Trucking

PAM Transport, Inc., a top 100 largest For-Hire Carrier in North America, announced today that it has joined BiTA.

One thing that hasn’t changed (yet) with the ELD mandate is the way drivers get treated at shippers and receivers. The old adage of “hurry up and wait” has never been more apt, especially in the over-the-road truckload sector.

Presented by Reliance Partners …Cargo theft doesn’t just happen on the road, it can also happen at the warehouse. To prevent it, leading experts noted some of the approaches that scare away thieves.

Shippers are increasingly being held responsible for actions of carriers hauling their freight, says a leading transportation attorney.

Shippers that work closer with carriers and treat drivers with respect can see lower transportation costs as a result.

If you want to make a million dollars, all it takes is a little hard work and creating something that has value.

Last fall, it was revealed that Hino – traditionally a medium-duty truck company owned by Toyota – would build a Class 8 truck for North America. That truck was unveiled on Wednesday at the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis.

Mack Trucks is hoping its Mack Over The Air remote software update program brings as much success to customers going forward as it has for early adopters.

The Starship is a futuristic-looking, but completely road legal, Class 8 tractor-trailer unit built through a collaboration between Shell and AirFlow Truck Company.

Declaring that trucking needed, and would have, a seat at the table, American Trucking Associations’ President Chris Spear fired up the crowd at the official opening of TMC 2018 on Monday night in Atlanta.

The University of Central Arkansas has announced it has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA), a forum for the development of blockchain standards and education for the transportation industry.

The American Trucking Associations’ Technology and Maintenance Council and Transportation Security Council, in conjunction with the FBI, has developed Fleet CyWatch to help fleets protect themselves against cyberattacks.

A few of this week’s most interesting discussions–or just exclamations–on social media

Current financial news headlines are full of stories about inflation and the resurgence of inflation in the U.S. economy.  

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ: WERN), a transportation and logistics provider, is pleased to announce its collaboration with the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA), an alliance formed to ensure standardization of blockchain technology in logistics and throughout the supply chain.

One unique vision for congestion improvement comes out of Georgia: a toll-free, truck-only highway running through one of the most congested corridors in the state.

Schneider (NYSE: SNDR), a provider of transportation and logistics services, is now a member of the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BITA).  

Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) has announced that Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is the association’s most recent member, including a membership on the BiTA board.

Velocity Freight Transport, Inc. (Velocity Transport) announced today it has joined BiTA.

There are many stock analysts that have been predicting a stock market decline. The question now becomes, are we looking at a correction or something more indicative of a slowing economy?

The annual American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council annual meeting is one of those trade shows that industry professionals come away with not just knowledge, but best practices that will guide them throughout the year.

SCLogic, a leading provider of in-building logistics systems, announced today that they have joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA).

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is taking a survey of truck drivers’ commutes to and from work.

FreightWaves, in partnership with the Georgia Tech Institute of Technology and the Blockchain in Transport Alliance, will be presenting the inaugural Transparency18 Future of Freight Conference, May 22-23, 2018, in Atlanta, GA, at the Georgia International Convention Center. The event promises to be unlike any previous trucking or logistics show.

With all the cheering from business over passage of the Republican tax plan, the next step in the tax reform journey has now begun: the real-world impact. And it could fundamentally change the way drivers are classified.

A lot has been spoken about how the freight industry is sluggish on the uptake with regard to adopting technology, but the truth is, the industry needs a better understanding of demographics than it does technology.

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.

Rail Delivery Services, a premier provider of intermodal drayage, dedicated trucking, and consolidation services, has joined the BlockChain in Transport Alliance (BiTA).

Just like everyone else who is familiar with the new regulation and the way that the trucking industry works, we expect that adoption of, and enforcement of, the ELD rule will initially lead to some constraints on trucking capacity. How big will that reduction be and how long will it last is yet to be seen. 

Strong rates and healthy economic fundamentals will pose opportunities and challenges for trucking mergers & acquisitions in 2018.

It is estimated that truck driver vacancies have reached nearly 50,000 this year and if the trend continues, it could explode to six figures in the next decade. Could immigrants fill those gaps?

Everyone who is even remotely aware of the trucking industry in the U.S. knows that the ELD rule goes into effect on Monday. Time will tell, but if there are not massive numbers of trucks parked on the side of the road, and shippers are actually able to find trucks to move loads, we will not be surprised. 

The enormity of the trucking industry can be realized by looking at the myriad of industries that depend on freight hauling for their sustenance and growth. Add the fracking industry to that list as  frac sand has become a major commodity.

Shipping hazardous materials is risky. Yet carriers are willing to shoulder the risk of moving them across states, but to do so requires understanding a number of regulations that must be followed.

Trucks drive everyday down the highways of America and no one really knows what’s in those trailers. FreightWaves created this infographic to give you an idea of what could be inside that trailer.

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Alkane Truck Company, based in Myrtle Beach, SC, and evLaboratory Inc., to have the latter’s powertrain and battery management technology integrated into Alkane’s OEM chassis products.

Like all of the companies at the first Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) meeting, held last month in Atlanta, TMW Systems sees blockchain technology playing a critical role in the freight transportation industry going forward.

Don Hummer Trucking is betting on the future of blockchain technology to radically transform the trucking industry. The company recently announced it is joining the Blockchain in Transport Alliance.

As it stands, the tax bill, as it’s currently drafted, looks to benefit the industry in general, but what it means for the individual trucker is less clear.

Larger fleets sometimes control their insurance costs by self-insuring. Smaller fleets, though, often don’t have the financial resources to self-insure, so more of them are turning to “captive” insurance programs.

Innovation is sweeping across the trucking industry; technologies such as autonomy, blockchain, and electrification are beginning to demonstrate real value potential. However, the question is, where innovation has been stagnant in the past, is the industry ready for change?

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.

The push for autonomous vehicles is gaining more traction as it is provides an easy solution to the worsening driver shortage. Greg Nichols, writing for ZDNet, says the obvious reason is that “millennials don’t want to drive trucks.”

With less than two months left before the ELD mandate goes into effect, statistics coming from ground zero on the compliance of carriers to the proposed rule are far from satisfactory.

Even with rates rising – both contract and spot – and capacity tightening, attracting drivers still remain a primary concern for fleets. Driver pay is increasing, but outside influences are still hurting the recruitment efforts.

eCapital, a leading supply chain financial services provider, announced today that it has been selected as the newest member of the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance (BiTA). BiTA was formed by experienced tech and transportation executives to create a forum for the development of blockchain standards and education for the freight industry. View member companies here.

For the past 15 years, if a carrier needed some assistance getting over a rough time financially, there has been help available from lenders who specialize in transportation finance. One of those companies is Marquette Transportation Finance, which just surpassed a milestone of sorts: It’s lent more than $15 billion to companies large and small.

The process of matching freight is complicated – with many parameters involved in exploring thousands of different possible combinations in real time and in identifying the best possible match to the parties involved. TGMatrix, a startup based out of Oxford in the United Kingdom, is working on creating an intermodal freight matching engine.

There were a number of companies that presented new and updated products this past week at the American Trucking Associations’ MCE 2017 conference in Orlando, FL. Here is a rundown of some of those products.

We need NAFTA. That was the general consensus from Bob Costello and Derek Leathers on Sunday during a general industry update session at the American Trucking Associations’ MCE 2017 conference in Orlando.

Some of the most prominent stakeholders in Canada voiced their concerns over NAFTA at an event organized by the Truckload Carriers’ Association (TCA) entitled “Bridging Border Barriers.”

The concept of driverless trucks has recently jostled the transportation industry.  However, truck drivers everywhere may be relieved to discover that world-renowned business tycoon, Warren Buffett, is betting a fortune on their livelihoods, and sees no need to worry about an impending AI driver revolution.

Celadon Group has announced the appointment of Thom Albrecht as executive vice president – chief financial and strategy officer. Albrecht is president of consulting firm Sword & Sea Transport and a member of the TransRisk Board of Advisors.

Bitcoin is super-hot and has fended off any real threat to its meteoric rise. We examine what has fueled this factor and how it impacts the viability of blockchain in the logistics sector. 

On Wednesday night, President Donald Trump talked about his administration’s tax plan at an event at an airport hanger on the Pennsylvania Air National Guard base in Harrisburg, PA. Here is the official, unedited transcript of the speech provided by the White House:

President Donald Trump took his case for tax reform to the American people on Wednesday night – specifically the trucking community – at an event in Harrisburg, PA.

Until Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico, few people had ever heard of the Jones Act. Now, armed with a basic knowledge, many are wondering if the Jones Act is actually harming the U.S. and whether lifting it might benefit shipping and logistics in this country.

Elon Musk has delayed the public unveiling of the Tesla semi, citing issues with the Model 3 production rollout and a focus increasing battery production to help Puerto Rico, Musk tweeted late on Friday.

Chris Burruss, formerly with the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), is the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance (BiTA)’s first President. The Alliance was launched in September 2017 to develop blockchain standard and certifications for the freight industry, has 160+ applicants, and 85% of the truckload transactions can be represented in the space. 

John Larkin and the team at Stifel go super bullish on the truckload sector after spending weeks on the road gaining market insights to just how hot the market has become. 

Goodyear is replacing one of its long-haul drive tires with a new model that features advancements that improve miles to removal and retreadability. The Endurance LHD is being introduced this week at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta.

Some reports suggest truck driver wages have not kept up with inflation. But wages are not always the defining factor when it comes to jobs. Are truck drivers really better off today than 40 years ago?

The first two weeks in after a bankruptcy filing of a customer are critical to ensuring you get paid. Trucking companies, especially smaller carriers and owner-operators, are often at the end of that line – the so-called unsecured creditors. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

When a major retailer such as Toys “R” Us files for bankruptcy, a long line of creditors comes knocking. Trucking companies, especially smaller carriers and owner-operators, are often at the end of that line – the so-called unsecured creditors. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

No need for those extra extension cords just yet; electric vehicles are not about to take over the world. That is one of the points that Lars Stengvist, CTO of the Volvo Group and EVP of Volvo Group Truck Technology, made to a select group of reporters during a roundtable discussion on truck technologies

The ongoing and future transformation in the industry will not only benefit the carriers, truckers and shippers, but also the controlling authorities as well as positively impact other industries in the market and the economy at large. Here are a few of the technologies already impacting the industry.

Delphi CTO says that autonomous vehicles will come to cities and ports long before they will ever go into the highway or over-the-road trucking markets 

In the past two decades, more than 90% of the nation’s pollinators – from bees to butterflies – have disappeared. That’s why companies like Bee Downtown are working so hard to save the honeybee, and trucking is playing a critical role in its survival.

FreightWaves adds a startup directory to the site to help startups identify partners, investors, and talent in the emerging FreightTech space. 

A major pipeline supplying diesel fuel from Texas to the East Coast has had to be shut down with no indication of when it will be turned back on.

Once revered as one of the top trucking companies in the nation, Celadon Group has hit a rough patch in 2017. But there is a new leader with a new vision, and that’s to make Celadon a top carrier once again.

Even as the industry steps up to help, dedicating thousands of trucks and millions of cubic feet of capacity to relief efforts, an analysis from FTR says that approximately 7% of the industry has been affected already and some of that will be affected for weeks.

While the third quarter may be a slow time for contract renewals between carriers and shippers, a few deals have been done so far and the early indications are contract rates are heading up.

After Hurricane Harvey departs Texas, the area will likely be in need of relief supplies. Trucks will haul those supplies. but how are the logistics of moving relief supplies handled? Someone who was involved in that process explains. 

Solar power is most known as a source of electricity, but it is now proving that it belongs in other applications. Within the trucking industry, the use of solar is growing and it’s showing itself quite capable of the demands. 

McLeod Software has joined the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance (BiTA), a new organization focused on the promotion and educational efforts to utilizing blockchain technology in the transportation ecosystem.

An industry that has a reputation of being behind the curve on technology may be at the forefront of one of the most important technological developments in decades. Yes, the trucking industry is poised to lead the blockchain way, and BiTA plans to help it get there.

Two separate deals kicked off this week’s big transportation news as Greenbriar Equity Group has acquired Transplace and Descartes said it was acquiring MacroPoint.

The Great American Eclipse has dawned upon the trucking industry. Thanks to the upcoming solar eclipse, states have started asking businesses that use the roadways, such as trucking companies, to consider adjusting their delivery schedules.

In recent years, disruption to routes along the Gulf Coast and East Coast because of hurricanes – which can spread hundreds of miles wide and leave widespread flooding and infrastructure damage in their wake – has been minimal. That could change this hurricane season.

A new month, but the same old story. Spot rates rose again according to data from DAT, with the national van and flatbed rates each climbing 3 cents per mile and refrigerated rates rising 4 cents for the week of July 30 to Aug. 5.

The boost in one sector of the economy ultimately leads to boosts in other sectors, either directly or indirectly. This is the case with oil extraction in North Dakota and it has helped drive the growth of trucking services in that region and nearby Canada.

Contract pricing, which has affected second-quarter earnings for a number of 3PLs, remains weak according to the latest data from FTR.

Survey results released last week by the National Safety Council tell a sobering tale of just how tired American workers are, and how that fatigue could be impacting safety on the job.

Paul Svindland’s appointment as the new CEO of Celadon Group has been enthusiastically by many, including investors who have pushed up the company’s stock in recent weeks. But, Svindland faces many challenges in the weeks ahead.

The latest legal troubles for the U.S. Postal Service are just part of a problem in the agency which has seen billions of dollars in losses each year. The impact of these issues could significantly impact the broader trucking industry, which has a large stake in USPS’ success.

The on-again, off-again saga over the electronic logging device rule is back on again after language was inserted into a House appropriations bill this week directing FMCSA to review the rule and make a determination if the rule should be delayed or changed.

Starting with just two trucks in Joplin, MO, in 1951, Contract Freighters Inc. (CFI) built a reputation for quality service, professional drivers, and being a good community partner. Today, CFI – after several name and ownership changes in the past 15 years – is reconnecting with the Joplin community and its customer base. The truckload carrier is home, even though it never left.

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.

Shut downs of operating systems due to cyberattacks are complete handicaps for logistics companies and lead to significant amounts of lost business as well as productivity. But can they be prevented?

The Indian trucking market is not unlike that of the U.S. Technological change is happening, albeit a little slower in India, Numadic is one company that is trying to quicken the speed of change.

Across the nation, rising freight volumes, a strong produce season and the ongoing oil boom are driving up spot rates, but how long will the current trend continue?

TaaS seems like another in a long line of acronyms that have infiltrated the transportation industrypromising to disrupt the world as we know it. But what is TaaS, and why will this be an acronym that might deliver on its promise?

The Federal Reserve voted to increase its key interest rate today, upping the rate 0.25% to a target of 1% to 1.5%. The increase, while small, could have a profound impact on trucking companies, shippers and consumers.

The lifeblood for many small trucking companies and independent truckers is the load board. There is no shortage of load boards, and differentiating between them can be difficult. For truckers who handle bulk products, though, finding loads on a generic load board can be time consuming. That’s what Bulkloads.com is trying to change.

Claiming the upcoming ELD mandate violated the 4th Amendment, OOIDA had asked the Supreme Court to hear the case. The Court has declined to do so, allowing the rule to go into effect in December.

The nation is about to heat up starting this weekend, and that could drive more volatility to already rising spot rates for agricultural haulers and shippers.

Do you have money to invest? If so, Martin Tillier has some advice: the time may be right to invest in trucking and logistics company stocks. Tillier notes that money spent on infrastructure will improve the fortunes of an industry that counts infrastructure as a critical piece to getting its job done.

Many larger carriers already require their drivers to use ELDs, but for smaller carriers that make up the majority of the industry,  the implementation of ELDs and their associated cost could be a game-changer. This infographic highlights some of the key facts around ELDs, their impact on operations, and potential solutions to mitigate those impacts.

President Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord could have a profound effect on global efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, but will probably have little impact on the U.S. trucking industry.