Business

President and CEO of Washington, D.C.-based industry voice discusses regulatory issues that are most pressing to the future of container shipping.

Nicole D’Agostino is tapped as a business development manager; Don Davis is hired as vice president of strategic fleet solutions.

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The usual signs of an upturn in the trucking sector aren’t there, according to the Wall Street house, and Morgan wonders if a lot of the demand got pushed forward.

SONAR’s Headhaul Index map and the HAUL.JOT Index are both showing that the return to growth in inbound loaded container flow first seen in the Long Beach/LA port is continuing and gathering momentum.

Uber Freight introduces three new features to its app, making it more customizable and intuitive, and helping drivers and carriers better manage their loads and time schedules.

The Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA), an organization dedicated to determining best practices and standards for blockchain in the transportation/logistics/supply chain marketplace, is pleased to announce that GTG Technology Group has joined the Alliance.

Incongruent payment cycles make it hard for low-credit businesses to fund their operations. BAM is a Fintech solution for the world’s oldest method of raising capital, factoring.

The International Maritime Organization has released online programs that it says will help develop national strategies.

David Parrott is promoted to vice president, and Holly Cuccolo is hired to lead solutions design.

Europe’s largest port becomes the third in the region to start testing distributed ledger technology.

XPO Logistics was named to the Fortune Future 50 list of U.S. public companies while KeepTruckin and Transfix were both honored by Forbes as two companies likely to achieve unicorn status.

Trump government looks to phase out IMO2020 sulfur cap regulations; Shanghai Composite Index crashes by 3%; Amazon revisting cities for finalizing HQ2.

Uber Inc. has introduced Powerloop, an affiliate company to Uber Freight, which would rent out power-only trailers to carriers looking to grow their business and thereby ease the industry’s capacity crunch.

One quarter ago, their earnings were feared to have marked a peak. But there’s no signs of that reading the third quarter numbers.

The Trump administration suggested delaying the Jan. 1, 2020, implementation of a global regulation to lower the sulfur content in ship fuel, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The American Association of Port Authorities inducts officers; California businessman is sworn in; and longtime employee is promoted.

45 companies applied for a spot in the annual Innovators Pavilion at the FIA Futures & Options Expo, 15 finalists were chosen, 5 were selected by a panel of judges to present at the at FIA Innovator of the Year pitch competition, but only 1 came out on top.

The CEO of Heartland defends the company’s strategy that saw a lot less revenue but a lot more in profits.

Continuing efforts to fight what he says are unfair trade practices, the administration of President Donald Trump announced the U.S. will pull out of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) treaty, which sets how much can be charged for international shipping.

The FreightWaves Research Institute has announced the list of 55 voters who will be choosing the inaugural winners of the Freight.Tech 25 awards, and it’s who’s who of freight leaders.

The credit rating agency says that well-capitalized, risk-sharing joint ventures between incumbent automakers have the best chance of successfully bringing AV products to market safely and at scale.

Though blockchain is a technology with immense potential, there needs to be some commercial incentive for food supply chains to adopt it in its mainstream processes – the absence of which might let the technology remain constrained to pilot programs.

Also in today’s issue: a beating shows the dangers to truckers, even off the road; an Indian company looks to disrupt that company’s trucking sector.

A significant falloff in revenue went along with the rise in profitability as the operating ratio took a big leap forward.

Lithium is going to be in there, the industry wants cobalt out or lowered, and a few other metals are lining up to take its place in the next generation of batteries.

Agency has 45 days to study changes planned by Los Angeles and Long Beach terminals.

Supply chain stakeholders use volume pricing rates when they need a spot quote for shipments that don’t fit within traditional LTL or truckload parameters.

A significant falloff in revenue went along with the rise in profitability as the operating ratio took a big leap forward.

VAYAVISION, an Israeli startup that works on providing raw data fusion and perception systems for autonomous vehicles has raised $8 million in seed financing, which it plans to invest in its productization process.

From on-demand trucking to blockchain, loadboards and freight matching, the list of companies bringing innovative technologies to the freight industry is growing by the day, which makes the 100 that have made the cut to be honored by the FreightWaves Research Institute as part of its inaugural Freight.Tech 100 all the more special.

Housing starts fell more than expected in September, as the impact of Hurricane Florence caused a massive decline in construction activity in the South.  This put a damper on what would otherwise be a decent report and leaves some uncertainty about the underlying strength of one of the key components of freight demand.

The Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) is pleased to announce that BP, a global energy leader, has joined the organization.

Although some of its individual ORs were less than a year ago, the company said its 14-month record on OR is its best ever.

Linx Partners, a New York-based private equity firm, announced that it successfully sold its investment in Grammer Industries to Stellex Capital Management.

Be mindful of new EU sanctions against chemical weapons proliferation as they relate to U.S. companies’ European branches and affiliates.

The White House has notified Congress, as required by the Trade Promotion Authority, to begin negotiations for three separate trade agreements.

Action could be reversed if negotiations with the Universal Postal Union are successful.

35 companies are being spotlighted in Venture Atlanta 2018, double the number of last year. These companies are already successful and making strides in a variety of venture and tech-related firms. Here’s a brief look at 10 of these companies, each of whom had a mere 5 minutes to pitch.

It started with an open nomination period, and after culling through hundreds of submissions, the FreightWaves Research Institute has announced the inaugural Freight.Tech 100 companies.

Dave DeWalt has been a part of creating 17,000 jobs, $20 billion in shareholder value, $2 billion in revenue, and has 32 years in high tech.

Despite an exceptionally strong year for trailer orders, Wabash National’s stock took a hit when the company guided downward for its Q3 results, blaming higher input costs and labor issues.

Industrial output continued to push ahead in September, signaling that one of the key drivers of freight demand remained solid at the end of the 3rd quarter. Production was restrained slightly by the impact from Hurricane Florence, but not enough to prevent growth in the sector from reaching a near 8-year high.

Electric bikes and scooters are dominating the transit scene in U.S. metropolitan areas, and residents are beginning to see them as less of a solution and more of nuisance. Groups representing livestock, bee and fish haulers have petitioned DOT to allow them to drive up to 15 hours each day.

As e-bike sharing startups flush cities with bikes for rent at dirt cheap prices, city administrations need to take a look in and understand the impact an unregulated e-biking scene could have on its roads.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee fired up over U.S. Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke’s proposal.

The latest on legislative, regulatory, administrative, and enforcement issues across the industry.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control has extended for a fourth time the expiration deadlines of three general licenses involving U.S. business dealings in the oil and gas sector.

Retail activity eked out a meager gain for the second consecutive month, as a sharp decline in spending at restaurants weighed down the headline numbers. Retail conditions remain generally solid, however, as the sector looks poised for healthy growth to round out the year.

Avancargo, a freight logistics startup from Argentina has on-boarded over 18,000 trucks on its platform and is helping them connect with shippers digitally.

BM recently announced that its food supply chain network, IBM Food Trust, has become generally available and is now open for any member of the food ecosystem to join. The network aims to improve food safety and reduce waste.

The Indian trucking ecosystem suffers from a lack of visibility and transparency, which Vaahika is looking to address by digitizing logistics and creating a bridge between carriers and shippers.

Lawyer Carlos Rodriguez offers insight on Federal Maritime Commission and hours-of-service regulations and opportunities in e-commerce.

TRAXENS expects to have 100,000 “smart containers” in use by the end of 2019.

Individuals knowing of a reason why an applicant should not receive a license should contact the Office of Transportation Intermediaries.

The Coast Guard found that Iraqi ports “failed to maintain effective anti-terrorism measures” and vessels require onboard security if they’re bound for the U.S.

Edge technology and infrastructure will play a key role in everything from autonomous, to final-mile delivery applications, to IoT solutions and smart cities as a whole.

Mike Roeth, executive director of NACFE, spoke last week at the Meritor/P.S.I. Fleet Technology Event, telling the audience that one of the lessons he learned from NACFE’s Run on Less program in 2016 was that drivers still have plenty of influence over fuel economy, despite technology advances.

Rail seems to be benefiting from higher diesel prices and capacity constraints with SONAR data suggesting more loads are shifting to intermodal in shorter lengths of haul.

Syfan Logistics, a third-party logistics and transportation company, has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA).

Offshore wind farm business could be the biggest catch reeled in yet.

Greek ship tracking company appoints chief operating officer; North American stevedore and marine terminal operator names director of business development.

The president has 60 days to review the determination of intellectual property infringement.

Massive scale, cyclical and structural advantages, and best-in-class technology make C.H. Robinson a ‘buy’ despite a transports selloff, say analysts at Stifel and Goldman Sachs.

Chainstack, a multi-cloud and multi-protocol Platform as a Service that empowers businesses to rapidly build, deploy and manage decentralized networks and services, has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA)..

Netradyne, a startup that uses computer vision to understand and improve driver behavior, has raised $21 million in its Series B funding, led by Microsoft’s venture arm, M12.

Norfolk Southern accused of using shortline railroad as a “chess piece” to maintain monopolistic control over intermodal access in and out of Norfolk International Terminal.

Hunt anticipates a $28.9 million hit to earnings when the award is combined with a driver settlement and charge related to a customer bankruptcy.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States is expanding reviews of foreign acquisitions involving sensitive U.S. technologies and intellectual property.

Legislation authorizing billions of dollars to improve U.S. ports, dams and harbors heads to the president for signature into law.

   The White House on Tuesday announced a new national initiative to fight illicit wildlife trafficking.     Officials from the Justice, State and Interior departments will co-chair the U.S. task […]

The Trump administration told international law enforcement agencies in London this week that it will contribute more than $90 million next year.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted today, posting its biggest loss since May 29; meanwhile the S&P 500 is on a losing streak that hasn’t been matched in upwards of 2 years.

Most of the hit is coming from an arbitration award with BNSF. Its conference call with investors is a change in its normal practice.

Data on producer prices shows that overall inflation pressure continued to stabilize at the end of the 3rd quarter, rising modestly in September.  Rates within trucking posted stronger growth during the month, led by big increases in LTL pricing.

Loadsmart, a logistics technology company that uses data analytics to provide instant quotes and capacity, has raised its Series A financing led by Maersk Growth.

Chairman of the board elected to lead railway; managing director hired in Singapore.

Gains in rates will moderate in coming quarters, but underlying issues of driver availability will keep market tight.

Shipwell, a freight shipping platform that makes shipping a seamless experience for SMEs, has raised $10 million in its Series A financing round, led by Fifth Wall VC.

Potentially devastating hurricane forecast to make landfall Wednesday

Container shipping giant is expanding beyond maritime transportation.

Major drayage operator at U.S. busiest port complex looks to all-electric truck to hit emissions reduction goal.

Hyperloop is a technology that has been touted an exciting prospect in the transportation vertical. What is it about and how could it help improve the industry?

Freight Alley expands with the addition of Grupo Sesé, Carrefour turns to blockchain, Airbus will name its new CEO, and more in Today’s Pickup.

EXL (NASDAQ: EXLS), a leading operations management and analytics company, today announced it has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA).

Shippers, NVOCCs and ocean carriers all are at risk with legislation taking effect in California at the start of the year.

The company will begin employing the “marine fuel recovery” charge on Jan. 1, but the full effect will not be felt until late next year.

Census Bureau identifies 284,168 companies responsible for exporting $1.292 trillion in goods.

Differences remain in what is best path for drivers to follow, but all agree that port congestion is a problem that needs fixing.

Drewry says futures indicate low-sulfur marine fuel prices may rise 55 percent when IMO 2020 mandate kicks in.

Job growth stumbled in September as Hurricane Florence likely disrupted results during the month. Unemployment continued to trend down in the economy however, and labor market conditions remain generally tight. Hiring within trucking continued to advance during the month, growing for the 5th consecutive month.  

Indices are clearly signaling that the container volume coming in through the Long Beach/LA port is surging and bodes well for the holiday shopping season.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official tells COAC members that export enforcement remains a top priority for the agency.

The paper application cost of a new ocean transportation intermediary license will increase from $1,055 to $1,962.

A CFO with a “different background” is taking over in Switzerland; a sales position is created and filled in the Netherlands.

Venture capital-backed firm incorporates road, weather and hours-of-service data to providing real-time tracking.

In addition to funding the FAA for the next five years, the bill includes language that could be used to further integrate unmanned aircraft systems, like drones, into the commercial landscape.

As part of a wide-ranging DOT initiative to prepare for driverless vehicles, FMCSA will address regulations that could be slowing the development of these technologies in the commercial vehicle space.

In partnership with Reliance Partners …As we witness an open flow of IT information from vehicles of all kinds, it is critical to consider firewalls and anti-malware protection as well as cyber liability insurance coverage.

In her final conference call as CEO, PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi presented their third-quarter results, once more pointing to transportation costs that threatened to eat into profits.