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Trucking News

The Journal of Commerce’s trucking news and analysis encompasses full truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), private fleet trucking, refrigerated trucking, regulation, drayage, and transloading. Reporting centers on pricing, volume demand, capacity, labor, regulation, and service levels in US and Canadian trucking networks. 

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The latest Trucking News News & Analysis

Yellow’s collapse already pushing LTL rates higher as capacity tightens

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The third-largest less-than-truckload provider in the US stopped operations Sunday, cutting into industrywide excess capacity and increasing pressure on pricing for LTL shipments. 
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

Non-union layoffs edge Yellow closer to collapse

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Word of layoffs among non-union staff at Yellow spread Friday, and shippers report less-than-truckload (LTL) pricing is already moving higher in anticipation of a shutdown of the third-largest US LTL carrier.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTLTrucking labor

Yellow looks to sell third-party logistics subsidiary as labor talks falter 

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
In its latest attempt to avert a potential bankruptcy, unionized trucking company Yellow is trying to raise funds through the sale of Yellow Logistics.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTLTrucking labor

FMC’s Dye offers fixes for container flow problems through US ports

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
The FMC commissioner wants to implement uniform empty return dates and define “container availability” as when the container is available for pick up, among other proposals.
Transport, Trade, and Regulation NewsContainer Shipping NewsMarine terminalsNorth American portsTrucking NewsLogistics Technology News

Yellow survival depends on Teamsters, customers amid possible bankruptcy

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Yellow says its talks with the Teamsters union are “ongoing,” but the less-than-truckload carrier needs to keep customers to stay alive.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

ODFL focusing on capacity, cost management in LTL downcycle 

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Freight volumes were down almost 12% in the second quarter at Old Dominion Freight Line, but the less-than-truckload carrier says it will continue to reinvest in capacity.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

LTL carrier TForce Freight moves closer to new contract with Teamsters

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Teamster local leaders endorsed a new five-year pact with LTL carrier TForce Freight, while the union eyes talks with Yellow.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

UPS, Teamsters reach deal on tentative five-year contract, averting possible strike

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
A tentative agreement removes the threat of a disruptive strike that would have roiled supply chains, giving UPS Teamsters several weeks to vote on the new contract.
SurfaceTrucking NewsTrucking laborSupply chain

US LTL carriers plan expansion despite market uncertainty

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Several large LTL carriers, including XPO and Estes, are adding terminals as freight flows change and customers shift business among carriers as questions linger over Yellow’s future.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

Knight-Swift expects small uptick in peak season freight volumes

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |
The company expects a slight increase in truckload demand during the peak season amid uncertainty about the duration of the freight recession and the potential impact of Yellow's financial troubles.
TruckloadLTL

Shippers consider options after Yellow misses payment to pension fund

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |
The missed payment erases a measure of optimism that existed after creditors, including the US government, last week gave Yellow more time to resolve its restructuring dispute with the Teamsters in return for heightened financial oversight.
Trucking laborTrucking News

DAT, Convoy settle dueling lawsuits once seen as marker for load board industry

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
DAT and freight broker Convoy had challenged each other in federal court over business practices related to Convoy attempting to set up a rival load board.
TruckloadTrucking NewsTruck brokersLogistics Technology News

Truckstop acquires freight matching platform to target ‘high-quality’ carriers

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
Truckstop is building on its 2022 purchase of carrier monitoring provider RMIS with the acquisition of freight-matching technology provider FrieightFriend.
TruckloadTrucking NewsTruck brokersLogistics Technology News

Anxious US shippers prepare for possible UPS strike, tighter LTL market 

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
A Teamsters strike against UPS Aug. 1 and a shutdown of Yellow are not inevitable, but shippers are bracing for disruption and higher costs.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTLSupply chain

Chassis repairs causing short-term shortages in Chicago

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |
Truckers are having difficulty locating available chassis in Chicago because many units have been taken off the street to be serviced after heavy usage over the last two years.
SurfaceTrucking NewsRail News

DHL to invest $551 million to expand presence in Latin America

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
DHL will spend hundreds of millions of dollars in the region over the next five years as the company targets customers looking to globalize their business and diversify sourcing.
Supply chainSurfaceTrucking NewsIndustrial Real Estate News

Wholesale weakness slowing US inventory destocking, freight demand

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
US businesses may have passed the inventory peak, but data shows stockpiles remain high, and a weak wholesale retail market is depressing imports and surface freight shipments.
SurfaceContainer Shipping NewsTrucking NewsRail NewsSupply chain

Creditors give Yellow more time for potential talks with Teamsters

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Yellow’s lenders, including the US government, gave the company short-term waivers for certain loan conditions, extending its “runway” for winning Teamster support for a restructuring plan.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

Volume boost, construction snarls Jacksonville’s Blount Island drayage traffic

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor, and Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
The problems flared in recent weeks after Ocean Network Express shifted a vessel service out of Jacksonville’s other primary container terminal, Dames Point, causing a volume imbalance between the two terminals.
North American portsContainer linesPort NewsPort infrastructureSurfaceTrucking News

US trucking companies adds jobs, but employees work fewer hours

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
For-hire trucking companies have been expanding their workforce since February, but a soft freight market is cutting into weekly hours worked by drivers and dockworkers, BLS data shows.
SurfaceTrucking NewsTrucking labor

Knight-Swift commits to LTL expansion amid soft truckload demand

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The largest US truckload operator will continue to add terminals to its LTL network as it absorbs truckload carrier U.S. Xpress.
SurfaceTrucking NewsTruckloadLTL

UPS, Teamsters break off contract talks

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
UPS and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters are battling on the brink of a potential strike, with both sides claiming the other has walked away from the negotiating table.
SurfaceTrucking NewsTrucking laborSupply chain

Teamster workers ratify ABF contract, UPS deal draws closer

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The ABF-Teamsters contract is the first of three major negotiations the union is conducting this summer to make it past the finish line, with UPS and TForce Freight talks still ongoing.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTLTrucking labor

Yellow asks Biden to help bring Teamsters ‘to the table’ 

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
In a letter Thursday, less-than-truckload provider Yellow asked President Biden to intervene personally in its dispute with the Teamsters and break an impasse it claims threatens 22,000 union jobs. 
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTLTrucking labor

Threats of an LTL shutdown, UPS strike loom for US shippers

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Time is ticking away for less-than-truckload carrier Yellow, which is suing the Teamsters while its cash reserves shrink, and UPS, which got a new deadline for contract talks from the Teamsters.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

End of freight ‘recession’ drawing nearer, but no strong rebound seen: SMC3

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
US inventory levels are still high, depressing demand for trucking services and keeping a rebound in check, analysts said at the SMC3 Connections conference.
Supply chainTruckloadLTLTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

Nuvocargo rides Mexico-US freight surge to land fresh investment

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
Nuvocargo will use the new funding to expand its service footprint to all major over-the-road border crossings between the US and Mexico.
ForwardingTruck brokersLogistics Technology News

Yellow sues Teamsters for $137 million, citing ‘breach of contract’

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The largest unionized trucking employer in the US is taking its restructuring fight with the Teamsters to court, claiming union leadership is agitating for its demise.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

Roadrunner adds new LTL lanes, expanding cross-country reach

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Freight demand is supporting a buildout of Roadrunner’s direct LTL network after cutbacks in 2022, with new lanes connecting shippers with Las Vegas and the Port of Virginia.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

FedEx Freight trims trucking network as LTL shipments drop 18%

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The largest US trucking company will close 29 terminals to better match its footprint with lower freight demand as it prepares for a “reset.”
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

UPS Teamsters authorize strike as contract talks enter final weeks

JOC Team |
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters and UPS say they’ve made progress on non-economic issues, but there’s still heavy lifting ahead for the largest labor pact in the US private sector.
SurfaceTrucking NewsTrucking laborSupply chain

Teamsters-ABF pact would boost LTL wages, limit driverless technology

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Leaders within the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have endorsed a tentative contract reached with ABF that would set a high bar for other unionized carriers in the largely non-union less-than-truckload sector.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTLTrucking labor

Resilient US trucking revenues could slow capacity adjustments: analyst

Jason Miller, associate professor of logistics at Michigan State University, and JOC analyst |
Despite a sharp decline in rates amid slowing demand and higher costs, total revenue for truck transportation companies remains elevated, and that could keep capacity in the market longer, writes Professor Jason Miller.
Trucking News

Teamsters asks Yellow workers for contract talk ‘priorities’

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Despite disagreement over Yellow’s restructuring plans, the Teamsters union is taking a first step toward opening contract talks by surveying 22,000 union members online.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTLTrucking labor

Teamsters, UPS agree on heat safety measures as contract talks continue 

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Air conditioning, heat shields and air intake vents are coming to UPS package cars as the Teamsters and their largest employer move closer to a tentative five-year labor agreement. 
SurfaceTrucking NewsTrucking labor

Dynamic pricing helps LTL trucker boost volume in soft market

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Flexible transactional pricing is helping ArcBest LTL subsidiary ABF Freight increase shipment volumes and attract new shippers despite reduced demand from core customers. 
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

US LTL trucking companies improving yield, profitability despite headwinds

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Data from analysts and carriers shows less-than-truckload providers are staying disciplined when it comes to pricing despite a freight recession and softer US economy.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

Standoff between Yellow, Teamsters puts LTL shippers on alert

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Yellow claims its ability to “continue as a going concern” is being impaired by Teamster opposition to its restructuring.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

US truckload spot rates likely nearing bottom: analysts

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |
Trucking analysts believe the downward pressure on rates has ended — or is close to ending, but an upward surge isn’t necessarily on the horizon, either.
Truckload

US importers still destocking, and delaying restocking in uncertain economy

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
US consumers are still spending, but at a slower rate, and that’s pushing major restocking of goods further toward the back half of 2023, analysts and retailers say.
Supply chainContainer Shipping NewsNorth American portsTrucking NewsIndustrial Real Estate News