Startups

A lot of facts and figures get thrown out by startups in the trucking space. Its important to understand whether these facts are credible or not. 

Bitcoin is super-hot and has fended off any real threat to its meteoric rise. We examine what has fueled this factor and how it impacts the viability of blockchain in the logistics sector. 

One of the primary problems plaguing the conventional freight industry today is the lack of affordable track-and-trace providers in the market that can provide real-time visibility to shipments. FreightTracer, a startup from Texas, is providing its customers real-time visibility into all their shipments – anytime and anywhere across any carrier.

With the freight marketplace widening exponentially every year, the growing communication divide in the community is also significantly felt. Fr8Hub, a digital freight marketplace startup is looking to improve peer-to-peer interaction by creating transparency and injecting efficiency in freight hauling.

Trucker District CEO Marcel Alvarado’s time driving for a carrier provided insight into the difficulties faced by drivers in the industry and potential problems arising due to the deeply fragmented trucking community. His company is trying to bring that community closer together.

Uber shuts down its car leasing business as it prepares for an IPO next year. Uber Freight, the company’s brokerage business continues to expand and focuses on driver quality of life. 

Warehouse space is increasingly shrinking, with vacancy rates near all-time lows. As space dwindles, those companies looking to move a single truckload to a warehouse for two weeks are forced to pay high premiums. Warehouse provider Stord is out to change that.

According to the Department of Transportation, nearly 20% of all trailers are traveling empty down the highway. That doesn’t account for trailers that are running less than full. That empty space, whether it is enough room for one pallet or ten, is a revenue opportunity lost.

As Nikola Motor continues to develop its hydrogen-electric Class 8 tractor, the company continues to evolve its design. The latest is the introduction of an eAxle developed by Bosch.

Small carriers and owner-operators have capacity to offer, but those that need it most – larger, Fortune 1000 shippers, don’t have access to that capacity because it is not cost-effective to onboard small carriers hauling just a few loads. Sudu, though, is changing that dynamic.

Digital freight brokers are using “Daily-deal” tactics to get revenue growth. They sold themselves as a platform to change the inefficient trucking industry, but have found it difficult to find quality sources of high-volume freight. These platforms have resorted to aggressive pricing tactics using investor capital. What will find is that as soon as they change prices, shipper loyalty will evaporate. 

Ask an over-the-road truck driver what their biggest concerns are and you won’t have to go far down the list before finding a safe place to park appears. But a new company is hoping to change that, allowing drivers to reserve a spot ahead of time at a nominal fee.

TMW acquires truckload visibility aggregator, 10-4, continuing a trend of FreightTech acquisitions in the market transparency space. 

In the past two decades, more than 90% of the nation’s pollinators – from bees to butterflies – have disappeared. That’s why companies like Bee Downtown are working so hard to save the honeybee, and trucking is playing a critical role in its survival.

FreightWaves adds a startup directory to the site to help startups identify partners, investors, and talent in the emerging FreightTech space. 

California-based startup Chanje recently announced its all-electric medium-duty delivery van is in production and will be available as soon this fall. With a payload of 6,000 pounds and range of 100 miles, the Class 5 panel van is designed specifically for its target markets.

Hong Kong-based logistics company GoGoVan has achieved unicorn status after agreeing to a merger with mainland China-based freight company, 58 Suyun.

TransRisk, a pioneer of solutions designed to allow transportation industry participants to efficiently manage price risk in the North American freight transportation market, has added nationally recognized transportation markets leader Donald Broughton to its team.

Convey, a supply chain visibility and communication company, has secured $8.25 million in Series B funding from Techstars Venture Capital Fund, RPM Ventures, and other investors in a round of funding just announced.

The new Uber CEO has his work cut out for him. Few know what his take on Uber Freight is and whether the aggressive expansion will continue. Regardless, the digital freight era is upon-us and should they leave the market, others will take its place. 

Uber selects Expedia CEO as its next CEO to replace founder Travis Kalanick

The New York Shipping Exchange (NYSHEX) has secured a Series A round of funding for $13 million, according to a press release. The company has developed the first digital forward freight contract for global container shipping.

Fleet Complete is the latest company to join the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance (BiTA) as a service charter member. BiTA is a consortium for the adoption, education and development of a standard framework around blockchain in the trucking industry.

To solve inefficiencies in the supply chain, project44’s goal since day one has been to focus on the automation, optimization, and visibility of the freight movements by replacing legacy technologies with its “one-to-many” connectivity.

Trucking venture funding continues to pick up steam. One fund, backed by the largest grouping of Fortune 1000 companies in the world and a top engineering school, makes an investment in two trucking startups for its initial set of investments. 

Talk about disruptive companies. Every startup in the transportation space these days is touting itself as a disruptive company. A few will become just that. Many, if not most, will not. But few are also introducing a technology, let alone a service, that is disruptive.

KeepTruckin has partnered with Foley, a leader in FMCSA compliance solutions, to offer KeepTruckin’s electronic logging device to fleets. Any size fleet will have access to the KeepTruckin’s ELD and IFTA solution.

Many people don’t realize it, but construction firms have many of the same problems with truck visibility and tracking that less-than-truckload and truckload carriers have. And a truck arriving late can throw off an entire project’s schedule. That’s why Truck IT has introduce an app to help.

The latest craze in logistics is the “uberization of trucking,” i.e. digital freight brokers (DFM). In reality, though, DFMs are not new, with the first iteration of them appearing in the early 2000s with companies such as Power2Ship and TransMarkets. They have gained steam lately thanks to technological advances, but there is still some question about whether they are here to stay this time.

An industry that has a reputation of being behind the curve on technology may be at the forefront of one of the most important technological developments in decades. Yes, the trucking industry is poised to lead the blockchain way, and BiTA plans to help it get there.

Money is flowing into trucking tech startups, and it is showing no signs of slowing down. According to CB Insights, the industry is on pace for its first billion-dollar year in cumulative funding. But the question remains, how much of this windfall of funds will end up in companies that truly make a difference in the trucking space?

Uber threw its hat into the trucking industry with its own app earlier this year, but now it is upping the stakes with new features, The Verge reports.

Former Thomson Reuters Senior Executive Eric Frank has joined TransRisk’s Board of Advisors.

Hyperloop One completed a high-speed test of its pod on its Nevada track test at the end of July, moving it closer to its target speed for its planned pilot in Dubai.

One of the early entries in the “Uber for trucking” movement, Convoy found immediate big-name backers with the likes of Jeff Bezos, Marc Benioff and Henry Kravis when it launched in 2015. Since then, hundreds of companies have tried to enter the field of digital freight matching, but Convoy has remained near the top of the class.

A successful test of Hyperloop One’s technology has given rise the possibility that intermodal freight may someday be moved using the technology.

Embark Trucks has announced a $15 million round of fundraising and a collaboration with Peterbilt Motors. The funding was a collective effort spearheaded by Data Collective, reported TechCrunch.

Plenty of load boards and brokers exist for trucking companies looking for freight. There are nearly 600 found on a basic web listing – and likely many, many more. But there are few, if any, like Sleek Fleet.