News

Anthony Smith and Zach Strickland lay out what it will take to loosen the stranglehold on America’s ports.

The Western U.S. railroad expects to invest $2.99 billion in capital projects to maintain and upgrade its infrastructure and assets.

WebCargo has landed a big boy in the cargo world. Qatar Airways will sell space to shippers through the third-party platform.

Another supporter of improving less-than-truckload fundamentals was identified this week. UBS analyst Tom Wadewitz initiated coverage of the group with a favorable outlook.

Dooner and The Dude sit down with two women who are leading their companies through the e-commerce boom.

Kansas City Southern’s new, more stringent emission target will keep the company in line with the Paris Agreement emission goals.

Prices for used Class 8 tractors should maintain the momentum from the last half of 2020, but the nation’s unemployment rate could affect that, according to J.D. Power Valuation Services.

Capital Logistics COO Michael Feig says it’s too early to tell if the summer will bring tight capacity to the reefer market.

FedEx Express unveils its dual-hub strategy in Europe and says redundancies will result in significant attrition.

The right tool can help brokers turn a measly 5% success rate into sales wins at 50% or more.

U.S. weekly rail traffic rose nearly 6% last week amid a 43% increase in grain carloads and a 13% rise in intermodal traffic.

Autonomous trucking company TuSimple establishes a high-powered executive advisory board; takes equity investments from Werner Enterprises and Schneider.

Walmart will begin using drones from Zipline International to run a pilot delivery program along the Arkansas and Missouri border this summer.

The owner of a Maine-based trucking company denies his firm is the subject of a Maine CDC ongoing investigation into a COVID-19 outbreak that has sickened more than 20 employees, calling it “old news.”

Cardinal Logistics has acquired heavy-goods final-mile provider NRX Logistics. The deal marks the third final-mile transaction for M&A advisory firm Tenney Group in the last year.

Cross-border logistics platform looks to scale sustainably as it prepares to raise more capital.

Andrew Cox and Seth Holm explore the impacts of container shipping issues through Peloton’s experience.

Despite losing momentum sequentially for the last three months of the year, holiday sales grew 8.3% year-over-year. The surprising data is further evidence of the resilience of the American consumer, and the ability for retailers to influence how and when people shop.

Airlines are bleeding red ink and are asking incoming DOT nominee Pete Buttigieg to focus on testing and other steps to give people confidence to travel.

Drivers will run into midweek heavy rain and snow, high wind from Texas to California (with forecast video).

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, Heartland Express announces an operating income improvement in its Q4 earnings. Plus, an appeals court says California can’t regulate a truck driver’s meal and rest breaks, and Daseke’s board chairman talks the future of the company.

A catastrophic ransomware attack like the one that hit Forward Air is not inevitable. But transportation and logistics companies need to take cybersecurity seriously.

Former Google exec was not currently in prison but faced 18-month sentence eventually

J.B. Hunt Transport Services’ fourth quarter came in better than expected. However, the company said it was reviewing long-term margin targets across all segments. Intermodal margin forecasts may be reduced but other units could see upward revisions.

Fresh from its takeover of Uber ATG in December, autonomous vehicle company Aurora has signed an agreement with heavy-duty truck manufacturer PACCAR (NASDAQ: PCAR) to commercialize autonomous Peterbilt and Kenworth […]

Operation Warp Speed hits speed bumps, will trucker protests happen, DroneWaves and more in the newsletter.

Run of hikes a rare occurrence in 27-year history of data series

This has been the best January for dry bulk shipping rates in a decade. Is this the long-awaited turning point or yet another head fake?

Former DOT secretaries weigh in on Polly Trottenberg, Biden’s choice for deputy secretary of transportation.

Kevin Hill and Michael Vincent discuss how imports and retail sales continue to support intense freight activity.

Cortera report shows surge in business spending as the year drew to a close.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services’ fourth quarter outpaces analysts’ forecasts. Brokerage, truck and final-mile divisions benefit from revenue surge.

There is a widespread view that the new Department of Labor standards might be pulled back by the Biden administration, but it has an impact on this latest opinion.

Airlines are heavily in the red and a big shrink in passenger revenue last year is to blame. The International Civil Aviation Organization quantifies the results and gives its outlook for 2021.

As global e-commerce soars, businesses are looking for solutions that enable seamless payment options designed for local markets. Payments technology firm PPRO just raised $180 million to help design local payment solutions.

Freight giant DHL will permanently close its Baytown, Texas, facility and lay off 97 workers by May 31.

Reshoring had been in a slump the past decade, but 2020 saw it increase by more than 45%. As companies look to bring home operations, nearshoring will be on the rise.

Rivian has closed an investment round of $2.65 billion as the electric truck company best known in freight circles for making the Amazon custom delivery van gears up for mass production.

Fourth-quarter results for Heartland Express displayed a revenue dip on driver employment headwinds but operating income jumped 35%. The company mentions getting back into M&A.

Toy seller Joyin thanks Convoy for its doubled year-over-year revenues during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A pay dispute leads to about 1,400 warehouse workers and truck drivers in Teamsters Local 202 walking the picket line.

From hurricanes to earthquakes, natural disasters are featured in a number of films that truckers may enjoy on the road.

The Trump Administration announced an import ban on all cotton and tomato products originating in China’s Xinjiang region citing evidence of forced labor. This ban is much bigger than just cotton and tomatoes. It is a call to action for all retailers to better understand their sourcing practices.

Freight flow delays possible in portions of California and the Rockies (with forecast video).

A Democratic “trifecta” in Washington could finally push a long-term infrastructure past the finish line.

U.S. operations of the Class I railroads employed fewer employees in 2020 than in any year since at least 2012. Headcount was 14% lower than in 2019.

Pitney Bowes’ Jason Dies said SMBs need not be sitting ducks for higher parcel-shipping expenses.

U.S. Xpress announced Monday that Jake Lawson has joined as chief commercial officer and Justin Harness will head the dedicated division.

General Motors will spend $800 million to make a plant in Ingersoll, Canada the home of its first electric commercial delivery vans.

The public needs to be educated about the quality control processes in place for the manufacture of vaccines.

The Fuels Institute dives deep to find the impacts that different transportation-related environmental initiatives have on consumers and the environment.

Interview with Daseke’s leadership team covers recent changes and the return to M&A.

Truckers will hit heavy snowfall and periods of whiteout conditions Monday and Tuesday in the Rockies of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico, impacting freight flows on Interstate 25 and […]

The Southern California warehouse industry is pushing back against a proposed emissions rule that would make operators of distribution centers responsible for pollutants generated by trucks going into and out of their facilities.

Asia-West Coast spot rates are up 173% year on year. Rail and trucking volumes from ports are up double digits.

The Penske Logistics lawsuit was filed before the bankruptcy so it doesn’t address all the charges in the Loves action

Did you miss a podcast this week? You can find all of our FreightWaves podcasts here.

Medical records from UPS truckers and Norfolk Southern rail workers exposed as hackers leak data from a Virginia occupational health-care provider after an apparent ransomware attack.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Laredo gets its third cold storage inspection facility; a Texas trucking company is acquired by Phoenix Logistics; SE-Freight gets 30 Kenworth trucks; and Revere Plastics acquires a Mexican factory.

The first airports are releasing cargo performance data for 2020. Hong Kong and Amsterdam took a hit.

Consumer spending on goods drove the majority of the freight boom in 2020. Will this trend last in 2021?

The FAA has given its first approval to a drone operator to fly autonomous drones outside the visual line of sight of the operator, moving the industry one step closer to potential drone deliveries.

Online training provider launches new defensive driving program for truck drivers as the FBI warns of possible armed protests at all 50 state capitols and in Washington, D.C.

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, driver medical exams may be missing, according to a watchdog. Plus, freight rates continue their surge and FMCSA plans to study additional sleeper berth flexibility.

Tender volumes accelerate, driven by strong, stimulus-fueled consumer spending.

Higher fuel prices are bad news for box shippers. Higher fuel spreads are good news for owners with scrubber-fitted fleets.

The position is seen as a nod to the growing complexity of Prologis’ business.

The 8,113,315 TEUs moved in 2020 stacked up as a record year for the Port of Long Beach.

The levy will apply to customers tendering 30,000 weekly parcels from Jan. 4 to Jan. 31.

Three-judge panel upholds determination by FMCSA that the agency preempts California’s meal/rest break rules

Backlogs continue to delay deliveries as retail sales boom, leaving Dooner and The Dude wondering if people will ever see the freight they ordered.

Berlin-based digital freight brokerage Sennder closed a $160 million series, exceeding a $1 billion valuation.

United has made cargo a priority during the pandemic. The number of passenger cargo flights it operates is evidence of that.

The second issue of FreightWaves Truck Talk looks at the past, present and future of WorkHorse Group.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently launched a weekly data report on current market trends for key imported crops from Mexico and Canada.

The Outbound Tender Reject Index has declined substantially since the beginning of the year. This shouldn’t be seen as a sign of a material capacity loosening, rather an effect of the ongoing rebid season pushing contract rates higher.

Short line operator is seeking companies that might be interested in constructing facilities on sites located on the Georgia Woodlands Railroad, which interchanges with CSX.

New 25-driver subcommittee will give FMCSA direct feedback on safety issues.

Steve Ferreira discusses the “rocket-powered” ocean freight market ahead of Chinese New Year.

The Federal Highway Administration, in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration and the Federal Transit Administration, awarded grants to five commuter rail agencies for incident-prone areas.

The California Supreme Court rules the ABC test can be a factor in new and old worker classification litigation. If AB5 is lifted in California, it will add to the growing role for the B prong in the state’s trucking sector

The jump in passenger traffic for U.S. airlines during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays was a mirage, not a sustainable source of revenue for overcoming the coronavirus crisis. On Thursday, […]

OEMs will be able to close the gap that Tesla created with the help of energy policies from the White House and infrastructure already set in place.

FMCSA agrees to take action after OIG warns of weaknesses in its medical examiner registry.

Amazon is the first e-commerce company to offer end-to-end logistics.

CIEM’s Pioneer Chassis is gearing up to play a key role in squelching port bottlenecks and filling the chassis shortage gap.

Drivers will hit more intense winds and whiteout conditions Friday in several Midwestern states (with forecast video).

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon talks innovation, sustainability and more in a CES speech. Plus, FMCSA names new members to a safety advisory panel and Navistar plans to close an Illinois plant.

When he tried to sell GM’s iconic Hummer brand to the Chinese a decade ago, Jim Taylor never imagined he would import tiny electric delivery van bodies from China to finish in the plant that spawned the hulking SUV.

Penske Logistics “strongly refutes” claims by Loves but defers other comments.

The December rates subindex jumped 13% year-over-year, setting the stage for big rate hikes in 2021, according to Cass data.

“The way we responded to the challenges, kept commerce moving and preserved jobs is a story that we will all remember for a long time to come,” says Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka during his State of the Port address.

Delta Air Lines is bringing in new blood and hiring from within as it works through the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Kevin Hill and Michael Vincent discuss how trailer sales, retail sales and warehouse inventory levels are still high to start the year.

Reliance Partners’ Brian Runnels fears that relaxed regulations may result in an uptick in CDL fraud in driver schools.

An FMCSA pilot project is considering 6/4 and 5/5 split rest periods for sleeper-berth drivers.

Recent analysis from Gartner shows retailers with more than 50% of revenue from the online channel have logistics costs as a percentage of sales that are almost double those of their store-focused counterparts.

Also on the podcast: The 10-week run of higher DOE diesel prices and whether they’ll continue

Traditional RFP processes consume time and money and still don’t yield permanent arrangements.

Delta’s downsizing helped it contain costs during an extremely challenging pandemic year. On Thursday, it reported a fourth-quarter loss before taxes of $2.1 billion.