Tim | tecexpedited

Ford enters the Electric Transit Van battle

Tim — Sat, 14 Nov 2020 03:29:30 +0000

Many years from now I expect we will look back at news such as today’s and wonder “why did it take so long” but better late than never Ford is entering the electric market for transit vans in a major way. While they certainly have some ground to make up to be on par with Mercedes-Benz there’s little doubt that their initial foray into the EV (cargo) market will only grow in the years ahead.

The all-electric version of the popular Ford Transit Van is expected to debut during Q4 2021, so if all goes to plan about 12 months from the time that I write this. I would anticipate that inroads in the European & Asian markets will be rapid but it might also be a game-changer in the fleet market here in the USA. Ford has a global goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 (yes that sounds futuristic but it’s now less than thirty years away) and the sizeable transit van market will be key to making headway especially as e-commerce looks set to grow ominously in the short and long term.

The imaginatively monikered 2021 E-Transit, will go on sale next year with prices starting at under $45,000 in the US. Importantly the electric version will offer the exact same cargo space as the current version. Numerous versions of the van will hit the market and base versions will have a chargeable range of about 125 miles which will make it ideal for high-density cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago to name just a few. The timing might be vital to Ford to make good on this deadline as Mercedes-Benz might be bringing their electric version of their Sprinter to US shores at almost the exact same time. I sincerely hope that in the years ahead that e technology and abundant charging stations will mean that our expedited freight services can be performed by electric vans over lanes that run many hundreds of miles.

Some additional (curious) images of the E-Transit here.

Image | Ford

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Navigating the worst freight bottlenecks in the USA

Tim — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 21:59:22 +0000

Knowing where to expect the heaviest traffic congestion bottlenecks nationwide helps us provide the most accurate transit times for your expedited freight. Some bottlenecks are historically always near the top of this unenviable list but there is quite a lot of fluid competition for the top ten locations where traffic can almost always lead to delays that can impact shipping time negatively.

When we dispatch same day and overnight freight our carriers always strategically allow for likely congestion and will reroute accordingly dependent on the time of day they are most likely to hit known bottlenecks with your freight. After driving through the night at speed many hours of saved transit time can be quickly swallowed up sitting in traffic in known congestion hot spots.

The report itself makes for interesting and worthwhile reading and while some of the locations you probably would expect to see on such a list such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston there are many locations In the top twenty that might surprise you on first reading. The top ten (bottom ten!) are below:

1 Fort Lee, NJ: I-95 at SR 4

2 Atlanta, GA: I-285 at I-85 (North)

3 Nashville, TN: I-24/I-40 at I-440 (East)

4 Houston, TX: I-45 at I-69/US 59

5 Atlanta, GA: I-75 at I-285 (North)

6 Chicago, IL: I-290 at I-90/I-94 IL

7 Atlanta, GA: I-20 at I-285 (West)

8 Cincinnati, OH: I-71 at I-75

9 Los Angeles, CA: SR 60 at SR 57

10 Los Angeles, CA: I-710 at I-105

Texas has the most major bottlenecks nationwide weighing in with eleven of the worst one hundred, followed by California, Georgia and New York with seven each respectively. Atlanta alone has three of the worst ten bottlenecks in the entire country. The data is extremely comprehensive and draws upon GPS data from more than one million trucks nationwide.

Please see this interesting infographic compiled by the American Transportation Research Institute.

Please learn more about our services and how we can help you avoid most of the worst freight bottlenecks by calling us at 844.382.5068.

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Could new labor law turn trucking upside down?

Tim — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 02:41:47 +0000

The trucking sector and many businesses have not reacted positively to a new bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. In the expedited trucking arena we anticipate similar fallout to that which was seen after the AB5 law was passed in California. The by-product being wholesale changes to the longstanding dependence upon owner-operators for freight shipments may be tested in the relatively near future.

If the migration towards truckers being employees as opposed to independent contractors gathers momentum it could forever change the industry in a wide number of far-reaching ways. At the heart of those is the possibility that drivers would be in a strong position to launch and organize unions and vastly alter the economics of the industry. Such changes wouldn’t happen overnight but proponents and opponents of such changes are already digging in deep to fight the battle in the halls of power.

The likely outcomes are as complex as they are inconsistent and laws that are vastly different from state-to-state mean right-to-work laws could be at risk. At present most observers feel that the bill will stall before seeing approval from the Senate and that even then the President might veto it. If California has been a test-market for the bill it’s already proving to be the source of great controversy. Whether the logistics industry faces the ruling now or later it’s likely to be a hot topic for many years to come and the repercussions would be felt nationwide.

We’ll write more about this topic and other stories that impact our industry in the weeks and months ahead. In the meantime, if you seek dependable competitively priced expedited services for your urgent freight shipping please learn more about our services here, we can’t wait to help you.

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