News

The 3,504-TEU CMA CGM Fort de France is the first of four vessels in the company’s new dedicated fleet to the French West Indies.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which was among the plaintiffs of the class action suit filed last year, said it will appeal the ruling issued Thursday.

Pre-tariff front loading to the U.S. and seasonal slowdown contribute to weakness in ocean freight rates from world’s largest exporter.

Chairman Michael Khouri told Senate Commerce Committee members that the agency is concerned how ocean carriers will pass IMO bunker requirement costs onto shippers.

Cosco Shipping Logistics, JD Logistics and Orient Overseas International Ltd. (OOIL) indirect subsidiary “Gold Talent” have inked a complex joint venture deal to fund online international supply chain platform Eshipping with, ultimately, US$44.7 million of capital.

Three small business executives spoke Thursday during a call organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce about how the nation’s infrastructure impacts their companies.

By sharing space and adding detection technologies at nine international mail facilities, the two agencies aim to stop more opioids and counterfeit drugs from entering the U.S.

Customs and Border Protection said, if authentic, the 450 baseball-style caps seized by its officers would have retailed for about $207,000.

Oil giant ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) has announced a multi-billion dollar upgrade of its Singapore integrated manufacturing complex to convert more fuel oil and other “bottom-of-the-barrel” crude products into higher value lube base stocks and distillates. The upgrade will also increase the capacity of the facility to produce an extra 48,000 barrels per day (b/d) of low-sulfur fuels to meet the International Maritime Organization’s 0.5 percent sulfur regulation (IMO 2020), which goes into effect on January 1, 2020.

In 2018 “logistics had to focus on the discipline of scarce resources management,” says CEO Bernhard Simon.

March orders for new trucks in the medium-duty weight segment dropped 32 percent compared with the same month in 2018.

Xtra Lease announced it will invest more than $300 million to buy more than 10,000 trailers in 2019, the company’s largest capital investment in over-the-road trailers in a single year.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Junker has ruled another short extension and Yvette Cooper’s new legislation have torpedoed Theresa May’s strategy for a rapid, pre-European election Brexit.

Satellite communications company SES launched the last four of its second generation satellites from the French Guiana launch site, increasing its coverage and reliability, but immediately looks to the next generation mPower “game changers”.

Schneider Logistics published its 2019 Transportation Industry Review, arming shippers with the information they need to make short- and long-term distribution plans, budget freight costs and provide industry context to their broader audiences.

Move seen as another effort to position Amazon as competition to incumbents.

The facility will be capable of producing approximately 1.2 million tons of steel plate products per year. Nucor expects the plant to be fully operational by 2022.

The bridge railing collapse in Chattanooga on the morning of April 1 was likely caused by an illegally oversized load, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT).  

Market volumes remain strong from a year-over-year perspective, driven by the continued strength of the West. What does this imbalance mean for the freight market as the busy season approaches?

This year will see Volvo and Daimler put electric Class 8 trucks to test, as start-ups still have few commercially available models.

Drewry study finds lots of capacity at U.K. ports and feeder ships that could help out if the Port of Dover becomes jammed.

Tens of millions of dollars worth of corn and soybeans likely destroyed by major Midwest flooding. Not all farmers will be able to recuperate losses.

Burris Logistics, a $3.5 billion revenue 3PL, and Trinity Logistics, a $550 million revenue brokerage, are tying the knot.

Busy border city 22nd Mexican market to get UPS service.

Canada’s 36M people live across 3.8M square miles. The country is looking to drones to make faster delivery possible.

The transaction, announced on March 21, gives Noatum Logistics the largest international presence among Spanish logistics companies, the company said.

Canadian customs brokerage and BiTA member participates in pilot program of system developed by Maersk and IBM, involving Canada Border Services Agency.

Hundreds of truck drivers across the Midwest volunteered their time to deliver hay bails to farmers affected by flooding in the MIdwest.

Investigators say Clayton Virgil Hall continued to operate his vehicle despite failing multiple controlled substance tests and never completing the return-to-work program.

Plus: Chinese AV in California; Nigeria’s disruptor of the year and Singapore mall fights Alibaba with blockchain

In partnership with Reliance Partners …Payment solutions have evolved over time, from being cash-based in the 1950s to now using data analytics and AI over data streams coming out of fuel cards, to provide better safety and security to fleets and drivers.

Another fast-growth brokerage in Freight Alley pops up.

The Commerce Department has now processed more than 45,000 of a total of roughly 80,000 exclusion requests, a BIS official told a Senate panel on Tuesday.

The nominations of Heidi King to be the NHTSA’s administrator and Ann Marie Buerkle to be the commissioner of the CPSB were among the seven picks OK’d by a 14-12 […]

Subsidiary of CBX Global has opened four offices in China to provide solutions to customers’ varied problems.

Even in a tough auto market, a bilateral trade agreement could provide opportunities for U.S. automakers to expand their market share in Japan, execs said at a trade panel.

The agreement comes less than a year after The Jordan Company bought GlobalTranz from a group of investors that included a Providence affiliate.

Toronto firm courting couriers as it expands beyond pilot projects.

“All southern ports are working the same,” the Laredo Licensed U.S. Customs Brokers Association said in regard to lane reductions for commercial traffic at ports of entry.

The joint venture, which will be established in Shanghai with an initial investment of $38 million, will invest in online logistics platform E-Shipping.

More refiners make pledges to supply market for IMO-compliant fuel, but if those efforts fall short, diesel may be next best option.

ICS executive says “clouds of protectionism and slowing growth in key economies mean that the avoidance of over-ordering is now more important than ever.”

The confirmation of Jeffrey Kessler coincided with a Senate rule change to expedite consideration of nominations.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the founder of the Idaho-based company and its existing management team will maintain a significant ownership in the company.

PHOTO CREDIT: SHUTTERSTOCK by Ray J. Haight, TCA Retention Coach As I’m sure everyone is aware, this process cannot be successful by jumping around the different levels; each section is […]

A federal indictment says fraudulent accounting practices between 2014 and 2017 resulted in a $245 million loss to shareholders.

Brisbane, Australia-based construction company Watpac has been contracted to provide design, engineering and construction services to EPIK, a South Korean liquefied natural gas (LNG) developer for the construction and placement of a floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) at the Port of Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia. Watpac is a subsidiary of Belgian multi-disciplinary engineering company, Besix.

Peter Armbruster was not in the original indictment from last year but now joins two other execs facing criminal charges and from the SEC as well.

The momentum is strongest in developing countries, where concerns about pollution and traffic congestion are mounting.

Survey data from the manufacturing and service sectors continue to point towards growth in the overall economy. Manufacturing activity rebounded nicely in March, while readings from the service sector slipped but remain generally strong.

U.S. rail volumes fell again last week as rail service issues continue to plague the post-flooding Midwestern landscape.

Canadian National (NYSE: CNI) laid out plans to invest C$615 million this year in network infrastructure in eastern Canada amid wider efforts by stakeholders to revamp Canada’s transportation infrastructure and support the nation’s export markets.

Spanish logistics provider ChainGO Tech has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance. Read why the company joined the Alliance and what it hopes to achieve with its membership.

Today on FreightWaves NOW, Mike O’Brien makes his inaugural appearance deep-diving us into the state of intermodal. Then, connecting the dots of government and consumer spending, Anthony Smith gives us an economic overview.

Walmart has introduced Voice Order, that allows people to add items to their Walmart online cart by giving voice commands through any Google Assistant enabled device.

Choptank Transport is on a mission to turn its remaining manual processes into more efficient digital strategies. The quick-growing logistics service provider is hopeful that the transformation will bring revenue growth and help scale the business.

Association’s new ad campaign highlights dangers to consumers of not getting a highway bill funded this year.

The hack pulls back the curtain on “bug bounty” hunters, security researchers who troubleshoot software systems for money.

This morning Truckstop.com announced that ICONIQ Capital, a leading Silicon Valley growth equity firm, has made a majority investment in the online freight matching and load board solution.

Head of its former energy business departs as almost all of the oil-related businesses are now separated from container ship giant.

U.S. and European freight railroads are very different in many respects. Market analyst Jim Blaze gives insights about how the two systems differ.

Human Rights Campaign survey shows most, least LGBTQ-friendly companies

The infrastructure of the United States could use some work — especially when it comes to the bridges.

In a striking private equity deal, Providence Equity Partners has agreed to buy GlobalTranz (GTZ), a top 10 third-party logistics provider (3PL), back from The Jordan Company after selling GlobalTranz to Jordan for approximately $400 million in June.

XPO adds IT functionality to core business.

This week’s focus centered on all things freight and tech and innovation, including the announcement of Trucking Freight Futures and the FreightTech Innovation case competition challenge.

Even if the border remains open to freight, shutting out the ~500k workers, students, shoppers, and tourists who legally cross each day would still have a major economic impact.

March orders for new trucks in the heaviest Class 8 weight segment plummeted 66 percent compared with the same month in 2018.

GlobalTranz more than doubled EBITDA in less than a year.

Fast Radius, a leading manufacturing technology company, has announced its Series B financing round of $48 million led by UPS, with strong insider participation from Drive Capital.

Cavalry Logistics is expanding rapidly this year by tripling its locations, hiring aggressively and integrating with Universal Logistics Holding Inc.’s forwarding division.

Air cargo volume is down year-to-date. Learn what air cargo companies are doing – and not doing – to generate greater volume and revenue.

White House official Peter Navarro said online marketplaces, payment processors and customs brokers believe they have “no liability and that simply has to stop.”

The Northwest Seaport Alliance also approved a 32-year lease with SSA Terminals, which will begin operating the terminal once the first phase of construction is complete.

Chairman makes mea culpa on previous energy bets as he pledges the focus will be making container shipping simple and easy.

The large volume of shared exports and imports between the U.S. and Mexico reflects the “highly integrated” manufacturing supply chain, a Chamber of Commerce official said.

PHOTO CREDIT: SHUTTERSTOCK Guest post by FreightWaves’ John Gallagher A formal rulemaking likely will not be required to make permanent a federal demonstration project that seeks to assign proper blame […]

The Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technology Deployment grants for “early deployments of cutting-edge technologies” go to 10 projects.

A state pork producers association board member told a House subcommittee that Mexican and Chinese retaliatory tariffs have had a huge negative impact on U.S. pork exports.

Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has handed out a smack-down to the three main longshoremen companies in Australia, which were using their oligopoly market power to impose unfair terms on trucking companies. The stevedoring companies involved are DP World Australia, Hutchison Ports Australia and Victoria International Container Terminal.

Two-person teams to be briefed, then local leaders and rank-and-file.

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) is seeking public comments on amendments to regulations that govern the rail rates that Canadian National and Canadian Pacific set for hauling grain in western Canada.

FedEx Freight, J.B. Hunt, Schneider National among companies with the most non-preventable accidents identified so far by FMCSA.

TheLorry connects thousands of shippers with truck, pickup truck and van owners across southeast Asia.

The drop in cargo ton miles was consistent with market expectations.

Roadrunner Freight has introduced a smartphone app that leverages technology to increase transparency and reduce downtimes for independent contractors.

DHL unit to enter a big auto supply chain business at Charleston.

The program will help Lyft reel in more customers, as well as compete with arch-nemesis Uber as that company ramps up investments in tech transport services and prepares for its own public offering.

Navistar recently recalled more than 24,000 International model heavy-duty trucks due to a possible defect that could cause the exhaust tail pipe to fall off the vehicles while they are moving.

In partnership with Slync… retailers are shifting to omnichannel strategies to survive disruptions from e-commerce, but implementing omnichannel requires sophisticated supply chain data analytics.

Truck drivers with minor damage to their vehicle now have a speedier way to handle that claim if they are a Progressive Insurance commercial customer with a new photo inspection tool.

A Chinese trade delegation led by Vice Premier Liu He is in Washington, D.C., and tariffs and enforcement are expected to be major topics of this week’s meetings.

Canadian firm nets C$100 million from deal with Saskatchewan bulk transportation company.

Auto sales are declining, but the National Automobile Dealers Association still expects strong sales for 2019, plus the one area where Amazon is losing and opposition to Canada’s carbon tax grows.

It’s time for your weekly fuel report. More information available exclusively for SONAR users.

Canadian trucking company Bison Transport acquired H.O. Wolding Inc., or HOW, a 320-truck dry van fleet headquartered in Amherst, Wisconsin, on April 1.

Circle 8 is GlobalTranz’s ninth acquisition since January 2017.

The European Parliament has voted in favor of removing the daylight saving time across Europe, which is expected to come into effect by autumn 2021.

Air cargo varies from the size of an envelope to a 200-ton piece of machinery. Learn about the airplanes that are capable of moving the biggest, heaviest cargo on earth in this article by FreightWaves Market Expert Jesse Cohen.

The Deutsche Post DHL Group subsidiary will invest $100 million to construct 1.7 million square feet of warehousing space at its South Carolina site.