Trucking

Economic and freight indicators are mixed, with some suggesting a downturn is coming, but others pointing to continued growth.

Everyone knew the quarter was weaker than it had been. The question is how much. Stock prices have reflected a significant slowdown.

Auto parts imports could take a hit as vehicle sales slow; Japan makes its own play for African port supremacy.

Overall import growth mean more freight all around, but high drayage costs and better service bringing more boxes to rail.

Ashley Coker (PHOTO: JIM ALLEN/FREIGHTWAVES) The Wyoming Department of Transportation is embarking on a mission to improve safety conditions on a stretch of Interstate 80 that is prone to brutal […]

Fleets are increasingly turning to video to help exonerate drivers of wrongdoing and finding that a side benefit is the coaching opportunity video provides to improve risky driving behaviors.

The government shutdown is forcing the U.S. Coast Guard to work without pay which could begin affecting freight operations.

Sorting through emails, listening to endless phone calls: these are part of the information overload that the Smart Capacity platform seeks to address.

Will Amazon take more boxes at the expense of FedEx, UPS, USPS?

Sponsored by Redwood LogisticsNo book can accurately define what “company culture” really is. It’s as much feel as it is philosophy. What experts do agree on, though, is that it needs to permeate all facets of the company.

Australian livestock haulers will greatly benefit from a programme of livestock-haulage related road upgrades in Northern Australia. Road investment decisions have been informed a massive transport research and simulation project by the national scientific research agency.

Delivery robots, shifting supply chains due to trade wars, and automation slowing productivity in ports

TriumphPay presented its product to a room of 1,000 transportation, technology and finance executives at MarktWaves18 in Dallas, Texas.

“You don’t want to start a trade war with China for the same reason you don’t fight a land war with Russia: They will ‘out-suffer’ you.”

Ashley Coker (PHOTO: DELDOT) Delaware’s newest toll road, dubbed the U.S. 301 mainline, opened to traffic earlier this week. The existing U.S. 301 has been converted to a local roadway, […]

U.S. Chamber of Commerce president Tom Donohue threw down $25,000 for ideas on how to pay for infrastructure. And told Washington to open back up.

Hours of sleep are critical to truck driver safety and to driver retention. The “science of sleep’“ in the context of truck drivers is examined in this article.

The U.S. – China trade war continues to disrupt freight movements into the new year.

Transflo used its slot during the MarketWaves 18 Demo Day to showcase how its app’s new user interface, along with the broader Transflo ecosystem can be used effectively to reduce time during the lifecycle of a load.

R. Eddie Wayland, TCA Legal Counsel (PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK) In a recent Legal Comment, we considered a situation in which a driver was not hired by a carrier because he was […]

 “This is the biggest barrier from going where we are today to commercialization.”

The Teamsters Union is relying on the new Congress to help stave off insolvency of its Central States Pension Fund.

Acquisition of Cory only Hunt’s third deal in nearly three decades.

A strong economy led to more CO2 emissions from industry and from buildings, offsetting the move away from coal.

As administrators for the Black Smoke Matters group on Facebook worked to get a handle on the sudden explosion of members in the group, one administrator announced he is stepping away from the page and the group has posted what it is calling “Truckers Declarations for the 2019 Shutdown” on its website.

The New Jersey company will go into Hunt’s Dedicated Services unit.

The states are at different points in their adoption of the program, but some of them are showing the way in what can be done.

(PHOTO: TCA) Eighteen Companies with Outstanding Safety Records Now Eligible for Two Grand Prizes The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) has selected 18 companies as division winners in its 43rd Annual […]

What Northam supports is along the same lines as the recommendation of a recently-appointed commission on the heavily-traveled north/south highway.

Once dependent on drayage to move boxes to rail, GCT Bayonne now has near-dock rail to speed shipments to U.S. hinterland.

A port operator taps into funding for new natural gas tractors; birds and the federal shutdown could cause delays in Oklahoma bridge projects; Sears wants to liquidate; and air freight is flat in November

Trucking companies could be exposed to increased liability while a challenge to FMCSA’s hours-of-service preemption in California is pending.

In the event of a no deal Brexit the British Government will put a number of measures in place to relieve the pressure of cargo transported through the Dover Straights, testing one of those measures, the lorry holding site at Manston Airport is imperative for the system to work post EU withdrawal.

Price impact of low-sulfur fuel may not be as bad as feared, but still remains unknown; I-5 bridge remains a chokepoint for trucking.

The udelv autonomous delivery vehicle, with an electric range of about 60 miles, will enter a pilot program with XL Parts in Houston.

Results aided by strong collaboration with shippers.

Ashley Coker (PHOTO: JIM ALLEN/FREIGHTWAVES) The Trucking Alliance kicked off 2019 by reaffirming its commitment to safety and making its priority objectives known. Steve Williams, president of the Trucking Alliance […]

It’s an aggressive push by Deutsche to rebut the suggestion that XPO has serious accounting issues.

Shipwell is a startup that turns “the imperfect into the perfect,” stated company co-founder and president Jason Traff while presenting on the MarketWaves18 demo stage.

While onboard with the group’s goals, not all truckers seem happy with the approach Black Smoke Matters is taking to achieve them.

Australian trucking continues to prove fatally dangerous to drivers with a death rate in Australian road transport nearly six times greater than the national industrial average.

(PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK) Guest Authors: Tim Almack – Partner – Katz, Sapper & Miller (KSM) & David Roush – President – KSM Transport Advisors (KSMTA) In life, as well as in […]

A combination of tolls that a commission says will be cheaper than other states, plus an “auto pass,” are seen as providing enough revenue to fund the needed improvements.

Senate confirmation of Patrick Fuchs and Martin Oberman could be catalyst for STB Chairman Ann Begeman to take action on pending shipper proposals.

Freight lobbyists are banking on leadership changes in the 116th Congress to pave the way for infrastructure financing that stalled during the first half of Trump’s administration.

The new fees for 2019 are more than in 2018 but less than they were two years ago.

Aterian Investment Partners Principal Michael Fieldstone said that his firm supported XGS CEO Darrel Harris and his management team and would provide capital to complete improvements to the business.

(PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK) By Jack Porter, Managing Director, TCA Profitability Program 2018 was the best year for carrier profitability in the sixteen years of tracking the data for TCA. The market […]

Initiative aims to keep good but rejected food out of landfills and onto plates.

Political analysts say that the presidential campaign of Washington State Governor Jay Inslee will focus on climate policy in the transportation, manufacturing, and energy sectors, which could affect the way goods move across the country.

Law aims to help shippers avoid potential liability; But in an industry with many fly-by-night operators, getting monies owed still a challenge.

ELDs have been required for the majority of the industry for more than a year now, but there are still some that do not have to comply until Dec. 16, 2019. A look back at ELDs, and what the next deadline means.

Ashley Coker (PHOTO: JIM ALLEN/FREIGHTWAVES) Sheriff’s deputies recovered a truckload of stolen Patron Tequila in Hillsborough County, Florida earlier this week. The value of the merchandise totaled over half of […]

Chassis management and appointment times seen as targets for fixes as Los Angeles grapples with container delays.

Riverside Transport is making strides toward helping drivers achieve better health in 2019. The carrier, which prizes itself on its driver first culture, offers drivers access to gym memberships and nutrition education to help them make better food choices.

Black Smoke Matters, a group formed by truckers, is planning a nationwide shutdown on April 12 to protest several issues facing truckers.

But President Trump still hopeful a deal can be done; tariffs costing both sides billions, and truckers plan one-day labor action for April.

Locating intermodal assets and identifying which of those assets is available for use is one of the key attributes of Phillips Connect Technologies’ Intermodal Smart Solution.

Joplin, Missouri-based Contract Freighter Inc (CFI) will “assume responsibility” for Chicago-based freight transport company, Optimal Freight, at the start of the New Year. Financial details of the transaction are not available at the time of writing.

Ashley Coker (PHOTO: FREIGHTWAVES STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) Riverside Transport is making strides toward helping drivers achieve better health in 2019. The carrier, which prizes itself on its driver first culture, offers […]

Hundreds of manufacturing firms in China seek to take advantage of the vast national investment directed at renewable energy and battery storage technology. This motivates China to capitalize on metal resources necessary for launching the electric vehicle industry.

Telematics provider seeks to integrate data into easily consumable format for driver coaching.

Logistics startup SmartHop helps automate route planning and provides real-time dispatch advice for truckers, while also assisting shippers in sourcing capacity for their loads.

Adding blockchain to existing order fulfillment software product speeds up event recording required for invoice approval.

The regulatory body granted Stoneridge a five year exemption to install its MirrorEye camera monitoring system on trucks in lieu of two rear-view mirrors.

Ashley Coker (PHOTO: CONTRACT TRANSPORT SERVICES) Contract Transport Services granted a popular Christmas wish for nearly 100 children: a brand new bicycle. The company gave the bikes to Green Bay, […]

Freight clearance at border crossing at ports could be susceptible to backups and delays if Washington lawmakers are unable to resolve the funding crisis sooner rather than later.

The tool would allow voice commands and voice recognition to do many things that a set of fingers is now required to complete.

Increased electric vehicle adoption could lead to higher fuel taxes; drone deliveries could be a nuisance to neighborhoods; EU believes that the U.K. might vote in favor of the Brexit agreement this January.

Ashley Coker (PHOTO: ALABAMA MOTOR EXPRESS) Alabama Motor Express is celebrating 30 years in business by performing 30 acts of kindness that touch both the trucking and logistics industry and […]

Prime offerings gained serious traction over holidays.

The formula for the rights offeirng could leave Elliott in control of more than 95% of the company’s outstanding common stock.

Fatigue is a big driver-safety issue. SmartCap is wearable technology that helps drivers to monitor and manage their fatigue levels.

Chris Henry, Program Manager, TCA Profitability Program (PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK) If you’re in the Flatbed / Open Deck segment, you’re probably very familiar with the Daseke name. In recent years, Daseke […]

New center to employ 850 full-timers

The numbers year-on-year are still way up, but there’s been a definite sign of some slowdown.

Even the Port’s director agrees something needs to be done; East Coast port notches new record; ATA crows about California victory.

Bison Transport operates twin 53-foot trailers in Canada, and generally has lower rates of incidents than with single trailers.

Transfix is reportedly trying to raise a Series D that values the company at 10x gross revenues.

The United Kingdom’s Port of Dover has welcomed the government’s decision to join the Common Transit Convention , allowing trucks to pass through countries without border controls.

Ashley Coker SPC. TREY DODDS, A TRUCK DRIVER WITH THE 110TH COMPOSITE TRUCK COMPANY, ATTACHES A TRAILER TO A VEHICLE ON SEPT. 13, 2018, IN PREPARATION FOR DEPLOYMENT IN HURRICANE […]

The beleaguered carpet hauler was over-leveraged and running out of cash.

The web-based TMS automates operations and financial activity, and integrates with other trading partners.

Economic issues not yet on the table.

FMCSA has ruled that California can’t dictate meal and rest break requirements that conflict with federal hours-of-service regulations.

States will soon be able to give would-be drivers more time to get their CDLs at the same time potentially lowering knowledge exam costs.

Prime Minister Theresa May’s failure to garner enough support in Parliament for her withdrawal plan, mainly because of the Irish backstop has seen the protagonists dancing around each other in the UK Parliament while Europe refuses to join the ceilidh.

The vote, with one council member abstaining, took place at 1:05 a.m. this morning.

The history books will say many things about 2018, but whatever else is recorded, it will go down as one of the strongest years for spot and contract pricing increases in the history of trucking in the U.S. Will that trend continue?

Europe’s council of ministers has decided to cut carbon emissions from trucks by 30% by 2030, but some industry associations say this is too much too fast.

A no deal Brexit is the worst possible scenario for traders between the EU and the UK, but hauliers the problems of leaving the EU are significantly worse under with a disorderly crashing out of the union, exacerbating driver shortages and limiting market access.

Load matching app keeps focus on drivers as it includes detention charging, terminal feedback ability.

Facial recognition will be tested next year on the Peace Bridge that connects the U.S. and Canada as a possible solution to speed up commercial border crossings.

Ashley Coker (PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK) Some highlights from this month’s J.D. Power Commercial Truck Guidelines industry update: Volume at auction on the rise The number of trucks sold at auction rose […]

Jurupa Valley, CA  is building a badly needed truck stop. The locals don’t seem to want it.

Technology proponents see automation as aid to driver, not replacement, in short-term as challenges persist for driverless truck.

The federal guideline is “hearsed, nursed and towed,” and that will be the rule in Pennsylvania now.

Chris Henry, Program Manager, TCA Profitability Program (PHOTO: MEASURE WHAT MATTERS) Objectives and Key Results: Using OKRs to execute in 2019 Earlier this year, TPP (TCA Profitability Program) member Steve […]

Non-compliant trucks will be turned away.

No signs of a broader downturn, but the month-on-month numbers are generally a little weaker.