Connecticut backs down from zero-emission mandate timeline

Connecticut has backed off a plan that would ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035 and the American Trucking Associations (ATA) has welcomed the news. Responding to the “growing…

Lack of regulatory support, excess capacity weigh on trucking industry

Frustrations over the misclassification of employee truckers as personal services businesses — the so-called Driver Inc. model — are mounting as a tough freight market has heightened the impact the…

Economic Trucking Trends: More capacity must leave before truckers feel relief

It was a busy couple weeks to be Bob Costello, chief economist of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), who we will lean on heavily in this week’s segment of Economic…

Trucking capacity still too high, but spring could bring relief: Costello

Bob Costello, chief economist with the American Trucking Associations (ATA), visited the Isaac Instruments user conference this year with a grim economic outlook, but also one that contained hints of…

ATA’s Spear takes aim at plaintiff attorneys, California emissions rules

In a fiery keynote address at the American Trucking Associations (ATA) Management Conference & Exhibition, the association’s president put industry foes on notice that trucking will continue to bring the…

Future emissions standards provide fleets with foggy road ahead

Planning for future emissions standards is like trying to drive through the fog, unable to see what lays ahead. That was the fleet manager’s perspective from Paul Rosa, senior vice-president…

Economic Trucking Trends: Freight recession lingers, but economic growth to improve

It was a busy week for trucking-related economic data, which painted a mixed picture. Canadian spot market volumes were steady, but spot market rates in the U.S. remained weak –…

Economic Trucking Trends: U.S. debt ceiling default aside, trucking has its own worries

As U.S. lawmakers scrambled to reach an eleventh hour deal to resolve the debt ceiling crisis – a failure to do so potentially causing broad economic repercussions – the trucking…

Truck tonnage in March saw largest loss since pandemic

U.S. for-hire truck tonnage plummeted 5.4% in March, the largest sequential decline seen since April 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. The drop comes on the heels of a…

Truck tonnage rises as contract carriers absorb freight from spot market

For-hire truck tonnage jumped 0.7% in January, on the heels of a 1% gain in December 2022, according to the latest data from the American Trucking Associations (ATA). “Tonnage has…

ATA tells U.S. Congress California’s emissions timelines unrealistic

American Trucking Associations (ATA) president Chris Spear addressed U.S. Congress this week, appealing to it to not allow California and other states to steer national emissions standards. “The trucking industry…

Truck tonnage ‘solid’ in 2022, despite slowdown at end of year

U.S. for-hire truck tonnage jumped 3.4% in 2022, marking its biggest yearly gain since 2018, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) reported. December tonnage came in at a 0.4% increase over…

Soft fall freight season reflected in November tonnage

U.S. for-hire truck tonnage fell 2.5% in November, according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), on the heels of a revised 1.2% decline in October. “For-hire truck tonnage saw the…

Truck tonnage sees first monthly loss since beginning of pandemic

U.S. for-hire truck tonnage fell 2.3% in October, marking its largest monthly loss since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA). This comes on the…

‘Mild’ recession coming, but trucking should weather it well: Costello

A mild recession is all but unavoidable, but trucking’s inability to add capacity due to supply chain disruptions over the past two years means the industry is better positioned than…