News

Behind every half-packed box or delayed shipment is a human being, putting in the hard work and the long hours to take a product across the finish line.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Trucks carried 71% of all U.S.-Mexico cargo moved in September; a Japanese parts supplier is opening a plant in Aguascalientes; and a Texas truck driver was killed in a chain reaction wreck.

With order backlogs exceeding 14 months, manufacturers are accepting few new orders, frustrating fleet demand.

This week: Gopuff donates to eight Covenant House locations, new Trucking Cares president announces new campaign and Bendix Huntington builds an all-inclusive playground for the disabled.

AskWaves dives into the 2,500-page Build Back Better Act to uncover the top 10 funding opportunities directed at freight and supply chains.

Truck safety groups and the Teamsters claimed in federal appeals court that the FMCSA weakened its regulations in 2020 regarding truck driver work hours.

Tender volumes have started to erase the Thanksgiving noise. At the same time, rejection rates have plateaued around the 20% mark.

Difficulties finding trailers is starting to rival the effects of the driver shortage at the nation’s largest fleets.

What’s the catch with sign-on bonuses? Online grocery logistics; being a Haul Star; Tive goes out-of-this-world and more

A compilation of the past week in social media images includes an out-of-control grass fire, major Northwest floods, unusual clouds and more.

With all of the fuss around holiday sales, not much attention is being paid to holiday returns, which could cause an even bigger headache for retailers.

Among Friday’s notes: TRAC spot rates for Harrisburg to Chicago, consumer conditions in November, and more.

The terminal says it has “abundant space” at the Millennium Marine Rail facility in New Jersey, as well as competitive import dwell time.

Montreal-based Fuel Transport offers a $7,800 COVID-19 vaccination bonus for truckers as the cross-border mandate looms.

Venture capital fund EQT Ventures is a backer of electric and autonomous vehicle maker Einride, but it is also a supporter of sustainable business models.

Truck Tech is a weekly newsletter offering perspective and context on electrification and autonomous technologies for fleets and the trucking ecosystem.

The Tennessee Supreme Court recently affirmed a Tennessee Court of Appeal’s decision that a corporation may not assert a damaged goods claim under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act.

During a Stephens conference presentation before investors, CEO Fuller also discussed the unique driver retention tool at Variant called the “squad.”

Also on the podcast: OPEC+ surprises with more oil in January.

If the rise in truck transportation costs between September and October continued for 12 months, it would translate to an increase of more than 40%.

Truckers will have to chain up this weekend as snow hits from the Rockies to the Plains.

Officials are creating unrealistic expectations that supply chains will be unplugged within weeks or months.

A union and a trucking company serving the Port of Vancouver reached a tentative agreement to give container drivers benefits and increased pay, averting a strike.

Before getting into CPG news, here are two near-term events for your calendar:  On Friday, The Stockout show is focused on the railroad industry and features a true industry expert […]

While technically the congestion has decreased in the bay because of the new queuing system, that does not mean the vessels do not exist. They do.

Freight railroads will need to report cyber incidents and take steps to improve security under a new Transportation Security Administration directive.

Overwhelmingly small business-based trucking takes a pandemic hit but still dominates freight movement in 2020.

Jose Minarro of Sunset Transportation chats with Reliance Partners’ Mark Vickers on why Mexican cargo insurance is a must-have for shippers.

In an unusual move, the Washington trade group is turning to somebody from outside the Capitol lobbying ecosystem.

A business owner and one of his employees are accused of stealing almost $1 million worth of tractor-trailers and wooden pallets for their pallet supplier company in central Florida.

The top executive’s departure comes as the carrier struggles to efficiently process an avalanche of holiday traffic.

Intraquarter updates from less-than-truckload carriers show record third-quarter operating conditions have continued through the first two months of the fourth quarter.

The company plans to recruit would-be entrepreneurs to provide trucking services in five countries, according to The Information.

“When we overperform, we expect to reinvest that back into our business. We focus on recurring revenues and establishing relationships with customers for life,” said Descartes’ CEO.

NFTs are one of 2021’s biggest trends in the art world, but there’s a place for them in our supply chains too.

Supply chain tech is increasingly driven by late-stage venture capital activity.

In an industry reeling from early retirements and halted driving school programs, an effective strategy for recruiting and retaining drivers is more important than ever.

Among Thursday’s notes: Boston outbound rejection rates spike, capacity still tight in lower Midwest, and more.

Norfolk Southern CEO Jim Squires is retiring in May 2022, and current Chief Marketing Officer Alan Shaw will succeed him.

For the second year in a row, all 21 storm names on the Atlantic primary list were used.

Ashley Furniture has acquired Wilson Logistics, which provides asset-based third-party logistics services with a fleet of more than 1,200 trucks.

“This is a logical next evolutionary step for EKA to realize its original vision to democratize freight management,” says CEO JJ Singh.

Instant-delivery firm Jokr announced it has reached unicorn status following a $260 million Series B funding round and is adding Boston to its service area.

Truckers will face another day of very windy weather in Montana (video forecast included).

Peak airport congestion during peak season is undermining air cargo transport.

GXO Logistics will open an e-commerce warehouse in Atlanta for MYXfitness, an at-home fitness brand.

Economist Steve Pociask opines on why he thinks the Surface Transportation Board should tread carefully when deciding how to proceed with the issue of reciprocal switching.

Thanksgiving noise continues to mask freight volumes, but that noise will be erased in the upcoming days. Meanwhile, Thanksgiving drove spot rates higher over the past week.

An Office of Inspector General report said a shortage of commercial truck drivers may compromise the Postal Service’s surface transport capability.

Eleanor Holmes-Norton will run for chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to replace the retiring Peter DeFazio.

A Louisiana trucker was recently sentenced to nearly six years in prison for drug trafficking. Rusty Ross Honore received a PPP loan two months after he was arrested by the feds in Dec. 2020.

Despite claims to the contrary, the ship backlog is not getting smaller. Vessels are waiting on both sides of the Pacific.

While times of uncertainty like these can be troubling, what goes up must come down – or at least level off. The price of diesel fuel is projected to lower to a national average of $3.09 in middle and latter parts of the coming year, offering a sigh of relief for trucking.

In its latest logistics bid, Blackstone Group is buying 124 logistics properties in the U.S. and Europe.

The former CFO of Roadrunner Transportation Systems was sentenced to two years in prison for his role in a complex securities and accounting fraud scheme on Tuesday.

Merchants Fleet is looking to expand access to information on fleet electrification, introducing a central hub of tools and research.

On WTT the cargo situation as we race toward Christmas, peak season insights, whether abandoned containers are an issue and if the supply chain bullwhip will crack next year

By partnering with Carbon Fund, Convoy is offering two environmental attributes certificates to customers interested in lowering their emissions.

Robotic delivery firm Nuro will begin making autonomous deliveries for 7-Eleven in Mountain View, California.

The largest container terminal operator in the world is buying BDP, a midsize U.S. freight forwarder.

The Surface Transportation Board has adopted a final rule that addresses temporary trackage rights in situations in which one rail carrier needs access to another carrier’s track due to an emergency.

Among Wednesday’s notes: Atlanta rejection rates move higher, carrier and shipper updates, and more.

Expanding applications of its molded structural composite trailer bodies, Wabash is looking to the grocery delivery business as a new market.

According to Gartner, multi-robot orchestration has only penetrated 1%-5% of its total target audience and will become necessary as companies begin deploying more than one robotics technology within their operations.

General rate increases for less-than-truckload shipments not under contract are rolling in ahead of schedule and are a little higher than normal.

Drone developer Wingcopter has received an investment from Japan’s Drone Fund as it nears announcement of a series B funding round.

The regional parcel delivery carrier becomes the private equity firm’s 10th “logistics and infrastructure services” investment.

Using a combination of the Safety Management Cycle and the 5 Why’s helps fleets identify the root cause and eventually end patterns of FMCSA violations.

Repeated floods last month in the Pacific Northwest have triggered road closures, supply chain disruptions and evacuations.

As demand for shipping increases, whales are more at risk of colliding with vessels. A new certification provides strategies to prevent collisions.

One notable number in the report: intermodal brokerage had a tough quarter.

Truckers will continue to hit areas of flooding due to ongoing rain in the saturated Pacific Northwest (video forecast included).

Major retailers and suppliers reassured the White House they have a handle on supply chain volatility and can meet consumer demand.

Retail inventories jump ahead of the holiday buying season but the need for restocking will extend well into 2022, which bodes well for freight demand.

Drivers at one of two Port of Vancouver trucking companies facing a strike have reached a tentative agreement with their carrier.

Small facilities are seeing big jumps in demand as e-commerce puts urban logistics in the spotlight, a JLL report says.

Black Friday/Cyber Monday wrap-up; trucking markets; how supply chain shortages hurt an arcade brand; and more.

The investigation makes progress after between 300 and 400 parcels were found in a wooded ravine last week.

The Federal Trade Commission will investigate whether large companies have taken advantage of the supply chain chaos at the expense of consumers or smaller competitors.

Wallace served as CSX’s executive vice president of sales and marketing before moving into an advisory role in July as he underwent cancer treatment.

Among Tuesday’s notes: Stay firm on rates out of Indy, rejection rates spike in the Northwest, and more.

An environmental coalition urges Target, Walmart, Amazon and Ikea to clean up their maritime emissions and shipping routes.

The commercialization of autonomous vehicles is an all-hands-on-deck affair, requiring competitors to collaborate with each other.

While automation offers the quickest path to increased efficiency, many companies are held down by slow-to-adapt legacy operations or siloed solutions.

Heightening the clearance of the Howard Street Tunnel will enable double-stacked trains to run in and out of the Port of Baltimore.

Echo Global Logistics’ Jay Gustafson describes the best formula for managing transportation needs.

While building out custom solutions is an important part of many brokerages’ road maps, some tools — especially those that require significant maintenance and regular updates — are better outsourced for maximum efficiency.

As Christmas grows closer, these are the dates you should know while contemplating when to ship your gifts.

Telemedicine is all the rage right now, and Uber is cashing in with a new partnership with telehealth provider Hims & Hers.

Federal regulators are keeping in place a work-hour exemption giving truck drivers more time to haul pandemic-related freight.

President of PGT Trucking said the load-matching trend doesn’t adequately respond to today’s supply chain constraints, driver shortage and polluted environment.

Daimler Truck estimates the revenue loss from a persistent shortage of microchips will cost billions in lost revenue.

Holiday shipping deadlines are nothing new, but for those last-minute needs, it is the on-demand providers that will be trusted to deliver.

Before its two-truck autonomous convoys hit the road in 2022, startup Locomation points to a scientific study validating its approach.

Parsyl extracts and transforms data into actionable insights for a particular commodity’s transportation network.

“This is the largest amount of funding that has been dedicated to building a complete business management solution for trucking entrepreneurs and we are excited to be leading the charge here,” says CloudTrucks CEO Tobenna Arodiogbu.

Truckers in Montana face a high risk of rollovers the next two days, with winds of up to 100 mph in spots (video forecast included).

Lockheed Martin spent months planning how it would safely transport the nation’s latest weather satellite.

Canada’s supply chain is in a “crisis situation” as over 50 ships wait to dock at the Port of Vancouver and CN struggles to restore service.

The owner of a small Delaware-based trucking company described his driver, who was recently arrested and charged with holding a woman captive in his truck for nearly eight months, as “religious” and “a nice guy.”