LTL

Expected and unexpected challenges have marked the start of the electronic logging device mandate era — magnifying shipper concerns about inadequate truck capacity and rising rates.

US freight rates are set to rise not just this year, but into the near future, analysts predict. However, there is an upside for shippers to the strengthening US/global economies that are pushing up freight rates.

In particular, the FMCSA will focus on accelerating tests of autonomous vehicle technologies, believing they have the potential to significantly reduce crashes.

Capacity, not price, is king once again.

This is certain regarding the trucking industry in 2018: it will be the year of time management, as the electronic logging mandate makes supply chains less and less flexible while freight demand rises.

Spot rates for truckload, intermodal services keep rising, putting pressure on contract rates that may last well into 2018.

James Welch, the executive credited with saving one of the largest less-than-truckload companies, will retire next July, as economic growth buoys the LTL business.

Even as demand for truck-transported cargo rises, truck companies are struggling to add drivers, due to competition from better-paying jobs in other sectors.

The upcoming electronic logging device mandate could affect more than truck capacity available to shippers.

Owner-operators and small carriers opposed to electronic logging are still hoping for a last-minute reprieve.

The freight boom that began absorbing truck capacity in September still has legs.

Shippers must acquaint themselves with the requirements of the regulation and its likely impact on US trucking capacity and supply chains.

Pressure on US truck, intermodal pricing stays steady.

The rising number of false log violations should be a red flag to shippers as the ELD mandate approaches.

Many of the logistics providers the JOC surveyed believe their shipper customers are woefully unprepared.

There is a rocky road ahead.

A growing market share doesn’t translate to an improving economic environment and rising profits for the trucking business across Europe.

False logs are an "epidemic," and shippers are vulnerable, speakers tell the JOC Inland Distribution Conference. The latest federal data back them up.

At the US-Mexican border, a long-term, costly imbalance in north- and southbound tractor-trailers threatens to slow cross-border supply chains.

A survey of shippers and logistics service providers (LSPs) shows broad agreement truck capacity is getting tighter, but the LSPs expect rates to rise higher next year than shippers anticipate. Electronic logging devices may be a reason.

As the Dec. 18 ELD mandate draws closer, Ryder System said it will equip all of its rental trucks with portable ELDs, helping short-term truck renters comply with the law.

E-commerce is accelerating, underpinning an uptick in global trade and US economic growth, XPO's Jacobs said.

Purchased transportation costs rose steadily in the third quarter.

Growth in truckload pricing is accelerating.

Third-quarter earnings reports reveal across-the-board increases in transportation rates, with little sign pressure will ease soon.

US truck tonnage slipped slightly less than 1 percent in September, following hurricanes Harvey and Irma, but year-over-year data shows a significant long-term increase in freight volumes.

Concerns over the supply of truck drivers and the resulting increases in trucking rates will likely grow in the coming months.

YRC Worldwide was hit by two hurricanes and a wave of rising transportation costs in the third quarter, forcing it to lower its projected operating profit for 2017.

Truck driver wages and benefits grew for the fourth straight year in 2016.

The number of loads available per truck shot up from July to August, in advance of typical peak season trends. Truckers are betting on sustained volumes.

Stronger than usual freight demand in August signals an early start to trucking’s autumn “peak” and higher costs for shippers.

Higher base rates boosted revenue, but a cyber attack and hurricane helped depress profit at FedEx this summer. The transport operator plans across-the-board rate hikes.

Call it an "obsession." Amazon's dedication to fulfilling customer expectations is turning a wheel of logistics growth that is not likely to stop.

Addition of 10-4 Systems to division offering carrier technologies promises greater blending of services across supply chains.

IHS Markit estimates about half of Florida’s filling stations have fuel now, though widespread shortages were still being reported Tuesday.

Analysts and transportation providers say Hurricane Irma, which followed hot on the heels of Hurricane Harvey, could have lasting impacts on truck rates and capacity through January 2018.

Hurricane Irma’s arrival this weekend threatens to roil US supply chains and seriously impact trucking rates.

The US Coast Guard on Tuesday reopened the Sabine-Neches Waterway.

Relief and recovery efforts get priority while commercial operations slowly get back on the road.

Experts say Hurricane Harvey will push truck rates higher as recovery efforts consume capacity and supply chains are rerouted.