News

As I sit in my home barred from travel, I watch the news and coronavirus updates. In light of the multiple closings of cities, the panic at the sight of empty grocery store shelves; something leaps out to me, “Thank God for the Truckers!” As we float in these turbulent, uncharted waters, and we see unprecedented economic moves to protect us from the impact of the virus, one thing is truly taken for granted — the Individual Trucker — working with their dedicated Operations people servicing the supply chain.

America self-quarantines, layoffs expected for freight industries, tips to keep your freight sales team engaged and so much more!

However, there is one constant that has always remained; trucking is one of the most honorable professions in the world. A truck driver does nothing for themselves. They are always doing something for somebody else be it a shipper, a receiver, a dispatcher, or for others on the road.

This week: US-Mexico supply chains intact despite coronavirus; border agents foil drug smuggling attempts worth $2.7 million; Port Houston reopens container terminals following positive coronavirus test; Pharr Bridge Business Park opens 100,000-square-foot distribution center.

A lawsuit, seeking class action status, was filed against TQL over its recent data breach.

Trucking capacity is the tightest it has been in 17 months thanks to the surging volumes, but all signs point to this being a short-lived event.

Rolling cuts are roiling the airline industry, which is seeking a federal bailout to stave off workforce reductions

Carriers and medical clinics struggle to develop protocols for drivers who have COVID-19

Store managers will get bonuses early and regardless of performance.

Leverage shifting carriers’ way

One of Canada’s largest transportation and logistics companies says it will temporarily lay off some employees, suspend dividend and slash executive pay as it braces for economic fallout to hit freight.

COVID-19 priorities may require “non-emergency” waiver for drivers and carriers.

United Airlines’ executives and union leaders late Friday warned furloughs will begin soon unless the federal government enacts an emergency aid package for the airline industry and urged workers to […]

Alabama facility operating normally during coronavirus pandemic.

Advocates for rules exemptions characterize freighters as mission-critical for delivering medical supplies and feeding the public.

Dooner and The Dude are talking about what went down during week 1 of self quarantine in much of the USA. They cover layoffs hitting freight, XPO takes break up off the table, and airlines getting grounded.

Hall of fame induction and trade conference postponed until September.

The administration has not announced West Coast destination of Navy hospital ship being deployed to assist during coronavirus pandemic.

“Regulated entities remain obligated to comply with all filing requirements and deadlines,” the U.S Federal Maritime Commission said.

Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency issues guidance on critical industries as millions of Americans ordered to stay home.

Mexico was the U.S.’s largest trading partner in 2019, with more than $614 billion in two-way trade.

For carriers with loads to haul, they now have an advantage in negotiating rates, as the weekly DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index has risen to 55.

Trucking Freight Futures trend lower in quiet trading session on Thursday as the spot National contract slips to $1.363/mile.

BCOs handled 45% of shipments by revenue in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Fleet tracking and vehicle management firm PowerFleet has developed a suite of solutions that are individually tailored to provide operational visibility for firms of different sizes and capacity.

Airlines have less resources to handle certain types of cargo and their warehouses hours are being reduced because of cutbacks associated with the coronavirus.

Should the railroads pare the number of types of railcars? Jim Blaze explores this topic.

Limited food options in the new Pennsylvania opening, but better than zero.

Americold Realty Trust plans to keep all 183 cold storage facilities “open for business.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the ports of entry remain watchful of fraudulent imports that take advantage of Americans during the COVID-19 crisis.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterates that “extraordinary” restriction does not apply to cross-border trade.

As trucks try to resupply stores across the U.S. and Canada, an issue of drivers’ health insurance when in a different country has arisen. Read this article to learn more.

Snowstorm next week could further tighten capacity in top-5 freight markets of Allentown and Harrisburg.

Engine maker Cummins Inc. joined Volvo and Mack Trucks in suspending production because of the coronavirus pandemic . Cummins and trailer maker Wabash National also pulled their earnings guidance for the year.

Plus: Former UN Ambassador resigns from Boeing board; Tesla violates SF shelter-in-place rules

TA’s CEO says it’s a sign of supply chain “resilience.”

Citing a deterioration in market conditions, XPO announces that it is no longer looking to spin-off its separate business units.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Chicago O’Hare airport international mail facility find more counterfeit coronavirus test kits in parcel shipments from the U.K.

An airline bailout raíses questions of corporate welfare and could anger voters if they are left without jobs or suffer wage losses because of the coronavirus lockdown.

American Airlines transforms some planes for all-cargo service, filling up the lower deck for charter customers desperate to move goods because they can’t find available space.

America had been on track to become the world’s largest propane exporter until Saudi Arabia opened its crude spigot.

Around 2,000 trucks a day use State Route 189, and the improvements could save more than 10 minutes per northbound truck, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Relaxing of driver work restrictions provides breathing room to handle volume surge.

As COVID-19 spreads, truckload carriers are facing an unknown world. TCA is trying to help them navigate that uncertainty.

The continuation of panic buying and restocking has swung the DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index violently to the upside. Carriers are now in dominant pricing power position for the first time since we began this series in September.

Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific each have employees who have contracted the virus, and they and those around them are in self-quarantine.

Blanked sailings blamed for two terminals scheduling one- and two-day suspensions of operations.

Approximately 30 former Lipsey Logistics employees say they were blindsided after they were called into a meeting and laid off without warning on Wednesday.

Autonomous truck developer Starsky Robotics has ceased operations as it was unable to attract investment or a buyer.

President Trump has signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act into law, which requires many employers to provide paid leave and expands FMLA for many employees.

But states have taken lots of steps, many involving food

Truck inspections are often land mines for motor carriers but additional maintenance can defuse the situation.

The three Class I railroads have set or will set targets as part of their involvement in a global initiative.

The United States has plunged into a recession and imports may never recover, says the former Trailer Bridge CEO.

With increased volatility in international airfreight, Cargojet is bringing back planes to focus on the hot domestic market.

The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control adds five U.A.E. companies to SDN List for facilitating embargoed Iranian oil sales.

In a peak demand year for Class 8 tractors, high-powered engines dominated under the hood, but even a new heavy-haul transmission from Eaton and Cummins doesn’t affect an accelerating trend toward smaller displacement as tougher emissions standards loom.

The micromobility segment has arisen as an alternative transit option across major cities, and companies in the segment will need to be tactical in their approach to profitability.

Trucking Freight Futures held steady on Wednesday as the April National contract (VNU) saw 10 more contracts trade at $1.375/mile.

Zach Strickland discusses volumes slipping in a key market in the Carrier Update presented by PowerFleet, Luke Falasca talks about US reefer volume on Broker Update, then Kevin Hill and […]

BMO, one of the largest lenders to the trucking industry, will be offering undefined measures to assist its clients as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Freight keeps on trucking as the United States and Canada prepare to shut down their shared border to non-essential travel as early as Friday night to curb the spread of coronavirus.

It’s shut down businesses and thrown planning into turmoil.  No, it’s not COVID-19. It’s the rising insurance rates that trucking companies have been facing over the last few years. The […]

During a roundtable discussion, the CEOs of Convoy, Flexe and Flexport spoke about the coronavirus and the future of freight.

Rates inbound to Seattle, California, and New York are climbing rapidly.

OmniTRAX announces new CFO following several additions to the management team.

Key FreightWaves SONAR index pushes past post-Canadian National strike level as trucks continue to move loads.

Port Houston announced it was closing two terminals after an employee who worked at both sites tested positive for the coronavirus.

Blizzard conditions could tighten capacity more in strained Denver, Salt Lake City markets.

Americans for Free Trade, which represents more than 100 trade organizations, said eliminating existing U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods would boost the American economy by $75 billion during the COVID-19 crisis.

Intermodal volumes slump as the coronavirus cuts North American import and export volume.

Flatbed volume has been building over the past few years. Read why in this article by Kayla Matthews.

Halt of cruise voyages will slash HFO demand, a positive for cargo ships with scrubbers.

The coronavirus is an existential threat to the airline industry, Air Canada’s CEO says

Executive Director Gene Seroka said the coronavirus has not impacted landside operations.

Canadian bank’s transportation portfolio already had been sagging.

A FreightWaves survey examines what motor carriers, drivers and shippers and receivers are doing to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Zach and Anthony discuss current economic trends in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, and what’s to come.

ACT Research cannot model downturn scenarios fast enough for Class 8 trucks, but high inventory levels make the coronavirus crisis a good time to take a production break as demand is practically nonexistent.

Paper, plastic, other commodities now exempted for COVID-19 response.

As millions of American sales people transition to the new normal of selling from home during a crisis, PTCD offers some advice

SeaIntelligence Consulting CEO says impact from pandemic could total about 10% of global volumes.

It’s a full red alert for the airline industry as the coronavirus crushes travel demand. Companies are racing to shore up their finances as revenues dry up.

Long-haul truck drivers can teach people a thing or two about how to fend off the loneliness and boredom that accompany long periods of isolation.

The move comes after the state got hit with criticism for its move.

USNS Comfort will be dispatched to New York Harbor; USNS Mercy will be sent to West Coast site.

Companies from all corners of the freight ecosystem are beginning to implement layoffs as an economic downturn starts to take hold.

While USDA and FDA staff and resources become constrained by the coronavirus, the agencies continue to work with industry to protect the health of the food supply chain.

Oil exporting countries might lose upto 85% of income this year; big 3 automakers partially close plants; Amazon suspends shipment of non-essential items.

Trucking Freight Futures rally as the April National contract trades at $1.375/mile with more companies returning to the market to hedge their exposure to freight rate volatility.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, it is causing customs brokers and third-party logistics providers to adapt their day-to-day office operations.

“Hundreds of aftershocks” could follow magnitude-5.7 earthquake that shut down airport, rail services in Salt Lake City.

Shen was previously chief operating officer and president.

The bills call actions such as setting federal penalties for blocked crossings and allowing funding for the construction of more rail-grade crossings.

Heavy snow, blizzard conditions may stall growing Denver and Salt Lake City freight markets for a brief time.

DMV flexibility, coronavirus testing among requests as potential for supply chain disruption grows.

The Trump administration notified Congress that it will begin bilateral trade agreement talks with the East African country.

It’s not exactly “Extreme Makeover,” but passenger airlines are flipping their planes into cargo haulers. Desperation breeds innovation.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection attributed the cancellation to “the unprecedented situation related to coronavirus (COVID-19) across the country, and the closure of our testing centers.”

Deal would allow goods to continue to flow between the U.S. and Canada to preserve vital cross-border trade relationships.