Technology

In its simplest form, the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate is designed to replace paper logbooks to better track drivers’ Record of Duty Status (RODS) and ensure compliance with hours-of-service (HOS) requirements. In theory, these rules help improve driver safety and reduce fatigue, but fleet managers can’t expect the rule to eliminate driver fatigue.

Cargo and passenger vessels on the high seas face a multitude of threats and risks that affect decision-making, from delays at canals to illegal migrant traffic, major weather events, and even disease outbreaks. A new emergency notification system is hoping to reduce those dangers.

Trump clears regulations for commercial drone flights in the US, ushering in a new age of airfreight drones. 

Hyliion announced the availability of its tractor electrification system at the American Trucking Associations’ MCE show in Orlando this week. The system uses regenerative braking to collect energy and store it for later use by the tractor.

If you live in an apartment complex you know. Packages pile up in stairwells, landings and hallways. You especially know which of your neighbors avidly use their Amazon prime memberships. Amazon is now building delivery solutions designed for this scenario.

The process of matching freight is complicated – with many parameters involved in exploring thousands of different possible combinations in real time and in identifying the best possible match to the parties involved. TGMatrix, a startup based out of Oxford in the United Kingdom, is working on creating an intermodal freight matching engine.

Ontario-based Geotab has been collecting data and helping fleets solve operational challenges for years. It is now hoping to broaden its customer base even further thanks to its latest offerings.

Stifel Capital Markets will be hosting a dial-in conference call on Friday, Oct. 27, at 11 a.m. ET. Entitled “The Blockchain in Trucking Revolution,” the call will feature Craig Fuller, CEO of TransRisk and co-founder of the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance, and Chris Burruss, president of the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance.

There were a number of companies that presented new and updated products this past week at the American Trucking Associations’ MCE 2017 conference in Orlando, FL. Here is a rundown of some of those products.

Fullbay, a cloud-based management platform for independent truck shops, has joined the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance (BiTA), formed by seasoned logistics and technology professionals who will work together on the first set of transportation and trucking blockchain standards.

Since 2014, Edge Logistics has searched for new, innovative and time-saving ways to create better efficiency and transparency with its carrier network and to continue that tradition, the company has joined the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance.

In the future, trailer pools may no longer be the domain of truck large truckload fleets. Could they disrupt the LTL market as well and might brokers and 3PLs be able to take advantage?

One of 2017’s biggest stories in the emerging autonomous vehicles industry—Waymo’s $2.6B lawsuit against Uber over stolen trade secrets—revolves around a single piece of technology that is currently fueling a frenzied global competition for investment dollars, engineering expertise, and manufacturing capacity.

PeopleNet made several new product announcements this week at the American Trucking Associations (ATA) Management Conference & Exhibition in Orlando. A new gateway, fault intelligence, document scanning program and wireless trailer camera were on display at the company’s booth.

Many fleets are devoting 10% of their operating budgets to maintenance, but it doesn’t have to be that high, suggests Jim Buell, EVP of sales & marketing for FleetNet America. “If you talk to most people, they think maintenance costs are like death and taxes, you can’t do anything about it,”

When the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) announced in late August that it would delay out-of-service orders for ELD violations until April 1, 2018, many cheered the decision. According to Collin Mooney, executive director of CVSA, many assumed that meant officials would not enforce the ELD rule at all until April. That is simply not true.

TMW Systems is working on blockchain-enabled products and gave a demonstration and update on how that work is progressing on Friday.

Shippers and carriers are an integral part of the freight industry and keeping them in the loop would go a long way to improving efficiency inside the system. That is the belief that the founders of Go99 are building their business upon.

Blockchain offers a number of opportunities within freight management to improve cash flow. Pay per mile insurance coverage is one new concept, but that same philosophy can be applied to vehicle leases, perhaps changing the way fleets pay for their vehicles.

Ever since Bitcoin gatecrashed into the financial market scenes in late 2009, the technology underlying the virtual currency has had people talking. Blockchain, a ledger of records arranged in data blocks, uses cryptographic validation to link themselves together, resembling an unending chain, and it is disrupting the way FinTech market works.