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.
Yum! Brands already has 900 KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell locations across 35 countries using the platform for ordering food on messaging applications
With a 148% increase in e-commerce returns in 2020 over 2019, the need for online brands to better manage the customer experience is increasing, making end-to-end solutions a necessity.
RPG has acquired a 200,000-square-foot San Diego industrial facility with plans to redevelop it to accommodate e-commerce warehousing and distribution.
Uber’s decision to upgrade the status of its U.K. drivers puts added pressure on the company in the U.S. to do the same, even though experts say it has no legal impact on this side of the Atlantic.
Parcel initiatives are expected to bring in $24 billion in new net revenue by 2020, the agency said in releasing its 10-year reorganization plan.
The company buys products directly from a manufacturer and distributes those goods throughout more than 250 micro-fulfillment centers. With its contracted driver network and a flat fee of $1.95, goPuff promises 30-minute delivery 24/7.
URB-E believes its electric bike that pulls an 800-pound capacity cargo container can replace a single delivery van in cities, reducing emissions and improving last-mile and on-demand delivery networks.
Trent Broberg, the former COO of Truckstop.com, has been named CEO of ACERTUS, a technology-focused automotive logistics firm.
UK electric van and bus startup Arrival adds to Charlotte, North Carolina, presence with second US microfactory targeted to fill UPS order.
As COVID-19 restrictions eased across the county, the number of Americans ordering groceries online dropped in February, led by a decrease in the over-60 age bracket.
Perch is helping smaller brands pool their resources to lower logistics costs and better compete on Amazon’s vast marketplace.
U.K. delivery company Deliveroo has set its IPO price range, giving the Amazon-backed company a nearly $12 billion valuation.
FedEx and UPS have invested billions of dollars to replicate the favorable characteristics of B2B traffic for B2C. The long battle seems to be turning in their favor.
A Miami-based insurance startup is offering gig workers the opportunity to purchase disability insurance that would protect them in case of income disruptions.
Even as the relationship between Ryder and Chanje was hitting the rocks, Ryder continued to do new deals with the supplier of electric vehicles and touted its role in the company’s green plans.
E-commerce and the increasing desire to conduct digital transactions are driving rapid change in the payments industry.
Walmart plans to convert a Dallas store for online order pickup for customers.
The NLRB action is a gathering of earlier Teamsters actions against Universal, now pulled together in one filing by the government agency.
Instacart may wait until after the majority of Americans are vaccinated to go public so investors can better gauge the company’s growth potential, according to a report.
Sun Country normally flies to sunny destinations. But with Amazon as its cargo customer, it’s heading to Fairbanks, Alaska.
Amazon has started testing Rivian electric delivery vans in San Francisco as part of its planned rollout of 10,000 electric vehicles by 2022.
In the funding announcement, Dutchie reported it acquired two cannabis retail technologies — software provider LeafLogix and retail platform Greenbits — for an undisclosed amount.
Hiring and retaining drivers is an art more than a science.
Flytrex, which is testing drone grocery delivery in North Carolina, has landed $9 million in funding to help it scale production in the U.S. as it nears FAA certification.
Refraction AI discovered many last-mile AVs used a sensor system known as LiDAR, which was causing bottlenecks in deploying these vehicles into the real world.
Delivery software provider Onfleet is joining forces with Bond, an artificial intelligence platform, to offer e-commerce sellers an integrated solution that takes the customer from checkout to delivery in a single offering.
Census Bureau data showed a decline in February sales, but levels remain elevated from a year ago as new stimulus hits
A lawsuit in New York claims that rideshare company Via has refused to pay for and enter arbitration with drivers who believe they are employees and not independent contractors.
Brands big and small want more control over the customer experience, including data and service, and technology firms and logistics providers can now offer brands an Amazon alternative. The tension between retailers and brands is nothing new, but the battle between them has never been this acute thanks to the likes of Shopify, ShipBob, XPO and others.
Chicago Rockford and Cologne Bonn airports operate under the shadow of Chicago O’Hare and Frankfurt airports. But they are rising stars in the cargo arena and have decided to pool their resources.
The new rules approved by the NLRB could be overturned by the Biden administration but only after a formal rulemaking.
Micromobility company Helbiz will secure approximately $82.5 million when it is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange through a SPAC deal expected to close in the second quarter.
Global payments technology provider Stripe has raised $600 million in a new funding round at a $95 billion valuation, making it the most expensive startup in the U.S.
The company can deliver over 90% of its orders same or next day, and has access to 99% of the population.
The legal reason cited for the withdrawal is the elevation of two principles of “economic realities,” which the Wage and Hour Division says have not been used by courts in the past.
Major retail brands are reaching consumers wherever they can these days, and that means more livestreamed special events with social media influencers.
DeJoy testifies that the Postal Service must focus on increasing its 35% share of the package market currently dominated by private carriers.
Southeast Asian rideshare company Grab is in talks to go public through a SPAC led by Altimeter Capital, according to published reports.
A team from the University of Maryland Medical Center has been honored for completing the first drone delivery of an organ for transplant in 2019.
A change in IRS tax code included in the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill will require sellers and other businesses paying out more than $600 to gig workers to file tax forms with the IRS.
Fluid Truck specializes in box trucks and cargo vans and focuses on last mile
FedEx rebrands the service FedEx Ground Economy to reflect full control of last-mile deliveries.
Gig workers are eligible for unemployment payments but verifying income levels can be difficult. The Workers Lab and Steady are teaming up to improve the process.
Federal stimulus checks will be heading by direct deposit and mail to millions of Americans, who will quickly turn to their computers to place online orders that flood parcel networks.
By some accounts, Instacart owns 50% of the online grocery market. With an IPO upcoming, I wanted to look back at how Instacart has gone from niche to necessity and question whether it can maintain this dominant position in a highly competitive, highly sought-after market post-COVID.
The PRO Act would impact only the regulatory power of the National Labor Relations Act and is mostly targeted toward making unionization easier.
The California Labor Commissioner’s Office has fined Green Messengers and Amazon.com Services a total of $6.4 million for what it said was wage theft from delivery drivers.
When David Cabello dropped out of college, he knew he wanted to make a difference, so he started a food delivery business that caters to Black-owned restaurants.
Seventeen Democratic House members introduced a bill to assure the Postal Service electrifies its delivery fleet. It could get Workhorse back in the game.
GoFor Industries will work with Aurora Aerial on a drone delivery test program, starting in Canada before expanding into other markets.
PayPal is paying an undisclosed sum to acquire Curv, a cryptocurrency and digital asset security provider.
Using data from consumer tracking firm Commerce Signals, the idea that e-commerce sales significantly hurt in-store sales during COVID-19 may not be completely accurate.
The World Wildlife Fund’s Farmers Post concept would connect farmers with consumers through the Postal Service’s delivery network.
Safeway is the latest supermarket to begin a test of robots for contactless delivery of online grocery orders.
More consumers prefer to-go or delivery food experiences, so Applebee’s is testing ghost kitchens and delivery-only brands.
Courier gains stood out as an upward trend while others were lower.
Delivery drone manufacturer Flirtey is ramping up production and now taking preorders for its system.
Instacart may forgo the traditional path to public status and sell its shares directly to the public, according to a Reuters report.
February generally shows an increase in the number of trucking jobs, but not in 2021
Amazon-backed Deliveroo announces plans to go public less than a year after British regulators questioned the viability of the business.
As Amazon continues to dominate e-commerce, major retailers are stepping up their investments hoping to benefit from shifting consumer demands.
Workhorse expects a “prolonged process” in trying to wrest mail truck business from the U.S. Postal Service that contracted with defense contractor Oshkosh.
As drone delivery tests ramp up, a patchwork of regulations make some states more friendly to the process than others.
The company sets ambitious fleet electrification goals and establishes a center at Yale University to research climate-capture techniques.
The asset-light warehouse startup will use the capital to expand its network, co-founder says.
The Biden administration signaled on day one that it was going to roll back some late Trump administration rules; the independent contractor rule came out Jan. 7.
Instacart has announced a new funding round of $265 million, increasing its valuation to $39 billion.
New York-based Fillogic has secured a $2.5 million seed funding round to expand its e-commerce logistics platform.
Uber is spinning off the robotic delivery division of Postmates into a new entity.
Ox uses augmented reality to speed the order picking process and improve accuracy. It has landed a $3.5 million seed round of funding to grow its business.
Instacart has announced a new funding round of $265 million, increasing its valuation to $39 billion.
The bankruptcy filing by Hertz threatened to dump a glut of trucks and cars onto the used vehicle market if the company did not find a way to survive.
Some people think the B2B exception is almost hopeless, but others see it as difficult but still the only way the independent contractor mode can survive in the Golden State.
As cryptocurrencies gain in popularity, more e-commerce brands and payment platforms are incorporating the coins into their payment systems.
Workhorse Group is not taking the loss of a contract to make battery-electric mail trucks for the U.S. Postal Service lying down.
The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator and the city of Santa Monica have launched what they said is the first Zero Emissions Delivery Zone in the nation for electric and other non-petroleum-powered vehicles.
Just weeks after a U.K. court ruled that Uber drivers are essentially employees, a new push is on in Canada to unionize gig workers.
Companies like DoorDash and Uber Eats exploded during the pandemic as Americans ordered out for meals, but they face a more difficult path forward as COVID vaccines could reopen in-person dining.
FreightWaves is bringing back its in-person events this year with the F3: Future of Freight Festival in November, celebrating all things freight in a communitywide celebration throughout the city of Chattanooga.
In its first earnings statement as a public company, DoorDash posted record revenue and order volumes, but cautioned on 2021.
Volatile rates per hour and supply demands impacted gig economy drivers in 2020, but a brighter outlook is ahead.
Berkshire Grey, which provides AI-enabled integrated robotic solutions for the supply chain, will get $413 million in cash.
Third-party sellers using the BigCommerce e-commerce platform can now integrate with Walmart.com, opening up new online avenues to sell their products.
The store’s opening is part of DHL unit’s focus on contactless transactions, social distancing, it says.
Best Buy is shrinking its retail footprint in several locations as it moves to using stores for e-commerce order fulfillment operations.
A bad returns experience can turn off nearly three-quarters of consumers on a brand, so developing solutions to simplify this process are vital.
The software platform could help restore “lifetime value” to the 9.5 million tons of furniture that end up in landfills each year.
COVID altered the way CPG retailers and manufacturers interacted with, and delivered products to, consumers, and it is unlikely to ever return to the old ways.
Workhorse Group shares tanked after the U.S. Postal Service awarded a 10-year contract to Oshkosh Truck Corp. to modernize the aging mail delivery fleet.
Payment services provider Square posted 101% net revenue growth in 2020 over 2019 and 45% growth in net profit as it benefited from large growth in its Cash App division.
The e-commerce shipping platform said it is now valued at nearly half a billion dollars.
Brian Devine, senior vice president at ProLogistix, discusses the future of warehouse labor.
DoorDash is accepting applications from women-, immigrant- and BIPOC-owned restaurants to participate in a new accelerator program designed to improve their chances of success.
Warehousing has changed more in the past five years than in the previous 70 years. Chris Riemann, managing director of Deloitte Consulting, and A.K. Schultz, co-founder and CEO of SVT Robotics, discuss the role of automation in this warehousing revolution and how organizations must move their supply chains forward to compete during the e-commerce boom and the spike in online ordering because of the COVID pandemic.
Geodis’ Jeff McDermott joined FreightWaves to talk about challenges that parcel carriers are facing and lessons learned from the pandemic.
Last mile may be the final stop, but it needs to be front of mind for shippers, according to two industry experts.
Greater Philadelphia’s near-invisible vacancy rates paced the logistics real estate market’s 2020 gains.
With large players like Amazon adopting electric vehicles, pressure will start building on smaller fleets and owner-operators to adopt them as well, and that will require companies like GoFor Industries to provide support and all-in-one packages.
As ghost kitchens have popped up across the country, few have appeared on college campuses. Chartwells, which provides dining hall services, is rolling out the concept at client schools.
Andrew Lockwood, senior manager of solutions design at Suddath Global Logistics, discusses last-mile logistics strategies for manufacturing companies.
