Trucking
Transport Dive Collin Campbell March 9, 2023
Fifty-six percent of respondents — a 10 percentage-point increase from last year — told OOIDA they planned to make changes to their businesses in 2023. Several owner-operators who operate under their own authority expressed interest in forgoing their authority
and leasing their truck on to another carrier or selling it altogether.
Others reported they are considering switching out their equipment, operating more regionally or in different lanes, or working to establish direct contracts with shippers, OOIDA said.
Industry
Transport Topics Connor D. Wolf March 9, 2023
North American Class 8 orders in February hit 23,600 units, ending a month-to-month decline that started in October, ACT Research reported.
Preliminary data from ACT showed orders rose 12% compared with the same period last year, when they reached 21,000 units. On a month-to-month basis, February orders jumped 28% from the January number of 18,400 units.
Eric Crawford, vice president and senior analyst at ACT, said the number “represents a modest upside to our expectation.”
Logistics Management March 10, 2023
Rail carloads—at 237,413—fell 1.0% annually, topping the weeks ending February 25 and February 18, at 226,435 and 229,227, respectively.
Intermodal containers and trailers—at 236,778—fell 11.1% compared to the same week a year ago, topping the week ending February 25, at 232,798, and trailing the week ending February 18, at 237,705.
The Journal Of Commerce Ari Ashe March 9, 2023
Subscription-Based
Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) will launch a new international intermodal service between the Port of Virginia and Memphis beginning April 1 in a move to capture trans-Atlantic business from Europe and Asia as more cargo owners shift freight to ports along the
US East Coast.
NS now serves Memphis primarily through Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia. Trains moving the approximately 900 miles between Norfolk and Memphis will take five days, about a day longer than Savannah trains but a day shorter than trips from Charleston.
Shippers/3PLs
Freight Waves John Kingston March 9, 2023
Now Bloomberg has reported that Uber is studying whether to spin off Uber Freight as a sale or as a stand-alone publicly traded company.
The Bloomberg report said Uber “is discussing its options with potential advisers,” citing “people familiar with the matter.” A spokesman for Uber Freight declined comment.
Even with the integration of Transplace complete by the end of 2021, Uber Freight slipped into negative earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization in 2022’s fourth quarter after being barely EBITDA positive in the third quarter ($1 million)
after a $5 million positive EBITDA in the second quarter. EBITDA was positive in the first quarter of 2022, the first to reflect the Transplace acquisition.
Heavy Duty Trucking Vesna Brajkovic March 9, 2023
The commitment to Mexico is strengthened by the companies' investment in a newly expanded 500,000 square-foot manufacturing campus in Arteaga, Mexico.
On March 8, Phillips officials were joined by their customers, partners, HDT and other trucking and local media, company executives and local government officials for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the expanded and reconfigured 380,000-square-foot facility
for Phillips Industries, and a newly constructed 120,000-square-foot building that will be dedicated to Phillips Connect’s newest production lines supporting the company’s smart trailer focus.
Technology/Innovation
Freight Waves Mark Solomon March 9, 2023
The National Motor Freight Traffic Association Inc., the group that represents the interests of the less-than-truckload industry, announced Thursday it has named Antwan Banks its director of enterprise security.
Banks will lead the “enterprise” side of cybersecurity, spearheading efforts to safeguard the trucking industry against cyberattacks as the industry continues to digitize. NMFTA is taking an active role in working with all trucking interests to ensure increased
digitization doesn’t create opportunities for hackers and other cyberterrorists.
Banks will run the group’s cybersecurity outreach efforts with the industry as well as leading all education and standardization efforts in the field. He will also oversee NMFTA’s annual Digital Solutions Conference on Cybersecurity each fall.
Government/Safety/Sustainability
Transport Topics Eugene Mulero March 9, 2023
Safety and freight connectivity programs are prioritized in the White House’s fiscal 2024 budget request for the U.S. Department of Transportation.
As part of a $6.9 trillion budget blueprint delivered to a divided Congress on March 9, President Joe Biden highlighted efforts meant to improve safety along the nation’s highways while boosting supply chain connectivity. The budget’s transportation portfolio
also focused on climate change, environmental justice and the adoption of emerging technologies.
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