Trucking

Mexico remained the top trading partner for the U.S. in May, at $73 billion.

The brokerage industry, this time TQL, has won another court victory, shielding it from liability stemming from a carrier it hired.

Teamsters President Sean O’Brien will speak at the Republican National Convention Monday in a historic first for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The union has yet to make a decision on which presidential candidate they will endorse for 2024.

Freight shipments and expenditures remained depressed in June, Monday data from Cass Information Systems showed.

Mexico truckers averaged about five cargo truck thefts per day across the country’s roadways in June.

Cummins Inc. an engine-maker and power distribution company will invest $150 million to convert about half of its manufacturing space in Columbus, Indiana. The announcement comes after the company was fined $1.675 billion for emissions violations.

Ryder System said Monday it will acquire mobile maintenance and repair services provider Pit Stop Fleet Service.

Transfix, which was a digital brokerage up until just a few weeks ago, is offering its first software solution to the market.

The digital trucking platform partners with CoVenture for up to $100 million in debt to accelerate its financial services.

This week in Borderlands: Ambitious billion-dollar Tehuantepec rail corridor aims to grab more international trade; GrubMarket acquires Houston-based foodservice distributor; Production of Mexican-built cargo trucks rise in June; and Metrobi launches delivery service in Dallas.

Amazon Prime Day 2024 will run July 16 through July 17, with discounts on millions of items across 35 categories for Amazon Prime subscribers.

Hyzon is focusing its fuel cell efforts in North America, cutting operations in Europe and Australia as it seeks to survive.

The key court battle to block the Biden administration’s independent contractor rule is in Louisiana, and a request for an injunction against the rule has been taken a step up in the federal courts.

The EPA is seeking comment on whether to grant California a waiver to enforce the Advanced Clean Fleets rule.

The FMCSA recently delayed rulemaking on truck speed limiters, pre-2000 engine ELD mandates and automatic emergency braking systems to 2025.

Freight-related companies in California, Florida, Ohio and Texas are laying off a total of 218 employees.

Frances Hall has pleaded no contest to charges she was part of a multimillion dollar fraud scheme while she was co-owner of Bill Hall Jr. Trucking.

Owner-operators and safety advocates clash over a divisive safety report alleging data suppression by federal officials.

Authorities in the United States and Mexico announced 25% tariffs on foreign-made steel from China and other countries routed through Mexico.

We solved the mystery of carrier resilience during the long downcycle.

UPS announced the appointment of Brian Dykes as executive vice president and chief financial officer on Tuesday.

Ports in Houston and Galveston remain closed Tuesday in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl.

NFI CEO Sidney Brown was not at the arraignment of his co-defendants in a New Jersey corruption case due to a lawyer conflict.

Werner/ECM is moving toward a union contract in New Jersey, but the stakes may be higher in its union battle in Erie, Pennsylvania.

The Biden administration is pushing back the schedules for a list of rules that are being watched closely by trucking.

Ports along the Texas Gulf Coast remained closed as Hurricane Beryl moved through the area Monday.

Garth Brooks’ continual stadium tours are impressive logistical feats but also represent the actual workings of supply chain and logistics.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: California’s electric truck mandate could affect Mexican transporters; Mexico’s Isthmus of […]

Ports prepare for Hurricane Beryl’s impact as the storm moves through Mexico and toward South Texas.

The BLS jobs report for June recorded a small drop in the number of truck transportation jobs.

Forward Air said Wednesday that interim Chief Financial Officer Jamie Pierson will assume that role on a permanent basis and that it has added James Faught as chief accounting officer.

Container carriers’ request to extend the compliance deadline for new federal billing requirements is being vigorously opposed by their customers.

Allegations of data suppression by committee members tasked with advising the federal government on truck crashes have gone unacknowledged by U.S. Department of Transportation officials.

A Baltimore UPS facility is planning to close in August, according to a Maryland state filing, after laying employees off earlier this year.

Strategic cargo theft from organized crime rings wreaked havoc on brokers and carriers in the first quarter of 2024.

The June Logistics Managers’ Index captures no growth in transportation capacity for the first time since March 2022.

Fundraising doesn’t sleep, and there’s no better time to get the holiday spirit than July.

Nearly $2 billion from the U.S. Department of Transportation will go toward transportation and supply chain projects nationwide.

Mexico is dropping its plan to ban imports of genetically modified yellow corn from the U.S., officials say.

A U.S. House appropriations bill includes $200 million to address the truck parking shortage, a problem plaguing most truck drivers.

Because insurers will be insulated from direct legal action under Georgia Senate Bill 426, the law may reduce their financial incentives to properly vet the trucking firms they insure.

US, Mexican truckers unite for a protest caravan in West Texas to highlight low wages, poor working conditions in both countries.

This week in Borderlands: ImportYeti launches tool to help brands source Mexico-made goods; Pharr bridge construction expansion project set to begin in August; Hammond Power Solutions opens fourth plant in Mexico; and United Kingdom-based logistics company opens Dallas office.

Is wireless charging an idea whose time has come for electric trucks? In some use cases, the answer is yes.

Widespread inflation, growing interest rates and a tight labor market will keep freight service demand low, with excess capacity and low freight rates for the rest of the year. Here’s what to do.

California’s PAGA law, long a bane for business, is set to get an overhaul.

Forward Air’s review of the first quarter shows the company has a little more breathing room to upcoming debt covenants.

Less-than-truckload carrier Tony’s Express of Fontana, California, has filed for bankruptcy protection, nearly three months after it terminated 200 truck drivers, dock and warehouse workers, and office personnel via text message.

Temperature-controlled facility operator Lineage plans a public listing on the Nasdaq.

The U.S. transportation secretary took on drugs and port labor at a hearing on Capitol Hill.

Federal investigators in California recently ordered three logistics operators to pay more than $840,000 in back wages and penalties to Mexico-based warehouse workers.

Supply chain executives at companies ranging from freight brokerages to factoring companies discussed impacts of the freight cycle, technology and lower margins during Freightwaves’ Future of Supply Chain event in Atlanta. Here’s what you need to know.

ATRI has released a June update to its operational cost of trucking report, which saw significant increases in insurance premiums and truck and trailer payments during 2023.

U.S. Rep. David G. Valadao, R-Calif., this week introduced the Safeguarding our Supply Chains Act, which aims to stop “the rampant theft within our nation’s supply chains.”

At the 14th Annual Bike Tour with MTS for Autism, attendees got to hear firsthand from students who have benefited from the funds raised in past years.

A Montreal-based 3PL has launched a sustainability campaign by planting urban forests and using oxygen-producing paint on tractor-trailers.

Wheeler Trucking will pay $65,000 to an employee who faced religious discrimination at the company’s Ohio location.

A class action lawsuit that was first filed more than 13 years ago has resulted in another, possibly final victory for Werner.

A packaging provider in Houston and a Dallas food supplier have announced facilities closures resulting in 285 layoffs.

Parcel analyst Satish Jindel predicts FedEx will opt later this year to spin off the Freight unit to the public market.

Federal regulators cited a lack of information in denying an investigation requested by the parents of children killed in certain types of truck crashes.

Authorities recently ruled that the death of Iowa truck driver David Schultz, who had been missing about five months before being discovered in April, was accidental.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s chief AI officer, Vinn White, has been tapped to oversee truck safety for the Biden administration.

Less-than-truckload carrier Saia continues to open terminals acquired from bankrupt Yellow Corp.

Insurance rates continue to rise despite a down freight market. What does the future of mitigating insurance rates look like?

Judge Lewis J. Liman issued a 113-page ruling outlining his opinion of legal arguments brought against congestion pricing in Manhattan, which would charge truck drivers up to $36 for entering certain parts of the city.

Avocado inspections and shipments have resumed a week after being interrupted by protests in Mexico.

RXO shares are soaring Monday on news of its acquisition of Coyote Logistics from UPS.

A small Virginia trucking company fought off a union, but ensuing legal cases may end up pushing the National Labor Relations Board toward more pro-union policies.

This week in Borderlands: Private sector investment in Mexico $39B so far in 2024; BNSF announces intermodal logistics hub near Phoenix; Trailer manufacturer launches production facility in Eagle Pass, Texas; and Doosan Bobcat begins construction of $300M plant in Mexico.

A congressionally mandated report on CDL skills testing reveals states that are improving — or getting worse — on testing wait times for aspiring truck drivers.

Proficient Auto Logistics, a newly formed publicly traded auto carrier, issued its first-ever earnings.

Sitetracker helps companies like ChargePoint automate tasks surrounding getting electric charging points up and running faster.

TFI International has acquired food-grade tank hauler Entreposage Marco for an undisclosed sum.

This week: Verified Carrier discusses its unique way of vetting carriers, Vecna Robotics closes its Series C, Truckstop vets industry pets and Nvidia has a new offering for industry tech providers.

Some truck drivers supporting the reclassification of marijuana are decrying as hypocritical the banning of pot while off-duty alcohol use is allowed.

NFI CEO Sidney Brown has been indicted as part of the broader “Norcross case” that may shake up New Jersey politics.

Point Pickup Technologies has agreed to sell $100,000 in assets to Delivered, including customer lists, software, transferable permits, books and records, Point Pickup’s website, and promotional materials.

Severe weather is wreaking havoc in parts of South Texas and northern Mexico as Tropical Storm Alberto drenches the region.

Career Now Brands’ chief data officer, Nathan Widener, emphasizes the importance of data collection in the recruitment process and gives insight into how it can help carriers achieve maximum return on investment from recruiting campaigns.

OOIDA and other industry groups are suing over the EPA Phase 3 final rule on greenhouse gas emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles.

An Indiana trucking company that has filed for bankruptcy protection says a financing deal with a company providing the carrier factoring services is “critical” to continuing operations.

Avocado inspections and shipments from Michoacan, Mexico, have been suspended after U.S. inspectors were assaulted.

The UEFA European Championship 2024 is currently underway and takes place across 10 stadiums in Germany, requiring serious supply chain and logistics efforts.

The first tropical storm warning of the 2024 hurricane season was issued Tuesday, as South Texas prepared for a storm that could cause flooding along the Gulf Coast.

Truckers “could be regulated out of existence” if the Biden administration’s Phase 3 emissions rule is allowed to stand, according to the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is suing Alabama-based Dove Transportation after one of the carrier’s trucks struck a bridge in 2021, causing “substantial damage.”

Logistics costs for U.S. businesses were lower in 2023, but prices remain higher than they were before the pandemic, much like the situation with consumer price inflation.

Spencer Ware, co-founder and CEO of Repowr, and Patrick Visintainer, co-founder and COO of Repowr, join Jeremy Reymer to talk about asset underutilization and its impact on the freight industry.

Averitt is preparing for a boom in cross-border shipments with a major expansion of its distribution and service center in San Antonio.

Forward Air confirms it has implemented workforce reductions and other restructuring initiatives.

Shipments and cost data for May show no letup in the freight downcycle.

Check out these viewer-submitted photos from last week’s episode of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, where truck drivers shared photos of their animal co-drivers.

Cargo insurance rates in Mexico are wildly different from the U.S. Mark Vickers breaks down the differences.

C.H. Robinson has joined the TriumphPay Network, a freight payments platform connecting brokers, shippers and carriers.

Technology startup Wiliot has launched a food-safety initiative using ambient IoT to provide more traceability in supply chains.

This week in Borderlands: Evans Transportation launches cross-border service amid trade boom; TexAmericas Center receives Union Pacific “focus site” designation; Chemvest Holdings US acquires Texas rail-served industrial park; and DHL Express expands retail presence in Houston area.

15,867 Amazon Flex drivers across three states filed arbitration with the American Arbitration Association alleging Amazon had misclassified their job roles as independent contractors rather than employees, resulting in underpaid and lost wages.

Trucking companies will see cost bumps in their UCR Plan fees of up to $9,000, depending on fleet size. 

With new investments from Isuzu and trading giant Itochu, Gatik is on the path to mass production of short-haul autonomous trucks in 2027.