Trucking

Lineage is bolstering its Canadian cold chain logistics network with the expansion of a facility in Calgary.

A Tennessee-based trucking and logistics company has agreed to pay $700,000 to settle allegations by the U.S. Department of Justice that it discriminated against noncitizen workers when checking their permission to work in the U.S.

FreightWaves’ Rachel Premack wrote an article on Wednesday outlining her experience attending a truck driver training conference in Corpus Christi, Texas, by the National Association of Publicly-Funded Truck Driving Schools (NAPFTDS). Premack sought to get more information on a fundamental disagreement in trucking that involves driver turnover and whether there is an ongoing driver shortage.

In light of the growing prevalence of cybersecurity breaches, the Biden administration issued a mandate requiring all federal agencies to conduct multifactor authentication as part of the government’s zero trust security strategy.

Emtec Digital, a trusted technology partner for logistics companies, unveiled a groundbreaking platform that enhances productivity manifolds using RPA and AI tools.

In this edition: Hosting Thanksgiving gets a lil cheaper, the importance of thawing turkeys and the home of the best frozen rolls.

This week in Borderlands: ITS Logistics is making big moves in the Lone Star State; Lineage Logistics opens a cold chain logistics center in Houston; a metal recycling firm acquires a 55-acre tract at a logistics park; and TQL opens a new brokerage office in Arizona.

FlockDirect uses real-time data to pool freight for multiple customers going in the same direction. The solution effectively dismantles the physical hub-and-spoke constraints that have defined the supply chain for more than a century.

Former Elite Transit Solutions employees say when they raised concerns to CEO Michael D. Johnson about carriers not being paid or suddenly being blocked from posting freight on one of the country’s largest load boards, he “always had an answer for everything.”

While bankruptcies and layoffs have abounded in the logistics industry in 2023, there has been much more to the year than meets the eye.

Houston could enact a plan to restrict the movements of cargo trucks inside city limits starting in 2024.

The changing freight media landscape was on full display at the F3: Future of Freight Festival last week in Chattanooga Tennessee, as influencers, salespeople, presenters and executives intermingled during and after the events.

TRAUXIT is on a mission to modernize the trucking industry by introducing a technological offering that creates a win-win situation for carriers and shippers alike.

Bipartisan lawmakers introduced a bill that requires employers to give America’s 2 million truck drivers overtime pay — for the first time ever.

Trucking company 10 Roads Express has laid off 66 workers at its facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

Dozens of truck drivers at 10 Roads Express, a major Postal Service contractor, have voted to join the Teamsters in recent months.

Mexico tops Canada and China as the No. 1 U.S. trade partner during September with $67 billion in trade.

On this week’s episode of Taking the Hire Road, Jeremy Reymer, founder of DriverReach, is joined by Sam Bloomquist, the organization’s chief operating officer and CPO.

Former FBI negotiator Chris Voss tells listeners at the F3: Future of Freight Festival about using hostage negotiation tactics in business deals.

On Thursday FreightWaves presented the FreightTech 25 awards, which were chosen independently by a panel of CEOs, industry leaders, academics and investors who scored the companies. Chattanooga, Tennessee-based accounting and auditing firm HHM administered the vote. The awards recognize the most innovative and disruptive companies in the freight technology sector.

A fireside chat with Emerge CEO Andrew Leto discussed leadership, planning and resilience at FreightWaves’ F3: Future of Freight Festival.

FreightWise has acquired Kuebix from Trimble with the aim of creating one of the top transportation management system platforms in the country.

XPO Executive Chairman Brad Jacobs participated in a town hall on Day 2 of the F3: Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Truck Sail has set out to help trucking companies do just that by installing aerodynamic, drag-reducing devices on their trucks. This not only saves fuel costs, but also extends the working life of trucks and trailers through energy demand.

A fireside chat about Convoy’s demise and impact helped kick off FreightWaves’ three-day F3: Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

In this edition: The rise of bankruptcy in brokerages, the first day of F3 and pilots find new homes.

Shippers have rebounded in Q4 2023 to once again be the most positive segment. Carriers and brokers have lost some of the steam that led to relative optimism in Q3.

The U.S. Supreme Court let stand a lower court ruling denying a driver’s request to allow him to operate a smaller vehicle with a softer suspension.

This week in Borderlands: Three Texas seaports are awarded a combined $37 million in federal upgrade grants; Arcadia Cold Storage opens a Phoenix-area facility; an investment firm acquires California-based Source Logistics; and Fictiv opens a facility in Monterrey.

Jeremy Reymer, founder of DriverReach, is joined by industry friend and ally Yvonne Glover, director of operations at Tyler Technologies, an organization that builds solutions aimed at helping the public sector operate more efficiently.

The Convoy saga has taken another turn as venture-backed freight forwarder Flexport announced Wednesday that it has acquired Convoy’s technology stack for an undisclosed sum. This comes after Convoy, which was valued at $3.8 billion from its final funding round 18 months ago, shuttered operations on Oct. 19.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance has created a tip sheet and reporting guide to root out fraudulent carriers in the trucking industry.

Last-mile delivery is complicated. Technology can make it more efficient, but the key is successfully integrating multiple systems.

After the Great Shopping Spree of 2021, tens of thousands of truck companies will have to shut down to restabilize the industry.

Supply chain technology provider Trimble posted impressive Q3 results but said transportation revenue could slow down in the next quarter.

Greenscreens.ai’s Matthew Silver said with Capacity On Tap, “brokers get all their capacity sources in a single pane of glass without having to reenter data.”

This week in Borderlands: The U.S. mulls terminating a tomato trade agreement with Mexico; Walmart opens a fulfillment center near Dallas; Saddle Creek Logistics is opening a distribution center in Arizona; and layoffs hit GulfMark Energy’s operations in Texas.

Universal Logistics Holdings released its third-quarter financial results on Friday, reporting year-over-year decreases in its trucking, intermodal and brokerage segments.

After 12 years at the helm of the freight brokerages he founded and bootstrapped in 2011 — SEL Supply Chain Solutions (SELSCS) of Fort Worth, Texas — CEO Dennis Martin says he is winding down operations.

Hub Group reported $1 billion in revenue and earnings per share of 97 cents during the third quarter.

Truckload carrier Covenant Logistics Group said the freight market is bottoming out, and the company is eyeing only a “modest decline” in earnings next quarter.

While indications of a freight market shift are heartening for carriers, their strongest impacts will not be seen until well after the conclusion of the next bid season.

On Wednesday the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released its latest Cost of Congestion study showing U.S. highway traffic congestion added $94.6 billion in costs to the trucking industry.

North American manufacturing and retailers have been focused on moving their operations out of China — and closer to home — over the past few years.

Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Covenant Logistics Group’s third-quarter revenue declined 7% year over year to $288.7 million.

Truck leasing giant Ryder posted total revenue of $2.9 billion and earnings per share of $3.58 during the third quarter.

While logistics visibility platform provider Slync had hoped that new management and a $24 million cash infusion in February would be enough to save the FreightTech company after its former CEO was indicted on fraud charges, the company is proceeding with an alternative option to a traditional bankruptcy and plans to wind down operations and sell off its technology.

This week in Borderlands: Cargo theft trends are changing as supply chains shift to border regions; a $65 million cold storage facility could be headed to Central Texas; Gebrüder Weiss opens a logistics operation in Laredo; and a truck driver is stopped at the border with $12 million in cocaine.

Deputy Editor Brielle Jaekel and 3PL expert Mary O’Connell tell stories of haunted highways to celebrate Halloween on the latest episode of Tracks Through Time.

The cross-border trucking industry is recovering from a migrant surge and Texas inspections, trade officials said.

Transfix has closed a $40 million Series F funding round during “one of the most challenging markets in freight history,” company officials said.

Seattle-based digital freight broker Convoy on Wednesday canceled all shipments from its marketplace and company representatives promised more details of a business transition were forthcoming. By Thursday, company employees were told in a meeting that Convoy was “closing down its core business operations.”

Automaker Tesla’s plan to build a factory in Mexico could be delayed past 2025, CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday.

Lingong Machinery Group is investing $5 billion to build a plant and industrial park in northern Mexico

New technologies are hitting the market daily, and these tools are capable of improving everything from driver selection to litigation outcomes.

With over two decades of experience in logistics, Regan Daniels’ evolution is a story of adaptability and a pursuit of efficiency.

This week in Borderlands: Mexico remains top US trade partner in August, Laredo No. 1 gateway; Eden Green begins $40M vertical farming expansion near Dallas; Production, exports of Mexican-built trucks fall for second straight month; and Port of Brownsville receives $11.5M to overhaul cargo dock.

The state of Texas has resumed commercial truck safety inspections at a Laredo border crossing amid backlash from the Mexican president and trade operators.

A Q3 shipper survey by Morgan Stanley suggests the freight industry has moved “deeper into limbo” as completion of an excess inventory purge now leads to uncertainty as there is no immediate need to restock.

“There is no good lane or bad lane or good deadhead or bad deadhead. There is only a focus on what is a good route for the driver to maximize their profitability,” says aifleet co-founder and CEO Marc El Khoury.

Like with most shippers, 2022 started out tough but by the beginning of 2023 it had all changed. In this Q&A, Fresh Del Monte VP describes the stark difference.

Owner-operators say Titan Transportation Services Inc., doing business as Sunset Logistics, still hasn’t refunded their $1,000 in escrow or maintenance account funds that were withheld from their paychecks after the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based company abruptly ceased operations on Sept. 29.

Executives for shuttered logistics operator Tiger Cool Express have restarted an intermodal project in Washington state.

Blasting inspections, Mexico’s president says Texas’ governor has a “hostile attitude.”

Texas-based Arrive Logistics recently added an office in Toronto to service its growing Canadian customer base.

This week in Borderlands: Cargobot sees big opportunities with global cross-border trade; Lineage Logistics expands cold chain footprint in Texas; Stitch Fix closes Dallas logistics hub, lays off 558 workers; and Mexican seaport blocked as truckers protest wait times.

About 90 truck drivers and office personnel who worked for Titan Transportation Services Inc., doing business as Sunset Logistics of Grand Rapids, Michigan, say they are owed their final paychecks and escrow after receiving a string of emails from company executives notifying them that the trucking company was closing its doors.

An integration among Reliance Partners, Loadsure and McLeod lets asset-based motor carriers and freight brokers obtain A-rated all-risk cargo insurance on a per-load basis directly from their TMS.

Trucks delivering products from Mexico continue to face hourslong waits at Texas ports of entry due to state-run inspections.

FreightWaves on Tuesday interviewed Angela Acocella, postdoctoral researcher at Tilburg University and researcher with the MIT Center of Transportation and Logistics looking at the impact of ghost lanes on shipper and carrier networks.

Trade officials in the U.S. and Mexico are urging Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to end state-run cargo truck inspections in El Paso and Eagle Pass.

The logistics industry continues to be a strong area of focus for government leaders hoping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow the progression of transportation-related climate change. As a result, legislators are driving emission-cutting regulations forward at breakneck speeds. 

A new report is offering more details about what led investigators to file murder charges against a New Jersey truck driver after a woman was found dead on the floorboard of his tractor-trailer in Maryland.

This week in Borderlands: Arizona border officials want Mexico trade lanes reopened; Study finds ending US-Mexico tomato pact could raise prices by 50%; Texas port receives $20M to fund rail infrastructure project; and Accurate Transport opens logistics hub in Houston.

Your latest info on all things cold chain

In this episode of Taking the Hire Road, Jeremy Reymer, founder of DriverReach, is joined by an industry friend and leader in recruiting, Jason Crowell, director of recruitment at Custom Commodities Transport.

Recruiting costs for companies with a frequent hiring need often exceed thousands of dollars per driver. In an economic environment that has left most carriers strapped for cash, this financial burden can be insurmountable.

Confusion erupted on Monday following reports that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was looking to set a 68 mph maximum speed setting for trucks newer than the 2003 model year.

Loadsmart CEO Felipe Capella said there’s “massive value potential for the whole freight industry” by applying computer vision technology.

Seattle-based logistics provider Flexe has laid off a third of its workforce.

Zerobroker’s fundraising round saw participation from freight forwarder Flexport, FundersClub and Streamlined Ventures.

Online marketplace uShip has been investing in technology, sales and partnerships in anticipation of when the freight economy surges again.

A former Texas Border Patrol agent pleaded guilty to hiring undocumented immigrants as drivers for Gonmor Transportation.

FreightWaves and Bestpass recently surveyed carriers about their outlooks for the year ahead, including their concerns and views of which way demand will shift.

An 85-year-old Indiana-based trucking and logistics company and its affiliates recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection less than nine months after it was acquired by private-equity firm Transport Acquisitions.

California, Georgia, Texas and Florida were the most targeted states for cargo theft during the second quarter of 2023.

This week: A Michigan-based 3PL aims to capitalize on Mexico trade through an acquisition; San Antonio mulls banning overnight truck parking; a Texas-based electric mini-truck maker begins production; and $9.9 million worth of marijuana is seized at the World Trade Bridge.

In 1965 a truck driver sacrificed himself to save others as his brakes failed on a steep hill while he was transporting bananas. The compelling story became the subject of a folk song by Harry Chapin almost 10 years later.

Few details have been released two days after a truck driver was fatally shot by an Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) trooper during a traffic stop that turned “physical” on the Turner Turnpike in Creek County.

Dozens of household names are already using this new way to book trucking capacity in a way that reflects the larger market.

“One of the key requests that we hear from our customers is an ability to reduce charging times, and that requires both improvement of vehicle technology as well as charging technology,” Prologis’ Henrik Holland said at FreightWaves’ Net-Zero Carbon Summit.

The future of long-haul trucking could include more fuel cell and hydrogen-powered vehicles, experts said during FreightWaves’ Net-Zero Carbon Summit on Thursday.

Covenant Logistics Group’s Matt McLelland said at FreightWaves’ Net-Zero Carbon Summit on Thursday that his company’s sustainability plan includes fleet initiatives to reduce idle percentage and increase miles per gallon.

A report published Tuesday by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) must make its complaint database more transparent and publicly available.

Texas-run truck inspections at the Mexican border are causing hourslong waits for cargo truckers.

Mexican railway operator Ferromex has halted key northbound freight trains due to migrants hopping aboard and being injured or killed.

A federal judge has ordered a Mississippi trucking company and its owner, Xavier Bailey, to pay more than $482,000 after finding Bailey made false statements in order to obtain funds through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

The Yellow bankruptcy represents one of the biggest industry shakeups of the past two decades. Remaining less-than-truckload carriers and shippers alike continue to feel the impacts of the company’s shutdown.

The former Emerge senior vice president of customer success plans to leverage customer voices in his new role leading Princeton TMX.

Cargo operations at a Texas border port have been temporarily suspended due an influx of migrants from Mexico.