Modern Shipper

The so-called Olson case over AB5 draws interest from well beyond California.

E-commerce funding platform 8fig has raised $140 million to help online sellers expand their profitability and market reach.

Integrated business planning solutions “enable an organization to respond to changing demand while managing product flow to ensure high customer service,” says ArchLynk CEO Sekhar Puli.

Supply chain employees are “checked out, challenged and choosing to ‘quiet quit,’” according to Gartner’s Caroline Chumakov.

Amazon air cargo partner ATSG has its eye on long-term growth, but investors with a shorter horizon are wary of big expenditures for cargo jets as shipping demand wanes.

Truck transportation jobs rose in April, defying the worst forecasts from the freight recession.

“Once shippers get up and running on GoodShip, they invite their carriers onto the platform. This creates a multiplayer experience where each party has access to modern analytics, creating a single source of truth,” says CEO Ryan Soskin.

Privately held logistics provider Flexport is acquiring the logistics assets of Shopify to provide complete order management and final-mile delivery services for customers.

Surge Transportation’s Omar Singh discusses the value of offering a robust system of partnerships and offerings outside of the core business model.

Canadian air cargo company Cargojet is searching under every rock for savings to maintain profit levels as shipping demand deteriorates.

Uber Freight, Convoy and J.B. Hunt formed the Scheduling Standards Consortium in December to standardize trade data and synthesize scheduling technology.

California-based Zipline just raised $330 million at a $4.2 billion valuation — greater than any U.S. drone company or any drone delivery company globally.

Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi and SF Airlines in China are helping each other expand globally by providing ground services for the other at their main freighter hubs.

Generative AI is capable of overhauling the day-to-day realities of the supply chain industry by automating human-intensive processes and creating a pathway for fast-paced innovation.

Sun Country is bucking the trend of express carriers flying fewer hours because of slow shipping volumes. Its Amazon fleet is busy as ever.

UPS is adjusting its air network to minimize wasteful flying while shipping volumes are weak.

Gol Airlines in Brazil will have five all-cargo aircraft in its fleet by next month operating in a dedicated service for a large online retailer.

Hawaiian Airlines faces more turbulent market conditions coming out of the pandemic than nearly any airline. On the bright side is a new charter contract with Amazon that will diversify the business.

Gary Chicago airport is building a massive apron for freighter aircraft that UPS will only partially occupy. Build it and others will come is how officials think about it.

TriumphPay and Highway join forces to create an exclusive algorithm that will combat double brokering.

FedEx is shrinking its network of pilot bases in an effort to cut costs. The move follows a recent decision to transfer a major maintenance facility at LAX airport to Indianapolis.

“The Premier Partner Program expands our carrier family to include an even higher level of qualification of carriers that can meet the needs of participating shippers,” said president George Abernathy.

WestJet can’t catch a break when it comes to starting its new cargo airline. Service began Thursday but could shut down in less than a month if pilots go on strike.

There is a lot more competition waiting to take a UPS parcel if workers go on strike, consultant Satish Jindel says.

As negotiations get underway between UPS and the Teamsters, here are key considerations for shippers navigating a period of uncertainty.

J.B. Hunt missed first-quarter expectations Monday as weak intermodal and trucking trends plagued the quarter.

ASL Aviation has several airlines that support express delivery companies and e-commerce retailers. It plans to serve them with drone delivery too.

“We are looking to empower these independent contractors and truly treat them as owners of their businesses,” Luke Denny, co-founder and CEO, told FreightWaves.

Arrival once had a $5.4 billion valuation. Its $524 million valuation in the electric van maker’s second SPAC is about 10% of that.

Striking Sysco drivers in Louisville, Kentucky, reached agreement on a contract, the first since the union was voted in last August.

FedEx said it aims to slash $700 million per year in costs through a massive overhaul of its air network, part of a larger corporate profitability initiative.

Ireland-based cargo group ASL Aviation is expanding to Australia with the acquisition of a FedEx contract carrier.

Walmart doubles down on omnichannel.

Shekar Natarajan moves on as logistics provider Quiet Platforms looks to improve on a disappointing outlook.

Newly tapped interim CEO Lance Rosenzweig is targeting a four-fold increase in Pitney Bowes’ share price in coming years.

Trimble’s U.S. strengths have been combined with Transporeon’s overseas presence through a $1.98 billion acquisition.

One analyst says there’s no reason for FedEx to be aggressive at this time. Another says the current pricing push is visible but it’s limited.

The XPO contract logistics spinoff GXO is expanding its shared warehousing solution globally, starting with the European market.

Pitney Bowes maintains it does not look to compete at scale with FedEx and UPS as alleged by Hestia Capital Partners.

Echo Global Logistics has held true to the same goal since its inception almost 20 years ago: Make transportation management simpler.

Warehouse robotics firm Locus Robotics announced a major automation solution for AMR fleets, LocusOne.

“We have been here over a decade and have deployed thousands of systems using this technology. We are bringing this level of experience with robotics that is just unmatched in this market,” said Mujin Director of Sales Josh Cloer.

Supply chain and logistics firms are making their solutions known at the industry’s largest event. Here’s the most notable news.

Making its U.S. debut at ProMat in Chicago, CoEvolution is seeking new partners to get its technology into U.S. warehouses.

App-based companies fighting AB5 in California got a second court win last week as a three-judge panel cited statements by AB5’s author in its ruling.

Yale Lift Truck Technologies, formerly Yale, showed off its latest tech at the 2023 ProMat supply chain conference in Chicago.

The Ultra5 machine has a right-sized design that eliminates the need for corrugated boxes, according to Packsize.

San Francisco Bay Area-based Nimble Robotics has now raised a total of $115 million to help reduce warehouse size by up to 75%.

FedEx Express is aggressively scaling back air operations to save money as shipping demand crumbles.

Volume weakness persists at FedEx, but cost reductions are acting as strong offsets.

The investment firm Hestia is seeking major changes in Pitney Bowes’ global e-commerce strategy.

The Mountain View, California-based drone delivery firm announced an array of new software and hardware updates.

Gatik will move grocery loads autonomously from Kroger’s Dallas distribution center to its area grocery stores, starting with safety drivers.

The U.S. arm of Just Eat Takeaway will have a new CEO following current chief executive Adam DeWitt’s resignation.

A three-judge panel has reversed a lower court ruling that California’s Proposition 22 was unconstitutional.

Well-known shippers like Gap, Williams-Sonoma, Sephora and Nordstrom have returned to the big carriers after stints at regional carriers, a high-level regional source says.

German giant Deutsche Post DHL posted outsized gains in full-year operating income and said that performance will not repeat in 2023.

Outlining the next phase of its development, Wing revealed its new approach to fully autonomous urban drone delivery networks.

The startup, led by veterans of last-mile delivery platform AxleHire, rolled out a new solution for perishable shippers.

Amazon Air is growing and refining its air cargo network, but at a more gradual pace because of the slowdown in online shopping.

E-commerce SaaS platform BigCommerce added flexibility for sellers with a buy-online, pick-up-in-store offering.

Cargojet is scrambling to balance its cost structure as the air cargo market softens by hitting the brakes on the acquisition of 777 freighters.

Shyft Group’s Blue Arc electric delivery vehicle set a new benchmark for fuel efficiency, per the EPA.

What if the English trucker who made off with 200,000 Cadbury Creme Eggs was trying to spare innocent taste buds?

The long-planned acquisition of a bigger stake in Pilot by Berkshire Hathaway has been completed, and new data is expected to emerge as a result.

High-powered executive championed a growth strategy for the regional parcel delivery carrier that has since been tempered.

The U.S. Postal Service has enlisted Ford as part of a push to add more than 66,000 electric delivery vehicles to its fleet by 2028.

Combined company will boast 81 fulfillment centers in the U.S., U.K. and continental Europe.

PalletTrader is bringing a user-friendly, online intelligence and transaction platform to all things pallets; a new collaborative information “warehouse” for logistics and transportation operators.

In a pair of announcements, Amazon committed to improving the delivery experience for both customers and drivers.

Air Transport Services Group says its leasing business is insulating it from a market downturn that is impacting its cargo airlines.

Qantas wants to capitalize on Australia’s e-commerce boom by increasing the number of freighters used to quickly haul packages around the country.

Target plans to add a half-dozen sortation centers to its U.S. network by 2026, bolstering its last-mile capabilities.

HelloFresh executive Matt Cicinelli discusses how the pandemic shifted the company’s supply chain strategy during FreightWaves’ Global Supply Chain Week.

Shippo launches Shipping Elements, a suite of embeddable shipping components for e-commerce platforms.

Who are the key players in the rapidly growing last-mile delivery space? Coresight Research highlighted 10 companies.

Ameriflight is tentatively betting on two futuristic cargo aircraft from startup manufacturers to augment its feeder service for integrated express carriers.

Listed in the Top 20 Best Fleets to Drive for 2023, ACT is constantly evolving to create a better environment for its current and prospective drivers.

With the launch of The Brake Room, could Chick-fil-A influence Uber, DoorDash and others to emphasize driver experience?

Per The Information, Instacart is looking to deliver items like office and cleaning supplies to small businesses.

Booster CEO Frank Mycroft explains how reimagining fueling can lead to more sustainable delivery.

The e-commerce shipping platform granted its customers access to the last-mile parcel delivery service’s network of logistics assets.

Flexport and Shopify are partnering on a new app designed to reduce the complexity of managing ocean shipments for small businesses.

Growing big and bulky delivery provider Bungii wants to pay its drivers more quickly and conveniently.

Air Transport Services Group will see its Amazon business dip this year as the retailer decreases freighter utilization to match slower retail sales.

Maintenance downtime at Sun Country cut into cargo revenue and growth was limited by slower Amazon e-commerce business.

Amazon may face an Federal Trade Commission antitrust lawsuit in the coming months, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Tracking and acting on sustainability metrics, as well as implementing small and large-scale sustainable last-mile goals are vital steps toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Merchants on the Shippo platform can now access FedEx services like Ground Economy without creating a FedEx account.

Startup electric last-mile van developer Arrival cut 50% of its workforce as it tries to reduce cash burn and make it to production.

Having obtained a milestone Standard Part 135 Air Carrier Certification, Flytrex is ready for takeoff.

Ameriflight, an air cargo contractor for big express companies, is considering a large purchase of uniquely designed, semi-autonomous freighters from Natilus.

Companies in need of supply chain visibility can now leverage FourKites data through their existing internal platforms.

Amazon is still investing in its air cargo network despite cost cuts elsewhere in the company. Next up: India.

For just $5 per month, Prime members can choose from 52 eligible medications and have them delivered to their doorstep, free of charge.

A new contract for pilots at Hawaiian Airlines is setting the bar for all-cargo carriers above traditional industry leaders even though the carrier has never flown freighters before.

As part of Amazon’s some 18,000 job cuts, a “significant number” of employees at several drone delivery facilities reportedly were laid off.

BoxC’s data-sharing initiative with the FDA showcases the growing need for government regulators to work with supply chains to fix operational inefficiencies.