Trucking

Company about to move the delivery cheese again.

USA Truck (NASDAQ: USAK) posted its most profitable first quarter results since 2006 on April 25. The quarter is now the seventh straight quarter of profitability.

Covenant Transportation Group (NASDAQ: CVTI) posted adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.27 for the first quarter of 2019, beating analyst estimates and edging past the expectations the company itself announced earlier this quarter.

A panel in Blockchain Expo 2019 spoke on how blockchain solutions can be used for increasing transparency, profitability and provenance in supply chains across a variety of markets.

The company’s net income in the first quarter was $37.1 million, or $0.98 cents per diluted share, up 76.6 percent compared to net income of $21 million, or $0.51 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2018. This exceeded analysts’ expectations of $0.88 per share for the first quarter of 2019.

CEO Paul Svindland calls settlement “milestone” in path to stability after hit from financial scandal.

World’s largest ocean freight forwarder sees volume growth thanks to Asian export markets and its niche plays in pharma and healthcare.

Port Logistics Group, one of the nation’s leading providers of omnichannel logistics services, announced its acquisition of Whiplash Merchandising, Inc. on April 24, effective immediately.

Bottom line comes in light. Investors wary to unimpressed.

Ford invests $500M in electric pickup maker; plus U.S. may be pulling freight from trucking, India seeks logistics technology upgrades, and scientists call for unity on electric vehicles.

Retail rebounded from a disappointing February in March, with the growth rate climbing from 2.2 percent to 3.6 percent year-over-year. It was one of the strongest rebounds seen in the retail sector since mid-2017.

In partnership with Reliance Partners …

Truckers often are under a lot of stress due to being away from their family for days at end, erratic sleep cycles, and other issues while they haul freight. Communicating with their dispatchers and retrospecting stress-related incidents are key to reducing stress.

Despite its takeover by ocean carrier, Swiss freight forwarder keeping it multi-modal with introduction of rail service from China to Europe.

Ashley Coker IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK The amount of capacity that has flooded the market in 2019 has put downward pressure on rates. Rates for long distance trucking declined for the third straight month in March, and year-over-year growth continued to decelerate, falling below 5 percent. While falling rates are making the market feel soft for carriers […]

Rush Enterprises (NASDAQ:RUSHA) reported strong first quarter 2019 revenues of nearly $1.34 billion on April 24, up 8.7 percent from $1.24 billion compared with the previous year.

Forty ships detained in 2018 as federal inspectors begin exposing U.S.-flag safety data.

Kenworth will increase the size its Chillicothe, Ohio, manufacturing plant by nearly 25 percent once a new paint facility comes online in early 2021, the company said at a groundbreaking for the $140-million, 120,000-square-foot building.

Centers set for redesign for different inventory.

Women In Trucking Association (WIT) named Judy R. McReynolds, chairman, president and chief executive officer of ArcBest, the winner of the fifth annual Women In Trucking Association’s Distinguished Woman in Logistics Award (DWLA).

Technology is disrupting the logistics industry at a breakneck pace, and brokerages are not exempt from the changes. While new technologies are intended to help companies run smoother, the implementation process can be riddled with challenges.

Recent shipping trends reflect a slowdown in user demand across the air, rail, maritime and truckload modes of transport. Those trends seem to have passed by the $42 billion per year less-than-truckload (LTL) segment. Carriers have been in control of the market for two years, demand remains solid, and pricing is disciplined and rational. There […]

Heavy-duty equipment maker tops estimates largely due to one-time tax gain, but the mining business does show better growth.

Ashley Coker IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK The economy lost some momentum in the first quarter of 2019, and freight movements were not spared from the softening. However, there are a handful of reasons to be optimistic heading into the second quarter. FreightWaves CEO and Managing Director Craig Fuller and FreightWaves Chief Economist Ibrahiim Bayaan teamed up to […]

ATA points out that the proposal, to be officially unveiled on Capitol Hill this week, makes several wrong assumptions.

Company was solid parcel player in the Northeast for decades.

Commonwealth tries to bring more skilled techs into the logistics, warehouse fold.

Garage becomes another 21st century delivery node.

Our gauge of high performance is primarily profitability.

In his first FreightWaves article, market expert Brian Aoaeh writes about logistics network optimization. He explains how new technology, venture capital money and changing market conditions have converged to open up new opportunities across the global supply chain.

Three states and several utilities will study the needs of electric trucks along the I-5 corridor to make long-haul electric trucks a reality. Plus, the future of Cummins, flex fuels, and are the Chinese taking our railway jobs?

Online retailer ramps up warehousing and ocean freight presence as part of meeting tight delivery window demanded by customers.

Chris Henry, Program Manager, TCA Profitability Program It’s been 15 months since we published the original “Nine Traits” article. That article turned in into a series of presentations that my colleague Jack Porter and I have delivered at various industry and state association events. Much has happened in 15 months, including the strategies and tactics […]

Chattanooga, Tennessee-based U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. announced on April 22 it has created a new division, U.S. Xpress Ventures, and has appointed Cameron Ramsdell as president.

Company accelerates re-purchases as it had planned.

Volvo Trucks North America recalled 14,009 2018-2020 VNL and VNX heavy-duty trucks because the adhesive bond between the glass and hinge of the sleeper bunk window may detach and fall from the vehicle.

Donald Broughton, FreightWaves’ chief market strategist, explains the problems he has with surveys based on ‘sentiment’ – except for the Institute for Supply Management survey. Read why he believes in its results.

Cathy Morrow Roberson explains what makes Miami International Airport (MIA) special, and what the airport, airlines and air cargo companies are doing at that particular facility to facilitate cargo. Learn more about MIA in this article.

Fleets are rapidly deploying video solutions, finally convinced of their benefits, and Trimble is one of the companies benefiting from this.

Nikola Motor Company founder & CEO Trevor Milton admits that he is smart enough to know that there are smarter people than him in the world, and he wanted to leverage that expertise when building his new truck. Enter the industry’s top suppliers.

(PHOTO: JIM ALLEN/FREIGHTWAVES) by Ray Haight, TPP retention coach Here we are at the end of this series on tackling driver retention. If you were to follow the steps laid out in this series from beginning to end, I would suspect that the whole process would take six to twelve months. The trick is how […]

Nikola Motor introduced its hydrogen-electric truck to the world, and it has a few big supporters, including Anheuser-Busch.

Down Under Trucking: electric Aussies invade U.S; LNG trucking underway in Western Australia; police crackdown on dodgy waterfront truck drivers; new logistics park for Northline; Australian truck rollovers – roads full of chaos, mayhem and… pig manure.

Coretex supplies fleet management solutions. Known for its refrigerated trailing monitoring capabilities, the company has recently expanded more into the cab with a new ELD and other services.

Peterbilt Motor Company has pledged at least $25,000 in support of the Women in Trucking Association (WIT), becoming the organization’s newest gold member and expanding the existing partnership between the two.

A power play between local governments and state regulators threatens legal cannabis delivery in California.

Australia’s import, export and logistics industries are in dismay at a massively escalating series of surcharges that are being unilaterally charged to truckers and shippers by the nation’s main box terminal operators. There have been hikes in surcharges of hundreds of percentage points. And, in one case, an imposed surcharge was literally increased over a couple of years by 2,372 percent. Industry executives are furious.

Simulators to benefit training standards in Mexico and the U.S.

Shippers and freight forwarders believe that they can reduce costs and emissions, fighting waste and climate change at the same time, putting them in the same movement as climate activists.

Ashley Coker MERRITT PARKWAY IN CONNECTICUT / IMAGE: STATE OF CONNECTICUT Truck drivers who enter state parkways while traveling through Connecticut may soon be hit with a $500 fine, five times higher than the standing penalty. A bill that would raise the fine in an attempt to dissuade trucks from illegally driving on state parkways […]

D.C. to Baltimore in 15 minutes could help advance hyperloop technology for cargo.

Changing distribution patterns could spell trouble for intermodal, report says.

Utilities aim to meet ambitious goals of reducing emissions across western U.S., but technology and financing remain big hurdles.

Demand softened while supply caught up, firm says.

Thor Trucks announced it is changing its name to XOS on April 18 after settling a trademark infringement lawsuit with the maker of recreational vehicles with a similar name, Thor Industries Inc., in January.

Datapace is the latest company to join the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA). Learn more about Datapace and BiTA in this article.

Nikola Motor Company formally introduced its hydrogen-electric tractors, the Nikola Two and Nikola Tre (for Europe) at Nikola World 2019. Here are some photos from the event.

The U.S. is proposing $11 billion in tariffs on European Union goods because of allegations that Airbus received that amount of subsidies when it launched the Airbus 380, thereby harming U.S. interests. Read Jesse Cohen’s explanation of the articles proposed for tariffs and what the tariffs might do to the air cargo and maritime industries.

Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ: HTLD) announced a first quarter 2019 profit of $0.21 per share, which was $0.02 ahead of analysts’ estimates.

In partnership with Reliance Partners …Distracted driving in the U.S. is a bigger cause for accidents than driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. This could be prevented if fleets take responsibility and educate drivers on safe driving and also by remotely monitoring driving behavior.

Nel Hydrogen and Nikola Motor are working together to ensure that as Nikola begins deployment of its hydrogen-electric trucks, there is hydrogen fueling stations in place to support them.

The founding of Nikola Motor Company did not happen overnight; it actually dates back to a time when a six-year-old boy was bothering his railroad-working father and was sent to see a train engineer.

Convoy is looking to help owner-operators and small fleets get access to drop-and-hook freight with a nationwide rollout of Convoy Go.

R. Eddie Wayland, TCA Legal Counsel PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, which is based in Cincinnati and has jurisdiction over federal appeals arising from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee, recently issued an opinion concerning issues relevant to motor carriers under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and the […]

P44-Reliance and UPS-AscendTMS pursuing different customers but with similar objective.

STORD simplifies the distribution experience of shippers by networking with warehouses and carriers, and providing shippers with warehousing capacity and transportation based on their needs.

Air cargo market expert Jesse Cohen writes about the ongoing efforts to increase security in air cargo operations. Read about the latest measures and how they impact the movement of freight.

J.B. Hunt blames its earnings and revenue shortfall on weak intermodal freight volumes, harsh winter weather and concerns about possible tariffs on Chinese imports in its first quarter earnings report on April 15.

J.B. Hunt’s (NASDAQ: JBHT) earnings report have some questioning if the truckload (TL) carriers are likely to miss earnings now and how will the stocks perform moving forward.

If you can get your hands on a Nikola Two hydrogen-electric truck in the near future, it could save you money compared to a diesel model, the company said. Getting one, though, will be hard due to early demand.

By TCA Senior Director of Outreach & Engagement Marli Hall .Since 1973, the Truckload Carriers Association Scholarship Fund has been helping students with connections to the truckload industry. The Fund awards up to $6,250 per year, per full-time college student. Much of the program’s support comes from within the truckload family—companies and individuals who are […]

Nikola Motor envisions a world that is better off tomorrow than it is today, and it starts with a zero-emission future, the company said, as it introduced five emissions-free vehicles, including two semi trucks.

GAO also recommends more research that could lead to side guard requirements.

As workers decide their fate, management works to wean itself off high-volume business.

Market expert Dean Croke writes about the construction boom in Las Vegas, the number of flatbed trucks hauling steel to the city for its mega-construction projects, and the outlook for the flatbed truck market in 2019.

It’s an offer that expires on June 30, 2019.

Independent owner-operator group details how government clearinghouse will handle drug test results.

Deal broadens Americold geography, protein business.

FreightWaves and the Transportation Intermediaries Association announced a program that will provide SONAR to TIA members and staff. SONAR is the leading data/analytics platform in the transportation industry.

Bolt System has introduced a new driver app that is designed to streamline paperwork processes and improve the overall driver experience.

Nikola Motors has the potential to disrupt the freight industry by building hydrogen fuel powered trucks and by setting up hydrogen fuel stations all across North America.

Considering that Singapore has over 20,000 people per square mile, it may be prudent for the city-state to consider air taxis as an urban mobility option.

Flowspace helps companies source on-demand warehousing space, allowing them to scale up rapidly and concentrate on gaining more customers, rather than stagnate with the burden of finding warehouses to stock products.

‘Discretionary’ cargo may look elsewhere for U.S. dock space should the biggest terminal in the biggest port not find ways to be more efficient.

After 20 years, Lytx has found itself evolving much in the same way that fleets and society at large have. Founded in 1998 as DriveCam, the company has transitioned into a data business providing insights unthinkable just a few years ago.

TCA Vice President of Government Affairs, Dave Heller and TCA Manager of Government Affairs, Kathryn Sanner IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK By TCA Senior Director of Outreach & Engagement Marli Hall It is not every day that you have the opportunity to do something truly great for others – something that is life-changing or even life-saving. These chances […]

J.B. Hunt’s earnings and revenues fell short of analysts’ expectations in the first quarter of 2019, causing its stock to drop 4 percent at the end of trading on Monday, April 15.

Four drivers were inducted into the National Private Truck Council’s Driver Hall of Fame on Monday and the organization also recognized the nation’s safest private fleet operations in a ceremony.

P.A.M. Transportation Services, Inc. announced first quarter 2019 earnings of $0.99 per share excluding a $0.40 per share gain on marketable securities. Pre-tax income increased $5.1 million y/y.

The increase comes after a first quarter update that was strong on the pricing side but a little weaker on the tonnage picture.

Des Moines Truck Brokers (DMTB) is the latest company to join the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA). Learn more about DMTB and why it joined BiTA.

Ancra has introduced automated decking, which adjusts itself up and down the trailer based on keypad inputs from the user, eliminating the need to manually adjust support beams.

Managing a truck’s lifecycle proper requires understanding thousands of data points. Fleet Advantage is trying to make that process easier with its ATLAAS Unified system.

World’s largest ocean freight forwarder adds money-back guarantee and carbon offset to what is now considered ‘table stakes’ in ocean freight.

With this acquistion, TeleSense will help drive the automation of the grain supply chain and expand its footprint across Europe.

Air cargo volume in Europe continues to decline. Read market expert Cathy Morrow Roberson’s take on the reasons why this is occurring and if there are options available to improve the volume.

For months, members of a Facebook group named Black Smoke Matters (BSM) have been calling for an industry-wide shutdown to bring national attention to what the group says is government overreach.

A recent article in Landline Magazine suggested that Truckstop.com’s new VC partner could merge the load board with Convoy or Uber Freight. This is unlikely to happen.

Gary Petty, president and CEO of the National Private Truck Council, struck a tone of family and togetherness in his opening remarks of the organization’s 2019 Annual Education Management Conference and Exhibition

Anyone up for some ‘Texas Chicken’? Maybe not anymore as pilots request one-way traffic on busiest shipping hub in North America.

Providers are in the process of shutting down older 3G cellular networks, and that means the fleets running equipment on these networks could see disruptions.