Trucking

Sources say TQL postponed the start date of nearly 200 of its 400 new hires, citing the economic downturn and COVID-19.

The duty deferment applies to qualifying importers facing “significant financial hardship,” Customs and Border Protection said.

Two Swedish companies have formed a joint venture designed to provide supply chain end-to-end visibility down to the product level. Plus, more cash on the way for small businesses, auto inventories are clogging ports, and truck weight exemptions are being extended.

By partnering with analysts from both FreightWaves and DAT Solutions, event attendees on April 23 will have access to three sessions rich with fresh data.

Radio frequency identification has matured in terms of its cost effectiveness and efficiency over the past decade, the company says.

Group says more coordination needed to address insufficient supply of masks, hand sanitizer.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Avocado imports from Mexico fare well during pandemic; Caterpillar’s Texas distributor building new factory; General Motors to make masks in Mexico; new logistics app aids supply chain.

Citing economic challenges tied to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the need to focus resources toward targeted business units, Southern Refrigerated Transport (SRT), a solo-driven reefer subsidiary of  the Covenant Transportation Group (NASDAQ: CVTI), said it will shut down its terminal and headquarters in Texarkana, Arkansas, according to an internal memo obtained by FreightWaves. […]

From quarantine, Canadian truck driver Nicole Folz recounts the scary reality of falling seriously ill hundreds of miles from home during a less-than-truckload run in the United States.

CEO pay wlll be down 50%, other execs down 20% from May through July.

Volumes still searching for a bottom.

Companies with layoffs include Step Energy Solutions, Pioneer Frozen Foods, Zachary Industrial-LyndellBasell, Turner Industries and UTLX Manufacturing.

Sector makes up 3% of $342 billion worth of COVID-19 payroll protection loans.

With the belt tightened at YRC, a covenant waiver and benefits contribution deferral are still required.

Company was also nominated in three other categories.

Short-sea shipper says economic impact of COVID-19 has forced service disruption and employee layoffs.

Order cancellations and only essential replacement bookings dropped new trailer orders to just 6,500 units in March. Separately, Wabash National announced a two-week suspension of production and cash-conservation moves.

In this commentary by Brian Aoaeh makes the case that efforts by grassroots organizations in the fight against COVID-19 should be more fully accepted.

Startup wants its customers to be allowed an additional two hours in workday.

TravelCenters of America is laying off more than 3,000 employees because its full-service restaurants are idle and stay-home orders keep most motorists off the highways.

Companies trading in the affected foreign markets will have to decide if shifting to other forwarders will justify the resulting high shipping costs.

KeyBank report mostly positive after discussions with management.

As the number of coronavirus patients continued to skyrocket throughout March, so did drivers’ concerns over their motor carriers’ sanitary practices and drivers’ need for personal protective equipment and hazard pay as they risked exposure to the virus while delivering essential supplies across the country.

A former Stradis executive has been charged with sabotaging electronic shipping records, which delayed the delivery of critical personal protective equipment to healthcare providers

The current $61 billion set-aside for the domestic airline industry left out the forwarders.

Other segments at the truckload carrier had weaker performances.

Although April is no longer officially Distracted Driving Awareness Month, drivers of all kinds should focus on preventing this deadly issue

Reports of deaths tied to maquiladoras come at a time when Mexican trade groups are pushing to reopen factories that have been shut down because of the coronavirus.

It has gone through $350 billion; what was transport’s share?

Electric and fuel cell truck maker Nikola gets its pick of candidates as job insecurity led so many to apply that Linked In briefly shut down CEO Trevor Milton’s account.

The Seattle-based digital freight network will pay 100% of trucking costs for food bank donations

A new integration between TruckPark and Trucker Tools will allow users of the Trucker Tools app to reserve parking spaces in the TruckPark network inside the app.

As the number of coronavirus patients continued to skyrocket throughout March, so did drivers’ concerns over their motor carriers’ sanitary practices and drivers’ need for personal protective equipment and hazard pay as they risked exposure to the virus while delivering essential supplies across the country.

On this week’s Drilling Deep, host John Kingston heard from Jack Rybicki, a managing principal at the accounting and consulting firm CLA.  Jack has been steering many clients through the process of trying to get money from the federal government under the CARES Act — in particular, the Payroll Protection Program that will allow employees […]

Less-than-containerload services offer forwarders and their shippers an alternative to more expensive air freight and full-container transport services, industry experts say.

Truck drivers must wear a nonmedical mask or face covering when they enter the country from the U.S. under a new rule to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Year-over-year declines in the Cass Freight Index accelerated in March, with the shipments index declining 9.2% and the expenditures index dropping 8.2% for the month.

“Revenues plummeting” with less vehicle traffic, say government officials.

ACT Expo producer talks tailwinds and headwinds facing alternative fuel vehicle programs in the wake of coronavirus pandemic

With benchmark prices down 26% year over year, analysts pin hopes for a used truck sales recovery to the restart of the economy. March was a tale of contrasts with decent sales early in the month that plummeted later as too many trucks sought too few loads.

A chief supply chain officer can be the linchpin connecting all different departments within a retail company, including marketing, finance, sales and accounting.

The Canadian government has ordered thousands of coffee cup-sized Spartan Cubes, but it remains unclear if it will deploy them at border crossings.

The Supply Chain Intelligence Center pinpoints trouble spots on the nation’s highways and ports to U.S. humanitarian relief providers responding to the health crisis.

Employees let go at the LTL division will hold on to their health benefits

Paul Schlegel writes about the future of autonomous vehicles – particularly autonomous trucks.

KeepTruckin has started a petition asking congress to extend forgivable loans to cover truck lease/purchase payments and insurance costs.

P.A.M. Transportation finds success calling on its “friends in the industry” as it scrambles to replace lost automotive OEM business.

Carriers are hopeful that Q2 will be much less chaotic than last quarter.

In March, 204,383 commercial vehicles crossed the World Trade and Colombia Solidarity commercial bridges in Laredo. It was 284 fewer truck crossings than in March 2019, a 0.1% decline.

The feature enables shippers to make data-driven decisions about allocating freight

The J.B. Hunt first-quarter conference call provided a mixed bag of anecdotes. While concerns mount over economic disruption, the company has some offsets.

J.B. Hunt’s first quarter results, while slightly below consensus, were likely not as bad as feared. The company’s outlook provided on its earnings call will be the takeaway.

Navistar makes $300 million in across-the-board cuts to conserve cash but will repay employees with interest for their 10% to 30% pay reductions next March.

Quick turnaround as companies realize they have necessary synergies.

Pressures from COVID-19 illnesses at meat-processing plants collide with rules to keep workers safe, making it harder to feed a society that demands convenient access.

KeepTruckin introduces Maintenance Reminders, a tool that helps companies avoid unscheduled vehicle downtimes.

Ware2Go is providing free logistical support to a New York City non-profit donating PPE supplies to medical workers. Plus, Cass Freight Index tumbles, oil prices continue to fall and airline stimulus funds hit a snag.

Turning supermarkets, and their parking lots, into logistics hubs

Knowing exactly where shipments are and when they will arrive is more important now than ever.

The decline in cross-border freight is linked to the closure of truck-making and auto parts plants across Mexico to contain the coronavirus, as well as the March 30 executive order by Mexican President Manuel Obrador to close all nonessential businesses.

Problem-solving supply chain bottlenecks is the way to build customer loyalty, freight experts say.

In the first known recall investigation delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, PACCAR is recalling nearly a half million trucks because a blown fuse can prevent illumination of antilock brakes or electronic stability control warning lights .

Concurrent EILD program definitely appears to be a less desired option.

Cass data plummets further, erasing any chance of second-quarter year-over-year growth in shipments and freight costs, according to report.

Lobby group puts tab for restoring 231,000 U.S. bridges at $164 billion.

The closing of a Smithfield Foods hog-processing plant in South Dakota cut off 100 daily semi-truck loads of animals to the facility. With few other plants available, farmers may end up destroying tens of thousands of animals that cannot be marketed for food.

New Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods delivery customers are just going to have to wait.

A new FreightWaves survey highlights how truck drivers are being treated by shippers and receivers, as well as truck stops and rest areas amid coronavirus pandemic

States must submit plan detailing use of technology that supports social distancing.

The coronavirus has strained supply chains of all kinds around the world. Darren Prokop has written an interestng and informative commentary that explains the inherent weaknesses of supply chains and how to improve them.

Amazon is placing new grocery delivery customers onto wait lists as it seeks to shore up orders and deliveries for existing customers. Plus, traffic declines could jeopardize road projects, just-in-time delivery impacts resupply efforts and retail sales face a long slog back to growth.

Two former UPS executives have new roles with Atlanta-based companies and a service center manager is named.

“If you mask your data and someone accesses it, it’s like stealing an empty purse.” — Matt Yeh, senior director of product marketing for Delphix, on cloud data security and the impact it has on remote work.

Shelley Uvanile-Hesch hopes people will think twice about leaving home during the COVID-19 pandemic after seeing her trailer as she moves vital goods between Canada and the United States.

While mobile devices are common in many industries, the use of these devices to manage inventory is still limited.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Researchers find ways to minimize wait-times at border crossings; truck cargo volumes down at Otay Mesa; container volume slows down at Port Houston; and KAL Freight expands into Texas.

After initially being part of Utah’s self-declaration process for anyone entering the state, truck drivers and airline pilots have now been exempted from the order. Also, Kentucky extends emergency orders and Nebraska Trucking Association launches #ThankaTrucker campaign.

Growing awareness of a 12-year-old relief fund for semi-truck drivers is attracting more and bigger donations as the coronavirus pandemic highlights health risks to truckers hauling critical freight.

While staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic, catch up on classic — and not-so-classic — movies prominently featuring modes of transportation.

After peaking at up 30% year-over-year, volumes are now down.

Prologis’ update highlights strength of the logistics real estate market entering pandemic. Some clients are asking for rent relief.

The global logistics giant said its Q1 profits among its five business divisions suffered from the coronavirus upheaval.

Two more significant companies in the trucking and transportation field have implemented layoffs and furloughs. In response to an email query from FreightWaves, Doug Waggoner, the CEO of Echo Global Logistics (NASDAQ: ECHO), said the third-party logistics provider (3PL) had a “small reduction” in staff this week that constitutes less than 5% of the company’s […]

Knowledge test training course no longer needed for third-party examiners.

U.S. logistics real estate operator announces it has reached the 100 million euro cap for its European logistics fund.

Plus: California gives Nuro permission to test autonomous vehicles

Nikola Corp. filled VectoIQ’s $230 million public shell company after former Wall Street analyst and General Motors executive Steve Girsky shopped more than 100 smart transportation companies and signed 75 nondisclosure agreements and six letters of intent.

According to data published on the CBP website, 160 total CBP employees had tested positive for the virus as of Sunday. New York City had the most, with 52 employees.

Coalition asserts $75,000 requirement is unfair to brokers and hurts small carriers.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s emergency declarations extend far beyond hours of service.

“The last place I picked up, I couldn’t even come inside the building to use the bathroom,” said Chicago-based driver Bob Stanton.

Morgan Stanley survey shows coronavirus disruption is accelerating for carriers, shippers and brokers, but the height of the disruption may be closer than some may think.

Americans are taking to their laptops instead of heading to the mall, and legacy retailers are facing the pressure to adapt to the times.

TrueNorth, a carrier and software service for independent truckers announced a $3 million raise this week

Retail coalition cautions federal government about potential dangers to easing restrictions on Interstates.

Host John Kingston also looks at the signs of a big drop in diesel demand.

Activist investor Barna Capital seeks to swap out YRC Worldwide board members and make non-executive level changes in management.

Truck drivers are ALWAYS important – no more so than now. Read ways that truckers can stay safer and healthier.

Cargo X is Brazil’s largest digital freight marketplace, connecting about 20,000 carriers and their 400,000 truckers with freight.

Virginia opens up scales to parking The Hours of Service (HOS) waiver handed down by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) last month at the start of the COVID-19 crisis has been extended, the agency announced on April 8. The waiver was set to expire April 12 or at the declaration of the end […]