Business

Spireon has new financial backing and a market that still has a lot of trailers without GPS tracking.

On the agenda for the day: AOBRD transition, personal conveyance, sleeper berth rule and plenty of other issues for FMCSA’s top attorney.

Drayage to be test bed as OTR market remains out of EV reach.

Trucker Path’s acquihire to end 2017 saved FreightTech from a hangover that might have made funding for other trucking startups difficult

Surge in low-sulfur fuel use by ships could usher in two to three year period of uncertainty in refining industry.

Some of the stocks that were getting hammered at midday recovered on the back of the broader market rebound by the close. One exception: Ryder.

The new tool will allow machine learning to accept and interpret counteroffers from carriers, and decide if they’re too high or just right.

Ryder System (NYSE: R) reported record total revenue and record operating revenue for the third quarter. Both total and operating revenue grew across all business segments, which the company attributed to new business and higher volumes.

When you consider all the implications of the service, it may be one of the biggest deals happening in the industry that you haven’t heard about.

Growth in the US economy slowed slightly in the third quarter of the year, but remains strong headed into the end of 2018 and consumers and inventory building carried the load.

There’s no particular pattern in seeing which stocks have declined significantly more than the drop in the overall S&P 500 index.

Conduit’s goal is to help shippers save time, uncover price anomalies, and manage operational data.

Negotiating objectives are being considered for a potential U.S.-Japan trade deal that aims to “address both tariff and non-tariff barriers and to achieve fairer, more balanced trade.”

Greenbriar Equity invests an undisclosed amount in Spireon, becoming its primary investor in the process. Spireon believes this partnership would help it with operational flexibility and in expanding its network across different verticals in the transportation sector.

It was a better quarter for three companies representing different sectors: 3PL, intermodal and truckload.

OD’s top line revenue grew 21.2% year over year to $1.06B and earnings per share swelled 71% to $2.12. Even more impressively, Old Dominion achieved a 78.4% operating ratio, a company (and possibly industry) record and 280 bps improvement over Q3 2017.

The Unified Plan 2020 is in place in one corridor, with another to come. So far, UP executives are boasting about its success.

Tesla’s best quarter ever is a huge deal: a rich mix of high end Model 3s and lower capex helped. We still don’t think TSLA shares are rationally priced.

KeepTruckin, a tech firm that offers fleet management solutions, based in San Francisco, has expanded operations in the Music City.

Daimler Trucks sold more vehicles in quarter three than a year ago, but its parent company, Daimler AG saw revenue flat for the third quarter at $45.8 billion (40.2 billion Euros).

Uber Inc. has introduced ‘Clean Air Plan’ – a strategy that helps reduce air pollution in London by replacing Uber cars that run on gas with all-electric variants by 2025.

But lead agency for commercial vehicle safety says autonomous trucking will serve drivers well and make industry better.

The rapid growth in investment resembles the Fintech sector from 2006-10, but TransportTech is still an understudied and less well understood field for venture investment.

Knight-Swift Transportation reported strong earnings on Wednesday, and it was immediately met with praise from Morgan Stanley analyst Ravi Shanker, who wrote in a note that the company’s stock is a “relative buy, at worst, in our view.”

UPS Inc. will expand its “My Choice” customized delivery program to the business-to-business segment during the first quarter of next year.

You heard it here first. An actual real-live truckload shipment has worked across supply chain stakeholders to create an industry-first: a shipment using blockchain.

Although a full reveal of its strategy was not part of the conference call, the discussion of the “clean sheets” program shows that Norfolk Southern has undertaken a review of its operations on its way to how much of the precision railroading model it will adopt.

CEO David Parker expects very strong demand in Q4 and Covenant to shift further to dedicated capacity in 2019 in an effort to “get deeper into the supply chain.”

Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, as stepped down from being chairman of Virgin Hyperloop One, stating that the company needs a more “hands-on chair” to invest in its growth.

Even as the trucking industry struggles to identify new drivers, there is a segment of the U.S. population that is facing unemployment rates above 27% that are looking for jobs. Can felons fill the driver gap?

Crude-by-rail is big growth driver for quarter as rail remains key outlet for Canadian crude.

Infrastructure projects “will strengthen our ports, harbors and waterways and will create and sustain jobs,” says Oregon lawmaker Peter DeFazio.

While the index is still showing significant gains over last year, there clearly is a decline from recent highs.

Revenue forecasts were reached only because of a one-time tax event. But by almost any other standard, it was a strong quarter.

Sears was also a pioneer in all things omnichannel and what we now call last mile. Why did they fail to innovate this time around?

Supply chain software company E2open is in the process of acquiring the world’s largest neutral maritime network INTTRA, in its bid to expand its services to the ocean container industry.

Also in the pickup: IMO meets with 2020 on the horizon; Rhine levels are causing plants to shut down; C.R. England and its charitable cause

It may mean less now in an era of higher pay, but if total hours don’t exceed the minimum wage, it could be an issue because of this ruling.

Since its launch, Convoy has been innovating with technological solutions aimed at reinventing the way freight moves across the country. To help fulfill that mission, the company is now expanding beyond its Seattle, WA, roots to a second office located in Atlanta.

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.

Trucking Freight Futures are coming. Learn more at MarketWaves18 with our complementary and comprehensive Trucking Freight Futures training!

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.