After the U.S. Supreme Court last week refused to hear a case that would have reopened the issue of using independent contractors in California, shippers are bracing for the supply chain impact as a nagging truck driver shortage becomes even more acute.
FedEx executives this week announced plans to integrate its operating companies – ground, express and freight – to drive operational efficiencies and eliminate redundancies, with the hopes of more than recouping the one-time expense of $2 billion over five years to make it happen. Network 2.0 was unveiled during an investor’s day event.
The U.S. Supreme Court, in an end-of-term note, on Wednesday declined to hear a California appellate case that leaves in place AB5, a 2020 state law that calls for so-called gig workers to be reclassified as employees, causing a seismic shift in the state’s transportation sector, among others.
The U.S. Postal Service is shortening the promised service levels for two of its ground delivery products, syncing them with its First-Class Package Service (FCPS), a move the USPS says will drive efficiency by consolidating processing and transportation of volume from all three products.
Borderfree, a provider of cross-border shipping acquired by Pitney Bowes in 2015, is being acquired by Israeli cross-border platform firm Global-e for $100 million in cash, about a quarter of its original price, the companies announced, adding the two will enter into a strategic partnership. The deal is expected to close in Q3.
Dave Clark, the 23-year Amazon veteran who unexpectedly stepped down last week after helping create its vaunted logistics operations, which became grossly overbuilt in the pandemic era, has been tapped as co-CEO of hot supply chain and freight forwarding company Flexport. Photo credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
The California Trucking Association (CTA) is petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court, asking it to ignore the recommendation of the California attorney general and instead review an appellate court decision upholding the state’s AB5 law, which calls for recognition of contract drivers as employees.
Onfleet, provider of a last-mile route optimization platform for grocers, restaurants, food service and pharmacies, has raised $23 million in a Series B round to hire engineers, enhance its platform and expand into retail and enterprise accounts while looking to create a European presence in 2023.
The USPS plans to update its environmental impact statement related to the mix of electric vs. gas-powered vehicles, saying it’s driven by its delivery network improvement plan and unrelated to lawsuits favoring an all-electric fleet. The mix may change due to aggregation of carrier operations affecting its delivery route structure.
Walmart plans to open up four high-tech, automated fulfillment centers over the next three years, which when completed will enable it to reach 95% of the country in the Amazon Prime standard of two days or less, while streamlining fulfillment processes and increasing throughput. The news drops between a Q1 miss and Prime Day.