News

FreightWaves’ John Kingston outlines how the rising price of crude flows through to cargo shippers and how it changes the trucking-versus-rail equation.

In a rapid-fire demo during Evolve: The Next Evolution of Oil & Gas summit, Eric Calderon and Arran Davidson of Power Sentry discuss the company’s innovative products for power management in the oil and gas industry aimed at reducing clients’ operating expense and downtime because of power disturbances.

Geosite’s energy lead Jeff Williams describes how his company fuses together data from various sources to enable energy clients to glean an informed perspective on their greenhouse gas emissions output.

Flatbed carrier Daseke announced Wednesday it has reduced debt and refinanced the bulk of its remaining debt. The transaction, which will lower annual interest payments, is the latest in the company’s efforts to improve margins and financial returns.

It can be confusing for shippers to identify high-impact technology investments.

Robust liability insurance is one of the keys for increased safety in commercial trucking, according to findings by U.S. Xpress.

Armand Paradis, CEO and founder of Inside Petroleum, joins Jake Corley, co-founder of Digital Wildcatters, to discuss automation and removing manual workflows during Evolve: The Next Generation of Oil & Gas.

Venture capital in oil and gas pales by comparison to climate technology investment, but there are potential unicorns out there.

EQT CEO Toby Rice gave the keynote Wednesday for “Evolve: The Next Evolution of Oil & Gas,” a virtual event presented by Digital Wildcatters and FreightWaves.

Federal stimulus checks will be heading by direct deposit and mail to millions of Americans, who will quickly turn to their computers to place online orders that flood parcel networks.

There are several tools available to automate the “listening” part of social selling.

By some accounts, Instacart owns 50% of the online grocery market. With an IPO upcoming, I wanted to look back at how Instacart has gone from niche to necessity and question whether it can maintain this dominant position in a highly competitive, highly sought-after market post-COVID.

Strong winds and up to 2 feet of snowfall will delay truckers this weekend from the Rockies into the Plains (forecast video).

In today’s edition, we highlight Canada’s fast-approaching ELD mandate; next step for Workhorse; states with the most structurally deficient bridges; and more.

As a love affair with electric vehicle companies fades, self-driving truck startups appear to be the new courtship objects of blank check companies.

Canadian trucking and logistics firm Titanium Transportation Group had a very good fourth quarter on the strength of its U.S brokerage business. But 2021 is set to be even bigger with its recent acquisition of ITS.

“With Market Access, shippers gain risk transparency,” Uber Freight’s co-founder said. “In a market, not every shipper has the same needs. This tool puts the risk in the shippers’ hands so they can make decisions based on their companies’ specific needs.”

Companies in a wide variety of industries are starting to offer vaccines to their employees at work. That protects employees’ health and the company’s bottom line.

Spot rates stay near record high, West Coast Port Crisis ‘21, Canada’s ELD mandate, BK checkmates itself, more

China was the top U.S. trading partner for the 10th consecutive month in January and was the most important trading partner in 2020.

Andrew Cox and Seth Holm are back with an episode of Great Quarter, Guys, talking about the biggest consumer news of the week and what a stimulus package could mean for buying behavior.

On this episode of Midday Market Update, Kevin Hill and Michael Vincent look at downstream effects from California’s port crisis.

The PRO Act would impact only the regulatory power of the National Labor Relations Act and is mostly targeted toward making unionization easier.

The German logistics giant forecasts more than $7 billion in operating profit as far out as 2023.

E-commerce is like a monster that can’t be contained and Amazon is growing with it. The online retailer just bought some aircraft for the first time. Now it has bought a piece of a cargo airline.

The California Labor Commissioner’s Office has fined Green Messengers and Amazon.com Services a total of $6.4 million for what it said was wage theft from delivery drivers.

“A rising tide lifts all boats,” ZMac CEO Matt Ziegler said. “If brokerages can access our knowledge to make better capacity decisions, then we can start eliminating the headaches that come from moving oversized freight.”

On this episode of stackd, Adam Robinson takes you through proactive steps to prevent disruption when using FreightTech.

Einride conducted a survey to explore women’s views on a career in the trucking industry and how interest was impacted by environmental factors and technological factors such as autonomous trucking and artificial intelligence.

A. Bailey Wood takes over as head of the Commercial Vehicle Training Alliance from Don Lefeve.

When David Cabello dropped out of college, he knew he wanted to make a difference, so he started a food delivery business that caters to Black-owned restaurants.

The Truckload Carriers Association will host a complimentary webinar on today at 1 p.m. for those interested in the TCA Profitability Program (TPP).

This article was originally published in The Stockout newsletter on February 3, 2021. To sign up for The Stockout newsletter, click here. We recommend that CPG companies, and others that […]

There are a couple of trends shaking up the automotive industry in the years ahead. Outside of digitization and electrification, one trend often gets left out: the growing reliance on Mexico and cross-border trade. As OEMs relocate manufacturing down in the South, suppliers are starting to follow in their footsteps.

Booming sales, thin inventories and more stimulus on the way provide the backdrop for potentially setting a new record for retail container imports in 2021. The National Retail Federation raised its outlook again for loaded containers landing at U.S. ports in the first half of the year.

Transportation Technology Center Inc. is undergoing a management change that would enable the group to expand work to multiple sites, while the Surface Transportation Board appoints two short line railroad representatives to the Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council. Also, a Manitoba transload facility at the U.S.-Canadian border seeks customers.

Navistar reported a Q1 fiscal loss in its final earnings in 35 years as the public holding company for International Trucks and IC buses.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report describes the events leading up to the incident in Vail, Arizona, that killed a Union Pacific employee.

Prolonged Plains rainfall, heavy at times, will delay freight flows a bit through the weekend (forecast video).

In today’s edition, we highlight legislation that could impact thousands in the industry; a chat with Daimler Trucks’ outgoing CEO; and vaccinations for drivers.

The Canadian government won’t say when enforcement of its ELD mandate will begin. But it won’t happen on day one. And it’s unclear when the first devices will get approval.

Seventeen Democratic House members introduced a bill to assure the Postal Service electrifies its delivery fleet. It could get Workhorse back in the game.

“We will be better positioned, not just to compete with these large disruptors but to service those smaller customers and retailers that need access to both technology solutions and a large terminal network,” said Mullen Group CEO Murray K. Mullen.

Less-than-truckload carrier Yellow Corp., like other LTLs, reports a weather-related falloff in February trends. However, industrial data continues to suggest this LTL freight recovery has legs.

The first Mack medium-duty trucks in nearly 20 years are finding favor with customers.

For all the increase in retail prices, it went up far less than the national rise in wholesale diesel prices.

The Port of Virginia has recaptured some U.S. military business it lost over the years.

Sales isn’t always sunshine and rainbows and it can be difficult to know how to react to the unpleasant side of things. Kevin Hill talks about how to manage the not-so-nice people in the sales world on this episode of Put That Coffee Down.

“We are solving meaningful business challenges with innovation and passion,” says GreyOrange Chief People Officer Ramya Sampath Sharma.

How does California congestion rank versus 2015 logjam caused by tensions with dockworkers union? It’s not even close: 2021 wins by a long shot.

“As we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, now is the time to accelerate our throughput and growth,” says Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf.

In an industry in which one wrong move in something as simple as packaging can send a company into the red, evolution, problem-solving and pivots are a pathway to survival

Truckers are likely using many of the 46,000 U.S. bridges that are classified as “structurally deficient.” These are the states with the most.

FedEx pilots want the company to stop releasing crews into Hong Kong for rest periods because of aggressive testing and quarantine restrictions that subject them to infection and loss of personal freedom.

Stockholm-based electric trucking company Einride conducted a survey to gain insights into women’s views on a career in the trucking industry and how technology and autonomy impact interest.

The only certain thing about the market is that it changes. Regardless of the state of the market, however, there are certainties and uncertainties that must be acknowledged.

The Coca-Cola plant in Grand Prairie, Texas, will close by April 15 as part of a consolidating effort by the company, according to a notice sent to state officials Friday.

Wells Fargo transportation research analyst Allison Poliniak-Cusic raises expectations for intermodal providers in a new report. Favorable catalysts for the mode are expected to carry into 2022.

GoFor Industries will work with Aurora Aerial on a drone delivery test program, starting in Canada before expanding into other markets.

The Japanese company is leveraging its logistics facility hardware, like security cameras and bar code readers, with Blue Yonder’s artificial intelligence software that can predict product demand and audit supply chains for inefficiencies.

PayPal is paying an undisclosed sum to acquire Curv, a cryptocurrency and digital asset security provider.

Across the globe and throughout the supply chain, investors are looking for startup value outside of the U.S.

With expansion into both Asia and Europe, Cargobase expects to more than triple its revenues.

Brokerages like Loadsmith are solving complex problems to benefit the green economy.

Truckers will have to keep chaining up as more snowstorms slam the Cascades, Sierra Nevada and Rockies this week (with forecast video).

Using data from consumer tracking firm Commerce Signals, the idea that e-commerce sales significantly hurt in-store sales during COVID-19 may not be completely accurate.

Roger Nielsen will need a new outlet for his electric and driverless truck passion as the Daimler Trucks North America CEO retires after a 35-year career.

Senate-approved emergency pension relief covering Yellow, ABF Freight employees could hit President’s desk this week.

Innovators worldwide are finding new ways to simplify and disintermediate the execution layer of the supply chain.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Laredo’s bridge master plan aims to boost Mexico trade; German automaker invests $72 million in San Luis Potosí; Transmontes orders 75 Freightliner trucks; El Paso opens route for trucks headed to Mexico.

Rockford International Airport is fast becoming an air cargo hub. Amazon and UPS have big operations there, and construction is underway to increase capacity for freighters and storage for new customers.

Pandemic heroes of the highway deserve mobile sites, NATSO says. Some drivers don’t think that’s a good idea.

The ATA will continue its Technology & Maintenance Council events to promote safety throughout 2021, though the National Truck Driving Championships will again be canceled.

The intermodal contract saving indices (IMCSI) show the percent savings of shipping via intermodal versus dry van truckload contract rates. To ensure comparability across modes, the calculation only compares truckload […]

Reefer capacity has tightened to all-time levels, pushing spot rates for produce moves to seasonal peaks ahead of schedule.

In today’s edition, we highlight some bad news on the February job front but some good news regarding new hires, as well as the latest on infrastructure investment.

This week notched a new all-time high in spot rates.

The World Wildlife Fund’s Farmers Post concept would connect farmers with consumers through the Postal Service’s delivery network.

Analysts tally tanker fallout after OPEC+ stuns market with decision to hold the line of production cuts.

Safeway is the latest supermarket to begin a test of robots for contactless delivery of online grocery orders.

All aboard the hyperloop hype train as Dooner and The Dude are joined by Virgin Hyperloop’s CEO/co-founder Josh Giegel

Leverage is firmly in carrier’s favor.

More consumers prefer to-go or delivery food experiences, so Applebee’s is testing ghost kitchens and delivery-only brands.

An investigation of the former DOT secretary highlights the need to restore trust in the federal infrastructure grant process.

The new brand will continue to bring real-time and predictive risk analytics to the supply chains of world-leading brands like Disney, Campbell’s, Apple and Goodyear.

Also on the podcast the continuing surge in diesel prices.

With Global Supply Chain Week over, Steve Ferreira recaps the best moments of the summit on this episode of Navigate B2B.

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

Courier gains stood out as an upward trend while others were lower.

Delivery drone manufacturer Flirtey is ramping up production and now taking preorders for its system.

The United States’ infrastructure was put to the test recently when Winter Storm Uri passed through the lower half of the country. As a result, production at petrochemical plants shut down and the industry is now on the brink of a potential seat shortage.

Instacart may forgo the traditional path to public status and sell its shares directly to the public, according to a Reuters report.

Sometimes the transportation industry can feel a little impersonal. A people-first mindset can help combat that.

This week, President Biden announced we will have enough vaccinations for every American by the end of May. For the American people, this is fantastic news. For apparel retailers, it’s euphoric news that complicates an already extremely uncertain environment. In this edition of Point of Sale, we’ll take a look at apparel inventory management through the lens of Nordstrom’s recent woes.

Prices continued to rise into Friday on the news that threw conventional wisdom aside.

February generally shows an increase in the number of trucking jobs, but not in 2021

U.S. weekly intermodal volumes moved higher last week amid support from retail and e-commerce, while carloads slumped as some U.S. Gulf Coast facilities seek to fully return to normal following February’s winter storm.

Truckers will have to chain up frequently as more snow piles up in the Northwest mountains (with forecast video).

In today’s edition, we highlight fresh FMCSA data regarding drivers and drug violations; Workhorse’s next move after its failed bid; and U.S. Xpress’ Variant initiative.

Perks, not just higher wages, may be the price for retaining qualified and high-demand warehouse labor.