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ACT Expo producer talks tailwinds and headwinds facing alternative fuel vehicle programs in the wake of coronavirus pandemic

The Trucking Freight Futures markets slid across the board on Tuesday with the spot National contract falling 0.4% to $1.404 per mile as macroeconomic weighed heavily.

With benchmark prices down 26% year over year, analysts pin hopes for a used truck sales recovery to the restart of the economy. March was a tale of contrasts with decent sales early in the month that plummeted later as too many trucks sought too few loads.

Pandemic pressures on tourism, oil and textiles squeeze Caribbean cargo demand.

A chief supply chain officer can be the linchpin connecting all different departments within a retail company, including marketing, finance, sales and accounting.

The Canadian government has ordered thousands of coffee cup-sized Spartan Cubes, but it remains unclear if it will deploy them at border crossings.

The Supply Chain Intelligence Center pinpoints trouble spots on the nation’s highways and ports to U.S. humanitarian relief providers responding to the health crisis.

Employees let go at the LTL division will hold on to their health benefits

World’s second-largest box carrier resolves its website woes.

Paul Schlegel writes about the future of autonomous vehicles – particularly autonomous trucks.

Airlines and employees gave a big sigh of relief when Congress recently passed a major industry bailout, but feelings turned to frustration when the Trump administration decided to limit the cash payouts.

KeepTruckin has started a petition asking congress to extend forgivable loans to cover truck lease/purchase payments and insurance costs.

P.A.M. Transportation finds success calling on its “friends in the industry” as it scrambles to replace lost automotive OEM business.

Carriers are hopeful that Q2 will be much less chaotic than last quarter.

In March, 204,383 commercial vehicles crossed the World Trade and Colombia Solidarity commercial bridges in Laredo. It was 284 fewer truck crossings than in March 2019, a 0.1% decline.

The feature enables shippers to make data-driven decisions about allocating freight

Rate slack at heart of White House decision to deny agency direct COVID-19 aid

Good news for box carriers: Freight rates haven’t collapsed. Bad news: Volumes have.

The J.B. Hunt first-quarter conference call provided a mixed bag of anecdotes. While concerns mount over economic disruption, the company has some offsets.

“They hit hard. The passenger was knocked unconscious.” ABF driver awarded for helping crash victims during snowstorm.

J.B. Hunt’s first quarter results, while slightly below consensus, were likely not as bad as feared. The company’s outlook provided on its earnings call will be the takeaway.

Navistar makes $300 million in across-the-board cuts to conserve cash but will repay employees with interest for their 10% to 30% pay reductions next March.

The airline industry is poised to shrink considerably as revenues evaporate and they are forced to cut costs to the bone.

Quick turnaround as companies realize they have necessary synergies.

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.