Mark Solomon joined DC VELOCITY as senior editor in August 2008, and was promoted to his current position on January 1, 2015. He has spent more than 30 years in the transportation, logistics and supply chain management fields as a journalist and public relations professional. From 1989 to 1994, he worked in Washington as a reporter for the Journal of Commerce, covering the aviation and trucking industries, the Department of Transportation, Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to that, he worked for Traffic World for seven years in a similar role. From 1994 to 2008, Mr. Solomon ran Media-Based Solutions, a public relations firm based in Atlanta. He graduated in 1978 with a B.A. in journalism from The American University in Washington, D.C.
Since they were launched some 35 years ago, load boards that match freight with trucks on the truckload spot market have led mostly low-tech lives. The original monitors, resembling the familiar flight arrival and departure boards at airports, were located only in truck stops. Loads were posted by hand before the eventual conversion to what today would be considered extremely primitive technology. Drivers had no visibility into load opportunities until they pulled off the road. Once a driver spotted an attractive load on the board, a call would be placed to the shipper or freight broker, and, barring any legal issues, off the driver would go.
As with all products and services impacted by the digital revolution, the load boards of 2015 have gone beyond their creators' wildest dreams. Today's boards, laden with eye-popping technology, allow users to view most of the nation's vast truckload network in real time. Drivers can absorb all of the information about a load, and the party posting it, from a single screen. Through their mobile devices, brokers and carriers can post, book, and accept loads from anywhere, even from the seat of a cab at a remote location. Load boards' interface with transportation management systems (TMS), though not new, is more robust than ever, according to load board executives. Load board providers have even built TMSs for small to mid-sized users that want to go beyond the capabilities of an Excel spreadsheet but can't justify the cost of high-end systems.
Load boarding's two main vendors, Portland, Ore.-based DAT Solutions (formed in 1978 under the name Dial-A-Truck) and New Plymouth, Idaho-based Truckstop.com, hold a duopoly on the business for goods movement, though there are other load boards dedicated to sectors like waste haulage. As the two firms add functions in their battle for market share, it is apparent that the basic load matching function has become the baseline service. Truckstop charges a $35 monthly subscription fee for load matching, the same price since its founding in 1995. However, all other features are priced à la carte, so there would be additional charges if a broker sought to verify a carrier's insurance status and safety record, have the load board provide route optimization services, engage Truckstop to manage the setup paperwork for the carrier—a process known as "onboarding"—or use the board to retrieve a broker's credit score and payment history.
DAT introduced in March the latest version of its "DAT Power" platform, which, among other things, enables multiple employees from the same broker to simultaneously scour load boards on behalf of a customer. Employees have visibility into each other's screens, thus each sees what the others are doing. This allows employees to put on a full-court press for capacity without creating overlap and confusion, according to Scott McCollister, DAT's load board product manager. This type of load board collaboration is unique, and it is an area where DAT will place more emphasis, McCollister said.
The software also maps a driver's route history so brokers can determine if a driver is a good geographic fit for the load. A driver that generally runs from, say, Chicago to Dallas might not be appropriate to haul loads from Chicago to Minneapolis, according to McCollister.
INCREASING RELEVANCE
Perhaps the most important element of the load boarding evolution has been the involvement of carriers. Scott Moscrip, Truckstop's founder, said early versions of load board technology were designed exclusively for shippers and brokers. "Carriers didn't have a voice in how load boards were structured," he said. "They didn't pay subscription fees and had no input into the process."
Over the years, though, carriers began demanding features aimed at their needs. The result, Moscrip said, has been more balanced software improvements. Today, Truckstop gets equal feedback from both sides of the transactional fence, he said. "We are getting requests for more technological enhancements in everything we do," he said.
Load boards will become more relevant in the years to come, experts said. More truck freight is moving in the U.S. than ever before, and a larger proportion is heading to the spot market and away from contractual relationships. DAT estimates that as much as 25 percent of today's truckload freight moves on the spot market, up from the long-held, albeit unscientific, estimate of 15 to 20 percent. During the winter of 2014 when many truck networks were paralyzed by snow, sleet, and ice storms, about 40 percent of freight migrated to the spot market, according to DAT.
Adding to the demand is the increasing volume of less-than-truckload (LTL) loads hitting the boards. DAT said in April that board postings for loads exhibiting LTL-type characteristics are growing at twice the rate of truckload shipments, albeit off a lower base. Brokers and third-party logistics service providers that are heavy load board users are expected to handle more LTL traffic as companies turn over more of their freight business to outside specialists.
The growth of small fleets operating a handful of trucks will boost demand for load board technology because, unlike large fleets with the clout to work directly with brokers, small fry often need help in finding loads. A load board vendor's ability to rapidly "onboard" a smaller carrier will be critical since brokers and carriers can't afford to spend two to three hours exchanging paperwork for what may be a one-off transaction, Moscrip said.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
According to both providers, the near-term advancements in load board technology will focus on improving existing technology to help facilitate broker-carrier relationships. McCollister of DAT said the company rewrote its main program "from the ground up" to make it Web-enabled and move it away from the use of clunkier downloadable software. Updates now happen in real time as opposed to users waiting for software "refreshes" every 30 to 45 seconds, McCollister said. The software also incorporates more advanced "browser controls" so users can chat with each other online and minimize their need for back-and-forth phone calls, he said.
DAT has developed a module enabling brokers to review and monitor carrier performance; the module is located on the main page where brokers scout for carrier and lane availability, McCollister said. DAT was loath to force users onto a separate query screen because it wanted them "to find a company they want to work with. We want to make it easier for them to see their preferred partners," he said.
Moscrip of Truckstop said the biggest change in its traditional load matching module is the amount of information available on the search page. Several years ago, a broker could only view a list of carriers that were available to move freight in a lane. Now, all of the information about the load, including the price, the best way to move it, and carrier specifications, sits on the same page. A user has access to comprehensive data from one screen, he said.
As load board technology becomes more functional and user friendly, vendors see the spot market evolving into something once quite foreign to it: a strategic asset that fosters long-term relationships. The long-held view of the spot market is that it is a purely transactional option that is used only when all else fails. Yet load boards' advanced technology will enable brokers and carriers to behave more rationally, to plan for future circumstances rather than have the circumstances dictate their behavior, and to build durable broker-carrier relationships that extend beyond transactional activity, board vendors said.
As U.S. small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face an uncertain business landscape in 2025, a substantial majority (67%) expect positive growth in the new year compared to 2024, according to a survey from DHL.
However, the survey also showed that businesses could face a rocky road to reach that goal, as they navigate a complex environment of regulatory/policy shifts and global market volatility. Both those issues were cited as top challenges by 36% of respondents, followed by staffing/talent retention (11%) and digital threats and cyber attacks (2%).
Against that backdrop, SMEs said that the biggest opportunity for growth in 2025 lies in expanding into new markets (40%), followed by economic improvements (31%) and implementing new technologies (14%).
As the U.S. prepares for a broad shift in political leadership in Washington after a contentious election, the SMEs in DHL’s survey were likely split evenly on their opinion about the impact of regulatory and policy changes. A plurality of 40% were on the fence (uncertain, still evaluating), followed by 24% who believe regulatory changes could negatively impact growth, 20% who see these changes as having a positive impact, and 16% predicting no impact on growth at all.
That uncertainty also triggered a split when respondents were asked how they planned to adjust their strategy in 2025 in response to changes in the policy or regulatory landscape. The largest portion (38%) of SMEs said they remained uncertain or still evaluating, followed by 30% who will make minor adjustments, 19% will maintain their current approach, and 13% who were willing to significantly adjust their approach.
The overall national industrial real estate vacancy rate edged higher in the fourth quarter, although it still remains well below pre-pandemic levels, according to an analysis by Cushman & Wakefield.
Vacancy rates shrunk during the pandemic to historically low levels as e-commerce sales—and demand for warehouse space—boomed in response to massive numbers of people working and living from home. That frantic pace is now cooling off but real estate demand remains elevated from a long-term perspective.
“We've witnessed an uptick among firms looking to lease larger buildings to support their omnichannel fulfillment strategies and maintain inventory for their e-commerce, wholesale, and retail stock. This trend is not just about space, but about efficiency and customer satisfaction,” Jason Tolliver, President, Logistics & Industrial Services, said in a release. “Meanwhile, we're also seeing a flurry of activity to support forward-deployed stock models, a strategy that keeps products closer to the market they serve and where customers order them, promising quicker deliveries and happier customers.“
The latest figures show that industrial vacancy is likely nearing its peak for this cooling cycle in the coming quarters, Cushman & Wakefield analysts said.
Compared to the third quarter, the vacancy rate climbed 20 basis points to 6.7%, but that level was still 30 basis points below the 10-year, pre-pandemic average. Likewise, overall net absorption in the fourth quarter—a term for the amount of newly developed property leased by clients—measured 36.8 million square feet, up from the 33.3 million square feet recorded in the third quarter, but down 20% on a year-over-year basis.
In step with those statistics, real estate developers slowed their plans to erect more buildings. New construction deliveries continued to decelerate for the second straight quarter. Just 85.3 million square feet of new industrial product was completed in the fourth quarter, down 8% quarter-over-quarter and 48% versus one year ago.
Likewise, only four geographic markets saw more than 20 million square feet of completions year-to-date, compared to 10 markets in 2023. Meanwhile, as construction starts remained tempered overall, the under-development pipeline has continued to thin out, dropping by 36% annually to its lowest level (290.5 million square feet) since the third quarter of 2018.
Despite the dip in demand last quarter, the market for industrial space remains relatively healthy, Cushman & Wakefield said.
“After a year of hesitancy, logistics is entering a new, sustained growth phase,” Tolliver said. “Corporate capital is being deployed to optimize supply chains, diversify networks, and minimize potential risks. What's particularly encouraging is the proactive approach of retailers, wholesalers, and 3PLs, who are not just reacting to the market, but shaping it. 2025 will be a year characterized by this bias for action.”
The three companies say the deal will allow clients to both define ideal set-ups for new warehouses and to continuously enhance existing facilities with Mega, an Nvidia Omniverse blueprint for large-scale industrial digital twins. The strategy includes a digital twin powered by physical AI – AI models that embody principles and qualities of the physical world – to improve the performance of intelligent warehouses that operate with automated forklifts, smart cameras and automation and robotics solutions.
The partners’ approach will take advantage of digital twins to plan warehouses and train robots, they said. “Future warehouses will function like massive autonomous robots, orchestrating fleets of robots within them,” Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, said in a release. “By integrating Omniverse and Mega into their solutions, Kion and Accenture can dramatically accelerate the development of industrial AI and autonomy for the world’s distribution and logistics ecosystem.”
Kion said it will use Nvidia’s technology to provide digital twins of warehouses that allows facility operators to design the most efficient and safe warehouse configuration without interrupting operations for testing. That includes optimizing the number of robots, workers, and automation equipment. The digital twin provides a testing ground for all aspects of warehouse operations, including facility layouts, the behavior of robot fleets, and the optimal number of workers and intelligent vehicles, the company said.
In that approach, the digital twin doesn’t stop at simulating and testing configurations, but it also trains the warehouse robots to handle changing conditions such as demand, inventory fluctuation, and layout changes. Integrated with Kion’s warehouse management software (WMS), the digital twin assigns tasks like moving goods from buffer zones to storage locations to virtual robots. And powered by advanced AI, the virtual robots plan, execute, and refine these tasks in a continuous loop, simulating and ultimately optimizing real-world operations with infinite scenarios, Kion said.
Following the deal, Palm Harbor, Florida-based FreightCenter’s customers will gain access to BlueGrace’s unified transportation management system, BlueShip TMS, enabling freight management across various shipping modes. They can also use BlueGrace’s truckload and less-than-truckload (LTL) services and its EVOS load optimization tools, stemming from another acquisition BlueGrace did in 2024.
According to Tampa, Florida-based BlueGrace, the acquisition aligns with its mission to deliver simplified logistics solutions for all size businesses.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the firms said that FreightCenter will continue to operate as an independent business under its current brand, in order to ensure continuity for its customers and partners.
BlueGrace is held by the private equity firm Warburg Pincus. It operates from nine offices located in transportation hubs across the U.S. and Mexico, serving over 10,000 customers annually through its BlueShip technology platform that offers connectivity with more than 250,000 carrier suppliers.
Under terms of the deal, Sick and Endress+Hauser will each hold 50% of a joint venture called "Endress+Hauser SICK GmbH+Co. KG," which will strengthen the development and production of analyzer and gas flow meter technologies. According to Sick, its gas flow meters make it possible to switch to low-emission and non-fossil energy sources, for example, and the process analyzers allow reliable monitoring of emissions.
As part of the partnership, the product solutions manufactured together will now be marketed by Endress+Hauser, allowing customers to use a broader product portfolio distributed from a single source via that company’s global sales centers.
Under terms of the contract between the two companies—which was signed in the summer of 2024— around 800 Sick employees located in 42 countries will transfer to Endress+Hauser, including workers in the global sales and service units of Sick’s “Cleaner Industries” division.
“This partnership is a perfect match,” Peter Selders, CEO of the Endress+Hauser Group, said in a release. “It creates new opportunities for growth and development, particularly in the sustainable transformation of the process industry. By joining forces, we offer added value to our customers. Our combined efforts will make us faster and ultimately more successful than if we acted alone. In this case, one and one equals more than two.”
According to Sick, the move means that its current customers will continue to find familiar Sick contacts available at Endress+Hauser for consulting, sales, and service of process automation solutions. The company says this approach allows it to focus on its core business of factory and logistics automation to meet global demand for automation and digitalization.
Sick says its core business has always been in factory and logistics automation, which accounts for more than 80% of sales, and this area remains unaffected by the new joint venture. In Sick’s view, automation is crucial for industrial companies to secure their productivity despite limited resources. And Sick’s sensor solutions are a critical part of industrial automation, which increases productivity through artificial intelligence and the digital networking of production and supply chains.