zach strickland

Post-July Fourth rates climb while lockdowns loom

Tractor-trailer heading down highway with dark storm cloud in background.

The post-July Fourth trough didn’t stay for long, as tender rejection rates have climbed back to 15.9%. While this is good news for carriers, consumer spending remains cushioned only temporarily by unemployment checks, which extend only until July 31. In regions where COVID-19 cases continue to grow, lockdowns may be coming. But freight volumes weren’t the main casualty of the first lockdown. 

“There are a lot of service-based industries that don’t move a ton of freight on their own,” said...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/post-july-fourth-rates-climb-while-lockdowns-loom

Zooming in on tightening Dallas, Kansas City markets

Front view of sea green truck driving on empty city street

July Fourth typically brings expectations of seasonal tightening, so drivers can get in hours before the shorter workweek. The disruptive year of 2020 is no different. 

“Our data shows that Powerfleet’s over-the-road customers have not only rebounded, but have surpassed the pre-March 13th levels by nearly 7%, and only time will tell, with respect to the holidays, if the trend continues,” said Daniel Romary, vice president of data analytics and business intelligence at Powerfleet. “We are seeing...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/zooming-in-on-tightening-dallas-kansas-city-markets

LTL carriers adjust as freight volumes heat up

Trucking volumes are heating up as we enter the heat of the summer. As the country continues to wrestle with COVID-19, the steady rise in volumes has become a positive sign that freight is recovering. This is much to the delight of less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers, as many have struggled to stay afloat amid the pandemic.

Chad Crotty, vice president of sales at DDC FPO (of The DDC Group), addressed the rising volumes and discussed how LTL carriers can adapt to the upward-trending market with...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/ltl-carriers-adjust-as-freight-volumes-heat-up

Volumes surge, carriers break even and seek help from tech

White truck backed into dock to unload

Make no mistake – freight volumes are on the rise, but the movement of goods appears to be rooted in warehouse and inventory redistribution instead of consumer-facing activity. Rates are therefore still suppressed, and capacity remains loose. To improve their operations, carriers are accepting almost all contracted loads, optimizing hours of service and fully utilizing their telematic technology to decrease dwell times. 

While the southern California freight market has been a pivotal force in...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/volumes-surge-carriers-break-even-and-seek-help-from-tech

How to leverage freight-tech as capacity tightens (with video)

Zach Strickland, director of freight market intelligence at FreightWaves, asked Emerge co-founder Andrew Leto the dominant question in most industry executives’ minds: is the market tightening and who holds the pricing power right now – shippers or carriers? 

Emerge, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is a digital freight marketplace where shippers and carriers can access direct capacity. Over 500 shippers are active in this marketplace, ranging from retailers to manufacturers. While Leto said the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-to-leverage-freight-tech-as-capacity-tightens-with-video

Cold Chain Update: Meat production lags despite food-service uptick

While the COVID-19 threat continues to linger, the ongoing pandemic hasn’t stopped producers and shippers from thinking ahead – many are optimistic that business will slowly heat up in the summer months. In early June, cold chain suppliers appear to be on the road to recovery as capacity is growing and restaurants begin to reopen. 

“The feedback from major food manufacturers is that it’s not going to be a tsunami of recovery but a gradual rebuilding of new product sales,” said Steve Taylor, AIT...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/cold-chain-update-meat-production-lags-despite-food-service-uptick

Emerge founder ‘optimistic’ for freight recovery

The COVID-19 pandemic completely flipped the script on what was looking to be a solid year for freight markets. The economic standstill has suffocated many truckload sectors, but Emerge founder Andrew Leto believes that the worst may soon be behind us if the nation gets the go-ahead to jump back into rush-hour traffic.

On this episode of Freight.Tech Update presented by Emerge, FreightWaves market expert and analyst Zach Strickland discusses with Leto the benefits of opening the economy sooner...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/emerge-founder-optimistic-for-freight-recovery

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