Technology

In this edition: Stopping freight fraud in 2024 and all eyes on Mexico in the new year.

With the year coming to an end, columnist Bart De Muynck reflects on 2023 and the new year ahead.

“It is no longer grow at all costs. We must be more efficient with our resources and cognizant of your overhead,” says Zelh’s Jeff Ogren

The next year could be fraught with disruption but investment in logistics technology is likely to continue.

While navigating shifting market conditions can be stressful, shippers that focus their attention on increasing their own operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness can thrive during this time.

It is unclear whether the reduction in emissions is a result of a genuine effort to mitigate environmental impact or a consequence of market dynamics.

The widespread adoption of digital solutions has created opportunities for scammers across the supply chain. 

Technology plays an increasingly large role in how supply chains operate and has created a sea change for the industry.

Every time data has to be copied or rekeyed, the process slows down the supply chain and increases the risk of introducing errors.

Filing documents electronically is the norm for businesses today. A 1982 article from American Shipper recalls when the industry first embraced this technology.

Yard automation will bring about significant improvements in how companies manage their transportation hubs, leading to streamlined operations, reduced costs and enhanced visibility.

DAT advises users who suspect they have received a phishing email impersonating the load board to promptly contact the customer service department.

Many fleet owners have become laser focused on moving away from diesel fuel, which accounts for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions in the sector. Heavy-duty electric trucks are poised to be one of the primary solutions to this issue.

Next year’s transportation environment is expected to see gains in three key areas: service, sustainability and technology. Rail has made strides in all three, making it a viable, affordable option for shippers.

The founder of Isometric Technologies describes the company’s goal of building the FICO score for freight.

Emtec Digital, a trusted technology partner for logistics companies, unveiled a groundbreaking platform that enhances productivity manifolds using RPA and AI tools.

The DAT phishing site is almost identical to the DAT ONE site.

FlockDirect uses real-time data to pool freight for multiple customers going in the same direction. The solution effectively dismantles the physical hub-and-spoke constraints that have defined the supply chain for more than a century.

While bankruptcies and layoffs have abounded in the logistics industry in 2023, there has been much more to the year than meets the eye.

Employees air frustrations with company management after being let go on Teams.

TRAUXIT is on a mission to modernize the trucking industry by introducing a technological offering that creates a win-win situation for carriers and shippers alike.

In this edition: The rise of bankruptcy in brokerages, the first day of F3 and pilots find new homes.

Innovation in freight goes beyond technology. While many major FreightTech companies have gone bankrupt, it does not mean that innovation is lacking or that every tech company is doomed to fail.

Logixboard’s best-in-class customer experience allows freight forwarders and logistics service providers to tie their internal systems into a single easy-to-navigate platform.

Last-mile delivery is complicated. Technology can make it more efficient, but the key is successfully integrating multiple systems.

Greenscreens.ai’s Matthew Silver said with Capacity On Tap, “brokers get all their capacity sources in a single pane of glass without having to reenter data.”

Find out who the unsung FreightTech disrupters are and how they provide unique tools to help shippers.

This is CargoX’s second sizable partnership aimed at bringing more efficient import and export practices to global markets.

Electric vehicle manufacturing efforts have been marching south. In fact, EV manufacturing investments in the Southeast alone reached $54.6 billion in 2022 –– a 128% year-over-year increase, according to the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

Despite a tumultuous year, the Flock Freight team is optimistic about how its technology is advancing and the future needs of the industry when it comes to its mode offering.

With over two decades of experience in logistics, Regan Daniels’ evolution is a story of adaptability and a pursuit of efficiency.

“There is no good lane or bad lane or good deadhead or bad deadhead. There is only a focus on what is a good route for the driver to maximize their profitability,” says aifleet co-founder and CEO Marc El Khoury.

“AI-powered insights help customers take informed action, like seeking alternative suppliers, tracing their raw materials, identifying potential geographic concentrations and targeting risky supplier networks,” says Altana Technologies’ Amy Morgan.

Battery-electric trucks and the infrastructure to charge them require joint development, a lesson fleets are learning from early adopters.

Loadsmart CEO Felipe Capella said there’s “massive value potential for the whole freight industry” by applying computer vision technology.

Zerobroker’s fundraising round saw participation from freight forwarder Flexport, FundersClub and Streamlined Ventures.

As many organizations still have functional silos, it is becoming paramount to the success of broader supply chain technologies that those functions collaborate across the organizations.

According to a recent study by SkyQuest Technology, every year more than $750 billion worth of losses occur worldwide due to poor cold chain logistics and facilities and improper handling procedures.

“One of the key requests that we hear from our customers is an ability to reduce charging times, and that requires both improvement of vehicle technology as well as charging technology,” Prologis’ Henrik Holland said at FreightWaves’ Net-Zero Carbon Summit.

The former Emerge senior vice president of customer success plans to leverage customer voices in his new role leading Princeton TMX.

With this rise of AI, we take a look at how it can be used by the logistics industry.

Project44’s Jett McCandless comments on the state of technology as the company completes a round of layoffs on Thursday.

Anthony Sutardja, co-founder and CEO of Parade, told FreightWaves the new capital will go toward AI and RFP tools.

Integrations solutions provider Kleinschmidt plans to help insurance tech vendor meshVI build out its future technology stack and will provide application programming interface support.

The partnership offers e2open TMS users seamless access to FlockDirect, a terminal-free shared truckload solution from Flock, enabling real-time quoting and booking.

Convoy’s new system uses machine learning and other tools to identify possible fraud.

RCG Logistics will immediately be integrated under the Acertus brand.

Laid-off employees came from support departments including Human Resources, Information Technology (IT) and other ancillary support roles. IT roles affected by the event included business analysts, scrum masters, quality analysts, product managers, and project managers.

In this edition: The cost of a conversation, Florida prepares for a Hurricane and Mexico avoids a strike.

Issues in the yard can threaten tight delivery windows just as much as issues on the road. Every inefficiency in the supply chain creates a domino effect, but so does every improvement.

A new app from Finloc 2000 allows carriers, drivers and, soon, freight brokers to book overnight truck parking, addressing an issue that plagues the U.S. trucking industry.

“Optym HaulPlan has enabled us to plan more efficiently and make adjustments to lanes quicker,” said Estes President and COO Webb Estes.

In this edition: Identity theft for freight brokerages on the rise, Brake Safety Week is upon us, and the battle for terminals heats up.

For customers, knowing when their shipment will arrive is no longer just a preference, it’s expected. Whether the receiver is a business or the end consumer, the standard is the […]

The TruckParkingClub.com application now provides real-time reservable parking sites at 143 rest stops and 120 premium locations for overnight, multi-night and up to monthly stays.

The fleet management ecosystem has undergone a serious technological transformation over the past several years, leading to more data being collected than ever before.

While AI technologies have the potential to transform the shipping and logistics industries, their success takes careful and strategic planning.

In the post-pandemic pivot from just-in-case to just-in-time manufacturing, digital freight network Convoy has launched a service to help shippers and carriers manage risk.

Rate deals and spikes don’t last forever, and smart industry players know caring for the partners who will sustain them when the market inevitably shifts is mission-critical.

Supply chain technology provider Trimble posts impressive Q2 results and says truck spot rates may have “bottomed out.”

snapshot of ports in 1991 reveals the importance of a new radio-frequency technology launch at the time, when a terminal in Honolulu first received the tech.

Kodif’s founding team showcases experience, resulting in the development of a technical product that empowers even those lacking technical proficiency to effectively utilize it.

Fluid Truck Renew helps commercial fleets lease out parked equipment and offers a simple way for new fleets to enter the market.

According to Terminal Industries, 92% of yards lack technology solutions to eliminate wasted capacity, drive down unforeseen costs and improve inventory operations, leading to $146 billion in excess transportation costs.

Women In Trucking Association President and CEO Jennifer Hedrick explains how the average driver job has changed, removing barriers for women.

“I think this acquisition sends the message to the market that we are here to add real value,” said Ship Angel founder Graham Parker.

Tive’s technology advancements allow customers to see blind spots in air and ocean cargo.

Obtained documentation shows Transfix is looking to raise funds at a $376 million valuation.

Nominate freight industry disruptors for FreightWaves’ annual 2024 FreightTech awards before Friday, Sept. 1.

Your latest info on all things cold chain

The Swiss company’s precision dropping system autonomously releases cargo from a few feet in the air when the drone has reached its destination.

In this edition: One state has over $20 in fireworks per resident; Yellow struggles with negotiations; and a double broker AMA hits Reddit. 

Speedcargo seeks out hidden cargo space among airfreight providers.

Tomorrow.io’s satellite constellation will transmit near-real-time scans of precipitation, ocean and atmospheric profiles for any point on Earth.

In this edition: The FMCSA has issued final guidance on the broker and agent divide and there are big doings in the West Coast labor talks.

The company plans to leverage RetailOps’ technical talent to accelerate product development and provide brands with omnichannel solutions.

Jim Waters, Frayt’s vice president of marketing, said the company’s survey highlighted the growing need for last-mile services; 37% of respondents said 50% of their logistics operations fell into the last-mile category.

Yesterday’s emerging technology is today’s table stakes for supply chain participants.

In this edition: West Coast labor union talks get ramped up a notch; Canada goes head-to-head with Mexico; and C.H. Robinson finds a new CEO. 

Digital freight marketplace NEXT Trucking is on the prowl for either additional capital or an exit.

“Investors have shifted from a growth-at-all-costs mindset to focus on the path to profitability and scalable growth. No startup, not even the rocket ships of logistics technology, will be immune to these trends,” says project44 founder and CEO Jett McCandless.

“We want [global shipping] to be self-explanatory, easy to navigate and easy for you to find the answer you are looking for,” says Maja Bernstein, vice president of industry relations at Fluent Cargo.

Convoy’s co-founder and CEO suggests that FreightTech offerings have paved the way to disrupt fragmentation with a new model of shipping: the hybrid carrier model.

FreightTech providers are examining disruptive global shipping modifications that would be detrimental without AI’s support.

Integrated business planning solutions “enable an organization to respond to changing demand while managing product flow to ensure high customer service,” says ArchLynk CEO Sekhar Puli.

“Once shippers get up and running on GoodShip, they invite their carriers onto the platform. This creates a multiplayer experience where each party has access to modern analytics, creating a single source of truth,” says CEO Ryan Soskin.

Uber Freight, Convoy and J.B. Hunt formed the Scheduling Standards Consortium in December to standardize trade data and synthesize scheduling technology.

Carriers will now be able to handle their fuel expenses on Uber Freight’s app with no annual fees, according to the freight marketplace.

Uber Freight’s head of product shares simple ways to improve decision-making and reduce costs while improving customers’ shipping experiences.

“We could make carriers’ lives easier by giving them a single tool that they can use to make sure that they are not missing any hiring steps,” said LogRock co-founder and CEO Hunter Yaw.

“The Premier Partner Program expands our carrier family to include an even higher level of qualification of carriers that can meet the needs of participating shippers,” said president George Abernathy.

The importance of real-time visibility in supply chain management cannot be overstated, as it helps improve transparency, traceability, sustainability, and customer service. 77% of supply chain leaders say real-time visibility […]

Using the company’s platform, Repowr Connect, shippers, fleets and 3PLs can share their available assets with other network members, helping parties find on-demand capacity.

“We are looking to empower these independent contractors and truly treat them as owners of their businesses,” Luke Denny, co-founder and CEO, told FreightWaves.

“TrueTMS carries a price point that is affordable for a one- to 20-truck operator to purchase,” says T3 Tech’s George Thellman.

Interstate Health’s CEO explains how addressing the needs of both truckers and travelers can make a highway care network work.

“[Navix] understands their customers’ problems, the value proposition and how to apply the technology to solve them,” said Rob Estes, chairman and CEO of Estes Express Lines.

Echo Global Logistics has held true to the same goal since its inception almost 20 years ago: Make transportation management simpler.

FreightWaves has teamed up with Parade for a one-hour webinar on Thursday, April 13 at 2 p.m. ET to discuss how brokers can tackle the toughest carrier management challenges using their […]