Irrespective of who wins the race to deploy the first fully autonomous vehicles, the unanimous view was that in the future, size is going to matter and carriers/OEMs will need balance sheets to be able to survive.
E-commerce is intensifying last mile delivery activity; warehouse prices are climbing rapidly in consumer-dense markets; but the logistics space is fragmented, with high EBITDA multiples and low barriers-to-entry hindering consolidation.
In a move many see as a continuation of his feud with Jeff Bezos, President Trump authorized a task force to look into USPS business practices. Beyond the personal spat, there are real issues with how the post office charges for delivery and the relationship with Amazon
Several states say online retailers should have to collect sales tax, even in states where the companies don’t have a physical presence.
China approves drone package delivery; driver pay is up 15% in 3 years; Hapag-Lloyd has a plan to switch to low sulphur fuel; Trump gears up for fight with Amazon; Barclay’s thinks WTI crude will drop to $51 this year.
The demand for last-mile services has increased by 50% in the last 18 months, driven primarily by the B2C companies.
Health company higi is opening up resources at its 11,000 self-screening health stations to truck drivers who are members of Rolling Strong for free biometric testing.
Stifel says UPS is now under-priced; Hapag-Lloyd offers digital rates platform for its customers; the Hudson Tunnel revamp just got harder; freight brokers do record volumes in January.
Used Class 8 truck prices increased 2% year-over-year in January, but fell 3% over December 2017, according to latest data from ACT Research.
Truckers Against Trafficking has launched the Man to Man Campaign in an effort to eliminate human trafficking in the transportation industry.
E-commerce sales are putting pressure on retailers and that is leading to additional changes to the movement of freight and logistics.
From a merchant perspective, Shipping with Amazon would provide increased competition in the shipping space, while also providing Amazon with more data about the products people are buying.
A better last-mile experience. That’s what the e-commerce game has become, and all logistics services across the supply chain are clamoring for opportunities and efficiencies to squeeze the blood out of the turnip.
The ELD compliance rate continues to inch up among fleets according to the latest survey conducted by CarrierLists.
The Owner-Operators Independent Drivers Association has joined efforts to change the current hours-of-service rules to allow drivers to stop driving when they are tired.
On top of creating a Godzilla-size footprint across the world, Amazon has also put together a string of strong quarters, 11 to be exact. How significant is their disruption into the carrier space?
UPS is asking for inclusion of part-time drivers to make Sunday deliveries and also to allow use of personal vehicles in its latest demands in contract negotiations with the Teamsters, according to reports.
The complete loss of Amazon as a customer would not interrupt the ability of FedEx and UPS to continue as prosperous companies even without Amazon.
Amazon is rolling out free two-hour delivery of Whole Foods groceries through its Prime Now service starting today.
Really want to guess where HQ2 will end up? Follow the tech talent pool and logistics network.
Jim Johnston, longtime president and CEO of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), has passed away following a year-long battle with lung cancer, the association announced Monday evening.
51% of all returns occur in January, when Americans will send back $30B of unwanted gifts. Reverse logistics represent a huge cost increasingly eaten by retailers, while 3PLs stand to make big margins.
XPO Logistics stock shot up to ~$90 on a rumored acquisition by Home Depot, and some analysts think the price will rise much, much higher.
Target has made a massive investment in Shipt, a same-day grocery delivery service for online orders that relies on personal shoppers. Target hopes to challenge the rapid growth of Walmart’s online food sales and wants to offer same-day shipping for all of its products by the end of 2019.
Walmart has patented an ‘unattended retail storefront’ that would be located in customers’ homes and stocked by autonomous vehicles, part of its quest to compress or eliminate delivery delays altogether.
Walmart’s commitment to digital sales, grocery pickup, and two day delivery mean a newly intensified supply chain: more truckloads to its stores, which are now acting like fulfillment centers, more expedited service in the holiday shopping capacity crunch, and more demand for last-mile delivery to its customers’ homes.
Amazon has officially entered the freight app business with a new option called Relay. The app debuted last month, CNBC reported, and will make it easier for truck drivers to get into and out of Amazon facilities.
The price of diesel fuel jumped last week, rising 6.3 cents per gallon to $2.882. The increase follows a rise in oil prices and a 20-cent jump in fuel taxes in California, that went into effect on Nov. 1.
Amazon has written a provision into the National Defense Authorization Act that could funnel huge amounts of Department of Defense procurement through their platforms, giving them even more leverage over suppliers.
If you live in an apartment complex you know. Packages pile up in stairwells, landings and hallways. You especially know which of your neighbors avidly use their Amazon prime memberships. Amazon is now building delivery solutions designed for this scenario.
Reigning supreme against the current industry leader must have felt sweet. Alibaba’s market value has officially outpaced Amazon, Yicai Global reports.
C.H. Robinson will implement Omnitracs’ Virtual Load View (VLV) application as it seeks ways to improve visibility into load tracking. The system will run alongside C.H. Robinson’s own Navisphere system.
Memories of the Randall Park Mall, once the largest mall in the United States, came back to life in Ohio after Amazon announced it will build a new fulfillment center on the location in North Randall, OH. It is one of 35 fulfillment centers in Amazon’s pipeline, Business Insider reports.
In the rush to develop autonomous, long-haul trucks (and trains) that could double productivity – driving for 24 hours a day with no need for rest – it may turn out that the competition for freight may really be in the sky.
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.
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.
The U.S. House of Representatives defeated an amendment late Wednesday that would have restricted funding for the ELD mandate until at least Sept. 30, 2018. The amendment was added to an appropriations bill by Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX).
Urbanization has been a constant since industrialization, but with the technology innovations of the past thirty years- that is changing.
Amazon wasted no time in starting a pricing war in the grocery business. Like the book retailers and other categories that Amazon has entered- they have proven that this strategy builds consumer loyalty and lays to waste the competitors that dominate those markets
While still strong, conditions may be moderating for the trucking industry as key indicators are slowly retreating from recent highs.
The battle for the quickest delivery is on. Arkansas-based retailing giant Walmart has official filed to patent a blimp-style warehouse, Fortune reports.
President Donald Trump once again took to Twitter this morning to lash out at Amazon, targeting the company’s alleged non-collection of taxes.
The world’s number one e-commerce giant, Amazon, recently revealed that it is working on technology that will produce tasty meals that don’t actually need refrigeration.
Following a report by Josh Sandbulte in the Wall Street Journal on Amazon’s use of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for package delivery, USPS Chief Financial Officer Joseph Corbett responded with a letterclarifying and refuting some of the points of the article.
According to a report published by Josh Sandbulte in the Wall Street Journal, USPS has been picking up the tab for Amazon’s package delivery.
Shippers trust carriers to move their goods, but how do they know the carrier they have chosen can get the job done? A new Cerasis blog post lists the 12 data points every shipper should monitor when choosing a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier.
A ride-sharing company could be the perfect fit to solve the last-mile delivery problems of e-commerce. Here’s why a Walmart acquisition of Lyft could be the edge it needs to overcome Amazon.
J.B. Hunt has acquired Specialized Logistics Dedicated for $136 million. The move expands the firm’s access to last-mile distribution services.
FedEx Freight announced that drivers at its Croydon, PA, facility have voted to leave the Teamsters Union. This comes just two weeks after drivers in Charlotte, NC, did the same.
Multiple reports have indicated that Walmart has threatened to withhold business from any trucking company that continues to haul goods for Amazon. Walmart has denied making any such threats, but the mere suggestion of it raises questions that carrier executives need to address.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg visited the Iowa 80 truck stop last week, taking time to talk to truck drivers and learn about life on the road. Also, Amazon wants to build a drone platform, a lack of warehouse space and J.B. Hunt tests augmented reality.
Amazon sent shock waves through the grocery business on Friday with its announcement that it will acquire Whole Foods in a deal valued at $13.7 billion, which includes assumption of Whole Foods’ debt. But the purchase may be giving Amazon something even more valuable than Whole Foods’ customers – a distribution network.
After a few years of “rest” XPO Logistics is again in acquisition mode. CEO Bradley Jacobs, speaking at a supply chain conference in Chicago, says the company is looking for potential takeover targets, including options in Europe.
In another step into the food space, Amazon has announced it will buy Whole Foods for $13.4 billion plus debt, giving the e-tailer a physical presence in the $700 to $800 billion consumer grocery world. But like many things with Amazon, the end game may be something different.
The battle between Amazon and Walmart took another turn when Amazon announced it would begin offering discounted Prime memberships to those on U.S. government assistance. That could pull shoppers, and freight, from Walmart.
The expansion of fuel cell trucks is continuing, with an announcement from Ballard Power Systems that its 85-kilowatt fuel cell engine will power a Class 8 Kenworth drayage truck at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Also, Uber Freight launches, a fuel tax hike is still on the table and Amazon pushes furniture.
This Week in Trucking, Elon Musk adds some details to his electric Tesla Semi program; the U.S. trade gap with Mexico is growing larger and Amazon faces a carrier lawsuit for refusing to pay shipping fees.
This Week in Trucking, the EPA has filed a court brief seeking a delay in a challenge to its greenhouse gas regulations, leading to speculation that the agency may review the upcoming Phase 2 rules. Also, the government has acknowledged it is lacking answers for regulating automated vehicles, Amazon jumps into the driverless vehicle arena and the economy is off to a slow start in 2017.
While most people assume that drones will someday be making home deliveries, there are other possibilities including droids and even mobile parcel lockers. Whatever method or combination of methods are chosen, though, last-mile delivery may never be the same.
In this week’s edition of The Week in Trucking, the trucking industry gets an audience with President Donald Trump, drivers may not be needed in California, are robots are set to take over warehousing and FMCSA pulls a controversial safety-focused rule.
E-commerce is forcing radical changes on the world of freight, led by innovations from Amazon. From shorter lengths of haul to equipment changes, carriers and shippers are scrambling to stay in front of the changes.
