🎣 Truckers Trapped in Snow

Good morning. We hope your weekend was peaceful and relaxing. Unfortunately, truckers on I-80 experienced quite the opposite. The Sierra Nevada was hit with a blizzard, leaving many truckers stranded in the snow. Check out our main story for more on that. In other news, produce season has unofficially begun, Andrew Silver joins his father, Jeff, at Mastery, and a truck driver from Sysco escaped a harrowing death.

🤔 Question of the Day: Which fruit (you might think it's a vegetable, but it's not) is harvested in Texas between March and April? Scroll to our What's Cookin' in Freight image to find out.

In today's email:

• Three Freight Headlines: Trucker Tools CEO advises for 2024 produce season, former MoLo Founders join Mastery Logistics, and dramatic rescue of Sysco semi-truck driver.
• Truckers Trapped in Snow: Sierra Nevada Hit with Blizzard
• Around the Freight Web: Shipping stocks and ocean rates stabilize, Postal Service oversight faults, Kuehne+Nagel profits cut in half, plus more.
• Freight Meme of the Day

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🐔 WHAT’S COOKIN’ IN FREIGHT

🍊 Hello 2024 Produce Season. Trucker Tools CEO Kary Jablonski rings in the 2024 produce season with a nice infographic (look above). Providing a useful produce map, Jablonski tells freight companies to keep track of regional peak times throughout the season. As markets shift, backhaul markets may shift to headhauls during peak weeks. Advice to follow? Prepare for micro-capacity shifts and demand volatility. Also, make sure to shore up reefer networks to capitalize on tight markets.

💼 Co-Founders of MoLo Join Mastery. Andrew Silver and Matt Vogrich, after ArcBest's surprise dismissal from MoLo in March 2023, take on new roles at Mastery Logistics Systems as EVPs. With Mastery, founded by Jeff Silver in 2019, the duo sees a chance to utilize their extensive brokerage and tech skills in a fresh setting.

🚨 Dramatic Rescue of Sysco Semi Truck Driver. A semi-truck dramatically crashed through the Clark Memorial Bridge guardrail, leaving it teetering over the Ohio River on Friday. Firefighter Bryce Carden made a heroic rappel down to the truck, saving the driver in a rescue that lasted over 40 minutes. Two other vehicles were involved in the incident, with one victim in a worse condition than the semi-driver. The bridge closed as authorities tackled removing the truck. An investigation is underway.

TOGETHER WITH TURVO

If you're still running your logistics business on spreadsheets or using outdated transportation management software, this year will be harder than it has to be.

The world has changed, and today's fastest-growing 3PLs and freight brokers are leveraging digital tools to accelerate shipment planning, execution, and settlement. Share a modern TMS with slick screens and collaboration functions that eliminate back-and-forth check calls. Bring together everyone involved in a shipment for 100% visibility and a better customer experience.

Ask for a Demo to learn how Turvo customers achieve a 95% reduction in manual steps per shipment, 3X more revenue per broker, and 5X more shipments per client than the norm.

California Snow Storm: Truckers Trapped, Supply Chains Stalled

A powerful blizzard hit northern California, blanketing the Sierra Nevada mountains with over 60 inches of snow and forcing closures of major freeways over the weekend. The blizzard, escalating from Thursday until Sunday, has left a trail of chaos, prompting warnings and road closures. Interstate 80, a vital artery for freight transport between California and Nevada, remains paralyzed, disrupting supply chains and causing headaches for truckers.

Semi Trucks Buried

California authorities closed a 100-mile stretch of I-80, linking Reno and Sacramento, due to "spin-outs, high winds, and low visibility." The closure, from the California-Nevada border west of Reno to near Emigrant Gap, California, lacks an estimated reopening time.

Videos emerged of lines of buried tractor-trailers that had been stuck and stranded along the highway.

Storm's Impact on Freight Movement

For the supply chain, extended closures of Interstate 80 can spell disaster. Paul Enos, CEO of the Nevada Trucking Association, underscores the immediate impact on "just in time" manufacturing operations. With production lines dependent on timely deliveries, any disruption in freight movement can lead to costly delays and shortages.

Grocery stores, heavily reliant on truck deliveries from California, face the brunt of the storm's fallout. Potential shortages loom, especially for temperature-controlled foods, as trucks laden with supplies remain stranded or diverted. Reports suggest that Reno-Sparks grocery stores, nearly fully dependent on California shipments, prepare for potential shortages as the snowstorm persists.

Possible Extension of Closures

As of Sunday night, I-80 remains closed in the blizzard-hit Sierra Nevada area. Equipment breakdowns have made it difficult to clear roadways, Caltrans says.

TOGETHER WITH ISO

Carrier reliability is central to everything you do. Are you measuring it?

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.

AROUND THE FREIGHT WEB

📈 Shipping Stocks Ride Wave of Fluctuating Rates. As ocean freight rates dip post-Red Sea turmoil, ocean carriers eye surcharges to recoup costs. Analysts foresee short-lived rate spikes, prompting shippers to diversify transport options. The rates also prompt strategic shifts in response to East Coast labor strikes.

📦 U.S. Postal Service Fails to Track Fatal Crashes. A report reveals the Postal Service neglected to monitor fatal crashes involving long-haul contractors Safety scrutiny heightens as agency vows improvements.

📉 Kuehne+Nagel's 2023 Profit Halved Amid Industry Challenges. Global logistics leader Kuehne+Nagel faces a challenging year with significant profit reduction. Revenue fell 40% in 2023 to $26.9 billion.

🚂 Freight Railroad Layoffs Renew Safety Concerns. Recent rail layoffs and investor pressure reignite safety debates at Norfolk Southern. Regulators emphasize long-term investment for safety and public service.

👩‍💼 J.B. Hunt Appoints Shelley Simpson as CEO. J.B. Hunt appoints Shelley Simpson, a seasoned veteran, as new CEO after company misses Q4 profit estimates. Analysts are optimistic about pricing improvements amid leadership changes.

🎣 FREIGHT CAVIAR CORNER

This week, we sat down with Spencer Tenney, the President and CEO of Tenney Group, a merger acquisition advisory firm based in Franklin, Tennessee. Spencer brings us through his career as a third-generation transportation logistics specialist and shares his take on family dynamics in freight and the importance of preparation for a successful sale. Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Brought to You By Levity.ai. 

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.