Refrigerated freight

NASA’s historic chopper haul

The many industries that make up the world of freight have undergone tremendous change over the past several decades. FreightWaves explores the archives of American Shipper’s nearly 70-year-old collection of shipping and maritime publications to showcase interesting freight stories of long ago.

The following are excerpts from the February 1965 edition of the Florida Journal of Commerce.

Click here to view the entire edition of the Florida Journal of Commerce – February 1965.

Chopper makes...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-flashback-nasas-historic-chopper-haul

Digitizing supply chains would slash food waste, Hwy Haul CEO says

A produce section of a grocery store shows foods such as broccoli, celery, cabbage, radishes, and lettuce.

Want to meet the world’s growing food needs and possibly take a bite out of inflation at the same time? Try digitizing the supply chain to slash food waste, says Syed Aman, founder and CEO of fresh produce digital freight platform provider Hwy Haul.

With a background in supply chains and distribution at Walmart, Aman saw a lot of food waste and inefficiency in stores and in transportation. 

He founded Hwy Haul in 2018 with a mission to eliminate waste in the transportation of food from farms to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/digitizing-supply-chains-would-slash-food-waste-hwy-haul-ceo-says

FreightWaves Classics: Crete Carrier Corporation keeps moving

A Crete Carrier tractor-trailer on the road. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Crete Carrier Corporation was founded as a family-owned company in Crete, Nebraska in 1966. Today, it is one of the largest privately owned trucking companies in the country. The company has three divisions – Crete Carrier, Shaffer Trucking and Hunt Transportation.

Now headquartered in Nebraska’s capital city of Lincoln, Crete Carrier serves customers throughout the continental United States. The company operates 20 terminals around the country to serve its drivers.

Crete Carrier's earliest days. (Photo: Crete Carrier Corporation)Crete Carrier’s earliest...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classics-crete-carrier-corporation-keeps-moving

Reefer capacity remains tight: How to optimize available trailers

By: Corrie White, market reporter at FreightWaves

While the logistics industry has traditionally leaned on seasonality to understand fluctuations in the market, that strategy doesn’t seem to be working anymore. 

“If we have learned anything over the past year, it is the fact we cannot apply pre-pandemic patterns to the current freight environment just yet,” said Zach Strickland, director of Freight Market Intelligence at FreightWaves.

This also applies to reefer carriers ⁠— a sector that is more...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/reefer-capacity-remains-tight-how-to-optimize-available-trailers

From ice cream delivery to pharmaceutical transport, reefers wear many hats

Refrigerated trucks, or reefer trucks as they are known in the trucking industry, play a vital role in the supply chain.

Reefers keep perishable commodities at controlled temperatures to prevent heat and bacteria from ruining them. There are some highly specialized refrigeration units that reportedly go as low as minus 85.

Reefers haul mostly food and pharmaceuticals — everything from fresh produce to frozen meats, medicine to medical plasma. Sometimes reefers pick up boxed fresh citrus or...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/from-ice-cream-delivery-to-pharmaceutical-transport-reefers-wear-many-hats

Thermo King looks to refrigerant to tackle carbon emissions

Trane Technologies is switching to lower-emissions refrigerant.

Starting this month, Thermo King’s refrigerated trucking units will come standard with R452A refrigerant, which reportedly has a 50% lower carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) impact than the previously used R404A refrigerant.

As companies strive to reduce transportation-related emissions, refrigerant is one avenue trucking companies could start exploring more. 

The lower carbon impacts of the R452A refrigerant are equivalent to saving approximately 650,000 metric tons of CO2e annually, or taking...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/thermo-king-looks-to-refrigerant-to-tackle-carbon-emissions

TFI acquires Missouri trucking company D&D

A tractor-trailer of D&D Sexton, which was acquired by TFI International, travels on a highway with fields in background.

TFI International has acquired Missouri trucking company D&D Sexton in a deal that expands the temperature-controlled trucking business of the Canadian firm’s U.S. carrier CFI.

The acquisition, announced Monday, adds a fleet of over 120 tractors and more than 150 drivers. TFI (NYSE:TFII) did not disclose the price but said D&D had revenues of over $25 million. 

Carthage, Missouri-based D&D will operate within CFI — headquartered in nearby Joplin. It follows a recent reorganization of CFI, which...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/tfi-acquires-missouri-trucking-company-dd

Consumer data shows mixed messages

Before getting into what’s happening in CPG supply chains, here’s something for your calendar: I host the next quarterly The Stockout webinar on Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. ET. Here’s the link to register. Last quarter, there was a great turnout, and the discussion was enhanced by the many participants who asked thoughtful and pertinent questions. My hope for the upcoming webinar is the same.

Inflation is dragging down consumer sentiment. So far in The Stockout, I have mostly discussed inflation in the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/consumer-data-shows-mixed-messages

’Tis the season: Harvest haulers stress an already tight market

At the close of every summer, the trucking industry gears up for harvest season, which traditionally contributes to a further tightening of capacity ⁠— for a couple of reasons. Owner-operators who also own farms remove their trucking capacity from the market for over a month to harvest produce and deliver it to market. 

Additionally, to ensure the extra capacity needed during harvest season, brokers use a dedicated group of carriers to haul oranges, watermelons, avocados, corn, cotton or...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/tis-the-season-harvest-haulers-stress-an-already-tight-market

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