Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

newsworthy

Blockchain group adds SMC3, Orbcomm

Firms will help Blockchain in Transport Alliance apply the data-sharing technology to logistics management, asset tracking, and transaction processing.

Logistics technology trade group Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) said today it has added two new members, partnering with freight-pricing software firm SMC3 Inc. and asset tracking and Internet of things (IoT) provider Orbcomm Inc.

BiTA has been bringing together a range of industry stakeholders to examine blockchain's ability to support secure data sharing in the transportation, supply chain, and logistics markets. The group added Canadian parcel delivery and logistics company Purolator Inc. yesterday, and now has a membership roll including more than 230 companies spanning truckload, less than truckload (LTL), and parcel carriers; insurance companies; finance firms; technology startups; and e-commerce merchants.


Peachtree City, Ga.-based SMC3 said it would support the group's technology goals, such as developing blockchain standards for transportation applications, establishing a dialogue about blockchain's logistics use cases, and educating the industry about blockchain trends.

Rochelle Park, N.J.-based Orbcomm is the first telematics provider to join the alliance. The company said it will support the use of shared distributed ledger technology—a description of blockchain's functionality—for freight-industry applications in logistics management, asset tracking, and transaction processing.

According to Orbcomm, incorporating blockchain technology into the transportation supply chain could improve end-to-end visibility, streamline manual paper operations, ensure data integrity and security, enhance communications, and optimize efficiency.

The Latest

More Stories

conveyor carrying e-commerce boxes

Motion Industries to acquire International Conveyor and Rubber

Motion Industries Inc., a Birmingham, Alabama, distributor of maintenance, repair and operation (MRO) replacement parts and industrial technology solutions, has agreed to acquire International Conveyor and Rubber (ICR) for its seventh acquisition of the year, the firms said today.

ICR is a Blairsville, Pennsylvania-based company with 150 employees that offers sales, installation, repair, and maintenance of conveyor belts, as well as engineering and design services for custom solutions.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

maersk dual fuel containership

Maersk orders 20 dual-fuel container vessels

The Danish ocean freight and logistics giant A.P. Moller – Maersk has signed agreements with three shipyards to build a total of 20 container vessels equipped with dual-fuel engines capable of running on either methanol or liquified natural gas.

The move delivers on its August announcement of a fleet renewal plan that will allow the company to proceed on its path to decarbonization, according to a statement from Anda Cristescu, Head of Chartering & Newbuilding at Maersk.

Keep ReadingShow less
worldacs chart of worlds busiest freight airports

WorldACD: Air cargo growth spiked in Asia Pacific for October

Asia Pacific origin markets are continuing to contribute an outsize share of worldwide air cargo growth this year, generating more than half (56%) of the global +12% year-on-year (YoY) increase in tonnages in the first 10 months of 2024, according to an analysis by WorldACD Market Data.

The region’s strong contribution this year means Asia Pacific’s share of worldwide outbound tonnages overall has risen two percentage points to 41% from 39% last year, well ahead of Europe on 24%, Central & South America on 14%, Middle East & South Asia (MESA) with 9% of global volumes, North America’s 8%, and Africa’s 4%.

Keep ReadingShow less
chart of business concerns from descartes

Descartes: businesses say top concern is tariff hikes

Business leaders at companies of every size say that rising tariffs and trade barriers are the most significant global trade challenge facing logistics and supply chain leaders today, according to a survey from supply chain software provider Descartes.

Specifically, 48% of respondents identified rising tariffs and trade barriers as their top concern, followed by supply chain disruptions at 45% and geopolitical instability at 41%. Moreover, tariffs and trade barriers ranked as the priority issue regardless of company size, as respondents at companies with less than 250 employees, 251-500, 501-1,000, 1,001-50,000 and 50,000+ employees all cited it as the most significant issue they are currently facing.

Keep ReadingShow less
cowan truck fleet

Schneider to acquire Cowan Systems for $390 million

The transportation and logistics service provider Schneider National Inc. today said it has agreed to acquire Baltimore-based Cowan Systems LLC for $390 million and to buy related real estate assets for another $31 million.

Cowan is a dedicated contract carrier that also provides brokerage, drayage, and warehousing services. The company operates approximately 1,800 trucks and 7,500 trailers across more than 40 locations throughout the Eastern and Mid-Atlantic regions, serving the retail and consumer goods, food and beverage products, industrials, and building materials sectors.

Keep ReadingShow less