Digital freight-booking startup Convoy raised $185 million in a funding round led by an investment arm of Google parent company Alphabet Inc., GOOG 0.76% adding big new backing for the company competing in an increasingly crowded field trying to reshape U.S. shipping operations. The funding round led by Alphabet’s CapitalG, one of the biggest investments …
After serving 14 years for the Royal Canadian Navy, Ira Lawrence was ready for a new adventure. He and his wife decided to start a trucking company in 2017, but several hurdles nearly caused them to quit before even getting started. But then Lawrence found Convoy, a Seattle startup that developed an app to match …
It’s a good time for 3PLs when capacity is tight and supply chains are speeding up. The global third-party logistics market is on track to exceed $1.1 trillion in 2022. That’s 10 percent of global logistics costs, according to consultants Armstrong & Associates, and a leap from the $802 billion recorded in 2016. Armstrong …
Chaos is good for third-party logistics providers – FreightWaves – Chris Dupin Read More »
But incumbents can protect their market shares Last week, a Goldman Sachs equity research team led by Matthew Reustle, CFA, released a report titled “Commoditizing Logistics: Assessing ‘Disruptive’ Links in the Supply Chain.” The report was apparently intended to answer investor questions about threats to large logistics incumbents’ margins and market share. It’s worth noting …
Big trucking companies, scrambling along with their customers to keep up with fast-growing U.S. economic demand, are plowing millions of dollars into technology to build up services as digital freight middlemen. The growing investment in online freight brokerage is aimed at building on operations many truckers have used to supplement their core transportation businesses, even …
Truckers Get Digital in Search for Big Rigs – WSJ – By Jennifer Smith Read More »
No matter who you talk to about the trucking market, one thing is very clear: market conditions just may be the best that they’ve ever been. There are a host of reasons for this, including strong demand, tight capacity and a growing economy. What’s more, the truckload brokerage market, a segment that continues to see …
Data scientists at Amazon and other e-commerce sites are experts at configuring algorithms to mine the search and purchase histories of consumers to recommend new products. Motor carriers are experiencing a similar phenomenon from some freight brokers and third-party logistics providers (3pls). Loads matching their present and future needs are being offered through apps, websites …
C.H. Robinson moving loads with data science Aaron Huff| @AaronHuffCCJ Read More »
Good day, At FreightWaves, we’re still buzzing about the events of Transparency18, and the outstanding feedback we received about the event. Susquehanna transport analyst Bascome Majors published a list of “takeaways” from his visit to Transparency18, and here’s what he had to say about one panel on digital disruption in the brokerage business: “We attended …
Established U.S. logistics firms say digital-friendly freight startups that are drawing growing interest in Silicon Valley still lack the scale and customer relationships to threaten their share of the market. Executives at C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc., CHRW 0.77% the biggest broker of freight services in the U.S., said their large-scale shipper customers are looking for …
Freight Operators Dismiss Threat of Digital Startups – WSJ – By Erica E. Phillips Read More »
Convoy, backed by billionaire tech pioneers Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, and Uber Freight, an offshoot of the globally disruptive ride-sharing giant, are trying to grab a slice of the fragmented US truck brokerage market, taking different routes to lure skeptical drivers and capacity-hungry shippers. The two technology startups are attempting to persuade US shippers …
