News

Perishable Shipping Solutions CEO Mark Nelson said online demand for specialty perishables never leveled off from the start of the pandemic, and the growth has barely scratched the surface.

Danny Gomez and Tyler Cole look at the role of the freight industry in boosting sustainability goals on this episode of Net Zero Carbon.

FreightWaves’ journalist Matt Blois chats with World Courier’s Alex Guite about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the cold chain and how pharma and logistics companies adapted to distribute vaccines.

GCCA’s Lowell Randel explains how industry and government can fix driver shortages, port congestion and cyber threats.

On this episode of Great Quarter, Guys, Andrew Cox and Anthony Smith talk about the continued shortage of ocean containers.

In his keynote address at FreightWaves’ Cold Chain Summit on Wednesday, Sudarsan Thattai, CIO of Lineage Logistics, says the global leader is well positioned to address future supply chain challenges through technology investments and key alliances.

Other plans called for a more radical rebuild but ran into opposition.

An appeals court has reinstated a disability lawsuit claim involving a police officer, but the decision serves as a cautionary tale for many industries, including trucking.

Tropical Storm Fred may cause temporary delays in freight flows in the Southeast (forecast video included).

“Over more than two years of working with Parcel Perform, their solution has become our global track-and-trace solution,” said Davide Costella, global delivery services manager at Nespresso.

The company’s disaster relief guru explains how its new program could change the way the logistics industry responds to disasters.

The International Air Cargo Association has been waiting two years to hold its big annual conference. Members will now have to wait another six months because of COVID.

Order books are open, but demand planning for 2022 and 2023 began months ago and bookings are filling fast.

DHL/Amazon ground drone delivery; what the infrastructure bill means for trucking; space billboards and more

Port Houston’s biggest international trade partners were China, Mexico and Brazil during the first half of the year.

Even as the delta variant increases COVID-19 case numbers in the U.S., distributors and manufacturers are reporting they had too much PPE in the second quarter.

Kevin Hill, Richie Daigle and CarrierDirect’s Ryan Schreiber talk about efficient markets and how information flows are a two-way street when it comes to sales.

In the chaotic supply chain world of 2021, airport terminal operators are moving away from the airport to process cargo because existing facilities are full.

If certiorari is denied, the injunction blocking AB5 from being implemented in the state will disappear immediately.

The CEOs of five Class I railroads tell the Surface Transportation Board that the root causes of the congestion facing rail intermodal terminals are beyond the railroads’ control.

The organization will provide an update on its search at its annual meeting in Las Vegas next month.

The U.S. Senate votes to advance a major infrastructure package that includes new regulations for trucks.

Samsung employs Six Sigma methodology to create an efficient global supply chain.

College campuses are bastions of learning, community, debauchery and … robots?

August is likely to see a new monthly record for retail container imports, with 2021 doing the same. However, ongoing supply chain dislocation clouds how quickly consumers will be able to get their hands on the goods.

Bipartisan bill in Congress makes reforms to U.S. shipping regulations for the first time since 1998.

Faisal Masud, CEO of headless commerce provider Fabric, says e-commerce is still in the early innings, but individual brand growth could be held back by traditional commerce platforms.

“Iowa is now at the leading edge of the inclusion of blockchain in contract law here,” said CEO Spillman, as his team recently fought to have smart contracts recognized under law in Toggle’s operating state.

CP is offering a stock-and-cash “superior proposal” worth an estimated US$31 billion.

Crews are having trouble controlling the Dixie fire in northern California, which is now the second largest in the state’s history.

As freight markets enter the second year of peaklike conditions, FreightWaves caught up with Amit Mehrotra, Deutsche Bank’s transportation analyst, to talk about how this freight cycle will play out.

The trucks are to be delivered later this year and in early 2022.

Growing concerns about oil demand declining as a result of the Delta variant are pushing prices lower.

Autonomous truck software developer Embark Trucks is using Nvidia’s system on a chip for its plug-and-play autonomous system.

The decision is also seen as potentially being a legal precedent on the issue of non-compete contracts.

The need for truck capacity remains at historic highs, and more fleets have responded by increasing driver pay for the second time this year.

The Surface Transportation Board will review Amtrak’s request to restore Gulf Coast service, dismissing calls by CSX and Norfolk Southern, whose networks will be affected by the service restoration, to reject the request.

One sellers trials and tribulations on Amazon; robotic trailers

DHL’s delivery drone had been in the works since 2013, but it’s been scrapped.

A U.S. aviation services company called ATSG has lots of Boeing 767s in its freighter fleet. Now it wants to convert large Airbus passenger planes and lease them out.

Virtual restaurant brands and ghost kitchens may have become popular during COVID-19 lockdowns, but they’re not just a pandemic fad.

Workhouse Group is reviewing its electric delivery van designs to add cargo capacity and sold most of its stake in troubled Lordstown Motors.

A 26% gain in revenues helped boost BNSF’s net profits in the second quarter of 2021 to $1.5 billion.

Manufacturing is increasing in Mexico as nearshoring has caught the attention of many U.S. companies.

Nikola founder makes biggest divestiture to date, selling 7 million shares over three days and transferring 600,000 shares to his spouse.

The rail manufacturer has been modernizing locomotives to improve their fuel efficiency and longevity.

A strong consolidation program extends the reach of logistics savings beyond just trailer loads and multi-stop loads by converting LTL suppliers to customer pickup.

Truckers will have to beat 100-degree heat and sweltering humidity in two regions of the country this week.

The always-contentious UPS-Teamsters negotiations could hit new levels of enmity should Sean O’Brien be elected Teamsters president.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Canada again beats Mexico to remain the top U.S. trade partner; Merqueo raises $50 million to expand across Latin America; Aries Worldwide Logistics opens Laredo office; and CBP in Texas intercept a rare pest in a produce shipment.

Rapidly changing shipping patterns and cost structures have made historical comparisons much more challenging for the freight market.

AskWaves recounts the history of the eight-lane, $128 million World Trade Bridge, and its importance to commercial truck traffic between Mexico and the United States.

With today’s growing delivery economy, one thing’s for certain: The job isn’t complete until the last mile is covered.

Not to be a Luddite, but a world of trucker-free trucks is going to mean some minor trade-offs, including fleeting bouts of creepiness.

This week: XPO receives a 90 out of 100 score on Disability Equality Index, Shell Rotella announces custom rig winners and Schneider driver’s daughter brings home first U.S. female diving medal since 1988.

Canada Border Service Agency employees have ended a day-long work-to-rule strike after reaching a tentative agreement with the Canadian government.

Precipitous fall in company stock is a backdrop to change at the top of struggling battery maker Romeo Power.

A third-quarter outlook from truckload carrier U.S. Xpress sees volume and rate strength lasting throughout 2021. However, driver and supply chain labor challenges present risks.

Response vessels continue to recover oil while shoreline teams continue to mitigate impacts.

FMCSA is asking the medical industry to help ensure the agency has a proper handle on truck driver qualification.

Maersk results offer more evidence that capacity constraints and U.S. — not worldwide — demand drive rates.

Fighting the war on detention with a unique solution to doc check-ins; driver recruiting; and more ocean chaos on WHAT THE TRUCK?!?

Beginning in the second quarter, there was a notable shift in the types of loads shippers were tendering. Why would this assist with increasing compliance?

“It’s a true domestic and international cargo insurance product that brokers and carriers are now utilizing to win the highest-margin freight and strengthen ties with their current client base,” Mark Vickers said on shipper’s interest insurance.

Temperature-controlled warehouse operator Americold pulled in its 2021 outlook, citing labor-related food manufacturing limitations within its customer base.

The PPI for the truck transportation sector, after a huge jump April to May, slowed between the next two months.

With the acquisition of Visible SCM, Maersk customers can now reach 75% of the U.S. D2C market within 24 hours.

Postmaster General DeJoy underscored improved performance at the Postal Service despite a $3 billion quarterly loss.

Trucking, logistics and airfreight companies are collectively owed hundreds of thousands of dollars after a Texas freight forwarder filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this week.

Truck Talk is a weekly newsletter that seeks to bring perspective and context to industry news.

Air Transport Services Group is like a Swiss Army knife. It flies cargo and passenger planes for other airlines, leases aircraft, does aircraft maintenance and freighter conversions, and provides ground handling. It’s all clicking for the bottom line.

The midsize truckload carrier needs to boost hiring by more than 10% but won’t compromise standards to do it.

The pace of U.S. rail volume growth slowed in July, according to Association of American Railroad data. But still expect intermodal growth through 2021 in North America, the Intermodal Association of North America said.

Each year the TCA Scholarship Fund awards up to $6,250 to students with a connection to the trucking industry to offset some of the costs to attend college.

Also on the podcast: The investment drought in oil setting the table for higher prices

The past week in social media images features a mudslide-damaged highway, a truck rollover during a flood, destructive wildfires and more.

Growth was also seen further in the logistics supply chain, with warehouse and courier jobs also rising.

When Radio Flyer needed to increase shipping capacity for its iconic products, it realized that label printing was a chokepoint. So it found a solution.

TuSimple is sitting on $1.5 billion in cash as it ramps up hiring and expands its autonomous freight network.

On this episode of Freightonomics, Zach Strickland, Anthony Smith and FreightWaves Senior Editor Greg Miller break down the impending holiday rush to container shipping.

Blythe Brumleve heads to her first in-person conference in over a year on this episode of Cyberly.

Continued COVID-19 lockdowns spell trouble for Southeast Asian producers. Find out why on this episode of Medically Necessary.

Richard Trumka insisted that the economy depends on getting an infrastructure bill passed.

Policymakers are enthusiastic about supporting domestic manufacturing of drugs and medical devices. Health care companies want to make sure they get their share of that support.

Hybrid powertrain maker Hyliion is increasing electric range to get zero-emission credits for customers of its natural gas-electric Class 8 truck.

Andrew Cox looks at the international shipping strategy of one of the top large-item shippers: Wayfair.

Atlas Air is keeping eight jumbo jets by buying them from leasing companies. It doesn’t want to turn them in because it would have fewer assets available to meet customer demand.

A Norfolk Southern employee suffered fatal injuries Wednesday at its Enola yard, outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

The company says it is on track to hit record earnings this year.

President Biden wants half of all vehicles to be electric by 2030, and ride-hailing companies will need to adapt to survive.

A U.S. manufacturer defends its complaint filed against container ship giant MSC with the Federal Maritime Commission despite the carrier’s denial of contract violations.

NS is investigating the cause of the derailment, which stopped train traffic from Monday afternoon to early Wednesday.

The earnings report is for a 3-month period with no impact from the big Transplace acquisition announced in July.

The key to strong relationships can be augmented by finding companies that are willing to share in the inherent risks that come with moving inbound and outbound freight. Relationships and good risk management strategy do not exist to absolve one party of responsibility, shifting blame onto the other.

Following a strong quarter for Uber’s delivery segment, analysts say buy.

In its Q2 earnings announcement Wednesday, GM said it would leverage its BrightDrop business to help it launch a full-size electric cargo van and medium-duty truck.

Yellow says it is making progress toward its unified transport network strategy.

Trimble’s Q2 revenue totaled $945 million, up 29% year-over-year.

The Department of Energy’s Earthshots Initiative is allocating $52.5 million for clean hydrogen R&D.

Gusty winds have made it challenging for crews to contain large wildfires in Western states (forecast video included).