Over 1,300 layoffs hit logistics companies across US

Layoffs continue across the freight and logistics industry, with companies in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan and Texas announcing job reductions and facility closures over the past two weeks.

Universal Logistics

Warren, Michigian-based Universal Logistics is permanently shuttering two of its subsidiaries and laying off a total of 677 employees, according to notices recently filed with the state.

The layoffs are related to Universal-operated entities Logistics Insights Corp. and Universal...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/over-1300-layoffs-hit-logistics-companies-across-us

Gatik robot trucks will haul Tyson chicken, sausage and hot dogs

Breakfast sausage, hot dogs and frozen chicken breasts from Tyson Foods are beginning to move autonomously on Gatik AI trucks in Northwest Arkansas. The three-year contract could expand nationwide.

Gatik has covered a 7.1-mile route from a small warehouse to a Walmart retail store in Bentonville, Arkansas. It will serve Walmart neighbor Tyson as a third-party carrier using four Gatik trucks equipped with autonomous capability.

Gatik’s four-year project with Walmart — using driverless trucks since...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/gatik-robot-trucks-will-haul-tyson-chicken-sausage-and-hot-dogs

Gatik will autonomously deliver groceries for Kroger in Dallas

Autonomous short-haul logistics provider Gatik will begin moving grocery orders from Kroger’s customer fulfillment center in Dallas to area stores to meet the increasing demand for pickup of online orders.

Mountain View, California-based Gatik will use medium-duty box trucks for the deliveries as it moves to replace harder-to-maneuver Class 8 day cabs with 53-foot trailers with straight trucks. Gatik trucks feature a cold chain-capable 20-foot box designed to transport ambient, refrigerated and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/gatik-will-autonomously-deliver-groceries-for-kroger-in-dallas

Did Kroger and Albertsons just create a grocery delivery powerhouse?

grocery store kroger albertsons

The grocery delivery wars have a new challenger.

Long a two-horse race between Amazon and Walmart, the playing field may have shifted with Kroger’s (NYSE: KR) acquisition of Albertsons (NYSE: ACI), combining the second- and fourth-largest grocers in the country in terms of market share.

The $25 billion purchase is among the largest in the history of the U.S. grocery industry and is currently under scrutiny by regulators with the Federal Trade Commission. But if the deal holds up, Kroger and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/did-kroger-and-albertsons-just-create-a-grocery-delivery-powerhouse

Kroger continues deep dive into e-commerce grocery, announces new facilities

Kroger expands e-commerce grocery service

Grocery retailer Kroger is continuing its rapid advancement of online grocery options, announcing that it is expanding its fulfillment network to three new cities this year.

Speaking at a business update meeting in Orlando, Florida, on Friday, Kroger officials said the company would open fulfillment centers in Austin and San Antonio, Texas, and Birmingham, Alabama. Similar to its previous expansion into Florida, the (NYSE: KR) fulfillment centers will handle e-commerce grocery without a physical...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/kroger-continues-deep-dive-into-e-commerce-grocery-announces-new-facilities

Nuro unveils 3rd-gen autonomous delivery vehicle, expands partnership with Kroger

Nuro releases its third-generation autonomous electric delivery vehicle and expands its partnership with Kroger

Nuro, the autonomous vehicle maker focused on transporting goods rather than passengers, on Wednesday revealed its third-generation, fully electric driverless vehicle, simply called Nuro. The Mountain View, California-based company also announced that it will roll out the vehicle in Houston as part of an expansion of its partnership with nationwide grocer Kroger, with plans to scale its autonomous delivery service to millions of Americans nationwide.

“With the introduction of our new flagship...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/nuro-unveils-3rd-gen-autonomous-delivery-vehicle-expands-partnership-with-kroger

NLRB backs Quickway in legal fight over unionization, but with some criticism of its behavior

A trucking company has won a legal decision after shutting operations at a Kroger distribution center where the Teamsters had won a representation victory. However, the ruling laid out in detail how the company sought to hold off the unionization effort, and questioned its strategy and tactics.

The decision was handed down last week by an administrative law judge at the National Labor Relations Board, Arthur J. Amchan. It involves Quickway Transportation, which lost a unionization vote for...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/nlrb-backs-quickway-in-legal-fight-over-unionization-but-with-some-criticism-of-its-behavior

Google backs AV-maker Nuro in latest $600M funding round

Nuro announces $600 million Series D funding round led by Tiger Global with participation from Google and Kroger

Autonomous vehicle maker Nuro on Tuesday announced a $600 million financing round led by Tiger Global Management to develop and deploy its robot delivery network nationwide. Notably, the series D included new participation from Alphabet property Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and grocery retailer Kroger (NYSE: KR).

In total, Nuro has now raised over $2 billion to reach a valuation of about $8.6 billion, an anonymous source familiar with the round told TechCrunch. The robo-delivery company’s previous...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/google-backs-av-maker-nuro-in-latest-600m-funding-round

Misfits Market creates 4 more oases in US food deserts

Misfits Market now offering online grocery delivery in Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska, Oklahoma

Food deserts are areas of the country where residents have little or no access to affordable and healthy foods. Despite COVID-19 accelerating the fight against food insecurity, nearly 20 million Americans still live in these regions. For these people, prospects are slim for major grocers that sell everything you need for cheap — the Walmarts, the Krogers and the like.

Many who live in food deserts don’t have the resources to travel to stores with affordable or nutritious grocery options, so one...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/misfits-market-creates-4-more-oases-in-us-food-deserts

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