Topic: News

While today’s supply chains are fairly mature and most organizations have implemented visibility, tracking and analytics solutions, their ability is often limited to tracking transactions within their organization boundaries.

Walmart’s announcement of a food safety blockchain solution, and Nestlé, Unilever, Tyson Foods, and Starbucks’ blockchain trials also show possibilities.

To move emerging technologies forward, the materials handling community needs to move beyond pilots and share results.

Roughly five months after Marseille, France-based global container shipping company CMA CGM said it reached an agreement to acquire a roughly 25% equity stake in CEVA Logistics, a global third-party logistics (3PL) services provider based in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, CMA GGM this week stated its desire to acquire all of CEVA.

While the core focus of the “trade war” between the United States and China has been largely, if not solely, focused on tariff-related measures and subsequent retaliatory efforts on each side, a separate issue between the world’s two largest economies related to a 144-year old postal agreement has surfaced over the last week.

Legislation introduced earlier this month by Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) takes a hard look at giving non-highway freight-based transportation infrastructure initiatives a more prominent seat at the table.

A nine-week stretch of rising diesel gasoline prices came to an end this week, according to data issued by the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Quarterly revenue was up 7.3% annually at $17.4 billion, while earnings per share at $1.82 were up 26% (topping Wall Street estimates of $1.81 per share), with net income up 16.6% at $1.508 billion.

Global freight transportation and logistics services provider XPO Logistics announced today it has made upgrades to its XPO Connect, its cloud-based digital freight marketplace, and Drive XPO mobile app, which interfaces with XPO Connect.

The ATA’s advanced seasonally-adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index dipped 0.8% from August, which hit 112.7 (2015=100) to September, coming in at 111.8. This followed a 2% (which was raised following an originally reported 1.8%) decrease from July to August and a 1.9% increase from June to July. Compared to September 2017, SA tonnage headed up 2.9%, which was down from August’s 4.2% annual spread. Through the first nine months of 2018, SA tonnage is up 7% annually.

Pending regulatory agencies approval, E2open and INTTRA will join efforts to strengthen the connections and streamline the information flow between manufacturers, suppliers, shipping service providers, ocean carriers and all the participants in global trade.

September shipments, at 1,050,900, were up 7.3% compared to September 2017, and on a year-to-date basis through September they are up 5.7% to 9,116,507.

September shipments, at 1.241, were up 1.1% compared to August and up 8.2% annually, and expenditures headed up 2.5% compared to August and were up 19.3% annually.

With this new offering, Convoy is focusing on providing a better way for shippers and carriers to connect, which, it explained, is key, given how poor appointment setting is a major contributor to wasted time and empty miles.

For August, the most recent month for which data is available, the TCI reading was 10.24, which, while still strong, did not measure up to July’s 14.04. The August reading was also below May and June at 11.4 and 11.18, respectively.

Freight transportation and logistics services provider Ryder System Inc. recently announced it has expanded its Ryder Last Mile service. Ryder describes this service as a home delivery and white glove installation offering for big and bulky goods in 11 North American markets.

Rail carloads, at 263,787, were up 0.4% compared to the same week a year ago and were below the week ending October 6 at 269,394 and the week ending September 29 at 272,306.

Even though a ‘new NAFTA’ has been introduced, many specifics remain slim.

FedEx said that when the transaction is made official Manton will be a subsidiary of the its FedEx Trade Networks operating company.

Trailers saw the most significant growth, rising 6.8% to 116,653, with domestic containers seeing a 1.7% annual gain to 650,848. Total domestic equipment was up 2.4% annually to 767,501. ISO, or international containers, had the highest-volume month of all IANA metrics, rising 2.3% to 779,605.