Topic: News

Total September shipments—at 1,617,044—were up 8.6% annually. Domestic containers—at 715,240—were up 14.4%, while trailers—at 109,623—were up 16.2%. All domestic equipment—at 824,863—was up 14.6%. ISO, or international, containers—at 792,181—saw a 2.9% increase.

Falling 0.007 cents, this week’s national average came in at $2.388 per gallon.

September shipments—at 1.099—were down 1.8% annually, nearly 6% better than August’s 7.6% annual decrease and were up 7.1% compared to August. And September expenditures, which measures the total amount spent on freight—at 2.888—rose 1.2% annually and were up 7.2% over August.

There is one labor issue keeping trucking executives awake at night, and it concerns the legality of using owner-operators as independent contractors in California and elsewhere. The issue is whether these owner-operators can be legally classified as independent contractors or whether they are actually employees. If it’s the latter, trucking companies would be responsible for paying much higher costs in terms of Social Security contributions, workers compensation and other labor costs.

Commerce reported that total September retail sales—at $549.3 billion—were up 1.9% over August and were up 5.4% annually. And NRF pointed to September retail sales, which were paced by apparel, continuing a V-shaped recovery from the pandemic, with sales growing for the fourth consecutive month.

The September edition of the DAT Truckload Volume Index, which was issued this week by DAT Freight & analytics, an online marketplace for spot market truckload freight, picked up where August left off, posting all-time highs for spot market rates for van and refrigerated, or reefer, truckload freight.

The August TCI, which is the month for which the most recent data is available, came in at 8.31, which is in line with what the firm called a “very favorable rate environment for trucking during the month.” This reading marked a significant improvement over July’s 2.84, and marked its second-highest reading, going back to March 2018, with the exception of June’s 11.35, the highest reading over the last decade.

Rail carloads—at 230,964—saw a 5.2% annual decline, and intermodal containers and trailers—at 289,488 units—saw an 8.4% annual increase.

Some of the main takeaways of the report, entitled “Last Touch, Lasting Impact: The 2020-2021 Edition,” which was based on survey results from more than 1,400 e-commerce customers across North America, noted how North American consumers indicated they have increased online shopping by 33% over the last year, with around two-thirds saying the majority of their shopping is handled online, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Chicago-based project44 has rolled out various new capabilities to its offerings, with a sharp focus on global supply chain visibility, in order to help shippers attain higher levels of performance, productivity, and customer experience.

With this week marking the 40th anniversary of the landmark Staggers Act, various freight railroad stakeholders have banded together to take a look back at how it has fundamentally shaped the sector since it was enacted. The Staggers Act, which was named for the late West Virginia Rep. Harley Staggers and signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on October 14, 1980, has provided myriad benefits for freight railroad stakeholders, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

As Texas and Louisiana start to pick up the pieces after Hurricane Delta, the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) is gearing up to provide support – and hoping that members of the logistics community will be just as willing to help with the 25th named storm of the season as they were with the first.

With a 0.008-cent increase, the national average came in at $2.395 per gallon. This followed a 0.007-cent decline, to $2.387 per gallon, for the week of October 5.

With e-commerce activity reaching unprecedented levels, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it has brought an increased focus on this week’s Amazon Prime Days, which are Tuesday, October 13 and Wednesday, October 14. The global e-commerce titan has often described Amazon Prime Days as “a 2-day parade of epic deals,” and there is no question that remains the case today, too. Now in its sixth year, Amazon Prime Days have become an event eagerly awaited and anticipated by consumers, and, from...

As more consumers remain hunkered down at home, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the parcel sector continues to reap the benefits, in the form of increasing volumes. It is fair to say that was a key finding in the Parcel Shipping Index, which was issued this week by Stamford, Ct.-based Pitney Bowes, a global technology services provider of commerce solutions powering billions of transactions.

United States-bound September imports saw significant gains, according to data issued this week by global trade intelligence firm Panjiva. Coming in at 2,711,435 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), September was up 11.1% annually. But on a year-to-date basis, through September 30, shipments are down 3.9% annually, to 20,874,996 TEU. This marked the second time ever a monthly tally topped 2.70 million TEU.

With a total capital raise approaching $13 million, Irvine, Calif.-based ZUUM Transportation Inc., has its sights set on spurring on digital transformation within logistics to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global supply chains, which have, in many ways, seen businesses on the search for new ways to keep operations running.

The confluence of COVID-induced disruptions to supply chains and unpredictable trucking demand levels will mean sharply higher truckload rates well into 2021, a leading TL executive is predicting. Mark Rourke, president and CEO of Schneider, the nation’s second-largest truckload carrier, said the nation’s supply chains are in “a highly unique period” in our recent history.

Rail carloads—at 1,119,546—were off 9.7%, or 119,909 carloads, annually. And intermodal containers and trailers—at 1,423,883—saw a 7.1%, or 94,351 unit increase.

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continuing to change myriad aspects of everyday life, holiday season shopping is clearly not an exception, according to the 2020 U.S. Retail Holiday Trends Guide, which was issued this week by Los Angeles-based industrial real estate firm CBRE. The wide-ranging report addresses various ways in which the 2020 holiday shopping season will be different from any other.