Business

The connected Smart Cities of the future require smart solutions that go beyond just autonomous vehicles.

Though cobalt is an integral part of our lithium-ion batteries, the extraction of the trace element is a huge cause for concern. Blockchain could provide respite by bringing accountability and transparency into cobalt supply chains.

Various duty refund programs remain on hold as numerous CBP employees are on furlough during the federal government shutdown.

Surprise fees for practice that reduces congestion at ports and improves driver turns amounts to ‘dirty pool’ on part of the steamship lines.

Agriculture is excluded from the draft mandates on industrial goods tariffs and conformity assessment.

SpaceX’s lease on a 19-acre site at the port will end in February, while Cal Cartage will close its warehouse on an 85-acre site in July.

Under the proposed Telecommunications Denial Order Enforcement Act, Chinese telecoms that violate U.S. sanctions would face “the same severe punishment” as ZTE.

Plus: Skewering Theresa May, B.C. rail investigations, California clean air program assessment

It’s a long road from the wellhead down to the fuel going into a truck. Who makes money along the way?

The advent of modern communications technology such as, obviously, the mobile phone, has created a new, yet poorly understood and under-researched, form of driver distraction. Australian road authorities are calling for research and are updating their road rules.

Intermodal is about half the business. It saw its volumes decline but overall grew its revenue.

A growing number of factories, warehouses, and construction sites are integrating unpowered exoskeleton devices into their operations. Workers and companies using these devices are expected to benefit from increased safety and productivity.

“I thought: I can  book a flight online, a hotel online. Why can’t I book a shipment online?”

The company’s stock took it on the chin for much of 2018 but the company said it had a strong fourth quarter.

Chicago to Atlanta is holding up around $2/mile net of fuel, while lanes like Los Angeles to Dallas have crashed 40% off their November high.

Analyst Bruce Chan at Stifel praises the reorganization at the company that suffered an accounting scandal and sees the base being laid for future growth.

FreightWaves joined in on the third annual Alexa Conference with its estimated 600 attendees from more than 12 countries. What’s coming in voice technology for transportation in 2019 and beyond?

Gig economy companies contend with Supreme Court ruling that mandates full time workers to be considered as employees and not contractors; oil supply reduces after Saudi Arabia’s drastic production cut; government shutdown strains supply chains across the country.

The Senate Finance chair suggested the government shutdown could delay congressional consideration of USMCA as well as the start of trade talks with Japan and the EU.

The barge would move containers between the Wando Welch and Hugh K. Leatherman terminals.

The port handled a record amount of container volumes in 2018, but the outlook for the coming year is uncertain, according to the port’s maritime director.

Facility has been frequent target of labor action and drew attention of local politicians, who tried to evict third-party logistics firm.

Airbus (AIR: EURONEXT) broke ground for its new A220 manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama on Wednesday. The newest airliner in Airbus’ product line, the A220 is designed to revolutionize the market for 100-150 seat aircraft.

The operating ratio—strong enough in the third quarter that it can be argued it was earth-shaking—weakened slightly but was still ahead of the fourth quarter of 2017.

Simpson talks about legacy transportation companies adapting to change.

Vector is digitizing the trucking sector by extracting information that is offline and moving it online.

Walking the show floor at the Detroit Auto Show is an experience that transforms you from the here and now to visions of the future.

Autobon AI is building an aftermarket autonomous vehicle system that would allow any commercial truck to be turned into an autonomous truck.

The MOBi-ONE is large enough to move washers and dryers, and do so autonomously through the air, perhaps redefining last-mile drone delivery before it even gets started.

Australia is carrying out a series of large scale studies into its domestic supply chain; one study currently underway is into the nation’s freight data requirements. (Photo: Shutterstock).

Truck drivers hauling in the state of New York will not see ELD enforcement until state regulators finish getting the rule on the books.

John Veroneau says the passage of the trade agreement is very much an open question this Congress as several variables are in play.

The United States is in the midst of a building boom for industrial space as the logistics market struggles to accommodate surging e-commerce demand.

Manufacturing supply chains must deal with counterfeit parts. One company is hoping that its blockchain-based tracking solution can help solve that while also providing transparency in the freight supply chain.

New Prime v. Oliveira tests use of arbitration in disputes in effort to avoid more costly and lengthier court hearings.

Data on producer prices shows that overall inflation pressure calmed further in December, weighed down again by declines in energy prices. Industry detail showed that trucking rates continued to surge, however, driven by another large gain in long-distance trucking rates.

The TCA Profitability Program, or TPP, is an exclusive performance benchmarking initiative. The program’s aim is to help member carriers improve performance and profitability.

The market for lumber slowed considerably in the second half of 2018 as the Chinese economy lost momentum and trade disputes with the U.S. persisted.

Toyota’s Concept-i Ride vehicle is designed to help people navigate life, especially those that may have mobility issues.

The SureFly is just one of the products that Workhorse is working on. Additional projects include electric delivery vans and electric pickups.

The Quadrobot is a modular design autonomous delivery vehicle, launching this year in both China and the U.S.

Ford will build vans and midsize pickups under an alliance formed with Volkswagen, while tapping into VW’s autonomous and electric expertise.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer indicated in a letter that ongoing trade talks will play a role in whether the Trump administration eventually will establish an exclusion process.

The Port of Rotterdam, which ranks 10th worldwide in terms of total throughput, can transport goods to a consumer base of about 40 million people.

“Excepted personnel will ensure USTR continues to conduct operations, including trade negotiations and enforcement.”

DOT chief Elaine Chao today called on manufacturers and Silicon Valley to help instill public confidence in the safety of autonomous vehicle technology.

“We’re doing this with real commercial shippers and real cargo,”

Volkswagen announced today that it would expand its Chattanooga assembly plant to build the next generation of electric vehicles.

Off late, electric scooter company Lime has been in the news for the wrong reasons. Batteries burning up, bike vandalism, fragile bikes breaking down, and the latest – abrupt braking issues.

The Nissan IMs electric vehicle concept drew raves from those in attendance at the Detroit Auto Show, but it is only one of several concept electric vehicles on display.

Dry van rates hit air-pocket last month and lose altitude; but other indicators of freight economy still looking up.

January’s World Economic Forum (WEF) white paper identified 16 factories that are leading the world economy in manufacturing technology. The United States has only one of these “lighthouse” facilities – Fast Radius’s Chicago factory, located in the city’s West Loop.

New car sales should remain strong next year, said the National Automobile Dealers Association, but one group is warning of trouble on the horizon.

Drivers most often commented on equipment issues, logistics, people, pay, and communication on the WorkHound platform in 2018. The platform compiles anonymous driver comments.

The objectives, released Friday, largely mirror separate objectives released ahead of Japan and NAFTA talks.

Economic and freight indicators are mixed, with some suggesting a downturn is coming, but others pointing to continued growth.

Everyone knew the quarter was weaker than it had been. The question is how much. Stock prices have reflected a significant slowdown.

U.S. technology developers warn the Commerce agency not to take broad, heavy-handed approach to controlling new technologies for national security purposes.

Restrictions on material from Bulgaria and China will remain in place until January 2024.

Sorting through emails, listening to endless phone calls: these are part of the information overload that the Smart Capacity platform seeks to address.

Australian livestock haulers will greatly benefit from a programme of livestock-haulage related road upgrades in Northern Australia. Road investment decisions have been informed a massive transport research and simulation project by the national scientific research agency.

Delivery robots, shifting supply chains due to trade wars, and automation slowing productivity in ports

TriumphPay presented its product to a room of 1,000 transportation, technology and finance executives at MarktWaves18 in Dallas, Texas.

Storing real-time data from aircraft and sea vessels on the cloud has been subject to a lot of debate, as the data that gets transmitted could be hacked in by people with nefarious motives. Blockchain could be a respite.

Downhill driving presents particular safety risks to truck driving. Australian law requires truckers to shift to a lower gear and not use the primary brake for the descent. National telematics body Transport Certification Australia has launched a new app that records the details of the descent for the purposes of improving safety and creating an audit trail. (Photo: Shutterstock).

The EU trade commissioner said on Thursday that Europe would not agree to accept U.S. quotas on automotive imports as part of any potential bilateral trade agreement.

Trade ministers from the three countries met in Washington on Wednesday as the governments continue efforts to reinvigorate the WTO.

“You don’t want to start a trade war with China for the same reason you don’t fight a land war with Russia: They will ‘out-suffer’ you.”

U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue made several remarks about U.S. trade policy during and after his State of American Business address Thursday.

Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin met with House leaders in a classified briefing to defend the decision to remove sanctions against three Russian companies.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce president Tom Donohue threw down $25,000 for ideas on how to pay for infrastructure. And told Washington to open back up.

After first saying in November that operating ratio for the year would be flat, a strong December has enabled it to tick up slightly.

Transflo used its slot during the MarketWaves 18 Demo Day to showcase how its app’s new user interface, along with the broader Transflo ecosystem can be used effectively to reduce time during the lifecycle of a load.

The Senate Finance chair wants to talk with congressional Democrats about what they have in mind for consideration of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

The South Korean ambassador confirmed his country’s parliamentary body has ratified provisions necessary to effectuate amendments to the agreement.

 “This is the biggest barrier from going where we are today to commercialization.”

Judging from the number of business exhibitors showing here for the first time, CES might well be rebranded as “UTS2019” – the Ubiquitous Technology Show.

The Teamsters Union is relying on the new Congress to help stave off insolvency of its Central States Pension Fund.

A strong economy led to more CO2 emissions from industry and from buildings, offsetting the move away from coal.

The Blockchain in Transport Alliance announces that it is working with the IEEE Industry Standards and Technology Organization (ISTO) to assist the Alliance in its standards activities.

Parliament amended the Brexit debate time table and demanded a new plan from Prime Minister Theresa May, making a ‘no deal’ Brexit somewhat less likely.

As administrators for the Black Smoke Matters group on Facebook worked to get a handle on the sudden explosion of members in the group, one administrator announced he is stepping away from the page and the group has posted what it is calling “Truckers Declarations for the 2019 Shutdown” on its website.

But Drewry’s senior analyst of ports and terminals cautions growth will slow in 2019.

The American Primary Aluminum Association said an OECD report supports application of Section 232 aluminum tariffs across import sources and countries.

Kenworth Trucks and Toyota will build 10 fuel cell-powered Kenworth tractors as part of a partnership to reduce emissions at the Port of Los Angeles by 2020.

Walmart will deploy autonomous vehicles to deliver groceries for customers, according to Tom Ward, senior vice president of digital operations for the retail giant. Autonomous vehicle company Udelv is providing the technology to make the pilot program possible.

Ride hailing companies are expanding services across various verticals like electric vehicles and autonomous driving cars, as growth of regular users in the cab hailing market seems to stagnate.

IBM estimates that less than one percent of all data is collected and analyzed. If all data was gathered and studied, “wonderful things would happen,” said Ginni Rometty, CEO and president of IBM.

It’s that time of year; time to look forward and plan for the year. In order to have a better idea of where the economy and industry are headed, we always like to look back and review from where we came and what happened.

Trucking companies could be exposed to increased liability while a challenge to FMCSA’s hours-of-service preemption in California is pending.

One of the oldest and largest privately-held transportation companies in the United States has joined BiTA.

The shutdown means that the travel expenses of government officials to the Las Vegas convention will not be paid, and their visits will be canceled. Transportation Sec. Chao is still expected to deliver a keynote.

Daimler will put a level four truck on the road in the U.S. this year, Daimler Trucks CEO Martin Daum said during a speech this morning at the Keep Memory Alive Center.

Daimler kicked off its CES presentations with a ride and drive event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and a workshop on the company’s EV strategy.

Wise Systems is building a fully automated system that allows teams to manage their entire fleet through cloud-based machine learning and provides dispatch routing that lets businesses plan, manage, and coordinate all aspects of deliveries with complete visibility.

SUKU wants to decentralize the supply chain and make it run more efficiently and cheaply through its blockchain-based, open-source platform.

The udelv autonomous delivery vehicle, with an electric range of about 60 miles, will enter a pilot program with XL Parts in Houston.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer: “The Trump administration is making clear that it takes monitoring and enforcement of U.S. trade agreements seriously.”

The Connecticut Port Authority said the 20-year agreement with the terminal operator offers “a substantial increase in revenue versus the current operations.”

The first week of 2019 saw three of America’s largest companies announce revenue expectation reductions, signaling a potential cooling of the U.S. shipping market.