Startups

Electric and fuel cell truck maker Nikola gets its pick of candidates as job insecurity led so many to apply that Linked In briefly shut down CEO Trevor Milton’s account.

Paul Schlegel writes about the future of autonomous vehicles – particularly autonomous trucks.

KeepTruckin introduces Maintenance Reminders, a tool that helps companies avoid unscheduled vehicle downtimes.

The investment will help accelerate product development of its next generation SmartTags and scale up operations across both sales and marketing.

Businesses around the world are being affected by the pandemic. Among the hardest hit are startups. Brian Aoaeh offers advice for tech startups in the supply chain space.

Cargo X is Brazil’s largest digital freight marketplace, connecting about 20,000 carriers and their 400,000 truckers with freight.

Shippo is a next-generation shipping platform for ecommerce businesses, helping them provide their end consumers with an exceptional shipping experience.

In the times of COVID-19, logistics companies are stepping up to help the industry in ways they can.

VC funding has evaporated, wooing new customers is extremely difficult and existing customers’ focus has changed.

The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates.  There are certain markets that the average person […]

RoadSync is a digital payment platform offering services that help solve inconsistencies within paper-based invoicing processes in the freight industry.

Wingcopter is a German-based startup that manufactures drones that attain maximum speeds of 150 mph with a 75-mile range.

KlearNow is an on-demand customs clearance platform that helps companies navigate customs by leveraging AI technology.

The micromobility segment has arisen as an alternative transit option across major cities, and companies in the segment will need to be tactical in their approach to profitability.

LoadStop provides a TMS solution that has a built-in compliance manager and an autonomous dispatcher that helps fleets find best-match loads in the spot market.

For fleets that run throughout the day and need high utilization, hydrogen fuel cells offer great value for investment, while also creating zero emissions.

Uber Works helps temporary workers connect directly with companies posting jobs via its digital marketplace and ensures workers get paid without delay.

Drones can speed up delivery times dramatically, but for the technology to be commercialized, a number of regulatory hurdles need to be cleared.

Supply chains are a major source of carbon emissions. Switching to alternative fuel powertrains and improving equipment utilization levels can help reduce footprint.

Spin works with local governments to receive permits for using e-scooter shared mobility across city streets, rather than aggressive expansion by flouting city rules.

CarrierHQ introduces a new portal that helps owner-operators and small fleets gain authority in the market by providing them services to get started and run successful businesses.

By providing leases that include hydrogen and maintenance for its fuel cell electric trucks for seven years, Nikola projects it will generate $3 billion in revenue by 2024.

Texas-based TUYA has built a platform that helps B2B’s have real-time visibility over their product movement as they work with delivery companies.

After shunning public ownership, fuel cell truck startup Nikola watched as the WeWork debacle made private fundraising harder. Its merger with VectoIQ brings in about $700 million to help pay to build Nikola’s Class 8 truck plant and the beginning of a hydrogen fuel station network.

OneRail is a last-mile orchestration and fulfillment platform that consolidates the needs of shippers and retailers onto a single platform.

A skeleton crew remains after autonomous trucking startup Starsky Robotics fails to find a buyer or new investors, according to a former executive.

Digital freight matching has turned a corner in the marketplace.

Electriphi provides solutions for vehicle electrification and has developed a charging and operations management platform that is built over open standards.

The mission is to make the yard environment cleaner and more efficient, Outrider CEO says.

Apex.AI is an autonomous driving startup that builds software on the Robot Operating System (ROS), bringing improved safety to vehicles.

FreightRoll is a trade documentation and tracking platform that enables companies to digitalize paper documents from their freight operations.

Sendengo is a digital freight brokerage that enables users to control transactions and helps reduce cargo theft.

U.S. DOT green lights Nuro with first ever autonomous vehicle exemption

CloudTrucks provides a back-office service aimed at putting more money in drivers’ pockets

The startup plans to triple its team size by the end of 2020.

Data analytics startup ClearMetal pioneers continuous delivery experience (CDX) that enables logistics stakeholders to optimize supply chains and improve customer experience.

Eight-year-old company working with storied shipping group to make indices available for financial products

Startup XStream Trucking is in early talks with two major truck manufacturers about its aerodynamic drag-reducing TruckWings, but its first distribution deal makes them optional on compressed natural gas conversions by Agility Fuel Solutions.

Emerge​, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based digital freight marketplace, announced Tuesday it has closed a $20 million Series A financing led by NewRoad Capital Partners, a growth equity capital firm based in […]

Kayla Matthews writes about options if you are interested in starting your own trucking company.

Electronic gadgets like smartphones in the cab lead to driver distraction, and driver assistance technologies like ADAS appear to add a new dimension to that behavior.

Brian Aoaeh writes about the challenges and opportunities of logistics in Africa – and what will likely occur in the next few years.

California-based electric air taxi startup Joby Aviation has raised $590 million in its Series C financing round.

Digital business-to-business freight marketplaceTrella helps reduce costs by automating logistics processes.

Happy top of the weekend! Thanks for making us a part of the backhaul of your week, and boy do we have some news for you. First, we hit the […]

With companies like Convoy achieving a $1 billion valuation in roughly four years, or publicly-traded companies like Uber and Amazon encroaching on the brokerage space, it is getting harder for […]

The interior of the Nikola Two semi-tractor takes cues from modern airplane cockpits.

Email and spreadsheets still coin of supply chain realm, but startup sees cloud-based future.

E-scooter startup Lime is stopping operations in a dozen cities across the world and laying off 14% of its workforce.

Businesses today are looking to make last-mile deliveries as flexible as possible to ensure high-quality customer experience.

HERE Mobility has over 700 supply and demand partners active on its mobility marketplace across 100 major cities in the world.

The autonomous trucking technology startup uses its bench of knowledgeable founders to develop tools to enhance trucking operations.

Former Amazon employees turbocharge Seattle freight-tech scene.

As business velocity accelerates, Shipwell provides the tools to keep pace.

Smart Drayage platform aims to automate the largely manual processes of container retrieval.

Tactile Mobility will provide access to over 10 terabytes of tactile data across more than 10 million km of public roads globally on the HERE Marketplace.

For many people around the world, celebrating the holidays involves sharing food with family and friends. As we approach the holidays to celebrate the end of 2019 and the beginning […]

Locix helps digitize physical spaces and provides real-time visibility to help businesses optimize logistics operations.

U.K.-based drone technology startup Skyports operates across London, Los Angeles and Singapore today and plans to be a leader in urban aerial mobility.

Urban spaces are now seeing a trend where commuters are seeing sense in moving away from the concept of owning a vehicle for transit to picturing mobility as a service.

ArcherHub runs its own fleet that it uses as a backup for loads that go uncovered on its digital freight marketplace and thus guarantees hauls for every shipper.

The Swedish truck giant’s venture capital arm has invested an undisclosed sum in Autotech Ventures.

Warehouses are under pressure to increase product picking efficiency in a time of expedited e-commerce. Automation and robotics can help.

Trevor Milton believes replacing diesel trucks with cleaner alternatives will improve the image of trucking and enable legislators to slash emissions.

The partnership between IVECO and Nikola Motors announced in September will roll out its first battery electric truck to European buyers in 2021. A fuel cell electric model will follow in 2023.

Spanish road freight startup Ontruck has acquired digital freight forwarding platform Briver, in an attempt to consolidate its market position in the Spanish region of Cataluña.

French freight matching startup FretLink has introduced new carrier-centric features in collaboration with equipment provider TIP and fuel card player UTA.

Every day, more than 40% of all truck drivers on the road use an hour or more of productive driving time to search for a secure parking spot before their hours of service run out.

Freightos, the world’s largest freight marketplace, sees transparent pricing of international freight benefiting shippers and forwarders alike.

MIT-incubated start-up looks for learning models; just what food truck do you like?

The Deutsche Post DHL Group subsidiary claims its new digital road freight platform is the continent’s first.

Online freight logistics startup Shipwell has made all of its functionalities available through the REST API, which allows companies to integrate all or some parts of the functionalities into their own workflows.

London-based logistics startup tailored to ease e-commerce returns.

AI-powered driver behavior monitoring startup Nauto has launched a real-time, in-vehicle solution that helps reduce driver distraction on the road through targeted alerts and coaching.

On October 29, Bloomberg published an article by Dina Bass, “The ‘Uber for Trucking’ Tries to Navigate Some Uber-Scale Problems.” That was followed by Craig Fuller’s article, Is winter coming […]

An exclusive interview with Greece’s Ioannis Martinos on what’s next for Signal Ocean.

FreightTech venture investing is red hot right now, with the industry attracting more capital than ever. Will this end?

ItsMyCargo is a German technology startup that is looking to sell software to traditional maritime freight forwarders who can use technology to compete against recently launched digital freight forwarders.

ElasticRun is an Indian logistics startup that connects convenience stores within specific regions and relays goods between them based on demand and lull times.

French freight technology startup Everoad has forged a strategic partnership with French mass-retailer Groupe Casino to help digitalize its supply chain.

InstaFreight is a digital forwarding company that enables seamless logistics and provides shippers with greater visibility into road freight movement.

Venture capital investment in the logistics sector has seen a steady rise in the last decade and shows no signs of abating in the near future.

HaulHub is a logistics startup in the aggregate and asphalt industry that helps producers, carriers and construction crews collaborate together over a centralized platform.

Charley Dehoney writes about Jelani Hawkins, a former NFL player who has gone into trucking. Read about his new career.

Flytrex is an Israeli on-demand small payload drone delivery company that will be delivering products ordered online straight to the consumers’ house.

Meal-kit delivery company HelloFresh leverages data from last-mile movement and consumer feedback to make its deliveries precise and error-free.

Instead of providing square footage for dine-in customers, five restaurant operations will use the kitchen solely to prepare the food for delivery through DoorDash’s app.

Market Voice Brian Aoaeh has a fascinating interview with Wolfgang Lehmacher,, an expert on global supply chains (and much more)!

As a venture capitalist himself, Dan Conner shared what he believes every founder should know when seeking to raise capital.

Motiv Power Systems, which converts medium-duty trucks from gasoline to run on zero-emission electricity from batteries, is getting $60 million in equity funding from Winnebago Industries Inc. and a private holding company in Colorado.

Maritime carriers are leaving up to US$110 on the table every time they carry a box, according to research from startup MizzenIT. And that means ocean carriers could be missing out on hundreds of millions of dollars a year simply by not charging the right price.

Since 2018, Revel has expanded its fleets into Brooklyn, Queens and Washington, D.C. and plans to reach 10 cities by 2020.

Since writing about the challenges ahead for food supply chains, I have been thinking about how perishable foods and other items are transported from one part of the world to […]

Spanish capital Madrid is working on a blockchain-powered transport application that unifies all mobility systems across the city and provides high levels of data security to its users.

List of titles that founders in the FreightTech revolution should consider

Bird CEO Travis VanderZanden said that for the past year, positive unit economics has been Bird’s top priority for a sustainable long-term business. This is an ideology that departs from that of many startups and emerging companies whose focus seems to be on top line growth and revenue building.

Self-driving cars from a U.K. startup Oxbotica took to Stratford’s streets earlier this week, successfully wading through traffic and proving itself safe to navigate in an urban setting.

Deepscale’s focus on computer vision to give cars “sight” is different from light detection and ranging (LIDAR).

Postmates just announced a partnership with Walgreens and Duane Read stores – all 174 of them – in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

A newly published ag-sector report suggests that the lab-grown meat segment will shrink the industrial animal farming market by 50% by 2030.