By Jennifer Smith Private-equity firms bought two big freight-services providers in separate deals announced Wednesday, the latest in a string of investments in businesses that help manage the flow of goods through supply chains. Iconiq Capital LLC acquired a majority stake in Internet Truckstop Group LLC, whose Truckstop.com online freight marketplace connects shippers with available […]
Choptank representatives in Preston, Md. (Choptank Transport) More truck drivers are relying on smartphones and tablets to help them communicate with their employers and find loads, research and anecdotal evidence show. While some holdouts still rely on more traditional cellphones that lack the ability to download apps with access to things like load-matching software, the
Image: Jim Allen/FreightWaves Choptank Transport is on a mission to turn its remaining manual processes into more efficient digital strategies. The quick-growing logistics service provider is hopeful that the transformation will bring revenue growth and help scale the business. Choptank has partnered with Trucker Tools to make the transition. The company began using Trucker Tools’
In February, Chicago-based Redwood Logistics announced its acquisition of Strive Logistics, a freight brokerage with offices in Chicago and Austin, Texas, placing the combined entity in the top 15 North American freight brokerages with a combined $1 billion of freight under management. Commenting on the deal, Redwood CEO Mark Yeager pointed out that Strive’s LoadRunner,
Shippers nervous about volatility in US truckload rates have two new options to hedge risk in the form of exchanges, also known as “futures” and “forward markets.” But each comes with risks of their own, from losing money to collapsing altogether, most commonly because of a lack of liquidity or loss of confidence in the
Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently spoke with Doug Waggoner, CEO of Echo Global Logistics. Topics covered include the state the of the freight economy, regulations, and the digital freight marketplace, among others. A transcript of their conversation is below. LM: How would you describe how things are going on a year-to-date basis,
Knoxville, Tennessee-based Axle Logistics has started using the Descartes MacroPoint capacity matching system to improve its ability to find new carriers and cover loads with lower costs. “Having the right tools and technologies in place creates opportunities for us to further distinguish ourselves by the level of service we provide,” said Shawn McLeod, branch manager at Axle
This January, Walmart announced that it intends to hire 900 truckers over the course of 2019. It also announced that it would increase the wages of 8,000 drivers it has on its payroll now, possibly in an attempt to keep their churn rates low. Nonetheless, the increase in pay might also signal the difficulty companies
Seattle-based digital freight broker Convoy rolled out automated bidding for its Request a Load service offering, which is geared towards United States-based motor carriers. Request a Load is a key component of the Convoy app deployed by carriers and allows them to directly share preferences and get them the loads they want with less effort.
By Jeff Berman, Group News Editor Uber Freight is going global. Well, it is going to start in Europe initially, Lior Ron, head of Uber Freight, wrote in a blog post that was published yesterday. Uber Freight is known in freight circles as the ubiquitous, ride-sharing service’s app that matches trucking companies with loads to haul.