Insights

Novadev is tackling aviation sustainability by focusing on the air cargo sector.

The future of long-haul trucking could include more fuel cell and hydrogen-powered vehicles, experts said during FreightWaves’ Net-Zero Carbon Summit on Thursday.

Covenant Logistics Group’s Matt McLelland said at FreightWaves’ Net-Zero Carbon Summit on Thursday that his company’s sustainability plan includes fleet initiatives to reduce idle percentage and increase miles per gallon.

“Within a few years you’ll see a revolutionized logistics space with true decarbonization taking place,” says Sustainable Freight Buyers Alliance’s Rik Arends.

Zeina El-Azzi, founder and CEO of Gage Zero, talks with FreightWaves’ Thomas Wasson about why logistics and trucking companies should seek to ensure that they are protecting local communities as they roll out fleet electrification plans.

Freight-movement data reveals the importance of factoring sustainability measures into transportation planning.

Sheer Logistics showed off the capabilities of its carbon emissions dashboards during FreightWaves’ Net-Zero Carbon Summit on Thursday.

Sam Stockdale chats about Link Logistics’ energy-efficiency initiatives at FreightWaves’ Net-Zero Carbon Summit.

Swedish startup Einride reduces the carbon footprint of its trucking customers by matching electric trucks with available chargers.

ACT Research, a leading transportation research firm, is on the side of the debate that sees significant penetration of alternative fuels for trucking.

Voltera handles land purchases, oversees power needs and manages regulatory approvals for companies that want to scale their charging infrastructure.

A dockworker strike in 1977 caused major losses to container lines at the time. Their response was to impose a 10% surcharge. But shippers did not take it lying down.

The key diesel benchmark retail price rose for the week, but diesel futures prices have suddenly posted a big two-day reversal.

Transcontinental mail in the United States began on Sept. 15, 1858, when the Overland Mail Service began after it won a contract to connect St. Louis to the Pacific Coast by mail within 25 days.

Perhaps the most pressing question for both freight markets and the broader economy is how the consumer will fare in the coming months.

With this rise of AI, we take a look at how it can be used by the logistics industry.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association started out of necessity. Read more about the story of its beginning.

Regulatory policy expert Rosyln Layton says it’s dangerous to have the Surface Transportation Board lay the grounds for defining how rail service should look under the common carrier obligation.

Project44’s Jett McCandless comments on the state of technology as the company completes a round of layoffs on Thursday.

Truckers in Georgia will save 35 cents a gallon on fill-ups at least through Oct. 12.

The International Energy Agency’s closely watched monthly report didn’t have much good news in it for oil consumers.

The national average retail price used for most fuel surcharges climbed 4.8 cents a gallon this week, but it’s moving a lot higher on the West Coast.

Truck driver Tim Philmon, along with millions of Americans, marked the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on Monday by remembering the nearly 3,000 people who died that day.

Rejection rates gathered some promising momentum in the run-up to Labor Day, though these gains are slowly being lost.

Oil spills, groundings and collisions were the subject of continuous news coverage in 1976 and 1977. There were so many maritime disasters that it piqued Americans’ interest in foreign maritime dealings.

If shippers and carriers collaborate more around solutions that impact truck drivers, then we can improve efficiency in transportation while at the same time make driving a more attractive profession.

The timing in promoting its growing patent portfolio could suggest TuSimple is trying to find a buyer for its U.S. business.

Hurricanes can destroy key infrastructure for freight transportation. Emergency freight can demand thousands of truck drivers. 

Fuel costs were overshadowed by skyrocketing freight rates amid the supply chain crisis. Now, fuel costs are much more important.

In December 1945, five U.S. Navy Avenger bombers took off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on a routine training mission known as Flight 19. They were to navigate to various points in the Atlantic Ocean and return to base. But as Tracks Through Time explores, the seemingly mundane exercise turned into one of the most baffling mysteries in aviation history.

A run of news developments in the diesel world can’t be seen as anything but discouraging for diesel consumers.

SONAR’s Container Atlas shows new booking volumes plummeting over 35% from their Aug. 1 peak, a key indicator that U.S. import demand is rapidly deteriorating. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

While there is debate over the actual founder of Labor Day, it cannot be denied that its history laid the groundwork for the better conditions for laborers today, even if we still have some room to grow.

FreightWaves latest SONAR data addition suggests a wave of truckload capacity exits is coming this winter.

After a none-too-brief break, the Pricing Power Index is resuming its regular Friday schedule.

Today’s refrigeration systems in transportation are extremely sophisticated, rooted in a history that reaches back nearly 150 years.

While there have been efforts to improve sustainability in the freight industry, significant challenges remain.

Operations temporarily ceased in limited areas of CSX’s network as Hurricane Idalia swept through Florida and Georgia.

Supply chains are in good shape, and Hurricane Idalia mostly spared key supply nodes, according to the executive director of the American Logistics Aid Network. 

In 1976, an investigation into rate rebating and malpractice by carriers did not put a similar spotlight on freight forwarders. An article in American Shipper at the time questioned whether that was fair.

Hurricane Idalia briefly intensified into a dangerous Category 4 storm early Wednesday morning before making landfall as a high-end Category 3 on Florida’s west coast.

Several tractor-trailers loaded with critical disaster-relief supplies provided by the nonprofit group Convoy of Hope are en route to staging areas Tuesday as Hurricane Idalia barrels toward Florida’s Gulf Coast.

The DOE/EIA benchmark price used for most diesel fuel surcharges tacked on another 8.6 cents a gallon this week.

Even as city, state and federal officials urge residents to flee ahead of high winds and flooding, truck drivers answer the call to haul Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) loads to areas where hurricanes are expected to strike.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency as Tropical Storm Idalia nears the Gulf Coast.

National truckload tender rejections topped 4% for the first time since the holiday season last year. Is this a sign that the trucking market is turning the corner?

The typical Class 8 truck gets less than 7 miles per gallon on the highway. How does a driver average more than 10 mpg?

The scarred areas of Maui remain an active incident area, ALAN’s Kathy Fulton says.

Technology can offer solutions to help last-mile shippers handle increasing volumes while reducing cost and improving the customer experience.

Average CEO compensation rose as ocean shipping company earnings increased, fueled in many cases by share-based compensation.

FreightWaves covers some of the most interesting stories of the history of transportation and freight.

A story from 1976 shows a battle between a shoe manufacturer and a shipper over what the former believed was an “unreasonable rate.” The company-versus-company drama exhibits the complexity of international trade.

Union Pacific is seeking to bring operations back to normal at two of its California subdivisions that were hit by Tropical Storm Hilary.

The benchmark price used for most fuel surcharges recorded only a small move after four big ones.

Union Pacific’s Mojave and Yuma subdivisions are out of service due to high waters and mud over the tracks caused by Tropical Storm Hilary; electrical outages at some terminals are also impacting operations.

It’s important to have access to full end-to-end visibility across all parts of the supply chain.

As companies are shifting their sourcing and logistics networks, it is changing the way transportation providers will have to manage their own businesses.

Spam is making donations to those in need after the fires in Maui, Hawaii, building on its more than 75-year close relationship with the state.

With capacity far in excess of demand, the parcel market is in for a very uncertain future.

The legend of Casey Jones remains alive today in music and pop culture. But the real story is about a serious crash and an act of heroism.

A fatal flaw in West Virginia’s Silver Bridge caused the death of 46 people. Fifty-five years later, many lives have been saved thanks to greater safety procedures put in place following the tragedy.

In March 1976, the Mississippi River was logjammed for eight straight days, causing massive shipping losses with an estimated 100 towboats and 900 barges stuck by the riverbank. The event spurred serious reform for operation on this vital route.

The benchmark diesel price that is the basis for most fuel surcharges is up more than 36 cents a gallon in six weeks.

Third-party logistics provider ITS Logistics in its August report is warning clients of capacity issues both on the road and rails.

A story reported in the January 1976 issue of American Shipper tells of a prepaid shipment headed for Bordeaux, France, that ended up stuck in Jacksonville, Florida, causing the fertilizer cargo to rot.

A look at how U.S. companies can work toward lowering emissions.

The monthly International Energy Agency forecast clearly laid out the supply and demand issues that are driving oil prices higher.

This episode of Tracks Through Time takes a look at how a loophole kept a supply chain of ingredients for bootleg and bathtub gin legal during the Prohibition era.

ALAN has expanded its website to include information about recovery needs in Hawaii.

NOAA now says there is double the chance for above-normal Atlantic hurricane activity from May forecasts.

We are now in peak season and, as all logistics data has shown, it is not going to be stellar.

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges is up more than 11 cents a gallon this week.

Rate deals and spikes don’t last forever, and smart industry players know caring for the partners who will sustain them when the market inevitably shifts is mission-critical.

Yellow was the third-largest LTL carrier in the U.S. and controlled around 7% of the total less-than-truckload market. So the question on everyone’s mind is what the impact will be on supply chains now that Yellow has closed.

Transportation providers are going to have to maintain an aggressive posture when competing for business during the upcoming bid season.

By Bart De Muynck The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates. Change is all around […]

snapshot of ports in 1991 reveals the importance of a new radio-frequency technology launch at the time, when a terminal in Honolulu first received the tech.

The one-week increase in the benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges is one of the biggest ever.

Same-day or next-day Prime deliveries are four times greater than in 2019, Amazon’s Herrington says.

Less-than-truckload carrier Yellow Corp. closed the gates Sunday and ceased all operations.

Transportation spend optimization is a shipper’s secret weapon to transform its spend management process, improve inefficiencies, and reduce complexities and operational risk.

An unseasonable upward trend in truckload tender volumes is giving domestic transportation providers the potential inflection point they have waiting for.

In an article published in 1992, American Shipper details the first use of barcodes for shipping Chrysler vehicles.

Against significant odds, the Federal Reserve might realize its once-unlikely goal of a “soft landing” — that is, taming inflation without also triggering a recession.

The latest data from WarehouseQuote indicates retailers have ho-hum expectations for the holiday season.

This episode of Tracks Through Time focuses on the crisis over the Suez Canal that put Egypt at odds with France, Britain and Israel. The story has surprising twists and unexpected secret motives. Find out how this shaped the future of shipping routes and globalization.

A number of consumer-facing companies have pointed to intensifying spending weakness during Q2 earnings season.

Growing wage disparity between carriers may fuel resentment among FedEx Ground drivers, Alan Amling argues.

Electrification isn’t possible without infrastructure to support it. Voltera is transforming the transportation industry by helping fleets access EV charging infrastructure.

The benchmark price of diesel used for most fuel surcharges went sharply higher this week, and it could signal the start of a broad increase.

The less-than-truckload sector has been disrupted by a very public dispute between Yellow and the Teamsters. Rates have already seemingly responded and may continue to see support.

One route during the Han Dynasty connected Europe and Asia and was the start of trade and supply chains as we know them today.

Ocean carriers are steadily losing pricing power on the trans-Pacific as China to U.S. demand peaks for the second half of 2023.

Freight volumes continue to trend sideways, which is a positive sign overall as the 15th of July traditionally marks a time for slowing demand in the freight market.

Spreads between high- and low-sulfur fuels are down to pandemic levels and LNG has become much more economical.

Pricing in ocean shipping was done much differently in the 1970s compared to today. To simplify things, a group of executives created a game around the concept for workers to play.

The 7th Circuit on Tuesday ruled in favor of the freight brokerage industry regarding negligence claims.

A strike is looming at Yellow — and it could finally be the end for the long-troubled trucking company.