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Orders for durable manufactured goods outside of transportation fell in January by the largest amount in two years.

According to a report issued Thursday by the U.S. Commerce Department, orders for long-lasting manufactured goods fell 3.6 percent last month, the largest decrease since January 2009. Total durable goods orders increased by 2.7 percent, but the rise was driven by a large rebound in orders for commercial aircraft. 

Manufacturing has been a strong performer during this recover and, despite January's weak numbers, economists expect that to continue. Orders totaled $200.5 billion last month, considered a health level by economist. January's order total is more than 25 percent higher than the recession low of March 2009.

Transportation aside, most other categories of durable goods showed weakness last month. Orders for non-defense capital equipment fell 6.9 percent in January to $62.3 billion. Many economists view this drop as a temporary setback, anticipating growth this year as companies respond to tax changes intended to spur spending.

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Boyd Brothers Transportation has honored a freight driver for staying safe on the road for more than 3 million miles.

The Clayton, Alabama-based company extended honors Friday to Isaiah "Ike" Hamilton. The 22-year veteran driver has a driving record free of chargeable accidents or incidents. "I always tell people to keep God first and stay focused on what you're doing. It's only natural that safety comes with that," Hamilton said. "A lot of it is common sense, but it takes a lot of hard work and determination to stick with it and not get distracted by everything out there."

Boyd Brothers threw a large celebration for Hamilton's achievement and presented him with a bonus check. He also received a gold watch, belt buckle, trophy, company pin, and cap. "It feels good to be recognized for this," Hamilton said. "My family is very proud of me and I'm thankful for the support they've shown me over the years. ... I've always been treated fairly at Boyd Bros.,"

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Heavy-duty truck sales increased by 25 percent in January, compared to the year before.

According to figures released by Ward's Automotive, Class 8 sales totaled 9,236 trucks in the United States last month. In January 2010, only 7,387 heavy-duty trucks were sold. The year-over-year improvement was the 13th consecutive as the industry continues to recover from the 2009 sales hole.

January sales were off 21.3 percent compared to December 2010. Historically month-to-month declines at the beginning of the year are common.

Daimler Trucks North America's Freightliner nameplate led the field, selling 3,170 trucks last month, a seven percent decline from December but a 40.5 percent year-over-year improvement. Navistar was the runner up with 2,276 International brand trucks, gaining 2.8 percent from the previous month and 3.9 percent from January 2010.

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Factory activity expanded in January at the fastest pace in nearly seven years, manufacturers reported.


According to a new report published Tuesday by the Institute for Supply Management, the index of manufacturing activity rose from 58.5 in December to 60.8 last month. The sector has expanded for 18 straight months, and January's reading was the highest since May 2004. A reading above 50 indicates expansion.


The manufacturing sector bottomed out at 33.3 in December 2008, the lowest point since June 1980. Rising industrial output has been a key driver for the economy since the recession ended in June 2009.


Thomas Duesterberg, CEO of Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI, said the outlook is good. "Momentum is again building for this sector," Duesterberg said. "Manufacturing will continue to lead the recovery at least through mid-year."

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The American Trucking Associations' For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased 2.2 percent in December.


According to the ATA's seasonally adjusted index, the latest improvements put it at 111.6 in December, which was the highest level since September 2008. In November, the SA index equaled 109.2.


Compared with December 2009, SA tonnage climbed 4.2 percent, which was higher than November's 3.3 percent year-over-year increase. ATA Cheif Economist Bob Costello says December's improvement fits well with the see-saw pattern that many carriers are reporting. "Fleets continue to tell me that freight volumes are very choppy, up one week, but down the next," Costello said. "That is a trend that is likely to continue this year as the economy is not growing across the board yet.


Trucking serves as a barometer for the U.S. economy, representing 68 percent of tonnage carried by all modes of domestic freight transportation. Costello said the SA tonnage reaching a 27 month high is a positive sign for the economy.


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Net orders for December of heavy-duty Class 8 commercial vehicles in North America reached the highest level in four years.

Net orders of Class 8 vehicles in December were up 128 percent year-over-year, according to ACT REsearch Co. In the latest release of State of the Industry: Classes 5-8 Vehicles, ACT noted that Class 8 orders rose to their highest monthly total since May of 2006. Medium-duty Classes 5-7 net orders fell nine percent from November, but were up 89 percent on a year-over-year basis.

Full year 2010 production of Class 8 vehicles was up 30 percent from 2009, with a total of 154,290 units produced. Over 27,000 net orders were processed in December alone. "Unlike previous cycles that have been dominated by the U.S., there is a greater breadth of geographic demand for Class 8 equipment this time," said Kenny Vieth, an ACT senior analyst. "While U.S. demand is ramping nicely, orders bound for Canada, Mexico and non-NAFTA export markets remain at healthy levels."


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The U.S. Department of Transportation on Friday proposed a new regulation that would specifically prohibit commercial truck drivers from using hand-held cell phones behind the wheel.


According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the proposed Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rule would prohibit interstate commerical truck and bus drivers from reaching for, holding, or dialing a phone while operating a commercial motor vehicle. "Every time a commercial truck or bus driver takes his or her eyes off the road to use a cell phone, even for a few seconds, the driver places everyone around them at risk," LaHood said. "This proposed rule would go a long way toward keeping a driver's full attention focused on the road."


Drivers who violate the proposed regulation would face federal civil penalties of up to $2,750 for each offense, as well as a disqualification of their Commercial Drivers License for multiple offenses. States would also suspend a driver's CDL after two or more violations of any state law on cell phone use.


Motor carriers that allow their drivers to use hand-held cell phones while driving would face a maximum penalty of $11,000.


Approximately four million interstate commercial drivers would be affected by the proposed regulation.


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Truckers typically do not use their weekly allotment of on-duty hours, according to the American Trucking Associations.


Boyd Stephenson, manager of safety and security operations at the American Trucking Association, said the agency used two separate research projects to come up with its finding that truckers do not come close to using the weekly hours allotment."ATA requested that RAIR calculate the total on-duty time for each seven, calendar-day period, not each new period begining with a 34-hour restart as the rule permits," Stephenson wrote, in a letter to Office of Bus and Truck Standards and Operations division cheif of driver and carrier operations Tom Yager. "As you will see, drivers averaged 43.6 hours in each seven calendar-day period."


The ATA slso surveyed six association members and obtained results relating to 149 randomly-selected drivers for April 2010. Researchers determined how many hours a driver had been on-duty in any eight day period. "As you will see, these drivers averaged 57.5 hours in every eight day period," Stephenson wrote.


Responsed ranged from 32.5 hours to 75.5 hours on-duty, according to Stephenson.

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U.S. manufacturing expanded for the 16th straight month in November.


According to the Institute for Supply Managment, its index of manufacturing activity dropped to 56.6 in November, down from 56.9 in October. An index over 50 indicates growth. After slowing over the summer, factories have picked up in recent months and manufacturing has been one of the strongest sectors of the economy since the recession ended.


The ISM's index rose to 60.4 in April, the highest level since 2004. The index bottomed out in December 2008 at 32.5, the lowest since 1980.


Stocks jumped prior to the report's release and held their gains afterward. Investors responded to strong manufacturing data out of China as well.

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FTS Fleet Services officials said the carrier is safe, despite inheriting some bad equipment from Hester Inc.





Accoridng to FTS Fleet Services owner Joe Frederick, he is doing his best to make sure the company meets government guidelines. FTS purchased Hester Inc. earlier this year, drawing criticism from many in the industry. Hester was to be shut down late last spring following an 11-fatality wreck and an unsatisfactory compliance review from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.





Before Hester could be closed, Frederick obtained federal authority to operate FTS as a property carrier from Hester's facilities with some of Hesters trucks and personnel. Frederick said he was forced to shelve numerous pieces of Hester equipment that were deemed unsafe for the road.





For more information on freight factoring, please contact TBS Truck Factoring, LLC, by calling 800-207-7661.