The Daily Dash: Congested Houston, DHL’s new store

The Daily Dash is a quick look at what’s happening in the freight ecosystem. In today’s edition, we highlight congestion hot spots in the trucking industry, a first-of-its-kind store, and the keynote speaker at FreightWaves Global Supply Chain Week.

Also, a reminder that Day 5 of FreightWaves Global Supply Chain Week will focus on energy, chemicals and mining. For a livestream, the full agenda and list of speakers, click here.

Houston, we have a problem

Houston received the most entries among the top 100 trucking bottlenecks in the country, according to the American Transportation Research Institute’s (ATRI) annual list of congestion hot spots for carriers and drivers. The No. 1 congested hot spot in the country was in Fort Lee, New Jersey, approaching the George Washington Bridge. John Gallagher with the breakdown: Houston ‘wins’ most bottlenecked city on congestion list

First pop-up store?

DHL Express has opened a drive-up, mobile pop-up retail store in Woodbridge, Virginia’s, Potomac Mills shopping center. The drive-up facility, believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S., will allow customers to complete their transactions without leaving their vehicles. Mark Solomon with the report: DHL Express opens drive-up, pop-up store

Workhorse feeling aftereffects

Workhorse continued to lose investors one day after it was left out of a multibillion-dollar U.S. Postal Service contract to make next-generation mail delivery vehicles. The Postal Service awarded a 10-year contract to defense contractor and off-highway equipment manufacturer OshKosh Truck Corp. on Tuesday. Alan Adler offers analysis: Workhorse share collapse raises pressure on debt payment

Ford bullish on technology

Ford chief technology officer Ken Washington — the keynote speaker for Day 4 of FreightWaves Global Supply Chain Week — said the American automotive industry will benefit from an extraordinary conference of technological advancements that will elevate customer relationships and revenue streams to levels that would have been unimaginable five years ago. Mark Solomon with the recap: Auto industry at ‘inflection point’ with electrification

MODE acquires Avenger

MODE Transportation, a leading North American private third-party logistics provider, has acquired freight brokerage Avenger Logistics. The deal is notable because while MODE has a largely agent-based freight brokerage network in which relatively decentralized offices — and MODE has more than 200 — pass a portion of their gross margin up to corporate, Avenger is a traditional, centralized, cradle-to-grave brokerage. John Paul Hampstead has the details: MODE Transportation acquires Avenger Logistics