While unemployment in the U.S. fell in August, the trucking industry added no jobs, and the number of jobs added the month before was revised sharply lower, according to the U.S. Labor Department.
August saw Class 8 orders rise to their highest level in three months with a preliminary reading of 19,500 units (+20%y/y). The August seasonal factor is the third lowest in 2013. When applied, August’s seasonally adjusted Class 8 order total rises to 22,000 units. The August SA reading represents the third best order month in the past 20.
If you’re skeptical about the future of natural gas in trucking, meet Thomas O’Brien, president and CEO of TravelCenters of America.
Trucking companies, drivers and the general public who share the road with trucks would all benefit from an approach that treats truck driver health as an ongoing project rather than every-other-year paperwork – and the new National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners could be a step in that direction.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is setting an Oct. 1 deadline for compliance with new requirements for brokers and freight forwarders. In a Federal Register notice Thursday, the agency laid out its plan for implementing the terms of last year’s highway law, including a $75,000 bond requirement.