Supply chain disruption

Nationwide tender rejections are already above 5%.

Inbound loads to Lakeland are being rejected at elevated rates.

Fleets waited two years for back-ordered Class 8 trucks. Now largely met, demand has shifted to replacement needs.

Navistar saw a big drop in orders, but deliveries of new International trucks helped parent Traton to strong second-quarter results.

Demand for global supply chain visibility tools is forecast to hit $39B by 2028.

Legislation to increase truck parking advanced in Congress during the markup of 16 supply chain-related bills.

Rush Enterprises will curb its enthusiasm for stocking additional inventory of used trucks until prices begin to rise again.

After a surge in orders in December, trailer OEMs follow truck manufacturers in reporting slower bookings with large backlogs.

Engine maker Cummins backs OEM projections of a strong 2023 for new trucks. If the China market recovers, look for an earnings bounce.

Companies in need of supply chain visibility can now leverage FourKites data through their existing internal platforms.

Volvo Group set a fourth-quarter record for deliveries, but the OEM said supply chain disruptions and energy costs would impact business.

White House economic adviser Brian Deese points to supply chain improvements while new pressures loom overseas.

Legislation aimed at “fixing the supply chain” would allow drivers under age 21 to haul freight to and from ports.

The city of Chicago is pressuring cargo agents at O’Hare airport to make a deal with a powerful union. If they don’t, significant cargo backlogs could occur.

Building a supply chain roadmap in the face of a downturn

The easing of constricted supply chains has allowed trailer manufacturers to accept orders that were shunned a year ago.

The $3.3 billion acquisition of Meritor Inc. took a bite out of Cummins’ Q3 earnings as did underperforming joint ventures in China.

Carriers and brokers tend to have the weather on a TV somewhere in their facilities throughout hurricane season because of the dramatic impacts storms can have on their operations and bottom lines. Ian hit at a time when trucking will not be as reactive to this devastating storm.

Hurricane Ian could slash the flow of Florida products to companies and consumers in the United States and abroad.

The Inflation Reduction Act and supply chains

Truck manufacturers began to fill build slots for the first quarter of 2023 in August but pent-up demand for equipment remains unstated.

(UPDATED: Lufthansa announced Sept. 12 that it finalized a contract with pilots that will carry through the end of June 2023. And dnata announced Sept. 8, 2022, that had reached […]

Lego bricks can help explain a lot of things, including a very messy supply chain. Penske Truck Leasing’s Paul Rosa got creative .

A severe typhoon is headed for the South China region, forcing airlines and ports to take precautions and adjust schedules.

When the 2023 orderbooks for trailers finally open, the suppressed booking numbers will flip in a hurry, but that isn’t happening yet.

Daimler Truck posted improved revenue and income in Q2 but expressed full-year concerns because of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Fertilizer shippers push for transportation reforms to help products compete amid ongoing supply chain disruption.

Fleets are holding off on Class 8 truck orders because supply shortages continue to delay acceptance of 2023 bookings.

Volvo Group reported higher truck sales, profits and market share in the second quarter despite ongoing supply chain disruptions.

The Biden administration wants to speed an effort unveiled in March to create a first-time freight data exchange for U.S. container shipments.

Layoffs get the attention but plenty of electric transportation startups are still hiring. They are getting creative with fundraising, too.

AB5 fallout and freight labor unrest are adding to inflation fears, Republican lawmakers are told.

Tampons are in short supply due to supply chain disruptions such as difficulty getting raw materials.

Trailer makers continue to push away orders as supply chain issues in different areas vex production amid stable pent-up demand.

President Biden underscored his support for ocean shipping reform as he prepares to speak at the Port of LA. Here’s a rundown of major efforts the administration has taken to date to ease supply chain disruption.

Because electric vehicle charging infrastructure takes time to install, delivery fleets should be thinking about the shift to EVs now.

Class 8 truck orders fell in May for seasonal reasons and because manufacturers kept a tight lid on bookings.

Supply chain delays are the chief worry among most of the 4,000 survey respondents.

Target Corp. reported Q1 2022 earnings before the bell Wednesday, turning in weaker-than-expected numbers.

Airfreight is one solution Abbott Laboratories is using to replace lost production from a U.S. plant that was closed down by the FDA.

Supply chains need diverse sourcing strategies and more real-time information to manage disruptive forces unleashed by COVID and the Ukraine invasion.

Amazon Freight experts discuss freight market volatility during this FreightWaves Future of Supply Chain chat.

Traton Group is glad it bought Navistar when it did. The U.S. truck and bus maker is helping offset war and other issues at the German holding company.

More planes and less cargo haven’t translated yet to a big drop in shipping prices between North America and Europe because of airport logistics problems.

Last year, freight rates spiked as many shipping companies and logistics providers struggled to maintain in the midst of rising trade volume, while numerous countries were reinstating travel restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19.

COVID lockdowns in major Chinese cities are bottling up freight shipments, but the full impact on global trade won’t be clear until this summer.

Volvo reported record Q1 truck sales despite ongoing supply chain interruptions. The company took a $423 million charge for suspending Russia business.

United Airlines more than doubled its cargo revenue in the first quarter versus 2019. The passenger side is nearing full health too.

China took steps to restart export manufacturing, but strict COVID measures pose a continuing challenge for logistics providers.

Sky-high used Class 8 truck prices are not falling with lower freight rates as an undersupply of equipment continues to alter buyer behavior.

A torrent of backlogged cargo in China is expected to overwhelm global ports once Chinese authorities end widespread COVID lockdowns.

The White House is pressuring Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to lift additional truck inspections as lines of cross-border trucks grow.

If UP and customers can’t reduce the number of active railcars on the network, the railroad may temporarily resort to metering.

The ripple effects on logistics from Shanghai’s quarantine are being felt beyond the city as companies try to redirect freight to alternative import/export gateways.

While visibility has always been important, it has been increasingly essential over the past couple of years. Better technology allows businesses to track products accurately through the supply chain and provides predictive capabilities.

Chinese President Xi is intent on eradicating COVID. The policy has come at a high economic cost. A new lockdown in Kunshan could threaten electronics production and further snarl ocean and air transport.

The pandemic supply chain disruptions never seem to end, especially in China. Strict restrictions on movement in Shanghai mean cargo can’t get to the airport, resulting in backlogs.

A federal regulator is using a new report to spotlight the importance of ocean containers to the U.S. economy and the threat of China’s market dominance.

RH confirms sharp drop in demand since Russia-Ukraine war and sees no supply chain relief.

Supply chains are at risk after Canadian Pacific shut down its rail service amid a contract battle with the Teamsters.

Transfix’s Scott Sokoloff discusses how data is keeping supply chains resilient in the wake of recent shake-ups.

E-commerce is driving the need for flexibility among shippers, which are looking toward logistics providers to offer options.

The truck driver shortage in the U.K. and Europe is getting worse with cross-border traffic being interrupted by the Ukraine crisis and Ukrainians going home to defend their country.

Manufacturers kept the screws tight on new Class 8 truck orders in February as a lack of supply chain visibility maintained stable backlogs.

Kuehne + Nagel is the biggest air and ocean logistics provider and it’s pushing the right buttons for fast growth.

Pandemic gridlock, the Ever Given, COVID outbreaks, container shortages, flooding, Ukraine. The next shoe to drop: a labor dispute.

The Biden administration has outlined 62 policy initiatives affecting trucking, rail, and maritime in a one-year vulnerability assessment.

Several trade and transport groups claim ocean carriers should lose special antitrust privileges and face stricter regulatory enforcement of shipping laws.

The Biden administration announces $450 million in port-expansion grants.

Hyliion Holdings has doubled its headcount amid an unrelenting battering of electric vehicle startup stock values.

The Biden administration plans to go after companies that may be using supply chain disruption to fix prices or overcharge customers.

ZF North America is increasingly counting on digitization of the supply chain to help it keep parts moving to customers.

The “everything shortage” forced truck manufacturers to cancel, retime and slow order intake even as demand for more trucks surges.

Sandeep Kar, chief strategy officer at Noregon Systems, joins FreightWaves’ Global Supply Chain Week to talk about major changes and challenges facing the automotive industry.

Trailer orders in January achieved equilibrium with the months of unbuilt orders as fleets and manufacturers operated in an ongoing parts supply shortage.

While much of the focus in 2021 was on the supply chain, the toll it took on e-commerce sellers was dramatic.

With just about everything in short supply, circular logistics lets companies keep their inventories stocked by sourcing from their own customers.

The FTC wants to know if large corporations are engaging in anticompetitive supply chain practices.

Freight transportation experts weigh in on Pete Buttigieg’s one-year mark as the secretary of transportation.

Paccar Q4 new truck deliveries were up 45% over Q3, suggesting some easing of supply chain disruptions and semiconductor shortages.

Driver as a service: J.B. Hunt becomes Waymo’s first self-driving freight customer, Commentary: The dangers of dwell, Market update: Outbound tender rejections decline amid rising spot rates

Worker outages and parts shortages becoming status quo for beleaguered trailer manufacturers.

Growth in air cargo volumes decelerated in the last two months of 2021. Blame it on too much demand stressing the freight system.

DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg touted holiday season wins at the ports of LA and Long Beach while addressing shipping-sector prices.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce wants the Biden administration to spend less time correcting economic problems the chamber feels don’t exist, and more on trade.

The benefits of pets in the cab, port woes in the U.S. and China, and no usual post-holiday dip in volumes.

More COVID control measures in China are impacting international goods movement.

The Biden administration wants consumer protection regulators to examine whether giant retailers are creating supply chain distortions for smaller businesses.

Driver recruiting challenges, pay and demographics trends Driver recruiting remains a key challenge heading into 2022 due to pandemic, demographic and economic trends. Pay and wages remain a central theme […]

A small COVID outbreak is curtailing industrial operations in the Chinese city of Ningbo and the port could soon feel the ripple effects.

Port of Los Angeles is going vessel operators to clear out empty containers or else face big fines.

Omicron sweeps across the nation — 73% of United States COVID-19 cases. Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S., federal health […]

The logistics industry is in the middle of a veritable technological revolution. The industry was once seen as a haven for Luddites, characterized by its general aversion to change. While […]

Port Hueneme is an example of a niche port that is attracting more container shipments because of bottlenecks at big seaports.

In today’s newsletter: Enterprise carriers race to innovate; Component shortage delays electric vehicles; ATRI top truck bottlenecks of 2021. Enterprise carriers race to innovate by embracing new technologies and partnerships […]

Efforts to codify regulatory flexibility should be applauded, and the FREIGHT Act is no different.

Supply chain disruptions are far from over for trailer manufacturers, meaning November’s order rebound is probably not sustainable.

The container shipping surge shows no signs of letup, but the Southern California ports say they are slowly clearing out the backlogs.

Ocean shipping reform legislation passed on Wednesday in the U.S. House as the Senate prepares companion legislation.

Cummins Inc. deals with multiple short-term supply chain glitches, but it could take two years to fix chip shortages, CEO Tom Linebarger says.