Trucking News

FedEx and UPS are on track to make on-time last-mile delivery of most parcels by Christmas Eve even as promotions such as “free shipping Monday” add additional volumes to delivery networks.

Pandemic-related LTL service issues that include long delays and missed deliveries have not gone away and may be resurfacing as COVID-19 surges and container volumes soar

A technology-based freight broker has spun out its technology as a standalone transportation management system (TMS), signaling the need to better connect small carriers to surface capacity for shippers.

As the US Treasury Secretary defended the $700 billion CARES Act loan that saved one of the largest US trucking firms, a GAO report criticized the Treasury’s handling of the application.

Interest in drop-and-hook programs continues to grow, with the broker Transfix now offering an “asset-like” service that it says it uses technology to find the right capacity for its shipper customers.

Retailers are extending holiday return policies as they look to keep return management costs down and ensure last-mile capacity amid the changed pandemic landscape.

A tighter focus on transportation and technology following a corporate split will improve the service and experience XPO offers to shippers globally, the company and transportation analysts say

Although trucking employment is rising, the year-over-year gap is still large enough to throttle back capacity and keep pricing pressure on shippers.

LTL freight volumes and tonnage are increasing year over year in the fourth quarter, but the pandemic’s latest waves could slow growth until COVID-19 vaccines become available.

XPO Logistics will be spun off into two separate businesses, one solely focused on US transportation and the other focusing on US and European contract logistics.

US shippers’ acute need for truck capacity is driving activity in the dedicated contract carriage market, including Penske Logistics’ acquisition of Black Horse Carriers.

Freight broker Transfix will integrate predictive visibility data from project44 to augment its existing app-based GPS location data as part of a long-term agreement with the multimodal visibility provider.

Flock Freight, which uses software to aggregate less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments into multi-stop truckloads, has received more than $100 million to expand its alternative to the hub-and-spoke model.

The non-seasonally adjusted American Trucking Associations Truck Tonnage Index rose 2.7 percent from September in October, but was down year over year.

Automation, self-invoicing bolster traditional third-party payment audit model

The number of truck drivers at carriers with up to 100 trucks fell by more than 150,000 from July to October, tightening already scarce capacity, according to an analysis of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) data.

The holiday season began with strong on-time last-mile delivery rates for FedEx, UPS, and USPS, but consumers are likely to see one- to two-day delays during an unusual 2020 holiday season.

The 95-year-old founder of A-P-A Transport helped define LTL trucking in the regulatory era, before establishing NY Waterway.

Loadsmart more than tripled the amount of capital raised through a $90 million round announced Friday as it seeks to automate the brokerage and optimization of US domestic transport modes.

Convoy has seen considerable volume growth for a program under which loads are pre-staged for drivers, prompting the freight broker to develop more predictive capability to route empty equipment to shippers’ facilities.

Shippers will need to look not just at multiple transportation modes, but across modes, to secure capacity in 2021, digital broker Loadsmart said.

Higher pay is just a starting point for the solution to a resurgent driver shortage, J.B. Hunt’s Shelley Simpson tells the JOC Inland Distribution Webcast. Greater efficiencies, more shipper cooperation are key to improving driver jobs.

As contract freight volumes begin to rise year over year, more pressure will come to bear on contract truckload rates, DAT’s Chris Caplice told the JOC Inland Distribution Webcast.

Small package optimization and analytics firm ShipMatrix is launching a third-party, non-asset package management service to tap US Postal Service capacity for e-commerce shippers.

The number of new operating authorities issued to US trucking companies is surging alongside imports, but that doesn’t necessarily mean truckload capacity is increasing.

An ‘insatiable demand’ for truck capacity and a US loan are helping LTL operator YRC Worldwide expand capacity and intermodal services in the Central-South.

Rebid freight now or wait for what may be a calmer first quarter? That’s the question US truck shippers face, Echo Global Logistics chairman and CEO Doug Waggoner says.

Capacity remains king in the US truckload market, as larger carriers face challenges hiring company drivers and owner-operators seek independent opportunities.

US shippers are opening contract talks early, extending existing agreements, and seeking short-term contracts to hedge against expected 2021 rate increases.

More large goods are being sold online and delivered by LTL carriers such as Southeastern Freight Lines, as retailers seek multiple capacity options to reach consumers

Freight brokerage software provider Parade has set up direct integration with two companies that focus on digitally enabling small carriers, which gives brokers using Parade access to that capacity.

Margin transparency is taking root among early-stage freight brokers, with cross-border 3PL Forager saying Wednesday it will provide clear pricing and service fees on any quote provided on its platform.

J.B. Hunt said intermodal results were worse than anticipated because of major network congestion in rail terminals and shippers sitting on containers, which may not ease until 2021.

Long-haul trucking faces fiercer competition for truck drivers in the future and a shrinking pool of qualified driver candidates, ATA’s chief economist told the 2020 Transplace Shipper Symposium.

The long run-up in spot market truckload rates and truck freight demand may be reaching its peak, but don’t expect a quick descent, speakers at the Transplace Shipper Symposium said Wednesday.

An analysis of shipper transaction data shows a marked slowing of spot market rate hikes in September after a turbulent summer, perhaps pumping the brakes on the rise of contract rates

This year’s peak season promises to be tumultuous, but 2021 could be just as difficult for shippers as 2020.

Shippers are modifying their approach to truckload contracting, using more short-term “mini-bids” than ever before and turning to technology to improve a process that often breaks down when market prices swing quickly.

As capacity tightens at the US-Mexico border, truckload carrier CFI is building a series of consolidation centers to expand its efforts to capture Mexico-bound less-than-truckload freight and provide shippers with more capacity.

Logistics executives do not expect spot truckload rates to soar much higher, but they do not think they will drop either, forcing shippers to collaborate more.