Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

The completion of Gambrinus Malting’s new Armstrong malting facility couldn’t come at a better time. Craft brewers and distillers — their main customers — are expanding at a record pace, and Gambrinus along with them. But when the provincial government, out of the blue, introduced a tax exemption on spirits made with all B.C.-grown ingredients, manager Matthias Haaben’s phone really started ringing with distillers looking for locally grown, locally processed grain. Distillers no longer

By Jennifer Montenegro KWCH 12 Eyewitness News 9:51 a.m. CST, March 5, 2013 (NEAR HESSTON, Kan.)— Quite a scene in Harvey County as a bomb squad is called to check out the contents of a semi. It happened Monday evening along I-135 when the driver noticed a suspicious box in the cab of his truck. Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton says the truck driver called authorities after he received a call on his cell phone. The caller told the driver he had an explosive hooked to his truck. The driver p

MICHAEL BOWMAN Special to The Globe and Mail Published Tuesday, Mar. 05 2013, 8:17 PM EST Some 80 per cent of North American communities receive their goods exclusively by truck, according to the American Trucking Association. The industry collects 83 per cent of shipping revenues, while rail collects only 6 per cent – and trucking revenue is expected to increase 72 per cent by 2018. Based in Tampa, Quality Distribution is the largest bulk tank truck company in the North America, and ha

By LYNDON FINNEY The Trucker Staff 3/5/2013 LAS VEGAS — In his letter to the Roman church, the Apostle Paul dedicated an entire chapter to his desire that the Israelites hear the Gospel. Midway through the chapter, he finally asks the critical question, “and how shall they hear without a preacher?” Delegates might be wondering the same thing about the movement of freight in the United States. After listening to a panel of highly-respected company executives talk about the future in terms

A Pacific Northwest grain terminal that locked out its union workers last week has sued a union official it accuses of damaging company equipment. The union representing the longshore workers quickly condemned the lawsuit. In a filing Feb. 28 in Clark County Superior Court, United Grain Corp. accused Todd Walker of Vancouver of causing more than $300,000 in damage. The lawsuit contends that last Dec. 22, Walker tried to halt production by throwing a pipe into a conveyer and damaged a gear

StreetInsider.com ConAgra Foods (NYSE: CAG), Cargill and CHS (Nasdaq: CHSCP) announced today a definitive agreement to combine their North American flour milling businesses to form Ardent Mills, a new flour milling company that will serve customers in the baking and food industries. Ardent Mills will bring together two of the nation’s leading and most respected flour milling companies: ConAgra Mills and Horizon Milling, a Cargill-CHS joint venture formed in 2002. The new company will take

By ART HOVEY/Lincoln Journal Star It's the best of times and the worst of times for grain sorghum in Nebraska. On the dark side, last year's harvest of about 60,000 acres was the smallest since Barb Kliment joined the ranks of sorghum promoters in 1981. On a much brighter note, the managers of ethanol plants in Trenton and Ravenna are pushing hard to make a crop also known as milo the main ingredient in their renewable fuels recipes. "They are certainly letting it be known that they hav

Deborah Whistler | Fleet Owner The owner of a Detroit trucking firm, D. R. Logistics, is accusing a towing company of taking advantage of a tragic chain reaction crash on I-75 on Jan. 31 that claimed three lives after she received a bill for $10,250 from the company that tows for the Michigan State Police. A sudden white-out caused a horrible chain reaction crash leaving three people dead and a tangled mess that closed the I-75 for hours. Among the trucks involved was one belonging a truck

By Greg Lamp You’d think with all the modes of transportation available today, how could dealers ever end up in a shortage situation. It’s rare, but it does happen. Barges, trucks, rail — even international dry bulk ships sailing around the globe — are all intertwined at some level. A hiccup in one segment can sometimes affect another. That’s most noticeable since last summer’s drought where major waterways saw levels drop like rocks, causing other transportation methods to kick in. Fo

By: Jerry Hagstrom, Agweek WASHINGTON — The U.S. government, nongovernmental organizations and private companies are already trying to address post-harvest losses in developing countries, but they also face difficulties, a range of experts said at a State Department conference on the subject. Jose Fernandez, the assistant secretary of State in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, said he is proud of an effort in Rwanda, where post-harvest losses for beans and maize are estimated to

Dee Duren, NewsOn6.com - email The information in this story is taken from an Oklahoma Highway Patrol collision report. OKFUSKEE COUNTY, Oklahoma - A trucker rolled his semi trying to avoid cattle in the roadway. The single-vehicle wreck took place just after 3 a.m. Saturday on State Highway 27, a few miles south of Okemah in Okfuskee County. Calvin Parker was northbound and swerved to miss cattle in the road, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. The 2009 Freightliner left the roa

Whether you are a shipper, work for a motor carrier broker, a third party intermediary, an insurance company or are merely a member of the general public, we are all frequently reminded that the press and others often characterize 18 wheelers as a menace to both society and the motoring public. All you have to do is Google “18-wheeler fatal crash,” sit back and review 466,000 hits. It’s what led a judge in a 2003 California court case to characterize a motor carrier’s activities as constituting

By Jonathan Saul LONDON | Fri Mar 1, 2013 10:42am EST Feb 29 (Reuters) - Cargill made its first grain shipment using an electronic freight document this week as the U.S. agribusiness group seeks to cut paper documentation and speed up the processing of deals, the officials involved said. Goods that are shipped by sea require a bill of lading document, which lays out the terms of a contract between a shipper and a transportation company. Earlier this week, Cargill completed its first tr

By Jason Rhyno, Posted: Mar 1, 2013 05:11 PM | Last Updated: Mar 1, 2013 09:23 PM TORONTO — There's a discrepancy in Ontario between which vehicles are required by law to be licenced and which aren't. Specifically, the discrepancy lies within the types of vehicles that are considered "road-building machines" in Ontario's Highway Traffic Act (HTA) and which are considered "motor vehicles." It's an issue that perhaps many in the trucking industry have known about, but one that is only getti

http://www.cqnews.com.au THE wrath of ex-tropical cyclone Oswald goes far beyond damage to the state's highway network, with a signficant freight backlog waiting to be trucked into central Queensland. But roads are buckled and cut off at multiple points, and the mining industry and truck haulage companies are suffering in the wake of a six-week storm season. The recovery status sits at 5845km of affected roads in Queensland, of which 2736km are now open with conditions. The condition

Move adds to company's broker network. By Mark B. Solomon XPO Logistics, Inc., a nonasset-based third-party logistics provider with ambitious expansion plans, said late yesterday it acquired truck freight broker Covered Logistics & Transportation LLC, for $8 million in cash and $3 million in XPO stock. Covered Logistics, with offices in Dallas and in Lake Forest, Ill., a Chicago suburb, was founded in 2005. Its co-founders, Tuck Jasper, Paul Jasper, and Patrick Gillihan, will continue t

A California trucker has been ordered out of service by the Federal Motor Carrier Administration after operating his rig while intoxicated, in a case investigated by the Indiana State Police. The federal “out-of-service” order is one of the first of its kind, the ISP said. According to a statement released today, on Feb. 5 an ISP Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division (CVED) officer responded to 45th and Delaware Street in Gary, after Nebyou Brook was seen driving off the roadway, across the

TransportTopics.com American Trucking Associations said Thursday the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s decision not to delay implementation of FMCSA’s hours-of-service rule will cost the trucking industry about $320 million between now and July 1. The group released a letter it wrote to FMCSA in which it criticizes the agency’s recent rejection of ATA’s request to delay implementation of hours-of-service regulations scheduled to take effect July 1. ATA wrote that the rule’s

MeatPoultry.com, Feb. 27, 2013 by Meat&Poultry Staff WYALUSING, Pa. – A bomb threat at a Cargill Meat Solutions plant in Wyalusing, Pa. Feb. 26 turned out to be a hoax. Pennsylvania State Police received an anonymous call at about 3 p.m. indicating that there was a bomb planted at the beef processing facility. “The state police notified Cargill at Wyalusing and the plant’s emergency response team began sweeping the plant, cooperating with law enforcement authorities and Cargill’s global

February 27, 2013 By Evan Lockridge Trucking interests in Minnesota are hoping to melt plans by the governor to implement a new tax on trucking, saying it will freeze them out. At issue is a state budget offered up by Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Gov. Mark Dayton, which would make a range of business-to-business and consumer services subject to the state sales tax. This would include putting a state 5.5% sales tax on trucking services, but would also lower the state sales ta

HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times New Delhi, February 27, 2013 The proposed near 6% hike in freight rates for railways announced during the railway budget on Tuesday is likely to see a minor shift in freight from railways to trucks. Freight rates for the latter have declined over the last year by almost 8%. "No doubt the paradigm Slowdown? Bansal's Poll exp offers 1.5 lakh jobs shift in freight tariff as from now on it will be fuel-linked freight charge revision, 5% increase in freig

Drivers stranded at truck stop after getting rigs stuck in parking lot By The Associated Press LEBO — An eastern Kansas truck stop that has often served as a safe place for stranded motorists is once again providing that service. A trucker from Illinois stranded at the Beto Junction Travel Plaza near Lebo Tuesday morning describes the conditions as "straight hell." Robert Branscecum, of Campton, Ill., said he has been at the truck stop about 90 miles southwest of Kansas City since Mon

By Carey Gillam and Julie Ingwersen Feb 25 (Reuters) - High levels of a dangerous toxin found in bagged dog food on a grocery store shelf in Iowa have highlighted the prevalence of a problematic mold in last year's U.S. corn crop, as state and federal officials work on limiting the food safety concern. "Last year's corn crop - it is a huge issue. We test every load coming in. And we reject a lot of loads," said Michael Wright, chief executive officer of Pro-Pet, an Ohio-based pet food manu

B.C. Truckers say: “Immigrant Drivers? Bring’em!” TodaysTrucking.com VANCOUVER — The British Columbia Trucking Association (BCTA) has just been awarded a $196,000 grant to help fleets find and hire immigrant drivers more efficiently. According to a statement from the BCTA, the Immigrant Employment Council of BC has announced 11 such projects designed to assist employers, industry and business associations develop programs for integrating skilled immigrants into BC workplaces. The BC

This is a minor indicator that I follow. This index has been very strong following the dip in October due to Hurricane Sandy. From ATA: ATA Truck Tonnage Index Posts Best Ever January The American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased 2.9% in January after jumping 2.4% in December. ... Tonnage has surged at least 2.4% every month since November, gaining a total of 9.1% over that period. As a result, the SA index equaled 125.2 (2000=10

By Jami Jones, Land Line managing editor The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has set the deadline to comply with the new broker bond requirement of $75,000 for Oct. 1. The deadline was announced in a recently released list of frequently asked questions pertaining to the mandated changes in broker and freight forwarder requirements enacted with the passage of the new highway funding law, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, or MAP-21. The act was signed into law

A Look at Revenues and Profits by Business Segment in 2002 and 2012; Traditional Truckload Carriage Continues to Decline While Intermodal - and Total Profits - Soar By SCDigest Editorial Staff SCDigest has reported off and on over the years relative to the continued transformation at JB Hunt, away from the traditional truckload carriage upon which the legendary JB Hunt founded the company on, and towards intermdodal and "dedicated" services. JB Hunt's Q4 earnings report trigg

California shippers could soon be fined for non-compliant trucks by Tim Linden | February 21, 2013 A California Air Resource Board regulation that became effective Jan. 1 could soon be used to fine California shippers or receivers that allow non-compliant trucks to load or unload at their facilities. That was one of the take-home messages of a “2013 Transportation Preview” webinar conducted Feb. 20 by C.H. Robinson officials and hosted by Western Growers Association. Jason Craig, man

If Gov. Mark Dayton’s proposed budget passes, the trucking industry in Minnesota will be looking at some sizeable changes. By: Pippi Mayfield, DL-Online If Gov. Mark Dayton’s proposed budget passes, the trucking industry in Minnesota will be looking at some sizeable changes. Minnesota Trucking Association President John Hausladen spoke to area trucking company owners and staff Tuesday, telling them what the proposed budget will mean for the trucking industry, and getting any feedback o

PEORIA — The driver of a semi that overturned and spilled grain across Interstate 474 Tuesday reportedly had alcohol, marijuana and cocaine in his system. Daniel England, 59, of Decatur was arrested on two counts of driving under the influence and one count each of possessing less than 30 grams of marijuana, driving too fast for conditions and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. England was merging onto eastbound I-474 from the Maxwell Road interchange about 2:50 p.m. when his truck and

By Clifford F. Lynch DCvelocity.com If current trends continue, intermodal will be an ongoing significant factor in rail revenues and growth. Arguably, the most exciting development for the railroads since the invention of the diesel engine has been the growth in intermodal freight movements. The intermodal concept is an old one and actually originated when the Chicago Great Western Railway put the first trailer on a flatcar in 1936. It wasn't until 1952, however, that a major carrier, t

High winds were blowing late Tuesday afternoon when an 18 wheeler rolled over on I 474 near the Farmington Road exit. No word what exactly caused the accident which caused a snarl in traffic for a while as the semi truck was hauling corn which spilled all over the road. The driver suffered only minor injuries. Cleanup efforts were underway and drivers are advised by IDOT to take extra caution as they travel on 474 between Farmington and Airport Roads as deer will likely take an interest in

After rollover cleanup, motorists warned to be alert for deer stopping to feed PEORIA — After a semi hauling grain rolled over Tuesday on eastbound Interstate 474 near the Farmington Road exit, motorists in that area were advised to be alert for deer for a while. The accident occurred about 2:45 p.m. and sent large amounts of grain into the median and across the highway. Police said the driver, whose name was not available Tuesday night, faces charges including driving under the influ

Thomas J. Hammond, longtime chief executive of Portland-based exporter Columbia Grain, died Thursday in Portland after a sudden illness. He was 60. Hammond was head of the grain export company since 2000, and involved in the company's management since its very beginning in 1978. At Columbia Grain, a subsidiary of Japanese trading company Marubeni Corp., he led a company responsible for nearly 15 percent of all U.S. wheat exports. "This was a big shock to all of us. Columbia Grain was one

Panamax coal freight rates on established routes from South Africa's Richards Bay and Indonesia to India remained stable Friday, with a downward bias, as support from the South American grain season began to weaken, sources said. "Vessels are ballasting to the east coast of South America for the grain cargoes," a Singapore-based source said. He, however, said Panamax freight rates continued to remain weak with time charter rates seen at about $4,500-5,000/day and going up to $7,000/day.

In an effort to reduce paperwork for truckers while making Florida’s ports more enticing to those shipping globally, Gov. Rick Scott announced regulations were being cut to help move cargo through the Sunshine State. On Thursday, the governor’s office announced a series of administrative rule changes by the Florida Department of Transportation that are hoped to bring more trade through Florida’s ports. “In the last three years, we’ve invested $421 million in Florida’s ports to make our sta

Transport Topics Texas-based trucking companies expect to see faster sales growth at the start of 2013 but generally plan to be more conservative in their business expenditures this year, according to a new study by the Texas Trucking Alliance. About a third of companies surveyed said they expected to hire more truck drivers this year, while about 80% expect to invest in safety training and personnel, up from 37% last year. Larger companies — defined as those with 11 trucks or more — we

CDLLIFE.COM On Tuesday, federal agents raided a Mt.Crawford, Virginia, carrier. Today, more information is coming out about what prompted the raid. Since 2006, Beam Brothers Trucking has been under investigation by the feds. According to WHSV, affidavits show that workers reported that their supervisors made them lie about the hours they worked and falsify or create new logs. If drivers refused to falsify their logs, they were threatened with termination or their paychecks were withhe

By: Jessica Hepola, Menahga, Minn., INFORUM My husband is truly heroic. He is a semi-truck driver and thinks about everyone else before himself. In the midst of this horrific weather, he has reached out to help someone else. He was driving on U.S. Highway 10 heading to Fargo from Wadena, Minn., and saw that an ambulance was trying to get to the hospital. The plow truck that was in front of the ambulance went into the ditch. My husband, being the amazing man that he is, got on his CB and as

Steve Vockrodt Kansas City Business Journal The Edgerton City Council on Thursday approved the use of $7.5 million in industrial revenue bonds for a grain and feed loading facility. The DeLong Co. Inc. wants to build a multibuilding facility on eight acres of ground near 191st Street and Homestead Lane, near the Intermodal Logistics Park. The expansion by the Wisconsin-based company is expected to bring seven new jobs to the city initially with wages ranging from $45,000 to $75,000. The

The Montana Standard Darrell Berkheimer Inefficiencies in the trucking industry increase expenses for everyone, from the companies to consumers who purchase goods that have been delivered by truck, a local resident writes in his new book, “Abuses in Trucking, Why All of Us Pay More!” Click Here to Read Full

Sam Mattera Shares of Archer-Daniels Midland (NYSE: ADM [FREE Stock Trend Analysis]) traded higher in the after-hours session Thursday after Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway revealed a stake of 5.956 million shares in its most recent 13F filing. Shares of Archer Daniels Midland traded up nearly two percent after-hours. For those unfamiliar with the company, ADM is a food processing giant. Buffett has been active recently, earlier today partnering with Brazilian 3G to purchase Heinz (

The Trucker News Services 2/14/2013 LOS ANGELES — The trucking industry is utilizing technology to adjust to the increasing demands of fleet owners, drivers and maintenance professionals. In fact, “Technology is creating an eco-system that will forever change the industry”, says David Seewack, CEO of FinditParts.com. As technology is further implemented, he said, “The trucking industry is poised to see a surge in productivity, safety and profitability.” The digital arena is becoming inc

MT. CRAWFORD -- Several government agents were seen at Beam Brothers Trucking Tuesday afternoon. A WHSV reporter was at the scene when two special agents with the United States Postal Service approached her. They instructed WHSV to contact the U.S. Attorney's Office, but a spokesman with the U.S. Attorney's Office would not comment on the situation. From across the road, our reporter could see multiple U.S. Postal Service trucks drive up to the building and federal agents going up to truck

Fleet Owner The latest Shippers Conditions Index (SCI) from FTR Associates indicates continued tightening of capacity for shippers. The December SCI came in with a reading of -4.9. FTR said the trend is for continued tightening through the middle of this year with the SCI reading about five points lower by mid-summer. The Shippers Conditions Index is a compilation of factors affecting shippers’ transport environment, FTR said. Any reading below zero indicates a tough environment for shi

By Mike Frassinelli/The Star-Ledger One trucker was able to get three commercial driver’s licenses under three names, despite his license being suspended 64 times and his six DUI convictions. Another motorist was able to get a license to drive a bus by using the name of a dead man. Still another was a registered sex offender who got a license to drive tanker trucks under an alias despite his five DUI convictions, and another was an accused sex offender who was able to get a license to dr

by James Muñoz / KENS 5 SAN ANTONIO-- Alfred Turner has had his commercial license for four decades. He enjoys driving semi-trucks, but he never thought he'd be required to do group exercise. He said due to a bad left knee he's unable to perform some exercises full range. When required to put his full body weight on his left leg he had to lean against a truck. He claims for that reason his boss fired him last Thursday. "He said he fired me for leaning up against that truck," said Turner.

By JOHN O'CONNELL Capital Press BOISE, Idaho -- State commodity groups and the Idaho Trucking Association are backing a bill in the Idaho Legislature that would make permanent a 10-year pilot project increasing trucking weight limits on certain Idaho state highways. Idaho law restricts trucking weight limits on state highways to 105,500 pounds. On about 35 routes covered by the pilot project, set to expire in June, the limit is 129,000 pounds. Surrounding states including Wyoming, Montana,

Federal officials are not offering answers about their presence at a Rockingham County trucking firm. Agents from the criminal investigations unit of the Internal Revenue Service spent much of Tuesday at Beam Brothers Trucking in Mount Crawford. They ordered cameras off the property, and pointed reporters to the U.S. attorney's office for information. In a written statement, the prosecutor's office said it could not "confirm or deny the existence of an ongoing investigation." Beam Brot

February 12, 2013 12:32 PM By CHRISTINA STUEVE HODGES A Granite City trucking company is fighting a lawsuit against it after one of its drivers allegedly beat up another woman. Shelly Mains filed a lawsuit Dec. 20 in Madison County Circuit Court against Donna Conlee and PI&I Motor Express Inc., claiming Conlee attacked her at a steel products company on Northgate Industrial Drive in Granite City. According to the complaint, Conlee worked for PI&I Motor Express in December 2011. The

By THE MOTLEY FOOL in News The United States produced more than 13 billion gallons of corn ethanol in 2012 and is expected to produce a similar total in 2013. Where does it all go? Some is exported to Brazil and the European Union, but most goes into our fuel tanks. According to the Energy Information Administration, Americans burned 134 billion gallons of gasoline that contained 12.87 billion gallons of ethanol in 2011. Those figures would place the average ethanol content (by volume) of