Trucking

ECHO faced a tough quarter with soft spot volumes and unexpected tightness in June.

Report asserts industry needs to hire 1.1 million new drivers over the next decade.

R. Eddie Wayland, TCA Legal Counsel PHOTO CREDIT: JIM ALLEN/FREIGHTWAVES On July 22, 2019, the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the Department of Labor (DOL) issued an opinion letter as to whether the time a driver spends in his or her truck’s sleeper berth qualifies as compensable hours worked under the Fair Labor Standards […]

Proposal would make it easier for drivers to take test from out of state.

In this commentary by Ekim Saribardak, he writes about new track and trace technologies that can revolutionize the shipment of ocean freight.

SunteckTTS, a top 10 brokerage, is reportedly looking for a 10x EBITDA multiple.

Logistics platform launches in second European country, where the trucking industry and shippers contend with a growing driver shortage and too many empty kilometers.

Knight-Swift reported results within its recently lowered guidance range and doubled down on its estimation that the TL capacity correction is underway.

Boris Johnson will become the Prime Minister of the U.K. today, and will be assuming responsibility for the nature of the U.K.’s exit from the European Union.

Truck sales and profits were a bright spot in an overall dismal second quarter for Daimler AG, parent of Mercedes-Benz Cars and Daimler Trucks.

U.S. next day air volumes set the pace for UPS’ second-quarter results

Companies may not be doing enough to secure their cargo from their own employees.

Criminal syndicates are smuggling huge volumes of methamphetamine around the globe by hiding it in the lawful flow of freight. Find out where meth flows, how it flows, and who profits as it flows.

UPS launches a slew of products in arguably its biggest one-day portfolio change in its history

Schneider wins award for security excellence, while US Xpress honored as carrier of the year by FedEx Ground

A federal court puts the retroactive question back in the hands of the court that first made the A-B-C test.

The latest survey results show the highest compliance rates observed so far.

R. Eddie Wayland, TCA Legal Counsel A trucking company retained two drivers to serve as independent contractors and, on that basis, the company was allowed to make wage deductions, including for insurance, membership dues, and truck lease payments.  The lower court disagreed that the drivers were independent contractors but ultimately determined that the deductions were […]

EKA Solutions recently launched MPlace, which allows larger shippers and brokers to create private marketplaces where they can trade with “trusted providers in a more precise, automated and real-time manner.”

Study would bolster steps undertaken in the private sector to address the problem.

Alibaba re-arranges the US B2B e-commerce landscape by opening its platform to US sellers

Brian Aoaeh writes about how machine learning and artificial intelligence can be used to improve transportation and decrease emissions.

PACCAR Inc. added to a string of beating analyst revenue estimates in the second quarter but fell 3 cents short on earnings per share consensus. PACCAR set records across the board in the period ending June 30.

For blockchain to improve visibility and accountability within food supply chains, its underlying data needs to be in order.

The California Department of Transportation has started a massive construction project that will lead to nighttime closures of State Route 60 out of Ontario for months.

Ecommerce continues to grow and Amazon and its competitors continue to innovate and grow. Read insight into the phenomenon by Anothy Smith.

Chicago to Atlanta should jump in September, LA to Dallas peaks in November, and Seattle to LA hits a high in December.

BRP Inc. recently expanded the capacity at two of its production facilities in Mexico, where it builds its powersport and personal watercraft vehicles. The Quebec-based company’s increased production comes at a time when the market for recreational powersport and water-sport vehicles is estimated to grow from $11 billion in 2018 to $14.5 billion by 2025, […]

Fenix Marine Services aims to make faster dwell and truck turns the capstone of a nearly two-year project to upgrade the second largest marine terminal in Los Angeles. Fenix is partnering with logistics technology provider Blume Global and artificial intelligence vendor SavantX to develop an expedited terminal service offering for customers retrieving containers. Fenix’s Pier […]

Labor Department says drivers do not have to be paid for time spent in sleeper berth.

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) announced today it will open two more fulfillment centers in Ohio, which will bring to 10 the number of locations that the e-tailer operates in the state. The centers, which will be built in Akron and Rossford, will each measure 700,000 square feet and will be used to pick, pack and ship […]

FMCSA, USDA to standardize definitions for HOS exemption enforcement.

sennder has now raised nearly €100 million this year across two rounds of funding.

Scott Case writes about what recent FAA grants mean to airports and to the movement of airfreight and air cargo.

California-based startup Cargomatic competes in the local freight-matching marketplace, using technology to connect drivers and shippers without all the back office red tape.

FreightWaves Freight Intel Group predicts an increase in trucking company failures in 2019. Read why they make that prediction in this article.

USPS’ pension problems could cost it more than money. CO2 as a KPI for freight? CPG edible firms need to start going online

This article brought to you courtesy of NEXT Trucking The ability of marine terminals to move ocean containers quickly is becoming a selling point for shippers frustrated with long delays seen at U.S. ports during the second half of 2018. And one of the fastest terminals on the U.S. West Coast says it is ready […]

Ben Thrower explores the financial and political influence that China is wielding in Panama and around the Panama Canal.

As many as 50,000 angry farmers throughout Mexico blocked highways and an international bridge along the Texas-Mexico border on July 17 in protest of the government of President Andres Manuel López Obrador.  The Mexican farmers’ protest spread over 42 locations in some 23 Mexican states throughout the country, including an eight-hour blockage of the commercial […]

West Virginia may look to sell an intermodal port that it developed, but which has failed to generate the expected level of freight volumes. The state’s Port Authority developed the Heartland Intermodal Gateway, a $30 million project funded by state and federal government grants. Earlier this month, the authority voted to allow the facility to […]

Canada’s largest transportation and logistics company releases second-quarter results on July 25.

A weekly round-up of events in Australia. This week: Melbourne forces trucks out of the inner city; cleaning up asbestos roads; obeying road signage fail; road train safety inspections.

An Indiana judge sided with Dollar General in a negligence lawsuit filed by a former U.S. Xpress (NYSE: USX) delivery driver, who claimed his arm was ripped from its socket while unloading an overweight container at one of its stores in May of 2016.

Ashley Coker PHOTO CREDIT: JIM ALLEN/FREIGHTWAVES The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has extended its comment period concerning its possible pilot program that would allow non-military drivers under 21 to drive commercial vehicles across state lines.  The previous July 15 deadline has been pushed back to August 14, giving people an extra month to […]

Kentucky-based Legion Logistics has opened a new satellite office in the city of Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico.  The new international office, staffed by two bilingual freight specialists, gives Legion Logistics a strategic presence in the industrial center of Mexico. “It allows us to increase our service offerings on the Mexican side and communicate more effectively […]

Don Blake’s passion raises $250,000 in two truck auctions for Truckers Against Trafficking

Capacity has returned to freight markets and spot rates are falling against “contract.”

The data on truck company failures is pointing to a rocky period for shutdowns, and the prospect of higher diesel prices isn’t going to help.  That’s the message of Seth Holm of the FreightWaves Intel Group. He’ll be a guest this weekend on FreightWaves Radio on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking. It can be found on […]

After decades of planning and discussion, freight traffic could finally have an alternative highway loop around Dallas that saves them from bottlenecks along Interstate 35. The Loop 9 project will add a connection between two interstates in south Dallas – I-35 East and I-45 East. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins has made the project a […]

APM Terminals reached a deal with the longshore union at the Port of Los Angeles to retrain dock workers in repairing the automated cargo handling equipment that will take their jobs. The deal further paves the way for the Maersk subsidiary to start a project to install electrical charging stations and to make other upgrades […]

Marten Transport posted its best-ever second quarter operating revenue and income in the company’s 74-year history, the company said in its July 18 earnings release.

Volvo Group and Samsung SDI will work together to advance Volvo’s electric truck plans with direct supply of battery cells and packs to Volvo manufacturing plants.

Dothan, Alabama-based AAA Cooper Transportation said it will start offering a free GPS shipment tracking system to its customers starting on July 28.

The United States is sending an additional deployment of 1,100 active-duty troops and 1,000 Texas National Guard soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border, Pentagon officials announced July 17. The new active-duty troops will arrive in Texas “in the next several weeks” and will provide “aerial surveillance, operational, logistical and administrative support” to U.S. Customs and Border […]

Today’s fleets contend with the Amazon effect on logistics, have to keep up customer satisfaction levels, minimize operational costs and also attract and retain drivers. Technology could help make these challenges easier.

Canadian transportation and logistics firm selects interim chief financial officer Alex Fu for the permanent post.

The importance of technicians and the cost of technicians as part of the total cost of ownership is covered in this article by Gerry Mead.

ATA concerned that extending deadlines could affect proper enforcement.

Volvo Group posted record second-quarter sales and earnings but warned that production cuts are likely in the second half as a huge backlog of heavy-duty truck orders from 2018 shrinks in size. (Image: Volvo)

Investor speculation that VW’s Traton SE would complete an acquisition of Navistar International took a hit along with the share price July 17 when the head of Traton said he was satisfied with the present 16.8 percent of the Illinois company’s shares.

The South Carolina Port Authority (SCPA) said ocean container moves were up 9 percent in its fiscal year, setting a volume record for the port.  The Port of Charleston’s two main container terminals, Wando Welch and North Charleston, saw 2.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in container moves last year.  The region’s freight moves represent […]

A truck driver who was convicted and sentenced for dangerously driving his truck in a way that caused grievous bodily harm and severe brain damage to a young woman has escaped a much more severe sentence owing to bureaucratic failings.

A simmering industrial dispute in Australia burst into fire this morning when maritime box terminal operator DP World Australia used local media to threaten longshoremen with job losses. Strikes confirmed at Sydney, Fremantle and Brisbane.

Sudden surge in marine fuel costs could spur shippers to consider switch to California over Panama Canal route.

A survey of 600 industrial buyers in three Asia-Pacific countries found that buyers rely as much on traditional forms of procurement channels as they do on e-commerce, and that so-called offline relationships are as valuable as ever. The survey of buyers in China, Japan and Thailand appears to support the age-old relevance in Asia of […]

Cargo aircraft lacking reinforced cockpit doors, firefighting response on the ground.

Sandeep Kar has written a thought-provoking article about changes in trucks and how those changes affect truck drivers. He also writes about what the future may hold for truck drivers in the coming years.

Mexican factories exported a record-breaking 1.74 million vehicles worldwide during the first six months of 2019.  The majority of those vehicles – 1.37 million – were shipped north across the border to the United States, according to data recently released by Mexico’s Asociacion Mexicana de la Industria Automotriz (AMIA).  “The United States remains, without a […]

Trailer orders hit their lowest level in nearly a decade in June, mirroring the slowdown in new truck orders after record performances for both in 2018.

The transportation and logistics industry is evolving at breakneck speed, and keeping up has never been more important.

Electric vehicle charge points will now be installed in every newly constructed residential and non-residential building as part of a larger plan to expedite EV adoption in the U.K.

Volvo Trucks says anyone involved in heavy-duty trucking has a “moral obligation” to make trucking safer.

Getting concert tours to where they need to go is a specialized gig

Kal Atwal becomes executive vice president as Canadian transportation and logistics company integrates bankrupt courier BeavEx’s business.

Those convicted will be banned for life from obtaining a CDL.

Small carriers and owner-operators continue to lag behind their larger counterparts in making the switch from automatic onboard recording devices (AOBRDs) to electronic logging devices (ELDs).

A platform was rolled out on Tuesday that automates the shipping process for auction houses and bidders of high end items

Michigan State University and the FreightWaves Freight Intel Group have developed research on spot market freight. Read about that research here.

The trucking industry’s technical recession is causing real-world impacts to the used truck market, where sales continue to fall and even sought-after low-mileage rigs are under pressure. Preliminary used Class 8 same dealer sales fell 8 percent in June compared with May, according to ACT Research. Used truck sales were down 25 percent compared with […]

Denial to SBTC follows last year’s denial to OOIDA.

Amazon workers strike on the company’s mega-discount Prime Day, asking for fair treatment, higher pay and decent working conditions within warehouses.

Drones could someday deliver thousands of packages a day, but who will monitor all this air traffic?

Marken has acquired three European companies based out of central and eastern Europe, to expand its geographic footprint in the pharma and life science logistics segments.

Jordan Alliger rated UPS, FedEx, and J.B. Hunt ‘Buy’; XPO and C.H. Robinson ‘Neutral’; and Expeditors ‘Sell.’

Waterfront tensions are increasing as the Maritime Union of Australia declares more wharfside strikes around the country.

The available supply of US industrial property rose during the first half of 2019 for the first time since the end of 2010, according to CBRE

The Cass Freight Index Report offers two questions. “Has economic contraction already begun? Will GDP be negative in Q2?”

Groups claim teen drivers carry more risk resulting in more fatalities.

In the wake of Hurricane Barry, Brian Aoaeh writes about the disruption to supply chains that hurricanes and flooding can do. In particular, the state of Louisiana and its ports are critical to the U.S. agriculture and energy industries.

Ashley Coker IMAGE: JIM ALLEN/FREIGHTWAVES Carriers steering clear of Louisiana due to precarious weather conditions can start accepting loads into the state again. While Hurricane Barry caused serious flooding over the weekend, most of the damage was limited to rural areas with little freight activity. “Most of the damage occurred in rural areas where there […]

Donald Broughton’s third article about the impact of the gross domestic product and how it can be useful for business intelligence and forecasting is a must-read.

The U.K. is on the threshold of becoming independent from the EU, but it does not seem to have answers to the trade and logistics nightmare that would follow post-Brexit.

All of the carriers on Transplace’s platform will integrate with Descartes MacroPoint by January 2020.

The Port of New Orleans has reopened after Tropical Storm Barry swept through the region, although officials still stress dangerous flooding conditions for area residents.

The trucking apocalypse is upon us, and it has taken its latest victim. This time, it’s a 40-year-old carrier out of California. Timmerman Starlite Trucking Inc. of Ceres, California, announced it would be shutting down, placing 30 employees in the unemployment line effective immediately. Ceres is a suburb of Modesto, California, a mid-sized city 100 […]

There is an abundance of data coming out of food supply chains, and it is important for stakeholders to verify and validate these data points and leverage blockchain to functionally push supply chains forward.

Former truck drivers and employees of LME Inc., headquartered in Roseville, Minnesota, are still in shock two days after the company abruptly ceased operations without warning on July 11.

Hurricane Barry made landfall in Louisiana on July 13, and as it did, it caused disruption to travel and cargo movement in the region.

Cowan Systems has acquired family-owned regional carrier Carlisle Carrier as it looks to strengthen its Northeast presence.