2018 – The Freight Transportation Year in Review

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2018 – The Freight Transportation Year in Review

6 years ago

This has been a remarkable year for the Surface Freight Transportation industry in North America. Here are some of the top stories for the past 12 months. 1. The Booming Economy The booming economy was the single biggest story in the Freight Transportation industry in 2018. After years of steady but modest growth following the […]

Driver Compensation – The Devil is in the Details

6 years ago

Over the past few years, one of the defining challenges in the freight transportation industry has been a shortage of qualified drivers. In April of this year, I posted a blog (https://www.dantranscon.com/index.php/blog/entry/what-are-trucking-companies-doing-to-solve-the-driver-shortage ) that examined the range of compensation tools and benefits that are being offered to recruit and retain drivers. In another blog (https://www.dantranscon.com/index.php/blog/entry/trying-to-solve-the-driver-shortage-try-paying-them-a-salary […]

The New Realities of Procuring Freight Transportation Services

6 years ago

Those of us who came into the freight transportation industry in the 80s and 90s remember when there were distinct sets of service providers. There were small parcel carriers, LTL carriers, full truckload service providers and rail carload operators. Of course, during slow times, truckload carriers would move some large LTL shipments. The small parcel […]

The Truckload Freight Industry in North America in 2018 – “Maybe the Best Freight Market we have ever seen”

6 years ago

The truckload sector of the freight industry is different from the LTL and small parcel segments in two significant ways. Unlike the other two segments, anyone who can buy or finance the purchase of a tractor-trailer unit and can drive the rig, can enter the industry. Freed from the requirement to build cross-dock facilities […]

The LTL Freight Industry in North America in 2018

7 years ago

The following is my annual report on the state of the LTL Freight Industry in the United States and Canada. Here are links to the top 100 carriers in Canada (https://www.todaystrucking.com/top-100-ranking-canadas-largest-hire-fleets/ ) and the top 25 LTL carriers in the United States (https://www.logisticsmgmt.com/article/the_top_25_trucking_and_less_than_truckload_ltl_companies_in_2017 ). The combined revenue of the 25 largest U.S. LTL trucking companies […]

What are Trucking Companies Doing to Solve the Driver Shortage?

7 years ago

Last week’s TruckWorld event at the International Centre in Toronto was a great opportunity to connect with old friends and get updated on the state of the freight transportation industry. It was clear from the huge attendance at the show that is a very good year to be in trucking. The negotiating leverage has clearly […]

Lessons Learned from the ELD Mandate

7 years ago

Under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules in the United States, that came into effect on Dec. 18, 2017, most trucks built after 2000 had to be equipped with an ELD (Electronic Logging Device). Fleets already using older electronic onboard recorders are grandfathered until December 2019. The CCMTA (Canadian Council of Motor Transport […]

Will the ELD Mandate trigger a move to Precision Trucking and Increased Profitability?

7 years ago

The implementation of the FMCSA’s ELD mandate in the United States on December 18 was one of the most anticipated milestones in the history of trucking. The introduction of electronic logging devices is the latest attempt by the FMCSA to improve road safety and minimize road accidents in the United States. Driver fatigue is […]

Tips for a New Transportation Sales Rep and Sales Manager

7 years ago

Five years ago, I posted a blog that was derived from a LinkedIn Sales Management Group. A range of people responded to the question, “What advice would you give a new salesperson?” To that list, I added my own observations. While many sales techniques stand the test of time, others evolve based on changes in […]

Trying to Solve the Driver Shortage? – Try Paying them a Salary

7 years ago

Recruiting and retaining qualified drivers has been a challenge for several years. Many young people do not wish to spend so many hours away from friends and family. The Hours of Service and ELD mandates make the job more difficult from a work enjoyment and compensation perspective. They cap the number of hours a […]