ECONOMIC TRUCKING TRENDS: Winter storms cause spot rate surge and truck buyers stepped up in January

Truckers hauling spot market freight through recent winter storms were rewarded with unprecedented rate increases, according to the latest data from truckstop.com. And the news was also good…

MicroVision acquires assets of bankrupt lidar supplier Luminar

MicroVision, maker of lidar for autonomous and advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) applications, has won a bid for Luminar under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in a move that says…

Carrier Integrity Pact looks to identify carriers that do things right

George Krasulja wants to bring integrity back to the Canadian trucking industry. Or, at the least, to recognize the carriers that do operate with integrity. The TransX director…

Commercial vehicle populations, aftermarket demand expected to grow

Conventional thinking suggests that when the Class 8 truck market is suffering, the aftermarket is thriving. As fleets extend lifecycles – and they are – it stands to reason…

ECONOMIC TRUCKING TRENDS: Trailer market comes to life, Class 8 fleet older than it’s been in a decade

Trailer buyers stepped up in December, possibly in an attempt to get ahead of tariff pass-throughs. The Class 8 fleet continues to age and is older than it’s…

Frustration, confusion over tariffs on display during Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue

It was the topic no one at Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue wanted to talk about, but one that couldn’t be avoided. And it wasn’t long into the day…

Cummins rolls out new Meritor brake pad, recognizes top Euclid brand ambassadors

Cummins introduced a new Meritor air disc brake pad that it says is compatible with 70% of the Class 8 truck and trailer market, in both linehaul and severe-service…

Fleets turning to value parts, online shopping with budgets under pressure

The name on the box is less important to aftermarket parts buyers than it has been in the past, as they are more likely to switch brands or try…

US fleets ‘cautiously optimistic’ about 2026 but in no rush to order equipment

If the mood among fleets at Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue the past two years was “uncertainty,” this year it has shifted to “cautious optimism.” “Last year, we had…

How DTNA is evolving aftermarket offerings in response to tariffs, extended trade cycles and online shopping

“If you’re sourcing from high-tariff countries, I can’t overstate enough the importance of actively working to find nearshore and onshore opportunities.” That was the message from Drew Backeberg,…

ECONOMIC TRUCKING TRENDS: Trucking sentiment improving, reflecting ‘cautious optimism’

The mood in trucking is improving, ever so slowly, based on the latest reports to cross our desks. ACT Research characterizes it as ‘cautious optimism’ as clarity around EPA27…

Via train hits two semi-trailers in Quebec, no injuries reported

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada and CN police are investigating after a passenger train with more than 100 people aboard hit two truck trailers and derailed northeast of…

Here Technologies building precision AI mapping tools for fleets, down to the “last meter”

Last-mile mapping is yesterday’s news. Here Technologies said it can deliver last-meter mapping for automotive and commercial vehicle manufacturers requiring greater precision. That means a truck can not…

Clarios solving trucking problems through battery connectivity

When Clarios began offering connectivity services for its 12-volt batteries, it took a call from a fleet that was struggling with its trailer batteries. Its first response was, trailers…

Ottawa keeps approving trucking LMIAs and asking questions later

The federal government says it’s cracking down on abuse of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. I spent some time over the holidays looking at government…