A growing economy and the approaching holiday shopping season makes this a great time for the commercial truck industry. As the largest carrier of goods in the country, according to the American Trucking Associations, commercial trucks benefit greatly from any growth in the economy, which has been the case for the past few years. The United State鈥檚 economy increased by 3.5 percent during the months of July, August and September 鈥� the third fiscal quarter of 2014 鈥� due in large part to growth in business investments and export sales. The U.S. Commerce Department reported the third…
Category: Blog
New wave of growth headed for trucking industry
The commercial truck industry has seen steady growth for the past few years, but the industry appears to be entering a new wave of increased shipping due to the upcoming holiday shopping season and the growth that is expected to come in 2015. Economic gains in the second and third quarters of 2014 have helped drive growth in the commercial truck industry and could continue to drive up demand for more CDL trained truck drivers. 鈥淭he U.S. Commerce Department reported the third quarter gain in October, which followed a period of growth in the second quarter of the…
More trucks means bigger need for cleaner engines
With thousands of new trucks hitting the road each month, environmental agencies and trucking officials are mindful of the need for cleaner engines. 鈥淭he U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has made $9 million in grant funding available for clean diesel projects to reduce diesel pollution and emissions exposure from the nation’s existing fleet of diesel engines,鈥� reports TruckingInfo.com. 鈥淭he funding comes from EPA鈥檚 Diesel Emission Reduction Program, targeting what the agency says are the most cost-effective projects and fleets operating in areas designated as poor air quality areas. Under this funding, EPA anticipates awarding between 10 and 20 assistance agreements.…
Truck leaders want more from transportation plan
The President鈥檚 long-term transportation plan isn鈥檛 getting a complete nod of approval from the nation鈥檚 trucking leaders. 鈥淎 national coalition of transportation companies said it supports major components within President Obama鈥檚 four-year $302 billion transportation plan released this week, however, there is one area in which it disagrees,鈥� TruckingInfo.com reported last month. 鈥淭he Trucking Alliance, also know as The Alliance for Driver Safety & Security, is urging Congress to create new revenue for the nation鈥檚 infrastructure by increasing the federal diesel fuel tax rate, rather than giving states more authority to toll highways, as President Obama鈥檚 plan would do.鈥�…
Highway funding solution proposed as more trucks hit the road
As more trucks hit the road, lawmakers continue to look for a way to respond with much-needed highway repairs. 鈥淗ouse Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) [last month] proposed a transfer of almost $20 billion from the general tax fund to help sustain transportation funding until next April,鈥� reported the Washington Post. 鈥淭he funding would provide a bridge that would allow more than 117,000 transportation projects that employ 700,000 workers nationwide to continue through the year.鈥� The Washington Post also reports that 鈥淲ithout the transfer, federal officials have warned that money for the nation’s major transportation…