Business

Most shippers, carriers, and students of the freight market spend most of their time focused on a particular mode. It makes intuitive sense that you would focus on the mode that you spend the most time in which you are buying services or providing services. Net result, there are plenty of experts in rail, truck, and intermodal/container freight, and with the ongoing prodigious growth of e-commerce, there is a growing number of experts in parcel freight. That said, we continue to be surprised how little attention overall is given to airfreight.

Automotive cybersecurity is even more critical in the era of connected vehicles. Trillium has finally delivered a solution that’s unhackable… so far. 

Some early adopters of the Tesla Semi are receiving another advantage – help with designing and building electric charging stations for the trucks.

SDG&E is working on electrification projects in the region of San Diego to expand its electric vehicle charging network and cater to the growing EV needs of the region.

Spot container rates from Shanghai to Europe, the Mediterranean and the United States all increased since last week, according to the Shanghai Shipping Exchange’s Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI).

The port is enhancing its entire 42-kilometer port area – from the City of Rotterdam all the way into the North Sea – with IBM Internet of Things (IoT) technologies […]

It wasn’t that long ago that many analysts believed the demise of Blackberry was close at hand. They were so wrong.

The container terminal operator handled 14.41 million TEUs in 2017, a 1.4 percent decline from the prior year.

Cargo Network Services has appointed Michael White to serve as president, succeeding Lionel van der Walt, who left the organization earlier this year to become executive vice president and CEO […]

JD.com, China’s largest retailer and one of Asia’s largest internet companies, joins BiTA 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is transforming revenue collection at ports of entry from hard currency and paper check, to online and electronic options through its Revenue Modernization Program.

A former Canadian prime minister, former Mexican commerce secretary, and former U.S. ambassador to Mexico said during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing that Washington should recognize the benefits the […]

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has added five more North Korean shipping companies and their vessels to its growing sanctions list.

Sabrewing’s battery-less, gas-electric hybrid can fly anytime, anywhere, over and around weather –- and can carry up to 3,000 lbs. of cargo up to 5,000 miles.

Warehouse development and lease prices are rising through the roof as available land dwindles, and the vacancy rate hovers at an historic low. Shippers and 3PLs who want to expand must optimize the operations of their existing facilities.

With one round of electronic logging device (ELD) madness behind, and another likely upcoming ahead of the April 1 hard enforcement date, Transflo President & CEO Frank Adelman says his company is prepared for another round of drivers rushing to get compliant devices.

Fleet Complete, a provider of global IoT provider of mission-critical fleet, asset, and mobile workforce management solutions, has expanded its European operations with the acquisition of Ecofleet, a telematics provider in the Nordic and Baltic regions of Europe.

When capacity is tight and rates are high, to get the best deals, it pays to be a Preferred Shipper. But what is that, and how do you become one?

Conditions improved slightly for shippers in November according to FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index (SCI). The SCI recorded a -8.9 for November, slightly better than October but still solidly negative, the firm said.

As seemingly simple as the rule sounds – ensure food is safe during transport – it is anything but. The FDA’s food safety regulation, says, Sam Rizzitelli, transportation practice lead for the Americas for Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, has opened up new concerns from an insurance impact.

Energy Transport Group, a diversified cross-border transport company serving North America, has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA). 

Now North America’s largest provider of truckload services, Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings recorded a net income of $447.6 million on revenues of $1.4 billion for the quarter, according to the newly […]

With all the purchasing of team apparel and snacks that takes place around the Super Bowl, it’s imperative those goods make it to retail locations on time. It takes a Big Game logistics operation to make it happen.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce adds two to International Affairs division; Hoyer Group appoints chief financial officer; CEVA hires managing director for UK, Ireland and Nordics; and CSafe Global names two European […]

Knight Trucking put 20% of its capacity on the spot market in Q4 2017 and it paid off big. Swift has also been improving its operations, and management said it will focus on fixing its reefer business in 2018.

FedEx, in association with BiTA, is looking to create more transparency and data security in logistics operations through blockchain technology.

Telematics and data expert joins FreightWaves to help develop thought leadership and a forum for interpreting telematics and market data for the freight markets 

Typically, about 12% of any fleet of drivers on any given day or night will fall well outside the company’s operational safety parameters. How can you use your ELD and GPS data to improve driver safety and productivity? Compliance doesn’t necessarily mean safer.

Reliance Partners, a leader in transportation and logistics insurance and risk management, announced today that it joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA). 

The race to self-driving and electric vehicles has focused medium and heavy-duty vehicles lately, even though many believe local and urban is the best place for electric trucks. udelv, though, is focusing on that last-mile.

Aidant Technologies, a data integration firm headquartered in Atlanta, GA, has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA).

During Tuesday evening’s State of the Union address, President Donald Trump called on Congress to develop legislation that generates at least $1.5 trillion for new infrastructure.

Global air cargo demand rose 9 percent last year, more than double the 3.6 percent annual growth recorded in 2016, according to the latest data from the International Air Transport […]

Despite C.H. Robinson’s full-year net income slipping 1.7 percent from 2016, in the fourth quarter alone, the third-party logistics provider’s net income surged 24.7 percent from 2016’s fourth quarter.

Tiger Cool Express appoints chief commercial officer and executive vice president of operations, FedEx names president of FedEx Express Europe and CEO of TNT, DACHSER promotes COO of air and […]

After reviewing 30 site locations, Nikola Motor Co. has announced that Buckeye, AZ – just outside Phoenix – will be the location for its manufacturing headquarters.

American Global Logistics announced its membership in the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA).

Covenant Chairman and CEO David Parker said 2018 will bring wage hikes, rate increases, and unprecedented opportunities for team carriers due to the ELD mandate.

General Motors (GM) has positioned itself to be “the prime mass-market manufacturer of self-driving cars” according to a report by Automotive IQ.

Even trucking original equipment manufacturers are not immune to spot freight volatility. Because of that, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), is working to shore up its supply chain relationship with contracted freight carriers through a new digital platform.

A quote by Oren Harari sums up a lot of how CEO Trevor Milton feels about Nikola has achieve with the hydrogen fuel-cell electric semi: “The electric light did not come from the continuous improvement of candles.”

Two-year-old startup NEXT Trucking has secured $21 million in a Series B round of financing, led by Sequoia Capital, as it seeks to stand out in a crowded field of competitors looking to match available truck capacity with freight.

Logistics Plus Inc. (LP), a leading worldwide provider of transportation, logistics and supply chain solutions, is proud to announce that it has joined the Blockchain In Transport Alliance (BiTA) to help develop and set standards for blockchain technology within the transportation industry.

At the existing pace of bridge repair and replacement work, it will take 37 years to remedy all the nation’s current structurally deficient bridges, according to a report released by […]

Shipment volumes for the month slipped 0.3 percent from November, but were up 7.2 percent compared with December 2016, while expenditures were up 0.3 percent sequentially and 16 percent year-over-year, […]

Despite all this good news, an underlying problem remains for many truckers – getting paid. There are still some shippers that are dragging their feet when it comes to settling their bills, and that leaves carriers short of cash.

The Mediterranean seaport saw container volumes and total cargo traffic jump 32.3 percent and 26 percent, respectively, from 2016 levels.

UPS chief commercial officer retires; Union Pacific names western regional vice president; and CFI promotes new president, and hires senior vice president of sales and operations.

The American oil boom has already electrified the wider economy and increased demand for truckload miles; could it also stabilize fuel prices long term?

The burning of natural gas instead of coal offers important and immediate benefits, including reduced air and water pollution, fewer smokestack carbon emissions, less power plant water use, greater flexibility of the power grid, and renewed economic development in gas-rich regions of the country.

Multi-awarded European tech startup OriginTrail has developed a blockchain protocol for the food supply chain, Food Safety Magazine reports

Transparency18 is designed to be a unique freight conference for participants. Towards that end, the two-day event will dedicate one day to live product demonstrations. Companies are encouraged to sign up to demonstrate their innovative solutions.

FedEx Corp. will accelerate pay increases for hourly employees this year as part of its response to the new tax law and expected benefits from it. The company will also make investments in facilities in Indianapolis and Memphis.

Robert Mottley’s larger-than-life presence, irresistible charm and sense of humor eased both anxious and reserved shipping executives during interviews, and allowed them to discuss their businesses, as well as careers, […]

Global economic output is estimated to have grown 3.7 percent last year and is projected to accelerate to 3.9 percent in 2018 and 2019, according to the International Monetary Fund’s […]

United States gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 2.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017, according to the “advance” estimate from the Department of Commerce, down […]

Global logistics giant DHL recently launched the Global Trade Barometer, a first of its kind solution that helps in predicting cross-border trade flows and growth in global trade based on logistics big data and artificial intelligence models.

In the future of freight, relationships will take a back seat to data and how carriers use the data to speed price and capacity discovery.

The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia, better known by its local acronym Bahri, has finally received its latest carrier classified as a very large crude-oil carrier (VLCC).

Alexa is turning out to be one helpful person. The AI-based gadget’s utility was given a new spin, thanks to an innovation brought to life by Garmin Speak.

Building “a trust-free and distributed business ecosystem to enable transparent information flow, efficient collaboration, and high-speed value transferring” is the business model of blockchain-as-a-service (BaaS) company VeChain. In other words, it’s seeking to stop counterfeiters.

Geneva, Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has officially announced its roll on-roll off (RORO) service for West African routes, the Handy Shipping Guide reports.

Online retailers and buyers alike often face the conundrum of being made to choose between fast delivery and low-cost shipping. Buyers are forced to pay extra to ensure same-day delivery of items.

The nature of the ship-management business makes it hard for the companies to pay attention to details, thus accumulating uncontrolled expenses over time, reducing profits and making the overall process inefficient.

No surprise, the e-commerce trend has entrenched itself into the lives of consumers — for better or worse — and there’s no turning back now. Another round of retailers this year has filed for bankruptcy.

It is a well-worn axiom in the investing world that “the most expensive thing on Wall Street is an ego.” It’s true in the world of investing money, but it’s true for the rest of the world as well.

According to a survey of participants on a recent FTR webinar, only 11% of the people believe the ELD impact has been severe. A full 52% say the impact has been moderate while 34% say it is minimal. Three percent don’t believe it’s had any effect.”

The growth in container transport volumes helped Orient Overseas Container Line increase its liner revenues 15.4 percent compared with the previous year, according to the Hong Kong-based ocean carrier’s most […]

CMA CGM hires group senior vice president of IT and transformations, while Port of Stockton elects new chair and vice-chair for 2018, and Intermarine names Mexico country manager.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said the World Trade Organization rules are not keeping China in check, and the United States should not have supported China’s 2001 entry […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s post-9/11 supply chain security program is ready for an update, but the industry has remained concerned about implementing changes.

A draft of President Donald Trump’s national infrastructure plan was leaked to and reported on by Axios on Monday, showing how the White House intends to incentivize infrastructure funding by […]

Samsung SDS has successfully completed a pilot run of its blockchain platform Nexledger in the shipping industry of South Korea, along with different players in the market including shipping logistics companies, the Korean Customs, and major ocean liners.

Thousands of European cryptocurrency debit card users were left in the lurch when Visa suddenly discontinued their services to crypto debit card issuer WaveCrest earlier this month.

ATRI research identified trucking industry costs of $63.4 billion as a result of congestion on the nation’s highways. That cost generates from 996 million lost hours of industry productivity, the equivalent of 362,000 truck drivers sitting still for an entire year.

Paris-based global logistics group Gefco has confirmed its acquisition of Spanish transport logistics company GLT, the Handy Shipping Guide reports.

Call it the Internet of Things, the Sharing Economy, a result of the ELD mandate, or the emergence of blockchain-style applications, but we are witnessing a digital gold rush when it comes to developing technologies bent on improving supply chains.

The Teamsters have opened negotiations with UPS on a new contract and they have a significant request: no drones or driverless vehicles.

Redwood Logistics (Redwood), a top-100 3PL provider and one of the fastest growing logistics companies in North America, announced today it has been selected as the newest member of the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA).

In what will come as little surprise to anyone who has recently renewed their commercial insurance policies, rates are going up. The bad news is that there doesn’t appear to be an immediate end in sight, according to a new report from A.B. Best.

Jacksonville Port Authority (JaxPort) selects chief operating officer, while Norfolk Southern (NS) names executive vice president and chief legal officer.

Global ag giant Louis Dreyfus Company has successfully concluded its first international shipment utilizing blockchain technology.

Industry-wide ELD adoption is forging a yellow brick road for blockchain and other technological marvels.

Yesterday Maersk Line announced that it joined the New York Shipping Exchange (NYSHEX), a new digital platform offering standardized contracts, locked-in prices, and space security for ocean container shipping.

With the ELD mandate enforcement date behind us, owners of trucking companies can now focus on the next sweeping change to impact their business; implementation of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that was signed into law by President Trump on Dec. 22, 2017.

At least for one week, seasonality has impacted rates, according to the latest data from DAT Solutions. Spot rates for dry vans and flatbeds fell for the week ending Jan. 20.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a $54,000 civil penalty against True Value Co. of Jonesboro, Ga. for allegedly violating federal hazardous materials regulations for air transport.

TECSYS hires chief marketing officer; NAVTOR names chief technology officer; Alliance Shippers appoints president and CEO; Direct ChassisLink hires chief strategy officer; and Dachser appoints chief operations officer.

Chattanooga, TN-based Lync America has joined other transportation industry visionaries by collaborating with the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA), an alliance formed to ensure standardization of blockchain technology in logistics and throughout the supply chain.

The “leaked” plan calls for liberalizing tolling policy and allowing states to commercialize interstate rest areas, among other things, as a means of funding infrastructure.

The infrastructure bill outline leaked yesterday provides clues to how Trump wants to incentivize $800B in state, local, and private spending: tolls on interstates, removing constraints on private activity bonds, and value capturing financing for transit projects.

Manual processes may appear cheaper at first, but studies have shown that switching to automated accounting programs for account payables and receivables saves money in the long run, even for small operations.

TRAFFIX, one of Canada’s longest-serving third-party logistics specialist, based out of Milton Ontario with offices in Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, and Dallas, is proud to announce that they have joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA).

The compliance rate for ELDs among fleets sits at 86%, according to the latest rolling survey of 318 fleets by CarrierLists.

Ports on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts have been nabbing market share from their West Coast counterparts for the last five years, but that trend accelerated last year following […]

AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) carried over 700,000 metric tons of cargo last year, a 13 percent increase from 2016, the all-cargo airline said in a statement.

“It’s fairly mind-blowing what’s happening in the industry right now,” says Chris Polk, An American Trucker podcaster.

Last Friday, the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) decided to keep its standards intellectual property open, to encourage ease of adoption. 

U.S. Chamber of Congress president, Thomas J. Donohue, is preparing for an uphill battle to push for a raise of the federal gas tax by 25 cents per gallon to help shape the debate about upgrading U.S. roads, bridges, airports and other infrastructure.

A group of leading environmental and maritime shipping organizations have called for the prohibition of transporting non-compliant marine fuels once the global 0.5 percent sulfur cap takes effect in 2020.