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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.

Telegraph says $10 million in funding will help the rail technology company serve its customers better as well as reach its broader goal of making rail more accessible to shippers via data visibility.

Einride has raised $500 million through a combination of equity and debt financing, giving it more funding to accelerate deployment of its autonomous and electric vehicles.

GCT will sell its terminal operations in Staten Island, New York, and Bayonne, New Jersey, to shipping giant CMA CGM.

Water levels on the Mississippi River have been rising near Memphis, Tennessee, and that’s good news for barge movements.

The shift from an alliance with the Postal Service to an in-house operation hasn’t gone as well as hoped for FedEx.

The American Transportation Research Institute finds that power needs for all-electric cars and trucks would be enormous.

1991: The new system allows automobiles to move in regular intermodal containers instead of the multilevel railcards that now are the industry standard.

China Southern Airlines has joined the Freightos air cargo booking platform. It’s the first time an airline in China has participated in an online freight market.

Norfolk Southern plans to pursue other measures than furloughs to get through market downturns, and two activist investors press NS and Union Pacific to address paid sick leave.

The approximately $10 million settlement includes around $3.3 million that the firm repaid merchants in 2021.

The industry’s first autonomous trucking marriage between TuSimple and Navistar is the first to end in divorce.

A Teamsters local chapter in San Jose, California, that represents drivers at a Home Depot subsidiary has voted to decertify being represented by the union.

The November Logistics Managers’ Index showed transportation capacity was up again with pricing contracting at the fastest rate on record.

While safety is top of mind for fleet operators, addressing negative driver behaviors remains unpopular.

It is not exactly a fundraising round, but Kodiak Robotics is generating $49.9 million in autonomous work for the U.S. Army

Solid Class 8 orders in November still marked the second straight month of decline as backlogs grow and supply and labor issues persist.

The benchmark DOE/EIA diesel price fell by the biggest one-week amount since 2009.

Declining ship fuel prices equate to savings for containerized cargo shippers and lower costs for tanker and bulker owners.

GPA will shift breakbulk cargo carried by Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean to the Port of Brunswick so that it can “optimize cargo movement” at both the ports at Brunswick and Savannah.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has awarded two $1.5 million grants to projects that seek to improve or modernize short-line rail infrastructure.

The peak season for air shipping failed to materialize this year, but realistically volumes and rates are just normalizing after a crazy two-year rush.

The folks at Convoy believe that this soft market will continue through the beginning of the new year as demand is declining faster than supply.

Ford will help DHL electrify its last-mile fleet worldwide as it moves closer to its own sustainability goals.

BrightDrop said large-scale production of its vans will begin at its Ontario, Canada, assembly plant, and DHL Express is adding the EVs to its fleet.

Marko Transport is being fined $44,000 by the state of Oregon for failing to help clean up about 100 gallons of diesel fuel spilled on a highway last year.

Less-than-truckload tonnage declined at an accelerated pace through November.

Netradyne’s Barrett Young explains why most fleet safety initiatives are counterproductive.

The carriers have had their day, and the pendulum appears to be swinging back in the shippers’ direction.

“Scheduling appointments at facilities is one of the most common activities in trucking, but it is also one of the most fragmented and offline,” said Dan Lewis, co-founder and CEO of Convoy.

This week in Borderlands: Mexico proposes to modify its truck driver hours-of-service rule; two logistics providers expand operations into New Mexico; an auto parts supplier expands in Mexico, creating 600 jobs; and $8.3 million worth of meth was seized from a truck at the Laredo port of entry.

Fuel costs are a huge cost component of operating a trucking business. Small operators are at a significant disadvantage in the current market thanks not only to declining demand but fuel price volatility.

A FedEx Ground driver has been arrested and is facing capital murder and aggravated kidnapping charges after the body of 7-year-old Athena Strand was found Friday evening less than 10 miles from her home in Paradise, Texas.

This week: J.B. Hunt donates money and supplies to over 55 classrooms across the U.S. Drivers for Mack Trucks take to social media with animal selfies for a good cause and Love’s donates to a child advocacy group that helps foster care children.

XPO announced it will retain its European business as capital markets abroad have weakened.

Spot shipping rates continue their historic slide, putting even more pressure on container lines’ contract business.

Navistar is recalling more than 31,000 vehicles across 12 product lines because fasteners may break due to inadequate heat treating.

NASA lands on WTT to talk about their SWOT machine; Tesla Semi delivered to Pepsi; Fleet sustainability and more

On a practical level, being dedicated to drivers includes making sure they bring home reliable, predictable paychecks. C5 Expedite has partnered with OTR Solutions to pay drivers on a weekly basis.

As digital freight technology becomes more mainstream, carriers aren’t quite ready to lose the human element entirely.

Historically, November is the month in which maritime imports begin to move inland for their final push before the holiday shopping season. Yet such imports were lost at sea this year, failing to materialize during ocean shippers’ peak season. This one-two punch of weakened import volumes and overstocked retail inventories means that carriers are left with fewer opportunities to source freight.

Drone delivery provider Matternet is ready for takeoff after receiving a milestone Production Certificate from the FAA this week.