News

The dockworkers’ union and terminal employers are still sparring over wages and benefits more than a year after contract talks began.

This week in Borderlands: Texas seaport completes a $146 million container terminal expansion; a chemical logistics provider expands its Arizona operations; Bollore Logistics opens a supply chain facility in Mexico; and border agents seize $38 million worth of meth hidden in a kale shipment.

May’s Class 8 truck orders rose, but a truer measure of manufacturing health is the industry’s still-elevated backlog-to-build number.

The jury is still out on whether truckload demand has hit the floor.

Five years after bringing dry bulk freight futures to the masses, Breakwave makes a splash in tanker investing.

Move may come as a surprise to those who thought Jim Barber was the top candidate.

Growing interest in containerization drove speed and optimization in the transport industry and overtook previous methods of shipping over time. In 1975, United States Lines resumed containerized cargo service, reducing transit time between Savannah, Georgia, and Northern Europe to just eight days.

Now on demand on WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is joined by FinPark’s Anthony Petitte; Courier Network’s Thomas Funkhauser and Eight Twenty-Eight’s Casey Jenkins

One last round of bad news to cap this week: China and the U.S. both posted dismal data from their respective industrial economies.

Technology might not be the only thing causing the freight rail industry to pivot. The industry’s relationships with its workforce and its customers might also be transitioning, suggested some speakers at the North American Rail Shippers conference.

Class 5 electric trucks have a broad customer base and a lot of manufacturers chasing the space where regulation comes soon.

Truck transportation jobs may have risen between April and May, but the more significant number is the trend since January, which has been down.

Less-than-truckload carrier Saia reported second-quarter volume metrics on Friday that imply a high-single-digit sequential increase in tonnage from the first quarter.

Freight brokers can “increase their capacity by managing their own dedicated pool of leased trailers,” said Graham Gonzales, vice president of strategic accounts at Reliance Partners. Reliance is America’s fastest growing and most diverse insurance brokerage with a sole focus on the transportation space, specializing in annual and usage-based solutions.

Regulators explain the rationale behind an upcoming rulemaking for third-party CDL knowledge testers versus issuing a permanent waiver.

Older ships are being kept in service longer in pursuit of profits, heightening the risk of accidents and spills.

FedEx flight reductions reflect a significant drop in parcel traffic, throwing a wrench into management’s earnings expectations in the just-completed fourth quarter.

An ambitious train robbery goes off virtually without a hitch. But one little mistake leads to the downfall of this daring gang.

Like many FreightTech companies that have laid off workers in recent months, CloudTrucks blames the declining freight market for the job cuts.

Further downside risks to the U.S. economy are increasing the odds of a further decline in containerized import volumes.

Centerline Drivers VP John Trahan debunks the misconceptions surrounding staffing companies and stresses the importance of investing in all drivers.

How industry stakeholders are responding to efforts to legislate rail safety reforms was one of the themes percolating at the recent North American Rail Shippers annual conference.

RIST Transport acquired less-than-truckload peer AMA Transportation in a deal that creates a major regional player in the Northeast, according to an industry insider.

Ikea announced it has acquired cloud-based supply chain and warehouse management software provider Made4net.

Federal safety regulators have opened a preliminary evaluation of automatic emergency braking in Freightliner Cascadias.

The capacity at Amazon’s Atlanta facility has doubled to 2.4 million disaster relief items ready for shipment.

Freight Ninja is positioning itself as an industry leader in combating the truck parking shortage across the United States.

There may be plenty of hand-wringing about California’s Clean Fleets rule, but fleets are advised to start getting ready for it.

Shippers will be able to place lots of freight on widebody jets British Airways will start flying to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport from London.

Supply chain visibility provider Descartes beat first-quarter estimates, and management said they are optimistic about recent trends.

The Pacific Railway Act of 1862 brought about the first transcontinental railroad. Check out the photographs and illustrations that depict what it was like to work on the railroad at the time.

The California State Assembly voted 54-3 to ban autonomous trucks without safety drivers from the state’s roadways.

A project sponsored by West Coast states is seeking the entire first round of federal funding set aside for zero-emission charging and fueling networks.

Two regulations proposed by the Federal Railroad Administration call for freight railroads to create programs to certify train dispatchers and signal employees.

Gartner’s Magic Quadrant stands out as one of the clearest – and most trusted – ways to evaluate the most popular real-time visibility options.

Alterna Equity Partners announced Wednesday the acquisition of waste and industrial materials carriers Attaway Hauling and Choice Bulk Carriers.

Union Pacific’s expanded service allows ocean carriers and BCOs to utilize on-dock rail at the Barbours Cut Container Terminal at Port Houston.

Despite a slow Memorial Day start, summer demand is expected to hike tanker rates in the months ahead.

On demand on WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is joined by Eugen Tissen; Keagan Russo; Ashlie Summer; Crackerbox Jimmy; Toby Bogard and Justin Martin

Analyzing back-to-school volumes can give you insight into retailer expectations and impacts on container trade.

The Port of Corpus Christi has named Kent Britton interim CEO to lead the South Texas port until a permanent chief executive is found.

Ameriflight says it is greenlighted to add the Matternet M2 to its fleet, allowing the first large-scale drone operation in the country.

FedEx has prevented a potential strike by its pilots by agreeing to a contract that still must be approved by members of the pilots union.

Last week, Dronamics completed the successful first flight of its flagship Black Swan aircraft, flown remotely by two commercial airline pilots, near Bulgaria’s Balchik Airport.

Worldwide Express is the latest and biggest customer of the integrated payments and audit network established by TriumphPay.

New digital processes hold the potential for shippers to achieve efficiencies and cost savings in freight booking.

U.S. and EU antitrust authorities are worried about reduced cargo competition from a merger between South Korea’s top airlines.

A tentative agreement reduces the size of parcels that could be handled by the Postal Service, the Teamsters union confirms.

The benchmark price used for most diesel surcharges declined for the sixth straight week.

FedEx Express is quadrupling throughput at one of its airport gateways in Australia.

MWCold operates 545,000 square feet of warehouses.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City is adding 1,000 refrigerated intermodal containers to its Mexico railroad business.

Daimler Truck and Toyota Motor Corp. plan to merge their Asian units to save money in new technology development.

The potential for higher pay and less idle time is appealing. However, constantly sharing a confined space with another person doesn’t work for everyone.

“When appropriately managed, your records not only show who your drivers and employees are, but also that they are trained, qualified, properly taxed and work within the limits of the law,” said Daren Hansen of J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

FreightWaves is hosting its two-day Future of Supply Chain event in Cleveland in June. Here’s what you need to know.

Birmingham-Shuttlesworth airport is building a 53,000-square-foot airside transfer center for freight company Kuehne+Nagel.

Many of the generous incentives California offers for fleets to transition to electric trucks will begin to disappear as regulations lock in.

An all-electric truck future by 2045 could face serious roadblocks.

This week in Borderlands: Port Laredo remains the nation’s No. 1 gateway for international trade; rail cargo thefts were up 29% during Q1 in Mexico; a Taiwan automotive supplier is investing $1 billion for Mexico expansion; and Forza Steel is building a plant at the Port of Brownsville.

Truck drivers in Washington state can start using shipper/consignee bathrooms effective July 23, with certain conditions, under a bill signed earlier this month.

Back-to-school season is near, and planning is underway among shippers and logistics companies.

Peace Equipment LLC, a company headquartered in Edcouch, Texas, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection due to rising operating costs and reduced income in the trucking industry.

Volumes did see some growth ahead of the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, though not nearly enough to bust out the champagne and sparklers.

On demand on WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is joined by NASA’s Mike Ewert and Nicole Pinotek; Mike Klemmer and Kevin Hill

Merchant mariners during WWII were an integral part of war efforts, despite being lesser known. They saw the most casualties and were responsible for transporting all of the supplies throughout the war, a crucial part of the Allies’ success.

School buses qualify for a lot of incentives to go electric, but are the vouchers and grants enough to make a difference?

The two largest home improvement retailers cut their full-year sales guidance in Q1, a rarity; many other retailers also pointed to intensifying pressure on Americans’ ability to spend money as the year has progressed.

Surface Transportation Board Chair Marty Oberman at a national rail shippers conference urged the railroads to increase their employee levels as a way to improve rail service.

“Investors have shifted from a growth-at-all-costs mindset to focus on the path to profitability and scalable growth. No startup, not even the rocket ships of logistics technology, will be immune to these trends,” says project44 founder and CEO Jett McCandless.

Since leaving Total Quality Logistics in April 2021, ex-broker Jacob Patterson has been embroiled in a legal battle with the Cincinnati-based freight brokerage over claims that he has violated his noncompete agreement twice in the past two years.

Embark Technology, an early leader in autonomous trucking software development, becomes part of Applied Intuition in a $71 million deal.

BNSF and SMART-TD have reached a tentative sick leave deal for some train conductors.

Unannounced Brake Safety Day results in a better compliance rate this year than in 2022.

In this issue, Southeast heats up; trucking goes hybrid; Lego Mack; and more.

Rail has been featured in movies, television, radio and all forms of entertainment since the beginning of trains. We collaborated to narrow down a list of some of our favorite movies that are related to trains.

Nikola has a minimum of 180 days to get its share price above $1 or it could be delisted from the Nasdaq.

A slow economy and better carrier sourcing technology put shippers in a good spot, according to Reveel Group’s Josh Dunham.

Stepping up amid tragedy, Bestway Express’ CEO continues to make progress in growing the company and continuing his father’s legacy.

Major aviation players are seeking FAA approval for remote pilots to fly aircraft where they can’t see them.

Container volume at ports in Houston and New Orleans fell in April, while Corpus Christi was bolstered by crude oil exports.

Not all cargo markets are back to pre-COVID “normal.” Container shipping rates to South America remain elevated.

All eyes are on California’s new regulation to decarbonize drayage trucks. It probably won’t please everyone.

Navajo Transitional Energy Co. is asking the Surface Transportation Board to declare an emergency service order that would compel BNSF to ship more export coal from the company.

J. J. Keller & Associates Inc. broke down what businesses need to know about the MCS-150, its common challenges and how to stay compliant.

FreightWaves’ “State of Freight” webinar suggests there will be no surge in demand for freight capacity during 2023.

LASH carriers were the predecessors to today’s container ships. In 1974, soon after they hit the scene, a record number of the ships were built.

Union Pacific and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have struck a deal that addresses how train engineers might have a better work-life balance.

A truck broker lobby plans to regroup after losing momentum for a bill requiring interim standards for brokers.

The Teamsters union has authorized a strike at ABF Freight.

Freightos, an online reservation portal for freight shippers, is adding users, but heavy development costs and a weak shipping market make it difficult for the startup to reduce losses.

Large liquefied petroleum gas tankers are riding high on rising U.S. exports and higher Chinese import demand.

Gains in industrial real estate markets were reported in eastern and central Pennsylvania as well as greater Philadelphia.

Unprecedented high prices for used trucks a year ago have plummeted as new truck production moved past supply shortages.

Now on demand on WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is talking to FreightWaves’ CTO about the story behind SONAR; Alan Adler on the Peterbilt 589 and tanking AV stocks