Modern Shipper

Houston-based e-commerce provider Cart.com acquires fulfillment operations firm OceanX.

Steve Blough, a co-founder of MercuryGate International Inc., speaks about how companies can use AI to strengthen decision making. 

FreightWaves got an inside look at DHL Express’ big parcel center at Miami International Airport as the global logistics integrator prepared for the holiday shipping season, when volumes are 40% to 50% higher each day than the rest of the year.

The National Retail Federation forecasts containerized imports to continue to surge through U.S. ports ahead of a possible longshore strike and tariffs planned by the Trump administration.

A federal court upholds an order requiring China-based ByteDance to sell TikTok or face ban in the US.

The air cargo market will double in size over the next 20 years, and express will be the industry’s main growth engine, Boeing said in a new forecast.

Some Amazon employees are preparing to strike or protest on Black Friday as part of the “Make Amazon Pay” demonstrations against alleged labor abuses.

KF Aerospace is swapping out old Convair cargo planes for more modern ATRs that will fly packages for Purolator in British Columbia.

Last-mile solutions provider OneRail has raised $42 million in venture capital backing to streamline the last mile of the delivery process.

The FreightWaves FreightTech 25 list shows some of the most cutting-edge technology in the industry and identifies several trends that could disrupt the sector moving forward.

Smitha Raphael, chief product and delivery officer at SnapFulfil, highlights why flexibility and seamless integrations in warehouse management tech are now top priorities for 3PLs and B2C companies.

Amazon has added 21 Air to its roster of air cargo transport providers.

Amazon is promising logistics companies that use its air cargo airline that their shipments won’t get left behind when e-commerce parcel volumes are high.

After Uber recently announced bookings growth, the company has launched a broker offering that could help support future shipment growth and brokerage penetration.

Orderful has raised $15 million with NewRoad Capital Partners to help expand Orderful’s offerings, including self-service EDI tools for small and midsize businesses.

With the next Trump administration expected to drive regulatory changes, experts anticipate a surge in M&A activity across retail, e-commerce and FreightTech, as companies like Amazon and DoorDash look to expand in a pro-business environment.

Cargojet reported good third-quarter results and says it is adding capacity to meet expected demand growth.

Two-year-old SpeedX is entering the international logistics sector with the acquisition of Accelerated Global Solutions.

Outgo believes that traditional factoring has failed to deliver for carriers.

E-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc.’s North American sales increased 9% year over year to $95.5 billion in the third quarter.

Amazon Air is looking to make money from its in-house cargo airline by renting out aircraft, including those operated by Sun Country Airlines, to shippers.

Fleet managers are turning to new AI-driven Drowsiness Detection technology, which shows that 77% of drowsy driving events are detected by behaviors other than yawning alone.

UPS’s financial performance bounced back in the third quarter, but it flagged macroeconomic weakness and in-store shopping as potential headwinds for fourth-quarter volumes.

Backers of California’s AB5 independent contractor law have scored a fresh victory after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the Postmates/Uber case.

One of the primary ways Netradyne advocates for drivers is by giving fleet managers a holistic view of their driving habits, highlighting praiseworthy, safe choices they make every day.

The first-ever Freight Fraud Awareness Day, taking place on Tuesday, aims to unite the supply chain community in tackling schemes like double brokering and cargo theft, which have seen a 400% rise since 2022.

The general aviation airport in Gary, Indiana, is expanding cargo infrastructure to help UPS. There is also a Field of Dreams mentality: Build it and other cargo carriers will come.

Freight coordination platform Cartage has raised $3.3 million in a funding round led by Y Combinator. The company, founded by industry veterans, is using AI to streamline logistics without forcing brokers, shippers or carriers to change their preferred communication methods.

As the Southeast attempts to return to normalcy in the wake of Hurricane Helene and prepare for Hurricane Milton, which is expected to make landfall near Tampa, Florida, Wednesday night, drone operators are filling a critical niche in disaster response and recovery.

Amazon’s cargo airline is welcoming shipments from logistics companies and other businesses as it tries to better utilize a private fleet originally dedicated to supporting its own e-commerce sales.

Former Amazon and Flexport executive Dave Clark has launched Auger, a $100 million-backed logistics software startup aimed at optimizing supply chain decision-making for midsize to large businesses by using AI and automation.

With a focus on charger reliability, accessibility and user experience, Charli 2.0 introduces one-tap charging, real-time station availability and installation solutions.

Wing delivery drones will soon collect orders from Serve Robotics’ autonomous sidewalk robots, forming an autonomous, multimodal delivery network.

A new White House effort to reduce the amount of online orders from China that enter the country duty free isn’t likely to interrupt the Shein and Temu business, but could have ramifications for U.S. consumers and retailers.

A Transportation Intermediaries Association report says the freight industry is “under siege” from fraud and must evolve to fight the ballooning problem.

Evigence’s Oria Malka speaks on how technology helps the cold chain limit emissions and improve shelf life.

U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce is spearheading an effort to have the Department of Homeland Security do more to combat organized retail crime in America.

Workers who build Boeing aircraft will go on strike Friday after spurning a deal recommended by their union.

At Uber Freight’s Deliver conference, its founder and CEO announced same day and scheduled deliveries offerings, advanced tech features and said the company has reached $20 billion in freight under management.

Portex founder Brittany Ennix explains how logistics technology should be built for SMB shippers.

Three freighter operators are among the early adopters of an innovative aircraft coating inspired by sharks that makes aircraft more aerodynamic and fuel-efficient.

Experts explore the strength and challenges of growing trade between the U.S., Mexico and Canada during a panel discussion Wednesday in San Antonio, Texas.

While the company continues to deny any wrongdoing, TuSimple has filed to settle its federal fraud case.

California-based A2Z Drone Delivery has launched a suite of autonomous drone docks — portable or permanent sites where drones charge and pick up or drop off packages, with no human interaction.

ShipHero is separating its warehouse management system from its fulfillment business by launching a subsidiary 3PL, LVK, to better focus on customers. The move is to better position itself in the industry as the freight recession continues and venture capital in the FreightTech community becomes scarcer.

The Teamsters union claimed a legal victory in its pressure campaign for collective bargaining at Amazon’s primary air hub in northern Kentucky, near Cincinnati.

Easing port congestion, seasonal demand trends make third surge improbable.

The old FedEx and UPS business models aren’t working in a parcel market undergoing radical transformation. The express carriers need to rethink their network strategies as B2C shipping takes precedence and consumers compromise on speed to get lower prices.

One solution to improve roadside safety for commercial trucks is easily visible flashing lights mounted at the top of the cab.

Sun Country Airlines expects to double its cargo revenue once a revised transportation contract with Amazon is fully implemented in 2026.

Returns continue to increase, which can end up costing companies. Processes can be put in place to help bottom lines, and it’s all related to transportation.

The California Supreme Court unanimously upheld the exemption from independent contractor law AB5 that Prop 22 granted to gig drivers.

FreightTech hasn’t solved freight fraud, and regulators can’t figure out who is regulating it. Is there a solution?

UPS is taking longer than expected to restore profit levels amid slower parcel growth and increased operating costs.

While supply chains have adopted new technologies to optimize efficiency, we are seeing how impactful potential risks can be.

This week: Alvys and Renaissant both close Series A’s, truck parking solutions unite and Leonard’s Express looks to optimize operations.

DHL Express is expanding China air network through teaming arrangement with Central Airlines.

This week: p44 offers eBOLs on all LTL shipments, ODeX moves into Singapore, Goodyear offers Tires-as-a-Service and AutoScheduler.AI raises funds.

The Class I railroad, CSW, is now the fourth to become a member of RailPulse.

Outpost releases new technology, combining both hardware and software, to improve commercial truck parking availability and security, as truck parking continues to be a significant problem in the U.S.

This week, we showcase an innovative way to attack Japan’s logistics labor-shortage problems; Pepsi makes a new partnership in battery technology; and Walmart wins an award for its investment in technology.

Samsara’s chief product officer explains the importance of building strong partnerships with customers to lay the groundwork for future solutions.

A possible strike by Teamsters Canada Rail Conference members is still on hold pending a decision from the CIRB, but union members voted to reauthorize the stoppage.

Dennis Winn of Clermont, Florida, was arrested on multiple charges, including a felony charge, of shooting a Walmart delivery drone.

At Samsara’s user conference in Chicago, the company unveiled its latest tracking tool.

FedEx is cutting nearly 20% of its Boeing 757 cargo jets because of soft demand and efforts to modernize the fleet.

Sun Country Airline will see improved economics from its amended contract for outsourced air transportation to Amazon, executives said.

This week: Verified Carrier discusses its unique way of vetting carriers, Vecna Robotics closes its Series C, Truckstop vets industry pets and Nvidia has a new offering for industry tech providers.

Point Pickup Technologies has agreed to sell $100,000 in assets to Delivered, including customer lists, software, transferable permits, books and records, Point Pickup’s website, and promotional materials.

Sun Country Airlines will operate 20 freighter aircraft for Amazon by late 2025 after the retailer agreed to expand its partnership with the passenger and charter airline.

Chinese e-commerce store JD.com is growing its in-house airline to satisfy customers in China with quick order delivery.

This week, training software for the DOD is serving the freight community; CargoSense closes its Series A; a trucking company adds autonomous offerings; and Truckstop.com hires a new CFO.

Semantic Visions’ Environmental, Social and Governance Index uses natural language processing to analyze media and evaluate companies’ sustainability, ethics and compliance.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says it has discovered gray-market imports of Ozempic from Colombia and is trying to close down the shipping pipeline.

Cargojet will fly planeloads of e-commerce goods from China to Canada several times per week as part of a direct-to-consumer logistics operation.

Walmart will launch drone delivery in Dallas-Fort Worth this month, offering 30-minute delivery via their app, expanding their service to 1.8 million households with partners Zipline and Wing.

This week, Denim secures funds to continue scaling, OneRail acquires new tech and industry partnerships improve service offerings.

Seko Logistics said U.S. Customs and Border Protection has harmed its business by temporarily suspending some import privileges without providing evidence of wrongdoing.

The industry-leading SONAR data platform announces a number of new releases and enhancements live at the Future of Supply Chain.

U.S. trade regulators and lawmakers are trying to even the playing field for U.S. companies and close a security gap by cracking down on e-commerce importers taking advantage of a trade loophole.

OneRail has launched a solution to address in-transit problems that lead to lost inventory.

Atlas Air will phase out flight operations for Amazon but continue to lease aircraft to the retailer while targeting more cross-border shipping.

This week, Cover Whale raises $27.5 million, the Scheduling Standards Consortium adds a member and Magnus integrates with Trimble.

Cambridge Capital sees promise in helping retailers audit costs and invoices with Stat Recovery.

FedEx will soon begin streamlining flight operations in line with changing market demand and a world in which it no longer is the prime contractor for the U.S. Postal Service.

This week, collaboration becomes key, TruckParkingClub.com hits a milestone, and ex-Convoy engineers raise money for the spot market.

Mesa Airlines has stopped flying for DHL Express, citing low cargo demand.

Uber Freight has officially entered its managed transportation era.

ASL Aviation is upgrading the fleet at its Australian subsidiary with a modern Boeing 737-800 cargo jet.

Tech nonprofit Emerge Career reduces recidivism and poverty rates among convicts by providing access to vocational training and job placement support throughout incarceration and after release.

This week, FreightVana offers a Visa card to its carrier network, SPS Commerce makes an acquisition and we review Symbotic’s Q1 results in the robotics space.

ABX Air’s pilots union is out of Amazon’s doghouse, resulting in an improved labor agreement and a contract to fly 10 freighters.

AI software provider Paxafe looks to continue its strategic partnership strategy while expanding globally and building its sales team.

C.H. Robinson says it is using sophisticated AI tools to automate responses to emailed quote requests for thousands of customers.

In this edition of FreighTech Friday, Loadsure explains the risk of moving goods throughout Europe, and Kinaxis shares a report on shippers that are slow to react to supply chain disruptions.

FedEx has ordered 150 Blue Arc EV Trucks to add to its pickup and delivery fleet in the United States in an effort to reduce carbon emissions.

Fast fashion e-commerce giant Shein and retailer Forever 21 are the first brands to utilize UPS’ Happy Returns solution.

Universal Transit is on a mission to revolutionize the auto transportation sector.

In the constantly changing world of last-mile delivery, it can no longer operate as a siloed operation from middle mile.

Analysts said Shein could help Flexport get a boost in volume and revenue that the firm has seen decreasing throughout the freight recession.