Insights

Shippers should lock in certainty with airtight ocean carrier contracts that ward off surcharges.

“This is the first locomotive that’s actually 100% remanufactured for hydrogen,” said Dragan Jankovic, CSX director of locomotive engineering.

The refrigerated truckload market has fallen back in alignment with the broader market this spring, but that doesn’t mean it will stay there.

With so much data in supply chains today, it can be difficult to sort through it all to create a strong logistics industry. The need for standardization is now.

The oil market is up overall, but diesel hasn’t soared despite Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries, key producers of the fuel.

Recent incidents involving Norfolk Southern trains exposed the continued need for rail safety to the greater public. Here are some ways rail can drive safety.

The weekly DOE/EIA retail diesel price moved up Monday as pump prices are reacting to an overall strong oil market.

Operating cost inflation is largely hidden, but fuel costs help explain why the domestic truckload market is headed for a turn.

The benchmark price used for most fuel surcharges is below $4 a gallon for the first time since early February.

Heavy truck orders are not an indicator of for-hire truckload market health and haven’t been since the pandemic ended.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore wasn’t the first time a bridge crumbled after being struck by a ship or boat.

Natural gas may be having a moment as an alternative fuel for trucking, but there are a few nagging questions.

WattEV uses a combination of state incentive funding, volume purchasing plans, and productivity improvement measures to make electric freight transport as affordable as possible.

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose by the smallest amount in months.

Whether it is nearshoring, tariff bypasses or something else entirely, the Southern border is becoming increasingly important for domestic transportation.

While the logistics industry as a whole needs data standardization for greater efficiency, it faces specific challenges when compared to other industries.

The energy sources that will power trucks that carry freight in the future was the focus of a discussion at CERAWeek. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves).

Satish Jindel, president of ShipMatrix, shares his thoughts on the ways parcel carriers should modernize their networks.

Oil analysts at CERAWeek see a market that isn’t what they predicted a year ago but is relatively stable, all things considered.

The precise rules granting tax breaks to hydrogen to fuel trucks are still to be announced, and that has some people at CERAWeek concerned.

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose 2.4 cents, though diesel futures are climbing rapidly.

Venture Global LNG is building a large fleet of liquefied natural gas-powered vessels, amid numerous legal fights.

Ronald Britt was driving his 80,000-pound truck around 60 mph on Interstate 55 when he crashed into a vehicle in a “super fog” that spurred multiple crashes on the roadway, authorities said.

Major weather events in the past few years have greatly affected supply chains and logistics. It’s likely to be the same in 2024, as El Niño causes different effects in different regions.

The closely watched International Energy Agency analysis of oil supply and demand is seeing consumption growing in part because of shipping diversions.

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges fell slightly for the third straight week.

Cummins Inc.’s environmental citizenship record didn’t shield it from the U.S. attorney general’s criticism when it agreed to pay a record fine.

The benchmark price used for most diesel fuel surcharges was down for a second consecutive week.

Supply chain technology cannot be siloed or fragmented to operate in today’s supply chain. This is what you need to know for the rest of 2024.

Pricing trends and rejection rates are signaling a market shift is approaching. What should market participants do?

Houthis, the Lunar New Year, drought in the Panama Canal, an impending potential strike and the upcoming election mean rough seas in 2024. Here’s how shippers can protect themselves.

Even as carriers’ pricing power deteriorated, freight demand was consistently robust throughout February.

The Sisters of the Road photo collection highlights female truckers’ struggles and improvements needed for industry equality.

Natural gas, battery and fuel cell electric vehicles all vie to displace diesel. Which will win? Maybe all of them.

While visiting Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, Lori Ann LaRocco and daughter Abby Wallace learned about families who were enslaved at the site.

The benefits of adding solar panels far outweigh the time and money associated with acquiring and installing the panels.

The weekly diesel price that serves as the basis for most fuel surcharges fell in its latest posting.

Inventory and procurement teams have earned their salaries over the past five years. Are they entering an extended period of stability, or is this only a rare moment of reprieve.

Hyliion is getting a second chance to make a viable business with its Karno technology that could help generate a buyer for the company.

The benchmark price used for most diesel surcharges was unchanged.

DeliverDirect serves various industries, including retail, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and related sectors.

The Georgia Ports Authority sets export record in 2023; the Alabama Port Authority and CSX partner to launch an intermodal facility; and the Port of Cleveland receives $32 million for upgrades.

Transportation providers should watch both coasts for increasing spring activity in March.

The EU’s new supply chain law focuses on corporate accountability in regard to human rights and environmental practices.

The DOE/EIA benchmark price used for most fuel surcharges is above $4 for the first time since December.

The current level of deterioration is historically fast, meaning the truckload market has the increasing potential to flip to a much tighter environment without much notice.

The early stages of this recovery are characterized by a rebalancing market, a return to normalcy after a four-year roller coaster of volatility.

Today, peak seasons and traditional consumer habits are something entirely different than they once were. The CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Americas gives insight on how DHL is handling it and what shippers should do.

The benchmark price used for most fuel surcharges has risen two straight weeks for the first time since September.

In a column, 40-year transportation veteran Rob Haddock shared why it pays for shippers to go above and beyond for carriers.

Spot rates were 22 cents higher from July 2020 to February of 2022 — the pandemic era.

As Black History Month comes to a close, FreightWaves celebrates some of the most important African American figures in the transportation industry.

Midsize companies must strategically position themselves through organic growth, acquisitions or partnerships to thrive in a changing landscape, with the market expected to reach $8 billion by 2030.

Regulations continue to reshape industries in 2024. For warehousing, new environmental, labor and safety policies will require new strategies and technology adoption.

It’s been one year since a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. What’s been done to improve rail safety?

The benchmark price used for most diesel fuel surcharges rose for the third time in six weeks.

Lagging effects of the pandemic are still making evaluating the economy a challenge.

Lunar New Year and the Suez Canal conflict are having a significant effect on supply chains.

The benchmark price of diesel used for most fuel surcharges was down again, its 14th drop in 18 weeks.

The domestic truckload market gets rattled by a series of winter weather systems.

After President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, his body toured the United States in a funeral procession by train as the country mourned the loss.

The concept of “people insights” can optimize a logistics operation through a true understanding of how and where employees work best.

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose for only the fourth time in the past 17 weeks.

Flatbed and refrigerated truckload data suggests their markets may have floored for these two trailer types.

The sustained imbalance between supply and demand has yet to be corrected, such that only an unprecedented tidal wave of demand could satisfy the current amount of capacity in the national freight economy.

In 1986, the Federal Maritime Commission put a stop to a six-month legal case against a Singaporean shipping line after it decided there was nothing to the case.

The New Year could see potential rate increases due to several factors. Here are some strategies you need to keep in mind.

After World War I, veterans took up farming and provided food supplies and wheat to Western Australia. But when emus began to threaten that supply chain, another war broke out. The emus won.

The benchmark used for most diesel surcharges was down for the 13th time in 16 weeks.

Cummins Inc. will spend $580 million to upgrade a North Carolina plant to make fuel-agnostic small engines.

Spot rates did eventually see a boost at the start of the new year, albeit one that was unable to meet our prior forecasts.

After a year in which crude and diesel prices fell, new refineries and the supply and demand balance appear to be bearish in ’24.

Increasing biofuel consumption will be a key way for Norfolk Southern to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to its inaugural climate transition plan.

This article from American Shipper’s archives gives a detailed look at “the business of disaster” in maritime in the 1980s, including marine salvage and issues surrounding liability.

After an increase last week, the benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges declined in its first posting of 2024.

With the year coming to an end, columnist Bart De Muynck reflects on 2023 and the new year ahead.

American Shipper magazine has an extensive history of monthly printed issues. We’ve compiled a gallery of our favorite covers from the 1990s.

The Shipping Act of 1984 changed the game for shippers and carriers.

Shipping stocks are under pressure as some ocean carriers show faith in military protection from Red Sea attacks.

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose Tuesday, the first increase since the end of October.

In the closing edition of Drilling Deep for 2023, P. Sean Garney of Scopelitis looks at the regulatory landscape for the new year.

The next year could be fraught with disruption but investment in logistics technology is likely to continue.

In the age of social media, rumors are rampant in the shipping industry. But this article from the archives of American Shipper examines how rumors also plagued logistics in the 1980s, pre-social media.

Amelia Earhart’s achievements go beyond aviation, and the pilot has done much more than she is given credit for. This museum gives insight into her impressive career and contributions to the industry and beyond.

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges was down Monday, but its long decline is threatened by Red Sea strife.

It is unclear whether the reduction in emissions is a result of a genuine effort to mitigate environmental impact or a consequence of market dynamics.

On this week’s Drilling Deep, we talk truck parking and weakening oil demand. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

UPS’ ground delivery surcharge increase comes amid a continued decline in diesel pump prices.

Tender volumes began to outpace 2020 earlier this week and are now marching toward favorable comparisons with 2021.

Cummins’ aggressive scaling of electrolyzers will need other players to meet expected midcentury hydrogen demand.

A look at how the key to success in the supply chain industry is picking the right partner.

Find out how more than 100 patriots pulled off dumping so much tea into Boston Harbor in this week’s episode of Tracks Through Time.

Alleged thefts of chicken and chicken-adjacent foods on both sides of the Atlantic have me feeling fricasseed.

The University of Tennessee at Knoxville is trying to help shippers with tools to track the diesel emissions of their trucking vendors.

FreightWaves Classics aims to highlight the most interesting and sometimes unique stories throughout the history of transportation and freight. This year we found so many compelling stories; here are some of the most read from 2023.

The basis for most fuel surcharges declined for the eighth time in 10 weeks.

UPS’ levies drop to 15% from 15.25%.

Volumes are leveling out at the start of December, delaying the seasonal dip that ordinarily occurs at this time of the year.

Tracks Through Time spent all year sharing some of the most captivating stories in the history of logistics. See the favorites from the year here.

Big and bulky items sold online need more finance in logistics. Luckily today, there’s a growing number of new technologies to help.