urricane season can frequently — and unexpectedly — change the trucking dynamic. Part of this involves the positioning of equipment in anticipation for hauling FEMA freight.
High butter prices expected to persist Butter is currently second only to eggs for the title of most inflationary food item, up 25% year over year, compared to 13%-14% for the entire grocery category. Inventories of cold butter at the end of July were the lowest since 2017. Those stocks are usually built up early […]
Inbound container volumes into the U.S. bode poorly for future trucking volumes. Trucking is the critical node for transporting goods, handling over 70% of freight in the U.S. at a given time.
A few days in Germany revealed an inconvenient truth about real-world applications of battery-electric and hydrogen-powered trucks.
In this issue of the WTT newsletter: rail workers still want to strike; Nikola’s Trevor Milton intervention; pre-trips go VR; best states for drone delivery
The American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased 2.8% in August after a disappointing 1.5% drop in July. The ATA data primarily relates to contracted freight tonnage volumes and is a useful indicator of shipping activity.
The outlook for trucking companies buying new or used Class 8 trucks can best be described like a 2005 Facebook relationship status — “It’s complicated.”
A Nikola whistleblower collected $600,000 from a short seller of the company’s stock and could be in line for a bigger payday from the SEC.
FreightWaves, in partnership with MerQube, an index provider, on Tuesday released a supply chain tech index. This index is composed of companies identified by FreightWaves and MerQube as supply chain tech companies and traded on developed market exchanges.
U.S. Xpress is going through a reorganization following a recent round of layoffs. The technology-driven Variant program will be merged into a larger Highway Services group, which will include the legacy over-the-road business and the USX freight brokerage.
How is it that California, the world’s fifth-largest economy and the state most autonomous trucking startups call home, refuses to allow commercial testing of the technology?
In this issue of the WHAT THE TRUCK?!? newsletter, truckers honking for kids; a season of no peak; iPhone 14 adds crash rescue feature; surgery performed via EV; and more.
Driver training schools are seeing an influx of those interested in joining the trucking industry.
For many over-the-road drivers, a major source of their meals can come from C-store locations built into truck stops like Love’s, Flying J and Pilot.
The trucking business is often cyclical, and understanding the changes in profitability is a great barometer for the general macroeconomic outlook.
Industrial carbon dioxide shortage The industrial CO2 shortage is a supply chain issue that stands to impact the consumer packaged goods industry heavily with food and beverage manufacturing representing approximately 70% of the industrial CO2 usage. It is used to make beer, soda and sparkling water taste like themselves. It is also used to preserve […]
On Monday, the Iowa-based truckload carrier acquired several assets from the Contract Freighters Inc. (CFI) portfolio
Consumer packaged goods companies (CPGs) and retailers are among the largest intermodal shippers. Today’s edition of The Stockout highlights data relevant for shippers that utilize rail intermodal or are looking to move in that direction for transportation savings and/or to promote dedication to environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives. Will there truly be a peak […]
Inside this edition: CVSA Brake Safety Week; Canada is No. 1; and robots and hot dogs come together.
FreightTech 100 nominations end soon It’s the second most wonderful time of the year behind college football returning. If you or someone you know is innovating or disrupting the freight industry, the nominations for the annual FreightWaves FreightTech 100 are ending on Friday. To submit a nomination, use the link here. An external peer group […]
Inside this edition: Preventing daily fires … the pessimistic outlook on carrier retention … The newest fixer-upper.
Rail service levels are impacting trucking intermodal growth plans. At a Deutsche Bank transportation conference on Tuesday, J.B. Hunt noted that intermodal demand remained strong but poor rail service appears to be creating a bottleneck.
In this issue of the WHAT THE TRUCK?!? newsletter: ocean rates sink; Walmart inventory woes; Amazon adds peak season fee; and more.
Inside this edition: What is everyone upgrading? … 2021 was the MVP year … More acquisitions in Q3
Trailer pools as a hedge against contract rate declines, Electric truck infrastructure — breakthroughs versus misconceptions
How well will consumer packaged goods (CPG) purchases ultimately hold up? Not only is CPG demand forecasting arguably more difficult than ever, it is also more critical than normal since many CPGs have to decide whether to continue with high-cost contract manufacturing that served as a way to find capacity during the pandemic when demand […]
Inside this edition: Getting just the right amount of Tech upgrades; A rift among former customer and service provider; and a newbie joins Nuvocargo’s ranks.
ATRI: Costliest year ever in trucking On Wednesday, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released its annual report on the operational costs of trucking. The report, which has been published annually since 2008, is based on motor carrier financial and operations data from 2021. Below are some highlights from the report and press release: Total […]
In this issue: port protests hit Baltimore; Ford’s drone trucks; world’s largest container ship; and do delivery apps deliver to trucks?
Inside this edition: Getting ahead of claims, the task force with the hottest acronym, and someone just leveled up.
Legal battle over trucking independent contractors The trucking owner-operator business model is getting more legal challenges. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court decision in May 2021 that ruled in favor of Schneider’s contract terms, creating a situation where an owner-operator is effectively an employee based on its interpretation of the […]
Shareholder letters and earnings call transcripts don’t qualify as page-turning vacation reading. But they say a lot.
Inside this edition: being a better prospector, transportation costs at a minimum, and FedEx has new toys.
Inside this edition: the rise of ESG initiatives, congestion up again and the future of shopping malls.
Trailer pool services are gaining adoption. Wabash, a major manufacturer of equipment, recently announced a partnership with Phoenix-based freight brokerage FreightVana to supply the company with its trailer-as-a-service (TaaS) platform.
A proof-of-concept step van with four-wheel steering by wire and 57% better aerodynamics could revolutionize the segment
CO2 shortages strike breweries; Senate bill proposes $40k tax credit for electric semis; a look at a limp dry van spot market and more
FreightWaves recently conducted a survey of owner-operators outlining business issues and outlooks on profitability in 2022 compared to the previous year.
A common theme during the downward swing in the cyclical freight market cycle is the movement of owner-operators in and out of large fleets.
Nikola’s could keep adjourning its annual meeting as it pursues unvoted proxies to raise the number of authorized shares.
The Port of Oakland in California is experiencing a work stoppage and limited access to the container terminals as truckers escalate their protests against the state’s AB5 law.
New rules proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding disclosure of climate-related risks and greenhouse gas emissions could greatly impact the trucking industry.
In this issue, AB5 port protests enter day 2; SoCal rail chaos; the wrong way to email drivers; heated seats as a service; and more.
The protests stem from the potential impact the AB5 law will have on the over 70,000 owner-operators who operate in California.
Twin SPAC backer ArcLight Capital is investing $50 million in a truck-as-a-service business that handles Class 1-8 vehicles.
Has CPG ingredient inflation peaked? I can only speculate whether the recent pullback in commodity prices will continue, but with crude oil off its high, crop prices well off their highs, many supply chain issues being worked through, retailers discounting prices to clear bloated inventories and the freight spot markets under pressure, inflation may not […]
Loaded and Rolling: Holiday impact on trucking; CA AB5 law goes into effect; Inflation headwinds batter consumer spending in May
General Mills’ supply chain disruptions to persist At a Wall Street conference earlier this month, Jonathan Nudi, General Mills’ president of North American retail, said, “We’re seeing 10 times the number of disruptions in our supply chain from an ingredient standpoint coming into our plants than we ever experienced before. And this gets really challenging […]
Kellogg splitsville As I am sure you’ve seen, the big CPG news Tuesday was that Kellogg will become three separate companies. Management will focus on the snacks/international business (I’ll call it Snack Co.) and plans to spin off the North American cereal business (Cereal Co.) and the plant-based businesses (Plant Co.) into separate entities, with […]
Development of 48-volt battery systems for commercial trucks will serve at least three purposes but the most urgent is in helping reduce emissions.
Ranked 39th on the Transport Topics list of top brokerage firms, Axle Logistics takes a consultative and streamlined approach to your shipping needs. Email sales@axlelogistics.com to connect with the team today! Bipartisan agreement that rail service is poor As described by FreightWaves’ Joanna Marsh, a group of 19 senators from 13 states wrote a letter […]
Ranked 39th on the Transport Topics list of top brokerage firms, Axle Logistics takes a consultative and streamlined approach to your shipping needs. Email sales@axlelogistics.com to connect with the team today! Retail rout This week saw a rout in retail stocks with shares of Walmart and Target down 21% and 31%, respectively, during the past […]
Numerous companies, including CPG companies, at FreightWaves’ The Future of Supply Chain conference last week highlighted the difficulty of accurately forecasting. We heard that sentiment expressed from numerous companies, including transportation companies and intermediaries as well as CPG companies and other shippers. Basically, market forecasts are almost always too reflective of current market conditions without […]
Electric trucks — battery and fuel cells — unsurprisingly overwhelmed the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo.
CPG companies expect continued inflation on transportation costs this year. While there are plenty of signs on the horizon that suggest that a freight recession may be forthcoming, 2022 freight costs for most CPG companies are expected to be higher than they were in 2021. Procter & Gamble and Mondelez are among the major CPG […]
Procter & Gamble highlights the combination of commodity, freight and foreign exchange as having a combined 22% headwind on core EPS in its fiscal 2022 (ending June 30). The company’s organic sales grew 10% in its just-reported fiscal Q3 2022, broken down into pricing, volume and sales mix contributing 5, 3 and 2 points, respectively. […]
Another bloodbath is coming for the trucking industry, with one key rate dropping 37% from December to April.
On last week’s The Stockout show, I interviewed Fred Hart, partner and creative director of Interact, a branding agency in Boulder, Colorado. Fred works with a wide range of CPG companies on packaging and branding that stands out in crowded fields of products. The show can be seen here. For those without the 26 minutes […]
Truck Tech is a weekly newsletter providing perspective and context on autonomy, electrification and other technologies impacting the fleet ecosystem.
In this issue, market’s downward spiral; HBO highlights how trucking is broken for drivers; White House announces measures to fix a fragile market
Truck Tech is a weekly newsletter providing perspective and context on autonomy, electrification and other technologies impacting the fleet ecosystem.
The truck market is correcting. If you haven’t read the article that FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller wrote last week titled, “Just 3 years after 2019 trucking bloodbath, another is on the way,” I recommend starting there. For those who prefer a video format and/or want more detail, Fuller discusses his thesis on the most recent […]
Truck Tech is a weekly newsletter providing perspective and context on autonomy, electrification and other technologies impacting the fleet ecosystem.
Supply chain improvement, leading to better on-shelf availability, drove positive variance relative to management’s prior guidance. Shares of General Mills rose 2.5% on Wednesday in a down market. The increase to the company’s full-year earnings guidance (earnings were previously expected to be 2% lower to 1% higher y/y and are now expected to be flat […]
Grocery prices rose 8.6% year-over-year in February. As miserable as the overall 7.9% inflation rate was for most consumers in February, grocery inflation outpaced it, with its highest rate of price growth in 40 years. The February year-over-year increase in grocery inflation exceeded the 7.9% year-over-year growth in January and grocery prices were also up […]
Don’t fear flatbed shipments, give them a chance; Future of Supply Chain speakers; and the Port of Mobile gets a face-lift.
Truck Tech is a weekly newsletter providing perspective and context on autonomy, electrification and other technologies impacting the fleet ecosystem.
FreightWaves is pedal to the metal for 2022, Russian cargo is no longer a concern for global shipping market, and port congestion might be easing, someday maybe.
In a letter to associates, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said, “As a food and beverage company, now more than ever we must stay true to the humanitarian aspect of our business. That means we have a responsibility to continue to offer our other products in Russia, including daily essentials such as milk and other dairy […]
Air cargo is booming, Everest Transportation hasn’t missed a beat in Ukraine, and truck maintenance prices are climbing to new heights.
Will we see a depression in Russia, a recession in western Europe and slower positive economic growth in North America, or some other scenario? It’s not yet clear whether the Russia-Ukraine conflict will be impactful enough to drive a global recession, but the consensus is that the further rising prices of energy and agriculture as […]
Before getting into CPG news, I encourage readers of The Stockout to join us at The Future of Supply Chain event, which takes place May 9-10 at the Rogers Convention Centers in Northwest Arkansas. Keynote speakers include Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Jonathan Hoffman, former chief Pentagon spokesman. The CPG industry will be well represented […]
Truck Tech is a weekly newsletter providing perspective and context on autonomy, electrification and other technologies impacting the fleet ecosystem.
Requirements from the carrier point of view, Suez Canal tolls get a hike, and it’s time to renegotiate the West Coast Longshore and Warehouse Union contract.
Trips down memory lane provide clarity for newbies in the industry, Ukrainian workers’ absence sends shockwaves through the industry, and the People’s Convoy keeps on trucking to Washington.
Numerous multinational CPG companies are suspending or limiting production in Ukraine in an effort to keep employees safe. The major CPG companies that have announced they are limiting or suspending production and/or distribution in Ukraine include Nestle, Coca-Cola, Philip Morris and Mondelez. The same is true for global agriculture companies that have operations in Ukraine, […]
Truck Tech is a weekly newsletter providing perspective and context on autonomy, electrification and other technologies impacting the fleet ecosystem.
What it takes to get people and snow to the Olympics; the FMCSA tries to make things easier; and Mexico’s take on the cross-border vaccine mandate.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Food Price Index averaged 135.7 points in January, 1.1 percent higher than December and the highest level in 11 years. Driving the latest increase were month-over-month increases in the FAO Vegetable Oils Price Index and the Dairy Price Index of 4.2% and 2.4%, respectively. Palm […]
Nestle’s corporate strategy the past several years has prepared it for the highly inflationary environment we now find ourselves in. The main thing that stood out to me in Nestle’s full-year 2021 results, which were reported Thursday, was the stability in the company’s margins, which was highly impressive considering the tremendous margin pressure that many […]
Truck Tech is a weekly newsletter providing perspective and context on autonomy, electrification and other technologies impacting the fleet ecosystem.
Valentine’s Day supply chain dance, retail returns may never end, and avocado toast prices are here to ruin millennials’ home-buying chances.
The second-biggest day of eating, autonomous truck routes here to stay, and Canada is open again, except in two places.
This is the best article I saw in recent days relevant to CPG companies — Just Food described how consumer behavior will likely change in response to sharp inflation in food prices. The good news for CPG companies is that history shows that consumers will cut back on eating out at restaurants (first trading down […]
Truck Tech is a weekly newsletter providing perspective and context on autonomy, electrification and other technologies impacting the fleet ecosystem.
An internal process audit can be easier than you think, ships waiting for berths in San Pedro Bay have finally decreased, and Canada can’t quit with border issues.
Auditing isn’t just for the big four accounting firms, Mexico struggles with the cross-border vaccine mandate, and has Central Freight Lines shorted drivers on pay?
Following disappointing earnings on Thursday afternoon, Clorox (NYSE: CLX) shares fell 14.3% on Friday, making it the day’s worst-performing stock on the S&P 500. One of the lowlights was the company’s gross margin, which declined 1,240 basis points year-over-year in its fiscal second quarter to 33% from 45.5% one year earlier. That contraction was primarily […]
Does a shorter interview and hiring process really help? Canadian truckers and protesters block the border, and Winter Storm Landon assaults the Midwest.
Attracting and retaining top talent isn’t easy; Lunar New Year has begun, Loadsmart reaches unicorn status; and the Midwest braces for winter weather.
Mondelez sees logistics costs rising worldwide, but not at the same pace as in the U.S. The Chicago-based snack maker cited a severe imbalance between supply and demand for truck capacity and container availability in the U.S. and U.K. Meanwhile, the company’s costs outside of logistics, such as ingredient and packaging costs, are showing more […]
Truck Tech is a weekly newsletter providing perspective and context on autonomy, electrification and other technologies impacting the fleet ecosystem.
RFP process improvement, East and West Coast rivalry hits the roads, impending nor’easter issues, and quarterly earnings roundup.
The RFP process should be easier, vaccination mandates cause border woes, and the power of rail.
What will Unilever look like in the coming years? Unilever stood out Monday because the shares rose 8.6% on news of activist involvement and were up throughout the day while the broader market sold off sharply before recovering by the end of the day. The activist, Trian Fund Management, has been involved with numerous CPG […]
Truck Tech is a weekly newsletter providing perspective and context on autonomy, electrification and other technologies impacting the fleet ecosystem.
Drivers are people who have needs and wants, goods from October are just now being unloaded at West Coast ports, and the FMSCA has a new deputy administrator.
Driver as a service: J.B. Hunt becomes Waymo’s first self-driving freight customer, Commentary: The dangers of dwell, Market update: Outbound tender rejections decline amid rising spot rates
This week’s CPG news items reflect a continuation of recent food/beverage trends. More crossover between soft drink and alcoholic drinks: Monster Beverage is the latest soft drink company to get into adult beverages by acquiring CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective, an owner of craft breweries, in a deal worth $330 million. Other recent examples of category […]
Supreme Court blocks COVID vaccine mandate for large businesses On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that blocked enforcement for vaccine or testing requirements for large private companies over 100 employees. Prior to the decision, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued new guidance, stating the vaccine mandate rule would not apply […]
