🎣 Zero-Emission Freight Corridor

March Madness & Spring Are Finally Here. Today's feature details Biden's plan to have 100% zero-emission truck sales by 2040. Plus, Revoy's trailer add-on boosts semi-trucks from burning 6 mpg to 120 mpg, 205 MCs exited the market last week, and HappyRobot AI launches to automate tracking calls.

🤔 Question of the Day: Since October 2022, nearly __ thousand interstate motor carriers have shut down. Scroll to the What's Cookin' in Freight section to find out.

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*Greenscreens.ai, forecasts real-time truckload buy prices that are suited to each freight brokerage's purchasing power using AI and machine learning. Its engine takes into account over 130 attributes and data points in each rate forecast.

🐔 WHAT’S COOKIN’ IN FREIGHT

🔌Truck Does 120 MPG. Revoy is flipping the script on trucking with its Electric Semi Power Module, aiming to transform diesel guzzlers into eco-friendly hybrids in under five minutes. In one demo, a truck that usually gets 6 MPG jumps to a staggering 120 MPG, slashing emissions by up to 90% without the hefty "green premium." Instead, Revoy introduces "green discounts," making this switch 5% cheaper than diesel, potentially saving truckers $25,000 annually. Revoy’s swap stations further streamline the transition, offering fast battery exchanges. Yet, the freight community weighs in with concerns about payload impact, regulatory compliance, and the cost-benefit balance.

👋 Capacity Leaving. Experts weigh in on increasing capacity exits and their impact on the freight market. Ash M., Account Executive at Trucker Tools, reports a net loss of 205 MCs last week, marking a shift towards market equilibrium, with volume trends aligning with 2023 levels. This signals a potential for growth entering Q2, despite low national outbound tender rejection rates and high diesel prices. On the other hand, DAT's Chief of Analytics Ken Adamo notes the loss of nearly 36k interstate motor carrier authorities since October 2022, suggesting that the slowing rate of attrition may herald a period of recovery, with spring expected to boost demand and potentially elevate spot rates.

🤖 Will HappyRobot AI Replace Trackers? YC Combinator-backed Happyrobot.ai introduces an AI tracker offering 24/7 service for tasks like load updates and capacity requests. By integrating with TMS and ELD systems, the AI tracker automates routine calls, enhancing efficiency and customer service. Co-founder Pablo Palafox's demo highlighted the AI's blend of sophistication and humor as it took a call about capacity. HappyRobot isn't the only player in the game, LoadPartner's AI Broker Assitant can field updates, call and message drivers, and more. This competition is accelerating AI-driven freight solutions.

TOGETHER WITH ISO

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Booking unreliable carriers leads to higher operational costs: more bounces, more reschedules and more headaches. With ISO, you can source carriers for every lane based on service data. More reliable carriers mean happier customers, higher volumes and lower cost per load. Learn more at iso.io.

Zero-Emissions Freight Corridor

The White House has unveiled the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy, kicking off a cleaner, greener approach to trucking. They've detailed a roadmap for a total overhaul towards zero-emission tech in the freight industry.

Here's What's Rolling Out:

The strategy will focus on the development of Zero Emission- Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicle (ZE-MHDV) infrastructure in four key phases. This will be building out things like EV charging stations, fueling stations for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and maintenance facilities for them.

• Phase 1 (2024-2027): Establish priority hubs based on freight volumes.
• Phase 2 (2027-2030): Connect hubs along critical freight corridors.
• Phase 3 (2030-2035): Expand corridor connections to other corridors, beginning network development.
• Phase 4 (2035-2040): The full picture: a nationwide network supporting clean freight. By this stage, the infrastructure is expected to serve commercial vehicles across all use cases, including long-haul trucking.

Industry's Role

With diesel-powered freight movement being a major source of carbon dioxide, the freight industry is at the wheel of change. It’s about embracing battery electric or hydrogen fuel cell rigs, and hitting targets like 37% of new truck sales being emission-free by 2030 (and 100% by 2040).

What's the industry buzzing about?

• Infrastructure: Where will all the charging and fueling spots be?
• Money Matters: Can everyone afford to switch? There's talk of financing to help.
• Fleet Flow: How do daily truck runs fit with charging times and distances?

Transitioning to zero-emission vehicles now has a guideline and a timeline. The plan's success leans heavily on the industry's shift to new tech and the building of the necessary support framework.

The Costs of Going Green

While the initiative is poised to set the stage for a cleaner transport sector, industry representatives point to a hefty $1 trillion cost as a potential roadblock.

• The Clean Freight Coalition (CFC) reports a staggering investment of over $620 billion is needed for charging infrastructure alone, with utility companies facing an additional $370 billion to upgrade the grid.
• Purchasing new battery-electric trucks, which are priced significantly higher than diesel trucks, adds to the financial challenge.
• While the White House has not revealed numbers, they say "it is pursuing this goal by leveraging historic federal and private investments, policies, and partnerships."

On the flip side, environmental advocates argue that the timeline isn't aggressive enough to meet national and global climate commitments.

• According to ZETA, meeting the Paris Climate Agreement goals requires over 55% of class 4-8 vehicle sales to be zero-emission by 2030.
• They encourage stricter standards, aligned with California’s Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) regulation.

The question remains: How will the trucking industry navigate this transformation, and what impact will it have on the environment and economy? As the strategy unfolds, the road to zero emissions is still being paved by ongoing discussions and policy decisions.

Sources: The White House | Axios | Drive Electric | FreightWaves

TOGETHER WITH RELIANCE PARTNERS

Borderless Coverage powered by Reliance Partners launches the Mexico Cargo Hijacking Data Portal to tackle the high risk of cargo hijackings in Mexico. Providing in-depth analysis, the portal reveals a significant increase in hijackings, particularly in central and southern regions, and underscores the need for enhanced security measures. This tool is vital for businesses to strategize safer operations and navigate Mexico's challenging logistics landscape. Read more about the data portal here, then get in touch with Reliance Partners today at 877.668.1704!

AROUND THE FREIGHT WEB

🫤 DAT Apologizes. DAT apologized for their service disruptions caused by "external factors".

🎲 Are Shippers Casinos? Kevin Nolan, the Founder of Nolan Transportation Group (NTG), appeared on What the Truck?!? and humorously compared shippers to casinos, saying brokers are always risking it with large shippers.

🇹🇷 Turkey Container Crash. This past weekend, a container ship crashed into three cranes at Kocaeli port, Turkey, causing chaos.

🤝 Coyote, Access America 10-Year Anniversary. Reflecting on Coyote's acquisition of Access America Transport, Steve Cox celebrates the legacy and impact on logistics careers and companies.

💵 Dollar Store Closures. Dollar Tree announces the closure of 900 Family Dollar stores nationwide. Dollar Tree purchased Family Dollar back in 2015 for $8.5 billion.

FREIGHT CAVIAR CORNER

FreightCaviar is launching a shipper database & CRM for freight brokers called ShipperCRM. We've been relatively quiet about the project since October 2022, but are now ready to share with you something truly special.

Join us on April 9th as we unveil ShipperCRM 2.0. Head over to ShipperCRM.com to learn more.

FREIGHT MEME OF THE DAY

Also, check out:

• 🎧 The FreightCaviar Podcast. Listen to this week's podcast on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.
• 🎧 The Bootstrapper's Guide to Logistics is a podcast that highlights and inspires supply chain entrepreneurs, sharing their stories and building a community from the ground up.
• Want to get your brand noticed by freight brokers? FreightCaviar can help. Work with us to get your services featured in our newsletter, podcast, and more. Plus, we write great articles about what you do. Get in touch with Paul at pbj@freightcaviar.com to learn more.