FreightWaves Live Chicago adds air cargo topics to agenda

FreightWaves recently enhanced its air cargo data for SONAR users with data on cargo revenues produced by U.S. passenger and freighter airlines. Data is updated quarterly, covering total airline cargo revenues with breakdowns for freight, mail and cargo charters. Data is available geographically for the revenues generated on flights in the U.S. domestic, Atlantic, Pacific and Latin regions.  

Air cargo is a big facilitator of international trade and e-commerce, and is also important within domestic supply chains that need goods delivered rapidly. Air cargo may only represent 1% of tonnage moved across borders, but the industry moves more than $6 trillion worth of goods, accounting for about two-thirds of world trade by value. Airfreight’s sweet spot is high-value and/or perishable goods such as pharmaceuticals, biologic medicines, automotive parts, flowers, fresh fish, electronics and live animals.

That’s why FreightWaves’ news operation has recently beefed up its air cargo coverage and why airfreight will be part of a FreightWaves event for the first time. FreightWaves’ executives have stated they eventually want FreightWaves Live to become a premier conference for the air cargo industry.

Speakers such as Bruce Campbell, executive chairman of Forward Air, which provides truck-to-airport connections; Wally Devereaux, managing director of cargo for Southwest Airlines; Shawn Cole, vice president for cargo at Delta Air Lines; Michelle Halkerston, CEO of Hasset Express; and Brandon Fried, executive director of the Airforwarders Association, will discuss topics such as:

• Why the airfreight market has softened this year and what it holds for 2020.
• Truck congestion issues at key gateway airports and possible solutions.
• Trucking and airline capacity.
• Technology opportunities to increase booking and last-mile efficiency, along with increased shipment visibility for customers.
• Opportunities for supply chain collaboration.

FreightWaves Live’s lead sponsor is J.B. Hunt Transport Inc. and its 360 load management app. Title sponsors are: TTN Fleet Solutions, 8VC and K-Ratio. Universal sponsors are: Daimler Trucks North America, Echo Logistics, Emerge, SkyBitz, LeanTech, Platform Science, Transflo, TriumphPay and Uber Freight. National sponsors are Schneider and Trimble.

Regional Sponsors are: DL Cartel, Freight Friend, here, McLeod Software, nlb services, Pilot. Flying J, WeWork.