03 Jan Editorial: End the Meal-and-Rest-Break Debate Now that we finally we have some resolution on the issue of whether interstate truck drivers must follow federal or state rules regarding where and when they can take meal and rest breaks, it’s time to stop the legal wrangling and move forward. Read more...
03 Jan White House Says Shutdown Trims 0.1% From GDP Every Two Weeks The ongoing partial government shutdown will cut U.S. economic output by about 0.1% every two weeks, the chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers said. Read more...
03 Jan Union Sues GM, Says Laid-off Workers Should Replace Temps DETROIT — The United Auto Workers union is accusing General Motors of violating a national contract by using temporary workers instead of employing full-timers who were laid off from its factories. Read more...
03 Jan Trump, Congress Eye Possibility of Infrastructure Bill in 2019 While the new Congress and the White House kick off 2019 in the midst of a partial government shutdown, President Donald Trump and the leadership of the U.S. House and Senate have acknowledged that authorizing funding for infrastructure projects will be atop their legislative priorities. Read more...
03 Jan Nancy Pelosi Elected House Speaker by Democratic Majority WASHINGTON — Nancy Pelosi knew this moment would come, even if others had their doubts — or worked to stop her. Pelosi was elected Jan. 3 as House speaker, the only woman who has held the office and now one of few elected officials who will be returning to it. Read more...
03 Jan Used Class 8 Prices Rise as Inventory Tightens and Demand Slows, ACT Reports The price of the average used Class 8 truck in November rose by $8,000 to $47,675 compared with a year earlier as inventory tightened, ACT Research Co. reported, noting demand for the vehicles is slowing in some quarters. Read more...
03 Jan Robots Aren’t Yet Killing Off All Our Jobs, World Bank Says The rise of automation has so far had a negligible impact on jobs at a global scale, the World Bank chief economist said, despite common gloomy predictions that humans are set to be replaced by machines. Read more...
03 Jan CVSA Complains of Too Many FMCSA Regulatory Exemptions Federal trucking regulators are exempting too many motor carriers from electronic logging device requirements and other regulations, creating “confusion and inconsistency in enforcement,” according to the organization representing roadside commercial vehicle inspectors. Read more...
03 Jan Driver Turnover Falls at Large TL Carriers The third-quarter turnover rate at large truckload carriers fell 11 percentage points to 87%, marking its lowest point since the first quarter of 2017 when it was 74%, American Trucking Associations reported. Read more...
03 Jan China Said to Be Back for US Soy as Trade Talks Scheduled China is back in the market for U.S. soybeans after taking a holiday break as Washington and Beijing plan more trade discussions. Read more...