Trucking

News and analysis of trucking, including full truckload, less-than-truckload, private fleets, refrigerated, regulation, supply and demand

The latest Trucking News & Analysis

C.H. Robinson taps Ford executive Bozeman as new CEO

Teri Errico Griffis | Jun 6, 2023, 10:10 AM EDT

The appointment of a new CEO for the US’s largest logistics provider comes six months after the dismissal of ex-CEO Bob Biesterfeld, who was let go amid slowing freight demand, rate declines and investor unrest.
SurfaceTruckingTruckloadSupply Chain

ATA urges Congress to reject Su as Labor chief

Teri Errico Griffis | Jun 2, 2023, 4:35 PM EDT

The American Trucking Associations said Julie Su’s track record of supporting California’s A.B. 5 law and a lack of support for the trucking industry has failed to reassure them she would be a successful Secretary of Labor.
Transport, trade and regulationSurfaceTrucking

FMC ‘improperly’ applied incentive principle in detention decision: Evergreen

Teri Errico Griffis | Jun 2, 2023, 1:30 PM EDT

Container carrier Evergreen argues the FMC ignored “critical facts” when applying the incentive rule in a December case and, in doing so, inadvertently set a precedent that detention cannot be charged on a holiday weekend.
Transport, trade and regulationContainer shippingContainer linesSurfaceTrucking

Large US truckload carriers reined in capacity in Q1: Journal of Commerce index 

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | May 31, 2023, 12:07 PM EDT

An index based on truck counts at large truckload carriers dropped nearly 5% in the first quarter from late 2022 as those carriers adjusted to a softer market and lower contract and spot rates.
SurfaceTruckingTruckload

US truckload market ‘bouncing’ along pricing bottom: analysts

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | May 30, 2023, 11:16 AM EDT

The long drop in truckload spot market rates has eased, revealing a soft bottom for pricing, but more demand is needed to fuel any upswing benefiting truckers, observers say.
SurfaceTruckingTruckload

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

Late US produce season boosting spot reefer truckload rates 

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | May 22, 2023, 5:30 PM EDT

Pricing for refrigerated truckload service is shooting up along the US-Mexico border and outbound from California, in some cases by more than 20 cents per mile from April’s averages, as fruit and vegetable crops start moving to market.
SurfaceTruckingTruckload

Pandemic-induced trailer dislocation still hampering US truckload carriers

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | May 19, 2023, 2:59 PM EDT

Trailer marketplace technology provider vHub estimates a quarter of truckload trailers are out of network for the nation’s carriers, with an abrupt shift in demand exacerbating that dislocation.
TruckloadTruckingLogistics technology

US-Mexico cross-border trucking expanding on manufacturing demand, nearshoring 

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | May 18, 2023, 4:38 PM EDT

Greater demand for manufactured goods, especially automotive parts, is spurring Mexico-to-US cross-border trucking, with more nearshoring of production on the horizon.
SurfaceTrucking

Uber Freight’s Driegert jumps to Flexport to lead new brokerage unit

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | May 18, 2023, 2:39 PM EDT

Flexport has lured a key figure in the development of Uber Freight and Coyote Logistics in a move likely to shake up the domestic third-party logistics market.
Truck brokersForwardingLogistics technology

Cargo fraud, theft surging in ‘wild west’ US truck market

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | May 15, 2023, 11:05 AM EDT

Many businesses are being forced to tighten controls over how goods are shipped and who they ship them with, but the technology that helps them may also be used against them, according to industry sources.
SurfaceTruckingTruck brokersSupply Chain

Capacity oversupply keeps US truckload rates in decline

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | May 12, 2023, 2:48 PM EDT

Excess capacity is lingering in US freight markets because fewer carriers than expected have gone bankrupt so far this year, analysts say.
Truckload

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

Drayage rates fall sharply amid downturn in NY-NJ port volumes

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | May 2, 2023, 12:12 PM EDT

New York-New Jersey port truckers who worked five days per week last year are now down to about half that amount, sending spot drayage rates well below levels seen in 2021 and 2022.
DrayageNorth American portsTruckingTruck brokersIntermodal providers

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

Court hands freight broker Convoy procedural win in legal battle with DAT

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | May 1, 2023, 10:56 AM EDT

Transportation observers believe the dueling complaints could have implications for the US spot truckload market because DAT is a primary source of available loads that brokers and carriers use to fill their pools of owned or third-party capacity.
Truck brokersTruckingTruckloadLogistics technology

DHL Express plans US physical expansion, including delayed new hub

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | May 1, 2023, 8:00 AM EDT

International air express carrier DHL is building out its US footprint to gain greater density and reach in its largest market, its CEO for the Americas says.
Supply ChainTruckingAir cargo carriersIndustrial real estate

Truckload appointment standards group adds heavyweights to drive adoption

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | May 1, 2023, 5:00 AM EDT

Echo Global Logistics, Coyote Logistics and prominent transportation management system vendors Oracle and e2open are among new members adding momentum to a truckload appointment scheduling initiative.
TruckloadTruckingTruck brokersLogistics technology

USDOT opens $160 million in funding to cut emissions from port truck idling

Teri Errico Griffis | Apr 27, 2023, 12:04 PM EDT

Funds will go to projects that focus on reducing emissions from port-related truck idling, particularly in communities adjacent to ports.
SurfaceTruckingTransport, trade and regulation

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

UPS preps for flagging volumes with cuts in headcount, sort facilities

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Apr 25, 2023, 3:52 PM EDT

Package volumes at the largest US package carrier by revenue fell farther than expected in the first quarter, especially in March, thanks to shifts in spending, UPS executives said. 
SurfaceTruckingAir Cargo

IANA warns against national reclassification of independent contractors

Teri Errico Griffis | Apr 19, 2023, 4:27 PM EDT

The Intermodal Association of North America is adding its voice to the chorus of opposition against a federal push to reclassify independent workers.
SurfaceTruckingTrucking laborRailTransport, trade and regulation

US truck tonnage rose in March, but lagged expectations

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Apr 19, 2023, 11:30 AM EDT

An unadjusted 9.3 percent gain in tonnage from February reversed a slide in freight volumes but paled in comparison with increases in 2022 and 2021, data show.
SurfaceTrucking

NFI, RoadOne expand networks with acquisitions in Canada, US

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Apr 18, 2023, 3:15 PM EDT

Transportation and logistics companies continue to grow by acquiring competitors, and although the wave of acquisitions may have crested there is still plenty of opportunity in a soft market.
SurfaceDrayageTruckingTruckload

US manufacturing data offers mixed bag for truck carriers: analyst

Jason Miller, associate professor of logistics at Michigan State University, and JOC analyst | Apr 18, 2023, 12:29 PM EDT

Despite negative trends being felt in some parts of the US manufacturing landscape, it’s not all bad news for trucking because other sectors are poised to have volumes at or above 2022 levels, writes analyst Jason Miller.
SurfaceTruckingTruckloadFlatbed

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

Shipper-paid spot US truckload rates still dropping

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Apr 13, 2023, 11:28 AM EDT

The market bottom remains untouched as the all-inclusive average spot rate paid by US truckload shippers fell again in March, declining in lockstep with other truckload pricing measures.
SurfaceTruckingTruckload

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

Truckers entering US freight market keeping capacity abundant: DAT

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Apr 11, 2023, 3:51 PM EDT

The number of for-hire trucking firms entering the US market is nearly as large as the number leaving on a monthly basis, which is helping to keep capacity loose despite the departures.
SurfaceTruckingTruckload

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

Savannah to open Gate 4 at Garden City Terminal on Sundays: GPA

Teri Errico Griffis | Apr 7, 2023, 9:00 AM EDT

The move comes less than two months after GPA said it would stop offering evening truck hours at Savannah as volumes moving through the port have slowed significantly in recent months.
Marine terminalsNorth American portsTrucking

‘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

US regulators digging deeper into truck driver detention data

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Apr 4, 2023, 11:51 AM EDT

As it studies truck driver detention, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration hopes data from electronic logging devices may help pinpoint solutions for drivers, carriers, and shippers.
SurfaceTrucking

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

Forwarders raked in record revenues in 2022 despite H2 demand collapse

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Mar 31, 2023, 9:00 AM EDT

Historic highs in global freight volumes and rates in the first half of last year helped insulate third-party logistics providers (3PLs) from a market collapse in the second half.
ForwardingContainer shippingTruck brokersAir cargo forwarding

Targets for Europe’s modal shift not feasible: rail freight sector

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Mar 30, 2023, 10:01 AM EDT

Far greater ambition will be required by European Commission policy makers if targets to double the market share of rail freight by 2050 are to be achieved, according to rail freight operators.
SurfaceTruckingInternational rail

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

US outlook for second-half rebound of Asia imports darkens

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | Mar 29, 2023, 11:37 AM EDT

US big-box retailers are receiving fewer imports while inventories remain elevated and US consumer confidence teeters, boding poorly for a significant second-half rebound in Asia container imports, writes JOC Executive Mark Szakonyi.
Trans-PacificContainer shippingContainer linesForwardingMarine terminalsNorth American portsTrucking