Unilever, the massive Rotterdam-headquartered company that brings beauty, personal care, and food products to over 2.5 billion people daily, has partnered with JD.com, an e-commerce giant based in Beijing, to expand its reach in China.
The lira is down more than 40% this year, battered by concerns about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization member’s political and economic stability and a continuing trade tensions with the U.S.
Chinese oil and PNG demand is hitting the roof; EU is interested in buying U.S. PNG supply; trade tariffs on China might end up increasing cost of fish in the U.S.
Redwood Logistics recently announced the launch of Redwood Mexico, a new service aimed at untangling the complicated process of shipping to and from Mexico.
Oil production faces volatile times, as multiple OPEC countries witness geopolitical problems and unstable governments, leading to the possibility of yet another rise in fuel prices.
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) has inked a deal with the province of Guizhou for creating China’s first commercial hyperloop track.
The rate of rejected loads coming out of LA inched upward, signaling that the July ‘mellowing’ period may be over. Container rates from China to North America’s West Coast stayed elevated for the second week in a row, and containership idle capacity is at 1%.
Autonomous vehicle execs want you to know self-driving cars are very, very safe; China’s economic growth slows; Elon Musk talks about Tesla’s push to 5,000 Model 3s weekly; American oil bound for China needs to find new markets; DHL orders 14 Boeing 777s.
New icebreaking LNG carriers are sailing directly from Russia to China through the Northern Sea Route, creating a faster, cheaper connection between some of the world’s largest gas fields and the world’s largest gas consumers.
By far the most significant partnership came last month when Kroger said it would work with U.K. online supermarket Ocado.
JD.com opened a completely automated warehouse near Shanghai, keeping up with its robust investment in technology to optimize and inject increased efficiency in its logistics processes.
Google invests $550 million in JD.com, the e-commerce major from China, marking its advent into the logistics world.
Dale Huang, the CTO of COSCO Network e-Logistics spoke about the importance of blockchain in the logistics and shipping world and how he expects the technology to gain centerstage in the near future.
Mexico, Canada, and the EU announce retaliatory tariffs; Dow Transports still above 200 day average; the US asks OPEC for a production hike; DHL remains largest air freight forwarder; containership loses 86 boxes in storm off Australia; how China beats US steel tariffs.
China and the United States issued a joint-statement regarding trade consultations and a desire to support bilateral trade between the countries.
Outbound container volumes at the ports of L.A. and Long Beach reached 13 month highs, a sign that shippers want to move good before the gates close.
Trucking employment drops 5,500 in April, railroad jobs drop 800; Nestle pays Starbucks $7B+ to sell its products worldwide; Romaine lettuce E. coli still a mystery; China steps up quarantines of US food imports.
Amazon announced Tuesday it has joined with General Motors and Volvo Cars to start offering in-car deliveries, giving its couriers access to potentially millions of vehicles in 37 U.S. markets.
Mnuchin is running a full court press to make Chinese tariffs, aluminum sanctions, and NAFTA renegotiation the least disruptive as possible.
Trump and China cool off which should allow the economy and subsequently the transportation industry some respite. China creepily leading the pack on AI.
Trade war fears have caused increased volatility in stock markets over the past month. However, worries over a deep recession caused by protectionism appear overblown for now. The challenge for transportation companies will be less about a collapse in activity and more about adjusting to the new reality.
JD Logistics, the delivery arm of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, uses electric bikes as just one last-mile delivery solution. The delivery drivers pick up goods as local “delivery stations” for final delivery.
The US appears set to impose significant tariffs on China, raising the threat that the economy may find itself in a full-fledged trade war
Amsterdam-based TMA Logistics has officially unveiled its investment in the New Silk Road Initiative.
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.
Vietnam is the fastest growing supplier of electronics and apparel to the United States, and a fresh wave of foreign investment has the country poised to realize gains in worker productivity.
As the Trump administration makes public its intent to look at using tariffs to address what it believes are inequities in global trade markets, it set the stock market into a tailspin for good reason. We decided to lay out a basic primer and history lesson on tariffs.
E-commerce giant JD.com is expanding their reach and efficiency.
China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is slated to head north to the Arctic, Reuters reported. Global warming has opened up new shipping lanes that China plans to exploit.
JD.com, China’s largest retailer and one of Asia’s largest internet companies, joins BiTA
China-based, state-owned shipping behemoth China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) has acquired a 49% stake in a landlocked port under construction in Kazakhstan, the New York Times reports.
The American auto industry’s shift to electric vehicles over the next five years may represent an opportunity for Chinese EV makers to capture market share. Several companies have announced plans to expand into the U.S., which might represent a threat to Tesla.
Even though hyperloop has not yet been officially launched in mainstream transportation systems in the United States, it has piqued the interest of the Chinese government enough to consider a 16-man passenger pod system using the Maglev technology.
China’s $3B copper mining deal in Afghanistan, the largest foreign investment in the country’s history, is going nowhere. 10 years into a 30 year lease, supply chain problems are keeping any copper from being extracted at all.
The Chinese government is investing in the country of Georgia in a plan to potentially turn the country into a major export hub for Chinese goods.
Concerns are arising in the EU about the West’s waning influence in Eastern Europe as rampant Chinese investment increases, including the $1 trillion One Belt, One Road project to streamline trade.
Mangbang CEO Wang Gang believes there is plenty of available opportunity in the Chinese freight market for his company develop technological solutions to solve freight issues.
The China Aerospace Science and Industrial Corporation (CASIC) has begun development of a Supersonic transportation technology, which would shatter Musk’s initially proposed 745 mph design should it come to fruition. Advantage China.
While the Chinese economy went from marginal to the global leader in trade in just 40 years, its political position was primarily quiet. Now China’s participation is paramount to global peace and development.
What began as an attempt to create a corridor from China to central Asia through infrastructure projects, has grown more ambitious and has encircled 65 countries across Asia, Africa, and Europe – all bearing China’s One Belt, One Road initiative.
Following on the footsteps of its European counterpart, Daimler Trucks North America will begin shipping 3D printed parts under a pilot program. Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz unit started a similar pilot in Europe last year.
German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen has decided to throw its hat into the electric vehicle market, planning to develop 40 models for Chinese automobile market by 2025.
Used-truck sales volumes continued their upward trend in October, but the industry is still facing an oversupply of vehicles, according to ACT Research. Class 8 same dealer used truck sales increased 12% month-over-month and 37% over October 2016, the firm said.
China-based autonomous driving technology start-up, Tianjin TSINTEL Technology, has successfully secured $15.15 million in a Round A fundraising spearheaded by the CMG Innovation Investment Management Co., Yicai Global reports.
As the Chinese economy rises and more people in the world’s largest nation move into the middle class, the demand for foreign goods escalates. In response to domestic demand and pressure from the U.S. to lower the trade deficit, China is opening its doors to American beef.
Luxury brands have been closing up shop in China recently, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP). The phenomenon of building brick-and-mortar stores that “originated in China,” has now reversed itself, as more retail stores are closing up shop and moving online.
The provincial government of Sichuan in China is pulling out all the stops to promote development of alternative energy vehicles even as sales of heavy trucks in the country climb to record highs.
Foton Motor Company and Cummins have reached a deal to build a “Super Truck” for China designed to reduce fuel usage and improve productivity.
Cross border delivery of items ordered online in China is now possible due to new train service available from site Kaola.com. An e-commerce company backed financially by Netease, Kaola.com ran its first train of products into Chongqing’s Lianglu Cuntan Free Trade Port Area, Yicai Global reports.
The second largest e-commerce player in China has sealed the deal and will deploy the first automatic delivery vans to operate on the mainland. JD.com has confirmed the partnership deal made with Chinese automobile manufacturers Dongfeng Motor Corporation and Shanghai-based SAIC Maxus, China Daily reports.
Hino Trucks will expand its product offerings to include Class 8 vehicles, starting in 2019, the company said this week.
The Belt-And-Road Initiative is proving to be an ambitious plan. But there is no stopping the Chinese government as it has secured a joint venture deal with Hong Kong-based rail company MTR. The deal will result in connecting major cities in Asia within the area defined by the initiative.
China’s vice minister of industry and information technology, Xin Guobin, said the government will set a deadline to end the production and sales of fossil-fuel-dependent vehicles during a Sept. 9 forum in Tianjin.
International has made several enhancements to its flagship LoneStar truck to make it more driver-friendly and serviceable.
Hong Kong-based logistics company GoGoVan has achieved unicorn status after agreeing to a merger with mainland China-based freight company, 58 Suyun.
The Trump administration is considering tariffs on foreign steel as a way to boost the purchase of American steel. But will this Buy American approach lead to an in increase in vehicle and other manufacturing costs?
A surprise national brake safety inspection day on May 3 netted nearly 12% of commercial vehicles inspected with brake violations, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance announced this week.
A Chinese e-commerce company wants to make deliveries weighing as much as 1 ton with drones. JD.com is already delivering smaller packages in rural villages. Also in the news, FMCSA officials will be meeting to discuss regulatory relief for the industry and GM is facing allegations it used defeat devices to bypass diesel emissions regs on its pickups.
This Week in Trucking, the U.S. and China have announced a trade deal centering on natural gas, financial services and beef. Also, a renewed push is on to approve hair testing in driver drug screenings and the rapid rise in last-mile delivery services is leading to plenty of new entries to the market.
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.
Each week, the industry sees the introduction of new technologies and regulations along with information that affects how each carrier, shipper, and 3PL operates. Each Friday, FreightWaves will provide a look back at some of the industry’s top stories you may have missed.
