’s economy by helping haulers cope with higher prices for diesel fuel. Of course, it would also benefit Wachtmann, whose business includes bottled

QUINCY, Ill. (WGEM) - An Adams County trucking company was recognized Tuesday morning for playing an important part in the Tri-States agriculture industry. Baucom Trucking of Camp Point was honored as the Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce Agribusiness of the Year at a breakfast event Tuesday morning. The Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce honors an agribusiness each year to emphasize the importance of the ag industry on the local economy. Baucom Trucking was established by Jim Baucom, Sr.,

DCVelocity.com By Chris Jones | 03/11/2013 | 6:44 AM OK, for years and years, everyone has been talking about backhaul and co-mingled freight as a significant way to minimize transportation costs. The reality has been that for most shippers, it’s been a fringe operation and fallen far short of what could really be accomplished. What if, as a shipper, you thought of your transportation operation as a revenue or profit increasing opportunity? Dear logistics executive, how would that change y

By Joe White CEO CostDown Consulting This Opinion piece appears in the March 11 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today. As a consultant, I have analyzed the operations of many trucking companies. Interestingly, regardless of company size or type of operation, trucking companies share common failure points — activities or programs they lack that have a negative effect on profitability. The following is an overview of three of the most common failure points.

ASSOCIATED PRESS COLUMBUS — A proposal to raise the weight limit for trucks is backed by Ohio's transportation chief as economically beneficial, but it has opposition from trucking and other officials concerned about safety and roadway deterioration. The measure would raise the maximum weight from 80,000 pounds to 90,000 pounds for trucks on state highways in Ohio, allowing them to haul more at a time. The Plain Dealer in Cleveland reported. The lower limit would remain in effect for local

BY IKE GLASS | Published: March 9, 2013 As a businessman, I know that you often have to spend money to make money. Investment is critical for economic success. Improving Oklahoma and making the state competitive benefits all Oklahomans, which is why we must be ready and willing to invest in ourselves. Oklahoma's workers' compensation system is broken. We need to fix it, but a real fix will require some investment. For too long, our well-intentioned state leaders have tinkered around the ed

By ADAM SNIDER and BURGESS EVERETT | 3/6/13 4:39 AM EST Some of the most powerful lobbying groups in Washington are shifting into high gear for the battle to increase weight limits for trucks, even though many key lawmakers are staying neutral for now. The issue over whether heavier trucks should be allowed on the nation’s interstate highways is pitting unions, independent truckers and the country’s largest freight railroads against agricultural groups and the muscular American Trucking As

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO — A 33-year-old Minnesota trucker is in the burn center after getting shocked and thrown off of his trailer during a Thursday morning incident at Toy’s Scrap and Salvage in Eau Claire, Wis., police say. Investigators say the Northern Metal Recycling employee stopped his tractor/trailer unit in the parking lot at Toy’s Scrap and Salvage to cover his load. The trailer was equipped with a mechanized tarp roller, which then came into contact with an overhead power line. The t

03/08/2013 By Gene McCluer The OSU Ag Safety and Health Program and the Ohio Fire Academy have a history of agricultural rescue collaborations that began in the late 1980’s. Examples include the training modules for on-site use at the Fire Academy, agricultural rescue demonstrations at Farm Science Review, presentations at OSU Extension field day events, and Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Safety Congress. This past Saturday, (March 2, 2013) our latest project was put into motion and be

By Norma Love The Associated Press 3/7/2013 CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire's House debated for two hours Wednesday before voting to phase in a 15-cent increase in the gas and diesel fuel tax to help fix deteriorating roads and bridges. The bill calls for increasing the tax on gas over four years and on diesel over six years. The 207-163 vote sent the bill to the House's tax-writing committee for further review before the House takes a final vote. If it passes a second time, the bill will g

By: Lou Smyrlis 2013-03-06 LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- A looming driver shortage, which could prove the “worst we’ve seen” is already manifesting in a significant drop of applicants for driving jobs and enrolments for driving schools, according to executives from three large US fleets. “We think a lot of drivers have left the industry to go into construction and other sectors and that is going to intensify,” Max Fuller, chairman and CEO of U.S. Express Enterprises said during a panel entitled Repa