Business

Southwest Airlines is not used to losing money in any quarter or full year, but that will change in 2020.

The effect that the coronavirus pandemic is having on rail volumes could get worse in the coming weeks before things get better, according to executives.

Covenant continues to reshape the company in efforts to better focus on contract logistics and improve its financial structure.

Revenue and profits look bleak for second quarter, but leading engine maker Cummins surprised analysts with better-than-expected first-quarter revenue and profits.

The smallest of the standardized ocean containers in the global fleet remains ideal for dense, heavy agricultural goods, forest products, and machinery shipments.

Charging-as-a-service startup AMPLY Power raised $13.2 million from institutional investors Soros Fund Management and Siemens USA as it expands electric infrastructure management to commercial trucking from transit buses

The railway managed to boost its first-quarter net income despite the February rail blockades and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Global freight forwarder attributes most of the 23.2% year-over-year first-quarter earnings drop to impact of COVID-19 pandemic .

Employees will test devices that vibrate when wearers come too close to protect them from coronavirus infection.

For a third straight session on Friday, Trucking Freight Futures were lower across the board, capping one of the worst weekly performances since the contracts began trading, as volume concerns weighed on the market.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created the need for social distancing, even while working. For the freight industry, the adoption of autonomous vehicles might be a good start.

Service contract negotiations between container carriers and shippers are being disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission says.

A CFO, government affairs VP and two life science sales directors are hired and a Florida Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association board appointment is announced.

Moseley Marcinak review some legal trucking issues arising from COVID-10.

Trump signs bill carving out $60 billion in loans specifically for smaller community-based lenders.

The 12 members of Reopen Jacksonville will advise the Florida city’s mayor on the easing of stay-at-home restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

It was down session for Trucking Freight Futures as the market fell across the board for the second consecutive day on Thursday with the spot National contract down 0.9% to $1.367 per mile, driven lower by pressure in the East.

Farms of major row crops like tomatoes or potatoes are usually highly mechanized and could escape the wrath of COVID-19.

“There’s a growing understanding of the importance of them, the agility of them and how they help service communities.”

Revenue per hundredweight is suffering as a result: CFO

Daimler AG revealed difficult first-quarter results, removing mystery from next week’s earnings report, which shows all segments struggling, including its truck manufacturing business.

The western U.S. railroad can deploy additional cost reduction measures, but how much cost savings it can realize from those measures will depend on how much rail volumes fall in the second quarter.

Can the CARES Act help transportation-supply chain companies during the pandemic? Kayla Matthews explains why the answer is “yes.”

Frayt, a Cincinnati-based tech startup, expands service to address uptick in home deliveries

Trucking Freight Futures were lower across the board on Wednesday as the overall health of the economy weighed on rates with the spot National contract falling $0.012, or 0.9%, to $1.375 per mile.

Brian Aoaeh interviews CEOs of several supply chain tech startups about their status during the pandemic.

Landstar has seen volume declines accelerate in recent weeks and management believes that a recovery is unlikely until the automotive and building products segments resume activity.

As the COVID-19 crisis deepens, it is critical for logistics workers to make sure they stay safe as they continue to keep the economy running.

“We expect that more shippers will shift from just-in-time supply chains to just-in-case supply chains,” U.S. CEO Mark McCullough said.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic the Class I railroads were mothballing freight cars – and locomotives. Jim Blaze examines the issues surrounding the surplus of locomotives.

Other metrics helped the LTL carrier post a new record.

Rush Enterprises, the largest seller of new and used trucks in the country, posted solid first quarter results but is concerned about coronavirus-related carnage to come.

Transportation invoice volumes fall 7.5% for payment services provider Cass Information Systems.

Heavy-duty truck maker AB Volvo saw business seize up in mid-March but exited the quarter with lower but still positive sales and profits.

Despite lower revenues, the western U.S. railroad saw its first-quarter net income increase as the company trimmed quarterly expenses by 10%.

Jason Bates will fill the vacant CFO role at Daseke after three years in the same role at USA Truck.

o hedge against rail volume uncertainty in the second quarter, CSX aims to control costs.

Canadian transportation and logistics company says it laid off or furloughed 1,000 employees as it posts first-quarter results.

Margins widened again in April, but revenue per day is down 12%.

Ike has laid off 14% of its staff

Landstar System calls attention to its variable cost model as first quarter falls short of expectations. No guidance issued for second quarter.

CSX’s (NASDAQ: CSX) first-quarter net profit fell 7.7% amid lower revenues and a record operating ratio. First-quarter 2020 net income was $770 million, or $1 a share, compared with $834 […]

Final steel floor beam lifted into place two years after assembly of main span got underway.

Convoy and FourKites announced new dashboards and emissions-reduction tracking tools to help shippers identify their environmental footprint.

It was a mixed day on Tuesday in the Trucking Freight Futures markets with uncertainty looming as to where rates may head in the near-term.

Cummins says Dynamic Skip Fire for diesel engines is promising in reducing smog-forming emissions in line with CARB and EPA goals to lower nitrous oxide pollution from heavy-duty trucks.

Container equipment shortage exacerbated by COVID-19 pandemic stresses upper-Midwest soybean exporter trying to fill his springtime customer orders to Asia.

Knight-Swift’s better than expected quarter yields to further uncertainty as the year progresses.

Precision scheduled railroading and its workforce will help CP get through anticipated challenges in the second quarter, company executives said.

Governments must support vital supply chains. A big part of that is for all branches and levels of government to put aside partisanship and petty bickering and work for the good of the nation and its people.

“Everybody in the last-mile delivery business better watch out, because Amazon can make them unnecessary.”

Canada’s largest transportation company reveals cutbacks as it reports a 16% jump in profits during the first quarter.

Daimler Trucks and Volvo Group, two truck makers lukewarm on hydrogen fuel cells, hedge their bets to leverage Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz fuel cell efforts for heavy-duty trucks.

Manhattan Associates first quarter was well ahead of expectations. Management lowered guidance, but believes that this downturn will be shorter in duration.

The railway’s first-quarter net income slipped on higher income tax expenses. But total revenue rose nearly 16% in the first quarter of 2020 while operating expenses were roughly flat-to-higher.

One adviser said he is processing “thousands” of applications.

Prologis reports solid first quarter, but reels in guidance on COVID-19 headwinds. An uptick in demand is not likely until a vaccine is discovered.

Following Monday’s U.S. oil market meltdown, Trucking Freight Futures continued to move lower as the spot National contract fell 0.43% and settled at $1.388 per mile.

Customer service (in many forms) is the key to keeping and/or expanding business during the pandemic.

The Jacksonville, Florida-based ocean carrier finds continued demand for reefers among Central American and Caribbean fruit and produce shippers.

Heartland Express’ better than expected result was diminished by the lack of gains on equipment sales.

PACCAR Inc. posted decent first quarter earnings despite shuttering its plants in late March because of the coronavirus pandemic. While truck orders cooled, parts sales set a record as the truck maker tries to build on 81 consecutive profitable years.

Documents will now be automatically scanned, categorized, grouped, and audited by HubTran, before being assigned to the correct load on the FMS platform.

Network Management Center enhancement improves connectivity and automation

Loan quality deteriorated slightly, but TriumphPay is growing fast.

After a strong start to the week, Trucking Freight Futures finish mostly lower as freight fundamentals take hold.

“Without Opendock during the COVID-19 volume surge, it would have been a catastrophic failure,” said Lawrence Dillworth of Owens & Minor, a major medical supplier.

Identifying the packages that come in contact with infected individuals in the supply chain is vital to reduce the pandemic’s spread.

The duty deferment applies to qualifying importers facing “significant financial hardship,” Customs and Border Protection said.

Two Swedish companies have formed a joint venture designed to provide supply chain end-to-end visibility down to the product level. Plus, more cash on the way for small businesses, auto inventories are clogging ports, and truck weight exemptions are being extended.

By partnering with analysts from both FreightWaves and DAT Solutions, event attendees on April 23 will have access to three sessions rich with fresh data.

Radio frequency identification has matured in terms of its cost effectiveness and efficiency over the past decade, the company says.

The longer the coronavirus crisis continues, “the longer it’s going to take to get the ship righted,” says GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch.

Citing economic challenges tied to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the need to focus resources toward targeted business units, Southern Refrigerated Transport (SRT), a solo-driven reefer subsidiary of  the […]

CEO pay wlll be down 50%, other execs down 20% from May through July.

Risk is often assessed in terms of probabilities. The probabilities themselves are often calculated under the assumption of a bell-shaped (i.e., normal) distribution. This distribution assumes that extreme events are not likely. What if there are?

Sector makes up 3% of $342 billion worth of COVID-19 payroll protection loans.

The railroad will be keeping tabs on operational costs as a way to hedge against the economic uncertainty brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the belt tightened at YRC, a covenant waiver and benefits contribution deferral are still required.

Short-sea shipper says economic impact of COVID-19 has forced service disruption and employee layoffs.

In this commentary by Brian Aoaeh makes the case that efforts by grassroots organizations in the fight against COVID-19 should be more fully accepted.

Startup wants its customers to be allowed an additional two hours in workday.

Companies trading in the affected foreign markets will have to decide if shifting to other forwarders will justify the resulting high shipping costs.

KeyBank report mostly positive after discussions with management.

Cross-border movements of chemicals and petroleum products, as well as intermodal shipments, helped propel revenue higher.

The current $61 billion set-aside for the domestic airline industry left out the forwarders.

Kodiak Robotics, the Mountain View, California-based autonomous trucking company, has laid off about 20% of its staff, The Information reported Thursday, raising new questions about the ability of autonomous trucking […]

Other segments at the truckload carrier had weaker performances.

It was a mixed Wednesday in the Trucking Freight Futures markets as the spot National contract (FUT.VNU202004) fell fractionally to $1.403 per mile with macroeconomic factors continuing to weigh on rates.

Prominent transportation leaders are part of a business task force offering ideas on when and how to lift coronavirus restrictions.

Diminished railcar demand and COVID-19 headwinds force railcar maker to halt production and trim staff.

Electric and fuel cell truck maker Nikola gets its pick of candidates as job insecurity led so many to apply that Linked In briefly shut down CEO Trevor Milton’s account.

The Seattle-based digital freight network will pay 100% of trucking costs for food bank donations

On this week’s Drilling Deep, host John Kingston heard from Jack Rybicki, a managing principal at the accounting and consulting firm CLA.  Jack has been steering many clients through the […]

Less-than-containerload services offer forwarders and their shippers an alternative to more expensive air freight and full-container transport services, industry experts say.

Ports of Seattle, Tacoma, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Houston, Jacksonville and Charleston all report drops in March.

“Revenues plummeting” with less vehicle traffic, say government officials.

The Trucking Freight Futures markets slid across the board on Tuesday with the spot National contract falling 0.4% to $1.404 per mile as macroeconomic weighed heavily.

A chief supply chain officer can be the linchpin connecting all different departments within a retail company, including marketing, finance, sales and accounting.

The Supply Chain Intelligence Center pinpoints trouble spots on the nation’s highways and ports to U.S. humanitarian relief providers responding to the health crisis.