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Grace Sharkey

Grace Sharkey is a professional in the logistics and transportation industry with experience in journalism, digital content creation and decision-making roles in the third-party logistics space. Prior to joining FreightWaves, Grace led a startup brokerage to more than $80 million in revenue, holding roles of increasing responsibility, including director of sales, vice president of business development and chief strategy officer. She is currently a staff writer, podcast producer and SiriusXM radio host for FreightWaves, a leading provider of news, data and analytics for the logistics industry. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Michigan State University. You can contact her at gsharkey@freightwaves.com.
Nov - 2024 -
06 November
Grace Sharkey

Election 2024: US lawmakers who support initiatives to fight freight fraud

Bipartisan bills including the Safeguarding Our Supply Chains Act and the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2023 propose significant federal support to address the increase in freight fraud and organized retail crime.

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01 November
Grace Sharkey

How global trade actors are turning to fintech to tackle fraud

The rapid expansion of global trade has complicated cross-border payments, adding costs and delays and heightening fraud risk. Financial institutions and fintech firms are implementing digital solutions to enhance transparency and security.

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Oct - 2024 -
29 October
Grace Sharkey

AI will have huge impact on freight but also overhyped, says Transflo exec

As FreightVana CTO Don Everhart moves into his new role at Transflo, he answers FreightWaves’ questions on hot FreightTech topics.

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25 October
Grace Sharkey

AI technology helps fleet managers detect drowsy drivers

Fleet managers are turning to new AI-driven Drowsiness Detection technology, which shows that 77% of drowsy driving events are detected by behaviors other than yawning alone.

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21 October
Grace Sharkey

Becker Logistics study exposes cargo theft risk tied to lax security

According to a new report by Becker Logistics, cargo theft varies seasonally and by mode and location.

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18 October
Grace Sharkey

Leaders share strategies to maximize FreightTech investment in tight markets

At TIA Technovations, logistics technology leaders tackled the challenges of balancing tech investments with tight budgets. The panel highlighted the need to be strategic with implementations, maximize existing tools and foster collaboration with vendors.

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15 October
Grace Sharkey

Inaugural Freight Fraud Awareness Day shines light on industry crisis

The first-ever Freight Fraud Awareness Day, taking place on Tuesday, aims to unite the supply chain community in tackling schemes like double brokering and cargo theft, which have seen a 400% rise since 2022.

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10 October
Grace Sharkey

Cartage secures $3.3M to support shippers and carriers with automation

Freight coordination platform Cartage has raised $3.3 million in a funding round led by Y Combinator. The company, founded by industry veterans, is using AI to streamline logistics without forcing brokers, shippers or carriers to change their preferred communication methods.

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08 October
Grace Sharkey

Dave Clark launches Auger, raises $100M for the AI venture

Former Amazon and Flexport executive Dave Clark has launched Auger, a $100 million-backed logistics software startup aimed at optimizing supply chain decision-making for midsize to large businesses by using AI and automation.

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04 October
Grace Sharkey

Charli brings turnkey solution to EV charging

With a focus on charger reliability, accessibility and user experience, Charli 2.0 introduces one-tap charging, real-time station availability and installation solutions.

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02 October
Grace Sharkey

J.B. Hunt, UP.Labs create FreightTech lab

J.B. Hunt and UP.Labs aim to invest in six startups over the next three years.

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Grace Sharkey

Cloudflare survey finds cyberattacks and fraud flourishing in logistics

As cybercriminals evolve, companies must adopt cutting-edge defense strategies to protect their operations from significant financial and reputational damage.

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Sep - 2024 -
30 September
Grace Sharkey

Marquee takes educational approach to insurance, unveils tech

With a focus on education, technology and partnerships, MIG seeks to transform how small carriers navigate insurance decisions.

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18 September
Grace Sharkey

Fireside Chat: Leveraging tech to improve perishable food inventory management

Evigence’s Oria Malka speaks on how technology helps the cold chain limit emissions and improve shelf life.

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Grace Sharkey

Members of Congress call for establishing center to fight retail crime

U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce is spearheading an effort to have the Department of Homeland Security do more to combat organized retail crime in America.

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16 September
Grace Sharkey

Does the ILA have a point in objecting to automation?

FreightWaves examines the International Longshoremen’s Association’s concern with port automation and its effects on global port competitiveness.

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10 September
Grace Sharkey

Truckstop on fraud: ‘It’s about time we protect each other’

Truckstop.com’s Brent Hutto discusses the company’s zero-tolerance policy toward fraud and its recent work with the FBI.

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Grace Sharkey

Uber Freight announces new tech offerings, reaches $20B in managed freight

At Uber Freight’s Deliver conference, its founder and CEO announced same day and scheduled deliveries offerings, advanced tech features and said the company has reached $20 billion in freight under management.

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05 September
Grace Sharkey

Former Flexport associate raises $6.5M for SMB freight management platform

Portex founder Brittany Ennix explains how logistics technology should be built for SMB shippers.

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Aug - 2024 -
28 August
Grace Sharkey

TuSimple plans to settle federal fraud lawsuit for $189M

While the company continues to deny any wrongdoing, TuSimple has filed to settle its federal fraud case.

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Jul - 2024 -
30 July
Grace Sharkey

Altana becomes FreightTech’s next unicorn after closing Series C

Altana closed on a $200 million investment Tuesday to accelerate its supply chain and risk management product development.

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25 July
Grace Sharkey

How freight fraud became the perfect crime

FreightTech hasn’t solved freight fraud, and regulators can’t figure out who is regulating it. Is there a solution?

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23 July
Grace Sharkey

Coast closes Series B, gets funds from Synchrony for fintech platform

Fleet fintech provider Coast lists a number of initiatives under its product road map.

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19 July
Grace Sharkey

FreightTech Friday: Alvys raises $20.5M to accelerate tech development

This week: Alvys and Renaissant both close Series A’s, truck parking solutions unite and Leonard’s Express looks to optimize operations.

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17 July
Grace Sharkey

Women in Trucking focuses on mentorship, inclusive workplaces

After wrapping up her first year as president and CEO of the Women in Trucking Association, Jennifer Hedrick explains the group’s strategy toward creating a more inclusive industry.

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15 July
Grace Sharkey

TruckSmarter’s financial services secure $50M debt facility

The digital trucking platform partners with CoVenture for up to $100 million in debt to accelerate its financial services.

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12 July
Grace Sharkey

FreightTech Friday: p44 offers eBOLs for all LTL shipments

This week: p44 offers eBOLs on all LTL shipments, ODeX moves into Singapore, Goodyear offers Tires-as-a-Service and AutoScheduler.AI raises funds.

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11 July
Grace Sharkey

Outpost taps modern tech for parking visibility

Outpost releases new technology, combining both hardware and software, to improve commercial truck parking availability and security, as truck parking continues to be a significant problem in the U.S.

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10 July
Grace Sharkey

German startup grabs pre-seed funding for container logistics platform

Northbound looks to expand its product development after raising $1.4 million in funds.

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09 July
Grace Sharkey

CargoX goes live with HMM eBOL partnership

CargoX has launched its solution tailored to meet the electronic bill of lading standards of Korean container carrier HMM and the Digital Container Shipping Association.

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05 July
Grace Sharkey

FreightTech Friday: Japan’s proposed conveyor-belt highway

This week, we showcase an innovative way to attack Japan’s logistics labor-shortage problems; Pepsi makes a new partnership in battery technology; and Walmart wins an award for its investment in technology.

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03 July
Grace Sharkey

Samsara’s product strategy: Innovation through partnership

Samsara’s chief product officer explains the importance of building strong partnerships with customers to lay the groundwork for future solutions.

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Jun - 2024 -
27 June
Grace Sharkey

Samsara releases Asset Tag at Beyond

At Samsara’s user conference in Chicago, the company unveiled its latest tracking tool.

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Grace Sharkey

Freightmate Ai exits stealth mode with pre-seed funding and new tech

After raising funds with Wischoff Ventures, Freightmate Ai launches its first automated tool for freight forwarders.

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25 June
Grace Sharkey

Uber Freight, Aurora launch autonomous program for carriers

Uber Freight and Aurora Innovation have launched a subscription program making it easier for carriers in the Uber Freight network to invest in autonomous assets.

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23 June
Grace Sharkey

UPS sells Coyote to RXO

UPS announces it plans to sell its brokerage business to RXO.

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21 June
Grace Sharkey

FreightTech Friday: Verified Carrier talks vetting tech

This week: Verified Carrier discusses its unique way of vetting carriers, Vecna Robotics closes its Series C, Truckstop vets industry pets and Nvidia has a new offering for industry tech providers.

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18 June
Grace Sharkey

Samsara Beyond lets industry stakeholders share best practices on data usage

Samsara preps for its community event Beyond to teach leaders how to leverage data to gain insight on their operations and foster success.

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14 June
Grace Sharkey

FreightTech Friday: Learn to Win raises $30M, captures the industry’s attention

This week, training software for the DOD is serving the freight community; CargoSense closes its Series A; a trucking company adds autonomous offerings; and Truckstop.com hires a new CFO.

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13 June
Grace Sharkey

Semantic Visions draws on global media deep dive to build ESG index

Semantic Visions’ Environmental, Social and Governance Index uses natural language processing to analyze media and evaluate companies’ sustainability, ethics and compliance.

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11 June
Grace Sharkey

Ship Angel raises $5M, launches two new products for BCOs

Ship Angel announced its recent raise and new products at Plug and Play’s Silicon Valley Summit.

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07 June
Grace Sharkey

FreightTech Friday: Denim to scale with $63M warehouse facility

This week, Denim secures funds to continue scaling, OneRail acquires new tech and industry partnerships improve service offerings.

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May - 2024 -
31 May
Grace Sharkey

OneRail solution targets inventory shrinkage in logistics

OneRail has launched a solution to address in-transit problems that lead to lost inventory.

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Grace Sharkey

FreightTech Friday: Cover Whale closes Series A to grow insurtech offering

This week, Cover Whale raises $27.5 million, the Scheduling Standards Consortium adds a member and Magnus integrates with Trimble.

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29 May
Grace Sharkey

Cambridge Capital makes majority investment in retail auditing solutions

Cambridge Capital sees promise in helping retailers audit costs and invoices with Stat Recovery.

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24 May
Grace Sharkey

FreightTech Friday: Collaboration is the answer to supply-chain woes, says Beacon

This week, collaboration becomes key, TruckParkingClub.com hits a milestone, and ex-Convoy engineers raise money for the spot market.

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23 May
Grace Sharkey

3 things I learned at Uber Freight’s Carrier Summit

Uber Freight has officially entered its managed transportation era.

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17 May
Grace Sharkey

FreightTech Friday: Harbor Lab modernizing accounting for vessel operators

This week: A Greek company raises $16 million to make vessel disbursement practices easier, Candor Expedite invests in cold chain technology and driver recruiters leverage AI in operations.

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16 May
Grace Sharkey

GoodShip raises $8M to ramp up procurement platform features

After gaining enterprise accounts, GoodShip is looking to accelerate its growth to improve its shipper-centric procurement platform.

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Grace Sharkey

Latest Uber Freight launch combines marketplace and managed services networks

After hinting at a brokerage and managed services integration in its latest earnings report, Uber Freight has launched a spot market update to Uber Freight Exchange to combine its carrier and shipper networks.

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10 May
Grace Sharkey

FreightTech Friday: FreightVana debuts fleet payment card; tech earnings in

This week, FreightVana offers a Visa card to its carrier network, SPS Commerce makes an acquisition and we review Symbotic’s Q1 results in the robotics space.

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08 May
Grace Sharkey

FleetPulse spun off from Great Dane, raises $11M for trailer telematics

FleetPulse has spun off from trailer OEM Great Dane and hired industry executives to lead the independent company.

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07 May
Grace Sharkey

Paxafe raises $9M, highlights 330% revenue growth over past year

AI software provider Paxafe looks to continue its strategic partnership strategy while expanding globally and building its sales team.

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Grace Sharkey

C.H. Robinson leveraging AI tools to answer email requests for quotes

C.H. Robinson says it is using sophisticated AI tools to automate responses to emailed quote requests for thousands of customers.

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03 May
Grace Sharkey

FreightTech Friday: Loadsure takes insurtech solution to Europe

In this edition of FreighTech Friday, Loadsure explains the risk of moving goods throughout Europe, and Kinaxis shares a report on shippers that are slow to react to supply chain disruptions.

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01 May
Grace Sharkey

Shein and Forever 21 first to use UPS’ Happy Returns cross-brand solution

Fast fashion e-commerce giant Shein and retailer Forever 21 are the first brands to utilize UPS’ Happy Returns solution.

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Apr - 2024 -
26 April
Grace Sharkey

FreightTech Friday: Wabash sees success with trailers-as-a-service

Glen Stewart, director of strategic programs at Wabash, discusses the company’s Trailers-as-a-service (TaaS) offering, which is designed to help increase asset uptime.

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24 April
Grace Sharkey

Trucking influencer shares business and health lessons

Chad Boblett explains why he started a Facebook group to help owner-operators.

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23 April
Grace Sharkey

EXO closes Chattanooga office to focus on managed transportation tech

Open-deck transportation marketplace EXO Freight closed its physical office in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and laid off most of its employees to focus on improving its technology for enterprise shippers and their managed services.

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Grace Sharkey

Semi-Stow rebrands as Outpost, raises $12.5M

Commercial vehicle parking and storage provider Semi-Stow is now Outpost. It hopes to double its existing properties after an infusion of $12.5 million in Series A funding.

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22 April
Grace Sharkey

Will Shein help propel Flexport’s future?

Analysts said Shein could help Flexport get a boost in volume and revenue that the firm has seen decreasing throughout the freight recession.

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19 April
Grace Sharkey

FreightTech Friday: Gartner critiques real-time-visibility market players

This week, Gartner wags a finger at project44’s path to profitability, Flowspace customers see promise in AI and the Digital Container Shipping Association gets a new member.

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17 April
Grace Sharkey

Gather AI launches new features, sees promise in indoor drone tech

Drones offer various inventory management solutions, including audits, cycle counting and stock taking.

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12 April
Grace Sharkey

FreightTech Friday: Motive’s new tech, goFlux’s $6M raise

This week we explore Motive’s first user conference, a Latin American FreighTech company looking to expand into the U.S. and Banyan Technology expanding beyond LTL solutions.

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10 April
Grace Sharkey

Stord acquires ProPack Logistics, expands North American footprint

Stord’s purchase of ProPack Logistics grows the company’s fulfillment centers to 1.6 million square feet.

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09 April
Grace Sharkey

Platform Science secures $125M to grow OEM partnerships

The company last announced its Series C raise in 2022, led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 for $115 million, valuing the company at $575 million. Platform Science has raised $309 million since 2017.

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05 April
Grace Sharkey

FreightTech Friday: 4 tech companies FreightWaves met at MATS

Here are four innovative companies FreightWaves was introduced to at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky.

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03 April
Grace Sharkey

Uber Freight taps industry veterans for commercial, final-mile growth

Uber Freight has brought on talent with decades of experience from C.H. Robinson, Amazon and Walmart.

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02 April
Grace Sharkey

Sheer Logistics acquires CargoBarn to expand brokerage specialties

Sheer Logistics’ acquisition of CargoBarn is aimed at strengthening the company’s position in anticipation of market fluctuations.

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Mar - 2024 -
29 March
Grace Sharkey

Blue Yonder to acquire One Network for $839M

Over the past five quarters, Blue Yonder has spent over $1 billion in supply chain acquisitions, including Doddle and Flexis AG.

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28 March
Grace Sharkey

Venture 53 invests in Heale Labs’ tokenization technology

FreightTech investment firm Venture 53 says Heale “shares our vision for the future of the supply chain ecosystem.”

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22 March
Grace Sharkey

FreightTech Friday: Transportation One releases T1TAN TMS in-house

In today’s FreightTech Friday roundup, we explore Transportation One’s new tech, a Truckstop survey on carrier sentiment and a recent round of funding.

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21 March
Grace Sharkey

Third parties saw emails, court says in letting p44 defamation lawsuit proceed

In the ongoing battle between FreightTech giants project44 and FourKites, the Illinois Supreme Court has sided with project44, agreeing that allegedly defamatory emails were sent to a third party.

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Grace Sharkey

Uber Freight extends Powerloop drop-and-hook network nationally

Uber Freight’s Powerloop offering has served more than 220,000 loads using over 10,000 carriers. Powerloop saw a 43% increase in power-only load volume in 2023.

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16 March
Grace Sharkey

Flock reports layoffs, path to profitability

Friday saw a pivotal shift for Flock Freight as the company opted to downsize its workforce by 54 individuals, a strategic decision aimed at realigning the company’s trajectory towards profitability.

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15 March
Grace Sharkey

FreightTech Friday: Heale incentivizes complete, accurate data sharing

Today’s FreightTech roundup takes a look at HEALE Labs’ goal to improve data sharing with digital currency, PrincetonTMX’s partnership with Loop and other highlights of the week.

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14 March
Grace Sharkey

OneRail survey details retail shippers’ last-mile delivery needs

A study by last-mile solutions provider OneRail addresses retailers’ concerns about diversifying delivery networks and highlights strategies such as leveraging technology for strategic planning.

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13 March
Grace Sharkey

Locus Robotics launches business intelligence tool LocusHub

Newly launched LocusHub lets warehouse managers customize autonomous mobile robots’ workflow routes, forecast staffing and orders with machine learning, and pinpoint bottlenecks.

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12 March
Grace Sharkey

Uber Freight surpasses $18B in freight under management worldwide

Uber Freight has set a goal to acquire over $2 billion in freight under management in Europe by 2028.

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08 March
Grace Sharkey

LG to launch warehouse robots in US markets at MODEX

LG Business Solutions USA will unveil its family of autonomous mobile robots at industry trade show MODEX in Atlanta.

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07 March
Grace Sharkey

Transfix partners with Rocket Shipping for LTL offering

Transfix’s new feature aims to streamline logistics for small and midsize businesses by addressing manual processes and securing competitive rates, in line with an integrated marketplace approach.

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06 March
Grace Sharkey

Evaluating FreightTech: Prioritizing business needs and user enablement

Implementing FreightTech solutions requires understanding business needs, selecting partners that support users, capturing internal data and ensuring scalability.

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01 March
Grace Sharkey

Women truckers photo collection heads to MATS, powered by Uber Freight

The Sisters of the Road photo collection highlights female truckers’ struggles and improvements needed for industry equality.

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Feb - 2024 -
29 February
Grace Sharkey

CNBC supply chain reporter, daughter pen book on family histories of slaves

While visiting Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, Lori Ann LaRocco and daughter Abby Wallace learned about families who were enslaved at the site.

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28 February
Grace Sharkey

OpenTug raises $3.1M to grow marine operator network

Seattle-based OpenTug says it serviced over 3 million tons of marine cargo across 25,000 miles of U.S. marine highways in 2023.

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27 February
Grace Sharkey

Isometric Technologies honors 50 transportation providers with service awards

Isometric Technologies announced the winners of its third annual service excellence awards.

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23 February
Grace Sharkey

ODeX survey spots barriers to digital documentation adoption in global trade

Documentation and fintech platform ODeX conducted a survey assessing the maritime industry’s views on digital documentation in ocean shipping.

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20 February
Grace Sharkey

CloudTrucks launches new offerings, acquires Shipwell’s brokerage

CloudTrucks has purchased Shipwell’s brokerage, and Shipwell plans to focus on its SaaS offering.

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06 February
Grace Sharkey

OTR Solutions acquires back-office automation platform Epay Manager

OTR Solutions announced its acquisition of Epay Manager to enhance its fintech products with a distinctive audit-proof invoicing system.

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05 February
Grace Sharkey

Uber Freight begins piloting the Scheduling Standards Consortium’s protocols

Uber Freight plans to make its API publicly available for scheduling in the second half of the year.

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Jan - 2024 -
31 January
Grace Sharkey

GoodShip releases procurement scenario builder solution

This feature empowers GoodShip’s shippers to craft personalized constraints, aligning with supply chain goals for optimal, strategic procurement decisions.

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30 January
Grace Sharkey

Vizion partners with Dun & Bradstreet on risk management offering

Supply chain visibility provider Vizion is partnering with D&B to launch its new solution, TradeView.

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26 January
Grace Sharkey

Flexport plans to lay off 20% of workforce, say insiders

Digital freight forwarder Flexport reportedly may let go of a large part of its staff after closing on $260 million in funding from Shopify.

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23 January
Grace Sharkey

Optym lands strategic investment from industry backer Venture 53

The undisclosed investment will support Optym’s enhance of transportation optimization solutions.

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21 January
Grace Sharkey

Project44 v. FourKites: The FreightTech case that questions Illinois defamation law

Visibility providers project44 and FourKites take their defamation fight to the Illinois Supreme Court.

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16 January
Grace Sharkey

3 things the logistics industry can learn from Brad Jacobs’ new book

Brad Jacobs’ new book, “How to Make a Few Billion Dollars,” is filled with lessons for transportation entrepreneurs.

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12 January
Grace Sharkey

Echo partners with Navix to enhance freight bill auditing

Echo will leverage Navix’s ecosystem of billing data to automate its freight-auditing capabilities.

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Grace Sharkey

FreightTech experts: 2024 is the year for laggards to catch up

FreightWaves spoke with experts from across the supply chain about technology lessons learned in 2023 and what strategies will succeed in 2024.

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09 January
Grace Sharkey

Logistics veteran joins board of insurtech LuckyTruck

Will Urban has joined the board of LuckyTruck, a company that uses historical truck data and automation to provide an insurance management platform.

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