Truckload Freight

Profitability is the key to any business staying in business. In trucking it is harder than in many other businesses. Chris Henry explores the “trucking profitability paradox.”

A panel of experts on the issue offers suggestions — but no easy fixes.

Jim Blaze writes about the outlook for intermodal rail in 2020.

In this week’s “Drilling Deep” podcast, host John Kingston sits down with Dave Heller of the Truckload Carriers Association at the TCA’s annual meeting in the Orlando, Florida, area. Dave […]

FreightWaves SONAR clients will have access to Truckstop.com rates

At TCA meeting, agency administrator says FMCSA will need help acting on reports of cheating.

Customers and society are demanding more environmentally friendly vehicles, including electric, and manufacturers are trying to meet those demands with smart business decisions that meet the key imperative of any commercial vehicle: to make money.

‘Strong sales’ in February are expected to continue through Easter. Disruptions to the company’s supply chain continue to be monitored.

Final-mile acquisitions continue. CRST adds to its service offering by acquiring NAL Group.

StayMetrics’ Hindes talks about retention and management of a truckload company’s human assets.

“We’re a highly resilient industry even in the face of a potential pandemic,” Washington Trucking Associations official says even as intermodal carriers take hit from disruption of Chinese shipping to West Coast ports.

How coronavirus will impact volumes remains to be seen

Recent Volvo Truck innovations in the U.S., and a new truck line in Europe continue to focus on driver comfort and keeping vehicles and drivers productive.

PS Logistics announces that it has completed the acquisition of Southeast Logistics.

Schneider National’s new Dallas operating center set to open as the company looks to grow its active fleet.

Program members will have several opportunities to network in Orlando next week.

Lowe’s sees positive sales comps in 14 of 15 regions, but full-year fiscal 2020 guidance disappoints.

ORBCOMM lowers full-year 2020 guidance given recent coronavirus developments.

Fleet Advantage is adding predictive modeling to its ATLAAS platform, giving fleets a look at vehicle replacement cost savings at specific points in time.

Diesel fell far more than the price of crude oil; trucking stocks mostly fell less than S&P 500.

Bankrupt Celadon Group reveals employees in Mexico recently restarted operations of its transportation businesses after labor disputes. Court filings paint a murky picture of what’s happening at the Mexican subsidiaries — including Jaguar Transportation — and who is in charge.

Phillips Connect Technologies has introduced a series of technologies that use data to reduce downtime and prevent improper trailer use.

Private equity funds have a poor track record in buying asset-based trucking operators.

Private equity funds have a poor track record in buying asset-based trucking operators.

Deal to purchase bankrupt Celadon Group’s Mexican subsidiaries, including Jaguar Transportation, for $7 million would expand PAM Transportation Services’ footprint south of the border.

Winter weather can have a major impact on freight movement. Read meteoroligist Nick Austin’s article about winter weather conditions.

Volumes still sluggish but positive.

Knight-Swift Logistics will be part of a pilot program that will test DAT Solutions’ new Book Now automated freight tendering solution.

We examine two historical freight market troughs, 2011 and 2013, to understand current dynamics.

This is part of our ongoing weekly feature called the “Online Haul of Fame.”  FreightWaves will feature companies that have had a lasting impact on the trucking industry, past or […]

ALC president sees little overlap in customer base.

Declines in Cass data accelerate but report calls for rates to inflect higher in 2020.

Walmart’s fiscal fourth quarter comes in light of expectations as holiday activity was lower than expected.

Knight-Swift will integrate Truckstop.com’s Book It Now digital freight offering into its logistics operation, and provide access to Truckstop.com’s load board for its owner-operator and carrier partners.

The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) will bring an opportunity for education and networking to for-hire carriers, private fleets, associates and driver-training school members, as well as prospects, next month.

Transport earnings were rough but may have bottomed.

Covenant Transportation’s Joey Hogan and Jet Express’ Kevin Burch talk capacity, insurance, trucking’s image and a lot more in wide-ranging discussion at ACT Research event.

It’s AMX’ first big acquisition in more than 20 years.

Volumes not yet showing signs of life.

Court orders pave the way for bankrupt Celadon to move forward with existing deals to sell two Canadian properties of Hyndman Transport for a combined C$16.25 million — with a portion set aside for former truck drivers and other personnel.

Into its second decade of existence, Daseke pumps the brakes on acquisitions and attempts to streamline all that it has bought.

Canadian National begins “disciplined and progressive” shutdown of eastern network and plans to halt all transcontinental service in response to anti-pipeline protests as impact hits intermodal carriers.

Burlington Motor Carriers, started as a division of Burlington Northern, the railroad.

Fuel card provider WEX Inc. reports a solid fourth quarter but calls out weakness in the trucking market.

Stock in Canadian transportation company trades more than 7% above offering price after CEO Alain Bedard rings opening bell on New York Stock Exchange.

Acquisitions and strong less-than-truckload performance help bring record revenue to Mullen Group’s trucking and logistics business and offset declines from its struggling oil services.

Arrive tries to put an upgraded twist on a traditional business.

The circumstances surrounding the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant is an opportunity for logistics business to discuss their own policies around safety.

Truckload carrier heads talk demand, rates and capacity at investor conference.

Darren Prokop writes about the volatility in trucking, and how ecommerce may help less-than-truckload carriers recover in 2020.

Canada’s largest transportation company looks to raise nearly $200 million as it prepares to offer 6 million shares in the United States.

Many indicators are pointing to a better 2020 than 2019 for the freight industry, but several challenges remain, including impacts from the coronavirus.

Canadian transportation company delivers impressive performance in weak freight market as it finishes 2019 with 20% increase in operating income on strength of its truckload and logistics businesses.

Daseke has found a permanent replacement for its retired founder and namesake Don Daseke, naming interim CEO Chris Easter to the position. Plus, Valentine’s Day logistics, truckers in Oregon get political and Chinese truck capacity shrinks.

Jeremy Reymer, founder of DriverReach, said 90% of truck drivers applying for jobs have not registered in the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, a step that is required for any driver looking for a job.

February off to a slow start.

J.B. Hunt announced that CFO David Mee will retire March 1. The company will fill the interim role internally until a permanent replacement is found.

Drivers have preferred times when they like to visit shipper facilities, and they hate waiting, according to the second Uber Freight Facilities Insights Report.

U.S. Xpress sees a path to improved profitability in 2020 and beyond. These were just some of the highlights provided on the carrier’s earnings call.

U.S. Xpress reported a better-than-feared loss to close out 2019. The company expects conditions to improve in 2020.

Werner’s management team is still pointing to a truckload recovery in 2020 but noted that the first half will be a challenge.

WEX said that a data limit issue within its IBM Informix system was the cause of fuel cards being shut off across the country today.

Problems continued into the afternoon for customers of WEX fuel cards, including its EFS and FleetOne cardholders, as a system outage rendered cards useless at fuel pumps.

The key metric “net revenue per truck per week” is explained by Chris Henry.

Truck drivers using EFS fuel cards have been unable to fuel their vehicles as a systems outage has shut down the cards, according to multiple reports.

John Lyboldt is President of the Truckload Carriers Association, the only trade association focused entirely on the truckload segment of the motor carrier industry.

Companies may be creating unnecessary risk in their operations if they have an out-of-date policy and procedure manual, or worse, aren’t following it.

Parts of northbound Interstate outside of Atlanta reopen after fiery crash shuts all lanes for most of Saturday

Flat volumes, excess capacity persist.

USA Truck’s shares fall after another earnings disappointment. New turnaround initiatives were quantified on the company’s conference call.

USA Truck reports another worse-than-expected loss as it revamps the company.

Daseke updates guidance, lowering the expected fourth-quarter loss. The company’s restructuring remains on track.

AscendTMS is the first TMS to allow users to reserve parking for drivers inside the system, thanks to a collaboration with TruckPark.

Echo Global adds features that suggest loads along favored lanes for carriers using its EchoDrive platform.

Landstar’s insurance and claims expense line hit first-quarter results, and another fatal accident results in guidance well below analysts’ expectations.

Schneider National’s fourth quarter suffered from a “muted peak season” and softer rates. However, the carrier’s 2020 outlook calls for improving fundamentals.

Startup Baton Trucking believes it can eliminate waste and detention through a drop yard network.

U.S. Xpress announced it has successfully refinanced its revolving credit facility, lowering the interest rates on a portion of its debt.

Analyst forecasts tough sledding for freight in first half of the year

C.H. Robinson President and CEO Bob Biesterfeld told FreightWaves that Robinson Labs will develop solutions, both technological and otherwise, for its customers, carriers and Robinson employees.

Reefer market strong

Capacity is a proof of concept for smaller brokerages building out their own freight-matching platforms.

Covenant Transportation sees significant year-over-year decline in earnings as excess capacity and higher costs persist.

Intermodal struggled while Brokerage also has a strong period.

Walmart argues that jury took things too literally in awarding back pay to California drivers

Heartland Express’ financial results were worse than expected in the fourth quarter of 2019. That said, a large acquisition shoulders more of the blame than weaker market fundamentals.

Trucking insurance continues to get more expensive. Chris Henry and Daniel Pickett provide information about captive insurance agencies.

C.H. Robinson is leveraging part of its $1 billion investment in tech to establish Robinson Labs, a technology innovation incubator.

Technological change is requiring a fresh vision to help manage trucking operations. Here are three opportunities to take advantage of now.

Chicago company nearly doubles its size with “likely the first acquisition of several.”

Commercial liability insurance rates continue to spiral, with costs passed through to businesses and consumers. A primary culprit is a corrupt personal injury legal system where attorneys drive medical care. It’s time to change that.

FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller writes about methods to lower diesel fuel expenses for large and small trucking companies.

Freight volumes and tender rejections range-bound for now

Jevic Transportation was founded in 1981 in Delano, New Jersey by Karen and Harry Muhlschlegel. The Jevic name was a combination of the names of the three Muhlschlegel children. Founding a trucking company just one year after deregulation was ambitious, but the gamble proved profitable. Jevic enjoyed prosperity throughout the 1980s and the early 1990s.

GlobalTranz, already among the largest brokerages in the nation, grew a bit more with the acquisition of 3PL Cerasis.

DAT has sent out tweets indicating no ETA on a full return to service.

Brian Aoaeh writes about the challenges and opportunities of logistics in Africa – and what will likely occur in the next few years.

Enhancements to the Bulkloads app are designed to improve the communication and speed of finding loads and negotiating rates for bulk carriers.

Ben Thrower examines the issues surrounding California’s AB-5, which impacts truckers who are independent contractors.

The Cass Freight Index sees its steepest decline in shipments since the Great Recession.