The Port of Seattle Commission authorized the port’s annual budget and plan of finance yesterday, approving nearly $500 million in capital projects and maintaining the agency’s tax levy at $73.5 million.

Data from ACT Research, a provider of data and analysis for trucks and other commercial vehicles, indicates that the average retail sales price of Class 8 used vehicles sold in October was up 4 percent from September.

Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman had an opportunity to catch up with Patrick Quinn, Co-chairman and President of truckload and full-service freight transportation provider U.S. Xpress Enterprises Inc., at the recent TransComp expo in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

A slight surge in air cargo demand has some industry analysts predicting a prolonged rebound.

In a unique regional act of cooperation, harbor commissioners from Los Angeles and Long Beach came together for a special joint session yesterday, approving a new version of the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan

A panel of shipper executives at the recently concluded TransComp expo, hosted by the National Industrial Transportation League, the Intermodal Association of North America, and the Transportation Intermediaries Association, shared their opinions on the economy, supply chain operations and future prospects in a wide-ranging discussion.

In the wake of a recent ruling by U.S. District Court upholding the legality of the Port of Los Angeles concession requirements for motor carriers, The American Trucking Associations (ATA) is trying to expedite its appeal.

A confluence of positive economic events is causing trucking industry officials and economists to predict tighter trucking capacity perhaps as soon as the second quarter of 2011, experts are saying. The effects will be most noticeable in the $290 billion truckload sector, which has more severe capacity restraints on drivers and equipment than the $26.5 billion LTL sector, which still has overcapacity stemming from the last recession.

Four organizations have signed a letter of intent committing to work towards the formation of an industry advisory group to ensure the air cargo industry has a strong, unified voice in its dealings with worldwide regulatory authorities and other bodies.

The trucking industry could lose significant capacity as more drivers are facing disqualification as the federal government initiates tough safety standards in December and truly rolls them out during 2011. That’s because the federal government is poised to launch the toughest safety crackdown on the estimated 3 million long-haul truck drivers and 800,000 carriers in the history of the industry.