The Daily Dash: Hyliion goes public; Uber Freight lands $500M investment

(Photo courtesy of Hyliion)

The Daily Dash is a quick look at what is happening in the freight ecosystem. In today’s edition, electric driveline startup Hyliion officially became a public company on Friday. Plus, Uber Freight secures $500 million in funding and trucking’s recovery continued in September.

Hyliion takes a bow

Another trucking startup went public on Friday. Hyliion, which hopes to electrify the industry with its electric driveline, became a publicly traded entity just four days after a reverse merger was approved with Tortoise Acquisition.

Alan Adler has more on Hyliion’s first day in the public limelight: Hyliion CEO draws distinctions with besieged Nikola

Uber Freight makes a statement

This summer questions swirled about the future of Uber Freight after parent company Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER) said it was reviewing noncore businesses. On Friday, Uber Freight clearly stated it was here to stay with a massive round of new funding.

John Paul Hampstead has the details: Uber Freight raises $500M from Greenbriar Equity Group

Trucking employment grows, but …

Trucking added jobs in September, but the industry’s 4,600 new positions was not as strong as August’s number. The question is whether September represents a slowdown or just a natural pullback in the recovery.

John Kingston digs deeper into the numbers: Employment follow-up: Two-month gains in trucking sector impressive even if rate slowed in September

Safety status quo

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released preliminary crash data involving large trucks in 2019: the conclusion is there has been no significant change in roadway safety.

John Gallagher has the specifics: Feds reveal large-truck crash trends unchanged in 2019

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Nikola appoints new board member

XPO plans to close distribution center in northeast Pennsylvania

Did you miss this?

The problems that Nikola Corp. (NASDAQ: NKLA) has had related to a short seller’s report alleging fraud have overshadowed a critical question for the future of the company: What happens to the Badger electric pickup truck?

Alan Adler has a look into the future of the Badger: News analysis: Evidence mounts that Nikola Badger is roadkill

Hammer down, everyone,

Brian Straight

Managing Editor

Click for more FreightWaves articles by Brian Straight.

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Brian Straight

Brian Straight leads FreightWaves' Modern Shipper brand as Managing Editor. A journalism graduate of the University of Rhode Island, he has covered everything from a presidential election, to professional sports and Little League baseball, and for more than 10 years has covered trucking and logistics. Before joining FreightWaves, he was previously responsible for the editorial quality and production of Fleet Owner magazine and fleetowner.com. Brian lives in Connecticut with his wife and two kids and spends his time coaching his son’s baseball team, golfing with his daughter, and pursuing his never-ending quest to become a professional bowler. You can reach him at bstraight@freightwaves.com.