News

“Our goal is to empower brands and make it easy for them to scale. As these brands scale, the warehouses experience growth as well,” says Flowspace CEO Ben Eachus.

Truckers will have to dodge severe thunderstorms across several southern states, with good odds for tornadoes (forecast video).

Brands big and small want more control over the customer experience, including data and service, and technology firms and logistics providers can now offer brands an Amazon alternative. The tension between retailers and brands is nothing new, but the battle between them has never been this acute thanks to the likes of Shopify, ShipBob, XPO and others.

In today’s edition, we highlight the latest numbers for trailer orders, an investigative piece about a driver blowing the whistle on illegal activities, increased driver pay and more.

While the less-than-truckload market is experiencing a boom, it’s not without growing pains, according to Recon Logistics’ pricing and analytics expert Curtis Garrett.

The Baidu Apollo fleet consists of 500 vehicles, with open-road tests conducted in 30 cities around the world. The company’s Robotaxi service has carried 210,000 passengers and is available in Beijing, Changsha and Cangzhou, with plans to move into 30 more cities over the next three years.

The email came in stating we were under attack. All 30 servers were taken down and encrypted. Admin lost access to their Microsoft 365 accounts.

A pair of Canadian trucking companies in the Toronto area, Orbit Freight and Delta Carriers, shut down in close succession before their owner filed for personal bankruptcy.

Chicago Rockford and Cologne Bonn airports operate under the shadow of Chicago O’Hare and Frankfurt airports. But they are rising stars in the cargo arena and have decided to pool their resources.

Activist investor Ancora Advisors gains two seats on Forward Air’s board and endorses three others. The company’s former CFO has been brought on in a consulting role.

Kevin Hill breaks down how one company uses flexible business models to succeed.

Since the price started its run in November, it’s up more than 81 cents per gallon.

SmartHop’s plans for its most recent funding round and Spill Bully’s eco-friendly logistics waste solutions.

The new rules approved by the NLRB could be overturned by the Biden administration but only after a formal rulemaking.

“Nimble is a plug and play solution and has repeatedly demonstrated that its robot systems can be integrated and picking in production on day one without changing a single line of code in the warehouse management system,” said Michael Pucker, chairman and CEO of DNS Capital.

As part of Women’s History Month, FreightWaves spotlights the first American woman to make it to the top at sea.

Micromobility company Helbiz will secure approximately $82.5 million when it is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange through a SPAC deal expected to close in the second quarter.

West Coast carrier Cheema Freightlines announces a pay bump for drivers and plans to expand its fleet in 2021.

Global payments technology provider Stripe has raised $600 million in a new funding round at a $95 billion valuation, making it the most expensive startup in the U.S.

“In order to better position the product, you have to be closer to your patient,” House said.

Lane Acuity Plus is a new addition to SONAR SCI, making it even more useful to shippers.

Over the next few years, the team will continue to grow and Red seeks qualified applicants.

Runways and roads remain closed after a weekend blizzard slams the Denver area (forecast video).

A former car hauler claims he was forced into hiding after blowing the whistle on his trucking company’s alleged illegal business practices.

Advancements in tender data science and paid market data now power SONAR SCI (Supply Chain Intelligence) Lane Acuity.  SONAR Lane Acuity provides lane-level insight into market stability and rate benchmarking. […]

Tanker and bulker spot rates can go sub zero — some tanker rates are there now. What do the negative numbers really mean?

Miss one of our podcasts this week? Get caught up here!

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Big changes planned for Pharr bridge; Team Worldwide opens office in southern Arizona; Amazon to open fulfillment center in Texas Panhandle; and CG Railway launches bigger, faster vessels.

Edmonton International Airport is investing in more cargo capacity to support e-commerce and other industries that increasingly are seeking air transport.

Intermodal shipping is dominated by the largest shippers in the U.S. and operates on a more static network, which gains higher cost efficiency than trucking over longer-mileage runs.

Changes in export volumes for certain types of wheat may be reflected in changes in freight flows, according to reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The next CVSA championship is scheduled for Aug. 15-19, 2022, in Indianapolis.

Positive train control, also known as PTC, is a safety technology aimed at automatically stopping a freight or passenger train before a collision. This Ask Waves article describes what it is, its history and its future implications.

In today’s edition, we highlight the Postal Service’s reaction to increased package delivery demands, a conversation with Nikola’s CEO and more.

Spot rates steady well above $3.00 per mile.

The company can deliver over 90% of its orders same or next day, and has access to 99% of the population.

Trailer makers cannot keep up with demand, pushing out delivery times while navigating supply chain bumps.

Container, dry bulk and tanker stocks push forward. Biggest winner since mid-2020: Danaos, up (this is not a typo) 1,202%.

Short seller Hindenburg Research alleges fictitious orders and other fraudulent at electric pickup truck startup Lordstown Motors.

Congressman Sam Graves proposes using the Postal Service to test a new bridge and highway funding effort.

A former freight broker recounts how she and her colleagues averted a sophisticated attempt to steal $60,000 worth of tires through a double-brokered load.

Ocean Audit CEO Steve Ferreira takes you through the important steps for contract success on this episode of Navigate B2B.

The freight market is heating up as we enter the Spring and today we’re turning the clocks ahead on your trucking knowledge

After a fresh round of pay increases at the beginning of the year, some carriers are continuing to raise rates further. Bay & Bay Transportation announced effective immediately it has raised pay for independent contractors by 20 cents per mile.

Witnesses at a U.S. House hearing on Wednesday stressed the need for a multimodal approach in federal support of the railroads, citing freight rail’s connection with both rural, inland towns and coastal ports.

The legal reason cited for the withdrawal is the elevation of two principles of “economic realities,” which the Wage and Hour Division says have not been used by courts in the past.

The freight markets have reentered “chaos is business as usual” territory. All the major indices have been eerily calm since the winter storm disruption. Yearly comps are becoming more difficult given the panic buying that shot volumes and rejections up this time last year. Don’t let the weakening comps distract you, this market can’t get much better.

Major retail brands are reaching consumers wherever they can these days, and that means more livestreamed special events with social media influencers.

Michael Chaves, the former owner of a vehicle-transport carrier, gets 30 months in prison for forging DOT documents and failing to maintain driver certifications.

Truck Talk is a weekly newsletter where FreightWaves adds context, commentary and color to industry news and trends.

The lending given out so far in the third version of the Paycheck Protection Program is not on track to exhaust the funds that have been authorized.

Nikola has less need for partners for its hydrogen fueling stations now that it has a sweet price for electricity in Arizona.

Beer maker Molson Coors warns that a systems outage brought on by a cyberattack is causing delays and disruptions to shipments.

“For companies that went into the COVID-19 year, if they were strong they came out stronger,” said Moore.

“Together we have ambitious plans to invest in and expand the Remix product suite to offer enhanced capabilities for planning and bus scheduling and operations,” said Via co-founders Daniel Ramot and Oren Shoval.

Retailers are stuck between playing the waiting game and risking delays that wreck quarterly results or ponying up and taking to the skies. The goods will arrive quickly, but at what cost?

UPS needs to step up its weekend game if it plans to overcome FedEx’s advantage in e-commerce transit times, a former UPS executive says.

Weekend blizzard could stop truckers in their tracks in the Rockies and Plains (forecast video).

In today’s edition, we highlight a high-level viewpoint concerning automated trucks, FedEx completing its integration of last-mile delivery operations, and more.

DeJoy testifies that the Postal Service must focus on increasing its 35% share of the package market currently dominated by private carriers.

The remaining assets of bankrupt trucking company Comcar Industries will be liquidated through two trusts, leaving little for unsecured creditors.

More than 178,000 individuals apprehended at the United States-Mexico border in January and February

The effort to stop the COVID-19 pandemic is generating a lot of waste. Now, health care providers have to dispose of those materials.

NFI’s Lance Christensen says, “We’re given two ears and one mouth. If you’re not listening to what the driver has to say, how could you possibly describe to them what your company has?”

E-commerce is the growth engine for air cargo. It’s why DHL Express just added a new air/parcel hub in Milan, Italy.

A global semiconductor chip shortage continues to affect auo factories on both sides of the United States-Mexico border.

During down time, these are some lesser-known weather-themed movies that truckers may like.

“A lot of truck drivers, just like law enforcement, don’t understand that girls in these types of situations are usually not there by their own will; there’s usually someone else behind the scenes compelling them to do it,” said Reliance Partners’ Mark Barlar.

“As retail imports continue to boom during the pandemic, the ability to quickly move goods from ships to the hinterland via rail is paramount,” says CEO Jim Newsome.

Dooner catches up with MoLo Solutions CEO Andrew Silver to talk about building a culture in freight

Southeast Asian rideshare company Grab is in talks to go public through a SPAC led by Altimeter Capital, according to published reports.

What does it take to ace a fulfillment strategy? Andrew Cox looks at what retailers are doing right when it comes to getting out goods.

A third-generation driver from Tennessee becomes trucking’s latest instant millionaire.

A February incident involving an Ontario train derailment led Canada’s Ministry of Transport to issue two orders aimed at preventing the uncontrolled movement of rail equipment.

The low number assigned to one of the key bills signifies it is a priority and is seen as a positive sign by the trade group.

A team from the University of Maryland Medical Center has been honored for completing the first drone delivery of an organ for transplant in 2019.

XPO Logistics has embraced diversity, equity and inclusion in its workforce that is enhancing its culture, and leading to business success.

A change in IRS tax code included in the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill will require sellers and other businesses paying out more than $600 to gig workers to file tax forms with the IRS.

Visual LANSA ⁠combines the flexibility and control of traditional programming with the benefits of low-code solutions.

Cold storage provider Lineage Logistics announced Thursday that it completed a $1.9 billion equity raise to fund new developments, M&A and technology initiatives.

The Great North is taking the slow road on implementation

Logistics supply chains have delivered. More than 300 million vaccine doses have been distributed and administered.

Earlier this week, in the last edition of The Stockout CPG-focused newsletter, I focused on reefer since the many CPG companies that require temperature controls are facing an even tighter […]

How should executives think about the combination of people and technology as they attempt to solve the problems they encounter daily in their companies’ supply chain operations?

International intermodal volumes for the U.S. have risen 44% year-over-year, according to FreightWaves SONAR, amid higher import activity.

Reload, Vorto’s new autonomous platform, could save companies more than $400 million per year while increasing sustainability.

Blizzard conditions and up to 4 feet of snowfall will be trouble for weekend truckers in the Rockies and Plains (forecast video).

In today’s edition, we highlight a potential shift in focus among SPACs, the House passing a pro-union piece of legislation and more.

Carriers should begin planning now to influence policy change that could result from Biden’s supply chain executive order, industry observers say.

The SPAC combination would be at least the fourth time Vista has tried to exit its investment in Omnitracs.

“The pilot uses a game controller to position the hot stab in the receptacle, and the force compliance feature autocorrects manipulator orientation to eliminate any outside forces.”

“We are focused on helping early stage companies scale up and be successful on that journey by having access to our facilities, our technical experts and our global business network.”

Prologis Research sees the need for modern logistics space climbing by at least 3 billion to 4 billion square feet over the next cycle.

Anchorages are filling up with ships off multiple ports — not just California’s. Yet the reasons behind the traffic jams are not always the same.

Icelandair is raising capital with a sale-leaseback of two large jets and then turning them into freighters. It’s an innovative move.

Evolve keynote: Inevitable failures and what we can learn from them.

About 10,000 severe thunderstorms strike the U.S. each year. These are five things every trucker should know about them.

The lack of Lunar New Year shutdowns contributes to the busiest February on record.

Sourcewater founder Josh Adler chats with Ancova co-founder Max Gagliardi about Sourcewater’s origins and its current role of helping upstream companies find water resources and frac ponds through big data and satellite imagery.

Fluid Truck specializes in box trucks and cargo vans and focuses on last mile