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Inflation Cooldown May Benefit Truckers
With inflation slowing down, many predict that the cargo volumes moved domestically will pick up. Sellers of different products may soon benefit from having more customers. This also can mean that more goods must be transported to the sellers’ facilities by truckers.
Intro to Breakbulk Shipping
When transporting cargo domestically, the standard method uses 40ft and 20ft containers. A less conventional yet very beneficial way to ship freight is called breakbulk. Breakbulk is a method of shipping in which the hauler moves the goods without an intermodal container. Instead, the cargo is loaded into the carrier individually utilizing crates, drums, hazmat boxes, or pallets. Liquid breakbulk shipments are stored in barrels before being shipped. This differs from regular bulk, where carriers transport goods without packaging or containers.
Autonomous Trucks and the Use of ELDs
Autonomous trucking refers to self-driving trucks that use artificial intelligence to transfer goods and complete other tasks. They use radar, sensory, maps, algorithms, and other technologies to navigate through roads and highways. While autonomous trucks exist, it may be a while before engineers develop “fully Autonomous” carriers that need zero human attention.
Freight Rates Continue to Decline
Alongside the declining spot rates in the trucking market has been a concurrent decrease in freight volume moved. The DAT Truckload Volume Index (TVI) listed the dry van, reefer, and flatbed TVI from January to February. Both dry van and refrigerated truckloads fell close to 8%, while flatbeds surprisingly were up 7.9%. It is unclear if the decreasing amount of cargo moved is a direct cause of the lowering of transportation rates. The same can be said vice-versa; however, this can also reflect a deceleration in the trucking industry.
How to Transport Hazardous Cargo Domestically
Hazardous cargo is any goods that threaten health, safety, or the environment when shipped. Often referred to as hazmat, specific rules and regulations should be followed when transporting this type of freight. Alcohol, car batteries, ammunition, and paint are all examples of this type of shipment. This article will focus on the domestic transportation of hazmat.