News

Truck broker Landstar System set records in the fourth quarter. The company is expecting the high-demand environment and improved truckload pricing to carry through at least the first quarter.

The new owner of the ocean/air forwarding unit is far bigger in the field than Werner.

Norfolk Southern seeks to increase train lengths and weights as part of its next stage of precision scheduled railroading deployment, executives said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday.

A trucking lobbyist sees the Biden administration taking up the detention time challenge.

Canadian Pacific reported a fourth-quarter operating ratio of 53.9%, a record low. Fourth-quarter net profit was CA$802 million, up nearly 21% year-over-year.

Hapag-Lloyd credits higher freight rates and lower bunker prices as “the main drivers of these positive business developments.”

How do you navigate the ups and downs of the freight market? With Luke Falasca and Kyle Taylor, of course.

Where do you fit in the freight industry? Dooner and The Dude debate how to find your place in this wide world of transportation

Asia-U.S. liner sailings are now being canceled because too many container ships are stuck at anchor off California.

From tornadoes to snowstorms, natural disasters are featured in several films truckers can enjoy on the road.

Anthony Smith and Zach Strickland break down the differences between free trade and protectionism and how it will shape the freight landscape in the future.

Knight-Swift Transportation reports a big jump in results during the fourth quarter. However, while some may view this as a victory lap, investors appear to be calling the end to the TL trade.

Walmart is making an $800 million investment in Lancaster, Texas, building two e-commerce facilities totaling 1.9 million square feet aimed at growing its online shopping presence.

Bid season is here, which means contract rates are catching up to spot rates and in turn loosening capacity.

Uber Freight has rolled out a free rate-locking tool for small and midsize shippers.

Alaska Airlines’ parent company is one of the better managed airlines in the industry. Its financial results during a pandemic year show why.

Sen. Maria Cantwell seeks COVID-19 vaccine priority for the food transportation sector.

Social Auto Transport aims to connect the gig economy with car dealers to help improve the customer service experience.

Grocery is the only retail segment that has maintained (and even grown) its e-commerce penetration since peak levels in March, indicating the new normal is already here. The new normal is a much higher level of online demand, and grocers are getting wise about their fulfillment methods.

TFI International CEO Alain Bedard praised the partnership of UPS and the Teamsters and signaled his company’s willingness to work with unions ahead of the UPS Freight acquisition. But will it work?

The opinion letter sent last week dealt with issues of driver safety requirements and the relationship between drivers and 3PLs.

An Arkansas-based trucking company, RCX Solutions, filed for Chapter 7 liquidation on Monday, nearly a year after it shuttered operations when it was unable to climb out of debt following a $23 million nuclear verdict.

Bringg is now offering its retail customers the ability to leverage Uber’s vast driver fleet to help fulfill e-commerce orders.

CN expressed confidence that it has the network capacity available to handle more volumes in the second half of 2021. But pandemic uncertainties loom in the first quarter.

Knight-Swift Transportation capitalizes on strong truckload fundamentals to post much higher year-over-year results. Fourth-quarter numbers came in slightly ahead of expectations and the company’s full-year 2021 guidance remains unchanged.

Short of a conflict in the Middle East and its adjacent shipping lanes, it is hard to see a spike in tanker spot rates in the near term.

End-to-end ecosystem combines Navistar trucks, GM fuel cell systems and mobile hydrogen producer in test on dedicated J.B. Hunt Transport routes.

Oracle has released machine-learning and IoT updates to its supply chain application.

Fourth-quarter net profit was $671 million. An 8% decrease in operating expenses helped to offset a 4% decline in operating revenues.

More road closures likely for truckers as a major snowstorm hits the Sierra Nevada (with forecast video).

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, an activist investor speaks about what changes Forward Air should make. Plus, FedEx Ground is losing a key executive and why UPS Freight was no longer a strategic fit for UPS.

Two FreightWaves SONAR charts illustrate Union Pacific’s views of the West Coast intermodal spot market.

As the trucking industry rebuilds toward meeting replacement demand, PACCAR expects new products will help it continue gaining market share.

UPS takes part in a business panel on why Congress should support last-mile delivery and electric vehicles.

Could a logistics stock be the next GameStop, spot market slumps, UPS Freight sold to TFI, pirates attack, bees on the loose and more

Operating ratios for all its segments improved in the final three months of the year.

U.S. ports have seen “month-over-month strength across multiple business segments.”

Net income rebounded 49.1% year-over-year from one of the 3PL’s worst quarters.

The success of California’s ambitious clean truck programs hinges on giving financial incentives to small trucking companies so they can afford to pay for the vehicles.

CN’s fourth-quarter net income was C$1.02 billion amid a 2% increase in revenue and a 5% decrease in operating expenses.

Andrew Cox and Seth Holm break down the pros and cons of UPS Freight selling to TFI International.

Prologis enters the new year with “optimism and confidence” as logistics real estate remains in high demand. Fourth-quarter financial results and 2021 guidance come in ahead of forecasts.

Wall Street reacts negatively to the latest earnings report, but Covenant suggests it’s playing a long game.

Market capacity is not loosening up as contract bid season gets into swing and Chinese New Year approaches.

Maier is succeeded by FedEx Freight head John Smith; Lance Moll will replace Smith at the LTL unit.

Former CSX executive Dean Piance will serve as CEO of short line operator and logistics provider OmniTRAX.

Lean inventory doesn’t sit well with supply volatility. The chip shortage, as well as the pandemic, have been a wake-up call for supply chain managers.

Ryder offers a wide range of alternative fuel vehicles based on customer demands, total cost of ownership and sustainability goals. FreightWaves interviewed Richard Mohr, CTO at Ryder, to dive deeper.

These Instagram accounts center on the perspective of brokers, or a dispatcher in one case, using humor and memes to laugh — or cry — at the rigors of their daily work lives.

Oracle’s cloud-based solutions help shippers weather disruptions and give customers a seamless buying experience.

The continuing impact from COVID impacts results but the Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF parent company still turns in positive numbers.

Logistics real estate operator Prologis reports better-than-expected fourth-quarter results as the “pandemic has pushed global supply chains to their limits.”

Gina Raimondo will be the anti-Wilbur Ross as secretary of commerce, with less focus on protectionism.

Truckers likely to hit roadblocks as a major snowstorm approaches the West (with forecast video).

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, TFI International will acquire UPS Freight. Plus, the West Coast has supplanted Chicago as the king of the freight world, and outbound tender volumes keep falling.

Past Forward Air CFO Andy Clarke outlines his outlook for improving returns at his former company. He represents an activist investor group, which includes turnaround investment firm Ancora Advisors and Forward’s founder.

The Georgia Ports Authority is adding capacity in anticipation of another busy year.

Covenant also took a $44 million charge in connection with the sale of the TFS factoring division to Triumph Bancorp.

In Africa, one seafarer is dead and 15 have been kidnapped. Worldwide, more seafarers are being barred from travel as COVID fears rise.

Third-longest increase in 27-year-old series

Kevin Hill brings on a new co-host to discuss turning negatives into positives on the sales floor.

German drone manufacturer Wingcopter has raised $22 million, with plans to expand health care-related delivery programs and build a U.S. facility.

Dooner and The Dude explore sales optimizations, faster payments for truckers and being charitable on this episode of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?

“Driver detention is a leading cause of lost earnings and driver dissatisfaction,” said Elkins.

Tight spaces and tight law enforcement can make these bridges nerve-wracking for some truckers.

Joe Biden plans to sign a “Made in America” executive order that reiterates support for the Jones Act.

“Not only are we at the height of the Christmas season, but we’re at the height of the Y2K concern as well. Importers and major trading houses are trying to move their goods now to beat any chance of problems with the changeover to the new millennium.”

UPS’ sale of UPS Freight to Canadian firm TFI International will end the company’s not-very-happy venture into LTL.

A tractor-trailer hauling a load of honeybees overturned Sunday, releasing a swarm in downtown San Antonio.

Volvo Trucks North America and Mack Trucks are making parts easier to find and order by integrating a truck’s vehicle ID with its fleet unit number.

With consistency in cold emailing, you’ll find consistency in your response rate.

TFI International has agreed to buy UPS Freight for about $800 million in its largest acquisition to date.

Sustainability efforts are becoming a major focus for CPG companies as consumers demand investments in a cleaner future.

FreightWaves’ Sales & Marketing Summit will feature insights and in-depth knowledge from some of the leading sales and marketing professionals in freight today, including keynote addresses from Emerge’s Andrew Leto and leading marketing expert Joe Pulizzi.

Truckers will have to chain up as snowstorms hit several Western states this week (with forecast video).

Mexican authorities have seized seven tanker trucks and more than 178,400 gallons of stolen fuel since Jan. 1, 2021.

The Inland Empire continued a record streak of warehouse development, with over 50 million square feet of transactions in 2020.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Tecma acquires cross-border trucking firm; Mexican carrier achieves CTPAT certification; Boyd Corp. opens factory in Juárez, Mexico; and massive new industrial/logistics park set for Arizona.

If you can’t rent an entire cargo plane for yourself, you might have trouble finding space on an aircraft to make an international shipment.

Freight volumes have exploded out of southern California over the past two years. Is this pattern sustainable?

KCS plans to deploy the third phase of its precision scheduled railroading program this year as it eyes an operating ratio goal in the mid-50s by 2022.

Deliveright, a digital delivery network for heavy goods, announced the launch of a new app with e-commerce company Shopify.

A deal has been reached to end a strike by workers at the Hunts Point market in New York, with a vote by rank-and-file Teamsters to take place Saturday.

A Feb. 5 sentencing date has been set for a bookkeeper who pleaded guilty to devising an elaborate scheme to defraud a family-owned trucking company and farm in Missouri out […]

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, raising fuel taxes could be an option to pay for infrastructure, and a truck driver who faced a life-or-death decision on a bridge is rewarded for his choice.

Normal January seasonality may be upon us.

Dooner and The Dude discuss President Biden’s executive orders, circular economies and moving to sustainability on this episode of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?

The Triumph acquisition of TFS has had plenty of problems since it was first announced.

A Shell and Deloitte joint study addresses economic, technical and regulatory factors related to decarbonizing road freight.

Phoenician Energy’s aluminum-air batteries will be developed and piloted as part of the Yara Marine X program designed to create a greener maritime industry.

Although the defendant’s role in the staged accident scheme was relatively minor and he had cooperated with authorities, Mario Solomon still was sentenced to 21 months behind bars.

Revenue generated could help fund infrastructure investments, DOT Secretary nominee says in confirmation hearing.

Now is the time to transform the United States’ dominance of information technology into a durable leadership position in innovations that will characterize supply chains the rest of this century.

FreightWaves Truck Talk is a weekly newsletter adding perspective, context and commentary to industry news and trends.

NACFE’s Mike Roeth talks about a year like no other

Marty Oberman has been appointed to serve as the chairman of the Surface Transportation Board.

We may be seeing signs of a traditional January lull, but at a much higher level than years past. On a rejection-adjusted basis, tender volumes are running up 23% yoy versus 20% last week. Tender rejections continue to decline modestly, but carriers are still rejecting more than 1-in-5 contracted tenders. Stimulus can only carry the freight markets so long. Fortunately, the industrial economy is revving up and retailers have significant restocking ahead.

Steve Ferreira makes his case why ocean freight logistics managers should be paid more for their skills.

There’s a push for more digitization and a growing need for more software as more EVs emerge and more self-driving capabilities are added to cars. Automakers are finding themselves without the expertise to fulfill the need for connected services and AI insights.

Retailers with physical footprints have been able to leverage new modes of fulfillment to pass increased costs associated with online delivery to consumers and their suppliers. But for digitally-native brands without access to physical stores, this could be painful should it become the new normal. If you ask FedEx, it already has.