Toyota Shows off its New Highlander

With a redesign for the new model year, the Toyota Highlander remains a formidable competitor in the mid-size SUV market. We recently got to see it when it was unveiled to Atlanta-area automotive media. 
It seats up to eight passengers across three rows. The redesign has brought a more athletic, muscular look and delivers a longer wheelbase that now is 112.2 inches. Its cargo capacity is 84.3 cubic feet if the second- and third-row seats are folded down.
The Highlander's standard engine is a 3.5-liter V-6 that makes 295 horsepower and is linked to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, with all-wheel drive optional. 
The Highlander has five trim levels: L, LE, XLE, Limited and Platinum.
Pricing starts at around $35,000 and ranges to just shy of $50,000.

If You're Able, Please Help Those in Need

In this time of need, it's important for us to come together and help those who are less fortunate. The economic difficulties brought on by the pandemic have added to the adversity that many people face as they struggle to pay bills, feed families and maintain some form of income.
Now more than ever, please do what you can to help.
If you're able, please consider making a monetary or food/household goods donation to Hosea Helps. This Atlanta-based organization has helped disadvantaged people for many years.
If you'd like to make a donation of food or other essential household items, you can take your donations to the following address at the following days/times:

The Hosea Helps Warehouse

Tues. – Thurs. | 10 AM – 5 PM
4779 Mindy Drive SW
Atlanta, Georgia 30336
404.755.3353

Or if you wish to make a monetary donation, please visit https://4hosea.org/

Trucking Industry not Immune to Pandemic's Economic Woes

The trucking industry lost a reported 88,000-plus jobs in April, with speculation circling on whether the industry decline is short-term, due to the pandemic, or more of a long-term industry shift. 

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1.4 million jobs were reported in the trucking sector in April. That's a decline of 88,300 from the previous month, and marked the lowest figure since November 2014. 

While not all of the jobs lost are truck-driving jobs - some may be back office personnel and other support staff - the numbers are still alarming. 

The trucking industry job losses would seem to be counterintuitive, since more consumers are ordering goods to be shipped to their homes or nearby stores, as in-person shopping has fallen somewhat out of favor. 

But low margins that make hauling freight less profitable for trucking companies have caused the firms to cut back, thereby reducing the available routes for drivers. And in some cases, the available routes aren't profitable enough for drivers to make them worth their while to take on the work.

Those economic difficulties come even as the critical role of trucking in the business landscape is highlighted, as stores try to maintain adequate stockpiles of goods to meet demand. There has been a heightened appreciation of service providers such as truck drivers, as the public realizes the vital role they play in maintaining some sense of normality and continuity in everyday life. 

However, the job remains fraught with risks and financial insecurity, such as a lack of paid time off or sick leave faced by many drivers. The risk of encountering corona virus now adds to the perils of the job. 

But the hope among industry leaders is that the effects of the pandemic will wane in coming months, and the economy will regain its footing. That's not expected to happen overnight, though.

"We would not anticipate the level of freight volume in trucking to return to pre-crisis levels until early 2021," said Avery Vise, vice president of trucking at FTR, a transportation industry information provider. "We might even lose some sizable motor carriers as well as numerous small carriers," Vise said in remarks to Aljazeera news.