Technology

Truck Talk is a weekly newsletter from FreightWaves that adds perspective and context to happenings in the trucking industry.

EPA data says 30%-40% of food is wasted in the U.S. How much of that waste happens in supply chains? About one-third, according to Shipwell.

CEO Todd Ehrlich says the venture studio model leverages valuable resources for innovators to build startups faster and with less complexity and capital.

Bridgestone invests in Kodiak Robotics and sees tire data sharing improving safety of autonomous trucks.

Outside funding totals nearly $5 billion as Waymo’s expenses rise to expand driverless ride hailing and high-autonomy trucking software.

Wabtec and General Motors have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop and commercialize GM’s advanced battery technology and its fuel cell technology for Wabtec’s locomotives.

A new terminal in Fort Worth, Texas, will let TuSimple extend its autonomous trucking network eastward to North Carolina and Florida.

There’s fintech and FreightTech. PayCargo plays in both spheres and is well supported by investors.

Circulor helps manufacturers track CO2 emissions and trace materials such as the cobalt, lithium and plastics in electric vehicle batteries throughout supply chains.

PowerFleet offers in-cab and exterior camera technology, as well as visibility for the freight pallets inside the trailer.

Fleet intelligence provider Omnitracs announced the latest release of its SmartSense technology Thursday. SmartSense for Inattentive Driving+ aims to reduce accidents by identifying distracted driving.

Truckload carrier Western Express will install Platform Science’s full suite of technologies, including the Remote Platform Management system, across its fleet of 3,000 trucks.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services is the latest fleet to test autonomous trucking software in Texas, hauling loads in human-supervised robot trucks from Waymo Via.

KeepTruckin has unveiled Fuel Hub, a telematics-based machine learning tool that can help identify drivers and vehicles that may be using more fuel than needed.

Turntide Transport division will initially target electromechanical systems to decarbonize markets such as commercial and industrial vehicles, rail, marine and aerospace.

Waabi has emerged from stealth with $83.5 million in funding and a plan to build AI-first self-driving technology.

The desktop and mobile versions of the carrier portal will launch in mid-July, while the app ⁠will be released later in Q3.

The blank-check route to going public is losing steam, but Aurora Innovation may take the plunge in a SPAC led by one of its investors.

If the farmer had the phone number of the customer buying the grain or OFE’s app to make the match, maybe there wouldn’t be as many middlemen and maybe the farmer would have better options.”

“We think we’re kind of on the cutting edge of this,” the Global Weather Corp. CEO said about its role in advancing road condition forecasting.

Three years after winning an exemption to use cameras instead of ungainly outside mirrors on semi-trucks, Stoneridge Inc. is winning over fleets.

Kodiak Robotics strikes a partnership with South Korea’s SK conglomerate to move its autonomous trucking software to Asia.

With the Canadian ELD mandate going into effect on June 12, fleets operating in that country need to know the key differences from U.S. regulations and whether they have a compliant device.

Shippers leaning toward private fleets need to consider the risk, as well as how to optimize warehouses, trailers and containers.

Truck Talk is a weekly newsletter from FreightWaves that adds perspective and context to happenings in the trucking world.

Kevin Hill, FreightWaves’ executive publisher, chats with Michael Newcity, chief innovation officer and president of ArcBest Technologies, during FreightWaves LIVE @HOME.

Waymo solved the maze of autonomously navigating surface streets. That is helping WaymoVia teach commercial trucks how to do likewise.

Three FreightTech companies demonstrated their innovative technology solutions to increase supply chain efficiency during FreightWaves LIVE @HOME on Thursday.

“We have added the ability to have an app-based experience versus an online website to manage your back room and that kind of innovation is a big reason why our retail customers have been working with us.”

Four FreightTech companies demonstrated their innovative technology solutions during FreightWaves LIVE @HOME on Wednesday.

FreightWaves President George Abernathy and Ryder Chief Technology Officer Kendra Phillips explore how autonomous technology and other FreightTech will fit in with current networks.

Redwood Logistics CEO Mark Yeager talks about emerging technology and the potential of Logistics Platform as a Service (LPaaS).

TuSimple’s autonomous trucks cut 42% off delivery time for a load of watermelons for Los Angeles-based produce giant Giumarra Cos.

Convoy Go is now available for backup and spot loads.

Shippers will never lose a document, driver or client through an automated rate contract management system.

Blockchain in Transport Alliance professionals continue to push forward the development of standards for the use of blockchain-enabled business processes.

Your employees make your company. This means that everyone from office staff to drivers must be considered when thinking about technology. Rose Rocket’s easy-to-learn but comprehensive TMS takes the frustration out of freight while benefiting your employees.

Founders Camp, the Dynamo-powered event for founders and startup companies, will take place in November alongside FreightWaves’ F3: Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga.

Wabtec’s battery-electric locomotive can reduce a train’s fuel consumption by 11%, a three-month study involving the company, BNSF and the San Joaquin Pollution Control District found.

Today there are two types of manufacturers: old school and new school. Which one you are will help decide the future of your business.

Truck Talk is a weekly newsletter offering perspective and context on happenings in the industry.

Optimal Dynamics has raised $18 million in a Series A round to fund the deployment of its CORE.ai decision-making engine for logistics operations.

AskWaves explores the different ways to capture CO2 from the air, how much it costs and what happens once it’s captured.

Mays was able to reallocate the working hours of two team members to other departments.

ORBCOMM, a provider of electronic logging devices and IoT technologies, announced carrier Marten Transport is retrofitting its fleet with ORBCOMM’s dual-mode asset-tracking devices.

Forget the autonomous trucking horse race, Wall Street and competitors are fixated on TuSimple’s “driver-out” pilot in Q4.

Self-driving truck software maker Plus signed its long-rumored SPAC with $500 million cash and $3.3 billion valuation expected in Q3.

EKA Solutions has added capabilities to its Omni-TMS, helping 3PLs and carriers to more quickly take advantage of the SaaS platform.

Truck Talk is a weekly newsletter providing background, context and perspective to the trucking industry.

Kodiak Robotics claims the best autonomous trucking software. But the startup trails the sector’s big names in both money and partners.

Sweden’s Einride startup attracts multiple global investors for scaling its cabless and driverless freight pods with U.S. entry this year.

Hwy Haul has secured a $10 million Series A round of funding to help it rapidly deploy its technology within the fresh produce supply chain.

The across-the-board gains exceeded expectations and reflect increasing end-market strength, Trimble CEO says.

PowerFleet has helped thousands of customers transition from analog to 2G, 3G and now, 4G/LTE.

In 2017, Lyft launched its Level 5 division, which would focus on developing an autonomous vehicle. Last month, the company pivoted away from that, selling the division, although it still harbors visions of Lyft riders in autonomous vehicles.

Electric vehicle startup Arrival announced it would build a ride-hailing specific electric car for Uber to use in the U.K. and Europe. Separately, Uber said it will now deliver everyday essential items to customers from Gopuff in the U.S.

Having trouble scaling your sales and marketing operations? Colombian nearshoring may be the solution.

With TuSimple going public by IPO, a new report says rival autonomous trucking software developer Plus will soon follow via SPAC.

Within maritime logistics circles, an effort is underway to update the technology the industry relies on to take advantage of recent advancements in hardware and software technology.

Autonomous software from Plus applied to the Cummins Westport natural gas engine could pair self-driving with negative net-zero carbon footprint.

Woven Planet, a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corp., has agreed to acquire the self-driving vehicle business Level 5 from Lyft.

Aaron Graft has been assuring users HubTran’s open loop system will not be giving Triumph’s factoring business an unfair advantage

You can’t reduce carbon emissions without measuring them first. C.H. Robinson experts discuss the company’s carbon measurement technology.

SmartHop has tapped Amy Liu, formerly of Uber Elevate, as chief of staff and to help build out its New York office. The company also announced the opening of an office in Bogota, Colombia.

Transfix considers the relationships at stake for a carrier or shipper in order to build the right tech solution.

FreightWaves introduces FreightWaves Carbon Intelligence. Learn more here!

Samsara data shows cloud-based digitization is expanding beyond vehicle telematics and into other operational areas like site security and equipment monitoring.

Chain.io plans to use the $5 million to fill a number of positions in sales, engineering, customer success and more.

Truck Talk is a weekly newsletter from FreightWaves that adds perspective and context to happenings in the trucking industry.

project44 and FourKites are the only ‘Leaders’ in the space.

Autonomous trucking software startup plans to use proceeds of its $1.1 billion initial public offering to grow its employment by 50% in the next six months.

TuSimple, the first autonomous vehicle software developer to go public, raised $1.1B at $40 per share, above the high-end of its estimated price..

Domino’s is partnering with self-driving vehicle company Nuro to schedule pizza delivery for select customers in Houston with Nuro’s R2 robot vehicle.

An understanding between European truck maker IVECO and self-driving software maker Plus includes liquified natural gas but not electric trucks.

Startup self-driving truck software-maker Embark Trucks sees itself at the center of an autonomous ecosystem driven by fleet and logistics partners.

The telematics, ELD and satellite provider is getting sold for a 50% premium. Even that is less than at least one analyst saw as its value.

Needing to know where your freight is spawns incredibly competitive market

Not being limited to the modes of a particular carrier or their own private fleet, a business can access more available capacity in the market.

The sale price is $11.50 per share, about 150% more than the closing price on Wednesday.

The acquisition provides MercuryGate with ready-made last-mile logistics exposure, Blough says.

The first autonomous trucking software company to go public, TuSimple seeks up to $1.5 billion in stock sales.

Embark Trucks hit the autonomous road sooner than the competition. Now it wants to help fleets get ready to plug into self-driving trucks.

FreightTech companies showcased their cutting-edge technology solutions for common fleet inefficiencies during the Enterprise Fleet Summit.

Trimble MAPS worked with Wisconsin trucking company Roehl Transport to implement a navigation system to allow seamless and precise last-mile operations. The companies share their story during FreightWaves’ Enterprise Fleet Summit.

Hubtek’s digital worker, TABi, enters a company’s TMS as a user, scans documents, forms and emails for data, and transfers the data to the TMS.

Mercado Labs connects, organizes and optimizes international supply chains, bringing order to the complex and monthslong importing process. End-to-end visibility is table stakes for an agile, efficient and resilient supply chain.

One interesting aspect of the report by B Riley: Could TriumphPay and Triumph Capital be headed in different directions?

Isuzu trucks will install technology from autonomous vehicle startup Gatik on its medium-duty N-Series truck models.

Samsara’s new Fleet Benchmarks Report compares a fleet’s performance to that of similar fleets across the trucking industry, providing insight into how they are trending relative to peers.

Shipwell is adding pricing intelligence tools to its enterprise platform. Shippers testing the new tools have seen procurement costs drop as much as 10%, Shipwell said.

Research firm Cowen has set a price target of $28.50 per share for EV startup Arrival – more than $10 higher than Monday’s trading price. Cowen cited its unique approach to manufacturing as one reason for its optimism.

John Krafcik, who led Waymo, the former Google self-driving car project, to recognized leadership in autonomous vehicles, is stepping down as CEO.

Kenworth and Peterbilt avoid downtime from semiconductor shortage by parking unfinished trucks and getting back to them later.

As hackers exploit the interconnectedness of the global supply chain to stage ransomware attacks, executives say technology and strategy are key to avoiding a knockout punch.

Fleets on the East Coast need to make every attempt to maximize capacity and assets

FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller writes about FreightWaves, as well as transportation today and moving forward.

TriumphPay is acquiring HubTran to integrate machine-learning capabilities for a fully integrated payments network for its customers.

The costs of keeping up with four engine technologies and the pace of self-driving trucks push rival truck manufacturers into partnerships.

Self-driving technology startup Embark Trucks develops a universal autonomous driving system that will work in semis from the four largest manufacturers.

Investors plow more money into Plus, which expects to commercialize Level 4 self-driving technology in China this summer.