In May 2017, Deloitte tweeted that 10% of global GDP would be built on top of blockchain applications. This huge and ambitious claim was made because of the transformative nature of the technology and the effect it will have on society. For logistics and transportation, it will have a bigger impact promising to shake up the $8T industry.
To put it simply, a blockchain is like a database. It’s a way of storing records of value and transactions. However, calling blockchain a new type of database is like saying email is a new way of sending people letters. While the blockchain is a database, that definition doesn’t explain the true genius behind how the blockchain stores records of value and transactions. We continue our blockchain news coverage of the technology and its impact on the freight markets and society as a whole.
The rapid expansion of global trade has complicated cross-border payments, adding costs and delays and heightening fraud risk. Financial institutions and fintech firms are implementing digital solutions to enhance transparency and security.
As FreightVana CTO Don Everhart moves into his new role at Transflo, he answers FreightWaves’ questions on hot FreightTech topics.
Startup carrier Global Crossing Airlines is partnering with FreightTech startup Airblox to start a nonstop freighter service between Chicago and Puerto Rico.
This is CargoX’s second sizable partnership aimed at bringing more efficient import and export practices to global markets.
“The digitalization of trade documentation is in full swing worldwide, and companies need all the support and advice they can get to implement the optimum solutions into their everyday workflows,” said CargoX CEO Stefan Kukman.
“We are proud to be part of this first-in-history interoperability launch between eBOL platforms,” said CargoX founder and CEO Stefan Kukman.
Blockchain technology provider CargoX believes skeptics shouldn’t be bystanders in the creation of global shipping data standards.
The blockchain-enabled global platform TradeLens will go offline by the end of the first quarter of 2023.
“Using the TruckCoinSwap mobile and web apps — and TCS Token — transportation companies can now receive free invoice settlement and get paid sooner. TCS is helping to write a new chapter in blockchain and Web3,” says CTO Jake Centner.
Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Tribal aims for Latin American SMBs using blockchain and crypto; Nuvocargo starts a service aimed at streamlining invoicing and payments; a Japanese air conditioning manufacturer plans a $230 million plant in Mexico; and Mexican seaports handled 9.8% more loaded containers in Q1.
“Iowa is now at the leading edge of the inclusion of blockchain in contract law here,” said CEO Spillman, as his team recently fought to have smart contracts recognized under law in Toggle’s operating state.
Circulor helps manufacturers track CO2 emissions and trace materials such as the cobalt, lithium and plastics in electric vehicle batteries throughout supply chains.
Blockchain in Transport Alliance professionals continue to push forward the development of standards for the use of blockchain-enabled business processes.
We are on the cusp of a golden age of technology-led innovation in supply chain.
In the oil patch, a significant share of logistics activity is highly repetitive. Blockchain can automate the payment processes.
Penn State professor Justin Goldston explains how technology such as blockchain can be used to create an ethical international supply chain.
MOBI CEO Chris Ballinger highlights the vast potential to be derived from vehicle information on distributed ledgers under shared standards.
Rak-Joon Choi, a vice president with American Tire Distributors, explains how blockchain technology can bring more efficiency and transparency to tire distribution and the larger supply chain during a Global Supply Chain Week fireside chat.
Jeffrey Curtis, the vice president of defense and supply chain at Simba Chain, discusses the importance of auditability of defense supply chains.
FreightWaves’ interviews are sure to spark discussions among industry insiders.
Company said sale of its SHIP tokens was not an unregistered securities sale, but government agency disagreed
“Obviously everything with COVID is a learning curve,” says Tom Hughes.
TRUX, the leader in dump truck logistics technology, is the latest member of the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA). Read why.
Data Gumbo uses blockchain to automate transactions between buyers and sellers using a combination of data held by those parties and other third parties as verification.
Port Call Data Definitions guide is available for free download.
With two more major carriers actively sharing information, data on nearly half of the world’s ocean container cargo is now available on a single blockchain-based data platform
Saudi Arabia-based Tachyon joins the Blockchain in Transport Alliance.
By the time entrenched incumbents awaken to the threats posed by newly developed general purpose technologies (GPTs), a crop of challengers who had no option but to adopt the new GPT at the outset has become powerful enough to threaten the financial stability of an industry.
Carrier invoice disputes becoming a thing of the past after Walmart Canada deploys DLT Labs’ blockchain freight payment platform.
ShipChain’s public mainnet integrates the trust of public blockchains with the scalability and throughput needed by enterprise supply chains, according to CEO John Monarch.
Unisot has created a blockchain-based platform that helps bring end-to-end transparency in seafood supply chains.
Walmart Canada plans to build two new distribution centers and upgrade its supply chain technology as it spends C$3.5 billion to grow operations.
Transship partners with Loadsure to deliver pay-as-you-go, wraparound insurance coverage for all perishable goods.
A digest evaluates the keynote addresses from the virtual event.
GS1 US has created data standards to help expedite the mainstream adoption of blockchain within the logistics industry.
An information digest summarizing the different keynote addresses from the virtual event.
Nuverra completes first phase of a pilot on water disposal, soon after it kicked off a three-year deal with another blockchain provider.
The alliance between FedEx and Microsoft may change supply chains,. Brian Aoaeh explores the issues involved.
“With digital logistics, you can democratize manufacturing to the point of consumption,” said James Regenor.
Charley Dehoney spoke with the founder of BasicBlock, a blockchain startup based in Nebraska. Here is the story of the company’s success to-date.
Ubirch, a blockchain cybersecurity company, has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA). Learn more about Ubirch and BiTA.
It’s imperative that consumers standing in line for a vaccine aren’t receiving a vaccine only 60% effective, because it went out of temperature range.
BMW Group has initiated the “PartChain” project to create an industry-wide solution for secure data-sharing.
Data Gumbo has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance. Learn about Data Gumbo’s services and what BiTA is doing to develop blockchain standards.
Logistics continues to adapt due to globalization and technological innovations. This article explores trends that may change logistics in 2020.
Supply chain digitization is helping drive trust and security while lowering obstacles to moving goods.
OpenText is the latest member of the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA). Learn more about OpenText and BiTA.
The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates. Much of the discourse and sentiment surrounding the application of blockchain, and other distributed ledger technologies, in enterprise supply chains has taken a decidedly pessimistic turn. This is evident on Meetup.com where blockchain […]
Smart contracts may be a boon for trucking companies and owner-operators, ensuring they are paid for all their activities, and reducing the time it takes to get that payment.
Blockchain is a popular subject of discussion and dissection, but is it really the savior of all things logistics?
Brian Aoaeh writes about the “other” side of ecommerce – the returns of unwanted merchandise and how retailers are handling the issue.
FreightTech will be even more important and pervasive in 2020. Learn about some of the expanding trends in FreightTech.
One year after a sharply negative report sent shares plunging, XPO stock has more than recovered
On Dec 10, industry agnostic supply chain ecosystem SUKU announced a partnership with DreamView Studios. The platform, enabled by blockchain, and media ecosystem produces photo-real and AR CGI assets for eCommerce clientele. This partnership will enable virtual product representation in the ecosystem of SUKU from production of goods to consumption by end customers. Coupling SUKU’s […]
Consumers want more information about their food – where does it come from, was it ethically sourced, was it shipped in a safe and sanitary manner, etc. Ben Thrower provides information about how this trend is impacting food companies, growers and consumers.
A U.S. man living in Singapore illegally presented technical information at the Pyongyang Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference in April on how North Korea can use blockchain technology to evade sanctions.
The trade of Black Angus bulls is a global supply chain that needs a verification system, which can keep counterfeit beef from reaching the consumers’ table.
London-based Loadsure has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance. Learn more about Loadsure, as well as about the largest commercial blockchain alliance in the world.
Federal Emergency Management Agency’s advisory board recommends a pilot of the blockchain-based registry to ultimately improve claim processes and disaster responses.
Chainyard’s blockchain solution responds to a common pain point: qualifying hundreds of carriers is a convoluted and inefficient process.
Digitization and ecommerce continue to change the movement and delivery of freight. Kayla Matthews examines the issues involved.
Basu said Ondiflo’s “biggest success” was that 65 drivers used the app and they only trained seven.
The cosmetics industry uses mica in large quantities, which is predominantly sourced from illegal mica mines across India, where child labor is rampant.
Enterprise resource planning will bring changes to supply chains in 2020. Kayla Matthews points out several technologies that will gain greater acceptance and use in 2020.
“Automation may not be a threat to lawyers; it might be a threat to young lawyers,” Shane Orians said.
UPS has partnered with agri-tech company HerdX to ship beef from the U.S. to Japan, while recording its provenance over a blockchain network.
With shippers and carriers unable to predict rates or capacity in the spot market from month to month, can a better alternative be developed by new freight capacity marketplaces?
Blockchain as a decentralized and immutable ledger can help stakeholders within fashion supply chains to improve trustability, reduce counterfeit products and increase labor equality across the horizon.
When Jim Handoush was growing up, he thought he was destined to work for Apple, which was in its infancy at the time. Today, Handoush doesn’t work at Apple, but is now helping guide the ship for another startup that is hoping to be just as disruptive.
The global auto industry may be the first industry to use blockchain extensively. Read how and why.
IBM Food Trust platform is collaborating with Raw Seafoods to use blockchain to create visibility within the seafood supply chain, starting with scallops fished in the Atlantic.
Terminal operator joins TradeLens as it looks to align with ocean carriers and provide better box tracking.
Kayla Matthews explains some of the global uses of blockchain in logistics and supply chain.
Market Voice Brian Aoaeh has a fascinating interview with Wolfgang Lehmacher,, an expert on global supply chains (and much more)!
Significant gains expected from real-time kinematics for the port logistics and trucking industry.
Medical marijuana firm AMP will be pursuing a European Union Good Manufacturing Procedure (EU-GMP) audit to ensure quality and integrity of its pharma goods from the supplier to the German patient.
Since writing about the challenges ahead for food supply chains, I have been thinking about how perishable foods and other items are transported from one part of the world to another. What is the role for new technologies in global supply chains for perishable products? The question gnaws at me each time I am in […]
Prologis, the global leader in logistics real estate, has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA).
Spanish capital Madrid is working on a blockchain-powered transport application that unifies all mobility systems across the city and provides high levels of data security to its users.
ChemDirect, an online marketplace serving the chemical industry, announces it has joined the Blockchain in Transportation Alliance (BiTA), an organization dedicated to determining best practices and standards for blockchain in the transportation industry.
Hong Kong-based 300cubits is suspending its platform after it failed to generate sustained interest within the maritime logistics space due to issues with interoperability and government regulations.
Blockchain to be deployed by VAKT to smooth the post-trade process
Public blockchain-based logistics document transaction platform CargoX has integrated with private blockchain-based digital freight management platform RoadLaunch to provide users greater visibility and transparency into logistics operations.
The latest company to join the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) is Imaginnovate, which is headquartered in Visakhapatnam, India. The company has strong roots in the delivery of technology solutions to enterprises.
Digital logistics company Marine Transport International is collaborating with The Recycling Association to enable recycling businesses to relay essential information on trash to stakeholders within the trash value chain in a transparent and swift manner.
Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service is collaborating with blockchain company PlatOn on a platform that calculates vehicle residual value based on static and dynamic data from vehicles.
Transport and logistics businesses need to seriously consider investing in digitalization if they want to stay afloat in this rapidly evolving market.
These smart legal contracts allow participants to track post-signature performance of the agreement by integrating it with the existing enterprise systems.
Maersk says technology is core to its vision and wants more of its 6,000-strong IT workforce to be direct employees and not contractors.
EPAM Systems is the latest member of the Blockchain in Transport Alliance. Learn more about the company and the Alliance in this article.
Memphis-based is the latest BiTA member. Read about this interesting company’s purpose.
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) and blockchain is becoming more mainstream. Information about a new study of DLT provides details.
Trucks are omitted from a study analyzing congestion pricing options; YRC scraps satellite radio in cabs; FedEx drops Amazon in dollars-and-sense decision
The blockchain project is in collaboration with Daimler Trucks and seeks to secure and automate machine-to-machine payment processes.
Canadian Pacific Railway (TSX:CP) (NYSE:CP) has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA). In joining the Alliance, CP is supporting BiTA’s mission of producing blockchain standards that allow for interoperability between participants in the global supply chain. Blockchain is an open, extensible platform capable of sharing shipping events, messages and documents across all the actors […]
Blockchain’s utility can only be realized if there is participation from every stakeholder within a value chain, and banks heavily on the quality of data being fed into its system.
For blockchain to improve visibility and accountability within food supply chains, its underlying data needs to be in order.
USPS’ pension problems could cost it more than money. CO2 as a KPI for freight? CPG edible firms need to start going online
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.
It can be a rough business doing freight and logistics in Australia. And now, in the Australian capital city of Canberra, it looks like the last-mile drone delivery business has gotten a fair bit more… dangerous!
