LTL

News and analysis of less-than-truckload rates, capacity, supply, demand, economics, technology, regulation, strategies

 

The latest LTL News & Analysis

LTL carrier Roadrunner finds faster network attracts more freight

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | May 24, 2023, 12:51 PM EDT

More freight density, a tighter point-to-point network and better data have enabled successive rounds of transit time cuts at Roadrunner, which company executives claim is gaining shipments.
SurfaceLTLTrucking labor

US trucking adds jobs in April as manufacturing expands

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | May 8, 2023, 5:02 PM EDT

US trucking companies added jobs for the second straight month, but the employment wave hasn’t reached package delivery firms or warehouses.
SurfaceTruckingTruckloadLTLTrucking labor

TFI targets smaller LTL carriers for acquisition in US, Canada

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | May 2, 2023, 10:22 AM EDT

Canada’s largest trucking holding company is acquiring smaller LTL operators on both sides of the US border, expanding its network and services via “tuck-ins” in a soft freight market.
SurfaceTruckingLTL

Mexico, Houston port volumes boosting US Southwest trucking: U.S. Bank

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | May 1, 2023, 12:46 PM EDT

Shippers are moving more freight in the US Southwest, and paying more to do so, despite weak trucking markets elsewhere in the country, according to U.S. Bank.
TruckingNorth American portsTruckloadLTL

Yellow looks to reopen Teamster contract, negotiate consolidation

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Apr 26, 2023, 12:22 PM EDT

Yellow, the largest Teamsters employer in the US less-than-truckload sector, says it is willing to negotiate a new contract a year early as it tries to remove roadblocks to consolidating its network.
Trucking laborTruckingLTL

US truckload carriers look to fill revenue gaps as rates fall

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Apr 17, 2023, 5:43 PM EDT

With contract rates down as much as 16 percent in March, producer price index data indicates truckload carriers are making more use of accessorial charges.
SurfaceTruckingTruckloadLTL

JOC Rankings: US trucking sector keeps breaking revenue records

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Apr 12, 2023, 9:02 AM EDT

The 50 largest US trucking companies maintained a two-year double-digit growth streak and may add to that in 2023, despite a slower US economy.
TruckingSurfaceTruckloadLTL

US trucking market still seeking bottom, but a bounce is expected

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Apr 10, 2023, 9:00 AM EDT

There is still room for spot rates to fall, but rates and freight demand are likely to turn later in the second half, analysts say. 
SurfaceTruckingTruckloadLTL

US trucking firms adding jobs ahead of expected freight demand

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Apr 7, 2023, 4:02 PM EDT

In preparation for produce season and retail sales, for-hire trucking companies are adding to their payrolls for the first time since October, although warehousing employment is still declining.
SurfaceTruckingTruckloadLTL

‘One FedEx’ seeks better balance between air, rail, trucking

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Apr 5, 2023, 4:52 PM EDT

To reduce costs, FedEx’s system-wide network overhaul will create a stronger North American “ground-air” trucking network, including FedEx Freight, and increase its use of US intermodal rail, the company says.
SurfaceTruckingLTLIntermodal providersSupply Chain

Dispute over restructuring between Yellow, Teamsters gets more strident

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Mar 31, 2023, 3:09 PM EDT

Yellow calls Teamster complaints about its restructuring plans baseless and inaccurate, and urges “serious discussion” as accusations escalate.
SurfaceTruckingLTL

Teamsters taking more hardline approach toward LTL trucking employers

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Mar 29, 2023, 5:09 PM EDT

The Teamsters union promises a tougher approach in contract talks with ABF Freight and TForce Freight, and is opposing major network changes proposed by Yellow, its largest freight employer.
SurfaceTruckingLTL

FedEx Freight cuts costs but improves profit as US LTL volumes shrink

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Mar 20, 2023, 4:58 PM EDT

With ‘every dollar under scrutiny,’ FedEx Freight is squeezing its trucking division, gaining financial improvements that better position the carrier for the next economic rebound. 
SurfaceTruckingLTL

Shipwell arms ‘underserved’ smaller shippers with automated bidding tool

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Mar 16, 2023, 6:00 AM EDT

Shippers that often use spreadsheets and small transportation teams to bid and execute freight shipments are the target of a new software tool from technology provider Shipwell.
Logistics technologyTruckingTruckloadLTLTruck brokers

US truckload rates drop sharply in February, but not LTL pricing: PPIs

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Mar 15, 2023, 4:13 PM EDT

Trucking is a tale of two sectors in early 2023, with truckload carriers making more significant contract rate concessions than less-than-truckload companies, according to the US producer price index.
TruckingTruckloadLTL

More US shippers finding LTL savings, but no ‘price war’ 

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Mar 3, 2023, 3:49 PM EST

Several US shippers tell the Journal of Commerce they are getting rate concessions from their less-than-truckload carriers, but the price cuts are far from universal and may depend on how shippers bid.
SurfaceTruckingLTL

US truck tonnage levels better than expected in January

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Feb 23, 2023, 2:21 PM EST

An actual decrease in truck tonnage last month was masked by a seasonal adjustment to an American Trucking Associations index, but US freight volumes aren’t yet on the road to recovery.
TruckingTruckloadLTL

Cap European rail electricity price hikes or lose out to road: intermodal group

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Feb 16, 2023, 10:11 AM EST

Long-haul rail freight in Europe, the main alternative to road transport, is being undermined as the cost of electricity far outstrips diesel, say combined transport stakeholders.
RailTruckingLTLInternational railIntermodal providers

US LTL shipments getting smaller: Forward Air

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Feb 14, 2023, 1:40 PM EST

Shippers are still tendering approximately the same number of shipments, but they’re shipping less freight per shipment, the head of expedited LTL carrier Forward Air says.
SurfaceTruckingLTL

3PL Echo moves to expand LTL business with new executive hires

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Feb 8, 2023, 1:24 PM EST

Primarily an industrial transportation sector, the LTL business is moving into retail and is also becoming more involved in transloading at US port cities. 
TruckingTruckloadLTLLogistics technology