Truckload

Large US truckload carriers that engaged in mergers and acquisitions and expanded specialized services like dedicated trucking fared much better in 2019 than those that relied more on traditional dry-van business, according to JOC's 2020 Top 25 US Truckload Carrier Rankings, prepared by SJ Consulting Group.

Shippers with an eye on instability in US markets are considering innovative contract terms, including the use of volume guarantees and flexible rates.

J.B. Hunt Transportation Services, one of the largest US intermodal providers, is making a strong push into the temperature-controlled business by doubling its container fleet in 2020.

The coronavirus outbreak will amplify pricing and capacity swings in US trucking this year, and logistics experts warn that will mean a price shock for shippers.

CRST International’s purchase of NAL Group is evidence that final-mile logistics is becoming an even greater priority for truckload carriers in a time of low freight demand and economic uncertainty.

The success of the newly combined equipment lessor FlexiVan-AIM will rest in part on whether shippers are ready to realize the benefits of data from GPS-equipped chassis, which can be used to improve efficiency of container movements between terminals and distribution centers.

Spot truck rates out of Los Angeles are weaker than usual, thanks in part to the coronavirus that has interrupted freight flows from China. Will restocking spark a pricing whiplash this spring?

Efforts to rein in excess capacity accelerated among large carriers, lowering the JOC Truckload Capacity Index to 85.2 in the fourth quarter. However, even that reading is still high.

DirectChassis Link, one of the three largest US chassis providers, will be exiting the Chicago cooperative chassis pool this year, a blow to those who envision a market in which any chassis can be used on any container.

Coyote Logistics predicts truckload contract rates will remain flat to down in 2020 versus a year ago, while spot rates will be higher than 2019 levels very soon.

Truck tonnage increased for the second straight month in January, but a weak manufacturing sector and high inventories are keeping a lid on freight demand.

Truckload carrier Alabama Motor Express sees opportunities to grow by purchasing smaller carriers hit by rising truck insurance premiums.

Despite trucking companies and brokers saying capacity is “rightsizing,” spot rates have not increased in tandem with volume and shippers could secure contract rate reductions for 2020.

Trucking companies and brokers expect low rates to persist a while longer despite a surge in December and early January, and there’s no consensus as to when, or if, a sustained turnaround will take hold later this year.

Truck volumes have flattened, not collapsed, a trucking analyst tells SMC3’s Jumpstart 2020 Conference. Truck capacity hit its peak in Q4 2019, and is expected to contract this year.

FlexiVan Leasing has announced a merger with American Intermodal Management, growing its US chassis pool by 12,500 units to 137,500 and acquiring new equipment.

An increase in housing permits and starts will help rebuild US truck volumes this spring, putting increased demand on truck capacity and spot pricing, according to Bobby Holland, vice president and director of freight data solutions at US Bank.

The freight market has returned closer to equilibrium between shippers and truckers than last year, but a murky middle persists over whether business conditions will flip toward carriers later this year.

Dedicated contract carriage, final-mile service, and a digital marketplace helped carry J.B. Hunt through a tough fourth-quarter intermodal and trucking market.

Shippers retain substantial pricing power despite a recent spike in truckload spot rates, which appear to be settling near recent highs that are still below year-ago levels.

Trucking employment slipped in December as US manufacturing remained sluggish, but there are signs demand, and perhaps payrolls, may improve in 2020.

The electronic logging device (ELD) eventually will help shippers find trucks more quickly, help trucking companies better manage drivers, and help drivers better manage hours. But more integration of ELD data with other systems and more development are needed to deliver bigger benefits.

Going into 2020, chassis providers in the US are hopeful that fleet upgrades over the last two years have made the network more resilient, while also acknowledging that there is still little they can do to absorb sudden, unanticipated spikes in cargo.

The US truckload freight market took some bruising in 2019, but there are signs that a rebound may be around the corner in 2020.

The Cass Freight Index suggests the bottom of the trucking market has passed, although the data doesn’t provide a clear picture of when pricing power will flip toward carriers again.

Shippers may find capacity tighter on a carrier-by-carrier, lane-by-lane basis when the final phase of the ELD mandate takes effect Monday.

Truckload spot rates leaped upward in the first week of December, rising 12 cents per mile above their November average according to DAT Solutions as the final holiday retail push got underway.

Although a large carrier, Celadon’s fleet size and revenue are just drops in the US truckload bucket. The biggest impact of its bankruptcy may be in Mexico.

The best shippers have transportation and procurement teams that are in sync with each other, but cheap truck rates make for a difficult balancing act between pricing and loyalty to carriers.

Cass Information Systems is partnering with the University of Tennessee to enhance its benchmark truckload and intermodal pricing indexes, and explore new data opportunities.

Shippers may pay more to move freight in December, as rising retail sales and faster delivery demands begin to tap underutilized capacity.

Both Coyote Logistics and DAT Solutions see spot rates moving into inflationary territory early next year, but the US economy will signal how high rates might climb.

The number of violations issued to drivers for exceeding hours of service limits has dropped significantly since the ELD mandate took effect, but false log violations rose last year.

The divide sharpens between those who see looming recession in freight numbers and those who see sustained, albeit slower, US growth.

A shift to time-based truckload rates will come, eventually, as electronic logging and detention disputes reshape supply chains, a TIA report finds.

Top intermodal providers had few positives in describing the current state of the market with little to no seasonal uptick in container volumes on rail.

Large truckload carriers continue to shed trucks, according to the JOC Truckload Capacity Index. Logistics providers, however, report ample available truck capacity.

US motor carriers blamed “an oversupply of truckload capacity” for greater-than-expected pressure on earnings in the third quarter.

A survey of small businesses shows truckers still looking for growth ahead, despite a tough market in 2019.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services said its intermodal volume was flat in the third quarter, a positive given the 4.5 percent decline in total intermodal volume across the industry.