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The railcar leasing market for 2022 feels more solid than past years, executives said Tuesday during GATX’s fourth-quarter 2021 earnings call.

GoFundMe says it needs to know how organizers of the Freedom Convoy will distribute money to truckers who are heading to Canada’s capital to protest cross-border vaccine mandates.

Less-than-truckload carrier Saia announced a 7.5% general rate increase Tuesday. The carrier was the latest to announce rate hikes greater than the normal mid-single-digit increases.

Inside the WTT newsletter: benchmark your salary; spot rates stay sky-high; best memes in freight and more.

Marten’s labor and purchased transportation costs were higher in 2021 but were more than offset by rising revenue.

The Biden administration is releasing $246 million in FY22 funding to help complete the Appalachian Development Highway System.

Among Tuesday’s notes: Rate disparity between the coasts, Detroit market continues to tighten, and more.

Education of all levels of drivers is needed to prevent crashes and casualties.

The roads are mostly mapped for TuSimple to drive autonomously in Texas. Now it is up to commercial property developers to get ready.

Management from the nation’s largest flatbed operator, Daseke, says the demand backlog extends for “the foreseeable future.”

Ascend announced Tuesday that it is expanding its footprint with the acquisition of Dedicated Transportation Solutions.

The owner of an Iowa trucking company was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for his role in a seven-year, $1.4 million payroll tax scheme.

One of the more underserved segments in a decidedly underserved industry, LTL is getting a boost from Relay Payments.

Paccar Q4 new truck deliveries were up 45% over Q3, suggesting some easing of supply chain disruptions and semiconductor shortages.

The Port of Savannah handled a record 5.6 million TEUs in 2021.

This beluga whale doesn’t swim, it flies. Airbus built a freighter that looks like the whale so it can get large shipments in the front dome.

The American Chemistry Council chats with FreightWaves about why government leaders should keep transportation issues at the forefront of policymaking, especially in light of anticipated growth in production of chemicals.

With its foundation in place, Gatik looks to accelerate middle-mile autonomous deliveries across North America.

Truckers will hit intense snowfall at times in the Rockies the next two days (video forecast included).

In the aftermath of Central Freight Lines’ abrupt closure five weeks ago, many of the company’s 2,100 employees, including 1,325 truck drivers, are struggling with paycheck concerns and questions about when or if they will receive vacation pay and unemployment benefits, while others claim they were subjected to unsafe working conditions at the company’s headquarters in Waco, Texas.

MSC, a giant shipping line, wants to buy an Italian airline. If successful, it will then be in the passenger airline and air cargo businesses.

Ten unions want a mediator to assist with negotiations for a new labor agreement between the unions and U.S. freight railroads. The railroads agree.

The complex nature of markets is evidenced by the fact that the price of natural gas and hydrogen is having an impact on diesel supplies.

As truckers across Canada protest vaccine mandates at the U.S. border, an unvaccinated owner-operator says she faces financial ruin over the jab requirement.

The United States takes tit-for-tat action against Chinese airlines after China restricts access by U.S. carriers.

The less-than-truckload service provider is using low-carbon diesel, efficiency improvements and electrification to reduce emissions.

An attack on Ukraine could hike costs for shipowners and cargo shippers across the globe.

Canadian truckers protest mandate; the law behind non-competes; warehouse robotics; misconceptions about reefer

Among Monday’s notes: Ontario market is loosening, Headhaul Index in Indy up 20%, and more.

Shippers are “fed up” with the West Coast logjam and “happy” to pay extra for East Coast destinations.

Germany’s Wingcopter struck a deal with aerial medical services company Spright to deliver medical supplies to underserved areas of the U.S. via drone.

Zero-percent factoring will be able to provide relationships and data that can be used as a foundation for other trucking support businesses, according to BasicBlock’s CEO.

“We decided this rebrand was right for us now because we knew people tend to think of us based on what our business did when they met us or based on what service they hired us for. We’re so much more now and wanted our name and brand to represent that.” says CEO Peter Rentschler.

The infrastructure, cost and emissions benefits of renewable natural gas make it a promising alternative fuel to decarbonize trucking, experts said.

Family comes first for Lionel van der Walt, who has left PayCargo.

Wildfire leads to evacuations and partial closure of California’s Pacific Coast Highway.

According to Deloitte’s 2022 Retail Industry Outlook, supply chain automation and voice-enabled commerce are top of mind for retailers.

Driving long-haul reefer trucks can be challenging, according to message boards and trucking forums.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Mexico’s commercial truck makers finish the year on a high note; a German automotive company is opening a $59 million plant in Querétaro; Nissan is laying off more than 500 workers at a Mexican plant; and LGT Transport is opening a trucking facility in Texas.

AskWaves examines four charities that help improve life on the road.

This week: DHL helps rescue five lions and a tiger; Schneider receives the SanMar Mask Award; and C.H. Robinson begins taking applications for student scholarships from carriers and employees.

As the U.S. cuts off borders to unvaccinated truckers, the impacts for Canadian trucking companies run the gamut from a punch in the gut to business as usual.

Amazon doesn’t have any pilots. It outsources flight operations to airlines. Find out which one is supporting cargo service to Wichita.

Tender volumes continue to outperform year-ago levels. Rejection rates are continuing to rise in a unseasonable pattern placing pressure…

Manufacturers are feeling the pressure to up their production big time, and that means finding ways to get around continued hurdles like shortages.

Triumph’s CEO Graft is not holding back, likening the automated deals to the invention of the telephone in terms of technical significance.

Among Friday’s notes: Tender rejections plummet from Dallas to Ontario, Richmond market to tighten, and more.

Disjointed collaboration within the supply chain has lead to little improvement; rail safety; renewables

Carriers, truck brokers and leasing companies will see annual fees collected by states reduced by up to $15,000 per year.

Host John Kingston also looks at renewable diesel, which might not be as plentiful as envisioned.

Clean air regulators have to play the long game with short-term updates, the latest of which comes from New Jersey. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says the state plans to lend policing and prosecution support to Union Pacific and other victims of cargo theft.

New financiers are backing a major fleet expansion at Mexican cargo carrier MasAir.

Renewable natural gas (RNG) is the leading low carbon solution that helps trucking companies and shippers reduce their carbon footprint and meet their sustainability goals.

Truck Tech is a weekly newsletter providing perspective and context on autonomy, electrification and other technologies impacting the fleet ecosystem.

CSX has been hiring more aggressively not only to meet anticipated market demand but to safeguard against COVID-19-related absences, according to executives on its fourth-quarter 2021 earnings call Thursday.

Supply chain disruptions are blamed for mixed results at Gulf Coast ports.

Leveraging its nationwide network of more than 7,000 attorneys, TVC has a high success rate reducing or dismissing citations.

E-commerce personalization platforms are playing an increasingly important role in the success of last-mile delivery.

The Supreme Court’s decision to halt enforcement of OSHA’s vaccine or testing mandate is a win for employers, but the final legality of the policy is still to be decided.

Ice, sleet and snow may keep truckers out of the mid-Atlantic this weekend.

Kubed Living is turning shipping containers into homes, offices and gyms.

The U.S. government moves forward with its COVID-19 vaccine mandate despite fears that thousands of truck drivers will leave cross-border freight.

UP’s capital expenditures plan for 2022 includes investments to intermodal terminals and intermodal ramps, executives said during the company’s fourth-quarter 2021 earnings call Thursday.

Chicago leads all markets, while Greenville-Spartanburg makes the top 10 list for the first time.

Among the major U.S. passenger carriers, United Airlines was the big winner in cargo performance during 2021.

FreightWaves reports very positive financial performance in 4Q 2021.

Heartland Express announced 2021 was its best year since going public. Fourth-quarter results were in line with consensus.

The Postal Service, bogged down by delivery delays and staff shortages, is taking on a monumental task from Washington –– can it succeed?

“Combining our visibility technology with a sophisticated fintech product will allow companies to make their payments around real-time updates,” says the founder and CEO of Shifl.

Extending a long-term relationship with Isuzu, Cummins will power a Class 6 medium-duty cabover battery-electric prototype.

DroneUp CEO Tom Walker sat down with Modern Shipper to discuss his company’s expanding delivery business, including its partnership with Walmart.

How USA Truck and Convoy developed a new solution for elastic capacity that benefits shippers, carriers and brokers

Aeronautical Engineering takes used planes and turns them into cargo configuration. More countries are approving a new design for its 737-800 freighter.

Among Thursday’s notes: Demonstrating the power of spot-rate knowledge, Headhaul Index rises in Columbia, and more.

A winter storm may keep truckers away from portions of Texas and the mid-Atlantic for a couple of days (video forecast included).

Could container shipping and tanker stocks end 2022 very differently than they began it?

From capital investments to competitive access, issues that CSX has brought before the Surface Transportation Board reflect concerns facing the freight rail industry as a whole.

P.A.M. Transportation Services finished 2021 on a high note, posting another large earnings beat during the fourth quarter.

It’s a sign of the supply chain times when customers are renting entire planes from United Airlines to haul low-value commodities like mayonnaise.

The Biden administration announced Robin Hutcheson will replace Meera Joshi as FMCSA deputy administrator.

“Historic, pandemic-induced import surge” drove record-smashing volume at the Port of Long Beach.

David Weil would have a key role in determining the federal definition of an independent contractor.

“We founded Parallel to allow railroads to open new markets, increase infrastructure utilization and improve service to accelerate freight decarbonization,” said Matt Soule, co-founder and CEO at Parallel Systems.

Freight consultant Chris Jolly and Shannon Breen of FreightVana discuss strategies to help transportation companies develop long-term relationships with clients.

Prologis provided better-than-expected 2022 guidance on Wednesday, citing the expectation that demand will continue to outpace logistics real estate additions during the year.

“An earlier transition will allow more gradual changes, thereby reducing the risk of significant disruptions of the sector and of asset stranding,” the report said.

Forward Air’s Sylvia Cintron talks with FreightWaves’ Kaylee Nix about tailoring B2B marketing to fit the audience you’re targeting.

The Biden administration has rejected assertions made by safety groups that more flexible hours-of-service rules will make roads less safe.

“It’s the sunk cost fallacy. It’s human nature to want to stick with something you have invested so much in but, at the end of the day, no technology is going to last forever,” says Kinetic co-founder on continuously investing in FreightTech as your business grows.

Legion Logistics Chief People Person Kyle Kosco chats with FreightWaves’ freight broker/3PL market expert Mary O’Connell on the strategies that go into creating a company culture that attracts and retains employees.

“People see themselves valued more by the marketplace sometimes than they do by where they are, and that’s why you suddenly see a lot of this Great Resignation business,” said Adrian Chapman, owner and CEO of Cover 3 Consulting.

With Aurora Driver 2.0, the self-driving developer plans to field the first robotic ride-hailing minivans along with Class 8 trucks.

Live on the show: social media audience building; converting TikToks to sales; should your business create NFTs and more

FreightWaves’ Kevin Hill chats with SandTable founder Michael Fullam about his recent brokerage launch during the Sales & Marketing Summit.

Among Wednesday’s notes: The tweener lane from Chicago to Harrisburg, supply chain challenges, and more.

As carriers face stiff competition for drivers, Ten4 Recruiting President Matt Beach explains what it takes to recruit them — beyond big bonuses and higher rates.

Experts say 2021 was a “tough year” regarding impacts of climate change and extreme weather in the U.S.

“Before you start your TikTok or before you start your social media platform, make sure that you have a goal in mind,” said Luke Kostka, co-founder and creative director at New Norml Media.

ArcBest announced a $25 million investment in a software company that provides remote operation of forklifts and trucks.