Happy New Year! It’s early but trucking and logistics writers have been hard at work listing the issues that will shape trucking and logistics in the year ahead:
Need something a little lighter? More optimistic? Fleet Owner published its Top 10 Five Good Things posts of 2021. When it comes to good deeds, truckers are among the best.
There are more small trucking companies than ever, enticed into the market by high spot rates and plenty of freight. How will they keep it up when the market goes down?
Over a four-year period, owner-operators who factor their invoices are 30% more likely to be in business versus those who do not factor. Invoice factoring can provide access to quick payments and fast cash, explains OTR Capital. The key is knowing what to look for in a factoring partner, including an understanding of invoice factoring fees and the standard process.
The good times won’t last forever. Make sure you have the cash to see you through. This blog post from OTR explains how to get started.
Last month autonomous trucking startup TuSimple completed its first autonomous truck run on open public roads without human intervention, according to the company.
Looking like any other tractor-trailer, the TuSimple vehicle traveled 80 miles from Tucson to Phoenix, Arizona, in about an hour and 20 minutes. It navigated surface streets, traffic signals, on-ramps, off-ramps and highway lane changes among other motorists.
TuSimple said the trip proved that it achieved Level-4 autonomous technology, which SAE defines as a system that can drive itself completely and will not require a human to take over. The San Diego-based company foresees a network of driverless trucks that shippers can tap into automatically without having to worry about driver availability.
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