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.
The drone delivery company gets a big boost in North Carolina, where it now covers about 10,000 households with its delivery service.
Ryder appears to have paid a sum in line with current Whiplash revenue, a provider of final-mile services.
If you fly on United Express or American Eagle, you may have actually been on a plane operated by Mesa Airlines. Now it has an all-cargo option too.
Reports say Amazon is rolling out an Instacart-like grocery delivery service in Europe and the U.S.
Merchants Fleet is continuing its electrification efforts, announcing it will order EV step vans from Xos.
The proposed law could have widespread ramifications across the European Union –– and maybe even across the pond.
A zero-emissions delivery pilot in Seattle showed electric cargo bikes could potentially replace delivery trucks, but plenty of work remains to achieve that goal.
The increases, to take effect Dec. 26, will be highest among parcels in the 1- to 5-pound range.
Ford owns 12% of electric vehicle startup Rivian, and while it is a direct competitor to Ford’s own ambitions of electric vehicle dominance, that stake could be the driving force in the automaker’s transformation.
Food delivery startup Sesame is using logistics to challenge the dominant, commission-based food delivery model.
AxleHire has expanded its final-mile delivery services for DTC shipper X Delivery with a Chicago service.
Amazon is throwing more freighters into its air logistics operation as online sales soar.
The FAA has greenlighted the Drone Racing League to take the lead on drone safety as the first-ever UAS event organizer and the newest member of the agency’s Partnership for Safety Plan.
Automation company Berkshire Grey has released the latest generation of its Robotic Product Sortation solution for e-commerce order fulfillment.
A legislative movement to give EU gig workers more protection could foreshadow a similar reckoning in the U.S.
Qantas and Air Canada are pioneers in swapping older passenger planes from their fleets and turning them into full-time cargo haulers.
In some drone delivery consolidation, DroneUp acquired digital airspace and automation company AirMap and its airspace traffic management technology.
Even as container ship backlogs ease, the ripple effects will continue to pressure logistics operators, hampering their ability to move goods through supply chains.
DroneDek CEO Dan O’Toole spoke to Modern Shipper about his pleas to the FAA and how drones can solve the supply chain backlog.
Sources within Instacart revealed the company’s plans to offer 15-minute deliveries, while DoorDash announced its own 15-minute grocery delivery service in New York City.
As shoppers return to stores, more brands are blending the online and physical worlds through the use of augmented reality.
FedEx and UPS suspended guaranteed delivery refunds when the pandemic hit. As shippers chafe under erratic service levels, they face the possibility that some programs may never return.
With all of the fuss around holiday sales, not much attention is being paid to holiday returns, which could cause an even bigger headache for retailers.
Venture capital fund EQT Ventures is a backer of electric and autonomous vehicle maker Einride, but it is also a supporter of sustainable business models.
If the rise in truck transportation costs between September and October continued for 12 months, it would translate to an increase of more than 40%.
The company plans to recruit would-be entrepreneurs to provide trucking services in five countries, according to The Information.
NFTs are one of 2021’s biggest trends in the art world, but there’s a place for them in our supply chains too.
Instant-delivery firm Jokr announced it has reached unicorn status following a $260 million Series B funding round and is adding Boston to its service area.
GXO Logistics will open an e-commerce warehouse in Atlanta for MYXfitness, an at-home fitness brand.
An Office of Inspector General report said a shortage of commercial truck drivers may compromise the Postal Service’s surface transport capability.
In its latest logistics bid, Blackstone Group is buying 124 logistics properties in the U.S. and Europe.
Merchants Fleet is looking to expand access to information on fleet electrification, introducing a central hub of tools and research.
Robotic delivery firm Nuro will begin making autonomous deliveries for 7-Eleven in Mountain View, California.
Expanding applications of its molded structural composite trailer bodies, Wabash is looking to the grocery delivery business as a new market.
Drone developer Wingcopter has received an investment from Japan’s Drone Fund as it nears announcement of a series B funding round.
Retail inventories jump ahead of the holiday buying season but the need for restocking will extend well into 2022, which bodes well for freight demand.
Small facilities are seeing big jumps in demand as e-commerce puts urban logistics in the spotlight, a JLL report says.
While automation offers the quickest path to increased efficiency, many companies are held down by slow-to-adapt legacy operations or siloed solutions.
Echo Global Logistics’ Jay Gustafson describes the best formula for managing transportation needs.
As Christmas grows closer, these are the dates you should know while contemplating when to ship your gifts.
Telemedicine is all the rage right now, and Uber is cashing in with a new partnership with telehealth provider Hims & Hers.
Holiday shipping deadlines are nothing new, but for those last-minute needs, it is the on-demand providers that will be trusted to deliver.
Werner Enterprises triples the size of its final-mile offering with the addition of Northeast-based Nehds Logistics.
The union that failed to organize workers at Amazon’s Bessemer, Alabama, warehouse will get a second bite at the apple, it said.
Many e-commerce businesses start small, but as sales grow, the challenges of filling orders in-house can stymie growth.
While efforts to rein in Amazon, Google and other Big Tech companies continue, some believe the effort could result in these companies pulling the plug on small business e-commerce sellers.
Through noon ET, U.S. shoppers have spent 7% more than they did on 2020’s Black Friday.
New forms of e-commerce like influencer marketing, live shopping and conversational commerce are taking over the space, and they might take some getting used to.
Last-mile logistics firm Sendle is rolling out a new program in nine states with shipping rates as low as $2.60 per item.
DroneDek, maker of the smart mailbox, signed a deal with Indian manufacturing conglomerate BEL to start distributing smart receptacles around the globe.
The Drone Racing League and Draganfly are launching DRL Labs, a testing ground for automation, sensor technology, AI and other drone tech.
Shippers utilizing last-mile delivery providers face some level of risk due to claims, but some simple steps can help mitigate it.
B-Stock Solutions CEO Howard Rosenberg shares a sustainable avenue for retailers to get rid of overstock, late or unsold seasonal goods.
Zipline is known for its work providing humanitarian assistance to remote communities, and it’s now coming to Pea Ridge, Arkansas.
Black Friday used to be a welcome mat for the holidays. It was almost a holiday in itself, with families waking up early in the morning rife with excitement to join the gaggles of other holiday shoppers as they explored endless aisles of holiday gifts and goodies. But not anymore. Black Friday is no longer […]
E-commerce sales continue to roll, but a decline in Q3’s numbers compared to Q2 comes as in-store sales climb.
Sauder Woodworking was in need of more flexibility as omnichannel retail ramped up, and it found it with Cleo’s Integration Cloud platform.
“The most effective way to address supply chain congestion is to move inventory closer to the end customer,” said Deliverr co-founder and CEO Harish Abbott.
President Biden intends to replace Postal Service governors in a move aimed at ousting Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, according to reports.
As the holiday shopping season ramps up, direct-to-consumer brands need to maintain their digital presence to engage with customers.
FedEx is forecasting a 10% increase in package deliveries during the holiday shipping season.
The food delivery giant revealed this week that it’s been working on something big: DoorDash Labs, its robotics and automation arm.
Fleet management company Merchants Fleet has reserved 5,400 of the EV410, a small electric cargo and utility vehicle being developed by BrightDrop.
Cargo airlines and leasing companies are sucking up small and midsize freighters converted from passenger configuration. Here come the big boys.
Drones have suddenly been thrust into a crucial position in the humanitarian supply chain, and Elroy Air is the latest company to use drones to deliver aid.
AIT Worldwide is expanding its final-mile capabilities, acquiring New York-based Select Express & Logistics, adding 400 employees and 47 cross-dock facilities.
Ensuring load accuracy at the shipper facility is key to on-time delivery.
Heyday, which acquires and scales brands by leveraging Amazon Marketplace and a team of experts, just raised half a billion dollars.
Ree Automotive has unveiled a blank-canvas autonomous vehicle design to last-mile delivery operations.
Cainiao is becoming a bigger logistics giant than Amazon in cross-border trade.
The Bay Area-based unicorn is investing in repairing America’s broken food supply chain.
Pure-play e-commerce brands are often saddled with higher shipping costs, but Via.Delivery is hoping to change that by offering consumers the choice to have shipments sent to physical store locations.
We’re currently in the midst of the Uberization of everything, including … laundry? Meet SudShare, the company that washes, dries and folds on demand.
As e-commerce goods move through the supply chain, many hands touch the shipments. Shippers that take the right steps can gain a level of control over this process.
AskWaves: The behemoths ordinarily shouldn’t be concerned about a national delivery network forged out of the OnTrac-LaserShip merger. But these are not ordinary times.
DoorDash made a pair of big announcements late this week, upgrading its Self-Delivery service and adding same-day delivery from Dollar General.
The food tech unicorn has now made over 30 acquisitions since 2019, but its purchase of Oakwood Transportation has a slightly different flavor.
The purveyor of wild-caught seafood avoids the use of airfreight, and relies on barge, truckload and parcel to hit its tight delivery commitments.
After reaching unicorn status earlier this year, Misfits Market finally taps into the massive California market.
Berkshire Grey’s revenue was up 750% year-over-year, but it still missed on analyst expectations, more than tripled its net loss and more than doubled its adjusted-EBITDA loss.
Mark Manduca, CIO for GXO, told Modern Shipper the company is proving its logistics business model works, and retailers are responding positively.
Bringg executive Larry Klein explains how the company’s cloud technology empowers retailers to get products to consumers faster – and more simply.
The agency looks to the nationwide rollout of same-day and next-day package services to remain viable.
Both Uber Eats and DoorDash surprised investors, but not in the ways one might think.
ATA’s suit comes just a few days after what it says was a “major victory” with the Labor Department secretary’s statements regarding trucking and the vaccine rule.
Rivian priced its IPO at $78 a share, turning early funding by Amazon, Ford and others into billions in returns on those investments.
Domestic headwinds were balanced out by an international expansion as DoorDash stock popped 10% in post-market trading.
Suspending electric van production, converting debt to equity and reducing cash burn are among the new CEO’s early moves at the troubled Workhorse Group.
DHL is making changes to its airline-within-an-airline concept.
Fabric and its microfulfillment networks are already valued at $1 billion despite operating in just three cities.
PayPal customers will now be able to use their Venmo accounts to make purchases on Amazon.
Supply chain disruptions in 2021 have wreaked havoc on businesses, but smart CPG companies are leveraging data science to get ahead of the issues.
Autonomous trucks hauling freight for Walmart are running with no driver in the seat in Arkansas, says autonomous vehicle company Gatik.
Q3 2021 marked the first adjusted EBITDA-profitable quarter in Uber’s publicly traded history and the second in a row for Lyft.
Proper delivery routing is often overlooked as a potential sales tool, but done right, it can lead to increased customer engagement and more sales.
If independent owner-operators are included, Convoy analyst Terrazas says employment is probably at 2019 levels.
The road ahead looks brighter than ever for the ride-hailing giant after posting an adjusted-EBITDA profit of $8 million.
Square posted a 45% increase in revenue, but lower-than-expected bitcoin revenue dampened analysts’ enthusiasm for the Q3 results.
Few people buy winter coats in May, but inefficiencies in e-commerce returns can mean a coat returned in January remains unsold months later.
Wayfair stock is down in the early hours of trading on Thursday after a lackluster quarter.
