Trucking

In its last quarter as part of Daimler AG, Daimler Truck reported higher unit sales but lower revenue.

TFI International plans to shut down four terminals at the former UPS Freight operation and the CEO signals more to come as the company targets costs.

Truck Talk is a FreightWaves’ newsletter covering the trucking ecosystem with perspective and context.

When shippers are using several cobbled-together solutions with hit-or-miss integrations, they miss out on opportunities to optimize their business practices and workflows.

FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller describes the current and future opportunities in supply chain technology.

Many of the conversations surrounding peak season headwinds center around shippers, but carriers are also faced with challenges during this time.

Also on the podcast: The growing tie between high natural gas prices and what you’re paying for diesel.

Both reports see debt levels rising initially but with a steady move toward a more reasonable level of coverage.

Inventory restocking and demand for domestic intermodal service will support Hub Group into next year, executives said.

Notable cost headwinds around driver sourcing and equipment downtime weighed heavily on Werner Enterprises’ third-quarter results. But the carrier still raised long-term margin expectations.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are turning to heavy-handed tactics to address a container logjam that is gumming up supply chains.

Both companies see their financial results weighed down by higher labor costs and operational disruptions due to staffing shortages.

TFI International fails to replicate early herculean improvement at ex-UPS Freight as operating ratio weakens slightly in record third-quarter financial results.

CEO Jassy says Amazon faces billions of dollars in additional costs during the fourth quarter.

Forward Air took an aggressive step Thursday, issuing sizable earnings growth guidance through 2023. Upgrading the freight mix has management confident in the extended outlook.

Reliance Partners’ Brian Runnels and Robert Kaferle spotlight blind spots to expose their hidden dangers.

California and federal officials are partnering to speed up future freight infrastructure investments, as well as reduce delays impacting cargo flows today.

The CEO of Canada trucking giant Mullen Group says the cost of freight in the country is set to press upward amid high demand, tight capacity and the end of wage subsidies.

The CEO of North America’s largest privately held LTL carrier makes a passive investment in the digital freight-matching firm.

Management from Schneider National told analysts on its third-quarter earnings call that current truckload fundamentals should carry through the end of 2021 and well into next year.

The LTL carrier plans on opening 10 to 15 terminals in 2022.

Traton Group is optimistic for future quarters as it posts solid nine-month results with recently acquired Navistar included for the first time.

“These international commitments are valuable, but of course they are no replacement for actual action on the ground,” said Timothy O’Connor, senior director and senior attorney of energy transition strategy at the Environmental Defense Fund.

Sourcing capacity will likely prove difficult through at least the first quarter of 2022 as supply and demand struggle to strike a balance during the peak season.

New car inventories are down significantly from 2019 due to manufacturing slowdowns and parts shortages. Meanwhile, demand continues to surge, with multiple used car pricing indices showing prices up about 27% year-over-year.

With pharmaceutical spending reaching new heights, a single shipment can be worth millions of dollars, leading to monumental financial losses — as well as serious threats to human lives — in the event of a transportation or distribution error.

A little more than a year ago, Ryder was dealing with too many used vehicles to sell. It is well past that now.

North Carolina-based carrier’s third pay raise in a year comes amid unprecedented freight volumes and demand for drivers.

Trucking firm Marten Transport discloses it was the victim of a cyberattack that may have exposed employee data after a ransomware gang briefly posted a claim of responsibility.

The Port of Long Beach is trying to innovate its way out of container gridlock. The latest move is regular shuttle trains to Utah to reduce less efficient truck moves.

After settling a class-action lawsuit over defective MaxxForce engines, Navistar agrees to pay the government for Clean Air Act violations.

Old Dominion expects the costs of growing at such a fast pace will linger for a while. The company beat third-quarter estimates and doubled down on its share-taking strategy.

During a year characterized by historically tight capacity, shippers should enter peak season prepared for even harsher conditions.

Used vehicle sales at the company were strong again.

The freight and supply chain sector is often categorized as “hard to abate” when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions. AskWaves digs into why that is.

The Los Angeles/Long Beach cargo community is confused about punitive fees on ocean carriers designed to expedite the clearance of containers from marine terminals.

With no previous experience in the trucking and logistics industries, Mohammad Banibaker struck out on his own during the COVID-19 pandemic and founded Azmi Freight.

These are the five spots where truckers are most likely to experience a rollover, according to a telematics company.

Company shoots out the lights in the third quarter with soaring profits and EPS.

An ATA survey reveals a driver vaccination rate of 50%, with more than half of the unvaccinated saying they will not get a shot under any circumstance.

Flock Freight’s fierce dedication to greening up the supply chain helps it stand out from its peers and attract a wealth of talent from several different backgrounds.

Freight broker Echo Global Logistics reports better-than-expected third-quarter results in what is likely its last public quarterly report.

Paccar made up for the loss of 7,000 deliveries in Q3 through record parts profits and higher prices for used trucks.

UPS boosts its 2021 operating margin guidance to 13%.

Transport Canada is investigating an ELD certification body after a vendor alleged that it approved a device that could allow drivers to falsify their logs.

The agency bans shipping of vaping products, joining FedEx, UPS and DHL. Regional delivery firm LSO plans to expand vape shipping in its territory.

Canadian trucking and logistics firm XTL Group expands into the U.S. with the acquisition of Georgia freight brokerage CBT.

In his speech, Chris Spear touted the ATA’s role in the infrastructure act now before Congress.

Many media outlets are reporting that a Long Beach city order will allow bigger container stacks at the port. Not true. It’s for container yards outside the harbor district.

By placing all assets on the same platform, fleet managers no longer have to manually track asset location, driver hours of service status, or engine condition.

VNR Electric purchases are small but growing consistently as Volvo Trucks North America seeks zero tailpipe emissions by 2050.

Descartes Systems Group’s MacroPoint Capacity network adding FreightWaves SONAR’s Lane Score data.

The end of the supply chain as we know it? Not even close, an economist believes.

The research group revealed its list at the annual meeting of the American Trucking Associations.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Texas lawmakers criticize effort to restrict energy sales to Mexico; US blocks tomato imports from Mexican farm; Nuvocargo boosts team with hires from Uber, McKinsey; and Hutchison Port Holdings breaks container delivery record at Mexican port.

This week: A Kenworth truck is set to deliver the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree for the eighth time; a project44 partnership offers camper vans for employees to work from anywhere; and ATA’s road team delivers supplies to Afghan refugees in Wisconsin.

The suspension of money-back guarantees comes seven months after FedEx restored them on nine air services.

Specialized and flatbed carrier Daseke posted better-than-expected third-quarter results Friday. Management said the company is working on a couple of acquisitions.

Triumph Bancorp CEO Graft revealed the numbers on the new factoring and brokerage companies that have signed up to the processing platform whose capabilities were bolstered earlier this year with the acquisition of HubTran.

The huge C-suite move puts the supply chain heavyweight in the center of the parcel action right away.

Chinese investment scrutiny and SPAC renegotiation suggest going public may not happen for autonomous trucking software maker Plus.

A former FedEx Ground senior manager was sentenced to more than three years in prison for his role in a decadelong stolen-goods scheme.

Sequentially, tractor growth is positive for the first time in more than a year, a sign the company cites as evidence the Variant initiative is succeeding.

Covenant Logistics Group’s managed freight segment revenue grew 89% year-over-year during the third quarter, to $90 million.

Reliance Partners’ Mark Barlar reacts to CVSA’s HM/DG Road Blitz and encourages the industry to clean up its act when hauling volatile materials.

Landstar reports record third-quarter results and calls for a similar performance in the fourth and potentially beyond.

Slowdowns and stoppages likely to continue as supply chain disruptions plague heavy-duty truck production.

While dates for other CVSA inspection weeks are announced in advance, the precedent set by Canada was not to disclose the dates for what is known as HM/DG inspection week.

E-commerce fulfillment provider ShipMonk’s facility in Mexico will focus on companies that rely on goods manufactured internationally.

“Unprecedented” summer rains, mudslides and interstate closures have Colorado carriers digging themselves out of a hole.

Azuga customer fleets of all sizes, from delivery companies to over-the-road trucking operations, can buy into a new carbon offset program to help them make their vehicles carbon-neutral.

Sought-after used trucks nearly double in year-over-year price, according to J.D. Power Valuation Services.

Chattanooga-based Covenant benefited from an exceptionally strong freight market resulting from growing economic activity, low inventories and supply chain disruptions.

Trucking companies, logistics firms and suppliers may be left in a lurch after an auto parts supplier filed bankruptcy after losing GM as a client.

A look at how Knight-Swift Transportation blew past third-quarter expectations and raised its full-year guidance.

ShipmentX offers logistics providers a marketplace ecosystem in which users can operate confidently and match freight with full transparency, driving trust-based relationships.

FMCSA’s Meera Joshi is taking on multiple trucking issues.

U.S. Bank’s Spend Index does include the price of fuel, which has helped to drive it higher.

Overlapping crises have pushed the race for global visibility into a critical stage.

Long-term supply chain challenges could minimize the value of driver pay increases.

Hub Group forecasts mid-teens revenue growth between the Choptank business and cross-selling.

With other truckload carriers coming in at a sub-80% OR, Marten’s ratio for truckload improved just 40 bps.

Former trucking school execs Robert Waggoner and Emmit Marshall were sentenced for bilking the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs out of nearly $4.2 million.

It is clear that shippers need to pinpoint proactive solutions to their peak season woes if they hope to safeguard their bottom lines and maintain positive relationships with their customers in the upcoming months.

The winning attorney doesn’t think the award is big enough to constitute a nuclear verdict.

There is plenty of opportunity for innovative companies to solve for industry headwinds, a prospect that excites both new investors and existing stakeholders across the industry.

Transaction adds trucking to Hub’s refrigerated transport portfolio.

SPS Commerce is collaborating with C.H. Robinson to open up new LTL capacity to retailers in need of space to move goods this holiday season.

Carriers have overcome notable cost inflation and disruption to post better-than-expected results so far in the third-quarter earnings season.

Pumpkin growers across the U.S. have dealt with everything from invasive fungus to extreme weather to supply chain issues leading up to Halloween this year.

A bigger-displacement natural gas-powered engine from Cummins could prompt fleets to switch from diesel in pursuit of lower emissions.

The Biden administration is pushing industry to take immediate and long-term steps to get ports and intermodal transport working smoothly.

Amazon’s seasonal demand dwarfs its competitors.

One way to solve present capacity and cost challenges is by using technology that not only provides real-time visibility to the trailer status and location but also delivers clear view of the cargo space and capacity utilization.

Renewable natural gas (RNG) has emerged as the leading pathway for low-carbon, clean air trucking.

The two contracts the Teamsters signed with XPO are the highlights of the union’s last few months.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: The TexAmericas Center looks to expand its rail transload business; Mexico’s exports of commercial trucks fell 11.3% in September; Bridgestone completes a $100 million expansion in Mexico, creating 150 jobs; and a cold storage facility is set for Southern California.

This week: Maersk moves seven containers of medical supplies to India for $1 a pop; Razor’s new landing gear helps a veteran monument replica move across the U.S.; and XPO continues to support breast cancer walks.

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services jumped 10% Friday as the company navigated supply chain challenges during the third quarter to beat analysts’ forecasts.

This episode also dives into the tight inventories facing the diesel market.