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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

US House bill includes $755 million in truck parking grants

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The expansion of truck parking along US highways is a primary objective of the "SHIP IT" act, along with providing incentives to attract and retain more drivers.
SurfaceTrucking NewsTruckloadLTL

US truck freight recession is here, but not to stay: SMC3 

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Truckload and LTL freight volumes have dropped, but a turn will come sometime in mid-2023, industry executives said at the SMC3 Jumpstart conference in Atlanta.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

Excess US truckload capacity to bring contract rates back down to earth

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Lower rates and abundant capacity should promote stability in the truckload market in 2023, but any semblance of normality is conditional, at best, until the broader US economy is on a more stable footing.
SurfaceTrucking NewsTruckload

US truckload spot market nearing its floor: analysts

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
US dry-van spot rates appear to be stabilizing, but contract rates are dropping by double-digit percentages as new pricing and service agreements take effect.
SurfaceTrucking NewsTruckload

US shippers still facing LTL rate pressure: Cowen/AFS study

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Less-than-truckload rates are rising despite economic headwinds as accessorials, general rate increases, and a trend toward higher freight rate classes support a high pricing floor.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

RoadOne looks to tap Houston freight growth with deal for Texas drayage carrier

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
The sharp increase in freight activity seen at the Port of Houston over the past year has prompted national drayage provider RoadOne IntermodaLogistics to acquire a Texas motor carrier.
DrayageNorth American portsTrucking NewsTruckload

Estes Express plans near-port expansion as new generation takes charge

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The largest US family owned LTL trucking company is adding terminals, including one in Southern California, as Webb Estes moves into the president’s office. 
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

Forward expands air-ground network, aiming for high-value freight

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The acquisition of competitor Land Air Express expands Forward Air’s nationwide ground airport-to-airport network and capacity, Forward’s CEO says.
Trucking NewsLTL

‘Pricing discipline’ to temper US LTL rate relief in 2023

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Shippers can expect some rate relief and improved LTL service in 2023 as demand softens and shipping patterns normalize, which for carriers will take some of the shine off the sector’s recent golden glow.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

Roadrunner expedites West Coast-to-Chicago service to meet inland demand

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The largest US point-to-point LTL carrier is speeding service from Southern California to Chicago, reducing the transit time to one to three business days as demand for velocity remains high.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

Demand for last-mile services fuels US transportation hiring

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Firms engaged in last-mile delivery hired fewer workers than expected in December, but still made big employment gains, while real trucking jobs in the US dropped in a typical seasonal pattern.
SurfaceTrucking labor

Proposed federal rule threatens independent contractor model in trucking: opponents

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |
A new rule proposed by the US Department of Labor could signal the beginning of the end of the independent contractor model in port drayage and other trucking sectors, opponents say.
DrayageTrucking labor

Shrinking US manufacturing cuts into truck demand

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The contraction in US manufacturing that began in late 2022 will help pull down truck tonnage — and perhaps pricing — in the first half of 2023.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

Modest predictions for freight transportation as the winds of 2023 begin to blow

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor, and Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor |
Some factors, such as the sharper attention both multinationals and smaller mom-and-pop sellers are paying to their supply chains, seem to be charting a new trajectory and are poised to help shape the freight sector this year.
Supply chainContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-PacificLongshore laborNorth American portsSurfaceTrucking NewsTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

C.H. Robinson searching for new CEO — and new course for growth

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The change in leadership is likely to accelerate strategic changes in planning and capital spending at C.H. Robinson that have been under way since last March at the urging of investors.
SurfaceForwardingTruckloadLogistics Technology News

Roadrunner launches new driver app as part of broader tech overhaul

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
US less-than-truckload carrier Roadrunner is arming drivers in its network with a booking application that feeds into its new internal operational systems.
LTLTrucking NewsLogistics Technology News

South China barge, trucking costs to rise on pre-Lunar New Year disruption

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent |
Carriers are suspending feeder services between Hong Kong and Shenzhen and second-tier ports in southern China from mid-January due to COVID-19 quarantine rules for barge crews heading home for the Lunar New Year holidays.
Container Shipping NewsContainer linesTrucking News

Forwarding tech providers push into US trucking market

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
The need for forwarders to tether quoting and tracking in international freight modes to US surface modes has been highlighted by new offerings from ECU Worldwide and Freightos.
Trucking NewsForwardingTruckloadLTLIntermodal providersAir Cargo Forwarder NewsLogistics Technology News

Decline in US for-hire truck tonnage gains speed

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Truck freight demand is falling closer to 2021 levels as 2022 draws toward its close, putting more pressure on truckload and LTL rates.
SurfaceTrucking NewsTruckloadLTL

Calmer supply chain waters beckon in 2023

Bill Cassidy, Senior Editor |
As the US economy slows, logistics managers are searching not just for lower supply chain costs but a normalization of freight flows and networks, a level of stability and predictability that remains elusive.
Container Shipping NewsForwardingTrucking NewsNorth-American rail

US truckload costs to fall until late 2023: 3PLs

William B. Cassidy and Ari Ashe, Senior Editors |
Falling spot truckload rates may hit bottom in the first quarter of 2023, followed by contract rates later in the year, if forecasts from third-party brokers hold true.
Trucking NewsTruckload

Latest US truckload, LTL PPIs surprise on the upside

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Total US trucking costs rose in November, with revised US producer price index figures for truckload and LTL services indicating at least a temporary reversal in a months-long decline.
LTL

Shipper demand speeding drop-and-hook ‘evolution’

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Ryder System is joining the race to deploy more drop-and-hook trailer pools for shippers that need greater flexibility to reduce costs and counter supply chain disruption.
TruckloadLTL

US LTL volumes drop, but pricing proves resilient

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Less-than-truckload shipping volumes in the US are falling in the fourth quarter from all-time highs, but rates are slower to drop as carriers push back on absorbing higher costs.
LTL

High stock levels, weak demand put CNY import rush in doubt

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The traditional increase in bookings for December and January shipments out of Asia is nowhere to be seen as importers in destination markets struggle with surplus stock levels and weakening demand.
SurfaceTrucking NewsTrucking labor

Major US freight brokers unveil appointment scheduling standards

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
J.B. Hunt, Uber Freight, and Convoy are partnering to develop and drive broad industry adoption of a standard process for truckload appointment scheduling.
Logistics Technology NewsTrucking NewsTruck brokers

Transportation hiring surge falls short in November

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Hiring expectations fell short across many transportation sectors in November, with real trucking employment dropping while warehousing firms and couriers added workers.
Trucking laborLTL

Trailer makers boosting production as orders soar

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Stubbornly strong industrial output and pent-up demand are expected to keep pressure on trailer manufacturers to increase supply, even during a US economic slowdown.
SurfaceTrucking NewsTruckloadLTLTrucking labor

US truckload spot rates sag in November in atypical move

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |
Several US truckload shippers say they are leery of using the spot market because they wish to maintain strong relationships with their trucking partners rather than be seen as transactional when the market flips in favor of carriers.
Truckload

US truckload pricing index falls, but LTL goes flat

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The US producer price indexes for long-distance truckload and less-than-truckload took separate routes in October, with LTL pricing essentially unchanged and the truckload index falling.
LTLTrucking News

Truckload volatility prompts fresh investment in pricing startup

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
Greenscreens.ai has seen its roster of truckload broker customers grow to 70 this year, with previous investor Tiger Global putting another $5 million in the Florida-based software vendor.
Logistics Technology NewsTrucking News

US freight volumes still higher than 2021: Cass

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Freight volumes are dropping month to month but remain higher than a year ago, buoyed by inventory repositioning and easing supply constraints for manufacturers, according to the latest Cass Freight Index.
TruckloadLTL

Marine chassis manufacturer being probed by US authorities in duty case

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |
The investigation by US authorities into whether Pitts Enterprises evaded duties on chassis may have serious ramifications for the South Carolina Ports Authority, which ordered 11,000 chassis from a Pitts subsidiary to launch its own pool next March.
Truckload

M&A in US trucking, logistics cross ‘asset lines’

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
US transportation companies with cash on hand are acquiring asset-based truckers and non-asset freight brokers alike to add services and shipper customers and build network density.
TruckloadDrayageTruck brokers

JOC Truckload Capacity Index dipped in Q3, but demand remains robust

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
After rising strongly from the third quarter of 2021 through the second quarter of this year, the JOC Truckload Capacity Index dropped slightly last quarter, but demand for equipment is still high.
Truckload

Werner buys truckload brokerage ReedTMS

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The acquisition of ReedTMS Logistics not only expands Werner’s brokerage reach, it also delivers shipper customers in the staple food and beverage industries.
TruckloadTruck brokers

US truck capacity shifting as spot rates drop

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
US truckload capacity isn’t so much declining as it is shifting, according to data, and that will pose challenges to shippers and carriers trying to access trucks, trailers, and drivers.
TruckloadLTLTruck brokers

US trucking jobs rebounded to all-time high in October

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
For-hire trucking companies added almost 20,000 jobs last month, erasing September’s payroll cut as capacity shifts between trucking sectors.
Trucking laborLTL

Weakening freight demand puts C.H. Robinson, Werner in cost-control mode

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |
Two of the United States’ biggest logistics providers say they are focused on controlling costs amid growing concern about the direction of the US economy.
Truckload

US 3PL Echo extends global forwarding reach

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The acquisition of Fastmore Logistics will give Echo Global Logistics more access to international freight forwarders, linking domestic and international cargo networks.
Logistics Technology NewsTrucking NewsTruck brokers