Hydrogen has been held up as the Holy Grail of energy sources many times. It's rapid refill capability and long-range, coupled with its zero-emissions at point of use gives it the best of the attributes of fossil fuels and electricity. Now the Ports of Auckland in New Zealand are attempting to go "no emission" by adopting hydrogen as the fuel source of choice. Marcus Hand reports for Seatrade Maritime News: New Zealand’s Ports of Auckland is aiming for zero emissions by 2040 and is looking to hydrogen power as an alternative to batteries to power terminal equipment. As it targets … [Read more...]

After months of record breaking growth, heavy duty truck orders have slowed down in November. The freight market is slowing down in tandem. Erica Phillips reports for The Wall Street Journal: Orders for heavy-duty trucks declined in November for the first time this year, falling to the lowest level in 14 months and providing a fresh sign the North American trucking market is cooling down. Trucking companies last month ordered 27,900 new Class 8 trucks, the heavy-duty rigs used on regional and long-haul routes, according to a preliminary estimate from industry data provider ACT Research. … [Read more...]

With Amazon creating its own network of delivery services around the country, you may think FedEx CEO Fred Smith would be worried, but according to him, he's not. Smith thinks that rather than FedEx being hurt, the Postal Service is more likely to take a hit. Bloomberg reports: FedEx Corp. Chief Executive Officer Fred Smith isn’t sweating Amazon.com Inc.’s move to expand its own delivery network, saying the e-commerce giant is likely to take more business from the post office than the package courier. “Amazon is a good customer. We think they’ll be a bigger customer in years to come if … [Read more...]

Stocks of companies in the transportation sector have gone from record highs in mid-September to down more than 10%. The Dow Theory holds, more or less, that the overall market will follow along behind Transports. That's not a great sign for investors. Akane Otani writes in The Wall Street Journal: The transports had rallied this summer and hit a record in mid-September, buoyed by strong economic data, as well as increased demand for freight services among retailers and consumers. But the sector has been caught in the broader-market slide, pulling the Dow Jones Transportation Average—which … [Read more...]

In an attempt to keep up with the booming economy, Union Pacific is stealing some ideas from the late railroad pioneer, Hunter Harrison. Harrison transformed both major Canadian railroads and CSX before he passed away last year. Now Union Pacific, desperate to keep up with the booming economy by clearing backlogs on its rails is attempting to replicate Harrison's successful methods. Paul Ziobro reports at The Wall Street Journal: Union Pacific Corp. UNP +0.27% never hired Hunter Harrison to run its sprawling network. But with congestion clogging its system, the company is now adopting the … [Read more...]

Is hydrogen power the next evolution of railroading? In Germany, hydrogen powered locomotives are taking to the rails . Stanley Reed reports in The New York Times: In a breakthrough for a green fuel, two hydrogen-powered trains are expected to go into commercial service Monday on a rail line in northern Germany near Hamburg. The trains, which will serve cities including Bremerhaven and Cuxhaven, will be powered by hydrogen fuel cells that generate electricity through a chemical reaction. The trains are being promoted as a cheaper alternative to stringing wires on rail lines that are not … [Read more...]

As the economy grows quickly, trucking companies are hiring drivers at a rapid clip. In last month alone, trucking fleets added 5,700 drivers. Jennifer Smith reports on the trend at The Wall Street Journal: It is the fourth straight month of growth in a sector where employers have been buying more trucks and raising driver pay as they look to expand freight capacity. Trucking companies have added 30,600 jobs since August 2017, the most since employment in the business grew by 37,400 jobs in the 12 months ending August 2015. “You hear a lot from employers about how hard it is to hire in … [Read more...]

American goods and commodities are moving on the rails in increasing numbers as the economy booms. Progressive Railroading explains the strong performance of railroads in August. U.S. rail traffic rose 4.5 percent in August compared with the same month a year ago, according to Association of American Railroads' (AAR) data. U.S. railroads moved 2,828,946 carloads and intermodal units during the month. Carload activity rose 3.8 percent to 1,386,026 units, while intermodal volume climbed 5.1 percent to 1,442,920 containers and trailers compared with August 2017, AAR reported in a press … [Read more...]

As the economy booms in America, trucking companies just can't get their hands on enough trucks. Big rig manufacturers are filling orders as fast as they can, but they can't keep up. Erica E. Phillips writes: Anyone ordering a new heavy-duty truck this summer will have wait until sometime next year to get it, assuming strained manufacturing supply chains hold together. An unprecedented run of orders for big rigs has pushed the backlog at truck factories to nine months, according to industry analysts, the largest since early 2006, when truckers stocked up to get vehicles in place before … [Read more...]

Super sonic jets are making a comeback. Boom Supersonic plans to deliver 2,000 supersonic jets by 2025. The cost of a one-way ticket will be about $2,600, almost the same as a business-class ticket today. Fang Block reports: But today, “supersonic flight is coming back and reshaping the aircraft industry,” Vik Kachoria, chief executive of Spike Aerospace, tells Penta. “The future is tremendously exciting.” Kachoria’s Boston-based company is developing the S-512, an 18-passenger luxury supersonic aircraft that took its second test flight this April. Spike is expected to deliver the S-512, … [Read more...]