Modern Shipper

The appeals process can be short or long, and the date when AB5 could be enforced remains in flux.

While some organizations blasted the Biden administration’s decision to withdraw a rule on employee classification, executives from Lyft and Uber have struck measured tones.

Wayfair said its active customer base grew 57.1% in the past year, and those customers are ordering more items, leading to a nearly 50% increase in Q1 revenue.

The earnings call revealed that Uber, like so many others, is working to fill out its driver ranks.

PayPal reported its “strongest first-quarter results” in company history on Wednesday, posting $6.03 billion in revenue and a 46% increase in total payment volume.

The across-the-board gains exceeded expectations and reflect increasing end-market strength, Trimble CEO says.

The rule was introduced in the waning days of the Trump administration but was never expected to be enacted.

There is a small window for new loans to underserved communities, but after spending of about $800 billion, the cupboard is bare.

In 2017, Lyft launched its Level 5 division, which would focus on developing an autonomous vehicle. Last month, the company pivoted away from that, selling the division, although it still harbors visions of Lyft riders in autonomous vehicles.

Purolator is considered the FedEx or UPS of Canada. The express delivery company has hired an airline to help it move more packages between the U.S. and Canada.

Foodetective has raised $2 million in seed funding to help it expand its multichannel restaurant commerce platform to new markets, including the United States.

The German company posts record first-quarter profits and substantially raises full-year earnings and cash flow targets.

Lyft reported a narrower loss in its Q1 earnings as riders began returning to the platform.

Former PayPal executive John Lunn has returned to payments with Gr4vy, which has landed an $11.1 million Series A funding round.

Electric vehicle startup Arrival announced it would build a ride-hailing specific electric car for Uber to use in the U.K. and Europe. Separately, Uber said it will now deliver everyday essential items to customers from Gopuff in the U.S.

By killing off Trump-era rules, the Biden administration has lots of room to make big changes in the independent-contractor-versus-employee debate.

Ware2Go, which offers shipping to merchants of all sizes with a specialization in e-commerce, will automatically purchase carbon offsets through Pachama for its customers.

Manufacturing’s traditional selling processes are broken. Our next chapter requires a savvy digital approach backed by a deep understanding of buyer expectations. In turn, this empowers manufacturers to focus on what they do best – building amazing products.

Amazon’s Prime offering, with its shipment tracking and fast delivery, continues to add pressure to other retailers to match the service. Technology can help up their shipment games, making for happier and returning customers.

“This imagery could be a huge benefit to our office,” NWS meteorologist Alex Sizemore said about using drones to survey storm damage in remote areas.

A big revenue gain in global e-commerce is the high point of the quarter.

The New Jersey Senate majority leader’s proposal would require communities near a proposed warehouse to have input but no veto power.

“It’s about speed, convenience and also being greener,” says Chris Jarvis, chief logistics officer at GoFor.

AgEagle CEO Michael Drozd discusses the kinds of situations in which drones will play a role in the short term — and how those roles will evolve in the longer term.

Drone delivery planning in urban environments requires many considerations, including emergency landing zones, no-fly zones, route planning, takeoff and landing sites and governmental regulations.

Anthony Smith, director of market experts for FreightWaves, and Yariv Bash, co-founder and CEO of Flytrex Aviation, dive into the near future for drone delivery and dispel misconceptions about the industry.

“You can’t just go buy a drone like ours and take off and start flying,” said Wingcopter exec on airspace regulation during the DroneWaves Summit.

To gain public acceptance, drones need to be unobtrusive as much as possible, says veteran aviator and Workhorse Aerospace President John Graber.

As more commerce moves online, some businesses are struggling with payment options, especially in cases where credit cards may not be accepted. That is giving rise to alternative payment processes.

UPS has ambitious plans for its drone airline, Flight Forward. Kevin Wasik, Flight Forward’s head of business development, explains why UPS is moving aggressively on drones during the DroneWaves Summit.

Bobby Healy, founder and CEO of Manna, sits down with Kevin Hill, executive publisher at FreightWaves, at the DroneWaves Summit to chat about the capabilities and economics of drone delivery.

Deep Trekker’s work with the maritime shipping industry is deepening.

Keynoting the DroneWaves Summit, Parimal Kopardekar said that safe and efficient drone integration depends on telling users where not to go.

Olsavsky says the one-day delivery service needs to get on top of burgeoning demand and warehouse space shortages.

Shipping costs rise 57% to $17.1 billion.

Wabash National spent $364 million to buy into final-mile products in 2017. It is finally starting to realize the hoped-for potential.

Manna, a drone-as-a-service company based in Ireland, has secured $25 million in funding to fuel its research and development as it plans for production of delivery drones by 2023.

Seattle-based Minnow Technologies has secured $3 million to fund production of its Pickup Pod, a contactless food delivery station.

Getting around the B prong of the ABC test is going to be complicated for companies trying to use independent owner-operators in California.

Oshkosh can make 100% battery-electric delivery trucks for the U.S. Postal Service, likely dashing Workhorse’s hopes of reigniting the competition.

In what is expected to be its final earnings report as a stand-alone company, Grubhub reported 52% growth in revenue, but said restaurant fee caps hurt its bottom line, resulting in a quarterly loss.

You may not have heard of Cainiao, but you know parent company Alibaba is the Amazon of China. Cainiao is powering Alibaba’s logistics and recently arranged air transport from Singapore to duty-free shops in China.

Wing, which has been testing drone delivery in Virginia, has requested an exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration guidelines that would allow it to operate drones remotely rather than from a central command station.

The California Trucking Association lawsuit was able to hold off the law in the state’s trucking industry for 16 months, but the injunction it won has been overturned.

Payments provider Stripe is acquiring TaxJar and plans to incorporate its sales tax technology into its business platforms.

Shopify reported Q1 2021 earnings that nearly equaled Q4 2020 and accelerated 110% over Q1 2019, but it also said that the growth rate should slow throughout the remainder of the year.

DoorDash has faced criticism over its pricing as communities rallied in support of local restaurants. The company is now rolling out new pricing plans to address these concerns.

“The Wingcopter 198 is a game-changer for drone-based deliveries, ready to create logistical highways in the sky.”

Just months after launching its Key In-Garage Grocery Delivery, Amazon is expanding the service to more than 5,000 U.S. cities and towns.

FlavorCloud has secured $6.3 million in funding to help expand its global presence as it works to build a seamless global e-commerce logistics network.

Woven Planet, a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corp., has agreed to acquire the self-driving vehicle business Level 5 from Lyft.

The best-in-class retailers are aggressively pursuing logistical control over their products while trying to avoid patchwork responses to final-mile delivery.

As more shoppers turn to e-commerce, cybercriminals are taking advantage of lax security measures to target online fraud.

Biden executive order will make it easier to lead by example on electric vehicles, DOT chief says.

Even as customers returned to its dining rooms in the first quarter, Chipotle said its digital sales accelerated more than 130%.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed an internet sales tax bill, requiring e-commerce sellers to collect a 6% sales tax on any sale to a Florida resident.

AfterShip, an e-commerce tracking and post-purchase solutions company, has secured a $66 million Series B investment round, bringing its total funding to $69 million.

Hear from drone manufacturers, shippers and more that are utilizing these devices to completely revolutionize transportation at the first and last miles of supply chains.

Affirm Holdings, which specializes in “buy now, pay later” solutions, has acquired leading e-commerce returns provider Returnly.

In 2020, Amazon nearly doubled: its workforce, its number of facilities and its logistics square footage. In 2021, it plans to double its truckload fleet.

Misfits Market’s business has boomed as more consumers shift to online grocery shopping, and now it has achieved a valuation of over $1 billion following a new $200 million funding round.

Onfleet announced a carbon offset program that will see it partner with its customers to contribute $8 per metric ton of carbon dioxide generated through delivery operations to reforestation and old forest protection programs.

E-commerce fulfillment company ShipBob has partnered with data-driven carbon marketplace Pachama to offer brands a carbon-neutral shipping option.

AgEagle, a leading U.S.-based drone provider, has acquired Measure Global, a provider of software that helps drone operators manage their fleets.

Uber Eats announced it will enter the German market as it looks to take on food delivery service Just Eat Takeaway.com across Europe.

Delivery and fulfillment platform Bringg has introduced BringgGreen Sustainability Tech Practice, a suite of tools to help retailers reduce their carbon footprint through more sustainable last-mile delivery practices.

PayPal has enabled the ability for customers on Venmo to buy and sell cryptocurrencies within the app.

Arguments in the appeal of the injunction keeping AB5 as California law were made in September; the industry still awaits the final word.

Two Democratic senators have introduced a bill that would offer gig workers a $250 unemployment benefit as part of an overhaul of unemployment insurance.

Nathan’s Famous, known for its New York hot dogs, is partnering with Ghost Kitchen Brands to open up to 150 nontraditional food locations offering takeout and third-party delivery by 2022.

Supply chain disruptions like the Suez Canal blockage are forcing brands to a new approach to the supply chain, including ordering more product earlier.

Amazon will begin testing in-home setup of furniture and appliances.

Trucking companies will need to become more strategic about recruitment in the future. Those not willing to change will have difficulty finding drivers.

Cleveron has introduced a self-driving delivery vehicle that has flexible body options, allowing retailers to customize it for their needs.

Not X-men. Xwing. But it’s cool too if you like planes that fly by themselves.

IKEA Canada and its last-mile delivery partner Second Closet will purchase all-electric trucks from Lion Electric to be used for home deliveries.

French robotics company Exotec has embarked on a pilot run with the Gap in North America, testing its Skypod robots to handle e-commerce returns management.

Startup Milk Moovement seeks to modernize the dairy supply chain through cloud-based software.

The think tank report sees the funding coming from the service centers as a means to help rebuild interstate highways.

Ghost kitchens have been a COVID-19 success story, and now one is set to go public, giving investors a chance to weigh in on the trend and its potential for future success.

Online grocer Farmstead is now offering delivery through DoorDash as it seeks a larger share of the e-commerce market.

A U.K. laundry services company that already utilizes an app for on-demand pickup and delivery of dirty laundry has now launched Laundry Drone to make that same pickup or drop-off via drone.

Domino’s is partnering with self-driving vehicle company Nuro to schedule pizza delivery for select customers in Houston with Nuro’s R2 robot vehicle.

Singapore-based Grab has finalized a SPAC merger with Altimeter Growth Corp. that will value it at $39.5 billion upon its public debut.

As legal and legislative battles pop up around the country over worker misclassification, a new lawsuit is seeking to restore a Trump-era rule that could decide the future of gig employees.

Many shippers of fast-moving goods and consumer products saw increased sales during the pandemic, but many still suffer from a lack of supply chain efficiency. Locus has introduced an AI-powered tool, NodelQ, that helps optimize the supply chain.

Amazon has started requiring third-party sellers to meet more stringent Prime shipping promises, and that is forcing changes to the supply chain.

Mobileye autonomous driver technology enables round-the-clock operation for Udelv middle- and last-mile Transporter delivery vehicles.

The author of “Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One-Click America” talks about Amazon’s push for complete dominance and what it may mean for all of us.

Improvements will come in the form of more ship-from-store, but mainly more ship-from-dark-store as retailers realize the unnecessary complexity of the method and seek to transform more stores into localized fulfillment centers.

Amazon took a page from FedEx’s anti-union playbook, and the message of union irrelevance hit home with the warehouse workers.

WHAT THE TRUCK?!? welcomes HubTran’s Josh Asbury to the show. The crew dives into the acquisition with TriumphPay and discusses HubTran’s Lights-Out Processing platform.

Hybrid investment firm Florida Funders has made a second investment in OTHRSource, an Atlanta-based company that specializes in boosting brands’ sales through strategic merchandising opportunities, both in-store and online.

Warehouse automation continues to accelerate as consumer appetite for e-commerce grows, and that is placing robotics companies in the spotlight.

DHL Express has added two large freighters to its fleet to bolster service between the Asia-Pacific and the U.S. and Europe, in response to “exponential” growth in shipment volume. The parcel carrier said Friday the two Boeing 777 aircraft will be operated by Michigan-based Kalitta Air and AeroLogic, the joint venture cargo airline of DHL […]

“On-the-way” delivery service Roadie saw growth exceed 4x in 2020 as retailers shifted to same-day delivery of online orders, and founder and CEO Marc Gorlin says there is no going back for the retail industry.

Two last-mile delivery firms have secured funding as they look to scale. AxleHire has closed a $20 million round while Swyft has netted $17.5 million.

Instacart did an analysis of its platform’s users and found some surprises regarding how many people and who exactly was shopping for groceries online in 2020.

Uber will spend $250 million on driver stimulus incentives in an attempt to lure drivers back to the service as the lifting of COVID-related restrictions increases demand.

On this episode of At Your Doorstep for the DroneWaves Summit, Kaylee Nix explores the possibilities of drone delivery, from the golf course to the big city.