Ground Freight & Logistics








Asia

North America

Ground Freight

J.B. Hunt reports higher quarterly profit due to cost reductions and improved volumes that offset fuel costs

J.B. Hunt Transportation Services, a U.S. trucking company, reported on Wednesday a higher profit for the first quarter. Efforts to cut costs and improve volumes in key segments offset increased fuel prices. In aftermarket trading, shares of the company rose by 1.2%. After a four-year hiatus, the U.S. trucking sector showed signs of revival in early 2012. However, higher fuel prices?due the Middle East war have delayed the long-awaited turnaround. J.B Hunt's goal has been to reduce costs and increase efficiency during this time. Fuel surcharges are a way that the company, and other contract trucking companies in the U.S.,...

Ground Freight

MercadoLibre will invest $11 billion this year in Brazil

MercadoLibre, an e-commerce company, said that it would invest?57 billion reais (about $10.9 billion) in?its main market Brazil this coming year. This is a 50% increase from 2025. MercadoLibre stated that the money, which includes operating costs and expenses will primarily be used to expand its logistics, strengthen its ecommerce marketplace platform, and?increase its credit portfolio for its fintech Mercado Pago. The company, based in Uruguay, but relying on Brazil for more than half of its revenues, plans to expand 14 fulfillment centers in Brazil this year. This will bring the total number up to 42. MercadoLibre said it would...

Logistics

Expeditors tops quarterly estimates on strong customs brokerage demand

The demand for its customs brokerage services helped Expeditors international of Washington to report a profit and revenue in the fourth quarter that exceeded Wall Street expectations. Customs clearance costs have increased as businesses adjust to new tariff rules and comply with compliance requirements. This has boosted demand for brokerage companies like Expeditors and driven up the cost of customs clearance. The demand for customs brokers remained high, reflecting the complexity of the work and the volume. CEO Daniel Wall added that the company planned to increase investments in technology including AI-driven tools to improve efficiency. Wall said that in...

Freight Logistics

C.H. Robinson CEO: AI will drive consolidation of freight brokerage

C.H. Global logistics provider C.H. Robinson's CEO Dave Bozeman has dismissed the'recent sale' of shares tied to AI disruptions in the freight industry. He said that the race to adopt AI technology would lead to consolidation. C.H. C.H. Since the 14.5% drop earlier in this month, the?stock is up a little. In the afternoon of Monday's trading, it was down 6.1% to $178.44. The sale was triggered after Algorhythm Holdings, a company that specializes in AI technology, stated that their SemiCab platform helps customers increase 'freight volume by 300% to 400% without adding additional operational staff. Bozeman, in an interview...

Ground Freight

As AI concerns weigh, trucking stocks fall.

Stocks in trucking and logistic companies fell on Thursday, as investors feared that AI technology would increase competition for firms that rely on software. Landstar System, C.H. Robinson fell by more than 14 percent, while Dow Jones Transportation Average dropped 4%. Investors are concerned that the steep fall in logistics shares follows a recent drop in software stocks. They fear future AI products will cause fierce competition among established businesses, eroding their profit margins. These fears contrast with the optimism that has driven Wall Street to record-breaking highs over the past few years. Jeffrey Favuzza, a trader at Jefferies, wrote...

Ground Freight

Doberman named Penny is Westminster Dog Show's winner

Penny, the 4-year-old Doberman Pinscher, was named Best in Show on Tuesday at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, earning the United States' most prestigious dog competition?prize?. Penny made a magnificent stance during the final round of the judging when the finalists from seven groups competed in New York City’s Madison Square Garden. The working group champion beat over 3,000 dogs representing all 50 states as well as 17 different countries who competed at the 150th anniversary event. Each group's winner will advance to the finals. Andy Linton handled Penny, the Doberman that won Best in Show in 1989, when...

Ground Freight

Old Dominion's quarterly results are weaker as the freight market remains soft

Old Dominion Freight Line announced a decline in profit and revenue for the fourth quarter on Wednesday. It was 'hurt' by lower volumes, as it navigates through a 'challenging environment. After the e-commerce boom of 2022, the U.S. trucking industry remains in a prolonged slowdown. U.S. carriers continue to be affected by low shipment volumes, excess capacities and weak domestic production. According to the Institute for Supply Management, U.S. Manufacturing PMI, which is a gauge for economic activity, recorded its tenth consecutive month of contraction when it reached?47.9 in December. The readings below 50 indicate shrinking activity. CEO Marty Freeman...

Ground Freight & Logistics

TSX futures are rising as oil and gold continue to advance.

Futures tied to Canada's major stock index rose Thursday as precious metals continued their rally,?oil climbed on geopolitical worries, and investors assessed the Big?Tech reports from the U.S. As of 6:05 a.m., March futures based on Toronto's TSX Composite Index (S&P/TSX) were up 0.3%. ET. Gold spot gained 1.4% and briefly hovered near $5,600 an ounce. This was due to the demand for safe havens amid continued geopolitical unrest and concern over the autonomy of the U.S. Federal Reserve. The U.S. Dollar's decline?slowed on Thursday but it remained near multi-year lows. Silver prices remained stable, but copper and other metals...

Ground Freight & Logistics

C.H. Robinson's profits beat quarterly estimates due to cost control and weak freight demand

C.H. Robinson's fourth-quarter profit was above Wall Street expectations on Wednesday as cost control helped the global freight forwarder to mitigate the impact of a weak demand in a challenging international trade environment. In aftermarket trading, shares of?the company? rose 6.3%. The largest U.S. Freight Broker reported a 5% drop in operating costs for the quarter. Personnel expenses, other selling, administrative and general costs all fell by about?5%. The average number of employees fell by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. C.H. Robinson has increasingly used artificial intelligence to streamline operations and reduce manual processes. This shift is occurring as the...

Ground Freight & Logistics

TSX futures rise ahead of Fed and BoC rate decisions; gold rallies

The futures for Canada's main index of stocks rose on Wednesday, as gold prices reached a new high. Investors awaited the interest rate decisions that would be made by the U.S. Federal Reserve later in the day. As of 5:41 a.m., March futures for Toronto's S&P/TSX composite index were up 0.16%. ET. Spot gold rose 1.6% and briefly surpassed $5,300 an ounce as the U.S. Dollar sank to four-year lows before stabilizing after President Donald Trump dismissed January's decline. At its next policy meeting, the Fed is expected to?keep rates unchanged. However, the decision will likely be overshadowed due to...

Ground Freight

J.B. Hunt’s profit increases in the fourth quarter on cost reductions

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, a U.S. trucking company, reported an increased profit for the fourth quarter on Thursday. This was largely due to a strong shipping demand during peak season and efforts made by all departments to reduce costs. As volumes increase, carriers add seasonal surcharges. The company is pursuing cost reductions in order to increase efficiency. This is because the trucking industry has been experiencing a downturn for'more than three years, marked by excessive capacity and seasonal volume increases, which have kept rates low. The expectation of a U.S. trucking market turnaround in 2026 is gaining momentum. This is...

Ground Freight & Logistics

Canadian National asks US regulator to provide more information on Union Pacific's Norfolk deal

Canadian National announced on Monday that it had filed a petition with the U.S. Surface?Transportation?Board that asks for the agency to order Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern to reveal more details on?their merged proposal. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern filed a nearly 7,500-page merger request to the board of directors in December. This triggered a regulatory review for what would be the largest rail transaction in decades. The $85 billion agreement, announced in July, aims to speed up shipments by reducing delays and handoffs. It would also create the United States' first coast-to-coast railroad. The proposal has attracted Critics of...

Europe

Ground Freight

Minister says that Brazil will auction off the massive Santos Container Terminal in early March.

The federal government of Brazil plans to auction off the massive Tecon '10 container terminal at Santos Port in the first half of March, said Minister of Ports and airports Silvio Costa Filho on Friday. He said that more than 10 bidders have expressed interest in the auction, including the Philippines-based ICTSI, JBS, JSL and unnamed 'Arab investors. The Minister said that the minimum bid price will be below?6.4 billion (about $1.19 billion), the amount of money the winning bidder must invest to build and run the terminal. Roberto Lopes confirmed that the Rio Brasil Terminal, controlled by ICTSI will...

Passenger Transportation

Sources say that Russia is considering how to support Russian Railways, which has a debt of $51 billion.

Two people familiar with the situation said that the Russian government is looking at different options to support Russian Railways. The company, which is the largest employer in the country, has accumulated a debt of 4 trillion roubles ($50.8 billion). The state-owned Russian Railways employs 700,000 workers and has seen its revenues fall amid the sharp slowdown of Russia's wartime economy. Meanwhile, debt costs are on the rise, driven by interest rates that have reached their highest levels in 20 years. Two people, who requested anonymity because the subject was sensitive, said that Moscow had been discussing ways to help...

Passenger Ground & Sea Transportation

Tunnel under the Alps connects Italy and Austria

On Thursday, workers broke through the final thin layer of rock to open an underground tunnel that will become a high speed rail line connecting Europe's north and south. The Brenner Base tunnel, which has been dubbed the longest underground rail link in the world, is at the heart of an EU initiative to move freight from the road to rail to reduce pollution and increase cross-border trade. At the ceremony of breaking the first rock, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Mello said: "Today we take together a crucial step towards the construction of one the largest infrastructure projects on the...

Western Europe

East Asia

Ground Freight

Shares rise as Amazon's volume reduction accelerates; UPS will eliminate 30,000 additional jobs

United Parcel Service, the largest package delivery company in the world, announced on Tuesday that it will close 24 additional facilities and eliminate up to 30,000 positions by 2026. This is due to its ongoing shift towards a'more profitable business. In midday trading, shares of the company rose 4%. The company also announced fourth quarter results that exceeded Wall Street expectations and forecasted a surprise increase in annual revenue. FedEx shares gained 2.6%. Carol Tome, CEO of the company, said in a conference with analysts that the company plans to reduce Amazon deliveries. "We are now in the last six...

Ground Transportation

Turkey's Pasifik Eurasia, China Railway unit sign rail transport deal

Pasifik Eurasia Lojistik announced that it had signed a railway transportation agreement with a subsidiary China Railway for the launch of cargo train services on a corridor connecting China to Europe via Turkey, bypassing Russia. The initial plan is to operate 10 train services, and eventually 1,000. It is anticipated that the Middle Corridor will see a significant increase in freight volume thanks to the partnership with China's state-owned railway logistics company. The Middle Corridor, a China-Europe freight route that is promoted by the West, includes Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as Turkey. Fatih Erdogan, Chairman of Pasifik Holding's...

Passenger Transportation Services

Leasys, an auto leasing company, aims to double the fleet of its low-emission cars by 2026

Leasys, an auto leasing company, aims to double its fleet's share of electric and hybrid vehicles by the end of next year. The rapid advancements in electric technology present challenges to the industry. Leasys, a 50-50 joint venture between Stellantis in Italy and France's Credit Agricole is the third-largest player in Europe's long term auto rental industry. The long-term lease, which allows the customer to rent a car at a fixed rate per month, usually for a minimum of 365 days, is an alternative to owning. In recent years, corporate clients have driven its popularity. Leasys is present in 11...

Ground Freight & Logistics

Blackstone to purchase Australia's AirTrunk in $16 billion deal

Blackstone will buy Australian data centre group AirTrunk for an implied enterprise value of over A$ 24 billion ($ 16.10 billion), it said on Wednesday, in what would be Blackstone's biggest financial investment in the Asia Pacific area. The alternative possession supervisor, along with the Canada Pension Strategy Financial Investment Board, is obtaining AirTrunk from Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) and the general public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP). The deal requires approval from the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB), offered the property is being bought by overseas parties. At $16.1 billion, the deal is the biggest buyout in Australia...