Transport Topics

Tensions between the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union are heating up as periodic, unannounced work stoppages occur at several ports and other locations, causing cargo disruptions across the nation. The actions have taken place the past several days at the Port of Oakland, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and the Port of Seattle. They are occurring as the sides have been negotiating for almost a year attempting to finalize a multiyear contract for the 22,000 unionized workers who load and unload freight at West Coast ports and more than two dozen warehouse locations. The labor discord has many in the transportation, retail and agriculture sectors worried about the continued availability of their shipments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The largest logistics company in North America has a new CEO. C.H. Robinson, which ranks No. 1 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest logistics companies in North America, has named Dave Bozeman to the position, effective June 26. Bozeman most recently served as vice president of the Ford Customer Service Division and vice president of enthusiast vehicles at Ford Blue of Ford Motor Co. He has over three decades of experience working for companies involved in supply chains, middle-mile transportation, manufacturing, digital and customer service. Scott Anderson has been serving as interim CEO since January. Anderson will continue to serve as a member of the board of directors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new report seeks to shed light on why so many truck drivers are leaving their jobs after failing a marijuana test — most likely accepting other jobs with lower pay rather than returning to the current nationwide driver pool that already is critically short. The report, from the American Transportation Research Institute, notes that some truck drivers who successfully complete a return-to-duty program still find it difficult to find truck driving employment, based on carrier survey data indicating that a segment of carriers will not hire truck drivers who have tested positive.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WASHINGTON — In a dispute about the pressure that organized labor can exert during a strike, the Supreme Court ruled June 1 against unionized drivers who walked off the job with their trucks full of wet concrete. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, writing for the majority, said the union failed to take reasonable precautions to protect the company’s concrete when the drivers went on strike.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With fewer than 60 days to go until the current labor contract expires, negotiations were set to resume June 5 between Atlanta-based parcel delivery giant UPS and members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents an estimated 360,000 UPS drivers and other workers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government’s auto safety agency plans to require that all new passenger cars and light trucks include potentially life-saving automatic emergency braking and meet stricter safety standards within three years. The May 31 announcement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration represents the agency’s latest move toward regulating electronic systems that take on certain tasks that drivers themselves have normally done.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Daimler Truck will join merging Japanese companies Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. and Hino Motors as part of an ecological tech alliance forged between themselves and their top stakeholders, the companies said May 30. Daimler Truck Holding, Mitsubishi Fuso, Hino and Toyota Motor Corp. announced the merger after concluding a memorandum of understanding focused on accelerating the development of advanced technologies. The focus will be on environmental, autonomous, connected and electric mobility technologies.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Embark Technology is set to be acquired by fellow autonomous vehicle software company Applied Intuition, the companies announced May 25. The deal puts the equity value at about  $71 million. Applied Intuition will provide an all-cash transaction as part of a definitive merger agreement signed by the companies. Applied Intuition aims to integrate internal tools, data and software assets gained in the deal to further improve its offerings for customers in the trucking and automotive industries. Embark is an autonomous trucking software company that was founded in 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A trade group representing independent contractors has begun a program to recruit and train working independent drivers to serve as “ambassadors” to educate lawmakers and others about their importance to the industry and the personal opportunities their jobs provide. The Coalition for Independent Truckers' key goal is to deploy ambassadors to head off efforts in state legislatures aimed at advancing laws that would reclassify independent owner-operators as motor carrier employees. American Trucking Associations and the Truckload Carriers Association are among groups that support the plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A package of supply chain-centric bills was advanced to the floor of the House of Representatives on May 23. The measures largely address safety, efficiency and resiliency in freight transportation. Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves, a Missouri Republican, said, “Today, the committee took action to strengthen our supply chain in numerous ways by removing regulatory barriers, improving supply chain efficiency and promoting smarter infrastructure investment.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Truck tonnage in April fell on both an annual and month-to-month basis as freight activity remains slow, American Trucking Associations said May 2. Tonnage slumped 3.4% last month to 112.7 when measured against the same period a year ago, and dipped 1.7% compared with March results, according to ATA’s seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index. The index was 115.8 in April 2022. ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said the year-over-year decline is the largest decrease since February 2021. The April annual decline follows a 2.4% year-over-year drop in March.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Volvo Trucks has signed a letter of intent to sell up to 1,000 electric trucks to a single customer in its largest EV order to date, the manufacturer announced May 22. The Gothenburg, Sweden-based truck maker said the deal with Swiss-based building services provider Holcim extends from now through 2030, with the first 130 trucks to be delivered in 2023 and 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Biden administration has shelved a plan that would have awarded automakers such as Tesla credits for using renewable natural gas to power electric vehicles. That proposal was excluded from drafted regulation setting biofuel-blending quotas for the next three years that is undergoing final review at the White House, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because the decision isn’t public. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Several dozen groups gathered in Washington to draw attention to supply chain projects in need of federal support, calling on policymakers to approve long-term funding as well as reform the federal permitting process. The Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors is pressing for further attention to projects that could be advanced with funding from the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure law President Joe Biden signed in November 2021. About five dozen freight projects would be enhanced by additional federal-level funding, the coalition indicated in a report.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amendments to the hours-of-service rule that went into effect in late 2020 may have increased flexibility for truck drivers, but the percentage of HOS violations rose “significantly higher” the first year of the rule’s implementation, according to a new analysis sent to Congress this month.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

U.S. retail sales for medium-duty trucks grew 16.2% in April compared with the year-ago period, according to data from Wards Intelligence. Total retail sales for Classes 4-7 trucks increased to 19,098 from 16,439. The results were the first year-over-year increase since a 3.8% gain in January.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal regulators have appointed nine individuals to serve on a truck-leasing task force that is charged with evaluating lease agreements in the trucking industry, including their potential safety and financial impacts on owner-operators. The task force will address areas that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said in a statement have long required more careful attention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A nonprofit called Resources for the Future recently released a study that found repeal of the federal excise tax on heavy-duty commercial vehicles should be a key tool in the United States’ push to reduce trucking’s greenhouse gas emissions through electrification. The report argues removing the currently 12% excise tax on medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks can reduce the purchase cost, and that would be part of the long-term solution to reducing trucking and the overall transportation sector’s emissions. These findings back industry demands of recent months, including from American Trucking Associations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

U.S. Class 8 retail sales in April increased 19.4% from a year ago but declined on a month-to-month basis, Wards Intelligence reported. Class 8 sales for the month reached 22,741 units, up from 19,052 in April 2022 but down 8.4% from the 24,823 sold in March. Truck retail sales have experienced a year-over-year increase every month this year. Daimler Truck North America’s Freightliner brand led the pack with 37.7% of market sales. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Peterbilt Motors Co. introduced its new Model 589 truck yesterday during an event at Texas Motor Speedway, transitioning its classically styled heritage model onto the same wider cab platform as other trucks in its lineup while staying true to the styling that resonates with the truck’s core buyers, the company said. The truck is set to replace the legacy Peterbilt Model 389. That truck, which debuted in 2007, will continue production through the end of the year. Production of the Model 589 is set to begin in January, with order books opening in August. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices