Chattanooga-based U.S. Xpress Enterprises Inc., the nation’s fifth largest asset-based truckload carrier, announced Tuesday a partnership with Truckers Against Trafficking, a non-profit organization that specializes in the training of transportation professionals to recognize and report human trafficking.
“We believe that as one of the largest truckload carriers in the United States with nearly 7,000 drivers, we have an obligation to assist our law enforcement officials in the growing battle against human trafficking,” said Eric Fuller, CEO of U.S. Xpress. “Through our partnership with Truckers Against Trafficking, our team has the opportunity to play a significant role in saving lives as we work to be part of the solution to end this global epidemic.”
Human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar worldwide industry, with more than 40 million people currently enslaved, according to Truckers Against Trafficking. Since 2009, TAT has trained more than 700,000 truckers who have made more than 2,200 calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline which have identified more than 600 cases of human trafficking involving over 1,110 victims.
Levi Strauss plans 100 new stores
Levi Strauss & Co. swung to a profit and reported a nearly 7% increase in net revenue during the company’s fiscal first quarter, an indication the jeans maker’s investments online and in its denim products are paying off.
The company said it also plans to invest as much as $200 million to open 100 new stores over the next year as well as invest in other areas. It currently operates roughly 800 stores globally.
Tuesday’s earnings report marked the iconic blue jeans maker’s first since its return to the public markets last month. Its stock rose 3% in after-hours trading.
Settlement fails in soybean lawsuit
Lawyers have failed to reach a settlement in a federal lawsuit claiming a soybean seed company purposely sold faulty seeds to black farmers in Mississippi.
A court filing by attorneys for Stine Seed Co. says mediation talks did not lead to an agreement to settle the suit. U.S. District Judge John Fowlkes had set a Friday mediation deadline.
The suit alleges Stine conspired with a seed salesman to sell defective seeds to the soybean farmers because they are black. The suit claims the good seeds the farmers thought they had bought from Stine were replaced by inferior seeds before delivery.
Adel, Iowa-based Stine says discrimination and fraud allegations are baseless and irresponsible. Fowlkes has not ruled on a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
A court date has not been set.
Boeing orders fall in quarter
Orders and deliveries of Boeing’s 737 Max plunged in the first quarter as the plane was grounded around the world following a second deadly crash.
Boeing disclosed Tuesday that it received no new orders for the Max in March. It took 29 net orders for 737s in the first three months of the year, but it appeared that only 10 of those involved the Max, the latest version of Boeing’s best-selling plane. The buyers were not identified.
In the first quarter of last year, Boeing took 122 orders for 737s, including 112 for the Max, led by large orders from Southwest Airlines and Ireland’s Ryanair.
Boeing suspended Max deliveries in mid-March after regulators grounded the planes. First-quarter deliveries of all 737s including Max models fell to 89 from 132 in the same period last year.
Last week, Boeing announced that it will cut production of 737s from 52 a month to 42 a month. Meanwhile, airlines that own the nearly 400 Max jets are canceling flights.
The drop in deliveries was expected and the damage to Boeing could be temporary if the company can complete a fix to key software on the Max and reassure regulators and passengers that it is a safe plane.