Topic: News

The January reading—at 136.1—was up 1.1% over December and down 0.2% compared to January 2020. The January reading is 3.8% below the all-time high of 141.5 recorded in August 2019 and 43.4% above the April 2009 low of 94.9.

With a 3.3-cent decrease, the national average came in at $3.161, snapping a 20-week run of weekly gains. Even though the national average declined, it topped the $3 per gallon mark for the fifth consecutive week.

The January SCI, which is the most recent month for which data is available, was -9.8, which was an improvement over December’s -10.9. FTR said that the fourth quarter of 2020 presented the most difficult market conditions for shippers going back to early 2018.

ATA officials said that the turnover rate for truckload carriers with more than $30 million in annual revenue remained at 92%, from the third quarter to the fourth quarter, following a 10% annual gain in the third quarter. And the turnover rate for smaller carriers, with revenue below $30 million, saw a 2% decline, to 72%.

Various media reports have indicated that the 20,000 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent) vessel Ever Given, which last week ran aground and was tapped in the Suez Canal, is now moving again.

For 2020, CBRE’s data indicated that industrial real estate transactions saw annual across the board gains, for all big box segments it tracks, including: 200,000-to-499,000 SF, from 150.6 to 158.8; 500,000 SF-to-749,999 SF, from 50.5 to 90.0; 750,000+SF, from 78.9 to 100.8, with the total number of transactions rising from 280.0 in 2019 to 349.3 in 2020.

Earlier this week, Oracle introduced new updates to its Oracle Fusion Cloud Supply Chain & Manufacturing (SCM) offering, which connects shippers’ supply networks with an integrated suite of cloud business applications.

Lakeland, Fla.-based 3PL Saddle Creek Logistics Services announced earlier this week that it will be opening up a 544,320 square-foot e-commerce fulfillment distribution center in Walton, Ky. this summer. Company officials said that this facility is the most recent example of its nationwide network of DCs, augmenting its various omnichannel supply chain services capabilities.

Rail carloads—at 230,605—rose 2.9% annually, and intermodal containers and trailers—at 282,270—saw a 19.8% annual gain. AAR officials noted that annual comparisons for this week are inflated, due to “the widespread economy-wide shutdowns—and subsequent large reduction in rail volumes—a year ago at this time.

It’s starting to affect the trucking industry’s Class 8 sales, which were off to a torrid start in 2021. Even with the driver shortage affecting overall capacity, trucking companies are seeking to modernize their fleets to take advantage of fuel savings, reduced maintenance and newer amenities.

The fashion retailer's sourcing leader is centralizing procurement with an eye towards top line growth

​With Calgary-based Canadian Pacific (CP) recently announcing it plans to acquire Kansas City Southern (KCS) for $29 billion, in a deal that will establish the first freight railway connecting the United States, Canada, and Mexico, leadership at the Surface Transportation Board (STB) said today it received a “notice of intent” about the proposed transaction.

The plan, entitled “Delivering for America,” takes an ambitious approach focused on helping the USPS get on solid financial footing, as the organization has been in the red over the last 14 years and incurred a net loss of $9.2 billion in the last fiscal year.

The plan, entitled “Delivering for America,” takes an ambitious approach focused on helping the USPS get on solid financial footing, as the organization has been in the red over the last 14 years and incurred a net loss of $9.2 billion in the last fiscal year.

The company is opening up a 269,000 square-foot facility located at 7653 Mowry Avenue and a new 141,000 square-foot warehouse located at 7375 Morton Avenue, which it said is part of a recently developed commercial and industrial business park and is built at the site of the previous Morton Salt works.

The ATA’s advanced Seasonally Adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index for February—at 110 (2015=100)—decreased 4.5%, from January to February, following a 1.4% (upwardly revised from an original reading of 1.4%), from December to January, which came in at 115.2.

The February van load-to-truck ratio, at 7.5, was up from January’s 4.3, setting a new record, with the reefer ratio, at 15.9, also set a new record, and coming in ahead of January’s 8.2 ratio, with the flatbed ratio going from 47.9 in January to 62.2 in February

The national average price per gallon—at $3.194—eked out a $0.03-cent increase, following a 4.8-cent increase, to $3.191, for the week of March 15, topping the $3 per gallon mark for the fourth week in a row.

DHL has long been on the front lines, in the logistics sector, as a company with a clear focus on sustainability and green logistics and freight efforts. The company explained today that it has had “ambitious sustainability targets” going back to 2008, and in 2017 it became the first logistics company to announce it had a set target focused on reducing its GHG to net zero by 2050.

Total February shipments—at 1,345,971—posted a 1.1% annual gain. Domestic containers—at 562,187—slipped 7.7%, with trailers—at 92,229—increasing 10.9%. All domestic equipment—at 654,416—was down 5.4%. ISO, or international, containers—at 691,555—saw an 8.3% increase.