Trucking

The driver of a tanker truck died Tuesday afternoon when his vehicle burst into flames after crashing on a Houston highway.

Fraley & Schilling has acquired the assets of KBT Enterprises, an Indiana-based carrier specializing in dry bulk material transportation.

Sixteen repeat fleets have been named to the TCA and CarriersEdge 2021 Best Fleets to Drive For list, which honors for-hire trucking fleets identified as offering the best workplace experiences for drivers.

Nikola is recasting its board of directors to make crisis management and business expertise available to management as the electric truck startup seeks to regain credibility lost after a stratospheric beginning as a public company.

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, the CEO of flatbed operator Daseke has stepped down, plus project44 accuses FourKites of defamation over alleged emails sent to board members, and a key index covering transportation, inventory and warehousing, is suggesting a possible slowdown in the supply chain.

David Henry, regional manager for Mexico at GlobalTranz, makes his predictions for cross-border trade.

XPO Logistics’ virtual reality program is designed to promote effective loading procedures at LTL docks, the company says.

The sponsor of concealed-carry reciprocity legislation in Congress has singled out truck drivers as beneficiaries of the proposal.

A congressional oversight report highlights flaws in the Defense Department’s designation of less-than-truckload carrier YRC Worldwide as a company vital to national security.

These apps can help truckers learn about weather changes, construction and more while providing something entertaining on long drives.

The FAA is adding new experts to its Drone Advisory Committee.

Acquisitions and record Canadian grain loadings round out rail news

Albertsons, subsidiaries turn to alternatives such as DoorDash

Bison Transport, one of Canada’s largest trucking companies, has been acquired by Canadian agricultural and industrial conglomerate James Richardson & Sons.

While the pace of growth in the supply chain cooled during December, transportation and warehouse capacity remains tight and prices are high.

TruckPark and FuelMe have launched a service that allows truck drivers to reserve a parking space and schedule a fuel delivery at the same time.

Flatbed carrier Daseke announced several moves Tuesday. The company’s CEO has resigned, former founder Don Daseke will be renominated to the board and institutional shareholder Lyons Capital will occupy a board seat.

OneRail eliminates friction from the final mile by reducing fulfillment operation costs and increasing delivery speed. Its courier network of 4.5 million drivers reaches virtually every market from coast to coast.

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, an activist investor is pushing Forward Air to create more shareholder value. Plus, retail supply chain trends to watch in 2021 and Deutsche Bank’s Amit Mehrotra shares his truckload stock outlook.

Some market signs point to gains fizzling out for now.

Experts share how DHL Supply Chain’s GoGreen and GoHelp initiatives are paving the way for sustainable progress.

Workhorse Group booked its biggest order for its electric delivery vans, but the deal requires the company to come through on time starting this July — maybe.

Benjamin Hartford joins Marie Colbert and Derek Nelson to fill out Mastery’s top executive ranks.

Missouri-based Boomerang Tube lays off 185 workers from its manufacturing operation in Liberty, Texas.

Former executives at Forward Air along with an activist investor have been acquiring shares since October in efforts to make changes to the management team, board and capital allocation strategy, which may include divesting “non-core assets.”

1994: Despite its effectiveness in catching contraband, Customs pulls the plug on X-ray procedures at Tacoma.

Dana Inc. spotted the trend toward zero-emission commercial vehicles four years ago when China offered incentives for battery-powered buses. That led the Tier 1 supplier to start buying and partnering with companies to build an all-in approach to electrification.

XPO gets most of K + N’s U.K. contract logistics business.

Automakers have put a high priority on EVs as the world shifts to cleaner modes of transportation. With demand for EVs forecasted to rise, the demand for rare earth metals used in both EV drivetrains and batteries will definitely be on the rise as well.

A train carrying more than 160 Volkswagen vehicles was derailed in Mexico last week by thieves, according to Mexican authorities.

Schmitt says the company had “muscle memory” that enabled a shift to methods that predated the technology shutdown by a ransomware attack

The trucking sector has been on a historic run of late, with some pointing to an end nearing. Don’t tell that to Deutsche Bank’s Amit Mehrotra, who sat down with FreightWaves to discuss his positive outlook for the new year.

An Oregan man was recently sentenced to over eight years in prison and ordered to pay back over $3.2 million for his role in an elaborate fraud scheme while living in Hawaii.

Electric vehicle sector hottest area for SPACs

LoadStop digitizes fleet operations with automated dispatch and carrier TMS.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Mexico registers a $3 billion trade surplus in November; Wholesum inaugurates a new facility in Mexico; the Nogales port of entry to reopen Sundays; and Shacman Trucks signs distribution agreement.

Five-year-old Liam Salmon lost his nearly year-long battle to brain cancer on New Year’s Eve.

Everything from shipments of tomatoes, avocados, jalapenos and broccoli, to loads of electronic equipment were used in attempted smuggling cases at the Mexico border.

New Jersey has become the first state in the nation to announce plans to adopt California’s Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) and Heavy-Duty Omnibus rules as momentum builds to expand the […]

Wabash National discloses Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions in its first sustainability report.

In 2020, the U.S. trucking industry was turned on its head by a pandemic and an oil glut that forced many small fleets and owner-operators to cease operations or file for bankruptcy protection. Others cited legal woes as the main reason to file Chapter 7 or 11 this year.

Federal excise tax waiver could help Volvo’s VNR Electric truck reach price parity, says electric vehicles director

Daimler Trucks North America signed a consent order with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration agreeing to pay up to $30 million for tardiness in reporting safety recalls in 2017 and 2018.

DHL Freight promotes two and ev Transportation appoints two to board.

Traffic app Waze squeaks into the FreighTech 25 at No. 25, rounding out the group for 2020.

GDOT’s $1.8 billion truck-only lane project is expected to reduce delays by 12% for commercial vehicles.

The proliferation of ransomware attacks in the trucking and logistics industry is leaving many firms in the position of deciding which is the lesser of two evils: paying the attackers or paying the price of refusing.

Parcel-delivery surcharges are to be front and center in conversations next year.

Innovation chief McLelland says the questions for the industry go from the very big to the very small, and not all can be anticipated yet.

Mainstream commercial use of small unmanned aircraft for a variety of applications, including package delivery, is around the corner. New FAA regulations create a pathway for drones to operate safely with fewer limitations.

Warehouse solutions provider 6 River Systems ranks No. 23 in the FreightTech 25. The company rapidly expanded its customer base and wall-to-wall fulfillment solutions this year.

FedEx will mark its 50th year by harnessing IT for pitched battles with Amazon and UPS.

Deciding whether a digital freight brokerage, No. 22 on the FreightTech 25, fits in a company hauling around people and food

Company said sale of its SHIP tokens was not an unregistered securities sale, but government agency disagreed

NATSO and other retail fuels industry trade groups urge states not to join the Transportation Climate Initiative Program.

Mexico’s new fuel import regulations are seen by critics as an attempt to boost state oil firm Pemex.

Hino Motors has suspended production until late 2021 because its engines don’t meet greenhouse gas emission standards.

It’s safe to say that Apple has a major portion of the electronic market on lockdown. Apple’s next strategic move? Developing its own self-driving car and taking it to the streets by 2024. No joke.

Mark Duchesne’s resume includes working at process-driven Toyota Motor Corp. and freewheeling Tesla Inc. Now he is trying to keep Nikola’s $600 million plant on schedule to build battery-electric trucks and the first fuel cell electric trucks by the end of 2021.

A couple more truckload carriers have announced pay increases for drivers ahead of the new year. Beacon Transport and Bay and Bay Transportation are the latest.

FedEx Corp.had announced acquisition of e-commerce platform ShopRunner earlier this month.

The Timken Co. and Envases Group recently announced plans for cross-border factories in Texas and Mexico.

The FMCSA has declared a truck driver an “imminent hazard to public safety” after the deaths of five cyclists in an accident in Nevada.

Efforts to require side and front impact guards continue in Congress.

The parking brake can apply without warning, increasing the possibility of a crash in four 2021 Volvo model lines. The company stopped delivery Dec. 8 to inspect trucks not already on their way to customers.

Plenty of distillate molecules to go around plus no collapse in high sulfur reversed all conventional wisdom, Morningstar says

The FMCSA’s final rule allowing third-party instructors to provide both instruction and qualifying testing for the same applicant isn’t likely to materially alter trucking’s capacity shortfall, according to analysts.

Hackers relentlessly targeted trucking and logistics companies throughout 2020. These five cyberattacks are among the worst incidents.

The plan: signing up lots of carriers who then team with brokers to use the factoring capabilities built into the platform

igital freight startup Loadsmart ranks No. 18 on the 2021 FreightTech 25 list of most innovative and disruptive companies.

Top 10 lists dominate the end of any year. FreightWaves’ Top 10 stories list is voted on throughout the year by readers simply by reading our stories on freightwaves.com. Here are the stories you read the most in 2020.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Opening Texas bridge to cargo trucks will be game changer; Amazon will open a logistics center in Mérida; new service links ports of Brownsville and Tampa Bay; Rhenus Group expands in Mexico.

Canada now has two COVID-19 vaccines in circulation. FedEx Express flew in the first shipment from Europe on Thursday.

CFI raised more than $40,000 in its annual Truckload of Treasures Holiday Giving Campaign.

A federal grand jury has indicted Daniel R. Fruits, a former executive of Secure Transit, headquartered in Greenwood, Indiana, alleging he defrauded his investor of nearly $14 million to buy a horse farm, Rolex watches and several luxury cars.

New data from Mastercard’s SpendingPulse showed that overall holiday retail sales rose in 2020, but department stores took a hit as more Americans bought online.

IoT leader Samsara makes it into the FreightTech 25. Ranked No. 16, Samsara has seen rapid innovation, product updates and customer growth.

While new trailer orders are booming to meet capacity demands, 20% of the nation’s fleet could be sitting idle on any given day. Why?

WorkHound collects anonymous driver feedback. Its CEO recently sat down with FreightWaves to discuss 2020 from the driver perspective.

TravelCenters of America counted more than $88,000 in small change for the St. Christopher Trucker Relief Fund, bringing the charity close to its $1 million fundraising goal.

One type of trucking company may get some relief: those hauling timber

The cross-border transportation and logistics industry faced unprecedented disruption this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A partnership this year with CRST uncovered a huge opportunity for trucking technology startup Baton and its customers.

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, Republic Services has canceled a 2,500-truck order with embattled hydrogen-electric truck maker Nikola Corp. Plus, Forward Air is on the road to recovery following a ransomware attack and Roehl is the latest carrier to announce a driver pay increase.

Feeding America’s supply chain chief discusses a year like no other and how the group pivoted to get food to needy Americans.

Lawmakers agree to convert $10 billion loan to a grant.

Autonomous delivery company Nuro has acquired Ike, a trucking technology startup founded by veterans of Apple, Google and Uber ATG.

Port Houston will be the first U.S. port of call in THE Alliance’s new direct Asia service. The trans-Pacific EC6 service will begin in Kaohsiung, China, and reach the U.S. […]

Indianapolis-based third-party logistics provider FitzMark announces the completion of a majority recapitalization. The transaction allows the brokerage consolidator to further pursue organic growth plans and acquisitions.

Dave Osiecki gives his views on what happened this past year and what might be occuring in 2021.

More than $32 million worth of fake Viagra pills, knockoff Air Jordans and other counterfeit products were found in shipments arriving from China, authorities said.

Disruptions in one corner of the world can impact operations at home. With the turbulence of 2020 hopefully behind us, Global Supply Chain Week will examine where the dust has settled and share lessons on reacting to the enormous disruptions of the previous year.

Coronavirus vaccines require extreme levels of protection from organized crime organizations, nation states and others looking to steal shipments or valuable data. The U.S. government is stepping in with extra help for industry, including escorts by U.S. marshals.

A quarterly year-over-year drop of 25% needs to be on the books for access to money.

In the latest blow to already beleaguered Nikola Corp., Republic Services canceled an order for 2,500 battery-electric refuse trucks. It further calls into question how Nikola will generate revenue.

The company is not commenting yet on signs the ransomware attack may be over.

With vaccines in tow, the transportation industry will deliver a lot of much-needed holiday cheer over the next few weeks.

Roehl Transport joins the list of truckload carriers increasing driver pay to keep trucks rolling during a high-demand environment.

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, cyberattacks on Forward Air and Central Freight Lines are causing supply chain issues. Plus, FedEx and UPS receive kudos for their performance transporting the COVID vaccines.

Brett Pope, director of electric vehicles for Volvo Trucks North America, suggests waiving the 103-year-old federal excise tax to help make the Volvo VNR Electric Class 8 regional hauler it will begin selling in 2021 more affordable.