Last Mile

Drayage truckers, ocean carriers discuss chassis lease rate disparity

A national group representing drayage trucking companies says it has started talks with the Ocean Carrier Equipment Association (OCEMA) to resolve a festering dispute involving rate disparities in chassis leases.

“OCEMA notified us they received our cease-and-desist letter and we have begun a dialogue with them about the issues raised by our members,” Tyler Rushforth, executive director of the American Trucking Association’s Intermodal Motor Carrier Conference (IMCC), told American Shipper on...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/drayage-truckers-ocean-carriers-discuss-chassis-lease-rate-disparity

Commentary: It’s time to keep truckers safer

The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates. 

Truck drivers have always kept our economy moving. About 80% of all cargo in the United States is transported by trucks, and the trucking industry itself is responsible for roughly 6% of all full-time jobs in the country – employing about 3.5 million professional truck drivers. Without truckers, the American economy would grind to a halt.

No event in recent...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/commentary-its-time-to-keep-truckers-safer

Commentary: FedEx/Microsoft partnership points to era of supply chain platforms

The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates. 

On May 18, FedEx and Microsoft announced that they are joining forces to transform commerce. It is the kind of announcement I have been looking forward to and expecting for some time because of Microsoft’s share of the market for desktop operating systems.

It is also the kind of announcement that gives us an idea of where innovation in the supply chain may be...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/commentary-fedex-microsoft-partnership-points-to-era-of-supply-chain-platforms

Report: GM starting electric delivery van program

General Motors electric van


General Motors Co. is planning an electric delivery van, adding to the list of carmakers and startups planning vehicles for the last-mile delivery segment, according to a Reuters report.

The GM electric van is code-named BV1, the report stated, and is due to go into production in late 2021 at the automaker’s Detroit-Hamtramck factory.

GM spokesman Stuart Fowle said the company is not confirming the news. The automaker has said previously that it will build several other electric vehicles at the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/report-gm-starting-electric-delivery-van-program

FedEx puts surcharges on several types of packages

Less than two weeks after UPS posted surcharges on all types of delivery, FedEx has followed suit.

In a late announcement on June 3, FedEx rolled out several different types of surcharges, depending on the type of shipment. The surcharges go into effect on Monday, June 8.

A temporary surcharge of 40 cents per package was put on FedEx SmartPost packages. FedEx SmartPost is what is known as “postal injection,” wherein FedEx has the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) make the final delivery. “FedEx...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/fedex-puts-surcharges-on-several-types-of-packages

FedEx eases up on firewall separating air and ground units

FedEx Great Quarter Guys

For more than 20 years, FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX) has operated its U.S. air and ground networks as separate entities. On February 7, the firewall cracked, albeit modestly.

The Memphis-based giant said that its FedEx Express unit, which handles time-definite shipments typically moving by air, will contract with its FedEx Ground unit to deliver residential parcels as long as they meet specific operating criteria. The service launched in Greensboro, North Carolina, with additional U.S. markets...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/fedex-eases-up-on-firewall-separating-air-and-ground-units

Ryder expands e-commerce fulfillment network with food-grade capabilities, new locations

Ryder e-commerce

Supply chain and transportation giant Ryder (NYSE: R) announced on May 20 that the company is expanding its e-commerce fulfillment network with new FDA-certifications for food-grade capabilities, as well as adding facilities by utilizing its existing last-mile network. 

Ryder, which provides commercial truck rental, truck leasing, used trucks for sale and last mile delivery services, has long operated large distribution facilities across multiple industry verticals. But a few years ago, the...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/ryder-expands-e-commerce-fulfillment-network-with-food-grade-capabilities,-new-locations

Workhorse looks to scale electric truck production (with video)

Workhorse electric truck

Workhorse Group Inc. (NASDAQ: WKHS) hopes to borrow money to scale production of its composite-body electric trucks even as growing interest in its patented truck-based Horsefly  drone could accelerate its business plan.

The Cincinnati-based last-mile delivery company said Wednesday it conducted 54 Horsefly test missions with United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) and the Virginia Center for Innovative Technology in late April.

“Interest has ballooned due to the COVID-19 virus, the individual state...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/workhorse-looks-to-scale-electric-truck-production-with-video

Commentary: Commoditizing and shipping air bubbles

The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates. 

A funny paradox says that there is a particular restaurant that is so busy nobody bothers to go there anymore. Well, after the siege of sheltering at home is lifted in various cities and states, perhaps hungry patrons will start to revisit these once busy restaurants. Some see wisdom in crowds and others wish to be “far from the madding crowd’s ignoble strife.”...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/commentary-commoditizing-and-shipping-air-bubbles

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