Week in Trucking: Tesla, trade and Amazon sued

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.

Elon Musk adds more details to electric semi

Speaking on an investors call this week, Tesla founder Elon Musk added a few more details about his electric truck program, including that it will use some components from the Model 3. (Trucks.com)

Read: Elon Musk Explains Why Tesla Wants Electric Semi Truck

Bringing back the company driver

Celadon, under increasing pressure to improve operations, said this week it will rely more on company drivers and less on recruiting owner-operators. (CCJ)

Read: Celadon to lean less on owner-operators in effort to boost profits

Jobs coming back

Following a disappointing performance in March, the Labor Department reported improved numbers in April, leading some economists to revise their immediate forecast for the economy. (New York Times)

Read: U.S. Job Growth Bounces Back; Unemployment at 10-Year Low

Trade gap with Mexico widens

The U.S. reported a growing trade gap with Mexico as the Mexican Peso continues to weaken. (Wall Street Journal)

Read: U.S. Trade Gap With Mexico Widens Amid Weak Peso

Trump floats idea of gas tax hike

Seeking a way to fund his trillion dollar infrastructure improvement plan, President Donald Trump says he is willing to consider a rise in fuel taxes. (Associated Press)

Read: Trump says he’s willing to consider raising gas tax

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Brian Straight

Brian Straight leads FreightWaves' Modern Shipper brand as Managing Editor. A journalism graduate of the University of Rhode Island, he has covered everything from a presidential election, to professional sports and Little League baseball, and for more than 10 years has covered trucking and logistics. Before joining FreightWaves, he was previously responsible for the editorial quality and production of Fleet Owner magazine and fleetowner.com. Brian lives in Connecticut with his wife and two kids and spends his time coaching his son’s baseball team, golfing with his daughter, and pursuing his never-ending quest to become a professional bowler. You can reach him at bstraight@freightwaves.com.