Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025:
Used truck sales surge to close out 2024
Preliminary data from ACT Research showed that used Class 8 retail sales volumes finished 2024 strong, surging 23% month over month.
ACT Research Vice President Steve Tam highlighted that the “used market undoubtedly outperformed typical seasonality, which called for an increase of 8% m/m.”
Average prices for used trucks were down 4% in December 2024 from December 2023, while average miles were up 3% and age was flat.ACT Research
A potential reason for the surge in sales, Tam added, “is buyers trying to time their purchases ahead of impending value increases.”
While sales were up 23% month over month, they were also up 24% over December 2023.
Looking at pricing, used trucks sold at an average price 4% higher than in November, and 4% lower than the year prior.
[Related: Used-truck pricing, value: A role for aftertreatment maintenance]
Rates more or less flat to start the year following a holiday spike | The spot load volume increases look gaudy for this week's update, yet keep in mind it's comparing spot market activity last week to the prior week, which included the New Year's Day holiday. One of the first big weekly updates to start the year from FTR Transportation Intelligence and the Truckstop load board system showed year over year comparisons, though, that appeared stronger than usual for this time of the year, when rates historically have fallen farther. "Spot rates usually fade in early January," analysts noted, but this time around most segments increased modestly for the week ended January 10, if slightly down overall following a holiday spike. "Freight network disruptions from winter weather likely bolstered spot rates coming out of a capacity-driven spike during the holidays," they added. Dry van spot rates sat at their highest level in two years following the holiday spike, while refrigerated spot rates were the highest in just over a year. Flatbed spot rates were poised to recover from their lowest levels since July 2020. Total load activity was way up from the prior week, at its highest level since March. Volume was nearly 38% higher than during the same 2024 week but almost 21% below the five-year average for the week. The Market Demand Index -- the ratio of load postings to truck postings in the system -- soared as well to its highest level since June 2022.Truckstop/FTR
Michigan CDL school petitions FMCSA for under-21 waiver
Bianco Trucking Services, doing business as CDL and Operator Training in Spalding, Michigan, is seeking a waiver from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to allow 18-20-year-old drivers with a Wisconsin state-issued commercial learners permit (CLP) and a “K” restriction on their CLP to attend its driver training facility. Bianco is a registered entry-level driver training (ELDT) provider listed on FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry (TPR).
Under current regulations, drivers younger than 21 must drive intrastate only in their state of domicile.
Bianco in its petition for the waiver said its training facility is located approximately 29 miles from the Wisconsin state line, adding that several potential students in Wisconsin have inquired about attending its program “because Bianco’s training facility is their closest registered training provider,” FMCSA noted.
Bianco said that drivers under this exemption, if granted, would not operate a CMV without a licensed training provider in the vehicle, apart from range maneuvers on a training lot that Bianco maintains and insures. Bianco also requires pre-employment drug screens for all students prior to the start of its training class.
FMCSA is accepting public comments on the request here through Feb. 14.
[Related: Faces of the road: 19-year-old Jordan Foreman, on his past, present and future trucking]
Interstate Health opens new Tennessee location
Interstate Health on Wednesday announced the opening of a new walk-in care and primary care clinic adjacent to the Pilot Travel Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, at 7210 Strawberry Plains Pike off I-40 at exit 398.
The clinic, partially funded by a grant awarded to Occupational Health Center – Interstate Health by the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH), offers high-quality, accessible healthcare services to area residents, commercial drivers and interstate travelers, the company said.
“Knoxville is an important travel corridor for Tennessee and the Southeast United States with a vibrant community that lives and works alongside its highways. We are proud to offer local residents and those traveling on I-40 a convenient place to turn for walk-in and basic urgent care needs, primary care and occupational health services,” said Jeff Seraphine, Interstate Health CEO. “We are especially excited to offer truck-friendly parking and efficient care to commercial drivers, the backbone of our nation’s transit and logistics infrastructure.”
Open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Interstate Health Knoxville offers walk-in access for basic urgent care needs, primary care and occupational health services. Along with sick care, the clinic helps patients stay well with vaccines, medication management and other resources.
Interstate Health Knoxville also provides Department of Transportation and pre-employment physicals for area workers and commercial drivers. A complete list of services and contact information may be found on Interstate Health’s website.
Along with the new Knoxville location, the company operates Occupational Health Center – Interstate Health in Cookeville, Tennessee, as well as locations in Shelbyville, Tennessee, Port Wentworth, Georgia, and Racine, Wisconsin.
