News

Pressures from COVID-19 illnesses at meat-processing plants collide with rules to keep workers safe, making it harder to feed a society that demands convenient access.

Other factors beyond the coronavirus pandemic are weighing on U.S. rail volumes for grain.

How a hog plant shutdown hits freight, plus prepper economics, air freight and more in this Coronavirus Freight Market Update

The FreightWaves SONAR platform is adding an API upgrade allowing subscribers to digest rates directly into their own unique workflows.

Global maritime insurer promotes international adoption of container packing and declaration practices to reduce losses.

Trucking Freight Futures staged a strong rally on Monday after being closed Friday in observance of the Good Friday holiday.

KeepTruckin introduces Maintenance Reminders, a tool that helps companies avoid unscheduled vehicle downtimes.

The World Health Organization has air hubs in Doha and Addis Ababa and is pumping humanitarian resources and workers around the world in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ocean shipping post-pandemic: What changes lie ahead for supply, demand, stocks and debt?

Heavy April snow, gusty winds could slow freight movement in parts of Denver, Salt Lake City markets.

Ware2Go is providing free logistical support to a New York City non-profit donating PPE supplies to medical workers. Plus, Cass Freight Index tumbles, oil prices continue to fall and airline stimulus funds hit a snag.

Turning supermarkets, and their parking lots, into logistics hubs

Ubirch, a blockchain cybersecurity company, has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA). Learn more about Ubirch and BiTA.

Knowing exactly where shipments are and when they will arrive is more important now than ever.

The decline in cross-border freight is linked to the closure of truck-making and auto parts plants across Mexico to contain the coronavirus, as well as the March 30 executive order by Mexican President Manuel Obrador to close all nonessential businesses.

Cargo has had a window view on some international airlines. Now U.S. airlines are looking to load boxes in the passenger cabin when operating in cargo-only mode. The next step — remove the seats altogether.

Problem-solving supply chain bottlenecks is the way to build customer loyalty, freight experts say.

In the first known recall investigation delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, PACCAR is recalling nearly a half million trucks because a blown fuse can prevent illumination of antilock brakes or electronic stability control warning lights .

Fee-based storage offered at five North American terminals to assist importers dealing with supply chain disruption caused by coronavirus pandemic.

Concurrent EILD program definitely appears to be a less desired option.

The number of empty containers returned to Asia from the California port dropped 23% in March.

LATAM Airlines and Qatar Airways are maximizing freighter deployments.

Cass data plummets further, erasing any chance of second-quarter year-over-year growth in shipments and freight costs, according to report.

Lobby group puts tab for restoring 231,000 U.S. bridges at $164 billion.

The closing of a Smithfield Foods hog-processing plant in South Dakota cut off 100 daily semi-truck loads of animals to the facility. With few other plants available, farmers may end up destroying tens of thousands of animals that cannot be marketed for food.

Drivers have historically been hesitant to download tracking apps due to privacy concerns and “app overload.”

On this holiday weekend, I want to send my best wishes to the trucking community! From the heroic drivers doing their jobs in the face of adversity, to the carrier support folks – some in offices and some working at home – thank you for your support of our drivers and customers. To the valiant technicians that arrive for work every day unknowing what and where they might come face to face with a health challenge in the course of their daily duties. To the truckstops, dealers and other support businesses that support the drivers while on the road, and sometimes when in the most need, thank you all and bless you all for a hopeful family holiday.

During a leadership webinar I presented on last week one of the things I mentioned was that there’s nothing like a crisis to bring things into perspective. While it seems that we can’t see anything at all during a time like this, I just personally experienced some clarity.

New Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods delivery customers are just going to have to wait.

On today’s podcast we’re looking at the impacts tornadoes had on the South, plus freight flows, forecasts, and more.

A new FreightWaves survey highlights how truck drivers are being treated by shippers and receivers, as well as truck stops and rest areas amid coronavirus pandemic

The Trucking Freight Futures markets were closed Friday in observance of the Good Friday holiday with the spot National contract finishing unchanged at $1.399 per mile week over week.

States must submit plan detailing use of technology that supports social distancing.

Crude-tanker demand should continue to rise. Will stock prices follow suit?

The groups want the Federal Railroad Administration to ensure that railroads’ requests to waive certain regulations stem from a true labor shortage.

The coronavirus has strained supply chains of all kinds around the world. Darren Prokop has written an interestng and informative commentary that explains the inherent weaknesses of supply chains and how to improve them.

Amazon is placing new grocery delivery customers onto wait lists as it seeks to shore up orders and deliveries for existing customers. Plus, traffic declines could jeopardize road projects, just-in-time delivery impacts resupply efforts and retail sales face a long slog back to growth.

Strong winds across much of the eastern U.S. today may slow down freight flows.

The deal runs through 2022 so plenty of time to judge its impact.

The investment will help accelerate product development of its next generation SmartTags and scale up operations across both sales and marketing.

Two former UPS executives have new roles with Atlanta-based companies and a service center manager is named.

“If you mask your data and someone accesses it, it’s like stealing an empty purse.” — Matt Yeh, senior director of product marketing for Delphix, on cloud data security and the impact it has on remote work.

Shelley Uvanile-Hesch hopes people will think twice about leaving home during the COVID-19 pandemic after seeing her trailer as she moves vital goods between Canada and the United States.

While mobile devices are common in many industries, the use of these devices to manage inventory is still limited.

TQL announces layoffs, ways you can #ThankATrucker, what drivers can do if they feel sick on the road and so much more!

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Researchers find ways to minimize wait-times at border crossings; truck cargo volumes down at Otay Mesa; container volume slows down at Port Houston; and KAL Freight expands into Texas.

Transportation companies are drawing down credit lines to weather the pandemic

The maritime shipping companies have been able to increase their rates amidst the COVID-19 induced shut down. Is this a sign of things to come for domestic carriers?

After initially being part of Utah’s self-declaration process for anyone entering the state, truck drivers and airline pilots have now been exempted from the order. Also, Kentucky extends emergency orders and Nebraska Trucking Association launches #ThankaTrucker campaign.

Growing awareness of a 12-year-old relief fund for semi-truck drivers is attracting more and bigger donations as the coronavirus pandemic highlights health risks to truckers hauling critical freight.

If you need coronavirus gear, who you gonna call? Logistics busters!

While staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic, catch up on classic — and not-so-classic — movies prominently featuring modes of transportation.

After peaking at up 30% year-over-year, volumes are now down.

Government agencies and cybersecurity firms are raising alarm bells as companies shift to remote workforces without proper cyber protections in place.

Reduction would be record-breaking but isn’t likely to be adequate to stabilize markets.

Prologis’ update highlights strength of the logistics real estate market entering pandemic. Some clients are asking for rent relief.

The global logistics giant said its Q1 profits among its five business divisions suffered from the coronavirus upheaval.

It was another mixed day for Trucking Freight Futures on Thursday as the spot National contract finished unchanged for the eighth consecutive session at $1.399 per mile.

On today’s podcast: TQL layoffs explored, why are rates dropping, the retail supply chain, trucker’s take and more

Two more significant companies in the trucking and transportation field have implemented layoffs and furloughs. In response to an email query from FreightWaves, Doug Waggoner, the CEO of Echo Global […]

Moratoriums on policy cancellations for non-payment likely to continue

Knowledge test training course no longer needed for third-party examiners.

U.S. logistics real estate operator announces it has reached the 100 million euro cap for its European logistics fund.

Potential blizzard conditions Easter weekend could delay freight flows from Rockies to Great Lakes.

In terms of financial results for the Class I railroads in 2020, it could get worse before it gets better, according to several Wall Street analysts.

Delta is expanding its Roadie delivery partnership to include packages that weigh three times more than the original limit

Plus: California gives Nuro permission to test autonomous vehicles

Website and the online booking platform of MSC have gone offline but fallout appears contained.

Drone use for package deliveries is expected to remain largely grounded by regulatory and infrastructural hurdles during the next few years, according to Frost and Sullivan.

Cargo planes are in high demand these days because they are the fastest way to get vital medical equipment and supplies to health care workers trying to save the lives of those infected with the coronavirus. But inflexible regulations and bureaucrats can undermine that speed.

Nikola Corp. filled VectoIQ’s $230 million public shell company after former Wall Street analyst and General Motors executive Steve Girsky shopped more than 100 smart transportation companies and signed 75 nondisclosure agreements and six letters of intent.

According to data published on the CBP website, 160 total CBP employees had tested positive for the virus as of Sunday. New York City had the most, with 52 employees.

Coalition asserts $75,000 requirement is unfair to brokers and hurts small carriers.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s emergency declarations extend far beyond hours of service.

“The last place I picked up, I couldn’t even come inside the building to use the bathroom,” said Chicago-based driver Bob Stanton.

The idea of using passenger planes as freighters would have been considered farfetched in February since the main deck can’t be loaded with large pallets. But when there’s a pandemic and a shortage of cargo space, the logistics community gets creative and these planes are being booked at a rapid pace.

Trucking Freight Futures continued to move in a narrow range for the second consecutive session on Wednesday as the spot National contract settled at $1.399/mile.

The coronavirus impact on unemployment, an investigative report on TQL’s layoffs, more.

Carriers give back pricing power as volumes and rejections rates plummet. Spot rates are negative week-over-week for 95% of lanes from Truckstop.com.

Morgan Stanley survey shows coronavirus disruption is accelerating for carriers, shippers and brokers, but the height of the disruption may be closer than some may think.

Americans are taking to their laptops instead of heading to the mall, and legacy retailers are facing the pressure to adapt to the times.

WTO expects global trade to sink by at least 13% this year; oil demand are down 50% year-on-year; economists expect 25% decline in U.S. GDP in Q2.

TrueNorth, a carrier and software service for independent truckers announced a $3 million raise this week

Retail coalition cautions federal government about potential dangers to easing restrictions on Interstates.

Host John Kingston also looks at the signs of a big drop in diesel demand.

Activist investor Barna Capital seeks to swap out YRC Worldwide board members and make non-executive level changes in management.

Truck drivers are ALWAYS important – no more so than now. Read ways that truckers can stay safer and healthier.

Potential blizzard conditions Easter Sunday and Monday could delay freight flows from the Rockies to the Great Lakes.

Businesses around the world are being affected by the pandemic. Among the hardest hit are startups. Brian Aoaeh offers advice for tech startups in the supply chain space.

Cargo X is Brazil’s largest digital freight marketplace, connecting about 20,000 carriers and their 400,000 truckers with freight.

Virginia opens up scales to parking The Hours of Service (HOS) waiver handed down by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) last month at the start of the COVID-19 […]

North American rail volumes last week were approaching levels normally seen during Christmas and New Year’s, according to the Association of American Railroads.

Current and former TQL workers fearful, angry in wake of mass firings

Sales of commercial trucks in Mexico fell 46.8% in March, according to Mexico’s National Association of Manufacturers of Buses, Trucks and Tractor-trucks

The impact of COVID-19 on insurance costs is still unknown, but policies for many fleets may not cover losses due to a loss of business.

The three countries to keep an eye on: U.S., Saudi Arabia and Russia.

Coronavirus and tariffs blamed for lowest total in more than a decade.

Amazon Shipping, has been put on hold, overtaken by unprecedented life-or-death events

While FEMA is working to airlift medical supplies from international sources, the White House doesn’t want to share equipment with other countries that may be in need. But don’t blame logistics providers like FedEx, which are executing on their logistics contracts.

Cargo flows face worst hit in a century but have potential to bounce back fast.