Revenues Rise in 3Q for 3PLs

The third quarter saw a rise in freight shipments and revenues for logistics brokers compared with the same period a year ago, but profit margins fell 40 basis points due to cost increases in the spot market for trucks, according to the Transportation Intermediaries Association’s quarterly 3PL Market Report. Total…

Local trucking firm sells one division

GERING -Local trucking firm sells one division, Nebraska Transport Company, founded in Gering in 1973, recently underwent a major change, but most people will see no differences. NTC owner Brent Holliday, the second generation of the family to operate the business, has sold the LTL small package delivery division to Cross…

Anti-ELD protests to begin Dec. 4

Is planning a series of protests at over 40 locations across the country on Monday Dec. 4. The 19,000-member group ELD or I originally aimed to hold protests in every state and Charlie Claburn, one of the organizers for the group’s national effort, noted that larger states will have multiple…

Trucking in Mount Crawford Sentenced on Federal Charges

HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA – A Mount Crawford based trucking company that formerly hauled United States mail and it holding company, as well as four of its most senior officers, the President, Vice-President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, were all sentenced this week in the United States District Court for…

FMCSA Releases HOS Study: Results Are Convenient For Them

The study that the FMCSA was supposed to complete before enacting its HOS changes has finally been published. Despite being months late – so late in fact that FMCSA administrator Anne Ferro has been chastised by members of congress multiple times for its tardiness – the study reveals nothing much…

Freight slows, rates hold in November

Year-over-year, van rates were up 2.7 percent while spot rates have dropped for both flatbed (down 5.5 percent) and reefer (down 0.5 percent). Intermodal traffic in November totaled 1,007,549 containers and trailers, up 7.8 percent (73,004 units) compared with November 2012, the Association of American Railroads reports. The weekly average…

Suspension Systems

The suspension Systems  important parts of a car. All cars have some sort of suspension system, even golf carts. A suspension has three major jobs: to keep the car’s frame from dragging on the ground, to control body movement during cornering and to control wheel movement over imperfections in the…

Operation and Usage of Hydraulic Valves

The hydraulic valve is like a traffic control signal at a four-way intersection. It might allow east and westbound traffic lanes to continuously flow until the light changes, which would permit the north or southbound lanes to flow. The east and westbound traffic flow represents circulating hydraulic fluid. The hydraulic…

Expert Gear Pump Maintenance Tips

A gear pump is a rotary pump consisting of two meshing gear wheels in a suitable casing whose contra-rotation entrains the fluid on one side and discharges it on the other. It is a positive displacement pump that uses two meshing gears to pump both low and high viscosity liquids….

Gear Pumps

Gear pumps are used to pump oil, or other thick liquids. The separating gears on the input side of the pump creates a vacuum which pulls in the liquid, which is then carried by the gears to the output side of the pump, where the meshing of the gears pushes…

Air Brake Chambers

Air brake chambers are the primary part of the air brake system in highway and long-haul 18-wheelers. While the front and rear brake chambers of a vehicle are slightly different, they function in conjunction with a set of oversize drum-brakes, taking the place of a normal breaking system’s hydraulic assist…

Building and Installing Tow Hitches

A tow hitch gives you the capability to hook up quickly to a trailer or other piece of equipment designed for you to pull behind your vehicle and get on the road. You can build your own tow hitch with a few simple materials and brackets that can be found…

Trailer Hitches Particularization

The towing industry specifies different classifications of trailer hitches: Class I, Class II, Class III, Class IV, Class V, fifth wheel and gooseneck. These hitches correspond to vehicle types. All five are classified as weight-carrying, but Classes 3, 4 and 5 can be fitted with weight-distributing attachments that allow them…

Trailer Leaf Springs

Trailers are great all-purpose haulers, but just like any other vehicle, they need maintenance. A trailer can end up with a broken or worn-out leaf spring. The leaf springs on a trailer are an important part of the suspension, holding the axle straight and also supporting the trailer and the…

Trailer Jacks

Trailer jacks are essential tools for raising and lowering the tongue on a trailer. Having a smoothly operating jack makes positioning the tongue for towing or parking much easier. Installing a new jack onto a trailer is not too difficult as long as you purchase the right size jack for…

Charging And Changing Truck Battery

Your truck cannot operate properly without a healthy, functioning battery beneath the hood. In order to ensure that the battery sustains a full charge and remains useful, you must perform regular maintenance. A poorly maintained battery will repeatedly lose its charge, which leads to corrosion and deterioration within the battery….

Trailer Bearings Maintenance

Driving with a trailer increases your risk factors, due in part to the reduced braking and cornering of your vehicle. One way to mitigate this risk is to always ensure your trailer is operating in proper mechanical order. A regular requirement for maintaining your trailer is to inspect and lubricate…

Trailer Wheels Maintenance

A utility trailer is a non-motorized apparatus that attaches to another vehicle to move heavy cargo from one location to another. As with any device with moving parts, regular maintenance, including proper lubrication of the wheel bearings, is imperative. Greasing the bearings must be done at regular intervals for proper…