Trucking

Advocacy groups differ on effectiveness of public and private financing to meet high demand.

Moreno Valley ignored environmental regulations when it greenlighted construction of the World Logistics Center, one of the largest complexes in the country.

It isn’t clear how long the temporary order will be in effect but plaintiffs seem happy that it will be replaced with something longer-lasting.

Kenworth skipped the fanfare in showing its Class 8 autonomous truck for the first time ar CES 2020.

To remain competitive in the marketplace, shippers need to adapt.

Universal Logistics Holdings names current head of transportation Tim Phillips as its new CEO. Phillips succeeds former CEO Jeff Rogers who “separated” from the company on Friday.

Mack Trucks has entered the electric vehicle space with its LR Electric refuse truck, but it may not be done. The engine, with modifications, may work well in other applications as well.

Chris Henry runs fleet profitability benchmarking and analytics for FreightWaves and facilitates the TCA’s TPP program. If you are interested in benchmarking your fleet’s performance with the best operators, join TCA’s TPP. The data presented in this article come from analytics of over 230 truckload for-hire fleets, representing more than 70,000 trucks.  A wise trucker […]

The Containerization & Intermodal Institute, EROAD and Great Lakes Dredge & Dock announce board appointments.

Businesses can leverage technology and incentivize consumers to ensure sustainability within their logistics operations.

Seth Holm of FreightWaves Freight Intel Group writes about the impact of nuclear verdicts on the trucking industry. Will 2020 be a tipping point for these huge awards?

Amazon has enabled customers to pay digitally at gas stations via Alexa, which can confirm the station location and pump number and activate the pump for drawing fuel.

Atlantic Canada trucking industry braces for the fallout as Nova Scotia pulp mill owner recasts closure as a deep sleep while company scrambles to find a solution for its waste product.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Cross-border trucking remains strong despite ongoing violence in Mexico; Freight tech firm GuruCargo is acquired by regional company; FIBRA Prologis expands in Mexico; and Nuevo León becomes the No. 1 state in Mexico for manufacturing. Cross-border […]

The principles of Environmental/Social/Governance are going to be a factor in the future, according to Morgan Stanley

Former California agent was convicted of pocketing $174,000 in insurance premiums from port truck drivers and charter bus companies.

Happy top of the weekend! Thanks for making us a part of the backhaul of your week, and boy do we have some news for you. First, we hit the headlines: Applying the restrictions of AB5 in California to the trucking industry runs afoul of federal law, according to a court case just handed down. […]

The global logistics industry is big and getting bigger.

Legal battle in California is pulling trucking in different directions

Trucking market cools but remains healthy

The transport of cargo from China to Europe by sea is likely to remain more important than Eurasian railway routes, says the CEO of the German forwarder DACHSER.

Buttigieg proposal part of candidate’s $1 trillion infrastructure plan.

Man charged with first-degree murder of driver on I-269 outside Memphis after authorities circulated chilling photos captured by camera inside tractor-trailer.

A number of readers responded to Brian Aoaeh’s 12/26/19 “Commentary: Trucking industry observations heading into 2020.” His current commentary features some of those responses and information from Anthony Campo, a trucking industry veteran.

The interior of the Nikola Two semi-tractor takes cues from modern airplane cockpits.

As more and more carriers close up shop, leasing equipment has become a gamble that some companies may not want to take.

McLean Trucking is one of the pioneers of the less-than-truckload (LTL) trucking industry. The company’s founder eventually became one of the pioneers of the global logistics and trade industry.

The New York City Department of Sanitation will begin testing the first Mack LR Electric refuse truck, hoping to gain valuable insight into the viability of electric refuse vehicles.

The acquisition of Kuebix is believed to be a step toward making a fragmented transportation industry more efficient.

Prologis closes on $4 billion deal to buy Industrial Property Trust

Road, rail, port environmental permits to be completed in two years.

Companies from Amazon to Zulily agree to help Customs and Border Protection figure out how to identify and target high-risk shipments.

Add Werner Enterprises to the parade of companies testing battery-powered heavy-duty trucks in California.

Digitalization of roadside assistance services can help fleets in not just getting immediate and seamless assistance but at flat-rate premiums.

Jim Blaze writes about the key messages he extrapolated about railroading in 2019.

Mexico continues to be the top trading partner for the United States, ranking No. 1 in total trade value through November, at $567.81 billion.  It marks the 11th straight month Mexico has been in first, with Canada second and China third. China had led the list from July 2017 until December 2018.  The ongoing trade […]

Top 25 less-than-truckload carrier Midwest Motor Express has been acquired by Red Arts Capital and Prudential Capital Partners.

Partner Hub enables carriers to control who can access the data coming out of their trucking operations.

This time it’s a state court that says the FAAAA act blocks AB5 from regulating trucking employment

Lumper payments can tie up cash for weeks as carriers wait for reimbursement, but Convoy is now automating the process, guaranteeing payment with the touch of a button.

There are plenty of individual interests likely to want enforcement of IMO 2020. But is the market incentivizing noncompliance?

The request comes as the company struggles to update PeopleNet devices that malfunctioned over the New Year.

No specific trucking reference in the governor’s State of the State, but calls current situation a “scam.”

U.S. DOT Secretary Elaine Chao touts agency collaboration and leadership in AV research and development.

Video telematics provider Lytx Inc. receives new financial backing from private equity group in a deal that values the company at more than $2.5 billion.

Saia’s CFO leaves after just 8 months to return to reefer warehousing firm Americold

Recon Logistics President expects LTL rate increases in the new year.

Michigan semi driver charged in deadly pileup pens heartfelt note as authorities continue investigation into suspected case of distracted driving that claimed three lives.

The “New Year’s Eve surprise” may have been a first step toward getting the California trucking industry out from under the AB5 legislation that will have serious consequences for the independent owner operator model. Weston LaBar is the CEO of the Harbor Trucking Association, which represents the drayage industry. He spoke on the Drilling Deep […]

Wider use of technology within supply chains has helped create greater efficiency and better forecasting of logistics operations.

During the third quarter of 2019, the number of train robberies in Mexico rose 13% compared with the previous quarter, according to data compiled by Mexico’s Railway Transport Regulatory Agency (ARTF). Agricultural grains, auto parts and consumer goods, such as beverages and toys, were the most stolen freight, the security report by ARTF found. Between […]

The trucking world can be confusing at times and no where else is this more obvious than the trucking world’s use of the term mile.

A host of issues, from regulations to overcapacity, are coming together to place unanticipated stresses on carriers just as 2020 begins.

Kenworth and Peterbilt will both put power electronics from Dana in their electric medium-duty trucks.

Seko Logistics acquires Air-City to boost exposure in NYC and China

The study looked at 85 different technologies that can help drive fuel efficiency.

Averitt Express its first distribution center in Atlanta

Importing and selling counterfeit Native American-style jewelry violates the Indian Arts and Crafts Act.

Continental Automotive’s Transparent Hood technology could help trucks see what’s over the hill ahead. #CES2020

Employers allowed to continue driver hires while agency corrects connection issues.

Outlook for future improvement to earnings is still hazy as Morgan Stanley analyst lowers fourth-quarter estimates for most transportation companies.

We kick off the week with headlines involving major trucking crashes in Pennsylvania and Indiana, the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse websites opening day struggles. Don’t worry, though, if you’re trying to register, the site is now up and operational and you can find it by clicking here. We spend Five Good Minutes with Chief Insight […]

Businesses today are looking to make last-mile deliveries as flexible as possible to ensure high-quality customer experience.

Panasonic is lending its vehicle connectivity and monitoring solution to a last-mile electric vehicle produced by Tropos Motors. Also, vote nears on Connecticut tolls and group seeks to defund FMCSA.

Third-party logistics provider Source Logistics recently signed a pre-lease agreement to rent the new 423,280-square-foot building No. 2 at the Port Grande logistics facility in Laredo, Texas. The new facility is 10 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border and features a 32-foot ceiling clearance, 120 dock-high doors, four ground-level doors, a large, secured truck courtyard, 242 […]

They are joined on stage by Roxo the robot.

Borden Dairy Co. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Jan. 5, blaming rising raw milk costs, reduced milk consumption and increased competition among non-dairy alternatives, including almond and soy milk.

Postmaster General Megan Brennan delays her Jan. 31 retirement as USPS searches for successor

The loss of a DHL contract has led to a New York carrier issuing layoff notices to 48 employees.

ZF Friedrichshafen said at #CES2020 that it will deliver a Level 4 autonomous driving system to a trucking customer by 2025.

Federal appeals court panel upholds district court ruling that Walmart must pay California drivers additional wages for non-driving time

Initiative will consider strategies to cut ozone emissions by 2027.

The wording in the temporary injunction blocking enforcement of AB5 in trucking leads plaintiffs to think they’ll win the entire battle.

Sources confirm shutdowns and delays on system’s opening day.

Brian Aoaeh writes about the “other” side of ecommerce – the returns of unwanted merchandise and how retailers are handling the issue.

The Jones Act has been in effect for nearly 100 years. Read about its pros and cons in this commentary by Darren Prokop.

UPS says Daniel Kepner, 53, and Dennis Kehler, 48, were driving together in one of the three tractor-trailers involved in the early morning pileup east of Pittsburgh that left five people dead and about 60 injured.

Authorities cite distracted driving in nine-vehicle Sunday crash that claimed three lives in Boone County.

German auto suppliier Robert Bosch combines an LCD panel, a driver-monitoring camera and facial tracking software to create a Virtual Visor that dramatically reduce sun glare for drivers.

UPS and FedEx offer cooperation to authorities and sympathies to victims in collision that left five people dead and scores injured 30 miles east of Pittsburgh.

Major weather events such as hurricanes, blizzards, and historic flooding can produce immediate volatility as well as lasting effects on supply chains, depending on where they hit.

Sixty people injured in pileup after three tractor-trailers loaded with parcels crash into bus that had struck an embankment in Westmoreland County.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Laredo road ranked No. 3 for truck congestion in Texas; U.S.-Mexico border to get more X-ray scanners; truck production in Mexico rises 19.8%; and Nuevo Laredo is the top customs district in Mexico. Laredo road ranks […]

Market Expert Zach Strickland provides timely advice for shippers that need to choose either a carrier or a 3PL.

California’s effort to restrict owner-operators in trucking would create havoc for farm and forest product exporters, says the Agriculture Transportation Coalition.

New Class 8 truck orders dipped to their lowest level in a decade in 2019, payback for an ordering frenzy a year earlier.

Trump’s influence over new agency chief could lead to service overhaul in 2020.

Trucking fundamentals still strong as peak season ends

Despite a tough 2019 market, shippers face increasing price volatility around intermodal drayage as rail becomes more cost competitive compared with over-the-road trucking. Last year was one that intermodal marketing companies may prefer to forget. The volume of containers riding the rails dropped 5% last year, according to the American Association of Railroads. With overall […]

The autonomous trucking technology startup uses its bench of knowledgeable founders to develop tools to enhance trucking operations.

Most big rigs in the U.S. have tanks that range in capacity from 120 gallons per tank up to 150 gallons and depending on the radius of operation, may have one tank for shorter hauls or two tanks for longer ones.

India spends 14% of its GDP on logistics; the country’s government is actively looking to reduce that amount by introducing key reforms in the sector.

Random testing increase to 50% expected to boost clearinghouse activity.

If you had to name one of the most influential companies in trucking history, Consolidated Freightways (CF) would be near the top. While the trucking company, CF is no longer with us, the legacy of CF lives on through the companies it spun off, including Freightliner, CNF (which became part of XPO) and Purolator International.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is “aware of and monitoring” the situation.

Ryder is partnering with In-Charge Energy and ABB to make transition to electric vehicles easier.

Some of the most congested roads in Texas are not necessarily all that bad for truckers.

XPO’s IT investments help offset weak macro environment for freight

Mexican tomatoes being detained at the border for longer inspections is “unjustified,” according to agricultural officials in Mexico. Víctor Villalobos Arámbula, Mexico’s secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER), said 43 truckloads of Mexican tomatoes have been detained at the U.S.-Mexico border since Nov. 18 as part of stepped up inspections against the tomato brown […]

Pest infestation within cold storage containers can cause major losses as companies are forced to discard entire shipments.