Businesses who trade internationally typically rely on freight forwarders to act on their behalf to transport product. The process of locating and arranging a forwarder is no easy task and extremely time-consuming, and over many decades this process has barely changed.
Self-driving technology puts truck driver jobs at risk, however, the potential benefits are rewarding. And that is making it a hot topic in Washington, where legislators are trying to determine how involved the government should be.
Fleet Complete Chief Strategy Officer Sandeep Kar will participate in two panels next week as part of the Connected Fleets USA 2017 Conference.
Electric vehicles have come a long way, yet there is an important question that never seems to get addressed when discussing electric cars and trucks: what happens if the power goes out? Will your trucks still make their deliveries?
Warehouse space is increasingly shrinking, with vacancy rates near all-time lows. As space dwindles, those companies looking to move a single truckload to a warehouse for two weeks are forced to pay high premiums. Warehouse provider Stord is out to change that.
According to the Department of Transportation, nearly 20% of all trailers are traveling empty down the highway. That doesn’t account for trailers that are running less than full. That empty space, whether it is enough room for one pallet or ten, is a revenue opportunity lost.
As the Congress works on developing legislation aimed at regulating self-driving vehicles, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is looking to guide that legislation with less of a regulatory hand, according to Bloomberg.
As Nikola Motor continues to develop its hydrogen-electric Class 8 tractor, the company continues to evolve its design. The latest is the introduction of an eAxle developed by Bosch.
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 new Defense Department budget includes funds set aside to study blockchain and the impact of the technology in the hands of either the good guys or bad. This could be a good thing for the US logistics industry, as some of the research will probably make into the private sector.
Small carriers and owner-operators have capacity to offer, but those that need it most – larger, Fortune 1000 shippers, don’t have access to that capacity because it is not cost-effective to onboard small carriers hauling just a few loads. Sudu, though, is changing that dynamic.
Anyone that has ever bought a house or vehicle knows how much of a pain it is and that is assuming you have a clean title. If not, all bets are off. With blockchain, the transfer of assets could be instant and without the risks normally involved in buying and selling.
Bitcoin has been on a wild-ride and some people think the future is zero. This will be a good thing for commercial blockchain applications.
TMW Systems sees enormous potential with blockchain technology, but notes that successful implementation requires a “strong partnership with a technology provider that understands its intricacies and potential applications.”
In recent years, players in the transportation industry have embraced technology and this has greatly helped in solving the many challenges associated with manual operations, and the future is even brighter in the years to come.
Digital freight brokers are using “Daily-deal” tactics to get revenue growth. They sold themselves as a platform to change the inefficient trucking industry, but have found it difficult to find quality sources of high-volume freight. These platforms have resorted to aggressive pricing tactics using investor capital. What will find is that as soon as they change prices, shipper loyalty will evaporate.
Larger fleet owners that have been looking forward to autonomous trucks to solve the pesky driver shortage may find themselves unemployed too
Google’s has invested more than $1.1B dollars in driverless technology. The number was revealed in court documents involved in the lawsuit between Uber and Google over its handling of Otto and self-driving IP
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.
After several years in development, Daimler Trucks unveiled its electric Mitsubishi Fuso eCanter yesterday at a ceremony in New York City. The first trucks have been delivered to UPS and four New York City-based NGOs.
As blockchain transactions begin to take hold in the general economy and the supply chain in particular, there is a growing question of how to speed financial transactions. According to Coin Telegraph, the answer may be tokens.
Blockchain has taken center stage in 2017, and we are only at the beginning. But before everyone declares blockchain the solution to all the world’s problems, two authors note that there needs to be standards and governance to make it work.
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
Ask an over-the-road truck driver what their biggest concerns are and you won’t have to go far down the list before finding a safe place to park appears. But a new company is hoping to change that, allowing drivers to reserve a spot ahead of time at a nominal fee.
One of the biggest trends in the field of freight logistics is the digitization of the trucking industry, which has a market of over $700 billion every year.
Brad Jacobs sits down with Jim Cramer and talks trucking, XPO, and the state of the economy. He makes a provocative prediction that will turn some heads that we could see fully autonomous trucks in less than a decade.
Proponents of autonomous trucks found plenty to be happy with during Wednesday’s Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing on the technology.
TMW acquires truckload visibility aggregator, 10-4, continuing a trend of FreightTech acquisitions in the market transparency space.
Following passage of a House bill last week that set the framework for autonomous automobiles, trucking gets its chance to state its case today in front of a Senate committee.
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.
There are certain practices in trucking that are not above board and cause a lot of strain on the companies in the space. Will the implementation of blockchain smart contracts, these practices could be ended, ushering in transparency and fairness for all involved.
In the future, blockchain infrastructure will help mitigate the effect and scope of cyberattacks through its two fundamental characteristics: decentralization and cryptography so events such as last week’s Equifax breach don’t happen.
Skepticism over hyperloop technology has been expressed by Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson. Business Insider quoted Anderson as saying that the technology is not “realistic right now.”
FreightWaves adds a startup directory to the site to help startups identify partners, investors, and talent in the emerging FreightTech space.
Blockchain has become the latest buzzword to enter industry lexicon. While many still may not know what it is, it is likely to be a technology that transforms trucking and the way it operates. Fleet Complete is one of the companies that has recognized its potential.
A new global study has found that transportation companies are embracing the Internet of Things (IoT), but many still lack a full understanding of how best to utilize the data.
The U.S. House passed driverless car legislation on Wednesday, but the bill does not address commercial trucks and the likelihood of trucks being included is uncertain at this point.
As the U.S. Congress returned to work following its August recess, two bills that are awaiting action are focused on the electronic logging device rule set for a Dec. 18 implementation date.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is expected to unveil self-driving vehicle guidelines next weekat an event in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Reuters reported.
California-based startup Chanje recently announced its all-electric medium-duty delivery van is in production and will be available as soon this fall. With a payload of 6,000 pounds and range of 100 miles, the Class 5 panel van is designed specifically for its target markets.
C.H. Robinson has acquired Milgram & Company, a Canadian provider of freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and surface transportation. C.H. Robinson paid approximately $50 million in cash for the company.
Blockchain is the perfect way to store maintence records, providing fleets with a complete record on everything that has happened to the vehicle from the time that it rolled off the factory floor to the time it is sold off.
EDI powerhouse joins the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance (BITA), a standards organization focused on development blockchain standards in trucking among the major technology and transportation service providers.
Hong Kong-based logistics company GoGoVan has achieved unicorn status after agreeing to a merger with mainland China-based freight company, 58 Suyun.
FEMA disaster relief logistics highlights the need for blockchain implementation. Blockchain is an emerging technology that promises to bring transparency and visibility to transactions.
Remember when you had to wait to flag down a taxi? Now we order a taxi via an app and it arrives at your door within minutes. The same innovation is now happening to cargo shipping.
Blockchain is expected to be a massive part of the economy in the near future- but what exactly is blockchain and why should I care? FreightWaves takes a look at this emerging technology.
Is a trailer just a box on wheels or potentially a portable battery charger? That is one of the questions that could be answered through the continued innovation of commercial vehicles.
Blockchain is predicted to radically change the financial services sector. Deloitte Tweeted that 10% of global GDP will be stored in blockchain. For companies like Deloitte, staying ahead of the curve in blockchain technology is paramount. But what about for logistics companies?
TransRisk, a pioneer of solutions designed to allow transportation industry participants to efficiently manage price risk in the North American freight transportation market, has added nationally recognized transportation markets leader Donald Broughton to its team.
There is growing talk of a possible bill in Congress that would kill the upcoming electronic logging device (ELD) rule that goes into effect on Dec. 18 of this year due to the cost to individual truckers, sources have told FreightWaves.
Honeywell and Intel have collaborated on a new solution that is designed to identify potential damage to cargo while in transit, allowing time to possibly re-position that cargo to prevent further damage.
It seems as though all new platforms these days feature two common denominators – create transparency and streamline processes. Many of them are now being developed with blockchain.
Cummins has unveiled a Class 7 electric powertrain that will power Class 7 trucks by 2019 and could recharge in as little as 20 minutes.
Convey, a supply chain visibility and communication company, has secured $8.25 million in Series B funding from Techstars Venture Capital Fund, RPM Ventures, and other investors in a round of funding just announced.
As efforts to delay implementation of the electronic logging device rule continue to flounder in Congress, opponents have received an olive branch from CVSA. The group says that while it will enforce the ELD mandate on Dec. 18 as planned, out-of-service orders will not be issued until April 1, 2018.
Driver-facing cameras are a controversial topic. Many drivers hate them, but at G&P Trucking, the company has implemented them and had success through an educational program that helps drivers understand why they are important.
The new Uber CEO has his work cut out for him. Few know what his take on Uber Freight is and whether the aggressive expansion will continue. Regardless, the digital freight era is upon-us and should they leave the market, others will take its place.
Sandeep Kar, a noted industry expert and frequent keynote speaker at industry events and resource for leading industry publications, has joined Fleet Complete as its chief strategy officer.
How did the solar eclipse last week affect the trucking industry? New data from Lytx tries to some numbers behind the event.
Uber selects Expedia CEO as its next CEO to replace founder Travis Kalanick
Texas’ largest grocery store chain responds to disaster with a convoy of specially outfitted trucks and trailers to deliver relief food, medical supplies, and dry-goods.
With consumers buying more online and more based on promotions, it has become less about brand loyalty and more about the benefits earned from digital purchases. All that is left is for shipping companies to provide app-assisted delivery.
Graphics processing unit (GPU) manufacturer Nvidia has invested into automated trucking company TuSimple, TechCrunch reports.
At a cost of $4 billion, the new Tappan Zee Bridge has officially opened in New York City. Technically, one span of the bridge – four lanes open to westbound traffic – opens tonight with the second span scheduled to open in the spring.
The never-ending mystery over what kind of truck Tesla is building may have moved one giant step closer to being solved on Thursday when it was revealed the electric truck will likely have an operating range of 200 to 300 miles.
Singapore might be world’s smartest city. When you think of tech, you reflexively picture Silicon Valley. While Palo Alto may reign in the west, a tiny island nation of 5.6 million leads the east… and it’s turning to blockchain.
The New York Shipping Exchange (NYSHEX) has secured a Series A round of funding for $13 million, according to a press release. The company has developed the first digital forward freight contract for global container shipping.
Nearly 30% of carriers are not yet in full compliance with the upcoming electronic logging device mandate and 15% said they will not be fully compliant at the deadline, according to the latest Morgan Stanley ELD survey.
While still strong, conditions may be moderating for the trucking industry as key indicators are slowly retreating from recent highs.
PS Logistics, LLC, a leading national transportation and logistics company, announced today that it joined the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance (BiTA) as a charter member.
The battle for the quickest delivery is on. Arkansas-based retailing giant Walmart has official filed to patent a blimp-style warehouse, Fortune reports.
After seeing the fleet-wide fuel economy average climb 3% in 2015, the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) says that the increase reported in its Annual Fleet Fuel Study was not as dramatic for 2016.
IBM has announced 10 companies that will begin running trials of its blockchain-enabled technologies, including major food supplier Nestle SA, according to Reuters.
Road crews have traditionally used a “crash truck” to protect workers. It’s often the first – and last – line of defense for construction workers, but it leaves a driver in that vehicle exposed to greater risk. The Colorado Department of Transportation hopes to change that, thanks to self-driving technology.
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.
The recent news that the Environmental Protection Agency plans to revisit some portions of its Phase 2 greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency rules for medium- and heavy-duty on-highway trucks and engines has raised concern with the Truck and Engine Manufacturer’s Association (EMA).
Fleet Complete is the latest company to join the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance (BiTA) as a service charter member. BiTA is a consortium for the adoption, education and development of a standard framework around blockchain in the trucking industry.
To solve inefficiencies in the supply chain, project44’s goal since day one has been to focus on the automation, optimization, and visibility of the freight movements by replacing legacy technologies with its “one-to-many” connectivity.
It’s finally here. Eclipse day. And as many have predicted, traffic around the country is clogging the highways, causing delays.
Trucking venture funding continues to pick up steam. One fund, backed by the largest grouping of Fortune 1000 companies in the world and a top engineering school, makes an investment in two trucking startups for its initial set of investments.
Talk about disruptive companies. Every startup in the transportation space these days is touting itself as a disruptive company. A few will become just that. Many, if not most, will not. But few are also introducing a technology, let alone a service, that is disruptive.
Blockchain entrepreneurs have an opportunity. The logistics industry is ripe for disruption and blockchain technology is ready to take the lead.
KeepTruckin has partnered with Foley, a leader in FMCSA compliance solutions, to offer KeepTruckin’s electronic logging device to fleets. Any size fleet will have access to the KeepTruckin’s ELD and IFTA solution.
Many people don’t realize it, but construction firms have many of the same problems with truck visibility and tracking that less-than-truckload and truckload carriers have. And a truck arriving late can throw off an entire project’s schedule. That’s why Truck IT has introduce an app to help.
The latest craze in logistics is the “uberization of trucking,” i.e. digital freight brokers (DFM). In reality, though, DFMs are not new, with the first iteration of them appearing in the early 2000s with companies such as Power2Ship and TransMarkets. They have gained steam lately thanks to technological advances, but there is still some question about whether they are here to stay this time.
President Donald Trump once again took to Twitter this morning to lash out at Amazon, targeting the company’s alleged non-collection of taxes.
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.
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.
Siemens has been awarded a contract by the German state of Hesse to build an overhead catenary line to run electric trucks along. The line will be built on a 10 kilometer stretch of the A5 federal autobahn.
Money is flowing into trucking tech startups, and it is showing no signs of slowing down. According to CB Insights, the industry is on pace for its first billion-dollar year in cumulative funding. But the question remains, how much of this windfall of funds will end up in companies that truly make a difference in the trucking space?
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 I-95 Corridor Coalition is moving forward with research that will help it determine whether a mileage use tax is the right approach to taxing in Pennsylvania and Delaware, according to NBC 10 Philadelphia.
Uber threw its hat into the trucking industry with its own app earlier this year, but now it is upping the stakes with new features, The Verge reports.
Picture a 40-foot container traveling from Mainland China to a suburb of Los Angeles. It often experiences more complications between the Port of LA and final destination than it does during its international trip. Is blockchain the solution to these problems?
Analysts continue to argue that EVs are not ready to compete with internal combustion engines (ICE), and technology advances will need to come in the next decade or two before EVs can dominate the marketplace. But the Tesla Model 3 is challenging that, and it’s success is something that trucking will watch closely.
The quest for alternative energy has taken over Australia. In an effort to jump on the bandwagon of electricity-powered vehicles, the government of Australia has decided to push forward with construction of a new electric super highway.
The truck productivity hit that many have feared from electronic logging devices (ELD) may not be as severe as thought, but the implementation of the devices may hit the industry hard in other ways.
The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) has made changes to the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC). The changes, which took effect on Aug. 5, will impact how some items are packaged and costs to shippers, particularly those shipping via less than truckload.
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.
