Modern Shipper covers the gig economy, including same-day, on-demand, and last-mile delivery jobs and services. Readers will find current news on gig economy companies, gig economy workers, gig economy data and trends. In addition, Modern Shipper focuses on e-commerce, e-commerce platforms and companies, and e-commerce services and technologies.
A Massachusetts ballot initiative to classify Uber and other gig work drivers as independent contractors encounters skepticism before a panel of judges.
In most cases, AI-based warehouse slotting can deliver 10-20% labor cost savings, a 1-5% improvement in accuracy and 20-40% increase in throughput.
Lightning eMotors, which electrifies commercial vehicle chassis, is teaming with Perrone Robotics to offer Level 4 autonomous vehicles for sale.
The aging of warehouse stock makes life difficult for tenants.
Boox created reusable boxes and bags to cut down on shipping waste and promote a circular economy.
Drones delivered hot dogs and chips to hungry baseball fans as part of a pilot by Levy, Valqari, USOG and Purdue Athletics.
The monthly BLS report on employment showed that truck transportation jobs were up sharply in April after an unexpected decline in March.
Ride-hailing snack company Robomart will start delivering ice cream on demand this summer through a partnership with Unilever.
The company will pursue smaller rivals that lack scale to meet increasingly demanding requirements, GXO’s CFO says.
DoorDash continues to reign supreme over Grubhub and Uber Eats as it expands its business into new categories like convenience and grocery.
Rate hikes and a slowdown in online deliveries hit U.S. Postal Service demand in the second quarter.
Berkshire Grey, a provider of mobile robotic technology and software for warehouse automation, revealed its latest solution on Thursday.
Shopify announced a $2.1 billion acquisition of last-mile delivery technology company Deliverr, but its stock tumbled after a Q1 earnings miss.
Urb-E, the e-cargo bike last-mile delivery company, has joined the Zero Emission Delivery Zone program in Santa Monica.
Revenue seen growing by 11% to 15%, up from 8% to 12%; CEO sees growth across all verticals.
Chill Storage, a new joint venture between Barber Partners LLC and Bain Capital, will build 15 cold storage warehouses in the coming years.
Uber’s delivery segment, which includes Uber Eats and services like Uber Connect, had another solid quarter.
The U.S. Postal Service is offering online marketplaces a new e-commerce service designed to lower shipping costs for parcels.
Lyft, one of the major players in the increasingly profitable ride-hailing industry, reported strong revenue growth Tuesday in its Q1 2022 earnings.
GoBolt, a Toronto-based provider of last-mile logistics and e-commerce fulfillment solutions, brings its all-electric fleet to the U.S.
Freight forwarding, supply chain and express units see strong trade-related demand.
E-commerce 3PL Fulfyld is deploying inVia Robotics automation in its Alabama warehouse.
Amazon workers vote against unionizing a second warehouse on Staten Island after an earlier union win, dealing a blow to the Amazon Labor Union.
Chicago-based Mark-It Express Logistics has acquired the operational assets of Joliet- Illinois-based Clean Car Connexion.
Amazon is gaining ground in its fight against union organizers at a warehouse on Staten Island, the company’s first to vote in favor of unionization.
The Great Resignation has touched nearly every business, but if warehouse businesses want to weather the storm, they need to prove their commitment to growing, changing and doing better for employees.
Instacart and regional grocer Publix are partnering to debut the grocery delivery giant’s 15-minute offering in Miami.
Net sales hit the high end of estimates; shares get whacked in after-hours trade.
The group wants the contract with the Oshkosh unit blocked until the agency prepares a better environmental impact report.
Amazon has lifted its long-standing policy of restricting warehouse employees from using their cellphones on the job.
Last-mile delivery service AxleHire has expanded into Baltimore and Washington, giving it a presence in three of the top five cities on the East Coast.
The company may use the program as a steppingstone to deliveries outside its platform.
BigCommerce, an Austin, Texas-based e-commerce company, acquired BundleB2B to provide added business-to-business functionality to its platform.
Speed and instant gratification, combined with the effects of the pandemic, drastically altered supply chain dynamics, but taking a holistic approach to managing it leads to more resiliency and dependability.
Amazon Freight, the e-commerce giant’s trucking arm, is giving freight brokers 3% or 5% back per load through a partnership with American Express.
UPS persevered through a drop in demand during the first quarter, beating analysts’ profit estimates.
FreightWaves’ final mile-focused Modern Shipper brand was named Best New Product on Tuesday in the 68th Annual Jesse H. Neal Awards.
Electric chassis startups from A to Z are tapping a legacy bodybuilder for help while one company creates its own complete electric van.
Cellular provider Verizon announced that it will add Express Parcel Lockers to its retail stores, streamlining the pickup process.
Curb management firm Automotus will spearhead a smart loading zones pilot program in Pittsburgh.
Amazon’s JFK-8 in Staten Island is the first warehouse in the company’s history to vote to unionize. Now, the ball is in the massive retailer’s court.
Agility Robotics has raised $150 million to fund development of its walking warehouse robots.
A FedEx delivery driver just completed a 260-mile drive using a BrightDrop Zevo 600 electric van, setting a Guinness World Record.
TMS provider Revenova announced it has raised $63 million from Viking Global Investors.
With the launch of its Buy with Prime service, Amazon is going head-to-head with Shopify, UPS and FedEx.
Descartes is paying $4 million for last-mile routing technology firm Foxtrot.
One year after acquiring Grubhub, Germany’s Just Eat Takeaway is looking to sell the delivery business.
As online cannabis sales have increased, more attention is being paid to the e-commerce experience as companies work to make the ordering and delivery experience more seamless.
E-commerce conversational engagement platform Gupshup has acquired AskSid, an India-based AI company that automates support conversations.
Middle-mile technology company Warp is joining the Urban Freight Lab to help study last-mile delivery efficiency.
Big and bulky last-mile deliveries need to be on time, but the ultimate key to customer satisfaction is communication.
A state court judge has refused to issue a restraining order to stop two ex-FourKites employees from defecting.
MHS and Fortna, two companies in the logistics tech space, will combine to form a new multinational provider worth up to $4 billion.
The accelerator firm’s Supply Chain Innovation Platform connects Fortune 500 companies with FreightTech startups for continuous logistics innovation and efficiency.
Retail customers looking for same-day delivery are willing to pay more for the service, a new survey has found.
Alpine Air Express flies for FedEx and UPS. By acquiring a small cargo airline, it also picked up DHL Express as a customer.
AOI Capital has acquired 3PL RK Logistics Group, which specializes in e-commerce warehouse and distribution.
The Postal Service will begin to shift first-class package delivery times on May 1.
As labor shortages continue to plague warehouse operators, they’re looking to voice-enabled warehousing for a boost.
New research suggests alternative delivery locations could succeed in certain environments, driving down the cost of e-commerce last-mile delivery.
Use of AI in the e-commerce supply chain needs to be targeted or the issue of too much data will overwhelm businesses.
Shipium and its last-mile delivery orchestration platform have raised $27.5 million to compete with Amazon Prime.
Operators have endless options when choosing a warehouse robot — but how can they pick the right one?
Long considered a technology of the future, drones are steadily carving out a niche in the final mile.
Ignoring logistics leads to negative feedback from customers, harming the ability of e-commerce merchants to grow their businesses.
Rising costs prompt Amazon to impose its first-ever fuel and inflation surcharge on sellers.
Amazon Web Services and German technology company Bosch are launching a logistics marketplace for digital services.
With e-commerce returns growing, retailers have plenty of opportunity to make shoppers loyal customers.
Automated trucks and buses are expected to number 1.2 million annually by 2032 compared with about 1,000 in testing today.
Capital Express and ADL Delivery, two regional last-mile delivery providers, established a new holding company to build a nationwide final-mile network.
Boox is looking to evolve the circular economy with reusable packaging for direct-to-consumer brands.
While many trucking companies still use paper checks, automated clearing houses (ACH) and invoicing, some companies are moving to a more cost-effective and convenient way to give truckers their money.
Got bots? How about a robot with that subscription?
Major logistics platform E2open’s heavy debt load can be handled by the company’s free cash flow, S&P Ratings says.
Even as B2B e-commerce grows, many business buyers are still suffering from a lack of visibility into the process.
“We have a huge opportunity to let the world know that a tracking solution like this exists. We are going to take this funding and make sure that happens,” said Tive founder and CEO Krenar Komoni.
UPS’ surcharges close in on rival FedEx’s levies.
Amazon has historically been a prolific union crusher, but it may be facing its biggest test yet at facilities in New York and Alabama.
The CEO and co-founder of Treet answers questions about his resale platform and the growing recommerce industry.
Wing, the drone delivery subsidiary of Alphabet, launched a commercial drone delivery service that may have implications for the last mile more generally.
Banyan Technology has introduced a new first/final mile software offering for fleets, helping shippers and 3PLs connect with providers.
Workhorse may not have any electric vehicles to sell, but it also does not have any debt after paying off a hedge fund lender in stock.
Customers of retail food e-commerce platform eGrowcery can now fulfill orders using DoorDash couriers through a new integration.
Zonos, a technology company focused on enabling cross-border commerce, has secured a new contract with the Postal Service.
Evolution will be critical for cannabis businesses that want to rise above the competition. A strong logistics plan and packaging partner is a big part of that.
S+V Technologies’ solution to sell products in transit caught the attention of investors including Ridgeline Partners, Chicago Ventures and project44 founder and CEO Jett McCandless.
The Postal Service rejected lawmakers’ calls to produce a new analysis of its future electric delivery vehicle fleet.
Ran Transportation enters busy TMS space in hopes of differentiating from the competition.
Fewer than one in five businesses have reliable metrics in place to track the carbon footprint of their supply chain, research says.
While visibility has always been important, it has been increasingly essential over the past couple of years. Better technology allows businesses to track products accurately through the supply chain and provides predictive capabilities.
Alphabet subsidiary Wing will deliver products from Walgreens and other retailers to customers in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.
Heavy goods delivery platform Deliveright is opening up access to its technology on a trial basis.
UPS will test the Fernhy eQuad electric cargo bike in congested U.S. and European cities.
Gatik CEO Gautam Narang will detail middle-mile autonomy’s role in the future of the supply chain at FreightWaves’ upcoming The Future of Supply Chain conference.
Electric cargo container delivery service Urb-E is now transporting fresh greens from Square Roots’ sustainable New York City farm to local retail stores.
The decline in truck transportation jobs is the first in almost two years, but it comes after upward revisions in the two prior months.
Direct-to-consumer tech provider ESW is partnering with UPS to offer e-commerce brands quicker access to cross-border shipments.
TForce Logistics is adding a distribution center in the Toronto area, boosting its last-mile delivery capabilities in the region.
Businesses and independent contractors opposed David Weil’s return to the Wage and Hour Division.
GoPuff, the 30-minute food and grocery delivery business that bills itself as an “instant needs” company, plans to cut 3% of its workforce.
