LTL

The pace of hiring at US for-hire trucking companies continues to slow as low unemployment and alternative work challenge recruiters.

Multiregional LTL carrier Saia generated more revenue, volume, and profit through expansion into the Northeast and in ‘legacy’ markets.

Increased use of dimensioning equipment and more detailed cost analysis is seen lifting the floor for LTL and truckload pricing in the future.

A venture capital-backed freight broker wants to create carpooling opportunities for LTL by using technology instead of physical terminals to aggregate shipments.

The stress imposed on the trucking sector by slower US economic growth is likely to be apparent across the board in third-quarter motor carrier financial reports.

Shippers are being urged to plan carefully for 2020, as signs begin to indicate the US truck market may swing again next year.

Seven of the top 10 critical issues facing trucking directly involve truck drivers, with pay and detention joining the American Transportation Research Institute’s annual list.

The 15th-largest US trucking operator will make deep cuts in its dry van truckload business and focus on LTL and logistics as it attempts to get back in the black.

YRC Freight is building its own fleet of domestic containers — to reach 600 by year’s end — for use on BNSF Railway lines connecting West Coast ports with the US heartland.

YRC Worldwide achieved its latest labor goal, another step toward its long-term recovery plan.

Trucking is experiencing slow growth, not a collapse, ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello says, with retail sales and contract business sustaining demand.

Less-than-truckload carrier Estes Express Lines is working with software provider DDC FPO to deliver more accurate, timely information through the automation of freight bill processing.

The need for speed and distribution points closer to customers is fueling growth and demand for more capacity among LTL carriers, even in a softer overall freight market.

Less-than-truckload carriers are asking shippers to start using digital bills of lading, which would provide better track-and-trace capability on shipments so receivers know when their orders will arrive.

When it comes to profitability, FedEx’s less-than-truckload arm outperformed its bigger, package-focused sister divisions, while gaining e-commerce business.

The second-largest US less-than-truckload company will add or expand eight terminals in the second half of 2019 as the LTL sector takes a long-haul view of the economy.

An agreement between two of the oldest US regional LTL carriers is designed to speed cross-country LTL shipments, and reduce costs for trucking operators and shippers.

Multiregional LTL carrier Saia adds three new terminals in the Northeast and expands in Philadelphia amid a market giving off mixed signals.

Winning more favorable terms from its lenders will help YRC Worldwide proceed with a strategic plan to reshape its LTL networks and improve profitability.

The US intermodal industry is currently in the midst of a down cycle after volumes and rates surged in late 2017 and early 2018, but there are opportunities for railroads to accelerate the potential rebound if they are able to take advantage.

Freight operations are suspended in much of Florida as Hurricane Dorian passes on its way toward the Georgia and Carolina coasts.

The number of US trucking companies rose by more than 21,000 in the year between June 2018 and this June, even as low spot-market pricing increased pressure on smaller fleets.

The 2019 JOC Directory of Trucking Companies is a one-stop source of information for North American shippers and third-party logistics providers on nearly 180 select trucking companies in the United States and Canada.

The largest domestic truckload and less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers reported double-digit percentage revenue gains in 2018 thanks to strong US economic growth and the tightest trucking market on record.

Multiregional less-than-truckload carrier Saia is adding terminals in the US Northeast, building “capacity for growth.”

Roadrunner Transportation Systems reported revenue and profits were down in the second quarter as it battled weak conditions in the airfreight, truckload, LTL, and intermodal markets.

Tonnage and shipments are falling, but LTL carriers are piling up profits, thanks to a keen focus on the bottom line not noticeable 10 years ago.

The long-term outlook for truckers, and their shipper customers, is blurred by the fog of trade wars, but 2020 will bring changes.

Old Dominion Freight Line demonstrates how trucking companies can prosper even in a “soft demand environment.” The key: Knowing your costs, and pricing accordingly.

The driver shortage has diminished, but not disappeared, the American Trucking Associations says. Demographics, freight demand, and pay are the key issues.

IHS Markit data shows LTL pricing and rate hikes declining at a slower pace than truckload pricing.

Shippers own the US freight market in mid-2019, but they are finding the cost of poor or inconsistent trucking service can outweigh the savings of lower rates.

Cross-border truck traffic between Mexico and the United States is rising, and shipping costs are likely to increase as delays tighten border capacity.

Heavy truck orders are in steep decline, but production backlogs are falling and new trucks are hitting US highways, adding to excess capacity and preserving shipper pricing leverage.

Shippers “don’t need to panic” over two recent bankruptcies, an LTL expert says, but they do need to vet transportation providers more carefully, and look for signs of trouble before a bankruptcy.

YRC Worldwide is not merging any of its carriers, but is consolidating back-office functions by closing its New Penn headquarters, and plans to eliminate 'duplicate' terminals.

With trucking employment rising, there are few signs excess US truck capacity will be reduced soon, keeping pricing power in the grasp of shippers.

The typical retail-based truck freight rebound came later this year and is likely to be shorter as trade tensions with China and Mexico ease.

In a disaster-prone era, LTL carrier ODFL finds preparing for any event is better than reacting to one.

Lower manufacturing activity, high inventories, and trade wars are flattening the US freight economy, speakers at the SMC3 Connections 2019 conference said.