The Weekly Freight Report for December 30th, 2021

The Top 5 Stories in Freight, Transportation, & Logistics

Here’s this week’s Weekly Freight Report:

  1. Aging cargo down 40% at west coast ports. 
  2. Win more customers by focusing on product returns.
  3. Shifting away from global economies could improve trucking.
  4. Autonomous semi-truck completes 80-mile route in Arizona.
  5. Could drone package delivery be the future of on-demand products?

 

Fee Delay for aging cargo in west coast ports
1. Aging cargo down 40% at west coast ports. 

West Coast ports have seen a decline of more than 40% in aging cargo. The Harbor Commissions approved the fees in October, but port officials have delayed the Container Dwell fees until Jan. 3 because they have seen such an improvement in cargo removal. Starting in January, ocean carriers could be charged fees for sitting cargo that falls into two different categories. Each category has different dwell timelines, but both have the same fee: $100 per day per container. To read more on the port fees, click here.

 

Win more customers by focusing on product returns.
2. Win more customers by focusing on product returns.

The customer journey and experience with your company includes a painless and easy returns process; however, so many businesses fail to keep up, keep track, and keep costs down. In the US alone, approximately $450 billion in goods were returned in 2020, and 30% of those returns were for online purchases. To improve your customer experience, consider revising your RMA process. To learn precisely how to do this, read more here.

 

3. Shifting away from global economies could improve trucking.
3. Shifting away from global economies could improve trucking.

Shifting manufacturing from global economies to US soil could bring loads of work for the transportation industry. The pandemic revealed weakness in the global supply chain and magnified how dangerous dependence on overseas suppliers can be. With inflation on the rise, politicians on both sides are working to incentivize manufacturing in America… which means freight, logistics, and agricultural operations could become more efficient. Read more on this story here.

 

 

Autonomous semi-truck completes 80-mile route in Arizona.
4. Autonomous semi-truck completes 80-mile route in Arizona.

The first fully autonomous semi-truck completed a route without anyone onboard or human interaction. TuSimple’s truck departed from a large railyard in Tucson, AZ, traveled on busy roads and highways for more than 80 miles until it reached a high-volume distribution center in Phoenix. The truck was able to “successfully navigate busy streets, traffic signals, on-ramps, off-ramps, emergency lane vehicles, and highway lane changes in open traffic while naturally interacting with other motorists.” stated TuSimple. To see images of the drive and read more, click here.

 

Could drone package delivery be the future of on-demand products?
5. Could drone package delivery be the future of on-demand products?

Companies use drones to deliver everything from toothpaste to blood for transfusions. Even with automated takeoff and landings, drone usage has one major limitation put in place by the FFA… the operator must maintain a visual line of sight with the drone. Drone usage is enticing for companies looking to control efficiency and their environmental impact since a drone can make more than 10 per hour and is entirely electric. By 2028 the drone package delivery market is predicted to be an $18.65 billion industry. To learn more about drone capabilities and how companies use them, read more here.

 

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