91��Ƶ

Our April 18 LiveOnWeb program, “Logistics, Accelerated,” focused on how technology and innovation are changing the logistics business. Watch the replay.

Another firm has joined the competitive same-day delivery space, facing off against major logistics firms as it works to find a niche in moving and delivering bulky, heavy items for retailers and consumers. Seattle-based Dolly recently expanded to serve seven large cities and has teamed with such merchants as Costco Wholesale Corp., Crate & Barrel, Lowe’s Cos. and The Container Store.

A pair of recent events helped underscore the key role video is playing in fleet operations: Lytx, a video telematics provider, received a $700 million capital infusion from private equity firms; and Penske Logistics launched a video-based safety program in 2,800 of its heavy-duty trucks in its North America operations using equipment from SmartDrive Systems.

After a string of high-profile acquisitions pushed XPO Logistics to the top of the Transport Topics Logistics 50 list in 2017, the company kept its No. 1 ranking this year by growing its business organically and by effectively cross-selling transportation and logistics services to shippers.

The combination of technology and innovation is changing the business of transportation and logistics in ways that are both potentially disruptive and critical to improving existing processes. And the changes are coming from inside and outside of the industry.

UPS Inc. already was in trouble with Wall Street over a long-term investment plan to cope with soaring e-commerce. Now the company is clashing with its pilots union because of a short-term fix for the same challenge.

UPS Inc. has started operating five cargo flights a week out of San Bernardino International Airport, officials announced March 26.

Third-party logistics firms capitalized on stronger demand to transport freight this summer but spent more to purchase trucks, resulting in what Wall Street analysts predict will be a mixed-earnings season.