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TRANSPORTATION

USA Truck Selects Nikola & Thompson Truck Centers

USA Truck | January 06, 2022

USA_Truck_Selects
USA Truck Inc. (Nasdaq: USAK) has entered into a Letter of Intent (LOI) for an initial purchase of 10 Nikola Tre BEV trucks from Thompson Truck Centers, a member of the Nikola Corporation (Nasdaq: NKLA) sales and service dealer network. Nikola is a leading designer and manufacturer of heavy-duty commercial battery-electric vehicles (BEV), fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV), and energy infrastructure solutions.

The LOI between USA Truck Inc. and Thompson Truck Centers is a "fleet-as-a-service" model where Thompson will provide sales, service, maintenance, and energy infrastructure required to operate the Nikola Tre BEV trucks, expected to be delivered in the first half of 2022. The agreement also includes the option to purchase an additional 90 Nikola zero-emission trucks over the next two years.

USA Truck Inc. is a leading capacity solutions provider headquartered in Van Buren, Arkansas. With more than 2,000 driving team members, USA Truck Inc. is regarded as one of the nation's largest over-the-road truckload carriers and brokers, providing capacity solutions to a broad customer base throughout North America. USAT Capacity Solutions brand is recognized as a top carrier and broker by the Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) and Transport Topics.

USAT Capacity Solutions has become a leader in our industry by partnering with technology companies that bring innovative solutions to our customers and drivers while improving the lives of everyone who connects with our company. The partnership with Nikola and Thompson advances our critically important ESG initiatives and further demonstrates our commitment to sustainability now and in the future."
James Reed, President and CEO of USA Truck Inc.

We are excited to partner with USA Truck and our dealer, Thompson, in delivering a comprehensive heavy-duty truck solution using zero-emissions electric drive battery-powered technology, USA Truck is committed to advancing a more sustainable and efficient approach to transportation, and we are excited to integrate our Nikola Tre BEVs in their operations with market-leading support by Thompson."

Nikola President, Energy & Commercial, Pablo Koziner.

ABOUT USA TRUCK INC.
USA Truck provides comprehensive capacity solutions to a broad and diverse customer base throughout North America. Our Trucking and USAT Logistics divisions blend an extensive portfolio of asset and asset-light services, offering a balanced approach to supply chain management, including customized truckload, dedicated contract carriage, intermodal, and third-party logistics freight management services.

ABOUT NIKOLA CORPORATION
Nikola Corporation is globally transforming the transportation industry. As a designer and manufacturer of zero-emission battery-electric and hydrogen-electric vehicles, electric vehicle drivetrains, vehicle components, energy storage systems, and hydrogen station infrastructure, Nikola is driven to revolutionize the economic and environmental impact of commerce as we know it today. Founded in 2015, Nikola Corporation is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.

ABOUT THOMPSON TRUCK CENTERS
Thompson Truck Centers, a subsidiary of Thompson Machinery, traces its roots back to 1944 when the Thompson family operated a GMC Truck Dealership. The company had gained a reputation for providing excellent service in support of sales, which allowed Thompson to expand its operations and become a leading construction equipment dealer. Today, Thompson Truck Centers continues to service and repair all makes and models of medium and heavy-duty trucks. As technology evolves, Thompson is leading the way to help its customers achieve a zero-emission future.

Spotlight

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Spotlight

Honeywell Improves Its Supply Chain and Manufacturing Processes with the Snowflake Data Cloud

As a 100-plus-year-old global company, Honeywell had a legacy architecture with numerous siloed databases, which it knew it needed to break down in order to effectively manage its inventory, manufacturing processes, and supply chains across its many business units spread across the globe. To tackle that challenge, Honeywell selected Snowflake as the core platform to bring all its data together into one, centralized, single source of truth. Now, according to Honeywell’s Chief Digital Technology Officer Sheila Jordan, the company is able to integrate all data, including from ERP systems, Salesforce, supply chain databases, and more within Snowflake where it can be analyzed to create actionable insights for the business.

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FREIGHT

Ryder Rolls Out Carrier Loyalty Program for Freight Brokerage

businesswire | April 13, 2023

Ryder System, Inc. a leader in supply chain, dedicated transportation, and fleet management solutions, announces Ryder’s Freight Brokerage Carrier Loyalty Program, a new points-based program for carriers with Ryder’s freight brokerage division that book and track loads through the Trucker Tools app. The app provides digital trip planning, shipment visibility, predictive freight matching, and automated booking solutions. Based on the level of engagement with Ryder on the platform, carriers with Ryder’s freight brokerage may earn tiered discounts of up to 22% on used vehicle purchases from Ryder through the end of the year. “We want to reward our carriers for consistently and continuously moving freight with Ryder freight brokerage, while helping them grow their fleets,” says Kevin Clonch, group director of transportation management at Ryder. “Carriers are critical to ensuring we can deliver on our promises to our customers, so we strive each and every day to be a shipper of choice. And we do that by providing concierge-level service coupled with digital tools that help carriers maximize uptime and revenue.” With Ryder’s Freight Brokerage Carrier Loyalty Program, carriers are automatically allocated to one of three tiers based on their current level of engagement with Ryder on Trucker Tools. Then, for every load carriers book and track with Ryder freight brokerage on the Trucker Tools app, they earn additional points toward potentially qualifying for a 5%, 15%, or 22% discount off the advertised price of Ryder’s used vehicles through the end of the year. “Our collaboration with Trucker Tools aligns with our strategy of engaging innovative, forward-thinking technology providers that can further enhance our service and product offerings for both carriers and customers in our freight brokerage division,” adds Clonch. Last year, Ryder announced the expansion of its freight brokerage business with a new office in Nashville, Tennessee. The expansion is part of the company’s strategy to grow its broader transportation solution, which offers customers flexibility with several levels of service and capacity, from freight brokerage to transportation management and dedicated transportation. Carriers can find more information about the Ryder Freight Brokerage Carrier Loyalty Program, including terms and conditions, on the Trucker Tools app, along with the largest selection of reliable used vehicles in the industry. “Ensuring our carriers have access to dependable, well-maintained vehicles is a win-win for Ryder and our carriers,” continues Clonch. “More than 95% of our used vehicles have had only one owner, Ryder; and, they’ve been maintained by our expert technicians.” About Ryder System, Inc Ryder System, Inc. is a leading logistics and transportation company. It provides supply chain, dedicated transportation, and fleet management solutions, including warehousing and distribution, e-commerce fulfillment, last-mile delivery, managed transportation, professional drivers, freight brokerage, full-service leasing, maintenance, commercial truck rental, and used vehicle sales to some of the world’s most-recognized brands. Ryder provides services throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In addition, Ryder manages nearly 260,000 commercial vehicles and operates approximately 300 warehouses encompassing more than 95 million square feet. Ryder is regularly recognized for its industry-leading practices in third-party logistics, technology-driven innovations, commercial vehicle maintenance, environmental stewardship, corporate social responsibility, world-class safety and security programs, military veteran recruitment initiatives, and the hiring of a diverse workforce.

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SUPPLY CHAIN

DHL Supply Chain Expands Global Partnership With Locus Robotics To Deploy 5,000 Amrs Across Multiple Sites

prnewswire | May 11, 2023

DHL Supply Chain, the world's leading logistics provider, announces the expansion of their partnership with Locus Robotics, the leading provider of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), increasing its use of Locus AMR robotics within its supply chain operations. As part of this new partnership, DHL Supply Chain will deploy 5,000 Locus Origin AMRs across its global network of warehouses and distribution centers, representing the industry's largest AMR deal to date. The expanded fleet of Locus AMRs will provide DHL Supply Chain with advanced automation technology to optimize its supply chain operations, and improve worker productivity, order accuracy, speed, and efficiency. The robots will be deployed across DHL Supply Chain's global network, further enhancing its capabilities in e-commerce fulfillment, retail replenishment, and pharmaceutical and healthcare logistics. "An idea is only a good idea if it can scale," said Oscar de Bok, Chief Executive Officer DHL Supply Chain. "The flexibility and scalability of the Locus solution has been instrumental in helping us meet the evolving demands of the e-commerce landscape and leveraging cutting-edge technology to optimize our operations and deliver an even better experience for our customers." "The addition of Locus Robotics AMRs to our network is a major milestone in our digitalization journey, and we are excited to partner with Locus Robotics to bring this technology to our operations," said Markus Voss, Global CIO & COO DHL Supply Chain. "By using advanced robotics and data intelligence, we can further improve our operational efficiency, reduce processing time, and continue to improve our customer experience." "We are thrilled to be working in an expanded capacity with DHL Supply Chain to bring our industry-leading robotics technology to their global network," said Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics. "As the robotics industry continues to consolidate, Locus Robotics has emerged as the clear leader in the market, and we are poised for further significant growth. Our innovative technology and commitment to customer success have set us apart. With our expanding product offerings and growing customer base, Locus Robotics is well positioned to capitalize on the tremendous opportunities ahead." DHL has now surpassed more than 250 million units picked using the LocusOne solution across its global sites. The deployment of the new LocusBots is expected to be fully integrated into DHL Supply Chain's operations by the end of the year. "Locus is helping DHL rapidly transform operations through a workforce empowered with the right technology at the right time, to deliver goods where they need to at the speed our modern markets demand," said Sally Miller, Global Digital Transformation Officer, DHL Supply Chain. "Locus is a critical partner for us as we digitalize our warehouses, distribution and fulfillment centers to efficiently meet increasing order volumes, labor shortages, and rising consumer expectations." About Locus Robotics Locus Robotics is a leading provider of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for e-commerce, retail, and Locus Robotics is the world leader in revolutionary, enterprise-level, warehouse automation solution, incorporating powerful and intelligent autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) that operate collaboratively with human workers to dramatically improve product movement and productivity 2–3X. Named to the Inc. 500 two years in a row, and winning over 17 industry and technology awards, the Locus solution dramatically increases order fulfillment productivity, lowers operational costs, and improves workplace quality, safety, and ergonomics for workers.

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SUPPLY CHAIN

FourKites Introduces Industry-first Supply Chain Sustainability Analytics

globenewswire | April 20, 2023

Leading supply chain visibility provider FourKites today announced several new enhancements to its Sustainability Hub, which are designed to provide customers with greater ability to track, analyze and report on the environmental impact of their supply chain logistics operations. Introduced last March, Sustainability Hub offers granular emissions tracking, industry benchmarks, analytics and scenario modeling to help customers meet sustainability goals. These insights are powered by FourKites’ network of more than 1,200 customers and 490,000 carriers, tracking over 3 million daily shipments across 220 countries and territories. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, organizations’ supply chains often account for more than 90 percent of their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Moreover, air emissions from freight are projected to exceed growth in emissions from all other transportation activities including passenger transportation by 2025. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that companies worldwide are facing increased pressure from their many stakeholders to demonstrate progress against sustainability goals, but supply chain professionals need better tools, technology and cross-industry collaboration to do so. FourKites’ latest sustainability capabilities include: More granular and accurate Scope 31 emissions calculations. FourKites now incorporates load weight into its emissions calculations to provide shippers with more accurate estimates of Scope 3 emissions across all modes. This capability is particularly valuable for less-than-truckload and air shipments, for example, where a shipper’s freight accounts for only a fraction of a vehicle’s total load. SmartWay-ready data aggregation. FourKites will provide shippers and carriers with comprehensive, export-ready data for their annual reporting of efficiency and air quality performance to the EPA’s SmartWay2 program. While SmartWay rankings help shippers and carriers improve their overall performance by using more and better SmartWay Carrier Partners, pulling together the data across large companies can be arduous. FourKites’ new capabilities relieve customers of significant time and effort in preparing their submissions. SmartWay carrier sustainability rankings will also be integrated into FourKites’ carrier onboarding tools, seamlessly giving shippers and carriers the critical performance data they need to build a stronger, higher-performing roster of partners. “By using FourKites’ Sustainability Dashboard, we were able to show the EPA how we are tracking carbon emissions,” said Amy Keen, logistics analyst at Haworth. “The fact that we have that information at our fingertips makes things really easy. We’re also in the process of doing a global assessment of our corporate footprint, and the information we can pull now is going to be so helpful.” In addition to FourKites’ Sustainability Hub, solutions like Dynamic Yard® and Appointment Manager can optimize time slots and yard processes to significantly reduce on-site truck dwell time and CO2 emissions. “The combination of new government regulations and increased public demand for accountability has driven the need for sustainable supply chain logistics,” said FourKites Chief Product Officer Priya Rajagopalan. “We see more supply chain leaders embracing sustainability efforts as a key lever in driving more efficient and profitable businesses, and we are excited to bring them these powerful new capabilities to help them achieve their goals.” About FourKites Leading supply chain visibility platform FourKites extends visibility beyond transportation into yards, warehouses, stores and beyond. Tracking more than 3 million shipments daily across road, rail, ocean, air, parcel and last mile, and reaching over 200 countries and territories, FourKites combines real-time data and powerful machine learning to help companies digitize their end-to-end supply chains. More than 1,200 of the world’s most recognized brands including 9 of the top-10 CPG and 18 of the top-20 food and beverage companies trust FourKites to transform their business and create more agile, efficient and sustainable supply chains.

Read More

FREIGHT

Ryder Rolls Out Carrier Loyalty Program for Freight Brokerage

businesswire | April 13, 2023

Ryder System, Inc. a leader in supply chain, dedicated transportation, and fleet management solutions, announces Ryder’s Freight Brokerage Carrier Loyalty Program, a new points-based program for carriers with Ryder’s freight brokerage division that book and track loads through the Trucker Tools app. The app provides digital trip planning, shipment visibility, predictive freight matching, and automated booking solutions. Based on the level of engagement with Ryder on the platform, carriers with Ryder’s freight brokerage may earn tiered discounts of up to 22% on used vehicle purchases from Ryder through the end of the year. “We want to reward our carriers for consistently and continuously moving freight with Ryder freight brokerage, while helping them grow their fleets,” says Kevin Clonch, group director of transportation management at Ryder. “Carriers are critical to ensuring we can deliver on our promises to our customers, so we strive each and every day to be a shipper of choice. And we do that by providing concierge-level service coupled with digital tools that help carriers maximize uptime and revenue.” With Ryder’s Freight Brokerage Carrier Loyalty Program, carriers are automatically allocated to one of three tiers based on their current level of engagement with Ryder on Trucker Tools. Then, for every load carriers book and track with Ryder freight brokerage on the Trucker Tools app, they earn additional points toward potentially qualifying for a 5%, 15%, or 22% discount off the advertised price of Ryder’s used vehicles through the end of the year. “Our collaboration with Trucker Tools aligns with our strategy of engaging innovative, forward-thinking technology providers that can further enhance our service and product offerings for both carriers and customers in our freight brokerage division,” adds Clonch. Last year, Ryder announced the expansion of its freight brokerage business with a new office in Nashville, Tennessee. The expansion is part of the company’s strategy to grow its broader transportation solution, which offers customers flexibility with several levels of service and capacity, from freight brokerage to transportation management and dedicated transportation. Carriers can find more information about the Ryder Freight Brokerage Carrier Loyalty Program, including terms and conditions, on the Trucker Tools app, along with the largest selection of reliable used vehicles in the industry. “Ensuring our carriers have access to dependable, well-maintained vehicles is a win-win for Ryder and our carriers,” continues Clonch. “More than 95% of our used vehicles have had only one owner, Ryder; and, they’ve been maintained by our expert technicians.” About Ryder System, Inc Ryder System, Inc. is a leading logistics and transportation company. It provides supply chain, dedicated transportation, and fleet management solutions, including warehousing and distribution, e-commerce fulfillment, last-mile delivery, managed transportation, professional drivers, freight brokerage, full-service leasing, maintenance, commercial truck rental, and used vehicle sales to some of the world’s most-recognized brands. Ryder provides services throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In addition, Ryder manages nearly 260,000 commercial vehicles and operates approximately 300 warehouses encompassing more than 95 million square feet. Ryder is regularly recognized for its industry-leading practices in third-party logistics, technology-driven innovations, commercial vehicle maintenance, environmental stewardship, corporate social responsibility, world-class safety and security programs, military veteran recruitment initiatives, and the hiring of a diverse workforce.

Read More

SUPPLY CHAIN

DHL Supply Chain Expands Global Partnership With Locus Robotics To Deploy 5,000 Amrs Across Multiple Sites

prnewswire | May 11, 2023

DHL Supply Chain, the world's leading logistics provider, announces the expansion of their partnership with Locus Robotics, the leading provider of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), increasing its use of Locus AMR robotics within its supply chain operations. As part of this new partnership, DHL Supply Chain will deploy 5,000 Locus Origin AMRs across its global network of warehouses and distribution centers, representing the industry's largest AMR deal to date. The expanded fleet of Locus AMRs will provide DHL Supply Chain with advanced automation technology to optimize its supply chain operations, and improve worker productivity, order accuracy, speed, and efficiency. The robots will be deployed across DHL Supply Chain's global network, further enhancing its capabilities in e-commerce fulfillment, retail replenishment, and pharmaceutical and healthcare logistics. "An idea is only a good idea if it can scale," said Oscar de Bok, Chief Executive Officer DHL Supply Chain. "The flexibility and scalability of the Locus solution has been instrumental in helping us meet the evolving demands of the e-commerce landscape and leveraging cutting-edge technology to optimize our operations and deliver an even better experience for our customers." "The addition of Locus Robotics AMRs to our network is a major milestone in our digitalization journey, and we are excited to partner with Locus Robotics to bring this technology to our operations," said Markus Voss, Global CIO & COO DHL Supply Chain. "By using advanced robotics and data intelligence, we can further improve our operational efficiency, reduce processing time, and continue to improve our customer experience." "We are thrilled to be working in an expanded capacity with DHL Supply Chain to bring our industry-leading robotics technology to their global network," said Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics. "As the robotics industry continues to consolidate, Locus Robotics has emerged as the clear leader in the market, and we are poised for further significant growth. Our innovative technology and commitment to customer success have set us apart. With our expanding product offerings and growing customer base, Locus Robotics is well positioned to capitalize on the tremendous opportunities ahead." DHL has now surpassed more than 250 million units picked using the LocusOne solution across its global sites. The deployment of the new LocusBots is expected to be fully integrated into DHL Supply Chain's operations by the end of the year. "Locus is helping DHL rapidly transform operations through a workforce empowered with the right technology at the right time, to deliver goods where they need to at the speed our modern markets demand," said Sally Miller, Global Digital Transformation Officer, DHL Supply Chain. "Locus is a critical partner for us as we digitalize our warehouses, distribution and fulfillment centers to efficiently meet increasing order volumes, labor shortages, and rising consumer expectations." About Locus Robotics Locus Robotics is a leading provider of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for e-commerce, retail, and Locus Robotics is the world leader in revolutionary, enterprise-level, warehouse automation solution, incorporating powerful and intelligent autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) that operate collaboratively with human workers to dramatically improve product movement and productivity 2–3X. Named to the Inc. 500 two years in a row, and winning over 17 industry and technology awards, the Locus solution dramatically increases order fulfillment productivity, lowers operational costs, and improves workplace quality, safety, and ergonomics for workers.

Read More

SUPPLY CHAIN

FourKites Introduces Industry-first Supply Chain Sustainability Analytics

globenewswire | April 20, 2023

Leading supply chain visibility provider FourKites today announced several new enhancements to its Sustainability Hub, which are designed to provide customers with greater ability to track, analyze and report on the environmental impact of their supply chain logistics operations. Introduced last March, Sustainability Hub offers granular emissions tracking, industry benchmarks, analytics and scenario modeling to help customers meet sustainability goals. These insights are powered by FourKites’ network of more than 1,200 customers and 490,000 carriers, tracking over 3 million daily shipments across 220 countries and territories. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, organizations’ supply chains often account for more than 90 percent of their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Moreover, air emissions from freight are projected to exceed growth in emissions from all other transportation activities including passenger transportation by 2025. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that companies worldwide are facing increased pressure from their many stakeholders to demonstrate progress against sustainability goals, but supply chain professionals need better tools, technology and cross-industry collaboration to do so. FourKites’ latest sustainability capabilities include: More granular and accurate Scope 31 emissions calculations. FourKites now incorporates load weight into its emissions calculations to provide shippers with more accurate estimates of Scope 3 emissions across all modes. This capability is particularly valuable for less-than-truckload and air shipments, for example, where a shipper’s freight accounts for only a fraction of a vehicle’s total load. SmartWay-ready data aggregation. FourKites will provide shippers and carriers with comprehensive, export-ready data for their annual reporting of efficiency and air quality performance to the EPA’s SmartWay2 program. While SmartWay rankings help shippers and carriers improve their overall performance by using more and better SmartWay Carrier Partners, pulling together the data across large companies can be arduous. FourKites’ new capabilities relieve customers of significant time and effort in preparing their submissions. SmartWay carrier sustainability rankings will also be integrated into FourKites’ carrier onboarding tools, seamlessly giving shippers and carriers the critical performance data they need to build a stronger, higher-performing roster of partners. “By using FourKites’ Sustainability Dashboard, we were able to show the EPA how we are tracking carbon emissions,” said Amy Keen, logistics analyst at Haworth. “The fact that we have that information at our fingertips makes things really easy. We’re also in the process of doing a global assessment of our corporate footprint, and the information we can pull now is going to be so helpful.” In addition to FourKites’ Sustainability Hub, solutions like Dynamic Yard® and Appointment Manager can optimize time slots and yard processes to significantly reduce on-site truck dwell time and CO2 emissions. “The combination of new government regulations and increased public demand for accountability has driven the need for sustainable supply chain logistics,” said FourKites Chief Product Officer Priya Rajagopalan. “We see more supply chain leaders embracing sustainability efforts as a key lever in driving more efficient and profitable businesses, and we are excited to bring them these powerful new capabilities to help them achieve their goals.” About FourKites Leading supply chain visibility platform FourKites extends visibility beyond transportation into yards, warehouses, stores and beyond. Tracking more than 3 million shipments daily across road, rail, ocean, air, parcel and last mile, and reaching over 200 countries and territories, FourKites combines real-time data and powerful machine learning to help companies digitize their end-to-end supply chains. More than 1,200 of the world’s most recognized brands including 9 of the top-10 CPG and 18 of the top-20 food and beverage companies trust FourKites to transform their business and create more agile, efficient and sustainable supply chains.

Read More

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