China

Hino Trucks will expand its product offerings to include Class 8 vehicles, starting in 2019, the company said this week.

The Belt-And-Road Initiative is proving to be an ambitious plan. But there is no stopping the Chinese government as it has secured a joint venture deal with Hong Kong-based rail company MTR. The deal will result in connecting major cities in Asia within the area defined by the initiative.

China’s vice minister of industry and information technology, Xin Guobin, said the government will set a deadline to end the production and sales of fossil-fuel-dependent vehicles during a Sept. 9 forum in Tianjin.

International has made several enhancements to its flagship LoneStar truck to make it more driver-friendly and serviceable.

Hong Kong-based logistics company GoGoVan has achieved unicorn status after agreeing to a merger with mainland China-based freight company, 58 Suyun.

The Trump administration is considering tariffs on foreign steel as a way to boost the purchase of American steel. But will this Buy American approach lead to an in increase in vehicle and other manufacturing costs?

A surprise national brake safety inspection day on May 3 netted nearly 12% of commercial vehicles inspected with brake violations, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance announced this week.

A Chinese e-commerce company wants to make deliveries weighing as much as 1 ton with drones. JD.com is already delivering smaller packages in rural villages. Also in the news, FMCSA officials will be meeting to discuss regulatory relief for the industry and GM is facing allegations it used defeat devices to bypass diesel emissions regs on its pickups.

This Week in Trucking, the U.S. and China have announced a trade deal centering on natural gas, financial services and beef. Also, a renewed push is on to approve hair testing in driver drug screenings and the rapid rise in last-mile delivery services is leading to plenty of new entries to the market.

This Week in Trucking, Elon Musk adds some details to his electric Tesla Semi program; the U.S. trade gap with Mexico is growing larger and Amazon faces a carrier lawsuit for refusing to pay shipping fees.

Each week, the industry sees the introduction of new technologies and regulations along with information that affects how each carrier, shipper, and 3PL operates. Each Friday, FreightWaves will provide a look back at some of the industry’s top stories you may have missed.