Motor Freight

The latest report says that the era of building supply chains solely around cost-reduction considerations is over. Rather, a new value has taken hold—resilience.

Truckload market waits for “freight recession” to end

Even though shippers are still benefiting from a low-rate environment, challenges are plentiful. Should demand levels head up and inventories continue to trend down, that could present a scenario that truckload carriers would welcome—and trigger a return to pricing power in tandem with tighter capacity.

This white paper illustrates how shippers can streamline their inbound international supply chains to increase velocity to market and reduce touch points and overall costs.

Tampa, Fla.-based Transflo, a subsidiary of Pegasus TransTech and provider of business process automation services for the North American transportation sector, announced it is merging with Milton, Mass.-based Assured Telematics Inc. (ATI), a provider of top-tier telematics and connected fleet services for the trucking industry, with ATI becoming an integral division of Transflo.

Join experts from HERE and Metro AG as they discuss how to reduce supply chain risk and cost by introducing the right incremental changes.

Uncover New Insights on Risk Management and Fine Reduction with our Webcast - How to Eliminate Fines, Manage Risk, & Establish Trust in Your Supply Chain Post-pandemic.

Analysts expect the percentage of cargo booked and shipped through completely digital platforms to double to nearly 20% by 2024. To accommodate this rapid growth, large forwarders are investing heavily in digital offerings for booking, quoting, tracking, and invoicing—the ones who don’t will be left behind.

Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently spoke with Michael Farlekas, CEO of Austin, Texas-based connected supply chain software platform services provider e2open. Farlekas provided Berman with an overview of various topics, including: a return to supply chain normalcy; inventory management, and sourcing options for shippers, among others.

The company said the new mobile app is a major part of its software roadmap.

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.

DSV said that the objective of these acquisitions are three-fold: to augment its position within the semiconductor industry; align with its new Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport operations; and support its growing cross-border services into Latin America. It added that these acquisitions are expected to be made official next month.

The ATA’s advanced Seasonally Adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index, for February, came in at 118.4 (2015=100), for a 1.2% increase, over January’s 117 reading.

Phoenix-based Knight-Swift Transportation, already the biggest player in the TL market at $4.5 billion revenue last year, is buying Chattanooga, Tenn.-based U.S. Xpress, which ranked ninth in TL revenue last year at $2.2 billion. The deal is valued at $808 million, including assumption of $484 million of debt.

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) expressed what it called its “grave concerns” about media reports that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may be on the verge of granting the state of California waivers to implement potentially harmful and unrealistic emissions rules on the industry. Under California rules, new Class 8 heavy truck models would be zero-emission next year. Diesel and gasoline-powered drayage trucks must retire after 18 years to guarantee that they meet a zero-emission requirement by 2035.