News

Andrew Silver, freight prodigy, is running the hottest brokerage in Chicago, K & L Freight doubles down on data analytics and financial services, Autonomous vehicles, crowdsourcing, drones and even humans are all seeking a place at the last-mile table, BNSF intermodal facility on hold as Port of Los Angeles and City ponder next move. JP and Chad discuss all this and more on this week’s episode.

Amazon is scaling up its asset side on both last mile delivery and linehaul, pursuing a low-cost strategy of leased vehicles, independent contractors, and power-only deals with enterprise carriers.

Union representing 14,500 employees says new deal aims to bring stability and peace to US docks.

“It’s not just about cars and satellites and cereal,” says CEO Lou Rassey. “It’s about feeding and empowering the world with the things we make. That’s the heart of Fast Radius.”

Job growth continued its remarkable pace in August, and data on hourly earnings show that wage growth is advancing at the fastest pace in over nine years. Strength in the overall labor market continues to spill into the trucking industry, which added jobs for the 11th time in 12 months.

If you’re looking for help in bringing talent to your talent pool, we can help spread the word.

Delta bought a refinery to hedge its exposure to the jet fuel market, and now it wants some partners to help share the burden of other fuels.

Speaking at the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) 2nd Annual Economic Summit on Thursday in Washington, DC, ATA President & CEO Chris Spear touted the accomplishments of the association but told attendees now is not the time to become complacent.

Since June, 130 people have reported feeling ill after eating the cereal Kellogg (NYSE: K) recalled on June 14, 2018.

In partnership with Reliance Partners …If you help drivers identify necessary alternate routes ahead of time you make drivers safer, and you make drivers happy. And if drivers are happy, everybody’s happy.

Union says the deal will “bring generous pay increases, landmark protections against job-killing fully automated ports and labor peace and stability.”

Which jobs in the trucking industry are most at risk to autonomous trucking, and what can we do to prepare?

In today’s pickup: J.B. Hunt and marijuana testing; a court case about something that doesn’t exist; another FMCSA listening session

Mode’s relations with asset-based firms will be critical for its survival, says ex-Hub Group principal Brian Bowers.

Leadership of Canadian local recommends approval of five-year contract.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Check the Box campaign aims to educate package shippers about the risks and responsibilities with hazardous materials.

“Using an import container to go straight to your export customer without having to go back to the terminal is a refreshing advancement.”

DeLaney elected to board of directors, Rea joins executive group, Hernandez promoted and Herrera hired.

Logistics firms added another 20,200 jobs in August, bringing the year-to-date total to 112,800 new positions.

Ocean carriers and terminals have seen a boom in the fees they charge for container usage. But U.S. regulators are looking at the practice.

There’s a lot of freight that gets moved on a daily basis. We split it up by commodity.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth District sided with a truck manufacturer in a products-liability case claiming an alternative truck design would have prevented serious injuries obtained when a 19-year-old women crashed into the side of the vehicle.

J.B. Hunt has a zero tolerance policy toward testing positive for marijuana and uses hair testing to back it up. Will that hold up as legalization spreads?

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act offers owner-operators more savings.

Steam Logistics, one of the fastest growing companies in the United States, is a young Chattanooga-based international freight forwarder on a mission to bring an unprecedented level of customer service to ocean and air freight.

FreightWaves releases the Headhaul Index, a measurement of the discrepancy between inbound and outbound volumes.

The monthly numbers of ACT and FTR on class 8 builds set new records; a Goldman Sachs report tries to measure the number of scrubbers that will be used for meeting IMO2020 standards.

One of the more powerful potentials of blockchain’s transparency and efficiency is through what consumers think of as returns, and industry participants refer to as reverse logistics.

K & L Freight has invested heavily in technology and data and grown 5x in the past two years. The next step is offering financial services to help their shipper customers hedge against spot market volatility.

The Southern California International Gateway is no nearer completion 13 years after it was first proposed.

An interim report released this week identifies how the application of charges by marine terminals and ocean carriers may be improved.

For gay, lesbian, transgender and black truck drivers, life on the road can be a comfort and provide a level of safety and security, in part because of the way the trucking community has accepted them.

The United States’ deficit in goods and services trade expanded 9.4 percent in July following a 7.5 percent increase the previous month.

Sprinter vans will be used by the growing fleet of contractors making final-mile package deliveries.

The e-commerce fulfillment and technology provider also opened its largest fulfillment center in Chicago.

A search for Molly Campbell’s replacement will get under way following her acceptance into leadership program as a university fellow.

The logistics software provider saw profits rise 18 percent year-over-year thanks to a 17 percent jump in revenues.

Gordon made landfall as a tropical storm near Pascagoula, Miss. late Tuesday.

Lucas Keuhner is promoted to executive vice president; hired are Peder Winther as EVP, Owen Schmidt as COO and Alexandra Lersey as controller.

The Senate Commerce Committee approves pick for assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs.

Combined carload and intermodal shipments have grown 4 percent year-over-year through August.

The Boeing freighter will boost the South Korean airline’s cargo capacity on key transpacific routes feeding into the U.S. market.

A Norfolk Southern executive suggested that the company’s management will have a lot to talk about on its next quarterly earnings call.

Shipping company says it will advise customers of “exact amount” of price increases closer to October.

Los Angeles volumes spiked just before Labor Day, but it doesn’t appear to be an artificial surge related to the holiday. In the next week we’ll start to see how the fall shipping season is shaping up.

Transportation network Lanehub recently announced Backhaul Assist, a feature that will allow shippers utilizing private fleets or dedicated contract carriers to market available capacity to other shippers.  

Fueling up a truck can be costly. We look at just how expensive it is and ways you can improve your truck’s fuel economy.

Is there a way to protect consumers in the multi-billion dollar counterfeiting black market?

CargoX used a smart contract-powered bill of lading to reduce transfer and payment times to four minutes. FreightWaves spoke with CargoX’s CEO Stefan Kukman by phone.

In an attempt to ease Permian bottlenecks, Vista Proppants has partnered with JupiterMLP to transload crude oil from truck to rail at Vista’s Pecos, Texas facility to launch a new crude-by-rail facility.

We take a look at all reported truck crashes and pull some of the key findings in this infographic.

With peak season just around the corner, the LoadStar reports “turmoil” and “chaos” in all UK ports; A call with investors has revealed that investment in supply chain and rising transportation costs ate into Best Buy’s margins last quarter, but sales increased overall; and more in Today’s Pickup.

Many people are using ELDs when they don’t have to. We cover some of the most common reasons why you might be ELD exempt.

Advent Intermodal Solutions (www.adventintermodal.com), a leader in information technology and cloud-based software solutions for port and terminal operators and landside logistics, has joined the Blockchain in Transportation Alliance (BiTA).

Beyond the Technology presented by LaunchIt Public Relations …Since the ELD mandate took effect, most of the conversation surrounding the devices has focused on hours of service and compliance issues. However, their uses do not end there.

Who various countries trust to create the next generation of autonomous vehicles.

How various countries feel about the safety of autonomous vehicles.

Our latest infographic looks at all the benefits that come with a more efficient supply chain.

We compare two leaders in the Hydrogen Electric Class 8 Truck category.

ITL, a Chicago-based company specializing in warehousing and logistics, recently became a member of the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA).

xChange is helping container lines reduce their dead miles, by providing them with one-way container moves or SOCs from 2500 locations across the world.

With higher fuel prices, driver tightness and a strong freight market, the rail option is looking good, and they’ll celebrate it in Long Beach September 16-18.

Maersk and MSC also will void three sailings on two other joint services during China’s Golden Week.

Maersk report points to slowdown in the country’s trade growth.

Box volumes grew 2.1 percent year-over-year in July after a revised 3.3 percent increase the previous month.

Port has a new chairman of the board; logistics companies in the United States and Europe fill roles.

Dubai-controlled firm wins another round in ongoing fight with Djibouti over control of a container terminal.

A joint venture between three longtime project and heavy-lift cargo vessel operators has received the governmental approvals to get under way.

Coverage of three companies were launched with a “buy” rating, while three of them got “hold” ratings.

MoLo Solutions did $20M in revenue in its first twelve months of operations and is on a $70M run rate for its second year. FreightWaves interviewed CEO Andrew Silver and President Matthew Vogrich.

Survey data from the manufacturing sector improved significantly in August, in a sign that activity continues at a strong pace after robust growth in the 2nd quarter.

One year later the memories of Harvey are still fresh. With the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season approaching the first real tropical threat to the U.S. mainland is targeting the central Gulf Coast with flooding rain and storm surge potential.

Cashflow Corner presented by TriumphPay …It doesn’t matter if you believe the driver shortage is real or not, if you need a driver, you need a driver. So how do you get one?

Across the region, governments are making preparations. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency, activating members of the National Guard.

Wipro Limited, a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA).

The Blockchain Research Institute (BRI) and Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) today announced a new partnership to improve coordination, cooperation and governance within their respective memberships.

Offshore oil drilling across the East coast could end up destabilizing the fishing industry which brought in more than $500 million last year. Building offshore wind power farms could be a better alternative as it would keep the oceans clean while producing energy.

The economic roundup is a monthly summary of the various factors that affect freight demand and supply in the economy. Data releases in August showed an economic that was performing generally well, but softness in housing and trade are likely to impact freight demand.

Drones may someday soon become a primary delivery method of last-mile, but they likely won’t be the only solution, as flexibility in methods will be key to successful delivery.

Storm is expected to be a hurricane when it makes landfall along the north-central Gulf Coast.

Union president calls for ratification of the six-year agreement, lauded as its best ever.

BIMCO and Kuehne + Nagel say tariff disputes are starting to take a toll on container shipping.

Grafton & Upton Railroad unloads wood pellets at its Massachusetts facility and represses broken pellets into whole ones before transferring them to trucks.

The European Commission is committed to review its quota system to import hormone-free beef into the trade bloc.

Proceeds will be used for “acquiring high-quality businesses.”

Netherlands-based acquisition called a “champion” of product fulfillment.

Peter Stefanovich of Left Lane Associates, an M&A advisory firm for the transportation industry, talked to us about the current outlook for M&A and why now is the perfect time to sell.

Two shipments of pineapples also contained nearly 200 pounds of cocaine.

For the trucking market, the third quarter has been stronger than the second, but no one would know it

A Florida trucking company is responsible for the equipment of three colleges getting to away games. It wants to boost that number to 10.

Hub Group was looking at alternatives for Mode Transportation

Intelligent Audit can help you leverage the power of your carrier contracts and perform predictive analytics to determine how your future spend will unfold

Marketing executive says reforms to trade deal take uncertainty from local customers.

It appears we’ve upset the Journal of Commerce. Electric bike-sharing companies need to look at the Chinese bike debacle before aggressive expansion. Five years in, China’s Belt and Road looks like a giant debt trap. ATRI makes the case for more HOS flexibility. JP and Chad discuss all this and more on this week’s episode.

Private equity group Summit Partners has acquired cloud-based TMS provider MercuryGate, and wants to bring the platform to Europe after fixing implementation issues.

Consumer expectations with regard to last-mile delivery have been evolving rapidly, and businesses need to look towards technology to address those needs.

Maersk is taking notice of the coming regulation that will impact the quality of the fuel burned on ships, and has the potential to kick back into the diesel fuel market. Also: an underride decision, a revealing quote out of China.

Presented by Trucker Tools

Just how a Deerfield, IL, company became so important to the industry is a long story that starts with the teletypewriter, a macaroni-twisting machine and its namesake and founder, Edward Kleinschmidt.