Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

Truck driving is one of the riskiest jobs in the U.S., but the majority of professional drivers get through their careers without being involved in major accidents. The more skilled and safety conscious drivers are, the less likely they are to cause wrecks. But some things, like road designs, are out of a drivers control. Based on driver experiences, U.S. Department of Transportation data and harsh weather, these are the top five U.S. roads that truckers should avoid whenever possible.

The "Haulers of Agricultural and Livestock Safety Act" introduced by Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) would provide greater flexibility in transporting grain and livestock by modernizing the agricultural exemptions for hours-of-service.

The new Kansas Department of Transportation Short Line Rail Fund is part of Governor Kellys IKE Program, which will funnel five million dollars towards railway improvements for three years. These funds will aid in 13 renovations on three short-line railway systems, and build 15 miles of new track. Repairs will include increased capacity of bridges, improved elevator siding, and additional tracks, which will allow more grain cars to be filled at once.

Omaha-based Green Plains Inc. has sold the remaining 50% interest in Green Plains Cattle Co. LLC, for $80 million, according to an announcement from the company. Buyers are a group of investment funds that include AGR Partners and StepStone Group. The transaction was signed Oct. 9, 2020, with an effective date of Oct. 1, 2020.

In 1980 Democrats held the presidency and both houses of Congress. The 96th Congress marked a generation in which both the Senate and House had stayed blue. However, the economy overall had suffered the drawbacks of some 90 years of misguided industrial regulation and central planning from both parties. Moreover, Americans suffered from stagflation (prolonged stagnation and inflation), gasoline shortages brought on by a fickle foreign oil supply, limited options for transportation, and limite

According to the American Truck Business Services (ATBS) Mid-Year Independent Contractor Benchmarks and Trends Report, while some aspects of trucking, such as mpg, have improved since June 2019, revenue has seen an overall drop in the past year. While COVID-19 seems like the likely suspect, the report pointed to the drop in the fuel surcharge as the culprit. According to data from ATBS, the flatbed market has seen the biggest hit in 2020, dropping $0.18 in the between June 2019 and Jun

Son, daughter of trucking entrepreneur overcome heavy obstacles to drive family business along road to success. Resiliency is vital for business owners, particularly during times that test the mettle of the best entrepreneurs. Dan and Piper Titus, president and CFO-CEO of Page Trucking, respectively, know the value of being resilient after overcoming challenges that could only be viewed as humbling. The family has endured the untimely death of its patriarch, the founder of a business that has

Southern Ohio farmer Greg Corcoran says hes seeing grain quality issues in both corn and soybeans. The grain is not dried down to where we want to be, he says. We planted short-season early corn and its still holding a lot of moisture and were fighting soybeans that are still above 17 percent. Corcoran tells Brownfield his corn is at or above 25 percent moisture. Trying to dry 10-11 points out of the corn is taking a lot of inputs,&rdquo

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is currently accepting public comment on broker transparency issues and truckers have not held back in expressing their opinions. From now through October 19, FMCSA is accepting comments on two separate petitions regarding transparency in transactions with freight brokers submitted by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) and the Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC).

During the early months of the pandemic, when it seemed the whole world had shut down, truckers were still on the road, hauling essentials across the countryeven as trucking businesses writ large faced the sectors collapse. But these days, they are busier than ever. And that bodes well for recovery because trucking is one of the most sensitive sectors to economic change, and, according to Crains New York, tracks GDP closer than any other indicator. But whats inside

One fleet found that tankers equipped with brake-activated pulsating lights and steady-burning brake lamps were in 33.7% fewer rear-end collisions than those without the pulsating lights, leading FMCSA to allow more fleets to add another brake light.

Dennis Gilbert was driving his flatbed loaded with trees along the New Jersey Turnpike returning to his landscaping company in Piscataway, N.J., when something on the overpass caught his attention. As he got closer to Mile Marker 5, he noticed funky-colored lights on a pickup truck. He saw several guys and thought it was odd because it was March 26, the pandemic was in full swing, and the roads were empty. Not many people were out, especially at around 11 pm.

The council says U.S. exports of grain in all forms reached nearly 101 million metric tons, equivalent to 3.97 billion bushels, by the end of the 2019-20 marketing year.

The patented truck-trailer multi-tool was designed by 40-year truck veteran Mike Wade. With the lives of his fellow trucker community in mind, Mike designed Huckleberry's Hammers to be compact, lightweight, and virtually indestructible. "I've spent my entire career battling truck-trailer problems, a lifetime of on-the-road experience has been invaluable in the creation of Huckleberry's Hammers it's the ultimate truck driver's friend," explains Wade.

GOSHEN, Ind. Spending 35 years with one company is impressive. For a driver to accomplish that with a transportation company now thats almost unheard of. I got the sense right away when I started with AG Trucking in 1984 that they were a family- oriented company that truly cared about its drivers, said Rick Miller, who drove for the company for 25 years before transitioning to his current role as a recruiter for AG Trucking.

Sukup constantly strives push the boundaries of innovation, while maintaining the excellent customer service and high quality that the agriculture industry has come to expect of us as a family owned company, Steve Sukup, President and CEO of Sukup Manufacturing said in a news release. We are thrilled to again have achieved the mile stone of designing and manufacturing the largest freestanding grain bin in the world.

Thats the idea behind Pipeline Foods LLC, a Minneapolis-based company that after only three years is approaching $300 million in gross revenue and counts itself among the top five companies handling organic and non-GMO grains and ingredients. The company is 100% focused on developing the non-GMO and organic food supply system. They have 11 facilities across the U.S., Canada and South America.

CHS Community Giving and CHS Animal Nutrition are partnering with Oregon State University (OSU) Extension to provide 50 tons of CHS Payback(r) and Equis(r) feed for farmers and ranchers impacted by the recent wildfires that have ravaged communities across Oregon in recent weeks. The feed, valued at approximately $25,000, will be transported to centralized distribution hubs across the state, then dispatched to farms most severely affected by the wildfires.

FUNK, Nebraska Several farmers in the central Nebraska area were expected to be finishing up what's left of soybean harvest on Sunday. As beans flow through a local grain elevator, one farmer looks at the success of his crop this year.

Elevators such as Premier Co-ops are limiting access to their lobbies to prevent spreading the coronavirus.

For Shane Gray, a farmer from Waverly, it means getting the equipment ready. He also puts together a plan throughout the growing season as far as what levels of moisture youre willing to cut at.

In a long-awaited announcement, the European Union Monday stated it would approve Bayers XtendFlex soybeans for import. These multi-biotech traited soybeans feature tolerance to glyphosate, dicamba and glufosinate. With EU's approveal, Bayer plans for a full launch of XtendFlex soybeans in 2021. They will launch the product in the U.S. and Canada and is ready to supply 20 million acres of the product.

A major trucking show planned for next year will not be taking place due to lingering concerns over COVID-19.

Despite a rebound in unemployment, more than 1.3 million people in the trucking industry remain on unemployment, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. At its peak, the unemployment rate in March 2020 reached 14.7% though some estimate that the actual number could have topped 16%, as many many states were struggling to keep up with the influx of demand and some of those who were unemployed had to wait months to start receiving their unemployment benefits. As of August, 20

Bayer announced today that the European Commission has authorized XtendFlex soybean technology for food, feed, import, and processing in the European Union. This represents the final key authorization for XtendFlex soybeans that tolerate glufosinate (Group 10), glyphosate (Group 9), and dicamba (Group 4) herbicides. With this approval in hand, Bayer can fully launch the product in the United States and Canada in 2021 and expects to be in a strong po

The trucking industry is as healthy as it has been since 2017-2018 when the backdrop for carriers was strong, and the existing vigor might be the start of a multi-year upcycle for the industry, according to recent reports.

Trucking companies are reporting stronger freight demand as retailers and manufacturers move to restock depleted inventories, in a sign of strengthening corporate confidence in the U.S. economy. Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. and Saia Inc. both said this week that tonnage on their trucks was up

OMAHA (DTN) -- The fertilizer industry contributed over $130 billion and nearly 500,000 jobs to the U.S. economy in 2019. These are among the many highlights of the Fertilizer Industry Economic Impact Study released on Thursday by The Fertilizer Institute (TFI).

When you are hauling heavy materials like sand and cement, every bit of weight savings can significantly impact your bottom line. No one understands that better than Heil Trailer. Thats why this leading trailer brands latest innovation is a Two-Hopper Dry Bulk trailer designed with fleet performance and efficiency in mind.

According to estimates provided by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, more than 57 million bushels of permanently-licensed grain storage were seriously damaged or destroyed in the derecho. The co-ops estimate it will cost more than $300 million to remove, replace or repair the damaged grain storage bins.

Washington A coalition of roadway safety advocacy groups, in conjunction with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Department of Transportation challenging a controversial final rule FMCSA claims will add flexibility to hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers.

Imagine making a plan to order a new truck make, model, engine, transmission, even the paint color. Then imagine finding that truck on the lot of your favorite dealer, already built and ready to run. Thats how it happened for Ryan Tune when he found his 2016 Peterbilt 389 in November 2015.

Working into contracted freight is the goal of many an independent owner-operator looking to grow or increase stability. For most such operators avenues to such freight tend to flow through a brokerage. In a time like the present, it may seem as if contracted freight has lost some of its luster. Though with shorter-term contracts gaining more interest amid the ongoing uncertainty and volatility, there could be avenues for owner-operators to crack the nut of contract freight.

The U.S. Department of Labor announced a proposed rule that aims to clarify whos an employee and whos an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act, which could be good news for some trucking companies using owner-operators. The proposed rule adopts an economic reality test to determine a workers status as an FLSA employee or an independent contractor. The test considers whether a worker is in business for himself or herself (independent contr

On Sept. 9, ground was broken for a new $11 million barge loading and unloading terminal along the Missouri River at Mile 680.5 near Blencoe, Iowa, between Council Bluffs and Sioux City. According to the Sioux City Journal, wet weather moved the ceremony from the site of the new port to a nearby warehouse. The Blencoe facility will become the northernmost commercial port on the Missouri River, 760 miles from St. Louis. The port will be able to load or unload up to six barges at a time. A sing

The North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) would like to encourage owners of heavy trucks to use an online IRS Form 2290 to avoid penalties for late filing. The NDDOT was recently informed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that the timeline for processing of these forms has increased and could cause issues with meeting the filing deadline. This notice pertains to motor vehicle owners, operators and carriers of heavy vehicles registered at 55,000 lbs. or more per 23 USC 141(C) t

A group of U.S. Senators, led by Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), is asking that Congress not include any increases in liability minimums for commercial truck drivers in the next transportation reauthorization bill. The letter, sent to the leaders of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, asks the committee leaders to not further burden owner-operators and independent truck drivers by increasing the minimum of liability insurance from $750,000 to $2 million per truck.

The recent announcement of the sale of 35 operating U.S. grain origination elevators along the Mississippi River from Bunge North America Inc. to Zen-Noh Grain Corp. (ZGC), a subsidiary of the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations of Japan, has caused great frustration and concern for members of the Missouri Farm Bureau.

Life on the road can be challenging for long-haul truckers; they generally work for weeks at a time, sleep in a small area in the cab, and depend on truck stops for the restroom, meals, and showers. But for a price, some companies will make their trucks a little more like home.

Several trucking companies are collectively owed hundreds of thousands of dollars after a Texas-based motor carrier filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late last week. FALC Enterprises of El Paso, Texas, filed its petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Texas last Friday.

One of the biggest names in the trucking industry houses a unique division of elite truck drivers who get to handle some truly fascinating freight. Specialized Transportation became part of the CRST trucking family nearly a decade ago, and since then the company has become a long-term career destination for owner operators and lease purchase drivers due to the family atmosphere, high driver compensation, exciting day-to-day operations, and the small company feel.

The trucking industry is making gains in its fight against the plaintiffs bar and the increasing size of jury verdicts levied against motor carriers, but those in the trenches say the battle is not over. Last year, American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear announced that the trucking industry was waging war against excessive jury verdicts in accident litigation.

While a previous June waiver extension removed grocery and food loads from regulatory relief eligibility, NGA and its wholesaler members were able to successfully advocate for continued inclusion of food loads. NGA also pushed the agency to issue a long-term waiver, giving its wholesaler members greater confidence that these regulatory flexibilities would be available through the upcoming holiday season.

Unlike harvests in recent years, there is stronger export demand from China following the Phase One trade deal in which China agreed to buy as much as $80 billion worth of U.S. agricultural goods over the next two years. Youre going to see our supply chain tasked with having to do a lot, said Soy Transportation Coalition Executive Director Mike Steenhoek. Although this is a good problem to have, were anticipating that rail service will be ag