Articles
Trucking
Old Dominion Freight Line To Carry On MLB Fan Cherished Ritual
Old Dominion Freight Line, the Official Freight Carrier of Major League Baseball (MLB), is driving the celebrations for the annual Spring Training send-off tradition with MLB teams across the country. This year, the less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier will partner with the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Kansas City Royals, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies […]
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Keeping Truckers Safe on the Road
Keeping drivers safe is important for everyone on the road, especially with 115 million cars and trucks hitting U.S. streets every day. Not everyone who drives will get into an accident. However, the risk is much higher for truckers who drive every day for work. A range of factors can cause crashes. One of the […]
Read MoreVR Training Combats Trucking Industry’s Critical Driver Shortage
To many of us, truck driving and virtual reality (VR) using simulation are at the opposite end of the technology spectrum. However, VR using proper simulation is the solution to a major problem that exists in the world of trucking and freight movement.
Read MoreWait Loss Program
The supply-demand dynamic in the trucking market is out of balance, even as more drivers enter the field. With tight capacity, carriers can pick and choose which shippers and facilities to work with. In order to remain competitive and have access to consistent and reliable supply, it is crucial for shippers to become a shipper […]
Read MoreGood Question: What was your first job in logistics and what did it teach you?
Summer seasonal order picker. It taught me an order is only as good as its accuracy; without it, all you would have is empty pallets. James Stone Client Sales Representative Echo Global Logistics Manually tracking and tracing previous-day LTL pickups. It taught me every missed pickup has three stories: why the carrier says it’s the […]
Read MoreSelf-Driving Trucks Are Set to Transform Trucking and Logistics
While much of the attention surrounding autonomous vehicles (AVs) is focused on self-driving cars, the real impact will be felt in the shipping, trucking, and logistics industries, where AVs will have a dramatic effect. Today, the shortage of truck drivers and the need to follow strict federal regulations covering working hours are disrupting status quo […]
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Take a Load Off Your Fleet
Maintenance and repair (M&R) is the top factor motivating fleet executives to acquire new trucks, say 40 percent of respondents to a recent Fleet Advantage survey of more than 1,000 fleet executives. M&R costs have moved front and center in recent years, with more fleet personnel working with their finance departments, the survey finds. Costs, […]
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How to Become a Shipper of Choice
As shippers, carriers, and logistics service providers prepare for a busy Q4 2018, here are some ideas for easing the capacity crunch, controlling costs, and becoming a "shipper of choice." Carriers in the driver’s seat. When the freight market shifted, so did the balance between shippers and carriers. In today’s market, carriers can afford to […]
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The New Faces of Trucking
Leilani and Cheyenne are not your typical high school students. What sets them apart is that they both share a passion for trucking and see the vast opportunities that industry offers. The students attend Patterson High School, in Patterson, California. Leilani is a senior and is enrolled in one of the first high school trucking […]
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Intermodal Transport: Finding the Road to the Right Track
Tight trucking capacity, the strong economy, and ongoing improvements on the rail are spurring more shippers to consider intermodal transportation. But finding a container, or a truck to haul it to or from the rail terminal, isn’t always easy, either.
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6 Ways to Find Hidden Capacity
As shippers puzzle their way through a record truckload capacity shortage, they have to change how they do business to find the right truck at the right time for the right price.
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Good Question: To address the truck driver shortage, should we lower the minimum driver age to 18?
I agree with lowering the age restriction for getting an interstate CDL to 18. Currently, commercial drivers between 18 and 21 can operate with a CDL as long as they don’t cross state borders. Think about that—a 19 year old can legally operate a commercial rig between Miami and Pensacola, Florida (670 miles apart), but […]
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Good News From the Government! (Yes, You Read That Right)
In its second estimate of Q2 2018 Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the U.S. Census Bureau quoted growth at 4.2 percent, the best quarterly figure since Q3 2014. That comparison is important because 2014 was also the last time the truck market was tight. When GDP rises above four percent, freight grows and the truck market […]
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Conserving a National Resource
Everyone has an opinion about how to combat the truck driver shortage—from boosting pay and benefits to lowering the age for getting a CDL (see Good Question, page 10) to self-driving trucks. But one valuable weapon you don’t hear much about is driver wellness programs. Carriers can implement these programs quickly, and net near immediate […]
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Driver Wellness Programs: The Right Thing to Do
Wellness programs keep drivers healthy, and carriers wealthy and wise.
Read MoreTrucking Generates $700 Billion
The U.S. trucking industry generated $700.3 billion in economic activity in 2017, a 3.5-percent increase over the $676.2 billion generated in 2016. That’s according to the American Trucking Associations’ trucking industry data report—ATA American Trucking Trends 2018. Among the findings in this year’s edition: Trucks moved 10.77 billion tons of freight, 70.2 percent of all […]
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Securing Capacity While Pivoting for Peak Season – Hub Group
A home goods retailer turned to Hub Group to secure capacity in the face of a hectic peak season.
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2018 Top 100 Truckers
Inbound Logistics’ annual Top 100 Truckers directory provides an in-depth index of carriers that match shippers’ diverse and demanding needs. MORE TO THE STORY: Use the Trucking Decision Support Tool IL editors selected this year’s list from a pool of 300-plus trucking companies, evaluating surveys, conducting online research, and talking with shippers and truckers alike. […]
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2018 Trucking Perspectives
Insights collected through Inbound Logistics’ exclusive annual survey of shippers and truckers find the industry’s most significant trends and challenges.
Read MoreBridging the Gap Between Women and Funding
Thirty women have become small business owners in the trucking industry thanks to the efforts of Expediter Services (ES), in conjunction with the Women in Trucking Association. To bring more women into the transportation industry, ES set a goal of supporting 150 total women-owned small businesses through the 150 Business Challenge within 12 months. Through […]
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