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.
Dec - 2022 -
22 December
Brian Straight

Majority of gig workers say they are done with traditional employment

A new survey of gig workers found that a majority have no plans to leave the industry, despite concerns of income stability and health benefits.

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21 December
Brian Straight

New York governor signs warehouse worker protection bill into law

The Warehouse Worker Protection Act is designed to provide transparency and worker protections to warehouse employees in the state of New York, which has seen several skirmishes over working conditions at Amazon facilities.

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19 December
Brian Straight

Locus tech enhancement connects the last mile to customer checkout

Delivery management platform Locus has added a new option for retailers to better optimize last-mile delivery while optimizing capacity and business needs.

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15 December
Brian Straight

‘Deep deficit in supply chain automation’ harming companies

An analysis of supply chain job postings has found that, despite interest in automation technology, many companies are not seeking candidates with technological experience.

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14 December
Brian Straight

Consumers — and even drivers — ready for driverless, drone deliveries

A Circuit survey shows that most delivery drivers are concerned about losing their jobs, but they are interested in working with driverless and drone deliveries.

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Brian Straight

Geodis launches air zone skipping for US firms shipping to Canada

Geodis is now offering U.S.-based e-commerce companies air zone skipping service to Canada.

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12 December
Brian Straight

Matternet goes beyond line of sight in Zurich drone pilot

Matternet drones will begin flying a 7-minute route in Zurich, Switzerland, in one of the world’s largest beyond visual line of sight pilot programs.

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Brian Straight

Kiwibot launches robotic delivery service at Loyola Marymount

Robotic delivery firm Kiwibot has launched service at Loyola Marymount University, leveraging Nvidia technology and satellites to create campuswide delivery.

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Brian Straight

Prep drug and alcohol testing programs for 2023

As 2022 comes to an end, it is time for trucking carriers to evaluate their driver drug and alcohol testing programs and make necessary improvements for 2023.

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Brian Straight

IRS tax changes poised to snare gig workers, online sellers

Industry groups are urging the IRS to delay changes to the tax code that could see gig workers and online sellers facing large tax bills.

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07 December
Brian Straight

Einride announces $500M for autonomous, electric vehicle development

Einride has raised $500 million through a combination of equity and debt financing, giving it more funding to accelerate deployment of its autonomous and electric vehicles.

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06 December
Brian Straight

Driver safety, ideas on reducing fuel use top concerns for SMB fleets

While safety is top of mind for fleet operators, addressing negative driver behaviors remains unpopular.

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05 December
Brian Straight

BrightDrop adds DHL Express as EV customer, announces start of production at CAMI plant

BrightDrop said large-scale production of its vans will begin at its Ontario, Canada, assembly plant, and DHL Express is adding the EVs to its fleet.

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01 December
Brian Straight

Last-mile operations slow to adopt EVs, lack sustainability measurement tools

While there is interest in EVs in the last-mile space, many companies are reluctant to adopt them at this point.

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Nov - 2022 -
30 November
Brian Straight

Could reclassification of gig workers result in loss of jobs?

A Mercatus Center senior fellow said efforts to classify independent contractors as employees could result in fewer jobs.

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29 November
Brian Straight

Macy’s is opening e-commerce distribution centers inside stores

As part of an effort to get items to customers quicker, Macy’s has opened up mini distribution centers inside 35 retail stores to handle online orders.

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28 November
Brian Straight

What inflation? Black Friday, Cyber Monday set e-commerce records

Despite high inflation, big discounts drove shoppers to stores and online, with e-commerce sales posting records over the Thanksgiving holiday shopping weekend.

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25 November
Brian Straight

Consumers push back on retailers’ online return fees

As more retailers implement fees to return items purchased online, a new survey shows consumers are pushing back.

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23 November
Brian Straight

Understanding the supply chain: A conversation with Sapphire Ventures’ Demi Obayomi

Sapphire Ventures executive Demi Obayomi explains what trends the venture capital firm is seeing in the supply chain — and where technology can help.

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