Emco Wheaton boosts sales, service levels

Emco Wheaton has strengthened its sales team across the United States, Canada, and Latin America as part of a new drive to raise levels of customer service and technical support for its range of loading arms and associated equipment....

Trucking Conditions Index falls in April

FTR’s April Trucking Conditions Index, as reported in the June Trucking Update, fell to a reading of 7.57 from a March reading of 13.30....

Safety expert casts further doubt
on FMCSA hours-of-service studies

An internationally recognized safety researcher said the cache of studies submitted in an extraordinary manner by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to support its hours-of-service proposal contained many problems and couldn’t be relied on to support the agency’s proposed changes....

Mack will boost production at PA plant

Mack Trucks Inc announced that, primarily due to increased demand for Mack Pinnacle model highway trucks, the company will boost production at its Macungie PA truck plant in August 2011 and hire approximately 300 people to support the increase. Because of recent recalls of employees laid off during the truck industry’s downturn, all of the additional personnel will be new hires....

Stena Bulk invests in three LNG tankers

Stena Bulk is on the offensive again—this time in the transportation liquid natural gas. ...

Blackwater Midstream intends
to acquire Salisbury MD terminal

Blackwater Midstream Corp has entered into a letter of intent to acquire a liquid terminal facility in Salisbury MD for $1.6 million. The acquisition is expected to be completed within the third quarter of 2011. ...

Gamajet PowerFLEX tank cleaning machine
offers 400-plus times more cleaning force

Gamajet Cleaning Systems announced the release of the PowerFLEX tank cleaning machine. The PowerFLEX offers 400-plus times the cleaning force of a standard sprayball at the same pressure and flow. ...

ATA urges lawmakers, regulators
to respect business agreements

The American Trucking Associations board of directors called on policymakers to respect contracts between carriers and shippers and abandon proposals to interfere in those arrangements....

Viking Pump creates historical museum

In honor of its 100-year anniversary, Viking Pump has created a historical museum highlighting the innovations on which the company was founded. ...

Truck capacity reaches six-month high

For the week ending May 14, spot market truck capacity recorded the highest volume for a single week in the past six months as truck availability increased 8.0% nationwide on TransCore’s DAT Network of load boards. Truck postings for all equipment types rose: flatbeds are up 8.4%, refrigerated vans rose 8.3%, and dry vans increased 4.9%, week-on-week. ...

Great West Truck Show set for Las Vegas

The Great West Truck Show will be held June 9-11, 2011, at the Las Vegas (NV) Convention Center. Some of the events at the 2011 GWTS include the Custom Rigs Pride & Polish Truck Beauty Competition, educational seminars sponsored by the California Trucking Association, and exhibits from hundreds of industry manufacturers and suppliers. ...

ATA forecasts trucking gains through 2022

After a dip during the recent recession, the US freight economy, particularly for trucking, is projected to grow significantly in the years ahead, according to American Trucking Associations’ US Freight Transportation Forecast to 2022....

CVSA’s 2011 Roadcheck campaign will run June 7-9
, By Charles E Wilson

If it’s June, it must be time for the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual International Roadcheck safety blitz...

National Tire Safety Week spotlights tire maintenance
, By Charles E Wilson

The Department of Transportation (DOT) hopes to put the spotlight on tire safety this week. National Tire Safety Week runs from June 5-11, and coincides with the begining of the heavy summer driving season...

ATA Truck Tonnage Index sinks 0.7% in April 2011

The American Trucking Associations’ advance seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index decreased 0.7% in April 2011 after gaining a revised 1.9% in March 2011. March’s increase was slightly better than the 1.7% ATA reported April 26, 2011. The latest drop put the SA index at 114.9 (2000=100) in April, down from the March level of 115.6...

Velocity Midstream signs agreement with Shell Western E&P for services

Velocity Midstream Partners LLC has secured long-term commitments from Shell Western E&P for transportation and terminal services for Shell’s light oil and condensate production from the Harrison Ranch (also known as the Piloncillo Ranch) in Webb and Dimmit counties, Texas...

TMW Systems acquires routing and scheduling software provider Appian

TMW Systems has acquired Appian Logistics Software, which has offices in Oklahoma City OK...

Hybrid Truck Users Forum set for October

The nation’s advanced-trucking eyes will focus on Baltimore MD in October 2011, when the city hosts the 11th annual Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF) national conference, CALSTART announced...

Buckeye not acquiring BP’s 50% interest in Inland Corporation

Buckeye Partners LP reported that its previously announced acquisition of refined petroleum products terminals and pipelines from BP Products North America Inc and its affiliates will not include the purchase of BP’s 50% interest in Inland Corporation for $60 million...

Blackmer pump designed for use with DEF

Blackmer has announced the availability of a new positive displacement sliding vane pump model—the STX1220A-DEF—that has been designed specifically for use in applications that require the handling of Diesel Exhaust Fluid ...

Economy looking great for tank truck carriers

Tank truck carriers are outpacing the rest of the trucking industry, according to Bob Costello, chief economist for the American Trucking Associations. He delivered that optimistic economic assessment May 23 during the National Tank Truck Carriers 63rd Annual Conference in Baltimore MD...

Transportation, logistics firms shift M&A focus to infrastructure, consolidation

Buoyed by strengthening capital markets, growing interest from financial investors, and stronger corporate balance sheets, the transportation and logistics industry is poised to reach robust levels of deal flow by number of deals over the course of 2011, according to Intersections, a quarterly analysis of global merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the transportation and logistics industry by PwC US....

Distrigas LNG goes to Connecticut station

Distrigas of Massachusetts LLC, a subsidiary of GDF SUEZ Energy North America, announced that it is providing LNG (liquefied natural gas) to the first LNG refueling station east of the Mississippi River....

FTR Shippers Condition Index sinks in May

FTR Associates’ Shippers Condition Index (SCI) as reported in the firm’s May Shippers Update fell to a reading of –11.4, reflecting tightening capacity and accelerating transport costs. The SCI sums up all market influences that affect shippers; a reading above zero suggests a favorable shipping environment, while a reading below zero is unfavorable....

Chemistry council honors Westway unit

Westway Group Inc announced that Westway Terminals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the company, received the Responsible Care Partner of the Year Award. ...