Julian Alvarez

What are we learning from quarterly earnings in transportation? XPO delivered outstanding results this quarter, beating analyst expectations. Yield shot up 7%, and earnings per share exceeded analyst forecasts by over 12%. Meanwhile, Werner Enterprises is winning contractual rate increases. Is the next freight growth cycle finally starting? #supplychain #transportation #turnaround https://lnkd.in/eThCQECa

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Another logistics M&A announcement: sennder just acquired C.H. Robinson's European transportation business. What's noteworthy about this deal: * Both sides win * It gives CH Robinson the opportunity to simplify, and exit the European market, to focus on its core North American business * It enables Sennder to double in size, to $1.5B in revenue, to become top-5 in Europe, and to boost its network density (which should strengthen margins) Over the course of 2024-2025, I predict we will see more "asset trades" that generate shared success by enabling both buyers and sellers to double down on their core business. In addition, I believe we will see more M&A in European logistics. Feedback welcome! #logistics #supplychain #acquisition https://lnkd.in/egT5HzV4

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🚛✨ **Drayage Services in 2025: A Critical Component of Shipping** ✨🚛 In the dynamic world of logistics, drayage services play a vital role by connecting cargo from one transport mode to another. As drayage truckers, you're essential to the international shipping economy! 🔍 **Key Highlights:** - **What is Drayage?** It's the short-distance transportation of goods between longer hauls. - **Challenges:** From finding shipments to managing bookkeeping, drayage companies face numerous hurdles. - **Opportunities:** The demand for qualified drivers is higher than ever, with lucrative rates available! 💡 **Solution:** Leverage professional dispatching services, invoicing software, and advanced freight management systems to streamline operations and provide excellent customer service. 👉 **Question for You:** What strategies do you use to overcome challenges in drayage services? Share your insights in the comments below! #Drayage #Logistics #SupplyChain #Transportation #FreightManagement #CustomerService

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When you find yourself in a market where every dollar matters, you must make sure your dollars are driving efficiency. More importantly, You MUST be able to articulate that return. That is where workflow AI has helped the most... We have been able to scale up, without the need to increase headcount for a manual process, making the ROI highly measurable.

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Logixboard partnered with FreightWaves to conduct market research on shippers’ technology expectations and the impact on freight forwarders. The data shows that shippers are somewhat satisfied with the shipment tracking tech offered by their freight forwarder, but they are less happy with purchase order tracking and warehouse inventory visibility. This validates what I’ve been hearing from our customers recently: simply checking the box for a customer portal is no longer enough to keep shippers satisfied. The bar has been raised, and they now expect a more comprehensive tracking experience. Check out the full report: https://bit.ly/3yl9gJe

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System fragmentation causes monetary loss, operational errors, and a huge loss of efficiency. Watch CtrlChain’s very own Thomas Kowalski talk about how you can manage your business’s platforms and consolidate your fragmented logistics.

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Focus on your core competency There has been much said & even more written about RXO, Inc.'s acquisition of Coyote Logistics. My good friend, Grace Sharkey 🚛🤖💙 wrote of the deal over the weekend. For those in the business, this deal comes as little surprise. It's no secret that UPS has struggled to make sense of the volatile world of the brokerage industry. When it's good, it's great, but when it's bad... it's really bad. And lately, it's been really bad. While leaders are tasked with unlocking new revenue, not all that glitters is gold. And oftentimes those same leaders make the case that an acquisition creates the magical formulae of 1 +1 = 3. So let's do the math: UPS bought Coyote Logistics $1.8 billion in 2015. RXO, Inc. will buy Coyote Logistics from UPS for $1.025 billion sometime in 2024. 9 years & nearly $1 billion (that's billion with a 'B') in value gone. This is not an aberration. Brokering freight is increasingly commoditized & the margins of 2015 will likely not materialize for some time. I believe that RXO, Inc. got a great deal. I believe Coyote Logistics is a great company. The deal makes sense, but the landscape is changing. 2H of 2024 is going to be very, very interesting. https://lnkd.in/gt9MGusT

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LTL carriers hate Curbside Deliveries E-Commerce brands hate curbside delivery service Consumers hate the curbside delivery experience -------------------- Rocket is making significant progress fixing this problem. We reverse engineered it. Focusing on consumer delivery experience and our E-Commerce clients love it. We are fixing a business problem for them by hyper focusing on the niche of delivery options, tracking, carrier rates, and TMS options with gray glove home delivery as the main focus Small problem, small market (relative to the larger freight brokerage), but meaningful revenue growth for Rocket and no market saturation on the horizon

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Part 2 - RXO buying Coyote What's in it for RXO? Coyote can teach RXO how to be profitable. RXO will be ready when the industry picks up again. From the outside this looks like a win-win.

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🚨 NEW SERVICE ALERT 🚨 GLG now offers LTL shipping with 🔹 all your preferred carriers on one platform 🔹 on-demand rates in one portal (so you can close those 20 open tabs) 🔹 automated dispatching and tracking + a human team to proactively problem-solve the way technology can't Take advantage now! First users of our LTL service get 5% off their initial shipment. 🎉 Link to get a quote in comments! #LTL #LTLFreight #Ecommerce #Logistics #Transportation 

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Drew Wilkerson comes back onto The Freight Pod to mark our 25th episode, and it's a good one. RXO, Inc. just announced their acquisition of Coyote Logistics on Sunday for $1.025 billion. Drew was gracious enough to give me 30 minutes of his time to do a deep dive on the deal. What does it mean for employees, for customers, for the future of Coyote and RXO? We tackle all of this and more in today's episode. On paper, this deal seems like a home run for both sides. It adds scale and diversification, both in customer verticals and size, while also bringing new and differentiated capacity to RXO's network. There should be future opportunity for employees from both sides as RXO becomes the 3rd largest freight brokerage in the industry at closing. As he says on the show, this is a $400 billion industry, and there's plenty of room for those that are willing to put in the work to have success. For Coyote employees, I can imagine it has not been fun sitting in limbo since UPS announced their intent to sell. But with Drew, I truly believe the Coyote team is getting an empathetic leader who will listen first, act second, and make the decisions that put his team and customers in the best position to win. You join a team at RXO that has consistently delivered above market growth in the public arena since the spin-off. And for the RXO team, you're getting one of the most iconic freight brokerages in our industry's history. An excellent team of people with an indomitable spirit that has been through it's fair share of ups and downs, but always come out the other side. If I know anything about Coyotes, under the right leadership, they can accomplish whatever they set their mind to. That has been true since day 1. If you enjoy the content from the podcast, please do me a favor and rate the show on whatever platform you listen on (Apple, Spotify, Youtube, etc). Follow The Freight Pod LinkedIn page to see clips from each episode and further updates. ***Episode brought to you by Rapido Solutions Group. I had the pleasure of working with Danny Frisco and Roberto Icaza at Coyote, as well as being a client of theirs more recently at MoLo. Their team does a great job supplying nearshore talent to brokers, carriers, and technology providers to handle any role necessary, be it customer or carrier support, back office, or tech services.***

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In the third quarter, ocean carriers reached a significant milestone by transporting 47 million TEUs, marking the highest quarterly volume ever recorded. This figure surpasses the previous record set in 2021 during the pandemic by over 2%, as noted by John D. McCown founder of Blue Alpha Capital. Article by Ken Miller, Saint Elizabeth Capital for 1Truck America #ShippingIndustry #TEU #OceanCarriers #Logistics #Maritime #RecordVolume #BlueAlphaCapital #SupplyChain #TransportationNews #SaintElizabethCapital

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My partners at Metafora have hit the technology aspects of the RXO acquisition of Coyote, but several strategic benefits are expected to have a significant impact on the freight markets as they recover. Here are some key advantages: 1. Salesforce Synergies: • Expanded Customer Base: RXO can leverage Coyote’s customer portfolio for cross-selling and upselling, enhancing market reach and revenue potential. • Unified Sales Strategy: Integrating the sales teams allows for a more coordinated approach, leading to improved customer segmentation and targeted marketing. 2. Network Optimization: • Load Matching: Coyote’s platform can help reduce empty miles and improve asset utilization within RXO’s network. • Data Integration: Combining data allows for better forecasting and demand planning, effectively addressing network inefficiencies. 3. Last-Mile Delivery: • Expanded Capabilities: This acquisition enhances RXO’s service offerings with efficient last-mile solutions, meeting the increasing customer demand for faster delivery. • Route Optimization: Coyote’s technology improves delivery efficiency, reduces costs, and minimizes environmental impact. 4. Technological Enhancements: • Advanced Technologies: Integrating Coyote’s technology enhances operational efficiency and service levels for RXO. • Innovation: Joint initiatives can lead to the development of new solutions to address market challenges. With the acquisition of Coyote Logistics, RXO strengthens its market position and capabilities, providing comprehensive end-to-end logistics solutions, optimizing its network, and enhancing customer satisfaction. This strategic acquisition positions RXO for continued growth and innovation as the freight markets recover. Let's go! Second half of 2024 M&A will be interesting! #Logistics #SupplyChain #MergersAndAcquisitions #Innovation #MarketGrowth #FreightTech

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As many of you may already know, Pitney Bowes announced that they will be winding down their GEC (Global eCommerce) division, and last week they issued a massive last minute rate hike to push shippers off their service. Tuesday, 8/13, is the last day Pitney will allow new labels to be printed. This means anyone using Pitney Bowes for shipping or returns will be greatly impacted.      This significant change is bound to impact logistics and shipping costs, and I want to assure you that at QuickBox, we are fully prepared to support you through this transition.   At QuickBox, culture isn’t just a set of values we talk about—it’s the driving force behind everything we do. When we heard of the rate hikes last week, we began mobilizing resources to develop creative, solutions-oriented strategies to help our current and prospective clients navigate these changes effectively.   Here’s how we’re stepping up: Innovative Solutions: We’re crafting tailored strategies to avoid or mitigate the impact of the rate increase and carrier closure. Contingency Planning: We are leveraging multi-carrier options to protect brands from future carrier closures and related disruption. Cost Efficiency: Our teams are identifying ways to optimize shipping processes and reduce overall costs. Expert Guidance: We offer personalized consultations to help you adapt and thrive despite these changes.   I invite you to reach out for a free consultation to explore how we can support your business and turn this challenge into an opportunity for growth. We believe in being more than just a service provider—we’re a partner committed to your success.   Let’s work together to navigate this change and continue driving success for your valued brand. 

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In the 3PL world, the savvy folks will benchmark on the blanket program pricing when negotiating a CSP. That works better than a custom pricing program, but its still too slow and the LTL carriers are very ... 'structured' (to put in nicely) in their CSP process With all the API advancements and FreightTech companies out there... it's crazy to me that LTL carriers still rely on the Czarlite base rates and State-to-State discounts when pricing new CSP business

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Interesting news from Terminal Industries and Ryder System, Inc. today (yesterday?). My thoughts: ✨ I don't _think_ Terminal is completely relying on GenAI to achieve their results. Instead, I'd guess they are using AI that is more deterministic. I like this strategy. 🛰 I'm not entirely sure why a camera-based solution is better than a location-based solution. These are Ryder's own assets so they should have easy access to location data. There are probably places where GPS isn't good enough which is a problem I've seen with geofencing. We need military-grade GPS for logistics! 💲 Knowing what assets are in-and-around a yard is one piece of a larger puzzle. I'm curious how they are going to use this information to make decisions up-and-down stream from the yard. Staffing, scheduling, routing, and load planning could all benefit from this. I'd also argue that's where the larger cost-saving and revenue-generating opportunities are. 🤔 Where is the information going? How is it being fed into Ryder System, Inc.'s...systems. I hope not EDI. PR here: https://lnkd.in/g6NWCqKE

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My latest article on Fast Company is live! This article, “8 important tips for evaluating your next technology investment”, is a great resource for drayage companies, and really companies in all industries, looking to implement a new technology. Check it out :) https://lnkd.in/eeTiJcC4

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