The first round of technology demonstrations at Transparency18 shared a common theme of integrated disparate systems, data formats, and devices. It’s clear that the action in freight tech has shifted to aggregating and analyzing data, not simply generating it.

FreightWaves announced the launch of Sonar, its SaaS platform for freight market data. Michael Vincent, EVP of FreightWaves, demonstrated the product at Transparency18 in Atlanta.

Smart contracts will lower the labor costs—and thus the price—of receivables factoring, but don’t expect same-day payments because the technology won’t change fundamental capital requirements, says Triumph’s Jordan Graft.

Intelligent Audit will demonstrate Intellichain, an end-to-end payment verification and processing blockchain for the transportation and logistics industries on Tuesday at Transparency18.

The Brent-WTI spread has widened considerably to $8.25, a bullish signal for demand for American oil exports and truckload miles.

Maersk grew its revenues by acquiring Hamburg Süd and selling off Maersk Oil, but reported negative earnings on increased fuel prices and low spot rates.

Tesla is facing a cash crunch, an executive exodus, and negative headlines about flammable batteries all at once.

Brad Taylor, VP of data and IoT at Omnitracs, spoke to FreightWaves about the intersection of ELDs and blockchain technology before the BiTA spring symposium next week.

Used truck prices are up sharply; C.H. Robinson isn’t worried about tech startups; CSX cuts costs and grows bottom line by 50%; Hapag-Lloyd bullish despite losses; CA makes pot shippers report to the Feds; the American economy isn’t overheating… yet.

Convoy is going to start managing assets to give owner-operators access to efficient, desirable drop and hook freight. We think it’s brilliant.

Convoy leverages its tech to give owner-operators the same advantages as large carriers. Read the Full Article

Transparency18 has an action-packed schedule full of innovative technology demonstrations, keynotes from charismatic thought leaders, and panels of the top experts in finance, technology, and transportation.

The Mother’s Day demand for reefer trucks full of flowers has stressed an already tight capacity segment that is hauling record fruit and vegetable tonnage. The result? An unprecedented spike in reefer spot rates.

The collapse of Venezuelan oil production and fears of renewed sanctions on Iran are driving oil prices to 2014 levels, but what does that mean for the American economy and the trucking sector?

Trucking employment drops 5,500 in April, railroad jobs drop 800; Nestle pays Starbucks $7B+ to sell its products worldwide; Romaine lettuce E. coli still a mystery; China steps up quarantines of US food imports.

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.

The technology and product offerings for LNG/CNG Class 8 trucks are well ahead of battery-electric vehicles. Rising diesel prices may spur another wave of natural gas-powered truck adoption.

Shell and Airflow are preparing to launch their futuristic, carbon fiber Starship truck on a cross-country voyage to prove just how efficient diesel can be. We just don’t know if this concept is scaleable.

Tesla was a conspicuous absence at a massive exhibition showing off electric cars, trucks, commercial vehicles, and energy technology, but the industry is moving forward with or without Elon Musk.

OEMs, fleets, and policymakers came together to talk about what drives innovation in clean transport technology. They also discussed California’s lawsuit against the EPA and the uncertain regulatory climate.

Meritor CEO Jay Craig offered insights into how the century-old industrial manufacturer of automotive components adapts to a changing technological landscape: by paying attention to external changes and listening to its customers.

TMW CEO Wangler dies; a complete guide to Tesla’s borrowing & spending; inflation, consumer spending rise; the UAE’s Hyperloop; lost trucker wanders through Oregon forest for 4 days, lives to tell the tale.

Amazon and the US Postal Service have grown package volumes and profits together in a mutually beneficial relationship.

Earnings season is here; UPS posts 13th quarter of double digit growth; Knight-Swift finds synergies; Maersk trials autonomous ships; the Mustang is the last Ford car left; Barclays and Goldman Sachs collab on data standards for derivatives and blockchain; Union Pacific beats the Street.

Knight-Swift’s revenues stabilized despite fewer trucks and shorter length of haul, and the two brands managed to increase their efficiency and improve operating ratios.

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

Fleet idle capacity is at 1% and rates to both US coasts are climbing week-over-week, but wait for the summer peak season for large container box rate increases.

Trucking’s environmental progress since the first Earth Day; Volvo Trucks shares battery tech across brands; US oil exports to Europe jump on Brent/WTI spread; BNSF and Union Pacific offer $25k signing bonuses; FedEx links Guangzhou and Memphis; how China is buying Europe.

Trucking employment has grown a healthy 32% since 2012, but very small and small fleets are absorbing the new drivers, leaving large carriers struggling to seat their trucks.

Volatility returns to commodity markets, with oil, aluminum, and nickel posting huge price increases. How long will these price shocks last, and how will they affect the economy?

Hapag-Lloyd explores priority container freight; CSX raked in Q1 profits; aluminum prices are turbulent; UPS launches Groupon-like discounts for retailers; project44 raises $35M in Series A.

Daseke has purchased Aveda Transportation and Energy Services, one of North America’s largest oil rig movers. This acquisition increases Daseke’s exposure to the oil and gas industries, which have a bullish outlook for 2018 and beyond.

Tesla has shut down Model 3 production again, with Elon Musk admitting he made a mistake over-automating Tesla’s factory. The media has also begun scrutinizing Tesla’s problematic safety record.

The words ‘realtime’ and ‘visibility’ get thrown around a lot, but most companies offering visibility solutions don’t actually define what they mean by the terms, which confuses the market.

Volkswagen is talking openly about increasing its 16.9% share of Navistar and taking over the brand as a prelude to an IPO or debt sale for its Truck & Bus division in Q1 2019. VW ousted its CEO Müller last week and continues to roll out its new messaging.

E-commerce is intensifying last mile delivery activity; warehouse prices are climbing rapidly in consumer-dense markets; but the logistics space is fragmented, with high EBITDA multiples and low barriers-to-entry hindering consolidation.

Schneider National and 8VC announced a partnership with Platform Science to develop data platforms to allow carriers to manage IoT data and generate custom, realtime insights.

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

We explain how the yield curve works, how it affects the cost of debt, and what that means for trucking.

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.

There’s a quiet spot market nationally, but we’re seeing significant upward movement for reefers coming out of California’s agricultural regions.

SenseTime Group Ltd. just raised $600M from Alibaba and other investors, making them the world’s largest AI startup. SenseTime’s product offerings and strategic plans reveal how closely related mass surveillance and autonomous driving really are.

Trucking contract rate increases tamp down volatility; Nikola Motor Company returns deposits on truck orders; Hunter Harrison was one of the highest paid CEOs in 2017; Xi Jinping takes the stage to defend Chinese trade practices; container lines enter bid season with a weak hand.

Stifel returns to trucking with an array of notes on individual carriers and a comprehensive industry update. Analysts expect 12% increase in truckload rates y/y, spillover into LTL and intermodal, and no relief in sight for the driver shortage.

Turndowns inbound and outbound of Charleston are gradually rising in tandem, indicating a healthy market. Spot rate movements will depend on where capacity is positioned once port traffic ramps up.

Brian Reed has spent the last 18 years as a business and IT chameleon serving freight providers and shippers around the globe.

Transport stocks excluding bulk maritime carriers largely unaffected by tariffs; Port of LA getting new container terminal; Boeing and Ford threatened by Chinese tariffs; new autonomous shipping joint venture announced; commercial driving schools see low enrollment; a guide to Tesla’s guidance.

McLeod’s VP of Special Projects and BiTA co-founder Ken Craig recounted the early days of the Blockchain in Transport Alliance and explained the importance of data standards to the transportation industry.

BNSF hauls more coal than any other railroad, but the future of American coal production and consumption is an open question. Is BNSF heavily exposed to downside risk or will it be the last coal carrier standing?

The number of oil rigs and the demand for flatbed trucking are rising in tandem, as WTI prices go up and the Brent-WTI spread widens.

China approves drone package delivery; driver pay is up 15% in 3 years; Hapag-Lloyd has a plan to switch to low sulphur fuel; Trump gears up for fight with Amazon; Barclay’s thinks WTI crude will drop to $51 this year.

The JOBehaviors Assessment helps carriers identify applicants who possess the behaviors, core values, and attributes of top performing truck drivers. Fleets who implement the assessment see higher productivity and lower turnover.

Used truck prices strengthen; trailer orders go crazy; Arizona suspends Uber self-driving; Canadian National trades at 52-week lows; aftermath of Harvey still affects Houston tanker traffic; Philadelphia freight market is heating up.

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.

Transportations companies with cross-border business are exposed to tariff risks; new home sales fall unexpectedly; the Dow crosses below its 120-day moving average; acquisition-minded trucking companies face new financial scrutiny; Target and Kroger merger rumors.

New 12 month price targets for FedEx stock range from $260-$310, representing 20% of the company’s value and reflecting uncertainty about how the parcel carrier will improve margins and find synergies with TNT.

Container traffic into the Port of Seattle is down 22.6% YTD, starving the city of freight. Trucking spot rates have cratered, and turndowns have dropped 75% since their peak in October as carriers are forced to accept lower prices.

KeepTruckin raises $50M in a Series C financing. Plans to have 400,000 subscribers by the end of the year

Uber AV kills pedestrian in Arizona; XPO Logistics takes its app to Europe; CSX has no apologies; China COSCO building methanol fuel plants in Louisiana; air cargo markets may see slower growth; Covenant stock hits a 52 week high.

An Uber self-driving SUV struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona, the first known time a pedestrian has been killed by an autonomous vehicle.

Transport stocks outperforming broader economy; FedEx adds robots to distribution centers; Knight-Swift picks up a 400 truck fleet; CMA CGM turned around in 2017; Union Pacific’s drones monitoring workers cause union trouble. 

Executives flee, production shuts down, parts need reworking, and Tesla is still burning cash like there’s no tomorrow.

For months, West Coast spot rates have been softening, allowing brokers to take big margins and shippers to move freight inexpensively, with short lead times. That’s about to change.

An optimistic Q1 guidance document released by Covenant Transport yesterday caused the carrier’s stock to jump 5% this morning. We explain how the team fleet is exploiting the new ELD environment.

UniGroup, a leading transportation and logistics company that owns two of the nation’s largest moving company brands–Mayflower and United Van Lines–has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA).

Vietnam is the fastest growing supplier of electronics and apparel to the United States, and a fresh wave of foreign investment has the country poised to realize gains in worker productivity.

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.

While blockchain and Bitcoin were invented simultaneously, there are a lot of applications of blockchain technology in transportation and logistics that don’t depend on cryptocurrencies.

Morgan Stanley says that shippers with low gross margins, bulky merchandise, and relatively low cost of goods sold who outsource their transportation needs are at the mercy of rising freight costs and will face EPS headwinds in 2018.

LNG carrier charter rates have posted the strongest recovery since the 2015-6 crash in maritime shipping, and 9.7% YOY growth in capacity hasn’t been enough to keep up with demand.

OriginTrail, a European developer of blockchain protocols specifically for the supply chain, announced today that it has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance.

Mack Trucks and Volvo discuss performance of their remote software update systems; Uber Freight is using autonomous trucks in Arizona; air cargo was up 8% in January YOY; the 3,000th Neopanamax container ship transited the Panama Canal; intensifying freight flows are driving oil demand.

Filament, a leading developer of blockchain-native software and hardware, announced this morning that it has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA).

We all know that trucking carriers want more money and better information, but Comdata and FR8 Revolution have discovered the specific pain points in heavy hauling, such as permit requirements.

Stifel says UPS is now under-priced; Hapag-Lloyd offers digital rates platform for its customers; the Hudson Tunnel revamp just got harder; freight brokers do record volumes in January.

Rolling Strong’s app can you tell exactly what you need to do every day to pass your DOT health exam.

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.

Match Factors, a pioneering invoice factor based in South Carolina, announced that it has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA).

Coal, steel, and the railroads that carry those commodities saw stock gains; auto companies and aluminum-intensive manufacturer stocks slipped on the news.

It’s estimated that Tesla produces battery packs at a cost of $157/kwh, and the company has stopped claiming that it can dramatically reduce their cost. This puts the 1 mw Tesla Semi battery at $157k.

New Prime, Inc. v. Oliveira hinges on whether lease-to-purchase drivers classified as “independent contractors” can get out of their arbitration clauses.

The CEO of Maersk says that in 3-5 years, Maersk will be competing with UPS and FedEx, and recognized as one of their peers. But what’s the strategy?

SkyCell has 1,000 high-tech refrigerated air freight containers circulating through the global biopharmaceutical cold chain. They’ve reduced temperature deviations from a global average of 8.5% to less than 0.1%.

In a recent phone interview with FreightWaves, Quanergy CEO Louay Eldada spoke about what makes his company’s LiDAR sensors superior to the competition.

FourKites will use the funds to double its headcount, accelerate product development, and expand internationally.

Psychemedics Corporation says they have developed a test which eliminates false positives and has been vetted by the FBI.

Union Pacific is investing $550M in its new Brazos Yard in Texas, aiming to smoothly manage growth in two crucial sectors: Mexican automotive production and Gulf Coast petrochemicals and plastics.

14 Pilot Flying J employees pleaded guilty before the trial started. Now Mark Hazelwood, Scott Wombold, and Heather Jones join their former colleagues as newly minted felons.

Customers want more visibility and creativity than ever; technology solutions must be nimble enough to add value for a customer without adding a burden; just because you spend on technology doesn’t mean you’re truly tech-oriented.

Panelists from Bosch, eNow, Motiv, and Thor discussed the state of the electric truck industry and the technical and commercial challenges facing automobile electrification, especially battery technology.

Craig Fuller, Kevin Haugh, Abtin Hamadi, Tom McLeod, and Edward Ryan discussed the technological approaches to solving some of the transportation industry’s most intractable problems: the driver shortage, capacity utilization, and payment inefficiencies.

The U.S. Energy Information Agency has released its Annual Energy Outlook for 2018, with projections to 2050. The EIA calls for massive growth in oil and LNG production and exports over the next few decades, which will be a boon for the trucking industry.

5 days into the trial, Uber settled the Waymo lawsuit on the cheap. But who really benefits? We break down the deal here.

Elon Musk says 100k Tesla Semis annually by 2022; Mexican cargo theft doubles YOY; the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is awesome; click through for the rest of today’s digest.

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

The heat map of areas affected by today’s Uber outage shows how vulnerable an Uberized freight industry would be.

Manufacturers surveyed by PricewaterhouseCoopers have been slow to implement autonomous, mobile robotics in their operations–they’re waiting for proven ROI. But they may be too focused on driverless trucks, overlooking other technologies that are closer to commercial viability.

TransRisk, our parent company, announced its rebrand as FreightWaves last night at our Chattanooga headquarters. Click through for video!

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