91��Ƶ

Fires in tractor-trailers, often referred to as thermal events, can result in significant damage to equipment as well as cargo, but despite an ongoing focus on preventing them, the number of incidents doesn’t appear to be dropping.

UPS Inc. and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced Oct. 25 the parcel delivery company will begin a pilot project aimed at reducing congestion downtown and addressing air quality concerns. Delivery drivers will use electric pedal-assist cargo bicycles with a customized modular trailer attached to the back of the bike.

XPO Logistics Inc. will buy 5,000 warehouse robots from a Singapore startup backed by billionaire Peter Thiel as part of a deal that makes XPO the only logistics provider to use the technology in North America, the U.K. and eight other European countries.

The cloud computing services offered by businesses such as Amazon Web Services, Google and Microsoft Azure have made integration easier to accomplish. But there's a catch: The task of integrating systems “is never-ending,” technology executives say.

Volvo Trucks announced it would commercialize all-electric trucks in North America in 2020 after introducing them in California next year, a move made in conjunction with a partnership that includes Volvo Group, California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District and industry leaders in transportation and electrical charging infrastructure.

Fleets continue to encounter challenges dealing with aftertreatment technologies that are now being refined after major changes in years past. From a maintenance perspective, aftertreatment systems are improving.

While intermodal may be playing catch-up in the real-time freight visibility race, the consensus among industry watchers is that the gap is closing — fast. You can thank the Internet of Things revolution and the emergence of “in the cloud” software and database platforms.

Officials at transportation service company Ruan got a chance to see Tesla Inc.’s prototype battery-electric heavy-duty truck, which toured the country recently, stopping at some carriers that have placed orders for the truck that is scheduled for fleet testing in 2019.

What are shippers doing to orchestrate the supply chain? How are they tackling capacity, service, visibility and control? That's the focus of our Aug. 22 LiveOnWeb program, "Orchestrating the Supply Chain." 

U.S. Class 8 retail sales in July were the second-highest of the year, increasing by more than 33% as they cleared 20,000.