Articles
Trucking
Load Boards Evolve Into Social Networking Tools
When you look at an Internet-based load board, it’s hard to believe how far the freight and logistics sector has come. It wasn’t long ago that carriers all over the country found much-needed backhauls by posting handwritten notes on truckstop bulletin boards, and brokers used those same boards to locate trucks. But technology—particularly the Internet—has […]
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Cross-Border Shipping: The Road Now Taken
Electronics manufacturer Siemens switches from air freight to over-the-road transport for shipments from Mexico to the United States and Canada and lights up savings.
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Wes Kemp: Portrait of a Leader
Wes Kemp recently retired after a 42-year career with LTL carrier ABF, where he rose from management trainee to lead the company as president and CEO. In this exclusive interview, Kemp shares his insights on the transportation industry, trucking regulation, technology, and his new role teaching the next generation of logistics leaders.
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The Role of Cloud-Based LTL Content in Smarter Supply Chains
Cloud computing is quickly coming into its own: Its virtual, service-oriented, location-independent architecture is used across a whole host of industries to provide on-demand content for accurate decision making. The U.S. freight industry is quickly catching on to the value of actionable content delivered via the cloud, which easily lends itself to supporting effective supply […]
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Protecting Your Company Against Load Board Scams
Online load board scams have plagued the trucking industry for the past few years. Unfortunately, the lethargic economy means the problem will get worse before it gets better. Con artists are taking advantage of the fact that law enforcement has not made this issue a priority. Most scammers, in fact, are never prosecuted. On average, […]
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How Carriers Keep Great Drivers Behind the Wheel
Motor carriers face a constant loss of qualified drivers, with some experiencing up to 150-percent turnover annually. Replacing a driver costs carriers $12,000 to $15,000 in separation, replacement, and training costs—a significant hit to their bottom line. High driver turnover also undermines carrier safety performance and customer service. To meet shipper demand, some carriers attempt […]
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Integration: Call of the X-duty
The X-duty trailer may look like traditional dry van equipment, but on the inside it’s a different story. Outside-the-box thinking allowed appliance maker Electrolux to connect its inbound and outbound shipment needs in one innovative transport solution.
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Smarter Trucking Saves Fuel Over the Long Haul
On-board technology tools help trucking companies boost fuel economy by monitoring and controlling what goes on behind the wheel.
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Getting a Handle on Transportation Costs
Plumbing fixture manufacturer TOTO Global Group taps a third-party logistics provider to benchmark freight spend.
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Refrigerated Trucks Haul More Than Just Perishables
It may come as a surprise that “perishable goods” include items more diverse than fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, frozen foods, and dairy products. Today’s truck and trailer refrigeration systems, known as reefers, also keep other high-value loads at ideal temperatures and humidity levels so they arrive safely at their final destinations. Prompted by regulations […]
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Freight at Rest is Freight at Risk
Today’s stressful economic conditions are driving thieves to steal everything that’s not nailed down—from railroad tracks to copper wiring. Truckers and their customers have had to deal with the cargo security issue for as long as the five-finger discount has been around. As part of our special Trucking Safety issue, we asked motor freight carriers […]
Read MoreIt’s Time for Freight Classification Reform
If the volatile economy hasn’t made the case, demographics might. The motor carrier pricing structure needs an overhaul.
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Trends—September 2011
To Buy or Not to Buy: Truckers Brake on New Equipment The threat of a double-dip recession and the promise of capitalizing on a yet-to-be-seen capacity shortage have motor freight carriers wavering on whether to invest in new equipment, according to a recent business expectation survey conducted by Chattanooga, Tenn.-based consultant Transport Capital Partners (TCP). […]
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Looking Down the Road
Despite its challenges, the motor freight industry is on a roll, according to exclusive interviews with five trucking big wheels.
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Trucking Perspectives 2011: Exclusive Inbound Logistics Research
When the economy took its first plunge in late 2008, there was little doubt the motor freight industry would be collateral damage. Capacity was flush. Fleets had grown fat feeding on steady demand. Inefficiencies ran amok. The recession hit carriers hard and they paid a heavy price with bankruptcies, acquisitions, consolidations, layoffs, and stock insecurities […]
Read MoreTruckers Play Role in Homeland Security
Con-way Freight’s Chief Security Officer Curt Shewchuck talks about how the LTL carrier thwarted a possible terrorist event and is working with shippers and government to secure the supply chain.
Read MoreResponding to the Past
We may need to remove all the mirrors in Washington, D.C.—not to shrink the egos of lawmakers and regulators, but to keep them from looking back and solving the problems of the past.
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Trends—August 2011
Trucks Will Dominate Despite hitting a number of speed bumps during the economic recession, trucking is expected to dominate U.S. domestic transportation over the next 10 years, taking market share from the railroads. Overall, U.S. freight tonnage is expected to grow 24 percent by 2022, while revenue for the industry is projected to rise 66 […]
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Switching to Emissions-reducing Fuel Technologies
As diesel prices continue to rise, optimizing fuel economy challenges shipping and logistics professionals everywhere. For many, the urgency to deliver fuel savings or manage escalating fuel costs is increasing as rapidly as the average price of diesel—which has climbed nearly one dollar from last year. It remains up nearly 25 percent year over year, […]
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Looking Beyond Rates: The Road to Smoother Carrier Contract Negotiations
Carrier-supplied data can provide valuable insight for writing contracts, but shippers who want to pave the way to strong business relationships must dig deeper.
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