Truck tonnage increased for the second straight month in January, but a weak manufacturing sector and high inventories are keeping a lid on freight demand.
Tuesday February 18, 2020
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LTL Trucking Logistics
LTL Trucking Logistics
News pertaining to the transportation and logistics services provided by LTL (Less than truckload shipping or less than load (LTL) carriers, which transport relatively small freight. The alternatives to LTL carriers are parcel carriers or full truckload carriers. Parcel carriers usually handle small packages and freight that can be broken down into units less than 150 pounds (68 kg). Full truckload carriers move freight that is loaded into a semi-trailer. Semi-trailers are typically between 26 and 53 feet (7.92 and 16.15 m) and require a substantial amount of freight to make such transportation economical
Finally, the most commonly referenced LTL are shipments via “common” carriers that handle freight above what would normally ship via FedEx Ground, or UPS or U.S. Mail parcel services (about 150 pounds), to just under what would usually be considered a Truck Load at about 20,000 pounds or more than 14 pallets. LTL common carriers are also more likely to accept loose (non-palletized) cargo than the other two. The biggest of the LTL “Common” Carriers are the Freight divisions of FedEx and UPS, and YRC Freight (Formerly Yellow Freight and Roadway). Other large national carriers include YRC, FedEx Freight, or UPS Freight, such as: Old Dominion Freight Lines, Saia, or Estes-Express to name a few.
Top 25 LTL Trucking Companies
Webcasts
Feb 20, 2020 11:00AM EST
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News & Analysis
11 Feb 2020
XPO Logistics, Old Dominion Freight Line, and Saia are among LTL trucking companies that see encouraging, albeit modest and early, signs for economic growth in 2020.
10 Feb 2020
The third-largest US LTL operator commits to ongoing reorganization, and sees glimmers of recovery in US manufacturing activity and freight demand in early 2020.
07 Feb 2020
Roadrunner Freight is cutting transit times and investing in technology and facilities as it attempts to transform itself into a higher-service, customer-focused less-than-truckload carrier.
04 Feb 2020
Two regional LTL carriers say their new partnership will help increase domestic traffic and set up “international inland” moves in a six-state West Coast network.
03 Feb 2020
In a lackluster market, ArcBest’s ABF Freight finds it necessary to judiciously mix truckload spot and traditional LTL freight, asset-based, and non-asset services.
30 Jan 2020
As its US network gets faster and more automated and e-commerce demand keeps growing, UPS is taking aim at small to mid-sized businesses in 2020.
30 Jan 2020
Shippers, as much as carriers, are driving toward electronic or digital bills of lading, as the need for speed and more responsive, detailed customer service increases.
28 Jan 2020
Truck volumes have flattened, not collapsed, a trucking analyst tells SMC3’s Jumpstart 2020 Conference. Truck capacity hit its peak in Q4 2019, and is expected to contract this year.
28 Jan 2020
The bottom of the current slump in US freight demand is approaching, but new threats, including the China coronavirus, are emerging, speakers at the SMC3 Jumpstart 2020 conference warned.
24 Jan 2020
An increase in housing permits and starts will help rebuild US truck volumes this spring, putting increased demand on truck capacity and spot pricing, according to Bobby Holland, vice president and director of freight data solutions at US Bank.
22 Jan 2020
Indications that the US manufacturing sector is improving, rather than deteriorating, could point to more freight demand and truck shipments this spring, especially for LTL carriers.
16 Jan 2020
Expect the sale or spin-off of some business to make XPO more a “pure-play” LTL trucking company — smaller, but more focused on US shippers and better positioned to increase shareholder value.
14 Jan 2020
Shipper demand, lower modal boundaries, and changing procurement practices lead LTL technology provider SMC3 to add truckload functionality to its bidding software.
10 Jan 2020
Trucking employment slipped in December as US manufacturing remained sluggish, but there are signs demand, and perhaps payrolls, may improve in 2020.
09 Jan 2020
Two technology firms are taking an ambitious step toward bringing shippers, trucking companies, and logistics providers together on one transportation management platform.
06 Jan 2020
The electronic logging device (ELD) eventually will help shippers find trucks more quickly, help trucking companies better manage drivers, and help drivers better manage hours. But more integration of ELD data with other systems and more development are needed to deliver bigger benefits.
27 Dec 2019
Less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers maintained pricing discipline and focusing on their bottom lines in 2019, but the overall outlook for the sector in 2020 still depends largely on a flagging US manufacturing industry.
24 Dec 2019
With the number of truck drivers in the United States expected to continue rising steadily, motor carriers in the coming years will be focused on to getting the most out of existing drivers' miles and ensuring drivers earn enough money to keep them behind the wheel.
19 Dec 2019
The latest data from the American Trucking Associations shows large truckload carriers cutting drivers and smaller fleets ramping up hiring.
17 Dec 2019
Year-to-date declines in metal, chemical, and forest product shipments will depress future truck volumes, creating an overhang that will affect pricing, a transportation economist says.
13 Dec 2019
Shippers may find capacity tighter on a carrier-by-carrier, lane-by-lane basis when the final phase of the ELD mandate takes effect Monday.
12 Dec 2019
A ‘freight volume headwind’ blew hard against YRC Worldwide in November, driving down tonnage at YRC Freight 10.2 percent year over year. December is looking better, the carrier says.
11 Dec 2019
The second-largest US LTL carrier has completed its AOBRD to ELD conversion, and now looks to expand the integration of its ELDs with other technologies, including geofencing.
06 Dec 2019
IHS Markit points to a “modest upturn” in the US economy, with consumer demand keeping freight in motion.
04 Dec 2019
With a deadline looming for US truck drivers to switch to ELDs, one telematics provider is banking on luring drivers onto its platform via a new carrier-centric smartphone app.
04 Dec 2019
Less-than-truckload tonnage trends are still negative year over year in the fourth quarter, but they’re “stabilizing” at Old Dominion Freight Line, CEO Greg C. Gantt said Wednesday.
02 Dec 2019
Shippers may pay more to move freight in December, as rising retail sales and faster delivery demands begin to tap underutilized capacity.
02 Dec 2019
Austin-based technology company Shipwell has in the past been dubbed a freight marketplace, a broker, and a software provider, but bolstered by a large funding round in October, the company is focusing on automation and connectivity for shippers.
18 Nov 2019
The number of violations issued to drivers for exceeding hours of service limits has dropped significantly since the ELD mandate took effect, but false log violations rose last year.
15 Nov 2019
The divide sharpens between those who see looming recession in freight numbers and those who see sustained, albeit slower, US growth.
13 Nov 2019
YRC Worldwide is keeping its well-known brands separate, but blending its regional and national terminal networks, as well as sales and management.
08 Nov 2019
A shift to time-based truckload rates will come, eventually, as electronic logging and detention disputes reshape supply chains, a TIA report finds.
06 Nov 2019
The number of speeding violations handed to US truck drivers jumped 7.8 percent in 2018, but speeding has been a problem since long before that. Shippers need to help solve it.
05 Nov 2019
Regulators are accepting comments on a petition to exempt small carriers from the ELD mandate, as the final compliance deadline for truck drivers and carriers approaches.
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Commentary
The truth about dimensional pricing for LTL