Borderlands: Canada

No additional activities, but the groups will be pulled into one division.

The partnership with Ocada gives the supermarket giant a pathway to create its own delivery network as the grocery store wars escalate.

Eye on Safety sponsored by SmartDrive …Recent legislation has bipartisan backing, but can it progress in this Congress?

In the past, the same customer might have dealt with two segments of the same company, with no coordination.

The shale oil revolution has increased the intensity of fracking activity, and coordinating the delivery of sand, chemicals, and equipment to sites has become more complex. PropDispatch is a digital solution.

Dicom Transportation Group has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) in an effort to help shape blockchain standards across the transportation industry.

The first month of the second quarter is in the books. While the economy shows it is still going strong, there is some tempering in the freight market. Trucking companies are still uncertain with what lies ahead.

Everyone’s interested in who is a shipper of choice, and if they’re not they want to know how they can become one.

Mushroom supply has been constrained due to factors ranging from labor shortage, bad weather, and infrastructural investment need for growing the produce.

Kansas City Southern (KCS) (NYSE: KSU) announced today it has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA). 

One aspect of increasing driver retention is to recognize the strong correlation between turnover and quality hiring.

Mnuchin is running a full court press to make Chinese tariffs, aluminum sanctions, and NAFTA renegotiation the least disruptive as possible.

An aggressive plan to add tracks and people is seen as key to a turnaround.

Talks were with two key unions; ratification vote still necessary

An analyst says the company management is willing to accept “short term pain.”

Livestock farmers in the Midwest are facing hay shortage and record prices in the market, partly fueled by an extended winter season this year.

FTR expects overall intermodal traffic to grow 6% YOY despite capacity constrains in rail and some downside risks like NAFTA renegotiation.

The spot market is normalizing; XPO’s Brad Jacobs talks jazz and M&A; China COSCO’s purchase of OOCL might be held up; railroad Teamsters want NAFTA changes; weak spot rates for container ships pulling down contract negotiations; Xi looks for a way out of the trade war.

Fleet Complete’s IoT solutions are designed to offer fleets of all sizes and vehicle types the advantage of big data analytics.

In partnership with Reliance Partners …It isn’t easy, it isn’t quick, but having a safety culture in your company can pay some clear dividends.

The number is 175,000 out several years, against a base of a half-million.

PAM Transport, Inc., a top 100 largest For-Hire Carrier in North America, announced today that it has joined BiTA.

Regional manufacturing data from the Dallas and Richmond Fed suggests that manufacturing activity has cooled in March as the impact of tariffs has affected output

The threat of retaliatory tariffs on American agricultural products could hurt wheat exports, which are already struggling to compete on the international market. Railroad grains volumes in 2018 YTD are down, in many cases by double digits.

April 1st promises a surge of HOS violations; Uber pulls out of Southeast Asia; China starts trading oil futures; US Customs looks to upgrade their digital tools; Kansas City Southern hit by new tax bills.

Blockchain’s digital potential for the supply chain industry is gaining so much traction because of the inefficiencies of tracking goods through so many paper-based sources and multiple interfaces.

Volkswagen invests $25B in EVs; Tesla exposed to neodymium supply shocks; FedEx to announce earnings today; Union Pacific plans $127M capex in Arkansas; Maersk says Canadian container trade growth will outpace U.S. in 2018.

The global freight logistics industry is in the middle of a transition driven by a confluence of factors ranging from urbanization to the rise of e-commerce, and from automation to intermodal platforms.

Stock is down across the beer industry. The tariff costs to the industry will ultimately cost consumers.

Livingston International Inc., a leading provider of freight forwarding, customs brokerage and trade-consulting solutions, announced today its membership in the Blockchain in Transport Alliance.

Even with lower levels of automation, trucks could essentially work around the clock, but what will regulators do about the ELD hours-of-service rule?

Lumber prices are above $500 due to a convergence of high demand and tight supply. Eventually housing starts could be affected by rising material costs.

AT&T has expanded its fleet management portfolio to now include Geotab’s fleet tracking platform as part of the company’s Internet of Things (IoT) solutions.

Trump recently announced plans to implement tariffs on steel and aluminum imports beginning next week. This move should help bolster the US domestic steel industry, but comes with many unintentional consequences affecting transportation and the economy overall

Insurance & Risk Management presented by Reliance Partners … U.S. companies moving freight across the border need additional insurance to cover their Mexican drivers, even if it is only within the border zone

Used Class 8 truck prices increased 2% year-over-year in January, but fell 3% over December 2017, according to latest data from ACT Research.

Leading commodities, markets-data news, and blockchain expert joins FreightWaves as Executive Editor and BiTA’s Head of Member Engagement.

 DLT Labs announced today that it has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance, a forum for the development of blockchain standards and education for the freight industry.

In all, 35% of Americans will purchase flowers this year, says the Society of American Florists, totaling some $2 billion in sales, and the most of them get to their destinations via the trucks.

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ: WERN), a transportation and logistics provider, is pleased to announce its collaboration with the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA), an alliance formed to ensure standardization of blockchain technology in logistics and throughout the supply chain.

As capacity tightens, there are two ways fleets and shippers can go: they can add more capacity through acquisition or equipment purchases, or they can tap into existing capacity in a different way. That way might be boosting the rental and dedicated transportation markets.

We discuss our list of cities that made up our long-wait times for drivers and our methodology for how we came up with the list 

Washington D.C., is often credited with killing the American truck driver and their ability to work. Now, we have ELD data to prove that, in-fact, Washington D.C. is where a drivers available hours go to die! 

Shaw Industries Group, a leading global floor covering provider, has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA).

Sabrewing’s battery-less, gas-electric hybrid can fly anytime, anywhere, over and around weather –- and can carry up to 3,000 lbs. of cargo up to 5,000 miles.

Fleet Complete, a provider of global IoT provider of mission-critical fleet, asset, and mobile workforce management solutions, has expanded its European operations with the acquisition of Ecofleet, a telematics provider in the Nordic and Baltic regions of Europe.

Truck costs from the Imperial Valley and Yuma areas are setting records, with some lanes to the East Coast breaking records. Though there is some mystery about the spike in the rates, it most likely can be boiled down a several reasons.

Logistics Plus Inc. (LP), a leading worldwide provider of transportation, logistics and supply chain solutions, is proud to announce that it has joined the Blockchain In Transport Alliance (BiTA) to help develop and set standards for blockchain technology within the transportation industry.

Call it the Internet of Things, the Sharing Economy, a result of the ELD mandate, or the emergence of blockchain-style applications, but we are witnessing a digital gold rush when it comes to developing technologies bent on improving supply chains.

TRAFFIX, one of Canada’s longest-serving third-party logistics specialist, based out of Milton Ontario with offices in Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, and Dallas, is proud to announce that they have joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA).

The compliance rate for ELDs among fleets sits at 86%, according to the latest rolling survey of 318 fleets by CarrierLists.

The American auto industry’s shift to electric vehicles over the next five years may represent an opportunity for Chinese EV makers to capture market share. Several companies have announced plans to expand into the U.S., which might represent a threat to Tesla.

RoadLaunch, a startup based out of Ontario, Canada, has developed a solution that digitizes the available capacity of trucks and trailers to make the process of getting freight quotes and managing fleets a seamless process.

Click through to the map that shows how North America’s infrastructure is already integrated, despite our political disagreements.

Mexico’s ambassador to the United States told CBS News there is a 50% chance that the end result of NAFTA negotiations will be termination of the trade pact.

Strong economic fundamentals in the U.S. and globally are driving the second-longest bull market since the 1920s. Could the driver shortage ultimately end it all?

Carriers will have an amazing opportunity to participate in RFPs during this bid cycle. Before investing a ton of time, we discuss how best to think of the opportunities

Recently, there were a couple of Facebook posts from owner-operators asking for advice on where to look for new insurance. One poster said their insurance company was dropping them because their “maintenance scores” were too high. What, they asked, did that mean?

The Canadian province of Ontario has announced an electric truck rebate of 60% of the incremental purchase cost compared to an equivalent conventional fuel vehicle, up to a cap of CA$75,000 per vehicle, under the new Green Commercial Vehicle Program.

An unstable Polar Vortex first warmed the Great Lakes and then brought Siberian temperatures to the region, creating disruptive snowfalls and historically low end-of-year temperatures. These weather events only add to numerous factors keeping spot rates sky-high.

JP Morgan likes FedEx, Schneider, Canada Pacific, and JB Hunt–‘sells’ include Union Pacific, Knight-Swift, and CH Robinson.

Roads across the world have remained the same for generations, but that is slowly changing as research labs across the world are working on introducing electrically smart roads into the primitive niche.

39,000 citations issued during the 2017 Operation Safe Driver initiative? The results sounded alarming, especially when compared with the 2016 results of 20,648 total citations or warnings issued throughout the United States and Canada.

Travel around the DuPont area of Washington remains snarled this morning as officials work to clear wreckage from the Amtrak derailment over Interstate 5, just south of Tacoma, that killed at least 3 people and injured dozens more.

Navistar delivers massive quarter, blowing away estimates and showing tremendous year-over-year growth. This reinforces the view that the freight market is strong, as carriers purchase new trucks to take advantage of freight demand. 

On Saturday, two days after taking medical leave from CSX, CEO Hunter Harrison died. Investors have serious concerns about the railroad’s commitment to executing Harrison’s vision, while some observers disagreed with his approach entirely.

Go99, a digital freight-matching marketplace based out of Vancouver, Canada, has achieved a major revenue milestone and now it is setting its sights on expansion with the rest of Canada and busy lanes in the U.S. on its target. 

Trains are easier to run with autonomous vehicle technology, so they should come before self-driving cars, right?

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has issued a letter to state attorneys general in all states asking them to review potential problems surrounding upcoming enforcement of the electronic logging device mandate.

The process of sending bills-of-lading with cargo has changed little in generations, but the problems have remained: BOLs arrive at different times than the cargo, causing delays and added cost. But blockchain could eliminate these expenses and streamline the process.

Anheuser-Busch’s private fleet is among the leaders in the country when it comes to efforts to cut carbon emissions through alternative fuel use. The company is taking another step, announcing it has reserved 40 Tesla Semi electric tractors.

ZIM, MTI, and Maersk have all announced trials of blockchain-based solutions for shipping, from bills-of-lading to cybersecurity protections. 

As the talks concluded last week on Round 5 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the 3 NAFTA ministers included among the 30 negotiating parties agreed to “step back” to give negotiators additional time to “analyze proposals and conduct internal consultations,” according to LandLine Magazine.

Following on the heels of a 90-day waiver from the ELD rule for agriculture haulers, and several other exemptions granted by FMCSA in recent months, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has submitted a new exemption request to the agency.

NetraDyne, a company based out of San Diego, is using artificial intelligence and computer vision to track drivers through intelligent and situationally aware cameras on deck.

The man behind the trucker march on Washington last month is back with a new group and a new billion-dollar lawsuit. James Lamb and his Small Business in Transportation Coalition has sued Indiana over the collection of Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) fees.

Ag shippers are raising the alarm about the ELD mandate’s effect on livestock hauling and asking for a two year delay before the new requirements take effect. Livestock haulers face shrinkage and contamination risks as they cope with strict limits on hours of service.

According to a recent report by Bloomberg, American negotiators are advocating to remove Mexican long-haul trucks from the NAFTA Chapter on cross-border services.

Steadily rising global copper prices have spurred US production, up 21% since 2011. Although Chinese demand has softened somewhat, copper from mines in the Southwest should flow into Texas, Florida, and California as they rebuild from natural disasters.

Many commercial trucking companies will never be impacted by cargo theft, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be prepared. Cargo theft is a multi-million-dollar problem, and like all problems, somebody is going to pay for it.

Cargo and vehicles can become damaged en route, and often carriers are on the hook for those damages. But a new startup, PEIR, is providing photographic proof of conditions to help protect carriers.

Riskpulse predicts a somewhat colder, wetter winter for the western and northwestern US; warmer, drier conditions should prevail in the southeast and eastern seaboard.

A one-day brake enforcement inspection by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance resulted in 14% of commercial vehicles in the U.S. and Canada being placed out of service for brake violations. A full 22% of vehicles were placed out of service for some kind of violation, CVSA said.

Argus Transport Canada, a technology-driven Montreal based trucking and 3PL today announced it has joined the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance (BiTA).

In the tussle to improve conditions of the freight marketplace for both the carrier and shipper community, a lot has been left to be desired for the truck driver fraternity. A community-driven application named Road Hunter is now trying to take center stage – helping truckers on the road with essential information on truck stops, fuel stations, repair shops, and even weather updates.

Winter is coming. The National Weather Service is call for several inches of snow to blanket Minnesota, Wisconsin, and parts of the Dakotas this weekend, with over 90% confidence.

Fullbay, a cloud-based management platform for independent truck shops, has joined the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance (BiTA), formed by seasoned logistics and technology professionals who will work together on the first set of transportation and trucking blockchain standards.

One of 2017’s biggest stories in the emerging autonomous vehicles industry—Waymo’s $2.6B lawsuit against Uber over stolen trade secrets—revolves around a single piece of technology that is currently fueling a frenzied global competition for investment dollars, engineering expertise, and manufacturing capacity.

We need NAFTA. That was the general consensus from Bob Costello and Derek Leathers on Sunday during a general industry update session at the American Trucking Associations’ MCE 2017 conference in Orlando.

Some of the most prominent stakeholders in Canada voiced their concerns over NAFTA at an event organized by the Truckload Carriers’ Association (TCA) entitled “Bridging Border Barriers.”

A jury has awarded $15.57 million to Isaac Espinoza, who was struck by a tractor-trailer driven independent contractor Ricky Hatfield while assisting a friend on the side of I-81 north. The jury also held the broker who contracted with Hatfield partially responsible.

C.H. Robinson will implement Omnitracs’ Virtual Load View (VLV) application as it seeks ways to improve visibility into load tracking. The system will run alongside C.H. Robinson’s own Navisphere system.

Sandeep Kar, one of the commercial vehicles industry’s most respected names has joined the TransRisk Board of Advisors. He brings decades of research and insights on the commercial vehicle market, along with a perspective on the impact of autonomous, electric, telematics, and blockchain technologies will have on the trucking industry. 

A new report says the U.S. will lose 50,000 auto parts industry jobs if the country pulls out of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), according to Reuters.

James Hoffa, Teamsters’ president, doesn’t want anyone to forget the safety of trucks operating on American and Canadian roads. In an op-ed piece for The Detroit News, Hoffa noted that Teamsters chapters in the United States and Canada have joined forces to push an initiative for policy changes that will be beneficial for safety.

While the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA) has issued an exemption to the electronic logging device (ELD) rule for certain rental vehicles, the exemption has opened up several questions, including whether there is a potential loophole in the rule.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has granted a waiver to the Truck Renting and Leasing Association (TRALA) that will exempt all commercial rental vehicles from the electronic logging device (ELD) rule for drivers using a “property carrying commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) rented for 8 days or less.”

With the freight marketplace widening exponentially every year, the growing communication divide in the community is also significantly felt. Fr8Hub, a digital freight marketplace startup is looking to improve peer-to-peer interaction by creating transparency and injecting efficiency in freight hauling.

Following the devastation Hurricane Maria delivered to Puerto Rico, there have been many places to levy blame as the island nation has been slow to recover. An aging electric grid that was destroyed, a country mired in debt that has been unable to maintain basic infrastructure, an arguably slow government response. One segment that received blame, unfairly, was the nation’s truck drivers.

Berkshire Hathaway has agreed to acquire a 38.% stake in Pilot Flying J with the right to obtain an additional 41.4% stake in 2023, the company announced.