Trucking

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: project44 promotes freight visibility in USMCA era; Amazon leases 1 million-square-foot warehouse at DFW International Airport ; Mexico auto industry preparing for coronavirus impact; Port Houston container volume spikes in January. project44 promotes freight visibility in USMCA […]

Transport earnings were rough but may have bottomed.

Covenant Transportation’s Joey Hogan and Jet Express’ Kevin Burch talk capacity, insurance, trucking’s image and a lot more in wide-ranging discussion at ACT Research event.

Market Expert Mike Baudendistel looks at the prospects for the truck original equipment manufacturers in 2020.

Since being diagnosed with melanoma in 2017, Ingrid Brown, an independent owner-operator with more than 4 million miles under her belt, has been sharing her skin cancer journey.

It’s AMX’ first big acquisition in more than 20 years.

While capacity utilization in long-haul trucking is going down, the capacity needs of last-mile delivery are increasing due to the rise of e-commerce.

Volumes not yet showing signs of life.

Delivery companies that don’t meet Amazon’s standards are being cut from its vendor list. Three got dismissed this week.

Court orders pave the way for bankrupt Celadon to move forward with existing deals to sell two Canadian properties of Hyndman Transport for a combined C$16.25 million — with a portion set aside for former truck drivers and other personnel.

Founders of the self-driving truck outfit discuss efforts to build a logistics company for autonomous vehicles.

Bear Down Logistics didn’t meet Amazon’s standards so Amazon cut ties.

Ben Thrower explores the U.S. food chain is complex, but provides a cornucopia of food choices in almost unlimited supply.

XPO Logistics Inc. will lay off more than 300 workers at its Fort Worth distribution center in April, according to a notice filed with the Texas Workforce Commission TWC. According to the notice, XPO plans to lay off a total of 304 workers at its AllianceTexas facility, located at 3300 Eagle Parkway in Fort Worth. […]

Into its second decade of existence, Daseke pumps the brakes on acquisitions and attempts to streamline all that it has bought.

Good day, The Portland, Oregon, City Council has renewed a tax on drivers of heavy-duty trucks who travel on city streets, according to OPB. The original levy was passed in 2016 in concert with a 10 cents-per-gallon gas tax passed by Portland voters. The truck drivers, who don’t pay the gas tax, are assessed a […]

The electrification of the transportation sector is not easy, and it is not something that industry needs governments to lead. But, a little help from state and local governments will go a long way toward moving electrification forward — wherever that leads. “This isn’t something we need Washington to make a call on. It is […]

FedEx paid the Big Apple $9.8 million in fines as multiple users compete for limited curb space.

Rodgers Trucking owner Frank Ghiglione cites the ever-increasing cost of doing business in California as one of the main reasons to shutter operations after 48 years.

Canadian National begins “disciplined and progressive” shutdown of eastern network and plans to halt all transcontinental service in response to anti-pipeline protests as impact hits intermodal carriers.

Drivers looking to improve safety and avoid legal pitfalls must thoroughly understand Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents working at the Ysleta port of entry in El Paso, Texas, seized 1,543 pounds of liquid methamphetamine Wednesday.  CBP spokesman Roger Maier told FreightWaves the liquid methamphetamine “would have an estimated street value of $30 million.”  The liquid methamphetamine was reportedly hidden in a shipment of cleaning supplies […]

“Robert has turned the trucks faster than any other solution I’ve found,” said Max Fuller, co-founder of U.S. Xpress.

Burlington Motor Carriers, started as a division of Burlington Northern, the railroad.

Host John Kingston talks about predictive wholesale diesel prices with Scott Susich of DTN.

Fuel card provider WEX Inc. reports a solid fourth quarter but calls out weakness in the trucking market.

Stock in Canadian transportation company trades more than 7% above offering price after CEO Alain Bedard rings opening bell on New York Stock Exchange.

Recent changes in electronic logging device mandates put a hit on the company’s bottom line in 2019 — and probably in 2020.

Atlanta-based Stonemont Financial Group recently launched phase one of its 540-acre Southwest International Gateway Business Park in El Campo, Texas, around 60 miles southwest of Houston. “We have officially closed on the land and completed all of our designs, and we’re in the process of breaking ground as we speak,” Stonemont Financial CEO Zack Markwell […]

After consecutive years of record numbers, equipment orders have fallen to replacement cycle levels, making it feel like the industry has fallen off a cliff.

Rush Enterprises Inc. (NASDAQ: RUSHA), which operates the largest network of commercial vehicle dealerships in North America, on Wednesday reported fourth-quarter revenue of $1.3 billion, compared to revenue of $1.5 billion for the fourth quarter of 2018. Net income for the fourth quarter was $23.8 million, or a profit of 64 cents per diluted share, […]

Acquisitions and strong less-than-truckload performance help bring record revenue to Mullen Group’s trucking and logistics business and offset declines from its struggling oil services.

Executive order establishes national policy to safeguard positioning and navigation services.

Lawsuit claims Triangle Recovery Services falsely advertised itself as a surrender site, offered cash rewards for locations of Celadon’s equipment and is holding the seized equipment for ransom.

Arrive tries to put an upgraded twist on a traditional business.

With Valentine’s Day just days away, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents are working hard to make sure imported flowers are pest and disease free. “CBP agriculture specialists are working hard every day preventing potentially harmful plant pests and foreign animal diseases from entering the U.S.,” Hector Mancha, CBP El Paso director of field […]

A 14.45% cut from the 2018 fee level is being made to account for excess funds.

The circumstances surrounding the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant is an opportunity for logistics business to discuss their own policies around safety.

Truckload carrier heads talk demand, rates and capacity at investor conference.

Collecting and analyzing the right metrics, including revenue per truck and maintenance expense, is part of making a trucking operation profitable.

C.H. Robinson is pushing back against a complaint, seeking class-action status, filed by more than a dozen growers that alleges the third-party logistics giant engaged in “deceptive business practices.”

Learn about nine different types of truck driving jobs that are available.

The response from CEO Jacobs is always the same: Splitting it up will achieve better shareholder value.

Drivers waste well over two hours at check-in, but Truckerd-In looks to streamline the process.

Darren Prokop writes about the volatility in trucking, and how ecommerce may help less-than-truckload carriers recover in 2020.

PAM Transportation CEO Daniel H. Cushman told FreightWaves during an interview Tuesday that his company’s trucking service to Mexico is “busting at the seams.” “It is just a month into the year, but we are already 26% over where we were last year, so we are growing at a rapid pace,” Cushman said. So when […]

Family-owned Howard Baer Inc. of Nashville, Tennessee, cites government regulations, the struggle to find qualified drivers and soaring insurance costs as factors behind its decision to close after 69 years.

FreightRoll is a trade documentation and tracking platform that enables companies to digitalize paper documents from their freight operations.

Canada’s largest transportation company looks to raise nearly $200 million as it prepares to offer 6 million shares in the United States.

This strategic partnership will provide Redwood customers with visibility into an additional 500,000 trucks.

Old Dominion Freight Line sponsors Major League Baseball, and for eight of the 30 MLB teams, the less-than-truckload carrier helps make Florida and Arizona feel like home for six weeks of spring training.

European supply chain platform Shippeo raises $22 million for expansion. Plus, Rhode Island aims to boost truck toll fees, global container movement falls and Nikola unveils electric pickup.

Many turn to factoring to ease cash crunches.

Many indicators are pointing to a better 2020 than 2019 for the freight industry, but several challenges remain, including impacts from the coronavirus.

UPS pilots stand to see improved wages and retirement benefits from a new contract.

Proposal includes discretionary grants for truck parking.

Proceeds could give Canada’s largest transportation company more firepower to pursue acquisitions as it prepares to make a big leap into capital markets south of the border.

Many measures of activity were weaker but the bottom line improved.

Canadian transportation company delivers impressive performance in weak freight market as it finishes 2019 with 20% increase in operating income on strength of its truckload and logistics businesses.

Tesla will produce its much-anticipated all-electric truck in “limited volumes” this year, according to CEO Elon Musk.

Shutdown of Trusted Traveler Program in New York state could slow trade moving to and from Canada.

The Maritime Association of the Port of New York and New Jersey also announces hall of fame inductees.

Jim Blaze explores whether the Class 1 railroads are downsizing their railcar fleets.

Brian Aoaeh writes about the use of software and technology in the trucking industry.

Daseke has found a permanent replacement for its retired founder and namesake Don Daseke, naming interim CEO Chris Easter to the position. Plus, Valentine’s Day logistics, truckers in Oregon get political and Chinese truck capacity shrinks.

Apart from being emissions free, electric vehicles will have a much less total cost of ownership than conventional diesel vehicles.

Jeremy Reymer, founder of DriverReach, said 90% of truck drivers applying for jobs have not registered in the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, a step that is required for any driver looking for a job.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Mexico considers law banning all double tractor-trailer trucks; Dynacraft finalizing relocation of plant to Texas; QSL opens new marine terminal on the Houston Ship Channel; El Paso border agents bust two commercial trucks for carrying narcotics. […]

Small companies jittery about investing in biodiesel blending with the federal tax credit in limbo are moving in now that the tax incentive on the cleaner-burning fuel is set through 2022.

Titan Freight Systems president says regulation is necessary to accelerate transition to clean fuel vehicles.

Despite AB5 pause, California team drivers Jeff and Elyse Fink continue search for ‘truck-friendly’ state.

February off to a slow start.

J.B. Hunt announced that CFO David Mee will retire March 1. The company will fill the interim role internally until a permanent replacement is found.

Longer-term solutions are problematic but cutting down on trucks is targeted for now.

John Kingston, FreightWaves Energy Market Expert, has been named the winner of the prestigious 2020 Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah International Energy Award for Lifetime Achievement for the Advancement of International Energy Journalism.

Sendengo is a digital freight brokerage that enables users to control transactions and helps reduce cargo theft.

FLEETCOR Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: FLT), a fuel-card and business-payments provider, announced fourth-quarter 2019 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $3.17, 14% higher year-over-year and $0.03 better than the consensus estimate. Total revenues increased 9% to $698.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, compared to $643.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2018. However, net […]

Drivers have preferred times when they like to visit shipper facilities, and they hate waiting, according to the second Uber Freight Facilities Insights Report.

PRO Act’s provisions mirror California law upending independent contractor status.

A difficult truck brokerage market appears to have stalled growth at Uber Freight compared to the third quarter. However, the operating loss narrowed significantly.

Protest comes a week after Nike and other Portland businesses signed a letter supporting the climate legislation.

Company posts expected $8.6 million profit as intermodal helps offset declines from trucking and other divisions as new CEO looks to better performance in 2020.

Trucking companies should understand the rules surrounding workers’ comp coverage.

Charley Dehoney writes about digital brokerages and what they really are and do…

ChargePoint, with more than 108,000 electric vehicle chargers, and travel plaza and truckstop association NATSO will use Volkswagen “Dieselgate” settlement money and other funds to build out an electric charging infrastructure at 4,000 travel plazas by 2030.

U.S. Xpress sees a path to improved profitability in 2020 and beyond. These were just some of the highlights provided on the carrier’s earnings call.

Authorities evacuate town of Guernsey, Saskatchewan, and close five-mile stretch of key Western Canada highway after morning accident involving CP train.

Your name is your face to the world. Forward Air wants a makeover since diversifying from its original business focused on air cargo, so it’s changing its name and logo.

U.S. Xpress reported a better-than-feared loss to close out 2019. The company expects conditions to improve in 2020.

Persistent industrial weakness sends Old Dominion’s fourth-quarter results down

Proposal would create competitive grant program for projects that add capacity.

Werner’s management team is still pointing to a truckload recovery in 2020 but noted that the first half will be a challenge.

Amazon’s free shipping lures US consumers even if some disapprove of how it does business, survey finds

Like most mega-companies, UPS Inc. (NYSE:UPS) is loath to publicly discuss customers or its relationships with them. It refuses to answer reporters’ questions about customers. It never mentions them in press releases or other media announcements. But the long-held custom went out the window last week. In announcing its fourth-quarter and full-year results, UPS not […]

WEX said that a data limit issue within its IBM Informix system was the cause of fuel cards being shut off across the country today.

“In some cases, a broker’s payment policy is more important than the rate it pays the carrier,” said Jason Kirkpatrick.

The Protect App-based Driver & Services Act seeks to exempt app-based drivers from the state labor law while providing benefits and safety protections.

Problems continued into the afternoon for customers of WEX fuel cards, including its EFS and FleetOne cardholders, as a system outage rendered cards useless at fuel pumps.

The gig economy is one more challenge for truck drivers.

Canada’s federal postal carrier asks Canadian producers to stop shipping cannabis to Campobello Island — because of the troublesome transit through Maine.