LTL

A steep drop in fuel surcharges coupled with an increase in driver wages helped drag profit and revenue down at Con-way Freight and Con-way Truckload. Menlo Logistics lost revenue, but managed to increase profit.

A slew of acquisitions helped Roadrunner Transportation increase truckload revenue. The company's LTL revenue, volume and tonnage dropped, but profits climbed.

U.S. trucking companies continue to make more from less, with Saia, the 10th-largest U.S. less-than-truckload carrier, reporting bigger second-quarter profits on reduced revenue and tonnage.

C.H. Robinson reported higher net revenues on land and sea as shippers apparently turned to the largest U.S. logistics company to secure capacity in the second quarter. The acquisition of Freightquote last year contributed to higher net revenue and higher truckload and LTL volumes.

Roadrunner Transportation Systems has acquired Stagecoach Cartage and Distribution for $35 million, continuing the buying spree it embarked on in 2013 as merger and acquisition activity dominates the transportation and logistics industries.

Old Dominion Freight Line, the fifth-largest U.S. less-than-truckload carrier, has opened a 24-door terminal at Sidney, Montana, to handle growing traffic from the region’s oil and agriculture businesses.

New England Motor Freight will open a 44-door terminal in Indianapolis July 27 as the multi-regional carrier builds density in lanes connecting the East Coast and Midwest.

Canadian LTL and parcel operator Dicom is expanding in the U.S., completing its fourth acquisition in less than a year this week with the purchase of Extra Express in Los Angeles. The parcel and freight carrier seeks a bigger share of the final-mile transportation market on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border.

DHL Global Forwarding's new less-than-truckload cross-border service isn't just about US-Mexico trade. It's part of growing shipper demand for multimodal, multiregional logistics and transportation services.

As cross-border trucking gains traction, DHL Global Forwarding is launching a LTL service connecting shippers and customers in the U.S. and Mexico.

The average driver turnover rate dropped suddenly in the first quarter. Have waves of wage increases paid off for carriers, or is the decline a temporary blip?

Net orders for Class 8 trucks in North America fell in June for the fourth consecutive month, but that’s no cause of concern, according to transportation research firm FTR.

A U.S. Department of Transportation study couldn’t conclude whether heavier trucks impact highway safety, but it did find they would not significantly impact intermodal conversions.

Truckload and less-than-truckload pricing expected to rise more quickly than freight volumes, as carriers seek to counter rising operating costs and shippers look to secure capacity.

U.S shippers and third-party logistics providers could see truckload rates increase by as much as 25 percent over the next two to three years, according to one of the heads of the largest privately held freight payment company in the U.S.

Trucking executives plan to invest more capital in trucks and to hire more workers over the next 12 months, a sign of their confidence in the economy and good news for shippers concerned about the availability of truck capacity in the year ahead.

The purchase of ReTrans, an intermodal and truck freight brokerage with more than $500 million in annual revenue, extends the reach of Kuehne + Nagel, the second-largest global 3PL, far beyond U.S. ports and into the nation's industrial heartland.

The Canadian General Freight Index declined slightly in April, but year-over-year base trucking rates were up nearly 7 percent, the index revealed. In a surprise turn, truckload costs for Canadian shippers dropped in April, while domestic and cross-border less-than-truckload rates climbed.

Truck drivers may be legally permitted to drive 11 hours a day, but do they? Trucking technology provider PeopleNet reviewed data from more than 200,000 onboard computers used to log driver hours and concluded many drivers don’t even come close to that limit.

The sudden departure of one president and the appointment of another left analysts asking whether Con-way Freight can improve its profitability faster.

Joe Dagnese is moving from Con-way Truckload to become president of Con-way Freight, replacing Greg Lehmkuhl, who has left the company.

US freight shipments rose for the fourth straight month, sequentially, in May, though year-over-year comparisons are tough, according to the Cass Freight Index. Imports are keeping trailers filled as low fuel prices blunt the rise of shipping costs.

Two of the largest publicly owned less-than-truckload carriers, Old Dominion Freight Line and ABF Freight System, reported stronger than expected freight demand in the early second quarter, echoing the mid-quarter report of truckload company Landstar System.

New service centers in Phoenix and Salt Lake City will help Roadrunner deepen its less-than-truckload coverage across the southern tier of U.S. states.

The U.S. economy is soft, truck capacity is more readily available, but contract truck rates are headed up, not down as one might expect. That’s because truck capacity is about to get much tighter, driving up truck utilization, transportation economist Noël Perry said.

A surge in hiring and job openings at transportation and warehousing companies in April indicates logistics businesses are preparing for a stronger, if not stellar, second quarter and second half.

Acquisition of Hayward, California-based Haas strengthens Lynden's home delivery and specialized delivery capabilities.

The sentencing of the last of an eight-man cargo theft ring in Miami and the indictment of 12 accused freight thieves in New Jersey come as criminals increasingly target supply chains. Shippers need anti-theft strategies.

A gain of 8,600 jobs put trucking recruitment on a faster track in May as the economy and freight shipping demand apparently picked up. For-hire carriers are likely to need many more workers, especially in truck cabs, if the economy grows more quickly.

Heavy trucks orders in the US and Canada dropped for the fifth straight month in May, falling 11 percent from April, as the truck market recovered from a sharp surge in sales in 2014, FTR said.

"Virtual" less-than-truckload carrier Shift Freight is reaching further into the Midwest, building lanes and serving destinations in Ohio and Michigan.

Electronically tethered convoys may be on the horizon. A U.S. study looks at linking trucks via vehicle-to-vehicle technologies that control speed and braking for safer, more efficient transportation.

U.S. shippers’ expectations for freight growth has dropped to its lowest levels in nearly five years, according to a recent survey.

Old Dominion Freight Line promoted veteran executive Greg C. Gantt to president, while David S. Congdon remains CEO and takes on added responsibilities as vice chairman of the company's board.

Palletways, one of several groups offering shippers a palletized freight network in Europe, says it plans eastward expansion as cross-border volume within its network grows.

The acquisition of Hazen Final Mile gives TransForce and same-day logistics subsidiary Dynamex a longer reach in e-commerce shipping markets.

Online retails sales in the U.S. marked another record-breaking quarter in the first three months of 2015 after an especially harsh winter kept many consumers inside, shopping from the warmth of their own homes.

Truck tonnage slipped 3 percent in April from March and rose only 1 percent from a year ago, but remains well above 2013 levels, according to the American Trucking Associations. That signals trucking may be driving across a new economic plateau.

The number of heavy truck drivers in the U.S. rose more quickly last year, breaking past 1.6 million for the first time since 2008, as higher pay and strong freight demand attracted recruits. Demand still reportedly outstrips the number of drivers, however, which is lower than in any year from 2005-2008.