ATLANTA, GA (February 21, 2023) — Ascend LLC (Ascend) – a truckload carrier that offers middle-mile supply chain solutions — today announced a commercial partnership with Volvo Autonomous Solutions (V.A.S.). Ascend is the first asset-based truckload carrier to reserve capacity for V.A.S.’s hub-to-hub autonomous transportation offering in the first lane planned for operation.
“We are excited to begin testing autonomous, long distance linehaul options within our network,” said Scott Stowers, President of Ascend Dedicated. “This partnership with V.A.S. closely aligns with Ascend’s continued efforts to transform the regional truckload sector by leveraging technology, building density, and offering driver-friendly routes and policies, all with the goal of providing unparalleled service to our customers.”
Ascend Dedicated is the firm’s newest arm which is being built upon the strong foundation of Dedicated Transportation Solutions LLC (DTS) that was acquired last year.
“We are excited to initiate the integration of DTS into Ascend as we seek to grow our dedicated contract carriage business,” said Michael McLary, CEO of Ascend. “Stowers, the founder of DTS, and his staff bring vital experience and creativity to Ascend’s growth and innovation plans, as exemplified by this new partnership with Volvo. We are thrilled to have them as part of Ascend’s leadership team.”
“Whether it is additional capacity, keeping drivers closer to home or improving road safety—autonomy holds enormous potential to transform the transportation industry,” says Nils Jaeger, President, Volvo Autonomous Solutions. “At Volvo Autonomous Solutions, we believe that the way to autonomy is through collaboration and creation of solutions that are tailor-made for the specific needs of our customers. We are excited to collaborate with Ascend to better understand carrier needs and challenges while bringing all the benefits of autonomy to their business.”
Ascend Dedicated will pick up customer loads and transport them to V.A.S. hubs in Dallas and Houston, Texas. From there, V.A.S. will complete the onward linehaul movement to its destination hub from which Ascend drivers will transport loads to their final destinations.
“In the future, the V.A.S transportation solution could combine the service and transit time benefits afforded by point-to-point truckload movements with the linehaul advantages of intermodal rail transportation,” said McLary. “Innovating to serve the exacting requirements of our customers’ increasingly sophisticated supply chains while providing our drivers with desirable jobs is one of the inspirations behind the formation of Ascend. Exploring the use of autonomous linehaul transportation is just one example of how we are seeking to achieve our goals.”
Many of today’s drivers seek job opportunities that align with lifestyle factors that they prioritize, including schedules that enable them to spend more time with their families, improved nutrition enjoyed through home-cooked meals, and regular exercise. Long-haul drivers often find these goals challenging to attain while traveling through the interstate highway system for days or weeks. Autonomous linehaul solutions bracketed with experienced drivers providing expert care on the origin and destination ends of a shipment’s path is one possible way to address the needs of drivers in the future.
Autonomous transportation capabilities also have the potential to revolutionize truckload delivery in terms of transit time, fuel economy, and safety. Autonomous vehicles will not require rest periods as today’s driver piloted vehicles, thereby enabling faster delivery schedules via 24/7 operations. Additionally, computer guided synchronization and optimization of vehicle operation enables performance gains not previously possible which are expected to improve fuel efficiency. Lastly, safety is arguably the most exciting frontier for autonomous transportation and certainly the area of greatest development.
By working with V.A.S. and supporting the real-world development of this technology, our collaboration seeks to accelerate the advancement of autonomous driving technology. Central to this is ensuring vehicles have comprehensive capabilities to safely operate in their intended operational domain and for the foreseeable future all vehicles operated autonomously have a qualified driver on board. Ascend is proud to collaborate with Volvo in advancing innovation in this arena.
For more information about Ascend’s dedicated transportation offerings, please visit dtsolutions.net. For general information about Ascend, please visit ascend.net.
Nearly one-third of American consumers have increased their secondhand purchases in the past year, revealing a jump in “recommerce” according to a buyer survey from ShipStation, a provider of web-based shipping and order fulfillment solutions.
The number comes from a survey of 500 U.S. consumers showing that nearly one in four (23%) Americans lack confidence in making purchases over $200 in the next six months. Due to economic uncertainty, savvy shoppers are looking for ways to save money without sacrificing quality or style, the research found.
Younger shoppers are leading the charge in that trend, with 59% of Gen Z and 48% of Millennials buying pre-owned items weekly or monthly. That rate makes Gen Z nearly twice as likely to buy second hand compared to older generations.
The primary reason that shoppers say they have increased their recommerce habits is lower prices (74%), followed by the thrill of finding unique or rare items (38%) and getting higher quality for a lower price (28%). Only 14% of Americans cite environmental concerns as a primary reason they shop second-hand.
Despite the challenge of adjusting to the new pattern, recommerce represents a strategic opportunity for businesses to capture today’s budget-minded shoppers and foster long-term loyalty, Austin, Texas-based ShipStation said.
For example, retailers don’t have to sell used goods to capitalize on the secondhand boom. Instead, they can offer trade-in programs swapping discounts or store credit for shoppers’ old items. And they can improve product discoverability to help customers—particularly older generations—find what they’re looking for.
Other ways for retailers to connect with recommerce shoppers are to improve shipping practices. According to ShipStation:
70% of shoppers won’t return to a brand if shipping is too expensive.
51% of consumers are turned off by late deliveries
40% of shoppers won’t return to a retailer again if the packaging is bad.
The “CMA CGM Startup Awards”—created in collaboration with BFM Business and La Tribune—will identify the best innovations to accelerate its transformation, the French company said.
Specifically, the company will select the best startup among the applicants, with clear industry transformation objectives focused on environmental performance, competitiveness, and quality of life at work in each of the three areas:
Shipping: Enabling safer, more efficient, and sustainable navigation through innovative technological solutions.
Logistics: Reinventing the global supply chain with smart and sustainable logistics solutions.
Media: Transform content creation, and customer engagement with innovative media technologies and strategies.
Three winners will be selected during a final event organized on November 15 at the Orange Vélodrome Stadium in Marseille, during the 2nd Artificial Intelligence Marseille (AIM) forum organized by La Tribune and BFM Business. The selection will be made by a jury chaired by Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of the Group, and including members of the executive committee representing the various sectors of CMA CGM.
The global air cargo market’s hot summer of double-digit demand growth continued in August with average spot rates showing their largest year-on-year jump with a 24% increase, according to the latest weekly analysis by Xeneta.
Xeneta cited two reasons to explain the increase. First, Global average air cargo spot rates reached $2.68 per kg in August due to continuing supply and demand imbalance. That came as August's global cargo supply grew at its slowest ratio in 2024 to-date at 2% year-on-year, while global cargo demand continued its double-digit growth, rising +11%.
The second reason for higher rates was an ocean-to-air shift in freight volumes due to Red Sea disruptions and e-commerce demand.
Those factors could soon be amplified as e-commerce shows continued strong growth approaching the hotly anticipated winter peak season. E-commerce and low-value goods exports from China in the first seven months of 2024 increased 30% year-on-year, including shipments to Europe and the US rising 38% and 30% growth respectively, Xeneta said.
“Typically, air cargo market performance in August tends to follow the July trend. But another month of double-digit demand growth and the strongest rate growths of the year means there was definitely no summer slack season in 2024,” Niall van de Wouw, Xeneta’s chief airfreight officer, said in a release.
“Rates we saw bottoming out in late July started picking up again in mid-August. This is too short a period to call a season. This has been a busy summer, and now we’re at the threshold of Q4, it will be interesting to see what will happen and if all the anticipation of a red-hot peak season materializes,” van de Wouw said.
The report cites data showing that there are approximately 1.7 million workers missing from the post-pandemic workforce and that 38% of small firms are unable to fill open positions. At the same time, the “skills gap” in the workforce is accelerating as automation and AI create significant shifts in how work is performed.
That information comes from the “2024 Labor Day Report” released by Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute (WPI), the firm’s government relations and public policy arm.
“We continue to see a labor shortage and an urgent need to upskill the current workforce to adapt to the new world of work,” said Michael Lotito, Littler shareholder and co-chair of WPI. “As corporate executives and business leaders look to the future, they are focused on realizing the many benefits of AI to streamline operations and guide strategic decision-making, while cultivating a talent pipeline that can support this growth.”
But while the need is clear, solutions may be complicated by public policy changes such as the upcoming U.S. general election and the proliferation of employment-related legislation at the state and local levels amid Congressional gridlock.
“We are heading into a contentious election that has already proven to be unpredictable and is poised to create even more uncertainty for employers, no matter the outcome,” Shannon Meade, WPI’s executive director, said in a release. “At the same time, the growing patchwork of state and local requirements across the U.S. is exacerbating compliance challenges for companies. That, coupled with looming changes following several Supreme Court decisions that have the potential to upend rulemaking, gives C-suite executives much to contend with in planning their workforce-related strategies.”
Stax Engineering, the venture-backed startup that provides smokestack emissions reduction services for maritime ships, will service all vessels from Toyota Motor North America Inc. visiting the Toyota Berth at the Port of Long Beach, according to a new five-year deal announced today.
Beginning in 2025 to coincide with new California Air Resources Board (CARB) standards, STAX will become the first and only emissions control provider to service roll-on/roll-off (ro-ros) vessels in the state of California, the company said.
Stax has rapidly grown since its launch in the first quarter of this year, supported in part by a $40 million funding round from investors, announced in July. It now holds exclusive service agreements at California ports including Los Angeles, Long Beach, Hueneme, Benicia, Richmond, and Oakland. The firm has also partnered with individual companies like NYK Line, Hyundai GLOVIS, Equilon Enterprises LLC d/b/a Shell Oil Products US (Shell), and now Toyota.
Stax says it offers an alternative to shore power with land- and barge-based, mobile emissions capture and control technology for shipping terminal and fleet operators without the need for retrofits.
In the case of this latest deal, the Toyota Long Beach Vehicle Distribution Center imports about 200,000 vehicles each year on ro-ro vessels. Stax will keep those ships green with its flexible exhaust capture system, which attaches to all vessel classes without modification to remove 99% of emitted particulate matter (PM) and 95% of emitted oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Over the lifetime of this new agreement with Toyota, Stax estimated the service will account for approximately 3,700 hours and more than 47 tons of emissions controlled.
“We set out to provide an emissions capture and control solution that was reliable, easily accessible, and cost-effective. As we begin to service Toyota, we’re confident that we can meet the needs of the full breadth of the maritime industry, furthering our impact on the local air quality, public health, and environment,” Mike Walker, CEO of Stax, said in a release. “Continuing to establish strong partnerships will help build momentum for and trust in our technology as we expand beyond the state of California.”