The Daily Dash is a quick look at what’s happening in the freight ecosystem. In today’s edition, we highlight the latest tech advances for autonomous trucks, an analysis for investing in the LTL market and more.
The High Five
1. One sensor from LiDAR startup AEye Inc. can see more than a half-mile ahead and alert an autonomous truck that a human driver is cutting in from the next lane of traffic. The miniature machine is being evaluated for inclusion in TuSimple’s autonomous driving system on a Navistar International truck planned for 2024. Alan Adler’s story
2. Amtrak wants the Surface Transportation Board to expedite its review of Amtrak’s plans to reestablish passenger rail service in the U.S. Gulf Coast. The service was discontinued in the mid-2000s. But CSX and Norfolk Southern are saying, not so fast. Joanna Marsh’s story
3. Many investors view the highly fragmented TL industry as more transactional and dependent on spot market trends like changes in capacity and rates, which can whipsaw more frequently than in the LTL industry. By comparison, the LTL market is traditionally more rate-disciplined, which provides steadier revenue per shipment. Todd Maiden’s analysis
4. Bed Bath & Beyond is quickly growing its same-day and on-demand delivery networks, adding a critical partner that can help service larger items other delivery partners may not be able to handle. Roadie, which provides “on the way” last-mile delivery, has 200,000 verified drivers on its platform. Brian Straight’s story
5. It’s a tough time to be a warehouse operator. Many must contend with a dwindling labor supply while taking on skyrocketing demand. But what if, rather than relying on the limited supply of skilled warehouse workers, an operator could eliminate the need for new hires entirely? Jack Daleo with more
Five more to check out: AEV Summit special
These chat recaps are from FreightWaves’ Autonomous & Electric Vehicles Summit.
Navistar and TuSimple on track for 2024 launch
Redundant safety systems key to market-ready robot trucks
Anticipating new federal rules for team drivers
Electrification, autonomy may debut in unexpected areas
Xos on why vocational vehicles make great EVs
Daily SONAR chart
The Denver dry van freight market has been quite volatile, with big and fast capacity swings. Currently, market conditions have significantly and quickly tightened over the past three days as we see with the capacity trend market score (blue) and market direction (purple). Shippers may want to extend tender lead times, while brokers should take precautions to ensure they have capacity. With demand for capacity on the rise, dry van carriers in the Denver market currently have leverage in rate negotiations.
