Trucking

Early units of new Mack MD Series medium-duty trucks are coming together in a former comic book publishing factory near Roanoke, Virginia.

Waymo’s safety team highlights the importance of human factor in building and deploying self-driving vehicles on public roads.

USA Truck’s second-quarter result comes in slightly ahead of expectations, but the carrier extends its losses to four consecutive quarters.

Matthew Waller launched the supply chain department at the Sam Walton College of Business and has been instrumental in helping some of the nation’s largest corporations improve their supply chains. Now he is being honored for those accomplishments and more.

“This outperformance once again demonstrates that we are in the right locations, and a focus on origin and destination cargo will continue to deliver the right balance between growth and resilience,” Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem says.

Truck drivers still gripe about long detention times, equipment and adapting to new technology. But they speak positively about communication from their companies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hurricane Hanna’s aftermath has temporarily halted freight movement on several routes in and out of Texas’ Rio Grande Valley.

Pilot Co. is joining a growing list of major truck stop chains, including Love’s Travel Stops and TravelCenters of America, that will start requiring all customers to wear face coverings this week to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

Roadrunner Transportation Systems to spin off global logistics segment, emerging debt-free in the process.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Truck capacity tight near Mexican border; drugs found in shipments of ketchup and onions; DHL opens new foreign trade zone in El Paso; and Commerce opens inquiry aimed at Mexican wire mesh.

First Atlantic hurricane of the 2020 season could cause substantial flooding to south Texas and northeastern Mexico this weekend, delaying freight traffic at ports and land border crossings.

Company launches an online training platform called MyTruckerLife to help provide relationship resources for professional truck drivers and their families.

While the storm is expected to weaken as it passes over the islands, Young Brothers pulls its interisland barges into calmer waters for the weekend.

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, drug test refusals could serve as the trigger to accept hair testing; introducing a solar-powered reefer trailer; and carriers have negotiating power.

Backdrop for carriers remains bright.

More layoffs in Texas aerospace and freight services companies as coronavirus case numbers climb

Amazon Scout, the e-giant’s electric autonomous delivery robots, will now be delivering packages to neighborhoods in Atlanta as well as Franklin, Tennessee.

TQL headquarters remains open despite multiple employees testing positive for COVID-19 in the past three weeks.

U.S. border officers seized more than $6 million worth of marijuana after inspecting a Canadian truck at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo, New York.

Following Love’s Travel Centers’ edict requiring face coverings at its truck stops, NATSO and the American Trucking Associations followed suit.

Carriers urged to verify security safeguards from suppliers before installing devices.

Parts of Texas could get drenched with 4 to 8 inches of rain from a tropical storm expected to make landfall on Saturday.

Wabash National says using the sun to power batteries on a refrigerated trailer could save 50% over the cost of diesel power with none of the emissions.

Deal brings PS just over 40 new power units

Enterprises sometimes adopt several different SaaS products, only to end up with processes without cross-functionalities due to lack of integration.

The analytics function of this software can ultimately save fleets money, but it will be a team effort.

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, fleets looking for excess insurance coverage are paying top dollar; Landstar projects a strong Q3; and Waymo will test autonomous vehicles in the last mile.

Nearly 45,000 drivers predicted to be shut out in 2020 due to drugs and alcohol.

Company raises guidance for the rest of the year.

Market share grew at Daimler Trucks North America and PACCAR even as Q2 sales sank under the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amazon cargo planes will make daily deliveries to and from the company’s newest airport in Lakeland, Florida.

P.A.M. Transportation points to automotive manufacturing closures as reason for second-quarter loss.

Fully driverless vehicles will take at least a decade to deploy over large areas, and adoption will occur at different rates across the country, according to an MIT brief.

Two recently released indices show that June continued the trucking market’s climb from its low levels of April.

Using a third-party administrator is touted as a way to ward off big verdicts against trucking firms.

“Nuclear verdicts are destroying the excess market. Until someone puts a leash on these lawsuits, I don’t see prices going down that’s for sure,” said Reliance Partner’s Joe Schreiner.

Landstar’s earnings call outlines the company’s better-than-expected guidance.

Before mass-producing electric trucks in Arizona, Nikola plans hand-built models in a pilot facility that will speed sales while phased construction of its $600 million plant proceeds.

Cautious optimism expressed for the June trucking market by analysts at both organizations

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, autonomous-truck startup TuSimple may not be meeting revenue projections, Knight-Swift reports strong Q2 earnings, and a driver misclassification suit against New Prime reaches a $28 million conclusion.

Although the driver only worked in Massachusetts, he’s an interstate commerce worker. That changes the rules for settling disputes with the retail giant.

Canadian trucking and logistics firm Mullen Group reports a large drop in profits in its second-quarter financial results. But the company is positioning itself for recovery as business activity comes back.

Tesla will build its newest Gigafactory near Austin, Texas, chief executive Elon Musk announced during the company’s earnings call on Wednesday.

Virginia recently became the first state to impose enforceable COVID-19 safety requirements in the workplace which has the trucking industry scrambling to figure out how the new law will affect drivers and operations.

Landstar misses estimates in its second-quarter report, which included bonus payments to workers during the pandemic. New guidance better than expected.

Jerry L. Steele, 53, of Indianapolis, faces charges for possession of stolen property and intimidation with a deadly weapon after allegedly firing a gunshot out of his car’s window after cutting in front of a truck driver in an apparent road rage incident.

Brian Aoaeh continues a series of commentaries on technology-driven innovations in supply chains, logistics and trucking.

Amazon will offer a minimum starting wage of $15 per hour in El Paso

TuSimple may be the country’s largest self-driving truck company, but according to a Wednesday report in the Information, the company is struggling financially.

Knight-Swift sees demand improve throughout the second quarter, producing a big earnings beat. The carrier raises its 2020 earnings outlook to a level higher than its original expectation.

The debate sees Craig Fuller take on Zach Strickland over the possibility of a market recession due to the unprecedented scenario that we witness today.

Unisot has created a blockchain-based platform that helps bring end-to-end transparency in seafood supply chains.

PACCAR won’t rush in bringing battery-electric trucks to market, saying it will have them when customers ask. But it contends hydrogen fuel cells are five to 10 years away.

Workers to be covered stretch back to second half of 2012 through this year

Volvo Cars is facing supply chain issues from factories in Mexico, according to CEO Hakan Samuelsson. Samuelsson said supplier issues in Mexico and lower demand for its S60 sedans were […]

Knight-Swift posts solid second quarter and reinstates full-year guidance to a level higher than before the outbreak.

Roger provides digital tools for bulk freight shippers and carriers that reduce paperwork, and accelerate payment and real-time shipment status.

Open-platform technologies are allowing innovative trucking fleets to create custom technology solutions that increase driver productivity and improve customer service.

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, FreightWaves introduces enhancements to SONAR; XPO’s Brad Jacobs discusses diversity, automation and more; and Schneider invests in a new tech platform.

FreightWaves’ George Abernathy and Todd Davis talk benchmarking capabilities for brokers in virtual fireside chat at FreightWaves 3PL Summit.

Heartland Express announced the family trust of founder and current CEO will sell up to $76.9 million in stock. The family will still hold roughly 40% of the company’s outstanding stock following the transaction.

Love’s Travel Stops and Speedco locations will require customers to wear masks starting July 29. Face coverings will be required at all 520 of the company’s travel stops and its 390 truck service centers in 41 states.

Jason Miller, associate professor at the Michigan State University Eli Broad College of Business, paints a bearish picture.

Company is leveraging rail service for its Transplace customers.

Executives with Convoy and Johanson Transportation Service discuss two different approaches to carrier vetting and safety.

Graft says on earnings call that by end of June, number of invoices being processed exceeded year-ago levels

FreightWaves’ JT Engstrom and Harris Williams’ Jason Bass talk about the market for mergers and acquisitions in virtual fireside chat at the FreightWaves 3PL Summit.

Logistics REIT Prologis sees demand for space accelerate even as e-commerce activity recedes to near-normal levels. 2020 outlook raised on market tightness.

Possible fines range from $13,000 to $130,000.

The digitalization of freight has logistics providers seeking automation and efficiency on a scale never before seen.

In an interview at FreightWaves 3PL Summit with FreightWaves President George Abernathy, he spells out the continuing role for brokers.

The coronavirus’ whipsaw effect on the global supply chain took a toll on Kuehne + Nagel during the first half of 2020, but without a rapid internal response the hit would have been far worse, CEO Detlef Trefzger says.

Kenny Lund, executive vice president of Allen Lund Co., tells FreightWaves 3PL Summit that the fresh produce supply chain still has some growing to do, as coronavirus showed Americans that food shortages can still occur.

Adapting to customers’ and carriers’ needs through innovation is key to the continued growth of J.B. Hunt’s 360 digital freight marketplace platform.

The FreightWaves SONAR 7.0 release features several key enhancements; each makes the data and analytics platform even more useful to subscribers. Lane Scorecard The first is the Lane Scorecard app. […]

XPO chairman & CEO Brad Jacobs said more efforts will be made within the company to address racial equality and ensure equal opportunities for employees as part of a wide-ranging Q&A session at FreightWaves’ 3PL Summit.

Ryder System has added Trucker Tools carrier engagement and freight-matching tools to its brokerage operation.

Plus.ai, the Silicon Valley-based self-driving truck technology startup, announced an agreement with the Transportation Research Center (TRC) to test Plus.ai’s self-driving system using real-world scenarios with multiple vehicles.

Logistics REIT Prologis reports stronger than anticipated second quarter and raises outlook for the remainder of the year.

Camera-focused company branches out further, with sensor-driven systems that can notify truckers of dangers on the road

​SmartHop​, a Florida tech startup that aims to support small trucking businesses, on Tuesday announced that it has closed a $4.5 million seed round.

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, experts discuss how trucking will get to an electric future, Mack Trucks lays off 450, and a trucker allegedly kidnaps his wife, leading police on a wild chase.

Texas grows as locus for autonomous truck testing as Aurora Innovation plans to begin Class 8 testing in Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Silver is starting by helping Schneider broker out its fleet of 38,000 orange boxes.

YRC loan called into question by Congressional Oversight Commission. YRC’s board may have had the same concerns with the company’s equity in 2019.

Number and average size of invoices purchased both declined from 1Q 2020 and 2Q 2019

Patrick Bethelot, held on $275,000 bond, says he was planning ‘suicide by cop’ on Cincinnati-area interstate. Cops bring the rig to a stop with a .50-caliber bullet into the engine block of the truck.

“Tom Hanks’ work throughout his career reflects a deep respect for those who serve.”

As part of a new nationwide anti-corruption initiative, Mexico’s land, air and seaports will be operated and monitored by the Mexican military.

Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks North America are cutting 450 salaried jobs as part of parent Volvo Group’s slashing of 4,100 whiite-collar positions. But Mack is holding the line for now against additional reductions in
production workers in Pennsylvania.

OEMs, logistics companies tout varied technology solutions on the way to a zero-emissions future.

Asset sales in Comcar’s pre-packaged bankruptcy have hit a roadblock. Obstacles include questions on trailer titles and the sale of the business units to the former chairman, who still has an unsettled dispute with the company.

Central Mexico tops for cargo theft; Flex adds 1,000 jobs in Juárez, $3.3 million of meth found in tile shipment and Mexican sorghum farmers to meet with government on Wednesday.

Driver/dock worker was fired after leaving work early due to her period; two other XPO Black workers lose a second time

JHOS Logistics and Transportation has been ordered to pay a former driver $220,000 in back pay and damages and rehire him after OHSA states he was fired after raising safety concerns.

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, an autonomous trucking startup is in search of funding, robots are taking over warehouses, and trucking still rules the freight world.

Capacity still tight.

Federal government seeks to widen eligibility for Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy under a program welcomed by the country’s largest trucking organization.

The truckload carriers have reported solid results to start second quarter earnings season, but some load data is still lagging.

Tightened capacity seen as a spur to both Heartland and Marten beating estimates, with optimism from analysts going forward The earnings reports of truckload carriers Heartland Express and Marten Transport […]