Articles

Trucking

Charles Myers
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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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Wes Kemp: Portrait of a Leader
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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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Danny Slaton
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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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Jeff Vielhaber
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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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Trent Dye
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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
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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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Tom Kampf
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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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Felecia Stratton
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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 […]

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Trends—September 2011
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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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Trucking Perspectives 2011: Exclusive Inbound Logistics Research
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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 […]

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