Talking Transports

FedEx and UPS are trying to navigate an ever-changing parcel industry as volume mix shifts toward more-expensive home deliveries and increased competition from the likes of Amazon.com, which have weighed on margins. These legacy players are focused on productivity improvements, expense controls and restructuring networks in the hopes of thriving in this complex environment. In this Talking Transpo...

The trucking industry could transition to a more robust environment after the freight recession of the past two years. A more probusiness Trump administration may spur domestic freight growth and be more sympathetic to the issues facing the trucking industry, according to Chris Spear, president and chief executive officer of the American Trucking Associations. In this Talking Transports podcast, S...

Technology will be a driving force in shaping the transportation and logistics industry for years to come given the productivity improvements afforded by artificial intelligence and machine learning. It may also spur a new era of consolidation within the freight brokerage industry, as those companies without the scale and capital will find it increasingly difficult to compete. In this Talking Tran...

Fourth-quarter earnings could provide some signs that 2025 will be a brighter year for freight-transportation companies. In this Talking Transports podcast, Ravi Shanker, Morgan Stanley’s managing director and lead North American freight transportation and airlines analyst, joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg Intelligence senior transportation and logistics analyst, to share his insights about what...

The freight market outlook is set to improve next year following two challenging years for surface-transportation providers. In this Talking Transports podcast, Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg Intelligence senior transportation and logistics analyst, shares his 2025 outlook for the truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL) and railroads industries. Mid-single digit contractual rate growth, low-single-digit volu...

Refocusing Roadrunner into an asset-light less-than-truckload (LTL) provider over the past four years may have been key to turning the company around. In this Talking Transports podcast, Chris Jamroz, Roadrunner’s executive chairman and chief executive officer, joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg Intelligence senior transportation and logistics analyst, to share his insights about the strategic ste...

The ability to optimize logistics networks that can react to weather or human disruptions can be the differentiator between success and failure for many organizations. In this Talking Transports podcast, retired General Paul Selva, DEFCON AI’s co-founder and chief strategy officer, joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg Intelligence senior transportation and logistics analyst, to share his insights about ho...

The health-care logistics market is growing at a faster pace than the general freight market and has become an attractive vertical for providers of freight transportation services. The inherently complex nature of these supply chains due to cargo temperature requirements and safety concerns can warrant higher margins relative to other end markets. In this Talking Transports podcast, Joel Wayment,...

Uber Freight is leveraging generative AI to take out supply-chain inefficiencies, lower costs, reduce fraud and drive better customer experiences. The company cut empty miles in half for carriers on its network, and last year saved customers $1.5 billion. Technology has been the cornerstone. In this Talking Transports podcast, Lior Ron, Uber Freight’s founder and CEO, joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg...

Norfolk Southern is entering a new chapter in its history as it moves past a devastating derailment, activist activity and leadership changes. The railroad is focused on attracting volume onto its network by providing a more consistent service centered around safety. In this Talking Transports podcast, Ed Elkins, Norfolk Southern’s chief marketing officer, joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg Intelligence...

A hybrid approach might be a winning strategy for logistics providers in the current challenging freight backdrop. In this Talking Transports podcast, Scott Pruneau, ITS Logistics’ CEO, joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg Intelligence senior transportation and logistics analyst, to share his insights about how the company’s hybrid approach has helped it organically gain market share. While the company le...

The recovery of the truckload market may be around the corner, but the pace will likely be slow and steady in the months ahead as slack capacity gradually exits. This should help drive a better freight-rate environment next year. In this Talking Transports podcast, Harman Cheema, Cheema Freightlines’ CEO, joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg Intelligence senior transportation and logistics analyst, to sha...

FreightVana’s trailers and technological approach differentiate it from other emerging freight brokers, providing shippers with more flexibility and carriers with access to previously out-of-reach markets. The company seeks to increase its fleet of trailing equipment to 10,000 from 700 in the long term. In this Talking Transports episode, Shannon Breen, co-CEO and founder of FreightVana, joins Lee...

The brokerage industry continues to leverage technology to improve processes, productivity and profitability. It will also help drive costs per load down, which can help brokers win share on price without sacrificing margins, and that could help consolidate the top end of the market. In this Talking Transports podcast, Matt Pyatt, CEO and founder of Arrive Logistics, joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg I...

Lackluster trucking conditions and a slow recovery in spot truckload rates may limit carriers’ ability to deliver upside surprises when reporting 3Q earnings, and could put 4Q expectations at risk, according to Chris Wetherbee, Wells Fargo managing director and lead analyst on airfreight, surface and marine transportation. In this episode of Bloomberg Intelligence’s Talking Transports podcast, Wet...

Operating a privately held debt-free less-than-truckload (LTL) operator provides Estes Express Lines the flexibility to make growth investments and keep its commitments to customers and employees through the freight cycle, Webb Estes, president and chief operating officer, tells Bloomberg Intelligence. This approach has allowed the company to opportunistically acquire facilities and equipment agai...

Trucking and railroad demand appears hard pressed to come out of its malaise anytime soon. Trucking markets have been slowly improving, while pockets of weakness are mitigating some stronger end-markets. This backdrop may drive low-single digit volume growth for these freight modes next year. In this Talking Transports podcast, Jonathan Starks, FTR’s chief executive officer and chief intelligence...

The current trucking market appears to have the trappings of a more normal cycle, similar to the one in 2013-2017. This would mean that spot rates should continue to slowly move higher from here and could fuel contract rates to inflect positively for most of next year. In this Talking Transports podcast, Ken Adamo, vice president of strategy and business development and chief of analytics at DAT F...

Dislocations created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, low water levels in the Panama Canal and the crisis in the Red Sea have increased the demand for LNG tankers and has been a boost for time-charter rates and earnings for ship owners. Earning power will remain strong, even as they normalize lower from 2021’s peaks as rates remain well above breakeven levels for LNG tanker fleets. In this Talking...

The next catalyst for truck dealers might be a rush to order vehicles late next year ahead of the US EPA’s 2027 emissions rules, which could increase the costs of trucks by about $30,000 over traditional diesel engines. Buyers are already facing higher costs from inflationary pressure that pushed up prices for new over-the-road trucks by 20-25% over pre-pandemic levels. In this Talking Transports...

Less-than-truckload carriers are facing a challenging freight backdrop and more difficult comparisons as the industry anniversary of the bankruptcy of a major competitor approaches. In this Talking Transports podcast, Mario Harik, XPO’s chief executive officer joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg Intelligence senior transportation & logistics analyst, to share how the company is buffering these diffic...

In this Talking Transports podcast, Ben McLean, Ruan Transportation Management Systems’ CEO, joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg Intelligence’s senior transportation and logistics analyst, to talk about the state of the dedicated trucking market and what the future has in store. Dedicated trucking services offer shippers capacity free of the risks and expenses of owning and managing a fleet, letting them...

Freight brokers’ increased penetration of the trucking market and a surge in small-business loans during the pandemic have contributed to the stubbornly slow pace of capacity exiting the market and are keeping spot rates from moving meaningfully higher. Truckload margins have been under pressure from rising costs and depressed rates. In this Talking Transports podcast, Craig Fuller, FreightWaves f...

Increased penetration of online retail sales and global economic growth set up a strong backdrop for long-term volume growth for DHL’s eCommerce division, which provides domestic parcel-delivery services. In this episode of Bloomberg Intelligence’s Talking Transports podcast, Pablo Ciano, DHL Group’s board member and the eCommerce’s division CEO, joins Lee Klaskow, BI senior transportation and log...

The global shipping industry has a long history of boom-and-bust cycles, which make SFL stand out for its ability to pay dividends every quarter for the past 20 years, says CEO Ole Hjertaker. In this Talking Transports podcast Hjertaker joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg Intelligence senior transportation and logistics analyst, to share his outlook for shipping subsectors including containers, tankers,...