Blockchain has become the latest buzzword to enter industry lexicon. While many still may not know what it is, it is likely to be a technology that transforms trucking and the way it operates. Fleet Complete is one of the companies that has recognized its potential.

A new global study has found that transportation companies are embracing the Internet of Things (IoT), but many still lack a full understanding of how best to utilize the data.

Hurricane Irma has remained a Category 5 storm as it continues its path towards the U.S. A slight eastward shift of the projected path has not changed the danger for Florida from the storm, but it has brought South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia more in play for a possible direct hit.

The U.S. House passed driverless car legislation on Wednesday, but the bill does not address commercial trucks and the likelihood of trucks being included is uncertain at this point.

As most of the nation turns its attention to Hurricane Irma, people in Texas continue to recover from the devastation left by Hurricane Harvey at the end of August. True to its nature, the trucking industry has been there to help.

The U.S. House of Representatives defeated an amendment late Wednesday that would have restricted funding for the ELD mandate until at least Sept. 30, 2018. The amendment was added to an appropriations bill by Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX).

An already robust spot truckload freight market is now reacting to the effects of Hurricane Harvey, and with Irma on the horizon and wild fires burning out west, is now showing few signs of slowing down.

The latest guidance on Hurricane Irma is suggesting that the storm is more likely than not to strike the east coast of Florida or the Southeast U.S., with effects first being felt on Sunday, according to supply chain risk analysis firm Riskpulse’s latest Watchtower Alert.

As the U.S. Congress returned to work following its August recess, two bills that are awaiting action are focused on the electronic logging device rule set for a Dec. 18 implementation date.

As larger items such as appliances and furniture are increasingly being purchased online, the need for more “white glove” delivery services is leading carriers to look at acquiring or partnering with companies that specialize in this area.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is expected to unveil self-driving vehicle guidelines next weekat an event in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Reuters reported.

C.H. Robinson has acquired Milgram & Company, a Canadian provider of freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and surface transportation. C.H. Robinson paid approximately $50 million in cash for the company.

Hurricane Irma intensified overnight and is now a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic on a possible course for the East Coast of the United States. According to Riskpulse, interests along the East Coast, particularly Florida, should be closely monitoring the storm for potential impacts by this weekend.

Grain supplies have been trending up in the U.S. as prices have remained relatively stable, causing farmers to hold onto their crops longer hoping for a boost in prices. Hurricane Harvey, though, is making the situation worse as grain exports have nearly stopped.

Just as the nation recovers from Hurricane Harvey, there is another tropical system brewing that has the potential to impact the U.S.

Is a trailer just a box on wheels or potentially a portable battery charger? That is one of the questions that could be answered through the continued innovation of commercial vehicles.

The Port of Houston is expected to open today after shutting down operations last Friday ahead of Hurricane Harvey.

A major pipeline supplying diesel fuel from Texas to the East Coast has had to be shut down with no indication of when it will be turned back on.

TransRisk, a pioneer of solutions designed to allow transportation industry participants to efficiently manage price risk in the North American freight transportation market, has added nationally recognized transportation markets leader Donald Broughton to its team.

There is growing talk of a possible bill in Congress that would kill the upcoming electronic logging device (ELD) rule that goes into effect on Dec. 18 of this year due to the cost to individual truckers, sources have told FreightWaves.

There remains plenty of industrial activity to support continued strength for the general economy and freight demand in particular, says Jonathan Starks of FTR, in the firm’s August market analysis.

The Shippers Conditions Index has improved slightly in August, although it remains in negative territory, according to the latest update from FTR. At the same time, DAT reported a decline in capacity last week on the spot market, which occurred before Hurricane Harvey struck Texas.

Cummins has unveiled a Class 7 electric powertrain that will power Class 7 trucks by 2019 and could recharge in as little as 20 minutes.

Convey, a supply chain visibility and communication company, has secured $8.25 million in Series B funding from Techstars Venture Capital Fund, RPM Ventures, and other investors in a round of funding just announced.

As efforts to delay implementation of the electronic logging device rule continue to flounder in Congress, opponents have received an olive branch from CVSA. The group says that while it will enforce the ELD mandate on Dec. 18 as planned, out-of-service orders will not be issued until April 1, 2018.

While recovery efforts are still ongoing in many areas, the nation as a whole is about to feel the impact of Hurricane Harvey through increased fuel prices.

Once revered as one of the top trucking companies in the nation, Celadon Group has hit a rough patch in 2017. But there is a new leader with a new vision, and that’s to make Celadon a top carrier once again.

Even as the industry steps up to help, dedicating thousands of trucks and millions of cubic feet of capacity to relief efforts, an analysis from FTR says that approximately 7% of the industry has been affected already and some of that will be affected for weeks.

Sandeep Kar, a noted industry expert and frequent keynote speaker at industry events and resource for leading industry publications, has joined Fleet Complete as its chief strategy officer.

How did the solar eclipse last week affect the trucking industry? New data from Lytx tries to some numbers behind the event.

While the third quarter may be a slow time for contract renewals between carriers and shippers, a few deals have been done so far and the early indications are contract rates are heading up.

It was on this date in 1907 that two teenagers named Jim Casey and Claude Ryan, armed with a $100 loan, created the American Messenger Company.  That business, started in a basement in Seattle, has grown into a nearly $50 billion package delivery giant.

While Harvey may no longer be a hurricane, its flooding rains are expected to continue for days, causing major disruptions to travel and shipments in the state.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has suspended certain commercial regulations in Texas and Louisiana, including hours of service, for drivers providing “direct assistance” for hurricane relief under regulation 49 CFR 390.5.

The time has arrived as the Texas coast braces for the nation’s first major hurricane landfall in 12 years. Hurricane Harvey was upgraded this afternoon to a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 125 mph. According to Riskpulse, the forecast track has remained consistent, with landfall later tonight near central Texas.

After Hurricane Harvey departs Texas, the area will likely be in need of relief supplies. Trucks will haul those supplies. but how are the logistics of moving relief supplies handled? Someone who was involved in that process explains. 

At a cost of $4 billion, the new Tappan Zee Bridge has officially opened in New York City. Technically, one span of the bridge – four lanes open to westbound traffic – opens tonight with the second span scheduled to open in the spring.

The never-ending mystery over what kind of truck Tesla is building may have moved one giant step closer to being solved on Thursday when it was revealed the electric truck will likely have an operating range of 200 to 300 miles.

The National Hurricane Center has seen rapid intensification of Hurricane Harvey today and is now expecting the storm to gather strength before it makes landfall in Texas late Friday/early Saturday morning. The trucking interests are watching the storm closely as its final path and impacts will influence area spot rates, capacity, and fuel costs.

As predicted, the remnants of Tropical Storm Harvey have reformed into a Tropical Depression in the Gulf of Mexico. According to supply chain risk analytics firm Riskpulse, it is now likely that Harvey will make landfall on the south-central Texas coastline, perhaps near Corpus Christi, as a hurricane.

Nearly 30% of carriers are not yet in full compliance with the upcoming electronic logging device mandate and 15% said they will not be fully compliant at the deadline, according to the latest Morgan Stanley ELD survey.

While still strong, conditions may be moderating for the trucking industry as key indicators are slowly retreating from recent highs.

After seeing the fleet-wide fuel economy average climb 3% in 2015, the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) says that the increase reported in its Annual Fleet Fuel Study was not as dramatic for 2016.

IBM has announced 10 companies that will begin running trials of its blockchain-enabled technologies, including major food supplier Nestle SA, according to Reuters.

In the Gulf of Mexico, storms can happen quickly. That is the case with the remnants of Tropical Storm Harvey, which are moving into the Gulf and could potentially threaten the coast of Texas later this week.

Road crews have traditionally used a “crash truck” to protect workers. It’s often the first – and last – line of defense for construction workers, but it leaves a driver in that vehicle exposed to greater risk. The Colorado Department of Transportation hopes to change that, thanks to self-driving technology.

The recent news that the Environmental Protection Agency plans to revisit some portions of its Phase 2 greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency rules for medium- and heavy-duty on-highway trucks and engines has raised concern with the Truck and Engine Manufacturer’s Association (EMA).

It’s finally here. Eclipse day. And as many have predicted, traffic around the country is clogging the highways, causing delays.

Google publishes solar eclipse traffic maps showing record congestion on highways along the eclipse route line. Drivers are starting to post photos of traffic congestion and even Nest gets in the spirit with messages about the eclipse on their thermostats. 

The great eclipse of 2017 is less than 24 hours away. While we can’t control the traffic- we can talk about the weather. We have gone out to two sources to ensure you have the best view of the event: Accuweather and Riskpulse. 

The great eclipse of 2017 is less than 24 hours away. While we can’t control the traffic- we can talk about the weather. We have gone out to two sources to ensure you have the best view of the event: Accuweather and Riskpulse. 

Trucking venture funding continues to pick up steam. One fund, backed by the largest grouping of Fortune 1000 companies in the world and a top engineering school, makes an investment in two trucking startups for its initial set of investments. 

The Commerce Department’s housing starts and building permits data released this week shows a mixed bag when it comes to the housing market.

Talk about disruptive companies. Every startup in the transportation space these days is touting itself as a disruptive company. A few will become just that. Many, if not most, will not. But few are also introducing a technology, let alone a service, that is disruptive.

KeepTruckin has partnered with Foley, a leader in FMCSA compliance solutions, to offer KeepTruckin’s electronic logging device to fleets. Any size fleet will have access to the KeepTruckin’s ELD and IFTA solution.

Many people don’t realize it, but construction firms have many of the same problems with truck visibility and tracking that less-than-truckload and truckload carriers have. And a truck arriving late can throw off an entire project’s schedule. That’s why Truck IT has introduce an app to help.

The latest craze in logistics is the “uberization of trucking,” i.e. digital freight brokers (DFM). In reality, though, DFMs are not new, with the first iteration of them appearing in the early 2000s with companies such as Power2Ship and TransMarkets. They have gained steam lately thanks to technological advances, but there is still some question about whether they are here to stay this time.

President Donald Trump once again took to Twitter this morning to lash out at Amazon, targeting the company’s alleged non-collection of taxes.

McLeod Software has joined the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance (BiTA), a new organization focused on the promotion and educational efforts to utilizing blockchain technology in the transportation ecosystem.

An industry that has a reputation of being behind the curve on technology may be at the forefront of one of the most important technological developments in decades. Yes, the trucking industry is poised to lead the blockchain way, and BiTA plans to help it get there.

Siemens has been awarded a contract by the German state of Hesse to build an overhead catenary line to run electric trucks along. The line will be built on a 10 kilometer stretch of the A5 federal autobahn.

Money is flowing into trucking tech startups, and it is showing no signs of slowing down. According to CB Insights, the industry is on pace for its first billion-dollar year in cumulative funding. But the question remains, how much of this windfall of funds will end up in companies that truly make a difference in the trucking space?

Two separate deals kicked off this week’s big transportation news as Greenbriar Equity Group has acquired Transplace and Descartes said it was acquiring MacroPoint.

The I-95 Corridor Coalition is moving forward with research that will help it determine whether a mileage use tax is the right approach to taxing in Pennsylvania and Delaware, according to NBC 10 Philadelphia.

As interest in alternative fuels continues to grow, ACT Research is making it easier for fleets to compare different fuel types.

The truck productivity hit that many have feared from electronic logging devices (ELD) may not be as severe as thought, but the implementation of the devices may hit the industry hard in other ways.

In recent years, disruption to routes along the Gulf Coast and East Coast because of hurricanes – which can spread hundreds of miles wide and leave widespread flooding and infrastructure damage in their wake – has been minimal. That could change this hurricane season.

The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) has made changes to the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC). The changes, which took effect on Aug. 5, will impact how some items are packaged and costs to shippers, particularly those shipping via less than truckload.

A 2014 report found that drivers are more than twice as likely to be obese than the general population, and there are a number of other health risks drivers face. So how can drivers, on the road for weeks at a time, stay fit?

A new month, but the same old story. Spot rates rose again according to data from DAT, with the national van and flatbed rates each climbing 3 cents per mile and refrigerated rates rising 4 cents for the week of July 30 to Aug. 5.

According to an internal company email obtained by Reuters, Tesla has spoken with the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles about testing autonomous electric trucks with no driver in the cab on Nevada roadways.

Just days after the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it would no longer seek a federal rule to test train and truck operators for sleep apnea, Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) blasted the agency and demanded it reconsider the rule.

Former Thomson Reuters Senior Executive Eric Frank has joined TransRisk’s Board of Advisors.

One of the great vulnerabilities in any nation is the food supply. The movement of food is dependent on many entities ensuring compliance with regulations, proper temperature control, proper handling and cleaning and more, including security. That is where blockchain technology holds great promise.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks, a Daimler brand, has successfully made its first 3D printed repair part.  The part, a thermostat cover for a Unimog model has passed all the stages of the stringent quality assurance process, Mercedes-Benz said.  

According to PriceWaterhouseCooper (PwC) global transportation and logistics deals soared in the second quarter of 2017, rising 127% over the first quarter and 26% year-over-year. One of the reasons is e-commerce.

One20 has partnered with C.H. Robinson to offer its F-ELD logging device to C.H. Robinson carriers at a discount. Those carriers also have access to One20’s membership benefits in a partnership that should help everyone involved.

DOT’s Private Investment Project Procedures rulemaking seeks to lower the barriers to private participation in infrastructure projects. While the government seeks to reduce barriers, though, states are concerned about reimbursements for projects and that has led to a drop in the number of projects, according to Reuters.

Since everyone’s favorite game these days is guessing what is behind every move companies like Uber and Tesla are up to, it was likely only a matter of time before someone came up with the idea that Tesla could be building its own freight network.

One of the early entries in the so-called and really misnamed “Uber for trucking” movement, Convoy found immediate backers with the likes of Jeff Bezos, Marc Benioff and Henry Kravis […]

One of the early entries in the “Uber for trucking” movement, Convoy found immediate big-name backers with the likes of Jeff Bezos, Marc Benioff and Henry Kravis when it launched in 2015. Since then, hundreds of companies have tried to enter the field of digital freight matching, but Convoy has remained near the top of the class.

Volkswagen has continued to increase its stake in Navistar following its initial buy-in in 2016. The company purchased approximately $10 million worth of shares in July through five transactions, according to documents filed with the SEC.  

When the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration laid out the parameters of its electronic logging device (ELD) rule, it seemed pretty simple: Trucks newer than model year 2000 were required to have the devices. But the language, as is often the case, left some room for confusion.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services has opened a new 144,000-square-foot corporate building in Lowell, Ark. The new building grows J.B. Hunt’s headquarters to over 494,000 square feet.

Glenn S. Goldberg, president of GSG Advisory Services, has joined the TransRisk LLC Board of Advisors. TransRisk builds financial instruments that provide price discovery, transparency and demand balance for the trucking industry.

A USA Today investigation into port trucking operations in California has led to three U.S. Senators sending letters to national retailers demanding they crack down on trucking companies and their alleged unfair labor practices directed at drivers.

Autonomous vehicles are alive and well, and now crossing borders. While many states have yet to authorize the testing of autonomous vehicles, a demonstration took place Monday between Michigan and Southern Ontario.

Contract pricing, which has affected second-quarter earnings for a number of 3PLs, remains weak according to the latest data from FTR.

A push in on to go electric with more countries planning a ban on sales of gas and diesel cars. Few, though, address commercial goods movement specifically, which is primarily handled by diesel-powered trucks. So what happens to the diesel truck?

Survey results released last week by the National Safety Council tell a sobering tale of just how tired American workers are, and how that fatigue could be impacting safety on the job.

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECHO) on Friday announced a rise in revenue for the second quarter, but the resulting $245,000 loss for the quarter and a tough environment for supply chain logistics companies led to a sell-off of its stock on Friday.

There is a new option that companies are flocking to quickly raise capital: an ICO – initial coin offering. But there are inherent risks in doing so, and they may be too great to overcome for transportation firms.

Shippers trust carriers to move their goods, but how do they know the carrier they have chosen can get the job done? A new Cerasis blog post lists the 12 data points every shipper should monitor when choosing a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier.

A host of carriers have reported earnings with mixed results. Knight Transportation, UPS, Landstar Systems and Covenant were among the carriers reporting.

A ride-sharing company could be the perfect fit to solve the last-mile delivery problems of e-commerce. Here’s why a Walmart acquisition of Lyft could be the edge it needs to overcome Amazon.

Following years of complaints from the trucking industry that carriers are unfairly penalized for crashes that are not the driver’s fault, FMCSA is launching a 2-year demonstration program that allows carriers to dispute the findings of a crash.

Autonomous trucks, it turns out, may not be coming for the truck driver’s job after all. While many are predicting the demise of the worker due to automation, a leading expert on robots says that it will be many years before robots achieve the machine learning capabilities to operate amongst humans.

Paccar reported strong earnings yesterday, in particular growing its parts revenue 8.8% year-over-year for the second quarter, showing the power of aftermarket support.

After a start to earnings season that saw both J.B. Hunt and C.H. Robinson miss expectations, transport stocks received a boost as both Werner Enterprises and Swift Transportation reported better-than-expected reports.

While the industry continues to argue of the value of electronic logging devices (ELDs), it turns out that some of the data they generate can be very useful to carriers and their drivers. Keep Truckin has compiled some of the data its ELDs have collected and done a deeper dive, coming up with valuable insights into roadside inspections, of all things.