Business

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 force established by President Obama to lead the National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking.    “Record high demand for wildlife products, coupled with inadequate preventative […]

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.

GuardKnox, an Israeli vehicle cybersecurity startup is bringing in technology from the defense sector to make sure vehicles stay safe from data breach and cyberattacks.

Pantos Logistics, the leading logistics company in South Korea, has become the latest member to join the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA).

What do you get when you combine a last-mile delivery solution company with a semi? You get an autonomous truck startup that’s skipped a few steps ahead of the competition.

Legislation includes provisions to require advance electronic data for international postal shipments and to strengthen DOT’s alcohol and drug testing practices.

The FMC commissioner is meeting interested parties at ports around the country as part of the second phase of the Fact Finding 28 investigation.

UN trade and development body UNCTAD has outlined seven key challenges to maintain a positive momentum for the freight markets in global trade.

Senate passes legislation paving way for airport funding and streamlining certifications.

UNCTAD expects volumes across all maritime segments to grow in 2018. However, it warns that trade wars can disrupt the global trading system and there is a need to assess the implications of vertical integration within the industry, addressing any potential negative effects.

The United States – Mexico – Canada Agreement (USMCA) protects multinational oil and gas companies’ investments in Mexico from incoming President López Obrador.

Survey data from the manufacturing and service sectors continue to point towards robust growth in the 3rd quarter. Manufacturing activity slipped slightly from multi year highs during the month, but service activity has pushed to record highs despite shortages in labor and trucking capacity.

Additional robotic deployment comes as XPO readies for seasonal rush.

Industry participants want practical applications. They want to know what’s happening, and whether or not it’s an actual solution for their needs.

Newly launched venture called Transmission aims to bring low-cost ELD product to drayage and intermodal motor carrier.

Driver churn continues to plague the industry as the turnover rate at large truckload carriers has reached its highest point in five years.

Stifel’s John Larkin captivated the audience with a wide-ranging presentation on transportation and logistics across modes during Tuesday’s lunch at the McLeod User Conference 2018.

Just weeks after a federal judge sided with the company and decertified a class of about 11,000 current and former drivers who filed suit, J.B. Hunt has reportedly reached a $15 million settlement with the drivers.

Logistics company argues that it has improved conditions at warehouse one year after its purchase.

New Prime vs. Oliveira aims to settle who can arbitrate and who is a transportation worker under Federal Arbitration Act.

Residual fuels that have “undergone rigorous fit-for-use assessments” will comply with the International Maritime Organization’s low-sulfur cap.

International nonprofit names members of advisory council and board of directors; payment, supply chain and logistics companies announce hires.

In a time when consumers are opting to spend less time in the kitchen, restaurants and grocery stores, convenience is king and grocery delivery services are popping up everywhere.

The depreciating Indian rupee coupled with rising fuel prices have hit the Indian transportation corridor quite hard. The Indian government is now coming up with new regulations and innovative transportation practices to ease pressure.

Two of McLeod’s clients talk about how they use profitability analysis tools daily and how they drive better business decisions.

Even for small decisions you make, the computer is calculating millions of small permutations every time. If you do this thousands and thousands of times, the tool gets better and better.

Oil producer group reports in its annual outlook that it believes compliance will grow after 2020.

Capacity creator, waterfall tendering, and max buys based on near-time market rates should help make brokers even more productive.

It’s taken several years, but the eight biggest manufacturers of rear underride equipment now get the top grade from the IIHS.

Japanese classification society says a large number of shipowners are planning ballast water treatment system installations in a narrow time window.

New president leads domestic and international operations; French company appoints executive board; and Jamaican maritime leader chairs subcommittee.

With the explosion in tech over the past few years in transportation, it’s increasingly urgent to provide real solutions with systems integration capabilities that let drivers, carriers, accountants, managers, and brokers tap into innovation and information.

A roundup of economic data releases and events over the past month, and view of trends worth watching in October. Freight demand conditions remained generally solid during the month, though international trade and housing remain trouble areas. Supply within trucking looks to be expanding, and hires in the industry continued to climb

Start-up looks to spread adoption of more nimble APIs to replace legacy EDIs used widely in transportation industry.

Smart cities end up producing millions of data points every minute. City administrations need to wake up to the potential of data analytics and think of a way to utilize data and reduce urban traffic congestion.

Tender volumes are taking many by surprise, but not those that understand what is happening with the use of ELD’s by small carriers, especially in the dry van segment.

An annual review of the logistics business gets published; dueling intermodal views; and a startup gets a big chunk of funding.

Concerns over a global trade war have eased this morning, as Canada agreed late Sunday to join a trade deal between the US and Mexico. The deal makes modest revisions to the previous North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and clears up some of the uncertainty surrounding the trade environment.

The annual report by Infosys and others reflects an industry that is largely satisfied with the work that is being done, but with a recognition of areas that need improvement.

In the final run-up to the midnight deadline, Canadian and U.S. trade negotiators reached agreement on the language for a NAFTA replacement.

Federal judge finds chemical manufacturer and NVOCC liable, not the shipowner or liner company.

JAXPORT has named Jacqueline Glass as its new director of procurement services. Glass has more than 25 years of experience as a supply chain professional focused on strategic sourcing and contract negotiation. Most recently she served as the senior manager of procurement for the Jacksonville Transportation Authority. In her new role, Glass also will be […]

China’s National Bureau of Statistics reported slowing growth pointing to weaker exports as the China Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) dropped to 50.8 percent, down 0.5 percentage points from the previous month to the second lowest reading in 12 months.

There is incredible demand right now for frac sand in the Permian Basin. With the explosive growth in fracking, customers were demanding solutions faster than GE could build them.

In the latest BiTA webinar, we reviewed the state of blockchain with industry experts. Mitch Hixon, Executive Vice President of Membership Engagement, BiTA spoke with Rachel Parker Sealy, Partner, PwC Advisory and Kris Kersey, Director, PwC Advisory, providing insights from PwC’s 2018 Global Blockchain Survey of 600 executives from 15 territories.

The SEC announced that they have settled their lawsuit with the embattled Tesla CEO. Regardless of the outcome, shareholders win.

Update: Latest labor action brings attention to drayage drivers as NFI says union is trying to “force” representation on drivers.

Discussions around the topic of autonomous trucks would not be complete without it addressing three main concerns – job security of drivers, data privacy, and liability issues.

The US trade deficit in goods widened for the third consecutive month in August as another decline exports was paired with a modest increase in imports.  The total value of traded volume fell for the month, but remains generally strong relative to last year.

“We are genuinely saints and sinners,” said Judge Collier, “and what we see in this white collar crime is the duality.” When the court is asked to consider all the good, it must also consider the laws that he broke again and again over a period of half a decade.

The popular electronic logging device (ELD) exemption for agricultural haulers is up for renewal before Sept. 30, but it’s longer-term fate may hang with Congress’ ability to pass a budget – or at least a Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government open beyond Sunday.

Commissioner Rebecca Dye will meet with interested parties in California and Florida in October.

Witnesses to appear before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation include the Federal Railroad Administration administrator.

ATA chairman outline group’s legislative priorities for this year.

Action that will be taken includes advance manifests for goods from China arriving in Canada and being trucked across the U.S. border.

Yesterday Uber settled a lawsuit with all 50 states and the District of Columbia, agreeing to pay $148M for covering up a 2016 breach of driver and passenger data.

The lawsuit asserts that water “poured in through a gap in city levees,” and it says the gap was created by a railway underpass owned by CSX.

Factory orders for durable goods rose in August, driven by a large increase in commercial aircraft orders. Orders historically are a leading indicator of future shipments, and August’s results suggest that freight demand on the durable side of the economy should remain solid.

Germany has spent $580 billion towards renewable energy infrastructure, but still would fall woefully short of its emissions reduction goals of 2020. Andreas Kuhlmann, chairman of German Energy Agency explains why.

The higher cost of domestic steel already is saddling car manufacturers with “hundreds of millions of dollars in new, unplanned cost.”

The state’s 25,000 port truck drivers “routinely face wage theft and illegal pay deductions while hauling goods for the world’s biggest brands,” the bill’s sponsor said.

Investigation has determined that ransomware was involved in the “serious cybersecurity incident.”

FedEx, the giant US courier company, proactive adopter blockchain technology and BiTA member, has joined Linux hosted open-source project Hyperledger to further advance the use of distributed ledger in logistics, and transportation.

CEO retiring and COO moving up; aerospace logistics company filling newly created commercial role.

Today, the long-awaited final results are in.

The investment bank issued a report this morning calling for one more spot rate peak in the fourth quarter, followed by a softer 2019 that should still be 12% above the 2012-7 cycle. New price targets were also issued.

Both new home sales and home starts showed some improvement in August, ending months of disappointing activity. Existing home sales failed to expand for the fifth straight month however, and housing in general remains a weak area for freight demand.

Iran’s truckers are on strike in 100 cities for the second time this year, causing fuel shortages. Meanwhile, the Iranian rial is rapidly losing its value, and the country’s biggest crude oil customers are cutting it off.

The report on online transportation platforms does not draw any conclusions about why it’s happening, but it has plenty of data to back up that it is occurring.

Readers of the printed newspaper are on a decline. It is essential that distribution companies that cater to this audience adapt to change, and optimize their logistics processes to increase profits.

How can something so small be such a big deal? For two very significant reasons.