LTL

As the $830 billion trucking industry prepares for what could be the first full “normal” year since the pandemic caused tidal waves in supply/demand cycles, the “best of the best” are concentrating on strategy, operations and execution. Our trucking correspondent examines what’s ahead for trucking in 2023.

After the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) announced that it was cancelling a scheduled April 7 hearing over restructuring operations that Yellow says is “vital to the future of our company,” the company has fired back with a letter to Teamsters National Freight Director John Murphy accusing the union of “falsehoods and baseless insults.”

Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently spoke with Adam Satterfield, CFO of Thomasville, North Carolina-based national less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers Old Dominion Freight Line about various industry trends and themes, including: the current state of the LTL market, the freight economy, rates and pricing, and supply chain shifts, among others.

February’s shipment reading—at 1.167—was down 0.3% annually, up against an easy annual comparison, while rising 3.8% over January’s 1.124 reading. And the February expenditures reading—at 4.020—was off 9.7% annually, while seeing a 1.9% decline, from January to February.

The LTL market’s surprising profitability and ability to not only exist, but to become the most lucrative and well-managed niche of the overall $830 billion trucking industry, is astounding to even veteran leaders in the sector. How is this happening?

Following its recent announcement signaling a major executive leadership change, in which effective July 1, 2023, Kevin M. (“Marty") Freeman will succeed Greg C. Gantt as ODFL President and Chief Executive Officer, as per its Board of Directors, Thomasville, N.C.-based national less-than-truckload carrier Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) announced additional executive leadership changes this week.

In this whitepaper, we show you how the transportation industry is increasing its focus on the final mile, but also the middle mile, where freight gets moved to distribution centers and fulfillment houses, and why LTL and truckload are battling for that space.

Company is offering five courses with once-a-week sessions and on-demand components

SMC3 announces less-than-truckload, LTL, 2023 industry-leading online education for carriers, shippers, 3PLs, and more pairs of self-paced instruction and education combining on-demand with live learning industry-leading discussions.

Downers Grove, Ill.-based Roadrunner, a national less-than-truckload (LTL) services provider, with a focus on long-haul metro-to-metro shipping, recently announced it has expanded its Smart Network offering, with new inbound service to Denver. Company officials said that this represents the first step of new market expansions, with 2023 openings also planned in Kansas City and Portland.

There will be no merger, acquisition or combination of any sort involving Yellow Corp. and any of its rival less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers. That’s the final word on that from none other than Yellow CEO Darren Hawkins, who says he has enough going on within his $5 billion company.

Yellow Transportation, which has about 10% market share in the less-than-truckload (LTL) environment, paid the price for slackening demand in the overall trucking market in the fourth quarter. But Yellow executives say they are buoyed about the LTL market based on contract renewals coming in last month with 5-to-6% rate increases.

Revenue came in at $1.83 billion, for a 3.3% annual increase, and adjusted earnings per share, at $0.98, topped the $0.64 recorded for the same quarter a year ago. XPO officials cited various growth drivers that factored into its quarterly earnings growth, including growing volumes, pricing, margins, and earnings, in what is called a “challenging macro environment,” and growing its shipment count and tonnage, outperforming negative trends in the industry and typical seasonality.

Pittsburgh-based less-than-truckload (LTL), logistics and warehouse services provider PITT OHIO said it has made transit time improvements, to the West Coast, in the form of a partnership with Cypress, Calif.-based LTL and supply chain services provider Daylight Transport.

The company announced this week that, effective July 1, 2023, Kevin M. (“Marty") Freeman will succeed Greg C. Gantt as ODFL President and Chief Executive Officer, as per its Board of Directors. It added that Gantt will retire from ODFL on June 30, 2023, with the expectation he will remain a company board member.