Texas

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Mexico’s government nears legalizing marijuana; U.S.-Mexico sugar trade agreement in limbo; Texas-Mexico border gets new bridge for commercial trucks; and $650,000 worth of marijuana found in shipment of Thai bananas Mexico is set to legalize recreational […]

Torrential downpours, several inches of rainfall may flood areas from Texas to the Carolinas next few days.

Rush Enterprises Inc. (NASDAQ: RUSHA) recently announced the appointment of Elaine Mendoza as a new independent member of its board of directors. Mendoza becomes the first woman to be on Rush Enterprises’ board since it became publicly traded in 1997. New Braunfels, Texas-based Rush Enterprises operates the largest network of commercial vehicle dealerships in North […]

Dallas-based Stevens Tanker Division has notified the state of Texas it will cease operations by October 15. The closure will permanently affect 586 jobs across Texas, according to a notice sent to the Texas Workforce Commission.  The tanker division, part of Dallas-based Stevens Transport, serves oil and gas drilling operations in Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma […]

Walmart graduates first class from in-DC supply chain academy

More downpours add to flood threat in parts of Desert Southwest hit hard yesterday. New spots of flooding also likely.

Up to 40 inches of rainfall in parts of southeastern Texas the past three days. More wet weather possible today.

Cabinet backs draft law aimed at curbing illegal employment practices for final-mile drivers handing growing volumes of parcels.

The city of Pharr, Texas, will soon begin $30 million in infrastructure projects at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge along the United States-Mexico border. The projects are aimed at expediting border crossings for the transportation of oil and natural gas products, as well as perishable goods such as avocados from Mexico, said Luis Bazán, general director […]

More than 10 inches of rainfall could flood parts of Houston, Galveston through Wednesday, possibly Thursday.

Several inches of rain could flood streets in Houston metro area through Wednesday. Coastal areas included.

Transplace’s 2019 Carrier Symposium in Dallas discussed the latest topics impacting the carrier industry, including both capacity excesses and shortages, ELDs, regulatory changes, and driver issues. Frank McGuigan, chief executive of Transplace, kicked off the symposium with a “State of the Business” address, saying supply chains are more complex than ever and expanding; and that […]

Wisconsin-based Schneider National recently announced it is building a new operations center in Dallas, where the company will manage up to 500 truck drivers. The new facilities will include a 14,000-square-foot driver services building and a 47,000-square-foot maintenance building, sitting on more than 50 acres.  “The new facility will include many of the amenities found […]

Port Laredo and the Port of El Paso reported declines in total trade volumes for the first six months of 2019, compared to the same period last year.  Laredo’s trade with the world fell slightly – 0.39 percent – from $116.6 billion to $116.15 billion through the first six months of 2019, according to WorldCity […]

United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspection policies “don’t reflect new technology or threats” and are “outdated,” according to an August 6 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). CBP border inspections for passenger and commercial vehicles currently include reviewing travel documents, screening against law enforcement databases and using canines and X-ray machines. However, […]

If you see a truck driver in Texas without his hands on the wheel, the chances are good you’re seeing an autonomous truck from Kodiak Robotics.

The United States and Mexico are on the brink of yet another trade war – this time pitting U.S. farmers against Mexican tomato growers and importers.  The debate centers around the price of imported tomatoes from Mexico. Florida tomato growers have said the prices of imported Mexican fresh tomatoes are sold below market value, giving […]

A pair of enormous crates carrying parts of a South Korea-bound drilling ship will be transported along highways through the Houston area over the next four days. According to Ronnie Smith, owner of Smith Specialized Logistics, it is one of the biggest moves by tractor-trailers ever in the Houston area, requiring a caravan of more […]

A federal grand jury indicted three Texas men – two truckers and a state worker – in connection with a scheme to sell commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) without the drivers having to take the required test, according to a report from the San Antonio Express-News.  The indictment, which was handed down July 24 in a […]

Long before sunrise, Molly Sizer starts her day in West Texas as a professional frac sand hauler.  She gets dressed, drives her Peterbilt truck to one of the dozens of frac mines around the Permian Basin, is loaded with 50,000 pounds of sand, drives 100 miles or more through crowded bumpy roads and finally delivers […]

uShip, the online logistics and freight marketplace provider, announced July 25 that Mike Williams has stepped down as chief executive officer and board member. The Austin, Texas-based company also announced that chief technology officer (CTO) Kris Lamb will replace Williams as CEO. Lamb has been with uShip since December 2017, when he was hired as […]

Indiana-based Steel Dynamics Inc. announced it will build a $1.9 billion mill in Sinton, Texas, about 25 miles northwest of the Port of Corpus Christi. The site for the new mill is strategically located for the southwestern United States and Mexican markets, the company said in a statement July 23. Steel Dynamics is one of the […]

The Netherlands-headquartered shipping line Universal Africa Lines (UAL) recently added Port Houston’s City Docks to its liner service that connects the Gulf of Mexico and Mexico with West Africa. UAL, which specializes in servicing the oil and gas industry and tailoring logistics solutions for clients shipping to difficult areas, will now offer up to three […]

After decades of planning and discussion, freight traffic could finally have an alternative highway loop around Dallas that saves them from bottlenecks along Interstate 35. The Loop 9 project will add a connection between two interstates in south Dallas – I-35 East and I-45 East. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins has made the project a […]

The United States is sending an additional deployment of 1,100 active-duty troops and 1,000 Texas National Guard soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border, Pentagon officials announced July 17. The new active-duty troops will arrive in Texas “in the next several weeks” and will provide “aerial surveillance, operational, logistical and administrative support” to U.S. Customs and Border […]

Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz recently highlighted plans to remodel and expand the World Trade International Bridge, speeding up wait times for the 12,000 trucks crossing the Texas-Mexico border every day.  Saenz’s comments came during his speech at the 80th annual Congress of the Mexican Confederation of Associations of Customs Agents (CAAAREM) in Mérida, Mexico, July […]

Texas Gov. Greg Abott recently signed a bill aiming to speed up the inspection process for trucks carrying fresh produce across ports-of-entries along the Texas-Mexico border.  Texas House Bill 2155, which goes into effect September 1, reauthorizes a 2015 program allowing the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) to award grants totaling $750,000 over the next […]

A week after several international border bridges between the United States and Mexico had to be closed because of the migration crisis, U.S. officials announced migrant border arrests fell 28 percent in June. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced July 9 that about 104,000 migrants were taken into custody entering the Southwest border […]

Drivers of 18-wheelers, tractor-trailers, delivery trucks, freight trucks and tanker trucks hauled more than $671 billion in goods across the United States-Mexico border in 2018. However, there are around 50,000 unfilled driver positions throughout Mexico, according to Enrique González Muñoz, president of the Mexico City-based National Chamber of Freight Transport (CANACAR). The biggest need is […]

Charger Logistics’ new state-of-the-art facility in Laredo is up and running. The company aims to double its business in Mexico and grow overall capacity by 200 trucks and manage 600 trailers at the location. Charger Logistics, which has its United States headquarters in Indiana, will use the new Laredo facility to serve as the company’s […]

The driver of a tractor-trailer died during a deadly accident on July 3 after his truck was cut off by another vehicle and fell off the Houston Ship Channel bridge, crashing upside down onto an industrial facility below.  The truck driver – who was identified by Houston police as 24-year-old Marcos Jasso – initially survived, […]

Port Corpus Christi could emerge as the United States’ top crude oil export hub over the next decade, thanks to more than $380 million in new shipping facilities and three oil pipeline projects worth $5.2 billion, according to a new study. Wood Mackenzie’s North America Crude Markets Service reported that the startup of three new […]

It may have gotten lost in the United States’ trade war with China and immigration battle with Mexico, but President Donald Trump’s steep tariffs on all imported steel and aluminum were lifted on May 17. With the change in the Trump Administration’s policy, Canada and Mexico received a reprieve on steel and aluminum coming from […]

After the threat of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, Mexican freight transporters  are now facing a new challenge with an anti-immigration checkpoint in Ciudad Juarez that is stretching wait times up to three hours near the border. Trucks and passenger vehicles traveling on the Chihuahua-Juárez highway heading north to El Paso are being delayed at a […]

The Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) recently received $1.1 million in state funding for its professional Truck Driving Academy, aiming to fill a need for qualified truck drivers in southeast Texas. “Due to the high demand and high pay for truck drivers, Lamar Institute of Technology’s Truck Driving Academy currently has a waiting list for […]

The Port of Brownsville recently received a key permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deepen the 17-mile Brownsville Ship Channel. Dredging on the $350 million project could start in 2020. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) permit issued June 6 is the latest step in the port’s effort to deepen the […]

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, announced June 21 that he would send another 1,000 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to aid the federal government with border security efforts. Abbott said the additional troops would serve a “short-term mission” assisting U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents at new migrant facilities in the […]

Beemac Logistics, a Beaver, Pennsylvania-based transportation and logistics provider, has opened a new office in Houston to better serve clients in the region, said chief commercial officer Michael Ceravolo. Beemac recently entered into an agreement to occupy a 5,000-square foot facility at the Towers at Westchase II, located in west Houston. The company plans to […]

A colder than normal spring across northwestern Mexico meant the Mexican table grape export campaign suffered a delay of several weeks, spiking demand in June for reefer trucks out of Arizona and south Texas. Coupled with a record-breaking Hermosillo, Mexico-based table grape crop, this year’s export campaign has been a perfect storm of a late […]

In June 2016, a leading group of Laredo carrier companies decided to band together and launch a new association focused on promoting and furthering Laredo as the “trucking capital” of the United States. From their efforts, the Laredo Motor Carriers Association (LMCA) was formed. LMCA recently celebrated its three-year anniversary by adding its 200th member. […]

On the Backhaul weekend edition of what the truck we’re talking Target’s $9.99 same-day shipping, more…

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill directing the Texas Department of Transportation to study the Ports-to-Plains Corridor, a plan that could extend Interstate 27 from Laredo all the way up to the Oklahoma-Texas border. The bill, HB1079, signed June 10, requires the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to study the feasibility and costs to […]

Law includes transportation regulations and stipulation that the government doesn’t want to interfere with interstate commerce.

Werner Enterprises continues to invest in U.S.-Mexican trade, regardless of the ups and downs of President Donald Trump’s trade negotiations. In May, Werner opened a new 17,000-square foot refrigerated cross-dock operations facility in Laredo, Texas. The $8 million facility features 13 dry docks and eight refrigerated docks, according to a company statement. “We are proud […]

Strong, long-lasting tornadoes are a good bet across parts of the nation’s heartland early this week.

Deal gives Montreal-based specialty carrier a Gulf Coast base for future expansion into the United States.

Green shoots: reefer capacity is tightening in south Florida, south Texas, and southern California.

Top Five Riskiest half square-mile road stretches of 2018 in Texas, based on Lytx’s proprietary risk score system.

Sponsored by Redwood LogisticsRedwood Logistics announced its acquisition of Strive Logistics Monday, cementing Redwood’s place as a top-15 truck broker and an emerging multimodal logistics provider with over $1 billion in freight under management.

We talked to freight brokers at LYNC Logistics, Arrive Logistics, and MoLo Solutions about whether recent softness in flatbed demand signaled a return to normal seasonality, and where unexpected opportunities might be hiding.

Pack a winter coat and umbrella. Rain, freezing cold weather moving into the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex for MarketWaves18.

An early look at next week’s weather for MarketWaves18 has a mix of rain, sunshine, and cold.

Flooding in central Texas has killed several people, washed away roads and homes. More rain will fall at times rest of the week.

Non-stop rain has flooded central parts of the Lone Star State, possibly responsible for four deaths. Bridges washed out, homes damaged, potential crop losses.

Land O’Lakes is moving Purina Feed loads via the Uber Freight app along several lanes, including one in Texas where 100% of the loads are posted to the app.

Clean Truck Programs that remove older trucks from port operation benefit not only the environment, but also productivity, says the program manager of one such initiative.

While Harvey may no longer be a hurricane, its flooding rains are expected to continue for days, causing major disruptions to travel and shipments in the state.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has suspended certain commercial regulations in Texas and Louisiana, including hours of service, for drivers providing “direct assistance” for hurricane relief under regulation 49 CFR 390.5.

The National Hurricane Center has seen rapid intensification of Hurricane Harvey today and is now expecting the storm to gather strength before it makes landfall in Texas late Friday/early Saturday morning. The trucking interests are watching the storm closely as its final path and impacts will influence area spot rates, capacity, and fuel costs.

In the Gulf of Mexico, storms can happen quickly. That is the case with the remnants of Tropical Storm Harvey, which are moving into the Gulf and could potentially threaten the coast of Texas later this week.

Seven fleets will participate in the North American Council for Freight Efficiency’s Run on Less program to showcase the benefits of fuel-saving technologies.

A petition has been filed asking EPA to reconsider its Phase 2 GHG rules based on a procedural step that may have been missed. Also, spot rates climb and cargo theft remains a top concern.

This Week in Trucking, the CEO of Old Dominion Freight Line suggests boosting federal fuel taxes to pay for infrastructure improvements and Texas is the first state to require ELDs for intrastate commercial drivers. Also, Toyota unveils a hydrogen fuel cell Class 8 tractor.