Comdata Corp. has launched FleetAdvance, a program to help companies improve purchasing decisions, manage fuel costs and improve truck-driver behavior.
RWI, an asset-based 3PL specializing in temperature-controlled transportation, recently conducted a survey of shippers with cold supply chains to better understand their needs and challenges. Chris Taylor, director of sales and marketing, discusses the results.
Although fleet bankruptcies get most of the attention, the slow, steady and largely unnoticed downsizing of fleets will have a major impact on freight capacity as tonnage picks up, according to Derek Leathers, president and COO of Werner Enterprises.
Spot market freight volumes declined 16 percent in April compared to April 2012, according to the DAT North American Freight Index. Year-over-year declines in volume were seen across all equipment types: van load volume declined 20 percent, refrigerated ("reefer") loads slipped 10 percent, and flatbed freight dropped 15 percent.
Truckload carriers continue to innovate to remain profitable, particularly through service diversification and driver retention, according to TMW Systems' first Transportation & Logistics Study - North America For-Hire Truckload Carrier Benchmarking Survey. Truckload carriers that are diversifying their businesses are adding new higher margin services, including brokerage, logistics, LTL-to-TL consolidation, dedicated services and intermodal services. Those looking to expand are exploring dedicated services first (27 percent), followed by brokerage services (21 percent). The majority of them are working on an accelerated schedule, within a one-year time frame.
Trucking freight tonnage has increased in four of the last five months across the U.S., research reveals. The American Trucking Associations' advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index gained 0.9 percent in March after decreasing 0.7 percent in February.