Knight-Swift

Knight-Swift introduces services division for smaller carriers

Knight-Swift Transportation announced the launch of a services division targeting small trucking by offering the buying power and leverage normally enjoyed by larger carriers.

Iron Truck Services aims to give smaller fleets affordable access to services such as insurance, equipment maintenance, fuel purchasing, truck sales and rentals by leveraging the scale and infrastructure of Knight-Swift, one of the largest carriers in the U.S.

“Many small carriers have no choice but to pay retail prices for...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/knight-swift-introduces-services-division-for-smaller-carriers

Embark knits BYD electric trucks with its autonomous tractors for cleaner air

Autonomous software developer Embark Trucks is coordinating HP Inc.’s use of BYD Class 8 battery-electric trucks (BETs) to pick up and drop off loads of computer products where Embark’s supervised autonomous trucks can take over for freeway transit.

The pilot project is an extension of Embark’s work with HP, which in May began sending a load of printers a week from Los Angeles to Phoenix, the middle miles by human-supervised autonomous truck. The weekly drop-and-hook BET runs cover about 50...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/embark-knits-byd-electric-trucks-with-its-autonomous-tractors-for-cleaner-air

FreightVana comes out of stealth mode

Knight-Swift veterans focusing on transparency, technology and trust.

In June, about a dozen transportation veterans’ LinkedIn profiles suddenly lit up with a new company name — FreightVana — but details about the outfit and its objectives were hard to come by. But now FreightVana’s founding team, which includes co-CEOs Shannon Breen and John Gamero as well as Chief Technology Officer Don Everhart (all from Knight-Swift), is ready to talk.

FreightVana executives pointed to what they said was a...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightvana-comes-out-of-stealth-mode

More LTL carriers may follow AAA Cooper to the altar, consultant says

Five or 10 years ago, a truckload carrier would have looked askance at acquiring an LTL carrier. Truckload carriers were comfortable shipping directly from the shipper to the consignee at a minimal fixed cost, a model that runs counter to the multistop terminal networks of LTL carriers. The truckload-LTL relationship was mostly confined to truckload carriers handling shipments of overflow LTL freight weighing more than 8,000 pounds if LTL capacity was too tight to meet the demand. 

However,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/more-ltl-carriers-may-follow-aaa-cooper-to-the-altar-consultant-says

Drilling Deep: How will LTL and truckload coexist after Knight-Swift deal?

It’s not just a big deal in terms of dollars. The acquisition of LTL carrier AAA Cooper by Knight-Swift (NYSE: KNX) is radical in that it joins an LTL carrier with a truckload carrier, one of the biggest.

The two businesses are very different. How will they integrate? On this week’s Drilling Deep podcast, FreightWaves’ JP Hampstead talks about the road ahead for this most unusual and groundbreaking of transactions.

Also on the podcast this week, host John Kingston talks about the latest forecast...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/drilling-deep-how-will-ltl-and-truckload-coexist-after-knight-swift-deal

Knight-Swift deal shows the value in owning an LTL

Trucking's latest mega deal mixes modes

For the second time this year, a truckload-centric transportation company has acquired a less-than-truckload carrier.

Canadian TL and logistics outfit TFI International (NYSE: TFII) announced the $800 billion acquisition of UPS Freight (NYSE: UPS) in January. Last week, the biggest TL carrier in the nation, Knight-Swift Transportation, inked a $1.35 billion deal for regional LTL carrier AAA Cooper Transportation.

What’s so intriguing about the LTL space that warrants the significant investment...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/knight-swift-deal-shows-the-value-in-owning-an-ltl

More long-haul drivers eyeing final mile

While the country shut down for the pandemic, the trucking industry shined. The current market was the light at the end of the tunnel: high volume, high rates and increased compensation for drivers.

The stars have seemed to align for the average long-haul driver, but ironically, trucking companies are having difficulty locking down new drivers.

In a recent Randall-Reilly study, truck driver job postings in 2020 rose by more than 300,000, but job seekers rose by only 70,000.

In the report, 33% of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/for-some-drivers-long-haul-is-out-final-mile-is-in

Knight-Swift announces pay increase; XPO has lots of jobs to fill

Knight-Swift (NYSE: KNX) is the most recent trucking company — and the largest one in the latest round of increases — to boost driver pay.

Companies have been announcing increases in driver pay since the end of last summer. For every company that makes a public announcement, it is unknown how many are increasing pay rates without a public declaration.

In the case of Knight-Swift, the numbers it announced early Wednesday appear to put it in the range of other recently disclosed increases. The...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/knight-swift-announces-pay-increase-xpo-has-lots-of-jobs-to-fill

The Daily Dash: Freight rates jump; Amazon to aid trucking startups

The Daily Dash is a quick look at what is happening in the freight ecosystem. In today’s edition, as 2020 drew to a close, freight rates boomed, jumping 12% in the fourth quarter according to new data. Plus, Amazon wants to help truckers build their own business as part of a plan to add capacity, and Knight-Swift makes an interesting acquisition.

End-of-year rate increases

Shippers spent 12% more per mile for dry van truckloads on average through most of the fourth quarter of 2020 than they did...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/the-daily-dash-freight-rates-jump-amazon-to-aid-trucking-startups

Knight-Swift grabs majority stake in driver software Eleos

Knight-Swift (NYSE: KNX) has taken a majority stake in a provider of driver-directed software, Eleos, which will continue to operate as a stand-alone company. 

It is not a move that Knight-Swift normally engages in, according to Knight-Swift CEO Dave Jackson. Jackson, in a phone interview with FreightWaves, said there had been precedents for such acquisitions, such as its purchase of a majority stake in trailer blade manufacturer Strehl several years ago. But it’s not a regular approach the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/knight-swift-grabs-majority-stake-in-driver-software-eleos

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