Transport Topics

January Class 8 sales were up 34.2% year-over-year. Sales hit 19,932 compared with 14,857 a year earlier. The latest sales figures came off a record high of 29,172 for December. Freightliner led the pack with the most sales, and all the major truck manufacturers saw an increase in sales year-over-year in January. In addition to the major manufacturers, Tesla sold 30 trucks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

U.S. Xpress Enterprises says it increased revenue but earnings fell during the fourth quarter of 2022. The truckload carrier posted a net loss of $10.5 million for the three months ending December 31st. That compared with a loss of $4.98 million during the same time the previous year. But total operating revenue increased 2.1% to $542.5 million from $531.6 million. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The transportation sector experienced an estimated 20% jump in reported cargo thefts amid changing criminal tactics in 2022, with the largest portion of those coming in the fourth quarter. A study by CargoNet put the estimated total loss value in 2022 at $223 million. The average value of cargo stolen in an event was more than $200,000. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

North American Class 8 orders in January hit 18,400 units, which was down 13.6% from the same period last year when they were 21,300. That’s according to Act Research. Supply chain issues early last year disrupted normal operations among truck makers, and orders didn’t start picking up steam until about midyear. September peaked at an all-time record of 53,700 units, and orders have been steadily going down since. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh is leaving the Biden administration to become executive director of the National Hockey League Players’ Association, according to reports. Walsh would become the first member of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet to step down. Deputy Secretary Julie Su is expected to become acting head of the agency. Walsh led the agency as it attempted to require COVID-19 vaccines at workplaces and update rules on whether workers should be considered independent contractors or employees under federal wage law. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Biden delivers his State of the Union address from the U.S. Capitol tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern Time and is expected to champion recent progress made with the country’s infrastructure, including projects beneficial to the freight industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Department of Transportation over the past year has undertaken a variety of actions related to guidance and rulemakings that officials say will lay the groundwork for reducing the number of fatal crashes on U.S. roadways. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Old Dominion Freight Line capped a record-setting year with revenue and earnings increases in the fourth quarter of 2022, the company reported Feb. 1, one day after revealing its leadership transition plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LAS VEGAS — Daimler Truck North America has unveiled its SuperTruck II high-efficiency tractor-trailer combination, featuring freight efficiency gains that the company said are built around equipment and components central to real-world tractor-trailer operation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Even with a stronger-than-expected 2.9% fourth-quarter increase in gross domestic product, two of the nation’s most prominent freight transportation economists say the threat of a recession will persist this year. Bob Costello, American Trucking Associations’ chief economist, and Rajeev Dhawan, director of the Economic Forecasting Center at Georgia State University, said, however, that the economy continues to perform at a strong level. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Legislation that would dedicate funds to expand truckers’ access to parking nationwide was recently introduced in the House of Representatives. The Safer Highways and Increased Performance for Interstate Trucking, or SHIP IT, Act, introduced by Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Jim Costa (D-Calif.), would approve nearly $800 million through fiscal 2026 for parking projects connected to commercial vehicle operations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of America’s iconic structures is getting a big boost in federal funding. The Department of Transportation announced the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco will receive $400 million earmarked toward making the span more resilient to earthquakes. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the bridge, which was built in 1937, is a vital link for supply chains, including waterborne freight at the Port of Oakland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nearly 41,000 truck drivers tested positive for marijuana in 2022, a 32% increase over 2021, according to a report recently compiled from data in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. Truck drivers who test positive for marijuana — and other drugs — are prohibited from driving, and must enter a “return-to-work” process and retest to get back behind the wheel. As of Jan. 4, 91,000 of the more than 166,000 drivers who failed at least one drug test have yet to enroll in the return-to-work process. Only about 46,000 have completed the process and are eligible to drive again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Used Class 8 vehicle sales in December declined 2.4% from a year ago, but increased slightly from the prior month, ACT Research reported. The average retail sales price was $80,385 compared with $82,341 in the 2021 period, according to ACT. The estimated retail volume in December was 21,100 units compared with 22,800 a year earlier. But that is up from the 20,100 units sold in November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Truck tonnage rose 3.8 percent in 2022 compared with the prior year, posting the highest year-over-year gain in four years despite closing out with modest December results, American Trucking Associations reported. ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said the annual gain was the strongest since 2018 and marked the 16th consecutive year-over-year increase. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kodiak Robotics has landed a top industry executive for its role of chief operating officer. James Reed, who had been CEO at USA Truck for six years, will join the autonomous trucking company. USA Truck said Reed was selected based on his experience in trucking, technology and finance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trailer maker Wabash last week announced two long-term agreements. One is with Ryerson, a value-added processor and distributor of industrial metals for 10 years, marking its importance as a strategic supplier partner to the manufacturer. The other is a multiyear supply agreement with carrier J.B. Hunt. The long-term order agreement with J.B. Hunt couples with Wabash’s earlier 10-year agreement with aluminum supplier Hydro, to provide certainty that it can meet pent-up demand as its additional dry van capacity comes online in early 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trailer orders surged to the second-highest level in more than 25 years, ACT Research recently reported. Net orders were 57,300 compared with 26,382 a year earlier. The all-time high is 57,790 set in September 2018. ACT reports there were 361,500 net orders placed in 2022, exceeding the previous year’s level of 249,400. About 306,000 trailers were built in 2022, and ACT’s projections point to a continued upward trend in 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Medium-duty sales in December fell by 6.2% year-over-year, according to Wards Intelligence. This tops off a trend for the year; medium-duty sales posted only one positive month in 2022 compared with 2021, in August. Act Research’s Steve Tam said that despite those drops, the medium-duty market is quite stable. But it’s still affected by some of the supply chain challenges plaguing manufacturers that also make Class 8 vehicles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The National Transportation Safety Board made a series of recommendations to help lower the number of alcohol- and drug-related crashes on the nation’s roads. NTSB researchers found alcohol remains the most-often detected drug in impaired driving incidents, and cannabis is the second most common. Some of the recommendations include requirements that cannabis products have warning labels, modifying laws to allow for different ways to drug test and allowing the use of electronic warrants to obtain biological specimens during impaired driving arrests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices