Transport Topics

Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian and Amazon are in active discussions about ending the exclusivity provision of their delivery van deal, according to multiple media reports. Rivian is trying to remove the exclusivity terms from its Amazon deal due to a lower-than-expected order number for 2023. The two companies entered into an agreement in 2019 for Amazon to buy 100,000 delivery vans from Rivian by 2030. But Amazon only plans to buy roughly 10,000 EV vans this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The national average price for diesel slipped 3.5 cents to $4.247 a gallon, according to Energy Information Administration data released March 13. Diesel’s national average price has fallen for the past six weeks, totaling 37.5 cents, and for seven of the 10 reporting periods in 2023. A gallon of diesel now costs $1 less on average than it did at this time a year ago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

U.S. Class 8 retail sales in February jumped 35% from a year ago, and notched a slight increase from the prior month, Wards Intelligence reported. Class 8 sales for the month reached 20,136, easily besting the year-ago mark of 14,916 and outpacing January’s total of 19,932 units. Freightliner, a brand of Daimler Truck North America, led the pack with 7,368 trucks sold, accounting for a market-leading 36.6% share. All of the major truck manufacturers posted sales gains over the prior year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Class 8 truck orders rebounded in February, according to ACT Research. The orders in February hit 23,600 units, ending a month-to-month decline that started in October. Preliminary data from ACT showed orders rose 12% compared with the same period last year, when they reached 21,000 units. On a month-to-month basis, February orders jumped 28% from January. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trucking groups are renewing calls for the repeal of a World War I-era tax on the purchase of new trucks. American Trucking Associations, along with American Truck Dealers and the Zero Emission Transportation Association, are urging lawmakers to consider legislation that would undo the long-standing 12 percent federal excise tax, which can add thousands to new truck purchases. Since the start of the 118th Congress, transportation policymakers have yet to introduce a bill on the matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores founder Tom Love died yesterday at 85 years old. He grew the company from a single location to more than 600 sites. Love and his wife and business party, Judy, in 1964 invested $5,000 to lease an abandoned service station in rural Oklahoma. Now, the brand operates in 42 states. A statement from the Love family read, in part, “He loved people, and that was evident in how he guided our family, operated the business he started in 1964 and gave back to our community and organizations across the country that serve others.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Autonomous trucking company Embark Trucks announced March 3 it is winding down operations and is exploring a liquidation or sale. Embark said it is laying off 70% of its workforce — 230 employees — and is closing offices in Houston and San Francisco. It also indicated to the remaining 30% of the staff that they are being kept on to facilitate the company’s shutdown. Embark has had a rocky history lately. The next step may be a liquidation, and the company is actively looking for a buyer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Daimler Truck autonomous technology subsidiary Torc Robotics has signed an agreement to acquire Canadian artificial intelligence developer Algolux Inc. Torc cited its interest in Algolux’s intellectual property and expertise in computer vision and machine learning as reasons for the acquisition. Perception technology is critical in enabling Torc’s autonomous trucking system to correctly identify objects in difficult visual conditions, such as low light, fog and bad weather, Torc noted in a news release. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Federal Highway Administration has issued a final rule for minimum standards of electric vehicle chargers, but has chosen to not yet broaden the rule to include minimum standards for medium- and heavy-duty electric truck charging infrastructure. The agency said it did not want to issue a final rule for these trucks so as to not “pre-empt the pace of the technological innovation.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has scheduled this year’s International Roadcheck event for May 16-18, CVSA announced Feb. 28. This year’s event will feature an emphasis on anti-lock braking systems and cargo securement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ORLANDO, Fla. — The U.S. economy is poised for a short and shallow recession during the second half of the year, but circumstances specific to current economic conditions — including high interest rates, persistent inflation and a cooling housing market — make predictions more challenging than usual, said American Trucking Associations chief economist Bob Costello. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Top Republicans on the congressional transportation committees applauded updated policy guidance related to the implementation of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure law. A new memorandum from the Federal Highway Administration unveiled Feb. 24 affirmed state agencies’ active role in decision-making affairs specific to infrastructure projects. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

American Trucking Associations’ equipment showcase kicks off today and runs through March 2 in Orlando, Fla. The Technology & Maintenance Council Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition features study sessions, discussions, product announcements and the latest in industry innovations on display. This year’s theme is Root Cause Analysis. Go to ttn.ws/2023tmc for Transport Topics’ full coverage, including a photo gallery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transportation committees on Capitol Hill are planning in-depth examinations of the circumstances surrounding the derailment this month of a freight train in East Palestine, Ohio. With the rail industry contributing a key role to the country’s supply chain, a look at freight connectivity will be among policymakers’ focus during a series of upcoming hearings in the Senate and House. On Feb. 3, about 50 railcars on a Norfolk Southern train - many carrying hazardous materials - derailed, spilling their toxic contents and causing a massive fire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The chairman of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee is stepping up his push for the consideration of autonomous vehicle technology legislation during this session of Congress. Bob Latta, an Ohio Republican, has sought to establish a federal framework for assisting agencies and industries with the deployment of autonomous vehicles, and says other countries are getting ahead. “When we look around the world, other countries are out there right now testing,” Latta said. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The national average price of diesel fuel continues to slide, falling 6.8 cents a gallon to settle at $4.367 a gallon, according to Energy information Administration data released Feb. 21. Trucking’s main fuel has shed 16.3 cents over the past two weeks and 24.6 cents since the Jan. 30 reporting period. A gallon now costs 32.1 cents more on average than it did at this time in 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy issued a few executive orders to accelerate 100% clean energy by 2035 and offer new incentives for heavy-duty electric vehicles. Murphy’s mandates include allocating $70 million to lower upfront consumer costs for buying medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles. Another part of his plan will be to launch activities with stakeholders to adopt the Advanced Clean Cars II in New Jersey initiative requiring all new cars and light-duty truck sales to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BP Products North America is acquiring TravelCenters of America in a $1.3 billion deal announced yesterday. The transaction, valued at $86 per share, expands the reach of BP’s fueling station and off-highway convenience store network to include TravelCenters’ 281 truck stop and travel center locations across 44 states. TravelCenters businesses operate principally under the TA, Petro Stopping Centers and TA Express brands. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Florida lawmakers are readying a series of reforms aimed at frivolous lawsuits that target trucking companies and other small businesses in the state. The measures include eliminating one-way attorney fees and fee multipliers for all lines of insurance, modernizing Florida’s bad faith law, and installing protections to shield trucking companies and others from being subject to exorbitant lawsuit damages. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation is fighting back after a federal court ruling in September put a stop to its trucks-only tolling initiative following a suit from American Trucking Associations and two motor carriers.The tolls, which were supposed to bolster infrastructure funding, were dismantled shortly after the ruling came down. The state department of transportation filed a briefing document Feb. 10 with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, asking that the decision by District Judge William Smith declaring the program unconstitutional be reversed, and that oral arguments be held on the case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices