News

DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg touted holiday season wins at the ports of LA and Long Beach while addressing shipping-sector prices.

The Project Evolve initiative may take UPS’ visibility tools further than they’ve ever gone before.

Kevin Hill and Richie Daigle discuss the use of non-competes in freight with Omar Singh, the founder and president of Surge Transportation.

Port X Logistics adds warehousing and transportation provider Denver Express to its portfolio.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce wants the Biden administration to spend less time correcting economic problems the chamber feels don’t exist, and more on trade.

A truckload carrier-backed study finds cocaine and opioid abuse by truckers are underreported at FMCSA.

With a growing stack of letters of intent, Nikola approaches player status in electric trucks if its demonstration units meet performance requirements.

A bill in the state of New York proposes environmental and social disclosure requirements for fashion companies.

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) predicts the industry will be a record 80,000 drivers short in the next year.

Cart.com, an end-to-end e-commerce platform, has completed the purchase of Dallas-based fulfillment and logistics company FB Flurry.

Premium experiences, mobile access and fast delivery are among the keys to driving e-commerce sales, two new surveys find.

Among Tuesday’s notes: Tight market in Omaha, Atlanta favorable for carriers, and more.

Estonia-based Bolt offers a platform similar to Uber’s, with a ride-hailing business and food and grocery delivery services.

2021 was a banner year for The Port of Virginia, SC Ports and Alabama Port Authority.

While Amazon is the 800-pound retail gorilla, most retailers are focused on more immediate concerns, such as meeting fulfillment and delivery demands.

Fuel savings realized from the SuperTruck II program could translate to less battery mass and greater driving range for electric trucks.

Canada Cartage makes its fifth acquisition in the past year as it buys Quebec-based dedicated contract carrier Laurentien Transportation.

TPG, Thoma Bravo and Goldman Sachs led a $240 million investment round for the Chicago-based real-time visibility provider.

Intermodal trucking company RoadOne adds dedicated carrier EHS Trucking to its network. The deal marks its ninth acquisition in the last five years.

Truckers will hit snow, sleet and freezing rain Tuesday from central Washington to western Montana (video forecast included).

FreightWaves chatted with former STB Chairman Dan Elliott on the history of the board’s relationship with reciprocal switching and why the board should still review it today.

DOT wants to prepare for increased scrutiny as it gets ready to distribute half a trillion dollars in new infrastructure funds.

More COVID control measures in China are impacting international goods movement.

Shares of Zim are flirting with a new peak while shares of ship-leasing, dry bulk and tanker companies lose ground.

A U.S. trade agency said lower cucumber and squash import volumes would have led to higher import prices and a shift toward consumption of domestic varieties.

The gain is 4.4 cents a gallon, while the price on the key commodity exchange is even higher.

The panel on rail consolidations also addressed different approaches to creating competition on monopoly networks.

A perplexing power distribution module causing lighting failures on Freightliner Custom Chassis has led to a third recall for the problem.

A look at the driver experience at Port of New York/New Jersey from a trucker’s perspective; abandoned truck recovery; mental health and more.

A federal district court has ruled that two rail unions must work with Chicago commuter rail Metra as it pursues a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The omicron variant is depleting aircrews at FedEx just as it has among passenger airlines, resulting in customer delays for both industries.

The terminal in Orange, Texas, serves a diverse range of customers and is located between Beaumont, Texas, and Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Miami-based Elion is adding 10 last-mile logistics assets in a $245 million deal.

Among Monday’s notes: Reefer capacity is a volatile mess, carriers seeing a mixed bag to Elizabeth, and more.

The Top 500 list of the largest U.S.-based for-hire trucking fleets is ranked on the basis of tractor count.

Christenson Transportation announced Monday that it is expanding its freight network with the recent acquisition of Sharp Transport Inc.

“The first thing to do is to have an understanding of what type of offset it is that you’re looking for because there’s quite a range of pricing,” said Andrew Hall, director of sustainable finance at Trayport.

Truckers will hit heavy snow and high winds early this week from Michigan to New York (video forecast included).

The Biden administration wants consumer protection regulators to examine whether giant retailers are creating supply chain distortions for smaller businesses.

The year 2023 and beyond could boost railcar production volumes for Greenbrier as global low-carbon mandates drive freight to rail, say Greenbrier executives.

An NLRB judge appears mostly critical of the trucking company’s behavior but ruled in its favor on the key legal question.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Asian firm to build $43M EV motor core factory in Mexico; Mexico requests USMCA resolution panel to settle dispute; East West manufacturing expands into Texas and Mexico; and CBP seizes fake AirPods, Nintendo consoles in Houston.

Prices have increased 17% but carrier compliance shows only marginal improvement

This week: Operation Lifesaver celebrates 50 years of rail safety education, PCG donates 20,000 boxes to service organizations and Gopuff begins delivering COVID-19 tests in 20 mins.

A collaborative effort kept the delivery Grinch at bay this peak season.

Minnesota trucking company Bay & Bay Transportation says it was recently targeted in a ransomware attack for the second time since 2018.

Truckload volumes are beginning to erase holiday noise associated with Christmas and New Year’s. Rejection rates are staying elevated…

Popular interest in the supply chain may have faded, but the pileup of ships waiting offshore keeps growing.

UPS matched last year’s performance, while the Postal Service improved considerably, ShipMatrix says.

A compilation of the past week in social media images includes blizzards out West, Southern tornadoes and snow, as well as Northwest floods.

A small COVID outbreak is curtailing industrial operations in the Chinese city of Ningbo and the port could soon feel the ripple effects.

Despite being stymied by labor shortages and lack of equipment such as chassis in the second half of 2021, U.S. intermodal volumes were actually pretty high considering the yearly total.

On the show we hear from a trucker turned Ironman. Plus how St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund is putting drivers on a highway to health.

Warehouse executives see great potential with AI, but most feel it is being underutilized due to a lack of understanding.

Brad Mackler, most recently with Convoy, has purchased executive recruiting firm Milestone Partners from founder Sam Herman.

The latest partial closure of the Port of Ningbo has forwarders shifting strategies to keep the flow of trade moving.

Truck Tech is a weekly newsletter focusing on autonomous, connected and electric innovations in the trucking ecosystem for fleets.

Canadian Pacific and CSX want to show federal regulators and the broader public that they have widespread support for their proposed acquisitions.

A new report predicts that the adoption of drones and self-driving delivery vehicles will accelerate in the years ahead, creating a $4.9 billion market by 2030.

Host John Kingston dives into the surging price of oil and diesel.

The December report closes out a year with a gain of more than 44,000 jobs in truck transportation.

Plow crews can’t keep up with the snowstorms slamming western Washington.

Supply chain visibility provider project44 sees record top-line growth during the fourth quarter, with bookings, account wins and retention coming in better than expected.

The leading spokesman in Washington for the world’s container trades offers his take on the implications of potential regulatory changes in 2022.

Like the doorman at a posh nightclub who decides who gets in, truck manufacturers are choosy about what Class 8 orders they’ll accept.

Taking a minute to remember there is a human with his or her own needs and desires behind that big rig wheel; freelancers are great if you have a task you hate doing; and bringing back what we outsourced is the new hotness.

Atlas Air is one of the biggest cargo airlines in the U.S. Four big jets will join the fleet in the next two years.

The driver of a flatbed truck died Tuesday when the load he was hauling smashed through his cab and killed him.

Uber has announced it will no longer deliver from restaurants in Brazil through its Eats platform, focusing instead on growing its grocery and retail delivery businesses.

The Biden administration is attempting to bolster the truck driver workforce by allowing younger drivers into the ranks.

Infrastructure and capacity expansion projects, regulatory uncertainties and progress toward supply chain visibility and sustainability are the themes that rail and intermodal stakeholders have set their sights on in 2022.

Among Thursday’s notes: TRAC rates from Detroit to Atlanta level out, intermodal spot rates from LA to Chicago decline 27.4%, and more.

After Amazon announced it would become the first customer for Stellantis’ ProMaster electric van, Rivian stock tumbled, dropping more than 20% at one point.

18 truckload carriers have been honored in the 46th Annual TCA Fleet Safety Awards competition and will now vie for two grand prizes.

While diversity programs can and should be a positive vehicle for promoting diversity in the workplace, employers should take time to review diversity programs and initiatives to ensure the clear communication and implementation of their programs.

Consumers of diesel saw their prices rise by about 17% in 2021.

Heavy rain and potential flooding could delay truckers in the Northwest the next few days (video forecast included).

Companies are rethinking their supply chains by nearshoring or reshoring operations to North America to reduce risk caused by the pandemic and political uncertainty.

Cathay Pacific Cargo is limping back to service after shutting down most flights for a week to adjust its schedule to lower pilot availability.

The U.S. government is monitoring for omicron-related disruptions “at ports overseas and at home,” according to port envoy John Porcari.

New barometer from NY Federal Reserve highlights how extreme supply chain crunch has become.

Chutzpah: When Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier asks the U.S. to operate cargo flights directly from Europe and the Saudi government denies similar rights to U.S. carriers.

The true cost of dwell times, getting truckers paid faster, the future of renewable fuels, and the importance of predictive maintenance

Small trucking companies’ financial losses due to a snowstorm and subsequent interstate closure hurt “real bad.”

BrightDrop announced FedEx has ordered 2,000 additional electric vans and is in discussions for up to 20,000 more. Walmart also has placed an order for EVs, planning to add 5,000 to its home delivery fleet.

Startup electric truck maker Nikola dropped its patent infringement suit against Tesla after original claims were muted and the judge shelved the case.

Among Wednesday’s notes: Spot rates increase from Rock Island to Dallas, Chicago to LA solid for carriers, and more.

“We’ll see real progress as more companies have leadership at the highest levels in the company focused on sustainability and incorporating sustainability into business strategy,” said Susan Uthayakumar, chief sustainability and energy officer at Prologis.

New last-mile delivery vehicles and electric platforms from Udelv, Ree Automotive and Lightning eMotors have been announced in recent days.

The RMX platform is designed to provide end-to-end visibility to trucking companies and insurance carriers.

Truckers will hit a late-week snowstorm heading to key Northeast freight markets (video forecast included).

Walmart plans to rapidly expand its InHome Delivery service, hiring 3,000 drivers to handle deliveries.

“2022 must be the year where commitments are turned into concrete steps and binding regulations,” said Madeline Rose, climate campaign director at Pacific Environment.

Cummins CEO: ‘At some point the low-carbon thing becomes the main thing. And [diesel] becomes the niche business.’

Canada’s Titanium Transportation Group eyes future growth with the acquisition of Ontario-based carrier Bert and Son’s Cartage.

California officials are going to court again to try to mitigate the emissions impact of a new air logistics center at the San Bernardino Airport anchored by Amazon Air.

Q1 outlook for inland and ocean; stranded on I95; why The Rock is tweeting about supply chain and more.

Alabama officials announced plans for the A-USA Corridor, a $231.6 million program of rail projects to upgrade rail infrastructure throughout the state.

The REIT has raised $6 billion in the past two years.

Lawrence Freight said its latest pay hike for company drivers will move annual wages to roughly $90,000 in 2022.