News

On demand on WTT: State of warehousing with ShipHero’s Aaron Rubin; Port report with JC Transport’s Ian Weiland; Selling a trucking company with Heath Treasure

Ongoing education — from short training to complete degree programs — is one of the best ways to keep employees from feeling stagnant. Companies that offer access to those opportunities will have an edge when recruiting and retaining today’s future-minded workers.

Former Celadon trucking officials have settled a fraud case with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

For more than 50 years, a familylike bond has existed between FedEx management and employees. After a round of job cuts unprecedented in scope, that bond rests on shaky ground.

Engine maker Cummins Inc. posted 2022 records in key financial metrics as it worked to integrate its Meritor acquisition.

Burrell Aviation has named an ex-Southwest Airlines director to lure cargo airlines to properties it controls at second-tier airports.

The reversion in spot rates is pulling down contract rates, with a significantly delayed effect on ocean carrier earnings.

This week in Borderlands: Xcell Logistics sees big opportunities with cross-border trade; BMW to invest around $800M in Mexico in EV push; sensor-maker announces new factory in Mexico, creating 700 jobs; and Careismatic Brands moves into major distribution hub in Dallas.

Many people get hung up on trying to figure out how much capacity is readily available in trucking when they should be more focused on monitoring demand trends.

Class 8 truck orders in January fell year over year for the first time since August, lightening the 2023 backlog.

Maintenance downtime at Sun Country cut into cargo revenue and growth was limited by slower Amazon e-commerce business.

FedEx Freight on Friday announced the second round of temporary furloughs of drivers in past three months.

LTL carrier sees likely flat operating ratio in Q1 compared to Q4 of ’22.

The Pony Express lasted only one year and was a financial failure. So why are we still talking about it today?

Amazon may face an Federal Trade Commission antitrust lawsuit in the coming months, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Tracking and acting on sustainability metrics, as well as implementing small and large-scale sustainable last-mile goals are vital steps toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Consumers’ appetite for discretionary spending has been usurped in favor of squirreling away income into personal savings.

Truckload carrier Heartland Express missed fourth-quarter expectations Friday.

Major OTR carrier talks truck tech at manifest; the art of duty drawback; shipping alliances crack and freight trivia on demand on WHAT THE TRUCK?!?

FedEx Office plans to focus on other growth opportunities after retiring its SameDay City service, FedEx Corp. says.

ArcBest’s fourth-quarter was worse than expected as the carrier manages through the downside of the less-than-truckload cycle.

A cross-section of Industry experts offer thoughts on how transportation management systems will integrate with autonomous trucks.

The annual revision to the BLS employment model showed a lot more workers in truck transportation last year than originally estimated.

Rail shippers see Transport Canada’s amendments to collect more freight rail data as a good start, but they maintain that more can be done.

Hub Group had higher revenue in its logistics, truck brokerage and intermodal segments during the fourth quarter.

Amazon posts solid revenue but retreats on operating and net income.

The tanker industry has a storied history of corporate showdowns. The latest, a three-way tussle involving Euronav, looks far from over.

Jones Logistics said Thursday it has acquired dedicated carrier Nationwide Express.

The day after C.H. Robinson announced disappointing fourth-quarter earnings, the analyst community showed little optimism for the 3PL leader’s near-term future.

Luma Brighter Learning is helping carriers stand out as top employers during a driver shortage through better training programs.

GoFreight, a startup freight shipping platform for small and midsized freight forwarders, recently raised $23 million in a Series A round.

Wednesday’s announcement of high-level cost cuts, along with word of 12,000 job reductions in all, has sent shares soaring and analysts reevaluating opinions of the company.

Schneider National provided better-than-expected fourth-quarter results Thursday, and its 2023 guidance also came in ahead of analysts’ expectations.

UPS is replacing MD-11s with more fuel-efficient Boeing 767 freighters as reducing costs and carbon emissions become increasingly important.

The railway said it moved 2.29 million metric tons of Canadian grain and grain products in January, setting a monthly record.

Aligning with certain customers on long-term supply agreements helped Wabash post Q4 and full-year records.

The initiative has built “stickiness” with drivers, broadened access to carrier capacity and resulted in better service, according to the company’s brokerage head.

If history is a guide, advanced technologies in Daimler Truck North America’s SuperTruck II prototype could end up in production.

Freight broker Landstar System sees a rocky road in the first half of 2023, with normal seasonality returning by summer.

Enterprise carrier growth shows that U.S. trucking saw more capacity enter the market in 2022, even as the economy cooled.

Hawaiian Airlines faces some headwinds in 2023, including some extra temporary costs to prepare for new business flying freighters for Amazon.

Interim CEO Anderson says cost savings target is $150 million by the end of the year; Global Forwarding drags down Q4 earnings.

Republican lawmakers blame the Biden-backed $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill for boosting inflation and vow to step up oversight on how the money is spent.

A CBRE report indicates that mega-warehouse leasing activity stayed strong in 2022 and will remain that way in 2023.

If Mexico wants to attract more foreign manufacturers, experts say the country must take big steps to stay ahead of the global competition.

The Wall Street Journal reported a federal watchdog group urged an espionage probe into TuSimple leaders, but the company denied the report.

Common advice you hear regarding electric truck and bus pilots include warnings like making sure to check the vehicle specifications and starting infrastructure early.

The 2M partnership between MSC and Maersk — which is breaking up — is the smallest of the three alliances. The Ocean Alliance is much larger.

Commodity prices have come down, but manufacturers say their costs are still rising.

Amid falling tonnage throughout the less-than-truckload complex, Old Dominion posts another large earnings beat.

Three furry sloths died when the heat stopped working on a Qatar Airways jet during a long delay at frozen Liege Airport

The announcement is part of a reduction of 12,000 jobs since FedEx’s 2023 fiscal year began.

Canadian Pacific is waiting for the Surface Transportation Board to render its decision on the proposed merger with Kansas City Southern. In the meantime, CP has been conducting interline tests to see how its service might compare to similar truck lanes.

XPO, on its way to becoming a pure-play LTL carrier, received an upgrade in its debt rating from S&P Global Ratings.

Fly Meta has one aircraft and no pilots, but it plans to acquire four Boeing 777 jets transformed for dedicated cargo carriage.

Look at ocean freight bookings as a signal that manufacturing orders are increasing.

After a notice Tuesday by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that it is revoking an electronic logging device — TMS ONE’s ELD ONE — from its list of self-certified ELDs, CEO Radu Murzac says the company is working on a fix and plans to have the “final issue” resolved in less than two weeks.

Freight projects around the U.S. too large for traditional federal grants have received a major cash infusion.

A bill before the Iowa Legislature seeks to restrict the length of freight trains operating in the state to 8,500 feet.

Less-than-truckload carrier Old Dominion moved forward with a long-term succession plan Tuesday, announcing that its chief operating officer will replace its CEO in July.

Daimler Truck created capacity for 2,000 battery-electric trucks in 2022, but the lack of charging infrastructure stunted deliveries.

ONE’s profit dropped by 50% quarter over quarter to $2.76 billion.

In a first for the FedEx unit, it will reward or punish driver contractors based on whether they attain gold, silver or bronze grades.

Regulators are asking the public to comment on how much more federal oversight will be needed before Level 4 and 5 automation can be safely deployed.

Merchants on the Shippo platform can now access FedEx services like Ground Economy without creating a FedEx account.

German ocean shipping company Hapag-Lloyd said its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization jumped by $7.6 billion year over year.

UPS’ CFO warns of a “bumpy road” ahead, while its CEO extends an olive branch of sorts to the Teamsters ahead of contract talks.

A program launched by Walmart to recruit drivers internally has been vastly expanded.

Truck drivers should approach bridges and underpasses with caution when the temperature hovers at or below freezing.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration fined the Volvo Group $130 million for slow reporting of safety recalls.

Now that the supply chain “water line” has been largely but not entirely cleared, weakened demand and a strained economic environment have created a “recipe for the slowdown,” said OptiX executive Buddy Sexton.

It’s the end of an era for the “Queen of the Skies.” Boeing will make its final 747 delivery on Tuesday, but cargo airlines could fly them for another 40 years.

FreightWaves, the leading price reporting agency to the North American freight market and provider of high-frequency global supply chain data, boosted year-over-year revenue growth in the fourth quarter.

Logistics warehouse operator Link Logistics reports high occupancy and rents during the fourth quarter.

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges increased this week, but trends are pointing lower.

Startup electric last-mile van developer Arrival cut 50% of its workforce as it tries to reduce cash burn and make it to production.

Container shipping rates from Europe to the U.S. are finally falling, but they’re still exceptionally high.

The National Motor Freight Traffic Association has been getting along for nearly 67 years. Now with new leadership and an expanded road map, it’s finally getting going.

Cardboard boxes are a humble but key indicator. Manufacturers are quickly halting output of this good in a spooky sign for the economy.

On demand on WTT: The logistics behind Black Rifle Coffee Company; tech solution for truck parking and more.

Less-than-truckload carrier Saia implements a 6.5% general rate to offset cost inflation and advance network investment.

A leading federal regulator says a merger between Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern would ratchet up rail noise.

Rail car manufacturer and lessor GATX sees a strong secondary market and continued demand for rail cars to help support the company this year.

Through a data-driven approach, PGT Trucking proactively corrects unsafe driving behavior before an accident occurs, leading to improvements in driver safety, retention and efficiency.

Ameriflight, an air cargo contractor for big express companies, is considering a large purchase of uniquely designed, semi-autonomous freighters from Natilus.

“Brent Blend” sounds like something Loretta Lynn’s forebears might have distilled in West Virginia.

There are encouraging signs that demand is returning to the U.S. trucking market, based on high-frequency truckload volume data from FreightWaves SONAR.

This week in Borderlands: Port Laredo ranks No. 1 for U.S.-Mexico agricultural trade; RJW Logistics to open shipping hub near Dallas; major logistics facility set for Nuevo Laredo; and Japanese air conditioning manufacturer investing $300M in Mexico.

Are supply chains already manifesting significant changes in domestic transportation patterns?

Triumph Financial hit a significant milestone in the business it built from the acquisition of HubTran, but TriumphPay’s EBITDA worsened.

The Surface Transportation Board recently took action on Union Pacific’s use of embargoes in the Midwest and rejected the Class I railroads’ request to delay a program related to smaller rate disputes.

Russian crude restrictions are having the predicted effect on tanker trades, soaking up more vessel capacity as sailing distance lengthens.

The former co-owner of an Iowa trucking company was sentenced Tuesday for orchestrating an elaborate $250,000 check kiting scheme. He is also facing unrelated charges in state court that he allowed more than 800 pigs to starve or freeze to death in his care in December 2021.

Norfolk Southern and partnering companies were involved in 159 industrial development projects in 2022 worth $3.2 billion.

On demand on WTT: NASA talks about their $425m Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project with Boeing; University of Arkansas talks higher education in supply chain

A FreightWaves webinar featuring CEO Craig Fuller looked at the current state of the freight market.

2004: The capsizing of two vessels rocks the project cargo industry.

Volumes have continued their recovery from the winter holiday season with a surge in pent-up freight demand unleashed into the market. Naturally, since last week’s data was affected by holiday noise, the Outbound Tender Volume Index (OTVI) faces some absurdly easy comps on a weekly basis. Even still, accepted tender volumes remain below their levels of 2021 and ’22 for the time being. 

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a 60-day notice of its plans to conduct research on front-of-package nutrition labels.

Container drayage TMS provider PortPro said it raised $12 million to expand tech capabilities on its platform.