Less than Truckload (LTL)

New truck and trailer purchases currently include a 12 percent federal excise tax, adding tens of thousands of dollars to the purchase price. A new coalition is looking to lobby for the repeal of the tax.

As of December 16, 2019, anyone running an AOBRD must switch to an ELD. There are steps that can be taken now to ensure the changeover will be painless.

There are numerous reasons why electric trucks may continue to take a backseat when private transportation fleets and for-hire carriers are developing their truck procurement strategies.

Analyst Bruce Chan at Stifel praises the reorganization at the company that suffered an accounting scandal and sees the base being laid for future growth.

The SureFly is just one of the products that Workhorse is working on. Additional projects include electric delivery vans and electric pickups.

Drivers most often commented on equipment issues, logistics, people, pay, and communication on the WorkHound platform in 2018. The platform compiles anonymous driver comments.

Economic and freight indicators are mixed, with some suggesting a downturn is coming, but others pointing to continued growth.

Everyone knew the quarter was weaker than it had been. The question is how much. Stock prices have reflected a significant slowdown.

Fleets are increasingly turning to video to help exonerate drivers of wrongdoing and finding that a side benefit is the coaching opportunity video provides to improve risky driving behaviors.

Delivery robots, shifting supply chains due to trade wars, and automation slowing productivity in ports

Transflo used its slot during the MarketWaves 18 Demo Day to showcase how its app’s new user interface, along with the broader Transflo ecosystem can be used effectively to reduce time during the lifecycle of a load.

The Teamsters Union is relying on the new Congress to help stave off insolvency of its Central States Pension Fund.

As administrators for the Black Smoke Matters group on Facebook worked to get a handle on the sudden explosion of members in the group, one administrator announced he is stepping away from the page and the group has posted what it is calling “Truckers Declarations for the 2019 Shutdown” on its website.

The New Jersey company will go into Hunt’s Dedicated Services unit.

The udelv autonomous delivery vehicle, with an electric range of about 60 miles, will enter a pilot program with XL Parts in Houston.

It’s an aggressive push by Deutsche to rebut the suggestion that XPO has serious accounting issues.

Aterian Investment Partners Principal Michael Fieldstone said that his firm supported XGS CEO Darrel Harris and his management team and would provide capital to complete improvements to the business.

ELDs have been required for the majority of the industry for more than a year now, but there are still some that do not have to comply until Dec. 16, 2019. A look back at ELDs, and what the next deadline means.

Joplin, Missouri-based Contract Freighter Inc (CFI) will “assume responsibility” for Chicago-based freight transport company, Optimal Freight, at the start of the New Year. Financial details of the transaction are not available at the time of writing.

Adding blockchain to existing order fulfillment software product speeds up event recording required for invoice approval.

The formula for the rights offeirng could leave Elliott in control of more than 95% of the company’s outstanding common stock.

Even the Port’s director agrees something needs to be done; East Coast port notches new record; ATA crows about California victory.

The beleaguered carpet hauler was over-leveraged and running out of cash.

Economic issues not yet on the table.

The history books will say many things about 2018, but whatever else is recorded, it will go down as one of the strongest years for spot and contract pricing increases in the history of trucking in the U.S. Will that trend continue?

Facial recognition will be tested next year on the Peace Bridge that connects the U.S. and Canada as a possible solution to speed up commercial border crossings.

Basic amenities such as snacks and a bathroom rank high among truck drivers as improvements shippers can implement at their locations to improve the driver experience.

Suit alleging millions in DoD overcharges centers on proper reweighing.

YRC inflated shipment weights, billed improperly, and covered up actions, suit alleges.

A number of analysts have stepped forward and issued counterarguments to a negative report on Thursday about XPO, and the company itself has announced a share buyback program.

XPO Logistics has disputed the content of a report from Spruce Point Capital Management, a noted short-seller of stocks, that claims XPO has “perpetuated a massive financial scheme on the public.”

EchoShip is one of four parts of an integrated offering for the leading 3PL.

Shares fall sharply amid possible downward earnings revision for ‘19

An Eaton clutch defect leads to a recall of International truck models and other OEMs may have to follow suit, plus Amazon Air takes off and intermodal growth being driven by inland ports.

Also in the pickup: the sad state of interstate 81; farmers and truckers in the news; Saia’s fourth-quarter status report

Review that began in May expanded to examine allegations at Memphis DC

Fleets are increasingly focused on reducing theirs and cutting fuel usage. Electric vehicles, particularly medium-duty trucks and those vehicles used in e-commerce and last-mile delivery, represent prime opportunities to achieve both goals.

The tax changes of 2017 caused some fleets to consider leasing as opposed to buying, and new accounting rule changes could have a similar effect, says Fleet Advantage.

As any driver knows, parking is at a premium at truck stops, even during the middle of the day. A new survey is being conducted to get an update on the current parking situation.

The National Academies of Science has identified seven core research areas that it said could help DOT determine possible changes to truck size and weight.

Google Search becomes part of XPO’s last-mile tracking portfolio.

A driver incentive program, which not only prompts drivers to make smarter and safer driving decisions, but also promotes driver happiness, is one way to increase driver retention.

Is e-commerce making traffic congestion in urban areas worse? Gas demand plummets in South Korea; a state DOT seeks solutions through art; turnkey logistics in Asia and more.

Canada is working to finalize an ELD rule for truckers in that country. The rule would closely mirror the U.S. regulation, with a few significant differences.

They couldn’t get a truck to the school but the kids learned anyway how their stuff gets to their houses.

A Connecticut DOT study found that tolls on the state highways could generate $1 billion a year. Despite that, the incoming governor is focused only on adding tolls for trucks.

YRC, Teamsters say pilots mean more earnings for drivers.

FedEx is expanding its alternative-fuel vehicle fleet with 1,000 electric vans from Chanje Energy, to be delivered over the next two years.

Operations to vary depending on pilot markets.

There is no timeline for implementation of any new NOx rulemaking, but there are a couple of key questions that must be answered: What will the limits be and how much will this cost?

Pilot underway in Dallas-Ft.Worth market.

Amazon came out on top according to the judges in FreightWaves’ Research Institute’s inaugural Freight.Tech 25, which identified the most disruptive and innovative companies in the freight space.

Penske Truck Leasing has added a major upgrade to its Penske Driver app, giving drivers the ability to quickly and easily call for roadside assistance without the need for a phone call.

UPS advised shippers to take LTL business elsewhere. They did.

DHL hopes plan will attract new recruits to industry as shortfall looms.

XPO Logistics is rolling out four new LTL optimization technologies and has announced a fast-track and free process for military members and veterans to receive their CDL.

Rank-and-file at UPS Freight unit overwhelmingly ratify 5-year pact.

Its financial metrics were not strong, but management sees recapitalization as key to its future.

ZED Connect has announced that it is discontinuing its ZED-ELD product and offering current customers an opportunity to transition to the EZ-ELD from Stoneridge.

The FreightWaves Research Institute will announce the winners of the Freight.Tech 25 next week at the MarketWaves18 conference at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas.

While transportation was not a front-of-the-ticket issue for politicians in the midterm elections, there were some significant developments when it came to funding projects across the country.

Expeditors navigates around pricing pressure to post solid Q3 results.

Intermodal services firm to boost presence in consumer goods sector with acquisition of LTL consolidator and brokerage.

Tuesdays may not be good days to be on the road; transport firms need to boost analytics usage to match what customers are doing.

Less-than-truckload carrier plans to rejuvenate fleet and remain focused on price over volume.

LTL carrier says Northeast expansion to continue with new facilities, but segment remains at breakeven results.

In a CarrierLists survey of fleets, most respondents expect rates and volumes to remain the same or improve in 2019.

Incoming CEO Rourke brings experience in driver training, account management and truckload services.

Drivers at XPO Logistics, Inc.’s (NYSE:XPO) facility in Cinnaminson, N.J., an eastern suburb of Philadelphia, have agreed to join Teamsters union Local 107, the Teamsters said.

Canada’s largest railroad boosts intermodal and refrigerated service offering with acquisition of major trucking company.

The Teamsters union has said that proposed changes to a tentative contract from UPS Freight, UPS Inc.’s (NYSE:UPS) less-than-truckload unit, fails to address the grievances raised by the rank-and-file, and that the union’s negotiating committee will call a nationwide strike sometime after Nov. 12 if workers reject the company’s offer.

Spireon has new financial backing and a market that still has a lot of trailers without GPS tracking.

The new tool will allow machine learning to accept and interpret counteroffers from carriers, and decide if they’re too high or just right.

The UPS Freight 30-day period is coming to an end and rank-and-file angry with the ratification decision in the face of a “no” vote are not sitting quietly.

Even as the trucking industry struggles to identify new drivers, there is a segment of the U.S. population that is facing unemployment rates above 27% that are looking for jobs. Can felons fill the driver gap?

Also in the pickup: IMO meets with 2020 on the horizon; Rhine levels are causing plants to shut down; C.R. England and its charitable cause

Venture brings together two of the largest names in U.S. frac sand production to provide integrated delivery solution.

The plant at the heart of the story was acquired by XPO a few years ago. The company reportedly was stunned by the allegations in the article.

The usual signs of an upturn in the trucking sector aren’t there, according to the Wall Street house, and Morgan wonders if a lot of the demand got pushed forward.

XPO Logistics was named to the Fortune Future 50 list of U.S. public companies while KeepTruckin and Transfix were both honored by Forbes as two companies likely to achieve unicorn status.

Continuing efforts to fight what he says are unfair trade practices, the administration of President Donald Trump announced the U.S. will pull out of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) treaty, which sets how much can be charged for international shipping.

The FreightWaves Research Institute has announced the list of 55 voters who will be choosing the inaugural winners of the Freight.Tech 25 awards, and it’s who’s who of freight leaders.

From on-demand trucking to blockchain, loadboards and freight matching, the list of companies bringing innovative technologies to the freight industry is growing by the day, which makes the 100 that have made the cut to be honored by the FreightWaves Research Institute as part of its inaugural Freight.Tech 100 all the more special.

It started with an open nomination period, and after culling through hundreds of submissions, the FreightWaves Research Institute has announced the inaugural Freight.Tech 100 companies.

Mike Roeth, executive director of NACFE, spoke last week at the Meritor/P.S.I. Fleet Technology Event, telling the audience that one of the lessons he learned from NACFE’s Run on Less program in 2016 was that drivers still have plenty of influence over fuel economy, despite technology advances.

Long known for its automatic tire inflation system (ATIS), P.S.I. adding a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) to its portfolio of solutions to help fleets more effectively manage tire maintenance.

Most of the move has no impact on ecommerce or last mile, but one small change could bring some new demand.

It’s a wide range of opinions that are expressed in FMCSA’s call for comments on changes in the HOS rule.

High spot market trucking rates have caused more carriers to move to that market, but the majority of carriers in a new Transporeon Group survey have remained loyal to their shippers.

The rank-and-file rejected the agreement, but the union says it didn’t meet a minimum level to not accept a deal. UPS appears baffled by all of this.

Driver churn continues to plague the industry as the turnover rate at large truckload carriers has reached its highest point in five years.

Rising driver wages and fuel costs pushed up the cost per mile to operate a commercial vehicle in 2017, according to an annual report released by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). The group said it cost $1.69 per mile to operate a truck last year, up 6% from 2016’s cost.

Tired truck drivers? That’s a big concern based on a new survey by the National Safety Council that found 97% of transportation employers are worried about employee fatigue.

Tender volumes are taking many by surprise, but not those that understand what is happening with the use of ELD’s by small carriers, especially in the dry van segment.

Volvo Trucks will introduce an all-electric truck in California next year before making them commercial available in North America in 2020, the company said.

Military members looking to become truck drivers may have an easier time in doing so as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has authorized states to waive the commercial learner’s permit (CLP) knowledge test and driving skills tests.

The long-anticipated Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill is up for a vote and it does not include the controversial meal-and-rest break provision that the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and other industry forces were seeking.

The smartest minds on Wall Street use charting analytics to quickly identify and then track trends in multiple data sets. Why? Because it works. And now freight professionals are learning how to do the same. 

FreightWaves spoke to ArcBest officers about Off Wall Street’s research report, which they said raised concerns about off-balance sheet liabilities related to pensions.

XPO’s seasonal numbers are up 20% from last year. Those sorts of needs is why Amazon has a unique program for a unique group of people.