LTL Freight News

There are some important changes that have been made in Supplement 1 to NMFC 100-AO regarding guidelines for filing and investigating damage claims. New NMFC guidelines effective April 18 require concealed damages be reported to carriers within 5 days after delivery. Currently concealed damages can be reported up to 15 days after delivery for consideration of a valid claim; however, per NMFC guidelines effective April 18, 2015 the time period for reporting concealed damages is being reduced to 5 days. The closer to the time of delivery that the damage is reported to the carrier the more likely the claimant is to receive some type of settlement offer, but just because the damage is reported in a timely fashion doesn't necessarily mean that the claim will be approved for a settlement. Other changes effective on 4/18/2015 include one day being removed from the time frame allotted for filing suit on a claim. The new time period for filing a suit is two years. Previously, it was two...

Right now there is a big driver shortage in the trucking industry and the ports are backed up for multiple reasons. This is causing chaos in the supply chain and shippers not aligned with quality partners are facing tremendous rate hikes and delays in transit. There are some key government regulations on the horizon for the trucking industry including electronic logging devices, speed limiters and your typical “going green” initiatives for cleaner emissions and more fuel efficient trucks. Additionally, many carriers have placed or will be placing new equipment orders for new trucks that should yield better fuel mileage, and these investment costs from the carriers in new equipment and driver training and retention will be passed along to shippers in the open market. Also, in an effort to improve productivity and better align pricing to reflect their costs, carriers have begun using density scanners to analyze the freight in their systems for a better understanding of the shipments ...

The link to this article is a great summation of what's going on in the trucking industry. We predicted a capacity crunch, and driver shortage is now the driving factor causing carriers to be able to cherry pick good freight at higher yields. Shippers should be prepared for what's ahead. It is going to get worse before it gets better, for shippers that is. You can hear it from the source : http://www.joc.com/trucking-logistics/labor/shortage-drivers-may-spark-higher-peak-season-truck-rates_20140731.html