Truckinginfo.com reports that an overwhelming 93% of transportation executives are displeased with the results of this year’s presidential election. This data comes from the 4th Quarter Business Expectations Survey conducted by Transport Capital Partners.
Additionally, TCP partners Richard Mikes and Steven Dutro report that uncertainty around the “Fiscal Cliff” debate in Washington is causing carriers to hesitate before proceeding with any mergers and acquisitions. Read the full article here.
HDMA.org, the website for the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association, references a Transport Topics article about the impending “Fiscal Cliff.” According to TCP Partner Lana Batts, “A lot of carriers say they want to sell before the end of the year. They may be buyers or sellers, but in the end they’re individuals, and a 3 percent or 6 percent tax increase comes out of their cash.” As a result, many carriers are waiting for the debate in Washington to be resolved before taking action on major transactions.
Read the full post at HDMA.org.
From a November 11 article from BigTruckTV, slow growth in the US economy matches the trend in the trucking industry. According to TCP Partner Richard Mikes, “Carriers are not adding capacity as the economy remains relatively flat, used equipment prices go up and conservative equipment plans boost used demand.”
For TCP Partner Lana Batts, “Long term demographics still portend a shrinking driver pool, and current CSA and HOS regulations remove drivers and shorten effective hours (and pay checks) for existing drivers. Some runs that were doable in a day are requiring a sleep break.”
As reported on Refrigerated Transporter, carriers are not likely to add much capacity in the coming year. According to the quarterly Business Expectations Survey from Transport Capital Partners, the number of carriers expecting to add little or no capacity has remained between 70% and 74% for the past five quarters. TCP Partner Lana Batts cites driver shortages, coupled with CSA and HOS regulations, as having a diminishing effect on equipment purchases.
The Third Quarter 2012 Business Expectations Survey from TCP shows that carriers remain slow to add capacity to their fleets. TCP Partner Richard Mikes notes an increase in the used equipment market, while Partner Lana Batts acknowledges the effects of a shrinking driver pool. Read the full article on Automotive World.
TruckingInfo.com reports that “Few Carriers Expect to Add Much Capacity in Next Year,” citing Transport Capital Partners’ Third Quarter 2012 Business Expectations Survey. TCP Partner Richard Mikes notes, “Carriers are not adding capacity as the economy remains relatively flat and used equipment prices go up and conservative equipment plans boost used demand.” Read the full article here.
Lana Batts is quoted in a Logistic Management article citing the absence of infrastructure discussion in the political discourse. “Neither party wants to address the fact that the infrastructure is crumbling beneath their very feet because it means raising taxes to pay for it,” Batts said. “Building the interstate system took a visionary; maintaining it takes politicians with the guts to raise taxes and not just cut ribbons.” Read the full article here.
In a survey by Transport Capital Partners and ACT Research, over 50% of carriers report considering buying natural gas vehicles. TCP Partner Richard Mikes notes significant savings at the pump. Read the full article here.
Richard Mikes, TCP Partner, spoke at the recent VCF Conference in Miami about many of the current trends in the trucking industry such as the capacity crunch and the expected increase in truckload costs. Read Supply Chain Management’s full review of the VCF Conference here.
Mikes is quoted in an article of Transport Topics discussing the recent decision of three truck fleets to provide public share offerings. For more than five years the industry has gone without a stock sale. All three carriers plan to repay debt with the proceeds. Click here to read the full article.
