CTA, New Jersey Reach Agreement on Tax, Truck Seizures

TORONTO, ON - The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) says it has reached an agreement for its members with officials in one U.S. state so trucks will no longer be seized for failure to pay a certain tax under a temporary amnesty program.

Trucking Business Conditions Fall Slightly in U.S.

BLOOMINGTON, IN - The latest measure of business conditions in the U.S. trucking industry has retreated slightly following an even performance this year and is expected to decline further at the year's end.

BC Officials Need Input for Truck Parking Study

The British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is seeking feedback from trucking companies and truck drivers operating in the Lower Mainland as well as parking lot companies regarding truck parking options.

Research: CSA Ratings Improve Under Alternative Analysis

ARLINGTON, VA -- New research indicates truck fleet safety scores under the U.S. CSA program improve when non-preventable crashes are excluded from the equation.

Heavy-Truck Orders Unexpectedly Down, Medium-Duty Strong

BLOOMINGTON and COLUMBUS, IN -- Orders in North American for new Class 8 trucks during October increased well above a month ago, hitting the highest level since February, but are significantly weaker when compared to the same time last year, according to two new preliminary reports.

B.C. Facing Trucking, Other Labor Shortages in Future

VANCOUVER, BC -- A new labor market forecast released this week shows increasing challenges ahead in key occupations in British Columbia in the next five to 10 years, including an expected shortage drivers, managers, maintenance and other key people in trucking.

Need Better Trucking HR Strategies? Then Read This

OTTAWA, ON -- A report released earlier this month offers an inside look at what some of Canada's trucking companies are doing right when it comes to human resources (HR), according to the British Columbia Trucking Association (BCTA).

N.A. Big Rig Sales Cool, Still Strong; Medium Duty Jumps

BLOOMINGTON, COLUMBUS, IN -- Two new reports show orders for big rigs in North America have eased a bit as the year gets closer to the end while a separate data shows sales of natural gas powered trucks in the U.S. are down this year from 2015.

Research Links Personality Traits to Truck Driver Turnover

SOUTH BEND, IN - Preliminary results from a study show certain personality traits of truck drivers are predictive of turnover and safety performance. The research project with the University of Notre Dame began two years ago. It includes some carrier clients of the driver retention company Stay Metrics and 450 drivers from company fleets, which provided data for the study. Drivers completed an in-depth, online survey developed by professors Timothy Judge and Mike Crant from the Mendoza College of Business at University of Notre Dame. The survey was used to assess their personality traits while carriers provided safety scores and turnover data on the drivers throughout the course of the study. Their full study is currently in the peer review process and is expected to be published in academic journals within 12 to 18 months. Meanwhile, Dr. Judge, who is Stay Metrics' director of research, has used the results from the study to create two predictive models that link key personality traits of drivers to turnover and safety, respectively, according to Stay Metrics. Each model uses a predictive index based on four personality traits that strongly correlate with turnover and safety.

New Report Questions Truck Engine Fuel Use Data

MONTREAL, QC -- Relying on the electronic data from a truck's engine computer may not be the most accurate gauge of fuel economy, according to a not-for profit engineering and research group for the North America trucking industry. The report from Performance Innovation Transport Group (PIT Group) details electronic control module (ECM) data precision and accuracy between engine manufacturers and among engine models from a single manufacturer. The study compares engine ECM data with actual test track fuel consumption and was conducted in the fall of 2014 on 14 different vehicles with engines from four manufacturers. The test track evaluations, which followed the Joint TMC/SAE Fuel Consumption Test Procedure Type II, compared fuel consumption data provided by the engine ECMs, a procedure that is generally regarded as an industry standard for testing.

Study: Operations Cost Increasing in Trucking

ARLINGTON, VA - A new study shows operational costs in trucking are on the rise again, at least south of the border. The American Transportation Research Institute on Tuesday released the findings of its 2015 update to An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking.

Here Come the Trucking Robots

GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN -- Robots might soon find their way into a very specialized, vocational side of the trucking industry, according to one truck manufacturer. "Imagine a robot that quietly and discreetly enters your neighborhood, collects your refuse bin and empties it into the refuse truck. It is done without waking the sleeping families and without heavy lifting for the refuse truck's driver," the Volvo Group said in a recent press release. It's about 'ROAR', a joint project aiming to develop tomorrow's smart transport systems. ROAR, stands for 'Robot-based Autonomous Refuse handling', and the goal is to introduce a robot that, with instructions sent from a truck's operating system, can collect refuse bins in a neighborhood, bring them to the truck, and empty them. All of this happens under the supervision of the truck's driver.

N.A. Heavy-Truck Orders Fall but Stable

BLOOMINGTON and COLUMBUS, IN - Newly released preliminary numbers show North American orders for new heavy duty trucks in August fell but increased in the medium duty sector.

Trucking HR Canada Looks to Boost Mentoring for Women

OTTAWA - Trucking HR Canada is asking for your input so it can gather information on the role mentoring can play to support more women in the trucking industry.

Survey Wants to Know Your Biggest Trucking Concerns

ARLINGTON, VA -- Do you think a lack of qualified drivers is what's dragging the trucking industry down? Do truckers pay too much tax? Now is your chance to have a say.