Transport Topics

Yellow Corp. on Aug. 7 announced it was seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and entering into an agreement that would secure sufficient financing for the nearly 100-year-old company to wind down operations. Yellow will seek to restructure its estimated $1.5 billion in debt, which includes more than $700 million owed to the U.S. government. The company’s operation includes 300 facilities, a fleet of more than 12,500 trucks and 42,000 trailers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

XPO saw second-quarter net income and revenue decline, but the company sees momentum headed into the third quarter. The less-than-truckload carrier on Aug. 4 reported that Q2 net income fell to $33 million, or 28 cents per share, compared with $141 million, $1.23, a year ago. XPO said Q2 net revenue declined 6% to $1.92 billion compared with $2.05 billion a year ago, but noted that revenue inched up 1% compared with Q1 and is showing positive trends early in the third quarter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Schneider announced that it is acquiring dedicated contract carrier M&M Transport Services. Based in West Bridgewater, Mass., M&M primarily offers specialty services for the retail and manufacturing customers, Schneider said in an Aug. 2 release. M&M has 500 trucks and 1,900 trailers across 12 U.S. locations in the Northeast, Midwest and Southwest. M&M Transport will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Green Bay, Wis.-based Schneider. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nikola began production of the Tre hydrogen fuel cell electric truck July 31 at its Coolidge, Ariz., factory, the company said. Phoenix-based Nikola paused production at the Coolidge complex in late May for a retooling. Previously, the plant manufactured Tre battery-electric trucks. When announcing the company’s first-quarter 2023 earnings May 9, Nikola said BETs would only be available on a “build-to-order” basis henceforth and its efforts would now be focused on fuel cell electric vehicles.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Local union leaders voted in favor of a tentative labor agreement that UPS Inc. and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters reached July 25, an important step forward in finalizing a five-year deal that covers about 340,000 full- and part-time workers at the Atlanta-based parcel carrier. The local unions on July 31 voted 160-1 in favor of the pact, and recommended it to the full membership for a vote later this month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Less-than-truckload company Yellow Corp. on July 30 shut down operations, ending a nearly 100-year history as one of the nation’s largest carriers, and the company began posting notices at terminals. The statement instructed union employees to contact their representative with the Teamsters union. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Walmart looked in-house to see who might want to learn how to drive a big rig for the retail giant. Walmart dangled first-year truck driver salaries of up to $110,000 and a 12-week training program for its Walmart and Sam’s Club store and warehouse workers. The first class with former retail employees graduated July 28 from a training center in Walmart’s Sanger distribution center in Denton County, Texas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Mexico border crossing in Texas for commercial truck traffic will reopen Aug. 7 after activity was suspended in May 2017. The Marcelino Serna Port of Entry in Tornillo, which is about 17 miles east of El Paso, is expected to see about 300 trucks weekly. At first, the cargo facility will operate Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but hours may change depending on demand, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

American Association of Port Authorities CEO Chris Connor announced he is retiring effective Oct. 1. Connor, 65, took over the post in the fall of 2019. He guided the organization through the supply chain tumult brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and then the ensuing recovery. Before joining AAPA, Connor served in a variety of capacities in the maritime and shipping industries, including as the global CEO of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics in Oslo, Norway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

UPS and the Teamsters union on July 25 reached a tentative five-year collective bargaining agreement that covers more than 340,000 workers, the company and the union announced in separate statements. The deal, which must now be ratified by the rank-and-file membership, staved off the possibility of a nationwide strike. A work stoppage by UPS workers threatened to wreak havoc on the economy. The union had voted to strike if a new contract wasn’t in place by the July 31 end date of the most recent agreement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Based on comments provided to a federal registry, many truckers believe a proposal to require side underride guards on heavy trucks needs more research, data collection and real-world testing. About 2,000 parties filed comments on the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration proposal, with many questioning whether the costs are worth the benefits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Truck maker Nikola agreed to sell its Phoenix Hydrogen Hub project to partner Fortescue Future Industries for $24 million, the companies said. Nikola teamed up with Australia-based FFI to develop the Buckeye, Ariz., project, with a memorandum of understanding signed in January. FFI has the funds and resources required to fully develop the green hydrogen project, Nikola said, and the companies are working on a fuel supply deal for Nikola’s Class 8 trucks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

UPS Inc. and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters jointly announced July 19 that negotiations between the two sides for a new labor contract for unionized workers will resume the week of July 24. No specific date or location has been announced, but the two sides said decisions on those details will be made soon. The high-profile negotiations broke down on the morning of July 5 after several days of productive talks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

U.S. medium-duty truck retail sales increased 22.7% in June compared with the year-ago period, according to Wards Intelligence data. Retail sales of Classes 4-7 trucks rose to 21,924 in June from 17,866 in June 2022, in what was the third consecutive month to see a year-over-year increase and the fourth overall in 2023. Sales also climbed marginally on a month-on-month basis, with 21,687 units sold in May. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform found that trucking in America is “under siege by litigation.” A review of 154 trucking litigation verdicts and settlements from June 2020 to April 2023 revealed a statistical mean plaintiffs’ award of $27.5 million and a statistical median award of $759,875 for settlements. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The transportation funding committee in the U.S. House of Representatives will consider a fiscal 2024 transportation bill July 18. The bill, which would dedicate $90.2 billion for the departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, was advanced by a subcommittee last week. The measure would provide $891.3 million for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, an agency tasked with regulating commercial trucks and buses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

UPS Inc. plans to train nonunion employees to help deliver packages in the event of a labor disruption in the U.S., underscoring the potential for a strike as a crucial negotiating deadline nears. The training sessions in the coming weeks won’t affect negotiations with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters or have an impact on operations, UPS said in a statement July 14. UPS is negotiating with the union, which represents about 340,000 UPS workers, to renew a five-year contract that expires at the end of this month and could lead to a potential strike on Aug. 1 if a deal can’t be reached. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

U.S. Class 8 retail sales rose 7.7 percent in June compared with the year-ago period. Sales dipped slightly from May, totaling 24,085 units. Daimler Truck’s Freightliner brand sold 8,991 trucks in June, the largest market share for the month, accounting for 37.3 percent of all sales in June.. Western Star saw the largest year-over-year sales increase, jumping 62.7 percent when compared to June 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The West Coast’s growing demand for renewable diesel and biodiesel fuel will drive petroleum diesel usage there next year to the lowest level in more than two decades, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. From January through April this year, diesel consumption in California, Washington and Oregon dropped to about 400,000 barrels per day, down from 450,000 barrels per day in 2000. Biofuels have become alternatives to diesel and are helping meet emission requirements set by California, Oregon and Washington. The EIA pointed out, however, that in the rest of the country, diesel consumption has risen to pre-pandemic levels. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

During an event on July 11 in Boston, Daimler Truck reported second-quarter sales gains across its business units and boosted full-year guidance based on the strength of global sales across the first half of the year. It also said it was launching a share buyback program for its investors. In a release, Daimler reported year-over-year Q2 gains for Daimler Truck North America, Daimler Buses, Daimler’s Asia division, and Mercedes-Benz. For DTNA, Daimler raised its full-year sales growth forecast to a range of 11% to 13%, up from a previous range of 10% to 12%. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices