Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023:
ATA truck tonnage up slightly in December
ATA's Truck Tonnage Index increased by 0.4% in December and was up 3.4% for all of 2022.ATA
“Despite the small gain in December, for-hire truck tonnage clearly decelerated during the final quarter in 2022,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “In fact, tonnage outperformed some other key metrics that drive truck freight, like housing starts and factory output during the final month of the year. This is probably because contract truckload freight is still outperforming the spot market and less-than-truckload freight after underperforming both of those sectors in 2021.”
For all of 2022, tonnage was up 3.4%, which was the best annual gain since 2018. “Despite weakening in the second half, 2022 overall was a solid year for truck freight tonnage,” Costello said. “The index’s yearly gains were primarily driven by strength in the first half of 2022, so despite a marked slowdown as the year ended, for the year as a whole, tonnage posted a very solid year overall.”
Compared with December 2021, the SA index increased 0.3%, which was the sixteenth straight year-over-year gain, but the smallest over that period. In November, the index was up 0.8% from a year earlier.
The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equaled 112.6 in December, 1.8% below the November level (114.6).
New Jersey HHG mover ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution
An employee for multiple New Jersey-based household goods moving companies was ordered recently to pay upwards of $150,000 in restitution to 49 victims of an HHG moving fraud scheme.
Lola Larios was previously sentenced in September to three years of probation in relation to the case. In December, Larios was ordered to pay $152,181 in restitution.
According to the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, between January 2016 and January 2019, Larios conspired with the companies’ owner to regularly extort customers by quoting "low-ball" estimates for moving household goods. Once the goods were loaded onto the moving trucks, Larios and others directed company employees to drastically raise the price of the move and then refuse to deliver the goods until the customers paid the increased price.
Sheetz drops DEF prices through end of month
After discounting diesel prices by 50 cents throughout January, mid-Atlantic convenience chain Sheetz announced it will decrease its diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) prices to 99 cents a gallon at certain locations until Jan. 31. Participating locations include:
Pennsylvania
- 139 Route 6, W Coudersport, PA 16915
- 1867 Rich Highway, Falls Creek, PA 15840
- 205 N Center Avenue, New Stanton, PA 15672
- 718 Bellwood Road, Altoona, PA 16601
- 610 Route 22 Highway, W Blairsville, PA 15717
- 3014 Route 219, Kane, PA 16735
- 5235 N Susquehanna Trail, York, PA 17406
- 2298 Golden Key Road, Kutztown, PA 19530
- 3636 PA 31, Donegal, PA 15628
North Carolina
- 2521 North Memorial Drive, Greenville, NC 27834
- 1400 NC Highway 66, South Kernersville, NC 27284
- 2191 13th Avenue Drive SE, Hickory, NC 28602
- 1532 Salisbury Highway, Statesville, NC 28677
- 4005 Jones Sausage Road, Garner, NC 27529
Ohio
- 1101 North Canfield Niles Road, Austintown, OH 44515
- 5238 Alum Creek Drive, Groveport, OH 43125
- 5010 Corrine Drive, South Bloomfield, OH 43103
- 560 River Street, Madison, OH 44057
- 360 Center Street, Seville, OH 44273
- 321 State Street, Jeffersonville OH 43128
Virginia
- 5015 Mudd Tavern Road, Woodford, VA 22580
- 550 South Airport Drive, Henrico, VA 23231
- 227 Conicville Boulevard, Mt. Jackson, VA 22842
West Virginia
- 268 Genny Loop, Moorefield, WV 26836
The company said the average price of DEF at Sheetz’s stores is $3.50 a gallon. This reduction will result in a savings of approximately $15-$75 for customers, depending on the size of their DEF tank in their vehicle. The offer only applies to bulk DEF sold at Sheetz’s truck diesel dispensers.
