Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

About 40 of the rigs formed a convoy to escort the one with a flatbed trailer carrying the casket of Dennis Shafer of rural Wyoming from Lenz Memorial Home in central Lacon to a rural cemetery in the northwest corner of Marshall County. Shafer, a second-generation trucker and farmer, died Dec. 21 at age 47 after a long illness. He left behind his wife, Rita, who runs a day care, and five children at home, as well as his parents and a brother.

The trucking industry operates in a market based on real-time demand and supply. When demand is higher than capacity, carriers gain negotiating power for rates. When supply is higher than demand, shippers have the advantage. The DHL Supply Chain/FreightWaves Pricing Power Index uses the analytics and data contained in FreightWaves SONAR to analyze the market and estimate the negotiating power for rates between shippers and carriers.

The news we pay attention to every day is a harbinger of how events will unfold in the near future. As we enter 2020 and the beginning of a new decade, here are three news items that may be indicators of phenomena worth watching in the trucking industry between

China has already restarted some purchases. In November, China's imports of soybeans surged to a 20 month high following the announcement of a trade deal. Soybean imports more than doubled the October pace and the highest since March of 2018 when trade tensions

(Bloomberg) -- There was nothing typical about this years grain season in the U.S. Midwest, with one exception: The size of the corn crop. Wild weather delayed plantings by the most on record, a strong dollar hurt exports, the trade war with China hit dem

NAKURU, KENYA Kenya-based edible oils manufacturer Bidco Africa has teamed up with U.S. conglomerate Land OLakes to invest $11.7 million in the upgrade of an animal feed mill in Nakuru. The plant will have a processing capacity of 28 tonnes per ho

Comments about truck weight limits made at public hearings in Challis and Salmon in early December will now be forwarded to the Idaho Transportation Board, which will make a final decision about allowing heavier trucks on the roads. Engineers and public relation specialists with the Idaho Transportation Department conducted two public hearings on a request from Andrew Lott, with Arlo G. Lott Trucking. That Jerome company applied for weight limit changes on portions of U.S. Highway 93 and Idah

One trucker's time on the wintery roads inspired him to create an intermediary reservoir that hooks up to a tractor and trailer to inject the fluid into the brake system to prevent the brakes from freezing or locking.

Ship owners have sought to seal a number of deals prior to the end of 2019, both in the newbuilding and the second hand markets. In its latest weekly report, shipbroker Allied Shipbroking noted that things remained interesting for yet another week in the newbuilding market. In the dry bulk sector, we witnessed an another good rally for the Kamsarmax size segment, which saw its Orderbook boosted by 4 (optional + 4) units. This may have caught many by surprise, given the steep negative p

Egypt has planted 2.750 million acres of wheat since the start of the current season in mid-November, an agriculture ministry official told Reuters on Wednesday. The worlds largest grain importer will reach its target of 3.5 million acres of wheat (1.47 million hectares) and finish the current season by the end of December, said Abbas al-Shennawi, head of the ministrys services and follow-up sector. Wheat plantation will continue after December in some rainy areas, he added. Egy

FreightWavesTV experienced outstanding growth in 2019. In addition to adding several new shows and podcasts, the worlds largest news and market analytics source dedicated to freight celebrated the launch of its FreightWavesTV streaming app for mobile, tablet and at-home TV entertainment devices. One of the platforms newest and most popular programs is Fuller Speed Ahead. Hosted by Craig Fuller, the FreightWaves CEO provides exclusive interviews with prominent and i

MORTON, Ill. Few of us enjoy spending the holidays at work, let alone on the road, far from family and friends. While it can be hard for some truckers, one truck driver said all he needs to feel at home is his wife sitting in the passenger seat. I usually dont care where Im at. As long as my wife is with me. Some years you like to be home more than others but I got heat in the truck, direct tv in there and a custom fridge and everything you need, Greg Kearne

(Bloomberg) -- There was nothing typical about this years grain season in the U.S. Midwest, with one exception: The size of the corn crop. Wild weather delayed plantings by the most on record, a strong dollar hurt exports, the trade war with China hit demand for the corn-ethanol industry and early snow meant some growers couldnt even finish harvesting. Despite it all, the crop proved resilient. We ended up getting more planted than we thought, said Heath Barnes, ch

The drilling window flexibility offered by spring wheat has never been more appealing, after the most difficult autumn conditions that many can remember disrupted winter cereal plantings and root crop harvesting. With just one addition to the Recommended List for this year Group 2 Giraffe from KWS the range of varieties means spring wheat has something for everyone who finds themselves drilling from November onwards whether they planned to or not. Newcomer Giraffe diff

A Research Report on Hopper Bottom Grain Trailer Market Potential Growth, Share, Demand and Analysis of Key Players Research Forecasts to (2019 2026). The global Hopper Bottom Grain Trailer Market research report covers main factors responsible for the development of the global Hopper Bottom Grain Trailer Market. The research report on Hopper Bottom Grain Trailer Market evaluates the growth trends of the industry through Past study and estimates future prospects based on compr

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (AP) Fresh potato prices have roughly doubled after a poor growing year and a frosty harvest caused American production to drop 6% in 2019. Idaho spud growers who were able to get their harvest out of the ground, and who sell their spuds on the fresh market, are benefiting from the sky-high prices. Few of those growers are in the Magic Valley, where most producers sign contracts with major potato processors in order to lock in their prices. While production did drop

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - With industrial hemp promoted as a new cash crop for struggling farmers, Louisiana's agriculture department is fast-tracking the regulations for the newly legal commodity, with the first grower licenses expected to win approval in February. Interested farmers are packing orientation sessions to learn about the lengthy paperwork, licensing, testing and reporting requirements the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry is enacting to govern industrial hemp productio

Trucking Moves America Forward (TMAF) recognizes the many ways that the trucking industry gave back to their local communities during this holiday season. Trucking companies and organizations consisting of all sizes across the U.S. submitted their stories of cha

Tenders are actual load requests, which is why they are far superior to any other indicator of health, demand, and capacity in the trucking and freight market. Tender indicators lead spot rate movement and by tracking them, you can start to forecast spot rates, capacity, and demand. Economists and analysts can use tenders to monitor the state of the economy and build forecasts for economic health and activity. Before we dive into how to use tender activity, we should define a few terms that w

Foster Farms will pick up about 35,000 chickens at the end of December from Maple Crest Farms in Ridgefield for one final time. Then farm owners Marvin and Diane Gering will retire after 44 years in the chicken business. The Gerings retirement will leave just three chicken farms in Clark County. Some 18 farms have existed at one time or another during the Gerings time in the business, none remaining in operation as long as the Gerings. When the Gerings purchased the farm at 2111

We want to wish you, your family and business a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) recently released the latest edition of its Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking. The report found that the average marginal cost per mile incurred by motor carriers in 2018 increased 7.7% to $1.82. This is not surprising, given the increased cost of equipment over the last decade (largely due to regulatory mandates) and safety issues (lane departure, collision avoidance, anti-rollover, automatic transmissions).

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The 2019 freight market was a shadow of 2018 in terms of capacity. Spot rates hit all-time highs as carriers rejected over 25% of their contracted freight requests in June of last year. Since that time, carriers became much more compliant, rejecting as few as 3.8% of their loads in early August this year as volumes retreated and capacity grew. Over the past week FreightWaves national Outbound Tender Rejection Index (OTRI) broke 12% for the first time since January 4, 2019, a decent signal of

For those involved in agriculture, you know the relief of finishing harvest in 2019 or the anxiousness for the many who will wait it out until spring before they can finish harvesting because of crop conditions.I ventured out to the cornfield on Dec. 18, 2019, to ride along for the final passes of corn harvest simply as a celebratory cheerleader.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. The falling numbers test is important to Upper Midwest grain farmers, especially this crop season. The test also can be confusing and even a little mysterious. A demonstration Dec. 12 at the annual Prairie Grains Conference in Grand Forks sought to clear up some of the confusion and mystery. "Everyone's hearing about it this year. A lot of producers wonder about the test. How important it is. How it works," said Brian Sorenson, program manager with Northern Crops Ins

KATANNING cropping brothers Stephen and Richard Marshall were pleased to wrap-up the 2019 grain harvest last week with above average yields. And it was a new addition to their combine harvesters that brought some of the greatest satisfaction. The Marshalls had the latest version of the Integrated Harrington Seed Destructor (iHSD) installed on their two New Holland CR 90.70 headers by local dealer, McIntosh & Son and they completed the harvest program without a hitch.

This morning, Celadon Group (OTC: CGIP) executives told its employees that the company filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 and will shut down the operations of its over-the-road fleet. The official announcement came after a chaotic weekend of credit, customer, and driver issues when word got out about Celadons impending Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

In his Nobel Lecture in 1970, Norman Borlaug said, Civilization as it is known today could not have evolved, nor can it survive, without an adequate food supply, underscoring the pivotal role of agriculture and the need to sustain its growth. Three agricultural revolutions in the past have changed the history of mankind: transformation from hunter-gatherers to farming around 10,000 BC; increased productivity of farming through mechanization during 1700s to 1900s; and the Green r

I was waiting for my favorite TV show to come on, watching all-too-familiar commercials. Theres that lady dressed like a mom, tightrope walking several stories above a crowded street, carrying meals in each hand to her family on a nearby rooftop. Theres the deep-voiced insurance pitchman, ostensibly seated in an intersection as cars seemingly careen around him.Youve seen these ads, too. And like me, youve read the fine print at the bottom of the screen: Prof

Grain elevators face significant challenges in the year ahead as they buy basis on corn, soybeans, and wheat at the highest levels seen in years. Basis for all three of the major grains is significantly tighter across the country from strong end-user bids, limited pipeline supplies, and lack of farmer selling amid an uncertain fall harvest, according to a new report from CoBanks Knowledge Exchange division. In addition to having to buy more expensive basis, grain elevators are b

Proactive beats reactive every time. If you as a potential driver (or fleet executive) knew in advance the concerns about the job from current truckers before deciding to climb into the drivers seat, wouldnt you pay attention? Of course you would. Well, you can, to an extent. One of the great benefits of the digital age in which we live is the proliferation of websites and forums. Anyone can have one these days. And if you start one that gets some buzz, theres credibility

One of the trucking industrys largest companies just got slammed with a lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission. Atlanta, Georgia-based FleetCor counts tens of thousands of small businesses and individual truck drivers among its customer base. And, accord

Bigger is not always better, especially when one considers the allowable size of tractor trailer rigs on our nation’s highways. There is a current push by the transportation industry to increase the length and weights of 18-wheel trucks on America’s highways. This is both ill-conceived and irresponsible considering our aging highway and bridge infrastructure, the personal safety of everyone using our highways, and the ever-increasing highway congestion we all endure

Farmers are one step closer to having a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the USMCA agreement this week, which would replace NAFTA. Farmers in our area say there have been problems with the "North American Free Trade Agreement" for years. The hope is this new agreement will make trade between the three countries more fair and help farmers' pocketbooks.

London Freight rates for grain exports from the east coast of South America have risen of late, supported by a sharp rise in grain sales out of Argentina ahead of an expected increase in the export tariff by the new government.

No sense of direction and a sea of uncertainty are the reasons behind the dry bulk markets lackluster performance of late. As a result, 2019 ends with a lack of optimism on the future. In a recent weekly report, shipbroker Allied Shipbroking said that with the Christmas mood now firmly in place, it would seem that the focus of most is as to what the expected prospects are for next year. Given this, while assuming that it is highly unlike that we will see any extrem

California truckers are firing back against the new so-called gig economy rules, which they believe will kill 70,000 jobs. The law, according to California truck driver Danny Garcia, will essentially end his independent contractor days, he told FOX Business Neil Cavuto. It's going to affect me pretty dramatically, Garcia said Thursday. It's ultimately gonna shut down my business I may have to think about early retirement or taking my truck outside of Califo

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S. Cargill has launched MiApp in North America. The Market Intelligence mobile application provides Cargills customers with continuous visibility on global commodity prices that impact the cost of edible oils. MiApp also provides access to industry news and Cargills market intelligence. This is an opportunity to make smarter decisions that can yield better results and help separate a business from the competition, said Tom King, gl

The SMI latest research report on global Grain Moisture Analyzer market 2019 provides accurate market status, market outlook and forecast to 2026 with major geographical regions (North America, Europe, South America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa) on the basis of competitors, countries, end industries, and product types. The report intends to offering newest market intelligence and facilitate decision makers take sound investment analysis. Besides, the report additionally

This year will go down in history as one of the most challenging for Midwest producers. Thanks to a persistent wet pattern from spring to winter, producers fought wet fields during planting, heavy moisture during small grain harvest and snowstorms during fall harvest. For some, the season has not ended as harvest drags out in the Upper Midwest and will carry into 2020. One of the largest concerns for producers during winter meetings has been the moisture levels in their fields and what that m

Reluctant to sell his harvest at todays rock-bottom prices, he has stuffed storage bins at his property full and left more corn piled on the ground, covered with a tarp. He would rather risk potential crop damage from the elements than pay the exorbitant cost of storage elsewhere. Thats how poor people do it, said Fox, who has been farming for 28 years. You do what you have to do. Farmers face similar problems across the globe. World stockpiles of cor

Family members often return to the family business with highly ambiguous understandings of their potential to invest. Assumptions concerning rights and obligations to invest can prove highly erroneous when the framework for investing in the business is not clearly defined.

Things havent been looking so good at the shipping company FedEx. The companys earnings last quarter came in well below expectations, with profits down 40% from a year earlier. We are at the bottom. Our adjusted operating profit decline year-over-year is horrific, said FedEx Freight CEO John A. Smith on a conference call on Tuesday. FedEx says its been struggling with weaker global trade, weaker global manufacturing, and lower volume after its fallout with A

Advancements in technology and mechanization have made farm work less physical, and have enticed more women to engage in ag careers. Other women have been there all along, just not in the limelight. According to the USDAs 2017 Census of Agriculture, just over 36% of American ag producers are women, an increase of nearly 5% since the 2012 Census.

TransWood, an Omaha NE privately-owned trucking company specializing in liquid and dry bulk transportation, recently purchased Kane Transport in Inver Grove Heights MN. Kane is a 150-plus-truck bulk carrier that hauls petroleum products, construction, and agricultural related commodities in the upper Midwest. This addition increases TransWoods service area, and broadens its portfolio of transportation solutions, while adding six additional locations to TransWoods existing networ

TransWood, an Omaha NE privately-owned trucking company specializing in liquid and dry bulk transportation, recently purchased Kane Transport in Inver Grove Heights MN. Kane is a 150-plus-truck bulk carrier that hauls petroleum products, construction, and agricultural related commodities in the upper Midwest. This addition increases TransWoods service area, and broadens its portfolio of transportation solutions, while adding six additional locations to TransWoods existing networ

The trade war launched by U.S. President Donald Trump has precipitated years of negative sentiment for ocean-shipping stocks. Finally, some relief is in sight. The new phase-one agreement halts new tariffs that were to go into effect on Dec. 15 and marks a first step toward getting U.S.-China trade flows back to levels seen prior to Trumps election. Trade tensions have been an ever-present overhang on the performance of U.S.-listed shipping stocks because so much of ocean-shipping dema

Volatile markets, social isolation, long and hard work days, adverse weather conditions these are only some of the stressors facing farmers that Sean Brotherson discussed Tuesday at the 2019 University of Missouri Crop Management Conference. Brotherson, a professor and Extension Family Science specialist at North Dakota State University, spoke in a presentation entitled Hard Choices in the Heartland: Understanding and Responding to Rural Stress Concerns. Two major factor

Oregon State Police are looking for a man, they think is responsible for stealing a specialty Dodge pickup truck from Oregon Department of Transportation, on November 23rd.