Economics

Electric car manufacturers need cobalt for their batteries, a metal that’s scarce, subject to geopolitical threats, and mined by children.

U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, announced he will step away from Congress at the end of his current term.

The USDA releases a statement claiming 2017 was the third best year ever for US agricultural exports which helped to spur domestic freight markets as well.

Stifel presented reasons why it doesn’t make sense for Home Depot to buy XPO Logistics, but they still think there’s a 31% upside on XPO Stock over twelve months.

The sharing economy is generally organized around a technology platform that facilitates the exchange of goods, assets, and services between people across a varied and dynamic collection of sectors.

Oil prices finished 2017 above $60 a barrel for crude, surpassing their highest level in more than two years. Delivery of light, sweet crude for February was up 1% to $60.42 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude was up 71 cents to $66.78 a barrel.

The latest weekly and monthly DAT Trucking Freight Barometers are continuing to surge strongly into even more positive territory, and proving our September prediction that “the ‘fall surge’ is happening for the first time since 2007,” has come to pass.

Tesla is now accepting orders for its Tesla Semi in three European countries. The different dynamics of the European freight market represent some different challenges for the company.

The Canadian province of Ontario has announced an electric truck rebate of 60% of the incremental purchase cost compared to an equivalent conventional fuel vehicle, up to a cap of CA$75,000 per vehicle, under the new Green Commercial Vehicle Program.

The Baltic Exchange is scheduled to end its freight futures exchange platform, Baltex, today. 

SureFly re-invents the helicopter, making it safer, easier to fly and much more affordable than a conventional helicopter. Like a drone, its redundant design includes four propeller arms, two fixed contra-rotating propellers on each arm; and a backup lithium battery pack to drive the electric motors in the event of engine failure.

As the flagbearer of capitalism and a lynchpin example of consumerism, it is clearly understood where the growth of the U.S. economy lies. It is estimated that consumer-driven spending accounts for nearly 70% of all economic growth in the country.

WABCO and Nikola will accelerate the development of industry-leading safety technologies specifically designed for electric commercial vehicles, including electronic braking, traction control, and stability control. Nikola anticipates offering its fully electric Nikola Two day-cab truck (pictured here) for sale in the U.S. by 2021.

51% of all returns occur in January, when Americans will send back $30B of unwanted gifts. Reverse logistics represent a huge cost increasingly eaten by retailers, while 3PLs stand to make big margins.

With its ICO in mid-January, Shipchain is poised to present the transportation industry with a new way of doing business.

Access to quicker delivery options has boomed sales of perishable commodities like frozen pizza and ice cream, and that has led to a boom in refrigerated freight options.

It is estimated that international trade-related freight transport accounts for nearly one-third of the total emissions across the world. Such situations call for innovation in the freight industry that could help mitigate carbon footprint through optimizing fuel consumption and improving operational efficiency.

JP Morgan likes FedEx, Schneider, Canada Pacific, and JB Hunt–‘sells’ include Union Pacific, Knight-Swift, and CH Robinson.

In a strange twist, Tesla’s stock took a hit yesterday in spite of the apparent good news of e-trucks. Why?

TIRPORT, a startup from Istanbul, understands the Turkish freight market potential and believes it can bring change to a system that urgently needs a revamp to stay ahead of the times.