News

Total third-party logistics revenues are expected to jump from $802.2 billion in 2016 to over $1.1 trillion in 2022, according to a recent report from consulting firm Armstrong & Associates.

Belgian postal operator bpost will acquire 100 percent of the shares of Radial, an integrated e-commerce logistics and omnichannel technology solutions provider, for an enterprise value of $820 million, the […]

The Northern California port handled 79,135 TEUs of containerized imports during the month, a 12.6 percent jump from September 2016, according to recent data from the Port of Oakland.

The Arkansas port has begun construction on a $10.9 million intermodal project, which will connect the port to two major highways and two Class I railroads, according to a report […]

Consolidated Chassis Management names new president, and SEKO Logistics hires chief commercial officer.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has unanimously determined that large residential washing machines are being imported into the United States at such increased quantities that they have caused serious […]

Regulated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and hired by importers to facilitate the cross-border movement of goods into the United States, U.S. customs brokers play an integral and […]

Hurricane Nate came ashore late Saturday night and by this morning had been downgraded to tropical storm with winds of 45 mph gusting to 55 mph at times as it moves toward the north-northeast at more than 25 mph.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB), through chairperson Mary Nichols, has revealed the state’s interest in banning vehicles that produce carbon emissions, Bloomberg News reports. Governor Jerry Brown has called Nichols to ask why the CARB has not moved forward on this idea, Nichols told Bloomberg.

Daimler has been given permission by the Oregon Department of Transportation to test truck platooning on the roads of Oregon following successful trials in Madras, OR. The company has said it will first test the platooning technology on two connected heavy-duty Cascadias in the first step called “pairing.”

Tropical Storm Nate is expected to strengthen overnight and through the day tomorrow as it continues to track toward the Gulf Coast across warmer waters. As a result, the National Weather Service has issued a hurricane warning for Grand Isle, LA, to the Alabama/Florida border for Tropical Storm Nate. The storm is expected to make landfall late Saturday or early Sunday.

The world is going electric, and according to a McKinsey Energy Insights report, it is leaving the U.S. behind. According to the report authored by Chrsiter Tryggestand, Namit Sharma, Jasper van de Staaij and Arjan Keizer, because of market dynamics, the U.S. and China are lagging in the development and cost parity needed to make electric trucks viable.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has responded to criticism from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) about its handling and recording of delayed mail. While USPS has acknowledged some concerns in the audit, it disputed other aspects.

Following the devastation Hurricane Maria delivered to Puerto Rico, there have been many places to levy blame as the island nation has been slow to recover. An aging electric grid that was destroyed, a country mired in debt that has been unable to maintain basic infrastructure, an arguably slow government response. One segment that received blame, unfairly, was the nation’s truck drivers.

Port operator APM Terminals ended its operations at the Port of Tacoma on Sept. 30, and transferred its lease to a new joint venture between terminal operator SSA Marine and […]

The Commerce Department deferred issuing a preliminary determination this week in its antidumping duty investigation of imports of Chinese aluminum foil, citing that more time is needed to analyze China’s […]

Cross-border trade between the United States and its partners in North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) experienced its ninth straight month of year-over-year growth in July 2017, according to data […]

Eight of the 20 carload commodities tracked by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) were on the rise in September 2017 compared to the same period a year prior, according […]

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued three separate training grants totaling $23.8 million to help improve the safety of hazardous materials (hazmat) transportation […]

The National Hurricane Center is warning about potential weekend impacts from Tropical Storm Nate anywhere from the Florida panhandle to Louisiana. Assets in the Mobile, AL; Baton Rouge, LA; and New Orleans, LA, areas currently showing the most risk, according to supply chain risk analysis firm Riskpulse.

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (the Update). The Update represents the first comprehensive overhaul in lease accounting in approximately 40 years.

Delivering mail and parcels is a thankless job. Nevertheless, it’s not an excuse for delivery delays. This was the focus of an audit report cited by Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana) regarding the broken “swift completion” promise of the United States Parcel Service (USPS).

Spot rates continue to climb and capacity continues to shrink, and now experts are predicting a strong holiday retail season. Could the good news for carriers get any better?

Amazon is now testing a delivery service that would make more products available for two-day shipping. Called Seller Flex, the service would apply to items purchased from third parties through Amazon’s e-commerce site. 

William Alsup, a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California, pushed back the start of a trial between Google affiliate Waymo and the now ubiquitous ride-sharing app provider […]

The e-commerce giant is experimenting with its own delivery service, in which it will oversee the pickup of packages from warehouses of third-party merchants selling goods on its platform and […]

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway will acquire a 38.6 percent equity stake in Pilot Flying J, the largest operator of travel centers in North America, the companies revealed in […]

The Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, a program to boost trade from the Caribbean to the United States yielded “small but positive” effects in 2016, according to a recent report […]

The Federal Highway Administration is awarding the mid-Atlantic port with a $1.55 million grant, which the Port of Virginia will use towards the development and phased implementation of a reservation […]

Air cargo volumes during the month increased 12.1 percent from August 2016, but the International Air Transport Association (IATA) projects that that the peak cyclical growth period for airfreight volumes […]

The Senate has confirmed Ted McKinney to serve as the undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs, a newly created post within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Three family members of Miami-based AW-Tronics on Wednesday pleaded guilty to charges that they conspired to defraud the United States and illegally export aviation parts and equipment to Syria.

Just as the nation turned its attention away from tropical weather, another threat is now looming for the Gulf Coast and Florida this weekend. Tropical Depression Sixteen is official and on the radar of the National Hurricane Center (NHC), and it has eyes for Louisiana and Florida this weekend.

Walmart is taking its battle for online market share to Amazon with the acquisition of New York-based Parcel, a last-mile, same-day delivery company specializing in perishable and non-perishable delivery in New York City.

Trucker District CEO Marcel Alvarado’s time driving for a carrier provided insight into the difficulties faced by drivers in the industry and potential problems arising due to the deeply fragmented trucking community. His company is trying to bring that community closer together.

An entirely new generation of technological change is now occurring in the transportation industry, and it’s called the autonomous truck, or what design specialists refer to as “intelligent engineering.” But what are some of the benefits, and risks, associated with the technology?

Ford is following that of other automakers and investing in electrification and connectivity. The company also said it would redirect $7 billion from car production to increase SUV and truck production.

American Trucking Associations (ATA) Chief Economist and Senior Vice President Robert Costello says the United States needs to maintain the Mexican cross-border truck program because it generates trucking jobs and […]

The aerospace and maritime engineering company signed a deal Wednesday with Google to further develop its intelligent awareness systems for self-driving ocean vessels.

The Oak Brook, Ill.-based industrial real estate development and management firm said the disposition consisted of about 2.4 million square feet and 110 acres of land.

The Oregon-based freight railcar manufacturer announced its fourth quarter railcar orders, which are valued at $200 million, and additional orders at the beginning of the company’s 2018 fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern appoints chief information officer; Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff re-nominates two Port of Oakland board of port commissioners; and the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) names new secretary general […]

Berkshire Hathaway has agreed to acquire a 38.% stake in Pilot Flying J with the right to obtain an additional 41.4% stake in 2023, the company announced.

Do we have a picture of Tesla’s new semi truck? A Reddit user named itookapicofarocket posted a picture of what he said was the Tesla semi before mysteriously removing the picture.

All agricultural carriers must now be in compliance with the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food rule, commonly called the “Sanitary Transportation Rule.” If you are a smaller carrier, though, complying with that rule comes just before complying with another – the ELD mandate.

Ikea’s acquisition of TaskRabbit is seen as a way to give Ikea customers access to assembly services. But it also may pave the way for local delivery of Ikea products, perhaps producing a new need for delivery drivers.

All agricultural carriers must now be in compliance with the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food rule, commonly called the “Sanitary Transportation Rule.” If you are a smaller carrier, though, complying with that rule comes just before complying with another – the ELD mandate.

GM announced yesterday that it will stop developing new gas-powered vehicles and instead will invest in electric and fuel-cell vehicles, including a truck platform that could potentially serve as a package delivery vehicle in last-mile operations.

According to David Lancaster, cargo development director at the St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL), “the prospects for cargo through STL look better than at any time since the closure […]

United States gross domestic product increased 3.1 percent in the second quarter of 2017, according to the “third” estimate from the Department of Commerce, up from the second estimate of […]

The proposed rail spur to a planned temperature controlled transload and distribution facility known as Cool Port is the final piece of a plan for a refrigerated gateway to Asia […]

The use of 40-foot chassis in the Seattle-Tacoma area has risen from 72 percent to 92 percent, causing supply to run short, according to Northwest Seaport Alliance data.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has amended its regulations to allow fresh persimmon imports from New Zealand into the United States.

The two air carriers opened a facility for handling and storing pharmaceutical shipments at London Heathrow Airport, with plans for facilities in New York and Los Angeles next.

The two federal agencies charged with overseeing the nation’s seafood imports must strengthen their testing for unsafe drug residues in these products, according to a recent report from the Government […]

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has imposed a civil penalty of $230,000 against Northampton, Mass.-based Millitech for 18 violations of the Export Administration Regulations.

AASHTO’s board elects the association’s new president, VP and secretary-treasurer; NYK’s corporate officer resigns to serve as senior managing director at Ocean Network Express Japan Ltd.; and AAPA installs three […]

The acquisition of Long Beach, Calif.-based California Cartage creates the largest family-owned, vertically integrated third-party logistics provider in North America, according to NFI.

Leading machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) provider Orbcomm has acquired Blue Tree Systems, a provider of compliance solutions in multiple countries, including the U.S.

When one of your customers files for bankruptcy, do you know what to do? Taking the right the steps immediately can help ensure you will receive the money you are owed.

The U.S. Senate is set to pass a self-driving vehicle bill, and like similar legislation in the U.S. House passed early in September, it excludes commercial vehicles. The Senate bill will not include vehicles larger than 10,000 pounds, Reuters reported.

All week at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta, nearly every presenter has mentioned electric trucks and the growing electrification of the trucking industry. So, it was no surprise when solar company eNow noted how it too could help with these growing electric needs.

Michelin is so confident that customers running its new XDA Energy + will see fuel savings, they have backed the new drive tire with a $400 fuel savings limited guarantee and a limited retread guarantee.

Chris Burruss, formerly with the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), is the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance (BiTA)’s first President. The Alliance was launched in September 2017 to develop blockchain standard and certifications for the freight industry, has 160+ applicants, and 85% of the truckload transactions can be represented in the space. 

Some large carriers can easily accumulate over $1 million a month in toll payments, said Drew Anderson, director of carrier relations for HELP, Inc. Because of that, there is a need to help them – and any other fleet large or small that deals with tolls – better manage their tolling data and payments.

Kinedyne has introduced an industry first load-rated curtain-side system and double-decking at the North American Commercial Vehicle show in Atlanta.

Legislation filed in both the U.S. House and Senate on Thursday (S. 1883/H.R. 3882) would require the U.S. Department of Transportation to test train and commercial vehicle operators for sleep […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection this week has released a bundle of regulatory changes to the nation’s in-bond process for imported goods that will take effect Nov. 27.

Industrial logistics real estate developer GLP’s acquisition of Gazeley is expected to be funded by approximately $1.6 billion of equity and $1.2 billion of long-term, low-cost debt.

New York-based luxury goods retailer Richemont North America has agreed to pay a $334,800 civil penalty to settle four violations of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Sanctions Regulations, according to the […]

   Two recent AS Daily stories – “House rejects effort to delay ELD mandate” (Sept. 11) and “New OOIDA-led coalition looks to revive ELD mandate delay” (Sept. 28) – both […]

Improved global trade, the e-commerce boom and an accompanying tightening of the industrial real estate market have helped air cargo volumes, which account for just 1 percent of world trade […]

Much has been written about the death of freight brokerages and 3PLs. This is wrong. The 3PL industry is about to change- but it won’t meet its death. It will get bigger and more important as the next generation of digitization takes place. 

With the introduction of smart insurance contracts in transportation applications, companies in the freight business could emulate a similar offering to solve some of the major disruption risks involved in carrier service failures. 

Federal officials iterate their belief that a transparent and efficient government is achievable through blockchain technology 

A relic of a protectionist period in US history made the damage caused by Maria so much worse. Combined with a lack of logistics infrastructure and you have the making of an American made catastrophe.

Globalization and digital transformations go hand in hand. As companies expand their global reach, they must also mature digitally. Making that digital transformation is becoming easier with blockchain.

The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration announced a completion of an environmental impact study that highlights a proposed route for an Atlanta to Chattanooga rail line. 

In this informative and entertaining TED talk, Bettina Warburg takes the viewer through a discussion on why this technology will change the economy and society forever.

Hino Trucks will expand its product offerings to include Class 8 vehicles, starting in 2019, the company said this week.

It may seem like a small product enhancement, but the “quick-release” option now available on FlowBelow’s Tractor AeroKit system could save fleets thousands of dollars.

Announcing what it said is the first fully automatic 9-speed transmission for the North American market, Allison Transmission noted that the transmission will help fleets reduce fuel usage and greenhouse gas emissions.

Mitchell 1 has been helping technicians speed up both processes since the 1940s, and this week at the North American Commercial Vehicle show in Atlanta the company has added another layer to that help with updates to its RepairConnect diagnostic software.

U.S. Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, introduced legislation to permanently exempt Puerto Rico from the Jones Act, which requires that all goods shipped between American ports travel […]

Spot container rates from Shanghai to the Mediterranean have now declined for nine consecutive weeks, according to data from the Shanghai Shipping Exchange’s Shanghai Containerized Freight Index.

The immediate issuance of penalties beginning Nov. 1 will further “motivate” compliance with regulations surrounding wood packaging materials in international shipments, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a […]

A shipyard for the containership, which will be dubbed the Yara Birkeland, will be selected by the end of the year, and the plan is to launch the vessel in […]

Ryder System will install automatic tire inflation systems on its vehicles through an agreement with Aperia Technologies. Aperia’s Halo Tire Inflators will be included as a standard spec on Ryder’s heavy-duty rental fleet.

John Larkin and the team at Stifel go super bullish on the truckload sector after spending weeks on the road gaining market insights to just how hot the market has become. 

Unique Logistics International appoints managing director of Unique Logistics International, Atlanta; and Roanoke Insurance Group Inc. names new president.

The AV START Act (S. 1885) would require manufacturers to submit safety evaluation reports to the Secretary of Transportation with information on safety, crashworthiness, and cybersecurity through documented testing, validation […]

Uber shuts down its car leasing business as it prepares for an IPO next year. Uber Freight, the company’s brokerage business continues to expand and focuses on driver quality of life. 

Goodyear is replacing one of its long-haul drive tires with a new model that features advancements that improve miles to removal and retreadability. The Endurance LHD is being introduced this week at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta.

The potential for the hyperloop technology to take the world by storm is growing. Silicon Valley start-up Hyperloop One has finally chosen what the company views as the best areas to build its first hyperloop tracks.

In what might be one of the biggest victories for BITA to-date, document imaging powerhouse, Pegasus joins the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance (BiTA) 

President Donald Trump and Republican leaders introduced their long-awaited tax reform plan on Wednesday. As expected, the plan calls for a significant cut to the corporate tax rate, from 35% to 20%, and the elimination of four of the seven individual tax brackets, creating brackets of just 12%, 25% and 35%.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a 10-day Jones Act waiver today for Puerto Rico due to Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

The coalition, whose members represent industries that would be impacted by the mandate, says implementation of the FMCSA’s electronic logging device requirements should be delayed until various unresolved issues identified […]