Today's Transportation Pulse
U.S. Energy Secretary says half of Hormuz oil flow restored
Chris Wright announced that roughly 7 million barrels per day have resumed flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, representing half of the volume stranded after the waterway was effectively shut. He pledged the United States will fully reopen the strait, with or without Iran’s assistance.
Also developing:
By the numbers: MIAA acquires Terminal 3 property for $890M
HERE Technologies Expands China Partnerships to Drive Global Automated Driving
HERE Technologies announced a suite of strategic agreements at Auto China 2026, highlighted by a memorandum of understanding with Baidu Maps to fuse global and domestic map data for automakers. The company also unveiled an integrated Highway Navigation on Autopilot with Lotus, extending Chinese‑origin technology to overseas markets. Additional collaborations with NEU‑EHC and Mengqing aim to accelerate high‑definition mapping for NOA systems and truck‑specific routing, respectively. A new AI‑powered Live Map Intelligence service will deliver real‑time road updates to support these automated driving solutions.
67 ELDs Revoked Since January. 2 More Just Made the List.
The FMCSA announced that Safe ELD (iOS/Android) and MYLOGS ELD have been removed from the agency’s registered electronic logging device list, bringing the total revocations to 67 since January 2025. The regulator framed the removals as part of an active enforcement campaign, not...
Indy Airport Looks Ahead to Indy 500, Summer Travel Season
Indianapolis International Airport (IND) closed a strong spring‑break period, handling roughly 403,000 passengers and posting a 1.4% year‑over‑year rise in March to 977,536 travelers, the second‑highest monthly volume in its history. The airport is gearing up for the Indianapolis 500,...
Aviramp Launches Standards Survey to Address Compliance Language Barrier
UK‑based ground‑support equipment maker Aviramp announced a new standards survey at the AAAI conference to quantify how US procurement teams verify compliance with FAA, ARP and IATA specifications. The company highlighted that while US and international standards align, the procurement...
Halifax International Airport Authority Builds on Milestone Year with Continued Growth
Halifax International Airport Authority reported a 4 % rise in passenger traffic to 4.14 million in 2025, driven by a 19.8 % surge in international flights and new routes to Zurich, Amsterdam, Paris and Barcelona. Total revenue grew 2 % and net income reached...
Funding Gap Cripples Mariner Credentialing, Delays Threaten Dominance
You want to hear how messed up the mariner credentialing pipeline is from this funding gap? The National Maritime Center just warned mariners not to send USPS shipping labels with applications because processing delays are now so long the labels...
Cruise Ships: Polluting, Waste‑laden Floating Environmental Hazards
Cruise ships are roiling artificial shitholes dressed up in peptodismal pastels covered in alcohol induced vomit and disease that also pollute the environment and spread human waste to beautiful places.
Teams Form for Qiddiya High-Speed Rail PPP
The Qiddiya high‑speed rail project has entered a public‑private partnership phase, assembling teams to design a line that will link King Salman International Airport and the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh with the upcoming Qiddiya entertainment city. The initiative...
MARTAC T38 USV Executes 192-Hour Autonomous Mission 400 NM Offshore
Maritime Tactical Systems’ T38 Devil Ray USV completed a record‑setting 192‑hour autonomous mission 400 nautical miles off California, proving long‑endurance, low‑logistics operation. The vessel maintained station in sea states up to 5, demonstrated 50‑knot bursts, and operated on a single...
$490 Billion Starline Project Targets World’s Largest Metro Across 22 European Countries
The Copenhagen‑based think tank 21st Europe has unveiled the Starline Project, a $490 billion, 22,000‑km high‑speed rail network linking 39 cities across 22 European nations. Designed as a continent‑wide metro‑style system, it promises speeds of 300‑400 km/h, unified ticketing, and mixed‑use stations...
Wait-and-See Approach
U.S. railroads are adopting a cautious stance toward battery‑electric (BE) and hydrogen locomotives as the current administration favors traditional coal and oil energy. While diesel will dominate for years, companies like Wabtec have begun delivering FLXdrive BE units and hybrid...
2-Million-Mile '07 Peterbilt 379 the Bedrock of Owner-Op's Livestock Biz
Greg Wertz, a Kansas‑based owner‑operator, has been hauling cattle for 25 years using a 2007 Peterbilt 379 that now boasts over 2 million miles. After buying the truck in 2014 with 300,000 miles, he kept modifications minimal, preserving its original Cummins...
Lithia Motors' Real Profit Driver: High‑Margin Services, Not New Cars
Day 21 of 30: How $LAD Lithia Motors actually makes money Most people think it's just a traditional car dealership selling new vehicles off a lot. But new car sales are actually their lowest-margin business. Here's the real breakdown of their $9.27B in...
FourKites Takes Aim at Automating Ocean Bookings for Shippers
FourKites has introduced Booking Connect for Ocean, a software solution that digitizes the entire ocean freight booking workflow. The platform automates request submission, carrier confirmation, and shipment creation, eliminating the traditional email‑and‑phone loops. By handling these steps internally, shippers can...
Bosnia Steel Shutdown Hits Railways, Port and Regional Supply Chains
Bosnia’s flagship Zenica steelworks halted integrated production on April 23, citing unsustainable losses and a lack of state protection. The shutdown eliminates roughly 30% of rail freight turnover for the Federation’s railway operator and threatens 2,500 railway jobs and thousands of...
Ulta Beauty Joins Uber Eats Marketplace, Expanding Delivery Options
Ulta Beauty announced its entry into the Uber Eats marketplace, adding more than 1,500 U.S. stores for same‑day delivery of thousands of beauty products. The move, timed just before Mother’s Day, expands Ulta’s omnichannel reach and leverages Uber Eats’ push...
MARAD Launches Initiative to Develop Small Modular Nuclear Reactors
The Maritime Administration (MARAD) and Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced an initiative to develop Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs) for commercial shipping. MARAD issued a Request for Information (RFI) inviting innovators to propose SMR designs that can boost ship...
DOT Week Survival Guide: What to Expect and How to Prepare
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s International Roadcheck, known as DOT Week, runs May 12‑14 and triggers more than 15 vehicle inspections per minute across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. In 2025 the CVSA logged over 50,000 inspections—a 15% increase—resulting in...
ResilienX Selected to Support GrandSKY in Project ULTRA UAS Integration and Simulation Efforts
ResilienX, Inc. has signed a subcontract with GrandSKY to provide engineering integration and operational modeling for Project ULTRA, a Department of Defense‑backed effort to integrate unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace. The company will deploy its AAM OptiX digital infrastructure as...
Ontario International Airport Launches Environmental Review Process for Transformative ONT BOLD Expansion Project
Ontario International Airport (ONT) has issued a Notice of Preparation for an Environmental Impact Report to launch its ONT BOLD expansion, which includes a new three‑level Terminal 3, upgrades to Terminals 2 and 4, and a new parking garage. The 650,000‑square‑foot terminal will...
RXO’s Tech Turnaround: Why Investors Are Watching
RXO reported a challenging first quarter, posting just $6 million in EBITDA, but the company signaled a turnaround by forecasting $27‑$37 million for the second quarter. CEO Drew Wilkerson highlighted a supply‑driven recovery in the freight market and accelerated AI integration after the...
Alaska Railroad Debuts Summer Package for Active Travelers
Alaska Railroad is launching a refreshed 2026 summer program that emphasizes active‑travel experiences, highlighted by a 12‑day Grande Alaska Tour linking Anchorage, Seward, Talkeetna, Denali and Fairbanks. The itinerary adds glacier rafting, coastal cruises, flightseeing and a sternwheeler ride on...
I Need A Modestly Priced Ride To Survive Minneapolis Winters! What Should I Buy?
A Minneapolis med student needs an affordable, automatic vehicle for winter commuting, with a budget capped at $10,000. Experts recommend three options: a practical 2009 Honda Fit priced around $5,000, a quirky 2010 Mini Cooper convertible, and a high‑performance VW...
FlyMyAirport® Expands Actionable Data for Air Service and Marketing
Airport One has added a new data suite to its FlyMyAirport® platform that captures real‑time traveler searches, add‑to‑carts and purchases, revealing demand that airlines traditionally cannot see. The service provides timing intelligence, showing when passengers begin planning and the dates...
British Train Delays Spark Driver’s Quick‑Witted Humor
To say that trains on the West Coast mainline are knackered this afternoon/evening is an understatement. Fair play to the @ASLEFunion driver who I was chatting to at Liverpool Lime St as I explained had to cross London and was...
CLR: Gulf Coast Rail Gateway Development-Ready
CLR announced its Gulf Coast Rail Gateway in Sinton‑Odem is development‑ready, launching with roughly 500 railcar slots and a design that can scale to 3,000. The site features a full‑loop track, transload facilities, car cleaning and a locomotive shop, and...
US States Have Revoked 28,000 Non-Domiciled CDLs
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced that more than 28,000 illegally issued non‑domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) have been revoked across 26 states, part of a broader crackdown that could eliminate up to 194,000 foreign‑licensed truck drivers from...
ATP Alumni Step In to Support Displaced Spirit Pilots
ATP Flight School has activated its alumni network to help pilots displaced by Spirit Airlines' shutdown. The new support program provides interview coaching, resume assistance, and priority access to airline recruiting events. ATP aims to place these experienced pilots—many with...
Optimize Load, Network, and Mode to Control Carrier Rates
Most logistics and supply chain leaders I speak to are fighting the same losing battle. They renegotiate carrier rates. Costs climb anyway. They renegotiate again. Same result. The problem isn't the rates. It's the inputs that shape them — load optimisation, network...
Bulk Rail Data Better Gauge of Economy than Intermodal
Intermodal is down because of soft imports relative to last year. Intermodal was stronger last year because of all the prestocking to front run Liberation day tariffs. Frankly, I am more excited about the bulk rail data, it tells you...
Crescent Towing Takes Delivery of 6,000-Hp Z-Drive Tug
Crescent Towing of Mobile, Alabama, has taken delivery of the M/V Kentucky, a 6,000‑hp Tier 4 Z‑drive tug built by Blakeley BoatWorks. The 92‑foot vessel, powered by twin Caterpillar 3516E engines and Kongsberg azimuth drives, entered service earlier this year and...
Solutions that Save: How Amazon’s Supply Chain Services Give Back Time, Money, and Peace of Mind
Amazon Supply Chain Services (ASCS) bundles warehousing, transportation, and last‑mile delivery into a single, flexible offering, leveraging Amazon’s global fulfillment network. The platform promises to cut costs, accelerate delivery, and reduce operational complexity without requiring long‑term contracts. AI‑driven forecasting and...
Make‑A‑Wish Mother’s Day Truck Convoy Rolls Out Saturday
Make-A-Wish 37th Annual Mother's Day Truck Convoy is this Saturday Here's the schedule 6 a.m. - 10 a.m.: Truck parking and driver check-in/registration 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.: Silent auction and basket raffle 12 p.m.: Stage remarks and Wish Angel Remembrance 1:30 p.m.: Official...
Travel Turmoil: Hantavirus, Cancellations, Fuel Spike, Airline Shutdown
14 Things in Travel Today: — Cruise Passengers Traced After Hantavirus Death — Delta Cancels Hundreds Of Flights — Jet Fuel Costs Surge 56% In March — Spirit Begins Shutdown Process — Spirit 2.0 Crowdfunding Effort Launches + More https://t.co/Jo2IaZruVw
How Wheel/Rail Profiles Affect Hunting Stability
MxV Rail researchers simulated hunting stability on tangent track using worn wheel profiles from 14 in‑service railcars and seven rail‑profile templates. By varying speed from 80 mph to 10 mph, they identified critical hunting speeds for both empty and loaded hoppers. The...
Truck Crash Stats Include Both Legal and Illegal Drivers
That isn't correct. That number is for the number of crashes, fatal, involving at least one large truck (this includes illegal and legal drivers) Here's the chart through 2024 https://t.co/av44bMmZ37
NHTSA’s Stricter ADAS Screening Sets Autonomous Approval Blueprint
Glad NHTSA is screening these systems more carefully. Not all ADAS systems were created equal. Many are just plain unsafe. This is also a blueprint for what federal approval of fully autonomous vehicles could look like.
Airport Left With No Commercial Flights After Spirit Airlines Collapse
Spirit Airlines filed for bankruptcy last weekend, instantly canceling all flights and leaving Arnold Palmer Regional Airport—the only U.S. airport served exclusively by Spirit—without commercial service. The airport had been preparing a $22 million expansion to attract new carriers, but the...
Stadiums Offer Hourly Truck Parking Through ParkPro
Some stadiums are starting to open their lots up for paid hour truck parking. This isn't via TPC. It's by a company called ParkPro https://t.co/E66PoPHuLD
Airplane Cabins Mix Outdoor Air with HEPA Filtration
This is not entirely correct (air changes ARE a meaningful metric independent of filtration), but mostly want to let people know that airplanes have excellent filtration, too - HEPA filters. Airplane cabin air is 50:50 mix of outdoor air and...
North Carolina Panel Approves $2.2 Billion in Borrowing
The North Carolina Local Government Commission authorized roughly $2.2 billion in municipal borrowing, targeting a range of infrastructure projects across the state. Charlotte will sell $215 million in bonds to build a fourth runway at its international airport and receive $530 million in...
Trucking Earnings Surge, Record Momentum Into May
We've now bookended trucking earnings season: JBHT to RXO and universally the reports showed increasing market momentum with stronger conditions into May. Summary: One of the strongest set of earnings calls in years.
Tender Rejections to Stay Firm as Demand Returns
RXO: Tender rejections will continue to firm through the rest of the year as capacity comes out the market and demand returns https://t.co/XOl8PQM9fX
IndiGo to Start Operations From Noida International Airport in June 2026
IndiGo will commence flights from the newly built Noida International Airport (NIA) on 15 June 2026, linking the hub with more than 16 domestic destinations across metros and tier‑2/3 cities. The airline will operate from three airports in the National Capital Region—IGI,...
Bezos‑backed Slate Loses His Board Representative
New from @sokane1 - we were the first to report that Jeff Bezos had backed Slate (a year ago). Now there's a change-up on the board of the EV startup. Bezos' rep has left the board. https://t.co/UG5uA83iXC
No Agreement Reached on Hormuz Passage Terms
To be honest, it doesn’t really look like they agreed on the terms for Hormuz passage this time either
ST Executive Committee ST3 Debate
On May 7, Sound Transit’s Executive Committee convened to debate a revised ST3 system‑plan aimed at trimming capital costs and accelerating construction. The two‑hour session began with 45 minutes of public testimony before members discussed land‑sale discounts, affordable‑housing mandates, and project...
MnDOT Releases Updated State Rail Plan
The Minnesota Department of Transportation released an updated State Rail Plan on May 5, outlining a 20‑year strategy to boost safety, capacity, and service across more than 4,000 miles of rail. The blueprint calls for additional freight‑rail funding, a refreshed process...
RXO Boss Optimistic About Supply-Side Recovery
RXO reported a Q1 net loss of $36 million on flat revenue of $1.43 billion, while highlighting growing momentum across its brokerage and managed‑transportation units. The company saw a 2.8% rise in truck‑brokerage revenue to $1.1 billion, even as overall brokerage volume fell...
Picture of the Day: May 7, 2026
Swiss Pilatus P3 warbirds were showcased at a fly‑in event at Lodrino Airport in Ticino. The five civilian‑registered P3s, originally used by the Swiss military in World War II, were displayed on the tarmac against a mountainous backdrop. Lodrino, once a...