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The Journal of Commerce’s surface transport news and analysis focuses on landside transport movement — from railroad news to trucking news — including full load trucking, less-than-truckload (LTL), refrigerated (or reefer) trucking, flatbed and domestic and international intermodal rail, and how it connects with seaports, inland rail hubs, distribution centers and transloading operations. Reporting on the surface transport sector covers the movement of domestic shipments within the United States and international cargoes transported via domestic equipment including trailers and 53-foot containers. 

Subsections

The latest Surface News & Analysis

LTL carrier Yellow reports $70m H1 loss after shutting down

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Yellow lost money in its last six months as shippers moved freight elsewhere and non-operating expenses, including debt payments and interest, consumed shrinking operating profits.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTLTrucking labor

US trucking hiring slowing amid soft freight demand

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The US economy is improving, but the gains in recent months haven’t translated into additional freight, nor an additional surge in trucking employment.
Trucking laborTrucking NewsTruckloadLTL

Market share holds key to recovery for US intermodal, truckload: analyst

Larry Gross, president and founder, Gross Transportation Consulting; and JOC analyst |
Regardless of where demand for intermodal and truckload freight transport moves over the coming months, the industry holds the key to its destiny in its own hands, writes analyst Larry Gross. 
Intermodal providersSurfaceTrucking NewsRail NewsNorth-American rail

Yellow seeks orderly ‘wind down’ amid bankruptcy filing

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The third-largest US less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier said Sunday it plans to use debtor-in-possession financing to support the sale of assets, while CEO Darren Hawkins blamed the Teamsters union for its collapse.
LTLTruckloadTrucking labor

XPO plans to add capacity as LTL freight volumes surge

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Shipment volume at the third-largest LTL carrier in the US jumped nearly 9% in July from a year ago and 3.2% from June as shippers moved freight away from rival carrier Yellow.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

Truckload carriers driving through lengthy freight market ‘bottom’

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
US truckload carrier executives say they don’t see any signs that freight demand will pick back up until the end of 2023.
SurfaceTrucking NewsTruckload

US LTL carriers expanding revenue, profitability despite ongoing consolidation

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The number of large US less-than-truckload carriers is shrinking, but the remaining operators are more profitable, have higher revenues and play a bigger role in customer’s supply chains.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

Yellow, lenders talk bankruptcy financing as stock price surges

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Hedging and short selling made Yellow a “meme stock” early this week, but experts say rumors of a comeback are as wildly misplaced as investors’ cash.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTL

Schneider goes deeper into dedicated trucking with M&M acquisition

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Schneider's acquisition of M&M Transport underscores the ongoing popularity of dedicated transportation among shippers and carriers, even in an era of excess truckload capacity. 
SurfaceTrucking NewsTruckload

Yellow collapse seen hitting smaller, mid-sized LTL shippers hardest

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The loss of the third-largest US less-than-truckload carrier is hitting a broad tranche of smaller, less-sophisticated shippers hard as they struggle with volatile rate hikes, logistics providers say.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTLTrucking labor

Hot summer turning up climate change heat on supply chains

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor |
Familiar reminders of the disruptions to supply chains caused by climate change, such as low water levels on the Rhine River and in the Panama Canal and wildfires in North America, are becoming more frequent and intense.
Supply chainContainer Shipping NewsPort infrastructureRail NewsNorth-American rail

Tough market conditions slow DHL’s H1 profitability

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
A challenging operating environment pulled down revenue and earnings at DHL, but the Germany-based integrator remains in a highly profitable position ahead of an uncertain second half.
Air Cargo Forwarder NewsContainer Shipping NewsLTLLast Mile News

TForce Freight employees ratify five-year contract with Teamsters

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
US shippers gained some security in the LTL market as Teamsters at TForce approved a new contract with the LTL carrier.
SurfaceTrucking NewsLTLTrucking labor

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

Union Pacific appoints Jim Vena as CEO amid focus on ‘improving service’

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
After UP’s 2022 performance failed to meet the expectations of shareholders, an activist investor called for current CEO Lance Fritz to be replaced by Vena, who had previously served as the railroad’s chief operating officer.
North-American railSurfaceRail News

Western Canada port backlog to take weeks to clear: Canadian National

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor |
CN said it will take up to eight weeks to clear the cargo backlog at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert as the industry waits to see if ILWU Canada’s rank and file will accept terms of the tentative deal reached last week.
North-American railContainer Shipping NewsTrans-PacificNorth American portsIntermodal providers

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

Technology providers partner to improve breakbulk rail tracking

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
The desire to improve rail and intermodal visibility for bulk and breakbulk customers has led transportation management software provider IntelliTrans to partner with hardware vendor Nexxiot.
Logistics Technology NewsRail NewsNorth-American railSupply chain

J.B. Hunt says intermodal peak season outlook murky despite June momentum

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |
That mismatch between container supply and demand has forced intermodal providers to stack boxes, with J.B. Hunt saying it parked about 18% of its container fleet in the first half of the year.
Intermodal providersNorth-American rail

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

Visibility product launches show cargo market open to new options

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
Three new visibility products — from a hardware provider, a forwarder and a data provider — are evidence of a diverse cargo visibility market that is expanding options for shippers.
Logistics Technology NewsContainer Shipping NewsSurfaceAir CargoSupply 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