Kenworth Partners With Fastport, TCA on Recruitment of Military Veterans

KIRKLAND, Wash. — Kenworth Trucks Co. said it is partnering with Fastport and the Truckload Carriers Association in a bid to ramp up efforts to attract more military veterans to the trucking industry. As part of their agreement, Kenworth is showing its T680 model at local job fairs around the United States targeting veterans transitioning…

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Graves Urges Fuel-Tax Hike

WASHINGTON — American Trucking Associations President Bill Graves again told lawmakers that raising federal fuel taxes is the best approach for paying for infrastructure projects, a position congressional leaders charged with uncovering more funding reject. At a high-profile House Ways and Means Committee hearing June 17, Graves told the panel that infrastructure needs are constantly…

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Lack of Road Funding Hurts Efficiency Efforts, DTNA’s Daum Says

The head of North America’s largest heavy-duty truck maker said the U.S. government’s failure to sufficiently fund infrastructure is undermining efforts to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. “We can have the best truck, but if we have bad infrastructure, it’s not going to work,” said Martin Daum, president of Daimler Trucks North America. He…

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Gas Tax ‘Off the Table’ as Highway Funding Option, Shuster Says

House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) has ruled out higher fuel taxes or taxing miles traveled to pay for transportation, an announcement that narrows the options for a new road funding bill in 2015. “The president has ruled out a gas tax, I don’t think there’s a will in Congress and the American people…

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Don’t Push for Profitability ― Pull!

Operational costs consume much of the revenue a carrier can earn and is therefore suspect in being the biggest drain on profits for most carriers. The majority of operational costs are incurred the moment the driver is dispatched to the customer’s facility for a pick up or delivery. Along the way to the customer’s dock,…

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Motor carriers have chance to offer input on detention times in new ATRI study

Based on information provided by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), the research organization is asking motor carriers to chime in on the effect of detention times at shippers and receivers on safety and productivity. ATRI’s most recent data collection, “Detention Time Impacts on Industry Safety and Productivity, “ is phase two in an attempt…

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Lack of Federal Funds Hinders Plans for Highway Spending, States Say

When Mike Hancock surveys Kentucky’s highway network, he casts a worried eye on its major freight routes — interstates 65, 71 and 75. “As we look down the road, I can see that congestion’s going to become more of an issue in those corridors,” the state’s transportation secretary said. Indeed, the trucking industry estimates traffic…

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Loads Rise for 14th Month, DAT Report Shows

The latest DAT report of spot freight market activity showed a 32% increase in freight volume in September from last year, the 14th consecutive monthly increase. Van load availability rose 42%, refrigerated freight increased 24% and flatbed volume jumped 46%, according to the DAT North American Freight Index. Average truckload rates increased for all three…

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Federal, State Governments Need to Reprioritize Transportation Funding, Report Finds

Transportation departments nationwide must consider driving trends when investing in major projects, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group education fund recommended in a report identifying nearly a dozen instances of what it claims to be wasteful spending. Released this week, “Highway Boondoggles: Wasted Money and America’s Transportation Future” highlights 11 proposed projects the group claims…

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