Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

http://www.trucker.com/business/freight-prospecting Every micro- and small trucking company owner has asked, How can I break the cycle of depending on brokers to find my freight? Many are tired of hauling wholesale freight and want to find direct ship customers so they can haul retail freight. However, making a cold call is extremely difficult and very stressful; most of the time, the pers

http://www.capjournal.com/news/under-commission-proposal-to-legislature-grain-buyers-face-quarterly-financial/article_8395e41e-fb4f-11e7-ae21-77584974d062.html A panel of state lawmakers Tuesday recommended South Dakota grain buyers file financial reports quarterly so regulators can keep a closer eye on them.

The US initiative is seeking to streamline the information transfer process for grain as it moves from the field to grain elevator and on to end users. https://www.feednavigator.com/Article/2018/01/17/AgGateway-steps-up-efforts-to-track-feed-grains-from-farm-to-elevator

https://sociable.co/business/chinese-blockchain-chickens-cricket-farm/ If you frequently visit a supermarket and have noticed a slow but steady incline on your shopping bill for the exact same products, no! you are probably not going crazy, this is just the harsh reality that food prices are going up

http://www.landlinemag.com/story.aspx?storyid=71567#.Wl4C86inGM8 Mississippi state lawmakers are back at work at the statehouse, and they are reviewing multiple bills that address speed limits. One bill from Sen. Lataisha Jackson, D-Como, would make Mississippi only the fourth state east of the Mississippi River to permit speeds higher than 70 mph.

http://www.trucker.com/trucks/new-mega-dealership-forms-freightlinerwestern-star TAG Truck Centers and the Lonestar Truck Group are merging into a single mega-dealership companied that will eventually operate under the name TNTX.

US farmers may consider planting less corn and more soybeans in future years, says economist as USDA production data is published. https://www.feednavigator.com/Article/2018/01/15/US-stockpiles-of-corn-and-soy-continue-to-increase

http://www.mydaytondailynews.com/business/freight-demand-causing-perfect-storm-for-local-trucking-industry/r3jTX9X9lNnDrg8qx1cHJO/ A stronger economy has helped area shipping and logistics companies grow and increased freight prices and the number of orders for new trucks, a local business owner says.

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/2018/1/14/food-safety-modernization-act-poised-to-hit-smaller-carriers-in-2018?utm_source=FreightWaves+Daily+Newsletter+Subscribers&utm_campaign=07af6edd82-EMAIL_CAM

http://herald-review.com/news/local/corn-based-plastic-developed-in-decatur-could-lead-to-new/article_0fbe9068-eac0-5227-9dc6-1a1e8bf17ee5.html DECATUR A pilot plant here at Archer Daniels Midland Co. is helping researchers figure out how to build a commercial-scale manufacturing plant for a plastic derived from corn, and loc

https://electrek.co/2018/01/14/tesla-semi-electric-truck-pre-order/ Tesla Semi, the automakers new all-electric semi truck, keeps accumulating more reservations from freight companies and fleet operators. Now a large UAE-based environmental & waste management company announced that it placed another important order for Tesla Semi trucks.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-corn-whitecorn/grain-glut-leaves-u-s-farmers-facing-losses-from-specialty-corn-idUSKBN1F033X CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. farmers who sought to boost revenues by planting corn used to make tortillas may be forced to sell their crops at a loss to makers of ethanol or animal feed because of a glut of what typical

http://www.ttnews.com/articles/trb-researchers-look-safety-relationship-between-pay-and-driver-fatigue WASHINGTON The wages earned by truck drivers are too low, forcing them to work long hours, according to a report presented to trucking industry researchers at the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board here.

https://www.agweb.com/article/tax-bill-encourages-farmers-to-sell-to-coops-could-hurt-big-grain/ The last-minute push to allow farmers to deduct sales to cooperatives could dramatically cut sales to big grain companies like Cargill, ADM and Bunge. Section 199A, which gives farmers the ability to deduct up to 20% of their total sales to cooperatives could make it more profitable f

http://www.landlinemag.com/story.aspx?storyid=71559#.WljtRainGM8 How long should one keep insurance documents? Seven years? Maybe 10? A recent appellate court case that relied on proof of insurance between 1961 and 1965 to get a trucking company off the hook for $9 million suggests to never get rid of any documentation, even from 50 years ago

http://bismarcktribune.com/business/local/eld-trucking-mandate-could-cost-livestock-producers/article_605499c1-7d77-5ffb-a153-3fdaa69ea130.html When Warren Zenker hauled cattle commercially, he and other drivers might stretch past allowed hours of service to go the last 100 miles and get the animals to their destination.

https://www.ilnews.org/news/statewide/new-law-reduces-number-of-truck-inspections-in-illinois-to/article_e8cee758-f560-11e7-870f-f7056e75bbca.html A new law that took effect Jan. 1 brings Illinois truck inspections in line with federal standards and reduces the number of required yearly inspections. The la

http://thefederalist.com/2018/01/11/3-reasons-truckings-new-driver-surveillance-rule-will-hurt-truckers/ On December 18, 2017, new regulations from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) came into effect. They require the use of onboard computers, known as Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs), for almost all commercial semi-trucks.

http://kticradio.com/agricultural/new-tax-law-could-give-cooperatives-advantage-over-private-grain-companies/ NASHVILLE, Tenn. (DTN) The law of unintended consequences has followed close on the heels of the new tax law, and it is coming down on private grain companies. Language added to the tax law in D

http://www.ttnews.com/articles/ag-industry-ports-adjusting-fast-changing-landscape WASHINGTON The agricultural industry and the ports that serve it are simultaneously working to respond to an evolving business landscape that includes everything from making room at East Coast ports for Neopanamax containerships to serving overseas demand for fresh fish, industry experts said here.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-agriculture-tax/u-s-grain-companies-fear-harm-from-new-tax-law-idUSKBN1EZ022?il=0 CHICAGO (Reuters) - The new U.S. tax law is poised to drive more control over the nations grain supply to farmer-owned cooperatives, provoking concern among ethanol producers and privately run grain handlers that they could be squ

http://www.trucker.com/technology/what-truckers-should-watch-out-2018 Truckers cant afford to ignore how autonomous technology, platooning, and electrified powertrains could alter the industrys fundamentals.

https://www.thepacker.com/article/tight-trucks-rising-rates-rattle-supply-chain With coast-to-coast truck rates peaking at over $10,000 in early January, transportation costs are up a whopping 20% to 30% above a year ago in some shipping regions.

https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2018/01/08/local-expert-higher-truck-rates-are-the-new-norm.html Trucking capacity was strained in 2017 due to multiple natural disasters and new truck driver regulations, which sent rates soaring. Now, a local industry expert explains why those rates won't be coming down.

http://www.ttnews.com/articles/can-bridges-handle-weight-platooning-trucks-engineering-firm-wants-know WASHINGTON While truck-to-truck communication, driver training and safety have advanced the effort to hasten platooning to market, another critical aspect is looming and just may cause momentum to pull back some: the impact on infrastructure.

http://www.limaohio.com/news/279190/soybeans-catch-fire-at-bunge-north-america-in-delphos DELPHOS Firefighters braved temperatures in the single digits Saturday night after a grain dryer caught the soybeans inside of it on fire.

https://www.feednavigator.com/Article/2018/01/08/Increased-inflation-could-shift-grain-prices-upward Weather conditions, export sales, feed demand and rising incomes may offer mixed potential for feed grain prices moving forward, say economists.

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/business/agriculture/4383199-trucking-firms-worried-electronic-logging-device-could-hurt-livestock SIOUX FALLS, S.D. Truckers hauling livestock have received a 90-day waiver from the Electronic Logging Device, or ELD, mandate, but the industry is hoping for a longer-term solution.

http://www.farmfutures.com/management/evaluating-our-truck-enterprise With the year end just behind us, I thought it was time to take a closer look at the numbers behind our trucking business. Lets cut to the chase: Fuel/oil/grease 3.2 cents per bushel Wages and associated taxes 5.9 cents per bushel Plates/licenses 0.4 ce