News

The Government of Rwanda will enlist Zipline to be able to make autonomous deliveries to the nation’s entire population.

Logistics M&A experts at a Benesch law firm conference don’t see any significant downturn in activity even as the freight market slows.

Containerized imports to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have now fallen well below pre-COVID levels.

Tony Tzeng tells FreightWaves’ Domestic Supply Chain Summit that Transfix’s TrueRate+ program is designed to guarantee tenders with an optimal blend of price and service.

Appearing on Fuller Speed Ahead in, Venture 53’s Pat Martin says the supply chain is the most fragmented industry today and that we need AI to solve problems, not automation to replace workers.

Spencer Tenney, president and CEO of Tenney Group, explains how larger players are rethinking their acquisition strategies.

WHAT THE TRUCK?!? live from FreightWaves’ Domestic Supply Chain Summit with guests from Echo, Leaf, Ryder and Inxeption

Supply chain technology startups have “a level of staying power,” says Ironspring Ventures investor Natan Ruddy.

7LFreight is a Freightos company that gives freight forwarders the ability to compare less-than-truckload prices by lane and execute a move.

Trucking-focused labor attorney James Mahoney discusses the Biden administration’s proposed rule on defining independent contractors.

This fireside chat recap is from FreightWaves’ Domestic Supply Chain Summit and focuses on key features that shippers should include in their RFPs.

A Circuit survey shows that most delivery drivers are concerned about losing their jobs, but they are interested in working with driverless and drone deliveries.

The Reshoring Institute’s Rosemary Coates discusses how companies are navigating supply chain risks by bringing manufacturing home.

MIT researcher David Correll says more shared information in the shipping ecosystem could ease chronic issues.

The Port of New Orleans has received $800 million from two major trade operators toward a planned $1.8 billion container facility.

Although retailers may be past the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, other headwinds persist, reminding storefronts the importance of having a resilient supply chain, according to National Retail Federation’s Jon Gold.

Jack Echeverria, senior manager of Wayfair’s global logistics arm, CastleGate Logistics, discusses how the online furniture retailer planned its peak season amid this year’s supply chain uncertainty and looks ahead to key factors that will affect market conditions in 2023.

Shippers testified before the Surface Transportation Board on Tuesday about how embargoes affect their operations.

Ryder’s Rob Pluta and Geotab’s Stephanie Voelker discuss how carriers and shippers can overcome technology fragmentation to create more efficient supply chains.

Geodis is now offering U.S.-based e-commerce companies air zone skipping service to Canada.

While the drive to secure new solutions is strong, adopting technology and digitizing processes in an industry that operates 24/7 may be challenging. We sat down with DDC FPO to learn how carriers should address these issues.

Convoy, J.B. Hunt and Uber Freight last week announced that they have partnered to create the Scheduling Standards Consortium as a new standard for full truckload freight employment scheduling.

New standards aimed at dramatically reducing pollution from trucks come at the wrong time for the economy, according to carriers and drivers.

DHL Express is responding to demand for e-commerce with the addition of a new cargo route — this time to the Dominican Republic.

The growing severity of the driver shortage, combined with a shrinking number of predictable and set routes and increasing customer demands, is putting the spotlight once again on autonomous trucks.

Trimble is acquiring German transportation management system provider Transporeon for $1.9 billion.

The Georgia Ports Authority last month handled 464,883 twenty-foot equivalent units, a decline of 6.2% from the 494,699 TEUs moved in November 2021.

Outrider continues transforming yard operations to autonomy, adding a robotic arm to connect and disconnect brake lines.

Cass data released Tuesday showed shipments have moderated and rates are poised to start unwinding two years of increases in January.

Class I railroads CSX, CN, CP and KCS tout recognition for their sustainability efforts, while rail technology provider Wabtec gets a nod for its battery-electric locomotive.

Blockchain technology provider CargoX believes skeptics shouldn’t be bystanders in the creation of global shipping data standards.

Electric vehicle users on the Lyft platform will be eligible for up to 45% savings when charging within EVgo’s network.

Yellow Corp. will modify and refile proposed network changes after meeting with local unions.

Lingering questions about how autonomous trucks will work on the road drove DHL Supply Chain to partner with Embark, which is focused on the “nitty-gritty” details of self-driving technology.

7L Freight is making truck procurement more convenient for logistics companies by combining dynamic rate management with electronic booking.

As a seed-stage startup, Ali Javidan’s Range Energy doesn’t have much to show yet for his idea of electrifying trailers.

The benchmark DOE/EIA average retail diesel price fell by the second-biggest one-week amount in the history of the data series.

Coupa Software is being acquired by Thoma Bravo in a deal valued at $8 billion.

The constitutionality of California’s Prop 22, which barred AB5 from being implemented against gig drivers, gets another court hearing Tuesday.

Fleet solutions provider Motive has laid off 6% of its workforce, citing slow demand and higher operating costs.

November saw another double-digit drop in America’s containerized imports, driven by sinking volumes from Asia.

Consumers can take drop-offs to any of 2,000 FedEx Office locations

What did a trucking VP learn while out on the road? Where are autonomous trucks going? What’s the market wrap for ’22? All that and more on WTT.

Stellantis has announced it will be closing a Jeep Cherokee assembly plant in Illinois in February, laying off 1,350 workers.

Matternet drones will begin flying a 7-minute route in Zurich, Switzerland, in one of the world’s largest beyond visual line of sight pilot programs.

Japan Airlines will fly freighters for Yamato Transport, which needs airlift to supplement a shrinking pool of truck drivers in Japan.

ArcBest announced CFO David Cobb will retire in October 2023.

Join FreightWaves and Tomorrow.io’s Ayala Rudoy, vice president and general manager of logistics, and Kelly Peters, senior content marketing manager, at 2 p.m. EST Tuesday for an inside look at how leading trucking companies are empowering drivers to adapt to hazardous weather conditions — and save $1 million each year in the process.

Surge Transportation’s Omar Singh discusses shippers limiting broker partnerships for arbitrary reasons rather than their specific strengths and weaknesses.

Kevin Shaw, a Memphis, Tennessee-based truck company owner, and financial adviser Lisa Evans were indicted on charges of defrauding the federal Paycheck Protection Program.

The unions and the freight railroads must repair their relationship and collaborate on improving service if the industry wants to thrive and take more market share, observers told FreightWaves.

Robotic delivery firm Kiwibot has launched service at Loyola Marymount University, leveraging Nvidia technology and satellites to create campuswide delivery.

Freight technology buyers should carefully assess their mindset when it comes to purchasing new technology in times of a less robust market.

As 2022 comes to an end, it is time for trucking carriers to evaluate their driver drug and alcohol testing programs and make necessary improvements for 2023.

Shipping giant Maersk changes leadership as it transitions from a period of massive profits to one of challenging market conditions.

Spreads suggest continued downward pressure on contract rates.

Freight management companies are not making long-term shipping commitments with airlines to avoid getting stuck with unneeded bookings.

With investor appetite shrinking, will FreightTech companies feel the pain in 2023? A recent survey shows mixed results.

AskWaves looks at GAO’s warning that the U.S. needs to step up capabilities and oversight in the Arctic region as emerging shipping routes gain steam.

This week in Borderlands: USMCA panel rules in favor of Mexico, Canada over US; Lineage Logistics unveils plans for Texas cold storage facility; Mexico extends deadline again for Carta Porte tax document; and Volkswagen halts production of Jetta and Taos models.

Normally one of the softest regions for truckload activity in the U.S., the Pacific Northwest has become the tightest in the nation.

This week: Husband-and-wife team delivers the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree, Wabash continues to support the local Feeding America food bank and Love’s distributes holiday meals to military families.

Nuclear verdicts against the trucking industry are becoming more frequent, with freight brokers now being sued after accidents.

A week after authorities say FedEx contractor Tanner Lynn Horner confessed to killing 7-year-old Athena Strand and dumping her body near her home in Paradise, Texas, investigators have released new information about Strand’s death.

Yellow is seeing large tonnage declines continue as the fourth quarter advances.

STB Chairman Marty Oberman told UP it didn’t provide enough information on its embargo practices ahead of a two-day hearing next week.

Reliance Partners will dive into B-1 driver-specific violations and DataQ challenges.

What was the freight story of the year? Craig Fuller makes his pick; Uber Freight, Convoy and JBH team up on Scheduling Standards Consortium and more ondemand on WTT

Contrary to popular opinion, December is not a peak season for freight. True, the freight that needs to be moved in this month typically has greater urgency than usual, which does put upward pressure on carrier rates. But peak truckload volumes are largely influenced by maritime imports, which historically peak between July and September.

Customers can now tip Amazon drivers by saying “thank you,” but a lawsuit accuses the company of using tips for itself.

Parties in the still ongoing litigation surrounding AB5 and trucking have a new calendar that forecloses any new injunction until at least May.

UFI abruptly shuttered in November. Companies have been unable to retrieve their assets from the closed-up facilities.

Big numbers tied to electric infrastructure released this week reinforce the chicken-and-egg cliche about electric trucks.

PGT is uniquely positioned to be a part of the industrywide change, working toward larger sustainable goals while still creating immediate impacts within its own company.

Partnering with Wreaths Across America can be a potential recruitment tool, especially for companies efforting toward veteran-friendly hiring initiatives, according to the nonprofit.

Experts say Mexico has increasingly become a go-to production option as shippers seek to reduce supply chain risks with China.

The on-time delivery rates for the November shopping holidays were better than in 2021, Ship Matrix said.

Prologis 2023 forecast says Texas will overtake California in warehouse demand, Mexico activity will surge due to nearshoring growth, and U.S. e-commerce will rebound to enjoy its second-best year on record.

Faster easing of China’s COVID restrictions could provide eventual support for container and dry bulk markets and a more immediate boost for tankers.

America’s freight railroads descended into chaos this year. Their best way out might be reconsidering their operational style — but Wall Street might not approve.

Asset-light less-than-truckload provider Forward Air sees tonnage fall off sharply in November.

The White House announced $36 billion in bailout money for the Central States Pension Fund that will benefit thousands of less-than-truckload drivers for Yellow and ABF Freight.

Port X Logistics has made a name for itself in drayage, expediting containerized freight throughout the U.S. and Canada. Now the company has brought its expertise into the airfreight arena.

The terms of the merger between the two rapid grocery delivery firms may look different than previously reported.

COO Laura Ann Howell plans rapid growth and expects “HQ West” to be Reliance Partners’ second-largest branch.

Descartes said demand for supply chain visibility tools remains strong amid uncertainty in the broader economy.

The breakup with Navistar is a big deal for autonomous truck developer TuSimple, but its balance sheet could limit reputational damage.

“Whether a company is big or small, they all need to provide visibility to their customers. … If a company can’t provide delivery dates, process inventory efficiency and delivery on-time then the customers will go somewhere else,” said project44 founder and CEO Jett McCandless.

Industry groups are urging the IRS to delay changes to the tax code that could see gig workers and online sellers facing large tax bills.

RXO, spun off Nov. 1, released its third-quarter earnings to the SEC for its first stand-alone numbers.

Reverse logistics is a tough, unfamiliar skill set for 3PLs. But the potential payoff is huge.

ContainerPort Group’s parent World Group announced the acquisition of distribution and trucking company Pacific Cascade.

The pilot of the Ever Forward could face civil charges as a result of the vessel being stuck in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay for more than a month.

What were carriers’ biggest DOT violations in ’22? Is PSR out the window? How CSA scores work. And trucking weird news on demand on WHAT THE TRUCK?!?

“Now, stone yards across the country can get on our site, find a load of stone, get the shipping cost and book a truck in a matter of minutes,” said StoneLoads CEO Patrick Wells.

Canada’s GoBolt, which is building an end-to-end supply chain network powered by an all-electric fleet, receives Series C financing.

Regional Rail, which is backed by United Kingdom investment firm 3i Infrastructure, is acquiring three short-line railroads from Agracel Rail Holdings.

Shippers and carriers interact with the market differently, but one thing has become clear over the past few years: Contracts and dedicated lanes allow both parties to gain stability in an unpredictable landscape.

Newest Convoy survey shows environmental impact as newest sustainability motivation over governmental relations.

Federal regulators are considering changes to a 30-year rule that would affect the type of relief that drivers and carriers receive during highway emergencies.