James Menzies

Diesel prices main trucking conditions headwind: FTR

Trucking conditions in the U.S. deteriorated in October due to rising diesel prices, according to the latest Trucking Conditions Index (TCI) from industry forecaster FTR. Freight rates remained the leading…

Trailer orders bounce as OEMs open more ’22 build slots

Trailer orders bounced back in November to 32,000 units as manufacturers became more comfortable taking 2022 orders. That marked an 89% increase from October, but was down 23% year over…

Who’s your Highway Star?

Every fleet has a highway star within it. But few are formally recognized for going above and beyond to represent the company they work for, and the industry they work…

Terminal tractors provide a good starting point for fleet electrification

As truck fleets begin to contemplate what a zero-emissions transport future looks like, an increasing number are eyeing terminal tractors as an ideal application to familiarize themselves with electrification. And…

Daimler Truck begins trading as standalone business

Today marks the first day Daimler Truck trades on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as a standalone business. The truck maker says it is the “start of a new era” as…

Toronto, Montreal transportation clubs join North American alliance

North America’s largest transportation clubs have joined to create the new North American Transportation Club Alliance (NATCA). Included are: the Traffic Club of Chicago; Los Angeles Transportation Club; the Traffic…

Goodyear looks to procure cleaner carbon black for tires

Goodyear has announced a collaboration agreement with Monolith, for the development and potential use of carbon black made from methane or biomethane. Carbon black is a key ingredient in tires,…

Mullen Group’s 2022 business plan reflects optimism

Mullen Group is projecting record revenue in 2022, and planning to reward its employees and shareholders, alike. In its 2022 business plan, the company said it anticipates further supply chain-related…

Daimler, Waymo to develop redundancy systems for autonomous trucks

Daimler Truck says it’s developing a scalable autonomous truck platform with redundancy systems, including braking, steering, the low-voltage power net, and network communications. If any of the primary systems encounter…

Class 8 orders plummet, but not due to slowing demand

New truck orders plummeted in November, but not because demand for new equipment has waned. Preliminary Class 8 orders totaled 9,500 units according to FTR, down 41% from October levels…

American Trends report indicates women drivers at all-time high

Women comprised a greater percentage of the U.S. trucking industry’s professional driver force last year than ever before, at 7.8%. That was one of the findings from the American Trucking…

Conditions for shippers not likely to improve soon: FTR

Conditions for U.S. shippers were unchanged in September, in negative territory at -6.5 according to the latest Shippers Conditions Index from industry forecaster FTR. August’s reading was -6.8, with market…

Globocam buys Garage Gilles Roy

Quebec truck dealer Globocam has announced it will acquire Garage Gilles Roy, a maintenance provider for Freightliner, Western Star and Manac trucks and trailers. The company says the purchase will…

Competition Bureau steps in on GFL’s acquisition of Terrapure

Competition Bureau Canada (CBC) has stepped in to potentially derail trash hauler GFL Environmental’s acquisition of rival Terrapure Environmental. The Bureau claims that prior to the $927-million acquisition, which closed…

Company drivers, owner-operators have different motivators: ATRI

New research from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) found company drivers and independent contractors/owner-operators are motivated and satisfied by different factors. More than 2,000 truck drivers were interviewed, two-thirds…