Tax reform

Not all independent truckers are seeing those benefits

New car sales should remain strong next year, said the National Automobile Dealers Association, but one group is warning of trouble on the horizon.

Covenant Chairman and CEO David Parker said 2018 will bring wage hikes, rate increases, and unprecedented opportunities for team carriers due to the ELD mandate.

FedEx Corp. will accelerate pay increases for hourly employees this year as part of its response to the new tax law and expected benefits from it. The company will also make investments in facilities in Indianapolis and Memphis.

With the ELD mandate enforcement date behind us, owners of trucking companies can now focus on the next sweeping change to impact their business; implementation of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that was signed into law by President Trump on Dec. 22, 2017.

U.S. Chamber of Congress president, Thomas J. Donohue, is preparing for an uphill battle to push for a raise of the federal gas tax by 25 cents per gallon to help shape the debate about upgrading U.S. roads, bridges, airports and other infrastructure.

The massive tax cut passed by the GOP will benefit trucking companies large and small and will boost economic activity across many sectors.

As it stands, the tax bill, as it’s currently drafted, looks to benefit the industry in general, but what it means for the individual trucker is less clear.

Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz Vans brand has introduced its third-generation Sprinter van at an event in Stuttgart, Germany. The van features many of the iconic attributes it always has, but has added new connectivity to further improve its utilization.

Could the economy be starting to slow? That is a conclusion that FTR’s Don Ake has drawn after reviewing a number of economic indicators. He bases his evaluation on current GDP growth and what he thinks will be coming in 2018.