freight broker

Check Call: The ‘No Rules Rules’ review 

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To pick this month’s book was chosen through a very specialized process in which I Googled top management books and chose something that seemed fun. This month’s choice is “No Rules Rules” by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer.

The book is basically about how Netflix created its renowned culture of freedom and responsibility – essentially empowering workers to act in the best interest of the company without the need for a lot of oversight but with heavy feedback loops and top talent. The...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/check-call-the-no-rules-rules-review

Check Call: Small and medium-size businesses have strong feelings about 2025

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Another year and another season of trying to keep a supply chain resilient and ready – and trying to figure out what the year will look like. Most recently DHL Express released a survey of what hundreds of small and medium-size enterprises are planning for a 2025 that promises to be unpredictable.

Overall everyone seems pretty optimistic as to the overall performance of 2025 versus 2024. Sixty-seven percent are anticipating better performance in 2025, despite the uncertainty of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/check-call-small-and-medium-size-businesses-have-strong-feelings-about-2025

Check Call: Broker transparency rule gets heated as comment period ends

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Back in mid-November, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, at the request of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the Small Business in Transportation Coalition, proposed a new broker transparency rule. The rule, naturally, has been met with polarized feelings.

As written, it would require all brokers, on request, to submit any records that have to do with a load within 48 hours of the request. These records must be kept electronically and can be...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/check-call-broker-transparency-rule-gets-heated-as-comment-period-ends

Check Call: The 2025 crystal ball

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2025 is around the corner. Literally, it’s in like 36 hours, and with that come New Year’s resolutions and big goals for the new year. Over here at all things Check Call, we like to abandon resolutions and goals and make predictions about what could happen in the new year. All we have to go on is vibes, hunches and a few well-educated guesses.

The first big prediction is about returns and reverse logistics. This has consistently been an area that shippers and 3PLs have struggled...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/check-call-the-2025-crystal-ball

Check Call: To everything, there is a returns season

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It’s the holiday season, which means that e-commerce is on overdrive. Final-mile services have been stretched thin as people look to get packages in time for the holidays. The influx of retail spending does raise the question of what happens after the holidays. All the e-commerce shippers have to navigate the world of online shopping and returns. 

Return/reverse logistics is a challenge for a lot of shippers. Consumers don’t want to pay for returns, and they want returns to be easy...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/check-call-to-everything-there-is-a-returns-season

CloneOps.ai gains seed funding, investor revels in the future of brokerage

CloneOps.ai, an AI-powered logistics communication platform, announced Wednesday the company has closed on an undisclosed amount of seed funding round led by a number of industry angel investors.

Led by CEO David Bell and CFO David Vingiano, CloneOps.ai automates routine communications, allowing human talent to focus on high-value activities including strategic decision-making and customer relationship management.

“Keeping up with call volumes, both inbound and outbound, can be very difficult to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cloneops-ai-gains-seed-funding-investor-revels-in-the-future-of-brokerage

The freight broker transparency fight four years in the making

For those living under a rock or missed the last four years, a fight over the ability for carriers to see how much brokerages make is inching closer to a showdown. 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has proposed sweeping changes to broker transparency regulations, potentially reshaping how freight transactions are documented and shared within the industry. 

The latest escalation came on Nov. 20, when the FMCSA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) titled...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/the-freight-broker-transparency-fight-four-years-in-the-making

Check Call: Rating 2024 supply chain predictions

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It’s the end of the year, which is the time for best-of lists, year in review and predictions for the new year. The predictions will absolutely come before the end of the month, but before that let’s look at what the predictions were for 2024. Grade the work if you will. 

The big predictions I had for 2024 at this time last year were:

A year of self-reflection in the industry: working on internal processes – what’s working, what needs help – as well as identifying pain points and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/check-call-rating-2024-supply-chain-predictions

Check Call: The B2B marketing book review edition

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There are thousands of books on a myriad of personal and professional development topics, ways to close a deal, ways to be a better negotiator – you name it, there is a book somewhere about it. I’m on the hunt for the ones worth reading and committing your time to. I’ve read virtually nothing in this space, not even the infamous “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” I’m more than happy to fall on my sword and sift through the best and worst of each in our new monthly book...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/check-call-the-b2b-marketing-book-review-edition

Check Call: It’s time for the coolest tree in town to make a scene

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Wednesday is the renowned Rockefeller Christmas Tree lighting. The annual production is an entire night of festive celebrations and holiday cheer for all. The tradition goes all the way back to the Great Depression in 1931. Construction workers building Rockefeller Center set up a tree at the site and adorned it with homemade decorations to boost morale and provide hope during dark times.

Fast forward to the tree-lighting ceremony of 2024 and it’s a slightly less modest affair,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/check-call-its-time-for-the-coolest-tree-in-town-to-make-a-scene

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