Transportation Topics

Retail sales of medium-duty trucks totaled 19,991 units in April, a 7.9% increase from a year earlier, WardsAuto.com reported May 13.

Durable goods orders rose 2.9% in April for the fourth gain in five months, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

China's Dongfeng Motor Group Co. will spend $146 million to build a heavy truck factory in that country's Hubei province, Bloomberg reported.

The Teamsters union'snbsp;rank-and-file membershipnbsp;has rejected a proposed 15% wage cut at ABF Freight System, the two sides said.

Rising demand will push oil prices past $108 per barrel by 2020, the Department of Energy said.

New orders for heavy-duty trucks increased 91% in April, from the same month of 2009, ACT Research Co. reported.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called Canada's offer to pay up to $550 million for the U.S. side of a proposed new bridge between Detroit and Ontario "quite extraordinary," the Canadian Press reported.

Consumer confidence grew this month to its highest level since March 2008, the New York-based Conference Board reported.

WASHINGTON - Flanked by truck manufacturers and industry executives, President Obama signed a first-of-its-kind order Friday clearing the way for medium and heavy-duty trucks to meet more stringent fuel economy targets.

Third-party logistics provider AutoInfo said its first-quarter earnings rose to $425,000, or 1 cent a share, from $219,000, or 1 cent, last year.

Wal-Mart Stores is seeking to take over its U.S. transportation services from suppliers in an effort to reduce the cost of hauling goods, Bloomberg reported Friday.

Third-party logistics provider Ceva Logistics reported an increase in first-quarter revenue compared with the same time in 2009.

Iteris Inc., which makes lane-departure warning systems for the trucking industry, said its fiscal fourth-quarter profit fell from a year ago.

Intermodal rail traffic continued to rise last week to its highest level since fall 2008, the Association of American Railroads said.

Officials are urging motorists to avoid the Washington, D.C., area Capital Beltway this weekend near the new Wilson Bridge in Virginia, warning that traffic will be reduced to a single lane and could back up traffic for 10 to 15 miles.

Federal officials have granted Boston a 45-day extension to keep restrictions in place on where trucks carrying hazardous materials can travel in the city.

The American Transportation Research Institute released an analysis that found that the majority of commercial vehicle crashes occur during the first eight hours of driving.

An index of leading economic indicators dipped 0.1% in April, the New York-based Conference Board said Thursday.

Manufacturing levels in the Philadelphia region expanded in May, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said Thursday.

Oil prices continued to fall early Wednesday, dropping under $68 a barrel a day after closing below $70 for the first time in eight months, Bloomberg reported.