Tag: overdrive: Page 90

Overdrive Extra
Factories busier in July
Industrial production increased by a half-percent in July, the Federal Reserve announced today. While housing and other indicators with relevance to truck freight have shown twitches of life in recent months, this marked the first monthly increase in this measurement since December 2007 (not counting a hurricane-related rebound in October 2008). The manufacturing component of […]
August 14, 2009
Overdrive Extra
Small business still hurting
If you’ve caught the business news in recent days, you know there have been some positive signs. Home prices and sales, employment and other indicators are looking better, possibly meaning a bottoming out of the downturn. But when it comes to small business and credit, it’s still a mess, reports CNNMoney.com: “Bank lending is down, […]
August 7, 2009
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70 years in one minute
I was fortunate to be invited to Peterbilt’s 70th anniversary celebration at the Denton, Texas, headquarters this week. As part of a presentation to dealers and customers, the company presented this cool little video that shows many of the truck models morphing into each other, reflecting the changes over seven decades. Also, note the top […]
July 31, 2009
Overdrive Extra
Putting safety news in context
The good report last week on 2008’s highway fatality numbers, including truck-related deaths, was a bit incomplete because of the highly unusual drop in vehicle miles traveled (VMT, in government-speak). Of course, that decline was due to months of outrageous fuel prices during late 2008. The press release from the American Trucking Associations conveniently failed […]
July 8, 2009
Overdrive Extra
Some bright spots in the supply chain
If you’re looking for good news, this morning’s report from the Institute for Supply Management has some: The overall economy grew in June. Warehouses are emptying out, which is good for trucking. Manufacturing failed to grow last month, though its rate of contraction is slowing. And seven of 18 industries did report growth to ISM: […]
July 1, 2009
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Building permits among leading indicators
Today’s report on the Leading Economic Indicators is good news. It “increased sharply for the second consecutive month in May,” says The Conference Board. The strong points include some fiscal things, like interest rates and stock prices, but the positive freight-related items were building permits and, more indirectly, vendor performance and consumer expectations. “The index […]
June 18, 2009
Overdrive Extra
Prices: Down for truckload, up for diesel
If you’re thinking of getting your own authority for truckload hauling, think again. Or have some excellent contracts locked up before you jump. A June 8 conference call, hosted by Dahlman Rose & Co. with executives from five carriers (Cowan Systems, Fenway Partners, First Express and Roehl Transport), had little good news. “There was universal […]
June 9, 2009
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'On those wrecks just like a vulture'
The top three photos on the right are from my 2006 ride along Alaska’s Dalton Highway with the smiling trucker, George Spears. It was published in Truckers News. If you watched the History Channel’s third season of “Ice Road Truckers,” which premiered last Sunday, you might recall Spears, one of the featured drivers. This season’s shows […]
June 5, 2009
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June is bustin’ out
It seems that for economic news, June is bustin’ out all over, to cite the song from the old play, “Carousel.” Well, not all over, but there were some strong items announced June 1. I hope you’re seeing evidence in your freight. The overall economy grew for the first time following seven months of decline, […]
June 1, 2009
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Managing acres of reefer freight
What company supplies food to a third of all U.S. restaurants, cafeterias, and sports stadiums? If you pull a reefer, chances are you well know that it’s Houston-based Sysco, which each year ships 21.5 million tons of produce, meats and other food-related products. Fortune magazine has an detailed look at the “complex web of software, […]
May 29, 2009
Overdrive Extra
Consumer confidence and housing
Your freight might be down, your dog might be snarling at you, but your fellow Americans are looking up, money-wise. At least relative to recent months, which isn’t saying too much. U.S. consumer confidence jumped in May to its highest level in eight months, according to the Conference Board, an industry group that measures this. […]
May 26, 2009
Overdrive Extra
Step right up for interest-free loan
It’s not every day someone offers you an interest-free loan. The U.S. Small Business Administration recently announced a program to do just that. As part of the stimulus package, SBA is launching America’s Recovery Capital loans June 15. The basics: Loans are up to $35,000. After you get the money, you have five years to […]
May 22, 2009
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