Transport Topics

U.S. Class 8 retail sales in December reached an all-time monthly high, Wards Intelligence reported. Sales rose 18% to 29,172 compared with 24,716 a year earlier, according to Wards. The numbers surpassed the previous peak for the year, 23,581 in August. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The rising number of people killed and injured in automobile accidents due to driving at high speeds is unacceptable, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said. Delivering the keynote address at the Transportation Research Board annual meeting, Homendy said transportation officials believe it is possible to reach zero highway fatalities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WASHINGTON — Nearly three years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chains and international ocean carriers have seen cargo volumes return to pre-pandemic levels. Now, many manufacturers are considering reshoring and nearshoring their operations to lower costs and make their companies less vulnerable to shipping interruptions, such as those they experienced in 2020 and 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Delaware’s Division of Motor Vehicles has launched an online self-certification option for commercial driver license holders to upload their Medical Examiner’s Certificate. “We expect this to be one of our most popular features on myDMV,” said Jana Simpler, director of the Delaware DMV. “It saves our CDL drivers time. It’s convenient. It’s easy and it gives our drivers peace of mind knowing their certification was updated and received by DMV.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Construction will move forward to ease congestion in western Maryland and improve regional freight transportation along Interstate 81 after Gov. Larry Hogan awarded the project a $100 million grant. I-81 is the main freight connectivity corridor in Maryland that links New York to Tennessee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Preliminary North American Class 8 orders in December were 30,300, marking the fourth consecutive month of year-over-year gains, ACT Research reported. Year-ago orders were 22,800. Orders in 2022 had remained below 2021 levels until an all-time record for any month was reached in September. Final numbers for December are due later this month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Federal Highway Administration announced $2.1 billion in first-round grants to repair economically significant bridges. The Large Bridge Grants were dedicated to the Brent Spence Bridge connecting Cincinnati and northern Kentucky, the Golden Gate Bridge in California, the Gold Star Memorial Bridge in Connecticut and four bridges that cross the Calumet River on the south side of Chicago. The Biden administration also said it has plans to make available $40 billion in future years for improvements to thousands of bridges. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Biden administration Cabinet secretaries Pete Buttigieg and Jennifer Granholm are headlining this year’s annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board. On Jan. 11, the secretaries of Transportation and Energy, respectively, will share updates about the implementation of a $1 trillion infrastructure law at the gathering in Washington of thousands of stakeholders and enthusiasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

C.H. Robinson CEO Bob Biesterfeld stepped down from his role, effective Dec. 31. He also held the title of president and was on the logistics company’s board of directors. Board chairman Scott Anderson is now interim CEO, effective Jan. 1, and the company has retained a firm to lead a search for a new chief executive. Biesterfeld had been with C.H. Robinson for 24 years, and CEO since 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the calendar flips to 2023, what’s ahead for driver recruitment, shipping rates and congressional action? Transport Topics takes a look in our Year in Preview stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The federal spending budget for fiscal 2023 includes an increase in funding for the Department of Transportation that is higher than the level requested by the White House. The $1.7 trillion bill — which advanced through the House of Representatives on Dec. 23rd after moving through the Senate the day before — allocates $106.3 billion to DOT and its agencies, $3.4 billion more than the agency received a year ago and $1.9 billion more than was sought by the White House. As of recording, President Joe Biden has yet to sign the bill, but is expected to soon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec. 17 marked Wreaths Across America Day, when volunteers lay wreaths on veterans’ graves at Arlington National Cemetery and at more than 3,700 other locations. Truck drivers play the vital role of hauling the wreaths, and the event highlights the many military members among their ranks. Notably, this year, the Senate also passed a resolution designating Dec. 17 as National Wreaths Across America Day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Dec. 20 announced more stringent clear-air standards for heavy trucks that the agency said are 80% stronger than current limits. Starting with model year 2027 trucks, the EPA’s new standards — the first update to its heavy-truck rules in more than two decades — will by EPA estimates reduce nitrogen-oxide emissions from trucks by more than 40% by 2040 and by nearly 50% by 2045, at which point it projects most of the regulated fleet will have converted to newer equipment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Truck tonnage inched up year-over-year in November, but for the second consecutive time declined on a month-to-month basis amid a tepid seasonal environment, according to American Trucking Associations’ monthly For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index released Dec. 20. The index rose 0.8% compared with November of 2021 but declined 2.5% compared with October. This followed a 1.2% decline from September to October. “For-hire truck tonnage saw the largest single monthly decrease in November since the start of the pandemic and a total drop of 3.7% in October and November,” ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trailer maker Great Dane announced its longtime CEO, Bill Crown, is stepping down Jan. 1. He will be replaced by company President Dean Engelage as part of a managed executive transition. Crown, who has been CEO for 25 years, said about the change, “Dean and I have worked closely together, and Dean has been a terrific leader and president for Great Dane. I step aside with confidence that Great Dane is in good and capable hands.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trailer orders in November hit the second-highest mark this year, ACT Research reported. They were at 39,000 compared with 32,103 in November 2021. This year’s best result was in August, with 47,860 orders. After snags in the supply chain for trailers over the past few years, the backlog-to-build ratios are near the 7.5-month mark, on average. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trimble announced it has agreed to acquire Transporeon, a cloud-based transportation management software platform focused on connected supply chain infrastructure, in an all-cash transaction valued at $2 billion. Trimble will acquire Ulm, Germany-based Transporeon, founded in 2000, from Hg, a leading software and services investor and current majority shareholder in the business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency said fuel efficiency in Class 8 trucks participating in its annual fleet study from 2018 to 2020 remained flat at 7.24 mpg after seven previous years of 2% annual increases. The study had been on a three-year hiatus, in part because of the pandemic, and a new report was released Dec. 13. NACFE Executive Director Mike Roeth said probable reasons for the lack of an increase in fleet fuel economy the past three-plus years include companies changing their routes to more regional runs versus longer over-the-road trips. Fifteen fleets participated in the study. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Class 8 U.S. retail sales in November were the second-highest this year and continued the trend since May of monthly gains compared with a year earlier, according to Wards Intelligence. Sales rose 39.5% to 23,075 compared with 16,539 a year earlier. August posted the best sales so far with 23,581. Year-to-date sales rose 14.2% to 225,163 compared with 197,224 in the 2021 period. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After two years of virtual competition due to the COVID pandemic, Rush Enterprises kicked off an in-person Tech Skills Rodeo competition again over the weekend. Rush employees compete in hands-on and written challenges to test their mettle in a range of categories. The three-day event culminates in an awards ceremony. More than a thousand Rush Enterprises employees will be competing, and about $300,000 in prizes will be awarded. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices