Today’s Pickup: Port of Long Beach hydrogen plant back on track

Automated last-mile deliveries will generate up to $48.4 billion in revenue by 2030, even though automated deliveries will only address 20% of all parcel deliveries. The market for parcel delivery will grow from a total of 107 billion parcels delivered in 2019, generating $350 billion in revenue, to 289 billion parcel deliveries in 2030, generating $665 billion in revenue, according to Automating the Last Mile, from Lux Research.

Quotable

“Politics overall has become so divisive that we don’t seem to be able to agree on simple things. Trucking absolutely reflects that nasty trend as evidenced by the lack of decency and thoughtfulness in the posts we can all read on any trucking Facebook page.”

– Joe Rajkovacz, director of government affairs for the Western States Trucking Association (WSTA), on today’s political climate (Via FreightWaves)

In other news

Tesla is eyeing Nashville for Cybertruck gigafactory

Tesla is in talks with Nashville officials to locate a factory there that will produce its all-electric Cybertruck and Model Y crossover. (TechCrunch)

Diesel Brothers say lawsuit is “irrelevant” in trying to make Utah’s air quality better

According to a lawsuit filed against the TV hosts in 2016, the Diesel Brothers violated the Clean Air Act by stripping pieces such as particle filters from their trucks. (Foxnews)

Western Star previews new vocational truck

Western Star provided a sneak peak of its newest truck in the vocational truck product portfolio of Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA). The truck, which appeared at this week’s ConExpo in Las Vegas, will be fully unveiled in summer 2020. (WesternStar)

Citing coronavirus, rideshare drivers sue Uber, Lyft to classify them as employees

Rideshare drivers this week re-upped lawsuits against Uber and Lyft to gain employee classification and sick leave benefits. (TheHill)

Final thoughts, 

Maria Renz, Amazon’s (Nasdaq: AMZN) vice president of delivery experience, is leaving the e-commerce giant, the Wall Street Journal reports. Renz joined the e-giant in 1999, rising in the ranks to hold various positions with the company including spending a year as technical adviser to CEO Jeff Bezos, a position that entailed “shadowing” the top executive and attending meetings and strategy sessions with him. 

Hammer down, everyone!