Logistics

The FreightWaves Freight Intel Group is producing research culled from FreightWaves SONAR and other sources. Read about its first several research papers and how to learn more.

Retail giant Carrefour is leveraging blockchain to track the provenance of the food products it stocks in its stores, thereby providing its consumers information that far exceeds the data provided on conventional product packaging.

Market expert Brian Aoaeh writes about the new Digital Shipping Container Alliance and why standards are important to industry. He also writes about why getting standards written and adopted is particularly difficult.

Lakefront Futures & Options will be marketing Trucking Freight Futures through its new Trucking Derivatives Group. Read the article and learn more about Trucking Freight Futures and Lakefront Futures & Options.

The US logistics industry is making strides in overcoming macro volatility by a focus on IT improvements and shipper-carrier relationships

The Austin-based 3PL has soaring revenue and an additional $25 million in equity funding.

Market expert Jim Blaze writes about the movement of coal by rail. He explores the history of rail-coal; more importantly, he writes about what the future may hold for coal in the U.S. and how that will impact the railroads.

Market expert Cathy Roberson writes about the growth of pharmaceuticals and life sciences cargo at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the airport’s agreement with Amerstdam Schipol Airport.

Shippers in the maritime market can choose between a carrier-owned container or a shipper-owned container, with each business model holding certain advantages over the other based on availability and the freight corridor in question.

ndian startup Locus is helping logistics businesses automate truck routing to increase efficiency and consistency, while having more transparency into their operations.

Iran has denied responsibility for the attacks carried out early yesterday morning on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, the sea immediately adjacent to the Strait of Hormuz. A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry slammed the U.S. accusations as “baseless”. Maritime security experts say commercial ships are impossible to defend.

DHL Supply plans a 40% expansion of its US healthcare and life sciences footprint

Apart from creating visibility and transparency within coffee supply chains, blockchain can significantly improve livelihoods of coffee farmers by giving them a bigger share of the profit pie.

The scale and growth of China’s domestic over-the-road trucking and international ocean container shipping trade has been revealed in new data from the country’s Ministry of Transport.

As a shipper of choice, Nestle wins plaudits for its willingness to partner and its fondness for innovation.

The Port of Los Angeles saw May container volumes grow at their best year-to-date level since January, even as empty containers still account for most of the growth. To keep volumes going, the seaport’s employees will face a changing workplace in the coming years as new technologies improve cargo fluidity, the port’s executive director said. […]

A major developer of, and financial investor in, Asia Pacific logistics parks has launched a potential US$1.24 billion initial public offer on the Hong Kong stock exchange.

FreightWaves Market Expert Anthony Smith writes about the issues impacting the U.S. housing market. As important as these issues are, they have a ripple effect on other areas of the U.S. economy, including trucking.

Nicholas Press, Founder and President of CEC Systems, explores the maritime industry’s problem with empty containers and explores potential solutions to deal with them.

Walmart has exported its on-time, in-full requirement on the international marketplace. The results are improving but there is a lot of work to do.

Market expert Brian Aoaeh writes about the supply chain and how the world, business and ecommerce are changing due to ongoing innovations.

Hubtek has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA). Read about this new company and why it joined the Alliance.

Mexico had a close shave with avoiding trade tariffs last week, but it is essential for the freight industry to understand the disruption tariffs could create on cross-border trade.

Experts say Aussie trucks should be widened a tiny amount… but officials ain’t listening. Also: truck driver funding; fatigue; drugged drivers.

TranzAct Technologies is the latest company to join the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA). Read why it has joined BiTA and learn more about the company.

The expected four-fold growth in e-grocery demand will spark a land rush in cold storage facilities, CBRE says

CharterSync provides freight forwarders a quick way to source aircraft within the air cargo charter market.

Market expert Henry Byers examines the U.S.-Chinese trade war and its impact on imports and the broader economy.

Owners of industrial real estate expect gains in 2019 but not to the extent that had been once forecast, a survey found.

Market expert writes about how current trade issues between the U.S. and China, the U.S. and Mexico and the U.S. and the EU may disrupt supply chains and cause economic problems.

Learn how existing and future technologies will continue the evolution of supply chains, transportation and warehousing.

Market expert Cathy Roberson writes about the decline in global air cargo traffic; the only bright spot is in Latin America. Read why!

Flexport hired a former White House trade and economic advisor in a bid to harness research from the digital first forwarder’s datasets and to help customers navigate the shifting sands of trade. The San Francisco-based company named Dr. Phil Levy as its first Chief Economist. Dr. Levy, who earned a Ph.D. in economics from Stanford […]

Singapore’s GLP had planned a US IPO. Instead, it has dramatically downsized its US exposure by selling most of its assets to Blackstone

Trimble MAPS helps fleets automate visibility on the road and manage trips to gain a competitive edge in the market.

Third-party logistics providers will see their growth dented by the threatened tariffs on Mexican imports. The question is by how much?

Blockchain can help expedite customs procedures, reduce expenses and boost both global trade volumes and economic output.

LTL carrier Averitt Express has opened a large international DC near Port of Savannah to manage increased volumes at the port

The TIA says that a Roush’s negative description of the role freight brokers play in freight transportation, his broad-brush statements about safety, and small carriers are ludicrous.

DrayNow, the first real-time marketplace connecting intermodal freight with carriers, has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA). BiTA is developing best practices and standards for blockchain in the transportation industry. Blockchain is an open, distributed digital ledger that can record and share transactions between two or more parties efficiently, securely and permanently. Blockchain enables […]

A crackdown on plastic waste illegally ocean-shipped to Malaysia took a dramatic turn last night. The country’s environment ministry announced that it would be sending 450 metric tons of contaminated plastic waste in 10 maritime shipping containers back to their countries of origin.

Global container carriers CMA CGM and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) today announced they will join TradeLens, a blockchain-enabled digital shipping platform, jointly developed by A.P. Moller – Maersk and IBM.

DHL, FedEx and UPS have dominated the global express market for years but recently, China’s express providers (including YTO Express, STO Express and SF Express) have been nipping at the heels of these three global providers. Now, the Chinese express providers are expanding their services beyond China’s borders. Much of this growth is attributed to […]

Air cargo market expert explores the fascinating process of moving livestock – particularly horses – by air.

Transport ministers from 60 countries met at Leipzig to discuss strategies and the implication of global carbon emissions.

The Chinese Belt and Road Initiative aims to create seamless freight movement between Europe and Asia, but the sustainability aspect of the project is still unclear.

On this special Memorial Day weekend edition of What The Truck?!? we have all the latest news in FreightTech, supply chain, and trucking – including a focus on Craig Fuller’s state of the industry report, Earnings Over/Under, On The Radar, Fast Paced Forecast, and some hot tips on how to spend your holiday weekend. All this and more on WTT?!? Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast player choice and never EVER miss an episode. No paywalls, no borders.

A looming workforce supply gap in the freight forwarding sector has caused the industry to reach out to over one million high school students.

Pennsylvania-based Penske Logistics announced it is laying off 80 drivers and will close its terminal in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in July.

South Korean ocean carrier HMM may have a shiny new corporate identity but its first quarter results were written in the same dreadful red ink as last year. Although the ocean carrier generated large increases in revenues, its costs surged, which led to large losses in the first three months of 2019.

Market expert Scott Case writes about the air cargo operations at Alaska Airlines, which not only serves Alaska, but the entire U.S. market.

Zipline operates autonomous drones across remote areas that are hard to reach by road, airlifting medicines during emergencies.

Market expert Charley Dehoney explores how freight brokers can stay relevant in a rapidly changing environment.

Donald Broughton explores the technology economy and its impact on the overall economy.

project44 has introduced two new applications that are automating shipment tracking and bringing visibility into siloed operations.

What The Truck?!? hits the road this week as Chad and Dooner make tracks towards Birmingham, Alabama to cover McLeod’s Transportation, Finance and Accounting Conference. The guys talk with McLeod’s CEO Tom McLeod, VP of Ops David Custred, CFO Kasey Burleson, Chief InfoSec Officer Ben Barnes, and Buddy Moore Trucking’s CFO Susan Moore Kirkpatrick.

Haven is introducing a track and trace solution that is both affordable and seamless to integrate within shipping workflows.

Purchase expands network in British Columbia with firm specializing in long-haul moves for heavy-industry customers.

Sustainable Shrimp Partnership has partnered with IBM to leverage blockchain and provide stakeholders end-to-end visibility into shrimp supply chains.

Kuwait, Middle East-based logistics provider, Agility, generated consolidated revenues of 378.8 million Kuwaiti Dinar (US$1.25 billion) in the first quarter of 2019, the company reported today. That’s a 1.9 percent increase on the revenues generated in the first quarter of 2018.

Australian integrated logistics provider Qube (ASX:QUB) has acquired Brisbane-based crane-hire provider, mining-related logistics services provider and truck-operator LCR Group for A$135 million (US$94.14 million).

Logistics real estate continues to attract money from institutional investors all over the world.

Market expert Brian Aoaeh writes about the impact of market disruption on the freight brokerage sector. Learn how Amazon, artificial intelligence, machine learning and other disruptors will change the business…

Daunting challenges to effective humanitarian logistics processes, Chernock says

Beijing has sworn to institute countermeasures to combat a huge increase in tariffs, from 15 percent to 25 percent, that have been imposed by Washington on $200 billion worth of a wide range of Chinese goods. A set of high-level, last-minute, talks yesterday to postpone or prevent the tariffs failed.

Real estate services concern Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) has hired Tray Anderson, a top executive at supply chain management consultancy Fortna, to run its logistics and industrial services operation for the Americas. Anderson replaces John Morris, who has left the company. Before joining Cushman & Wakefield (C&W), Anderson ran global supply chain strategy at […]

Manila, Philippines-based container terminal operator International Container Services International has posted a solid set of first quarter results. Revenues were up. Profits were up. Box lifts were up. The group attributed its good results to operational improvements, lower finance costs and a “ramp up” in contributions by its new ports.

If lab-grown meat substitutes for farm-grown meat and is commercially successful, it will lead to a drastic reduction in freight ton-miles.

XPO Logistics, Inc. (NYSE:XPO) was prepping late last year for a massive acquisition, one that Chairman and CEO Brad Jacobs said Tuesday would have effectively doubled XPO’s $17 billion a year size “in short order,” before it shifted gears and launched a sizable stock repurchase plan in a bid to capitalize on the equity’s low […]

While it posted a decline in sales, Workhorse is optimistic about its future with full production of its electric van set for this fall.

Domino’s Pizza has partnered with SingularityNET, to test decentralized AI services in an attempt to automate portions of its delivery operations.

It’s been busy in Australian trucking. A hostile takeover bid has succeeded, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals. An innovative Aussie manufacturer has invented a new kind of intermodal tanker for dangerous chemicals. This, and more, in Down Under Trucking.

The shadow of obsolescence seems to be hanging over freight brokerages, given the rise of digital load matching apps and other technologies. But industry veteran Andrew Clarke says he is optimistic about the future of freight brokers due to increasing complexity of supply chains. Speaking at Transparency19 in Atlanta, Clarke said the success of his […]

Quantum computing’s advocates – there about 25 companies currently studying it – believe the technology heralds a massive improvement over the advanced systems that are becoming mainstream today. For transport and logistics, quantum computing’s promise of solving ultra-complex problems in a matter of seconds and with optimal results is the stuff of fantasy. Shipwell, a […]

Dolly has raised $7.5 million in Series B funding, which is expected to expedite Dolly’s entrance into new markets and also help grow its operational and technical teams.

Kuebix has now integrated Emerge’s private freight matching marketplace into its platform, allowing its users to access broader truckload capacity for their shipping needs.

J.B. Hunt Transport has consolidated its sales, operations and customer support functions for its Mexican subsidiary in a new office in Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico.

Tank barge operator saw huge jump in delay days due to winter weather and one-off events that swept through U.S. waterways.

Company behind rivals in its pricing position, Jacobs says

Best-selling author Brad Stone (The Everything Store) will tell more about the history and future of an amazing corporate success story – Amazon – at Transparency19. Get your tickets now for this must-attend event.

Convoy has worked closely with shippers on various projects, including its Convoy Go program that gives owner-operators access to drop-and-hook freight. It has now formalized those efforts in the Innovation Lab.

Good execution has CEO Jacobs in ebullient mood.

BlackBuck has raised a total of $285.2 million till date and is looking to expand its services across India, without worrying much into its growing losses.

Global logistics solutions group, WiseTech Global, has announced the acquisition of Xware, a leading messaging integration solutions provider in Sweden.

Strong bottom-line offsets some volume sluggishness.

Bosch is working with Powercell to develop a hydrogen fuel stack for vehicles. Plus, housing index has positives for home buyers, JFK starts new phase of air cargo expansion, and trucking company in Denver crash had history of violations.

Danish freight forwarder DSV has begun 2019 in the same groove as the previous five years, registering further growth in 2019 as the company anticipates a merger with its Swiss partner, Panalpina, later this year.

Developing markets offer high growth, but high risk, as dispute between east African nation and Dubai firm forces Chinese ports operator to refinance loan.

Urbain to leave as CEO June 1, become top aide to new chairman Saade.

Eight years since he burst on the scene with a $150 million acquisition of a then 22-year-old company called Express-1 Expedited Solutions, Brad Jacobs today sits astride a $17 billion per year multi-national behemoth.

Putting export-import documents online may make a difference between container arriving to customer on time or sitting in a warehouse.

A few years ago the idea of using drones for last-mile delivery were just an idea. But the idea is becoming a reality in China, Indonesia and now the USA. Read Market Expert Cathy Roberson’s views on the use of drones for last-mile delivery.

Tokyo, Japan-based ocean carrier, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha http://kline.com/ (TYO:9107) has recorded a fall in revenues of Japanese Yen of 325,293 million down to JPY 836,731 million (US$7.5 billion) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2019. Several board members have been removed.

Though blockchain looks to be promising, companies are still not convinced on the trustability of a blockchain network and it would take more than a few pilots to persuade stakeholders to join together on a single common decentralized ledger.

Amazon.com, Inc.(NASDAQ:AMZN) has launched a program to offer free one-day delivery to users of its popular “Prime” service, cutting its current delivery window in half and throwing down another gauntlet to retailers and logisticians across the country.

Getting stakeholders to cooperate in creating interoperability within blockchain networks is the next hurdle that the technology needs to overcome for mainstream adoption.

South Korean ocean box shipping company, Hyundai Merchant Marine, and Russian far East intermodal box transport specialist, FESCO, have announced a series of changes to their Russia-China-Korea shipping operations. Rail specialist FESCO has also announced extensive Russia-China rail services.

A panel in Blockchain Expo 2019 spoke on how blockchain solutions can be used for increasing transparency, profitability and provenance in supply chains across a variety of markets.

World’s largest ocean freight forwarder sees volume growth thanks to Asian export markets and its niche plays in pharma and healthcare.

Port Logistics Group, one of the nation’s leading providers of omnichannel logistics services, announced its acquisition of Whiplash Merchandising, Inc. on April 24, effective immediately.