Surface

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.

As part of the Port of New York and New Jersey’s effort to increase rail cargo efficiency, terminals are encouraging ocean carriers to place containers headed for a similar destination in one part of the vessel so they can be removed from the ship faster.

The Journal of Commerce has learned Amazon has acquired 53-foot containers, signaling an intention to tender intermodal volume directly to Class I railroads without an intermediary and marketing itself as an end-to-end supply chain solution for small retailers.

The intermodal sector in Mexico has room to grow, but that means overcoming several challenges.

The San Francisco-based company, which launched its freight division in 2016, will expand its existing operations in Chicago, including housing its first engineering department outside of the San Francisco area. Uber Freight currently operates from offices in San Francisco, Chicago and Amsterdam.

Mixed signals abound in the US trucking market, making budget planning for 2020 an unenviable task.

Canadian National provides Evergreen has provided intermodal rail service to customers of Evergreen, the seventh-largest container line, for the last 27 years, with services connecting to the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, and Halifax.

Digital freight broker Loadsmart is adding to the list of startups aiming to revamp way shippers can procure drayage capacity in an effort backed by sizable investment from Maersk and Ports America.

The partnership between Canadian National Railway and Cosco was instrumental in propelling Prince Rupert from a bulk port to a major Asian gateway for US and Canadian cargo owners and forwarders.

Union Pacific Railroad has dropped its plan to levy fines against trucking companies for canceling or missing ingate reservations to enter intermodal ramps in California, Oregon, and Washington.

Truck drivers are being detained longer during pickups and deliveries, cutting into their driving time and adding to shipping costs, despite efforts by “shippers of choice” to speed those drivers through their gates, a study by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) finds.

The president of Mexico said work is continuing on a project to create a modern, efficient freight-moving operation by rail across the narrowest stretch of Mexico, which links ports on the Pacific and Gulf coasts.

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

Businesses rush to position goods and assets in Florida as rail and trucking operations race against the clock ahead of Hurricane Dorian’s landfall.

J.B. Hunt has informed shippers it will assess peak season surcharges on excess freight out of California and Washington state even though volumes are much weaker than a year ago.

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.

Union Pacific Railroad and CSX Transportation, struggling to recover volume after service cuts, are reaching out to shippers and logistics providers about reinstating direct service to Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Columbus, Ohio, sources tell JOC.com

The low-cost transportation execution provider AscendTMS is partnering with EDI connectivity platform Kleinschmidt to help its broker, shipper, and carrier users digitize basic processes like load tendering and payment.

US wind energy is growing, but tariffs could slow a booming industry.

US inventory levels are dropping, but not enough yet to boost surface transportation demand.

Heartland Express has acquired truckload carrier Millis Transfer and the Millis driving school for $150 million, the second major acquisition the Iowa carrier has made in two years.

JOC Associate Editor Ari Ashe explains why chassis shortages are such a problem in the international transportation space and why finding a solution is so difficult.

After two bills that would have banned the use of double tractor-trailers stalled in the Mexican legislature, a new proposal calls for cutting the allowable weight of the vehicles.

Digital freight broker Transfix is banking on a former eBay executive and venture capital investors to differentiate the company among a crowded field of brokers, digital and otherwise.

Coyote Logistics reports its spot market index is down 24.9 percent year over year, but the 3PL believes an inflection point is near when demand will begin to pick up and rates climb again.

One of the few positive indicators in trucking is the ATA Tonnage Index, which rose 7.3 percent in July year over year -- a signal that some don’t believe the industry is in turmoil.

A new agreement between the US and Canada will allow the two countries to fully clear cargo before railroads and trucks reach landside ports of entry, reducing congestion and freeing up customs officials.

Despite the "doom-and-gloom" predictions of some industry watchers, there are cities where trucking activity has picked up in August, offering a glimmer of hope for the US freight market.

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.

After a rise in domestic US trucking rates in June offered a glimmer of hope, the numbers and commentary show a return to sluggish shipping conditions in the previous 45 days.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed updates to the hours-of-service regulations covering the trucking industry to increase flexibility and safety on US highways.

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.

The investment adds momentum to the port’s efforts to improve truck fluidity following high single-digit growth last year that has since moderated to mid- single-digit gains.

New funding for freight invoicing startup BasicBlock shows investors are keen to back emerging payment technology and that carriers are struggling with liquidity in a soft rate environment.

Intermodal’s grim first-half performance will improve as the fall peak arrives, but likely not enough to offset the losses experienced to date.

Canadian National Railway and CSX Transportation will launch a new international intermodal service linking Montreal and Toronto to New York.

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

Fleet bankruptcies show some capacity is coming out of the market, but it’s unclear whether that will make any significant dent in the oversupply of trucks available in the spot trade.

Companies should have contingency plans in place for their inland European supply chains as low water levels on the rivers are posing a very real threat.