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.

The never-ending story of whether port truckers should be contractors or employees is facing a new battlefront as two councilmen for the city of Los Angeles have introduced a bill that would bar trucking companies from serving the ports if they use independent contractors.

Managing any small business can be stressful. The fact is many small businesses fail. The number one reason for small business failure is the lack of proper cash flow management, according to U.S. Bank. That’s why it’s so important to learn how to manage your cash when times are good. 

While not new to the supply chain, technology is lowering barriers and offering new opportunities for 4PLs to move in and control entire supply chains, creating greater efficiency for all involved.

Celadon Group has announced the appointment of Thom Albrecht as executive vice president – chief financial and strategy officer. Albrecht is president of consulting firm Sword & Sea Transport and a member of the TransRisk Board of Advisors.

Truck orders are about to boom, if a new industry update from Stifel is correct. The firm believes that Class 8 orders, which have been strong this year, are about to take off for the remainder of the year as many larger fleets begin ordering larger quantities of vehicles.

In the past 24 hours, President Donald Trump has issued an executive order that could allow small businesses and individuals to purchase insurance through association health plans, which would be sold across state lines and not have to conform to Affordable Care Act (ACA) regulations.

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.

Used-truck prices are down slightly this year and some fleets looking to trade in their vehicles may be finding the residual value they expected to get when they acquired these trucks in 2013/14 are just not there right now.

On Wednesday night, President Donald Trump talked about his administration’s tax plan at an event at an airport hanger on the Pennsylvania Air National Guard base in Harrisburg, PA. Here is the official, unedited transcript of the speech provided by the White House:

President Donald Trump took his case for tax reform to the American people on Wednesday night – specifically the trucking community – at an event in Harrisburg, PA.

After first acknowledging it was a developing a fuel-cell powered heavy-duty truck in the spring, Toyota is now set to unveil its Project Portal truck to the public through a demonstration program at the Port of Los Angeles that starts Oct. 23.

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 deadly wildfires raging in Northern California regained their vigor on Wednesday as winds picked up and helped spread fires, threatening historic Sonoma County wineries. The fires have left at least 17 people dead and more than 2,000 buildings destroyed. They are also impacting shipping in the region.

Until Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico, few people had ever heard of the Jones Act. Now, armed with a basic knowledge, many are wondering if the Jones Act is actually harming the U.S. and whether lifting it might benefit shipping and logistics in this country.

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.”

Rates are going up, but how can your carrier grab the largest increase possible? There are many things to consider when it comes to rates, but it all starts with knowing your own costs.

In the rush to develop autonomous, long-haul trucks (and trains) that could double productivity – driving for 24 hours a day with no need for rest – it may turn out that the competition for freight may really be in the sky.

The only group of employees in C.R. England’s 8,000-plus workforce that is part of a union has voted to decertify Teamsters Local 705. Drivers in C.R. England’s Chicago Intermodal division, which represented less than 1% of the company’s employees, voted on Sept. 20 to leave the union.

Protests on both coasts in the past few days have placed truckers in the spotlight. Truck drivers in California and Washington, DC, staged protests to highlight the implementation of the electronic logging device (ELD) rule.

Elon Musk has delayed the public unveiling of the Tesla semi, citing issues with the Model 3 production rollout and a focus increasing battery production to help Puerto Rico, Musk tweeted late on Friday.

Hurricane Nate came ashore late Saturday night and by this morning had been downgraded to tropical storm with winds of 45 mph gusting to 55 mph at times as it moves toward the north-northeast at more than 25 mph.

Tropical Storm Nate is expected to strengthen overnight and through the day tomorrow as it continues to track toward the Gulf Coast across warmer waters. As a result, the National Weather Service has issued a hurricane warning for Grand Isle, LA, to the Alabama/Florida border for Tropical Storm Nate. The storm is expected to make landfall late Saturday or early Sunday.

The world is going electric, and according to a McKinsey Energy Insights report, it is leaving the U.S. behind. According to the report authored by Chrsiter Tryggestand, Namit Sharma, Jasper van de Staaij and Arjan Keizer, because of market dynamics, the U.S. and China are lagging in the development and cost parity needed to make electric trucks viable.

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.

The National Hurricane Center is warning about potential weekend impacts from Tropical Storm Nate anywhere from the Florida panhandle to Louisiana. Assets in the Mobile, AL; Baton Rouge, LA; and New Orleans, LA, areas currently showing the most risk, according to supply chain risk analysis firm Riskpulse.

Spot rates continue to climb and capacity continues to shrink, and now experts are predicting a strong holiday retail season. Could the good news for carriers get any better?

Amazon is now testing a delivery service that would make more products available for two-day shipping. Called Seller Flex, the service would apply to items purchased from third parties through Amazon’s e-commerce site. 

Just as the nation turned its attention away from tropical weather, another threat is now looming for the Gulf Coast and Florida this weekend. Tropical Depression Sixteen is official and on the radar of the National Hurricane Center (NHC), and it has eyes for Louisiana and Florida this weekend.

Walmart is taking its battle for online market share to Amazon with the acquisition of New York-based Parcel, a last-mile, same-day delivery company specializing in perishable and non-perishable delivery in New York City.

Ford is following that of other automakers and investing in electrification and connectivity. The company also said it would redirect $7 billion from car production to increase SUV and truck production.

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.

Do we have a picture of Tesla’s new semi truck? A Reddit user named itookapicofarocket posted a picture of what he said was the Tesla semi before mysteriously removing the picture.

GM announced yesterday that it will stop developing new gas-powered vehicles and instead will invest in electric and fuel-cell vehicles, including a truck platform that could potentially serve as a package delivery vehicle in last-mile operations.

Leading machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) provider Orbcomm has acquired Blue Tree Systems, a provider of compliance solutions in multiple countries, including the U.S.

When one of your customers files for bankruptcy, do you know what to do? Taking the right the steps immediately can help ensure you will receive the money you are owed.

The U.S. Senate is set to pass a self-driving vehicle bill, and like similar legislation in the U.S. House passed early in September, it excludes commercial vehicles. The Senate bill will not include vehicles larger than 10,000 pounds, Reuters reported.

All week at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta, nearly every presenter has mentioned electric trucks and the growing electrification of the trucking industry. So, it was no surprise when solar company eNow noted how it too could help with these growing electric needs.

Michelin is so confident that customers running its new XDA Energy + will see fuel savings, they have backed the new drive tire with a $400 fuel savings limited guarantee and a limited retread guarantee.

Some large carriers can easily accumulate over $1 million a month in toll payments, said Drew Anderson, director of carrier relations for HELP, Inc. Because of that, there is a need to help them – and any other fleet large or small that deals with tolls – better manage their tolling data and payments.

Kinedyne has introduced an industry first load-rated curtain-side system and double-decking at the North American Commercial Vehicle show in Atlanta.

Hino Trucks will expand its product offerings to include Class 8 vehicles, starting in 2019, the company said this week.

It may seem like a small product enhancement, but the “quick-release” option now available on FlowBelow’s Tractor AeroKit system could save fleets thousands of dollars.

Announcing what it said is the first fully automatic 9-speed transmission for the North American market, Allison Transmission noted that the transmission will help fleets reduce fuel usage and greenhouse gas emissions.

Mitchell 1 has been helping technicians speed up both processes since the 1940s, and this week at the North American Commercial Vehicle show in Atlanta the company has added another layer to that help with updates to its RepairConnect diagnostic software.

Ryder System will install automatic tire inflation systems on its vehicles through an agreement with Aperia Technologies. Aperia’s Halo Tire Inflators will be included as a standard spec on Ryder’s heavy-duty rental fleet.

Goodyear is replacing one of its long-haul drive tires with a new model that features advancements that improve miles to removal and retreadability. The Endurance LHD is being introduced this week at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta.

President Donald Trump and Republican leaders introduced their long-awaited tax reform plan on Wednesday. As expected, the plan calls for a significant cut to the corporate tax rate, from 35% to 20%, and the elimination of four of the seven individual tax brackets, creating brackets of just 12%, 25% and 35%.

With 34% of all tires still running underinflated in fleets, according to Continental, more solutions are needed. That’s why the tire maker has introduced a new, simple-to-use digital tire monitoring platform this week at the North American Commercial Vehicle show in Atlanta.

Dana Corp. used this week’s North American Commercial Vehicle show in Atlanta as a platform to introduce its new line of driveshafts and a new axle.

Bosch may be well known for its automotive technology, but it is less known for its commercial vehicle technologies here in the United States. That is starting to change as Bosch is investing in technologies that will be part of the electric and autonomous future many are predicting for the industry.

According to the latest blog post from FTR written by Steve Graham, the effect of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma is now starting to show up in national economic data.

Wabco’s acquisition of the remaining 50% ownership stake Meritor held in the Meritor Wabco joint venture, which began 27 years ago, a few weeks ago is one of the steps Wabco is taking to ensure its continued growth and positioning for the future.

As truck fleets have installed Bendix safety products on their vehicles over the past few years, few had any realization that those products, such as air disc brakes, Wingman Fusion, BlindSpotter, and stability control systems such as ESP and TAB-6 for trailers, would form the basis of autonomous technologies.

Mack Trucks executives updated general market conditions before officially unveiling its new Anthem long-haul model on Tuesday at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

Meritor has announced a new electric vehicle platform of axles and suspensions as more truck OEMs and fleets shift resources to developing electric vehicles.

In a quest for more business in China’s booming e-commerce markets, parcel companies in that country are waging a pricing war, threatening to eat up profits and pressuring margins for companies already facing razor-thin operating budgets, according to a report in the Nikkei Asian Review.   

Forging an ever-closer alliance between the two companies, Navistar and Volkswagen announced work on several projects including a new integrated next-generation powertrain and an electric truck to launch in late 2019 or early 2020.

In keeping with its refreshing of its lineup over the past few years, Navistar has announced a new vocational model at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta this week.

Customer experience and uptime are two of the focus areas that Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) addressed when designing its new lineup of VNL and VNR tractor models – both launched earlier this year at separate events.

A wide-ranging morning-television style event to kick off its participation in the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta ended with a bit of an electric vehicle tease from Roger Nielsen, president & CEO, Daimler Trucks North America.

How might the digitization of trucking change the industry? That is the question that Cerasis tackled in a recent blog posting. The answer is somewhat obvious: a lot.   

The myth of the 10-mpg truck has been proven wrong thanks to a group of seven drivers with seven differently equipped tractor-trailers driving for seven different companies.

Cummins’ electrified powertrain inside the AEOS Class 7 concept truck is part of the engine maker’s aim to create diverse powertrain options for customers. 

The Eaton-Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies joint venture introduced the purpose-built Endurant automated transmission on Sunday at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show at the George World Congress Center in Atlanta.

The first two weeks in after a bankruptcy filing of a customer are critical to ensuring you get paid. Trucking companies, especially smaller carriers and owner-operators, are often at the end of that line – the so-called unsecured creditors. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

When a major retailer such as Toys “R” Us files for bankruptcy, a long line of creditors comes knocking. Trucking companies, especially smaller carriers and owner-operators, are often at the end of that line – the so-called unsecured creditors. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Fleet Complete Chief Strategy Officer Sandeep Kar will participate in two panels next week as part of the Connected Fleets USA 2017 Conference.

Electric vehicles have come a long way, yet there is an important question that never seems to get addressed when discussing electric cars and trucks: what happens if the power goes out? Will your trucks still make their deliveries?

Warehouse space is increasingly shrinking, with vacancy rates near all-time lows. As space dwindles, those companies looking to move a single truckload to a warehouse for two weeks are forced to pay high premiums. Warehouse provider Stord is out to change that.

Four more former Pilot Flying J executives formally pleaded guilty to charges related to the company’s alleged defrauding of carriers.

Continued tightening of capacity is driving up FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index (TCI). The TCI for July posted a positive reading of 5.75, reflecting tightening capacity, rising spot rates and a further impact this fall and winter from the implementation of electronic logging devices, FTR said.

According to the Department of Transportation, nearly 20% of all trailers are traveling empty down the highway. That doesn’t account for trailers that are running less than full. That empty space, whether it is enough room for one pallet or ten, is a revenue opportunity lost.

The Fed announced today that it will allow $10 billion of Treasury and mortgage-backed securities to mature each month without buying new ones as it cautiously approaches the wind down to avoid another financial collapse.

As Nikola Motor continues to develop its hydrogen-electric Class 8 tractor, the company continues to evolve its design. The latest is the introduction of an eAxle developed by Bosch.

No need for those extra extension cords just yet; electric vehicles are not about to take over the world. That is one of the points that Lars Stengvist, CTO of the Volvo Group and EVP of Volvo Group Truck Technology, made to a select group of reporters during a roundtable discussion on truck technologies

Truck tonnage rose in August and driver turnover jumped in the second quarter according to the latest data from the American Trucking Associations.

While it appears the East Coast dodged a bullet with Hurricane Jose, the next 10 days look to be a busy time for transportation interests along the coast as Hurricane Maria’s track remains uncertain and there is still potential impacts from that storm early next week.

Small carriers and owner-operators have capacity to offer, but those that need it most – larger, Fortune 1000 shippers, don’t have access to that capacity because it is not cost-effective to onboard small carriers hauling just a few loads. Sudu, though, is changing that dynamic.

Celadon Group has sold its flatbed trucking division to PS Logistics as it seeks regain its footing a leading trucking provider. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

TMW Systems sees enormous potential with blockchain technology, but notes that successful implementation requires a “strong partnership with a technology provider that understands its intricacies and potential applications.”

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) conducted a three-truck platooning test in Centreville, VA, last week, along I-66. The test, using Volvo Trucks, was designed to the effectiveness of autonomous and vehicle-to-vehicle communications technologies.  

After several years in development, Daimler Trucks unveiled its electric Mitsubishi Fuso eCanter yesterday at a ceremony in New York City. The first trucks have been delivered to UPS and four New York City-based NGOs.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and livestock groups have delivered a petition to Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao requesting a waiver from complying with the upcoming electronic logging device (ELD) rule.

Mack Trucks released its first new on-highway truck since 2005 this week. Here’s a brief look at the Anthem. For more on the truck, read: Mack introduces its Anthem.

There are many things that fleets do to attract drivers, and certainly plenty of options that drivers look for when choosing a fleet. When Mack Trucks was designing its new Anthem highway tractor – it’s first new on-highway model since the introduction of the Pinnacle in 2005 – it turned to drivers.

Blockchain has taken center stage in 2017, and we are only at the beginning. But before everyone declares blockchain the solution to all the world’s problems, two authors note that there needs to be standards and governance to make it work.

Elon Musk has been teasing the world for nearly a year about his Tesla electric semi. Information has been coming out mostly via cryptic messages and tweets from Musk himself, but no definitive announcement. But Wednesday, Musk tweeted that the semi will be unveiled on Oct. 26 in Hawthorne, CA.

Ask an over-the-road truck driver what their biggest concerns are and you won’t have to go far down the list before finding a safe place to park appears. But a new company is hoping to change that, allowing drivers to reserve a spot ahead of time at a nominal fee.

Mack Trucks has a new Anthem that incorporates all that the Mack Bulldog stands for – strength, loyalty, and American made. Mack introduced the new Anthem model, complete with its own song, at a special unveiling event in Allentown. 

Proponents of autonomous trucks found plenty to be happy with during Wednesday’s Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing on the technology.

Following passage of a House bill last week that set the framework for autonomous automobiles, trucking gets its chance to state its case today in front of a Senate committee.

In the past two decades, more than 90% of the nation’s pollinators – from bees to butterflies – have disappeared. That’s why companies like Bee Downtown are working so hard to save the honeybee, and trucking is playing a critical role in its survival.

The numbers are startling: 250,000 U.S. drivers fall asleep at the wheel each day; 83,000 drowsy-driving related crashes occurred between 2005 and 2009, and there is a drowsy-driving related crash every 25 seconds. For trucking companies, the costs can be staggering.

The Truckload Carriers Association and CarriersEdge are accepting nominations for the annual Best Fleets to Drive For survey. Nominations for the 10th annual survey will be accepted until Oct. 31, 2017.

As Hurricane Irma continues to move through the Southeast, some of its impacts are now being assessed, and they are likely to disrupt operations for many for days and weeks to come.

International has made several enhancements to its flagship LoneStar truck to make it more driver-friendly and serviceable.

A natural disaster can rarely be called a benefit, but there are positives for the transportation industry and its investors from the double hit the nation took from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. From higher stock prices to higher rates, trucking may be poised to reap many benefits from the storms.

Hurricane Irma was already impacting Florida on Saturday afternoon with the storm forecast to come ashore Sunday morning. The track of the hurricane is now expected to take it through Florida and into Georgia, South Carolina and possibly Alabama and Tennessee by Wednesday.

Ports were closed and Florida highways were jammed with people on Friday fleeing Hurricane Irma, as the Category 4 storm approached the state.