Economy

Fleets achieving “record contract rates”: ACT

COLUMBUS, Ind. – About 7% of Class 8 tractors are currently unseated, with 62% of fleets reporting that as being higher than usual, according to a survey by ACT Research.

Trailer orders officially “epic”: ACT

COLUMBUS, Ind. – September trailer orders, totaling more than 58,000 units, were up 52% from August and 135% year-over-year, according to ACT Research’s State of the Industry: US Trailer Report.

Mack offers video option, explores electrification

TORONTO, Ont. – Reports of hot Class 8 truck sales tend to focus on the on-highway market, but don’t think about trashing the opportunities being realized in the refuse…

Truck tonnage softens in Q3

ARLINGTON, Va. – U.S. for-hire truck tonnage slid 0.8% in September, according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA). “Truck freight slowed at the end of the third quarter,” said ATA…

TFI agrees to buy Gorski, raises guidance

MONTREAL, Que. – TFI International raised its 2018 EBITDA guidance yesterday, due to a strong trucking environment. “The general freight environment is strong throughout North America, and all of our…

TFI International posts strong Q3 results

MONTREAL, Que. – TFI International capitalized on a strong trucking environment in the third quarter, posting its second straight quarter of record operating results. Operating income was up 107% year-over-year,…

Equipment manufacturers grapple with ‘new normal’ in trade

TORONTO, Ont. – Rona Ambrose didn’t have many comforting words for members of the Canadian Transportation Equipment Association (CTEA). Offering a keynote address during the association’s annual meeting, the advisor in recent NAFTA negotiations promised more trade uncertainty to come.

Congestion costs trucking industry 1.2 billion hours

ARLINGTON, Va. – Traffic congestion in the U.S. cost the trucking industry US$74.5 billion in 2016, a 0.5% increase over the previous year. That’s according to new research from the…

Hiway/Eskimo group acquires company, adds to leadership team

CALGARY, Alta. – Following the Hiway/Eskimo Refrigeration merger, the company has now acquired Chill Tech Reefer Services, and has added to its leadership team. Chill Tech, an independent transport refrigeration…

Aftermarket continues to be healthy, Vipar conference hears

MARCO ISLAND, Fla -- Times are good everywhere in the trucking industry and Chris Baer, president and CEO of Vipar Heavy Duty, confirmed that this applies to the aftermarket segment as well. “It’s a good time to be in the truck parts business these days,” he said during the company’s annual conference in Marco Island, Fla.

Industry bullish on economy: survey

TORONTO, Ont. — Canada’s trucking industry appears to be bullish about the state of the economy this year, findings of the monthly Today’s Trucking Pulse Survey show. Still, people remain…

Freightliner leads Class 8 sales

TORONTO, Ont. -- Truck orders continue their record-breaking pace this year, with the analysts at FTR expecting North American Class 8 truck production to reach 315,000 units in 2018. Next year the numbers are expected to reach 340,000 units. And recent truck sales figures from WardsAuto reinforce the promise of a record-setting pace.

Canada’s spot market sees more capacity, less freight

TORONTO, Ont. – Canadian spot market load volumes increased towards the end of September, but third quarter volumes were 29% off unprecedented Q2 numbers. Third quarter load volumes were only…

Carriers giving capacity to best customers

Driver shortage putting a lid on fleet expansion

Trailer orders shatter all-time high in September

Preliminary trailer orders in September totaled 56,000 units, setting an all-time high over the previous record in October 2014 by more than 10,000 trailers. September’s orders were up 59% from…