Increased use of TMS software is opening up opportunity for multimodal bidding events, SMC3 says. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Shipper demand for broader transportation software solutions is hauling SMC3, a technology provider deeply rooted in the less-than-truckload (LTL) business, further into the truckload market. The company has added truckload functionality to its LTL procurement system, Bid$ense, a cloud-based system that automates the request for proposal (RFP), or bid process. That’s significant…

Winmore’s software update is focused around allowing 3PLs to coordinate internally more effectively to win business from shippers. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Seeing the need from third-party logistics providers (3PLs) to quickly gauge a shipper’s request and determine whether it would be profitable to serve, customer relationship management (CRM)-related software providers such as Winmore are upgrading their systems to enable 3PLs to make faster and smarter decisions.  San Francisco-based Winmore on…

Mexican truckers, who say they are facing several state and municipal laws that burden them with fees and limit their movement, have persuaded the state of Jalisco to modify a law that required truckers to buy an annual permit to deliver cargo in Guadalajara. Source: http://www.joc.com

A shortage of slots at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport contributed to a cut in freighter movements at the busy European hub by 11.5 percent in 2019. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Urgent reform of the slot allocation system is needed at Europe’s heavily congested airport hubs with the 27-year-old regulation now well out of date and unreflective of the fast-evolving aviation industry, according to Airports Council International (ACI) Europe. A position paper released…

India has 12 federal government-owned gateway ports dotting its east and west coasts, which together handle approximately 60 percent of the country’s containerized trade. Photo credit: Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust. Undeterred by trade union calls for a pause on privatization and other sweeping policy reforms, the Indian government is considering boosting private participation in cargo operations at major public ports where container handling is already dominated by build-operate-transfer (BOT) operators….

Thetius predicts that companies focusing on APIs, AI, and robotic process automation will get traction in 2020 in the maritime technology environment. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Investment in San Francisco-based forwarder Flexport accounted for nearly 88 percent of all money raised via venture capital by maritime- and shipping-focused startups in 2019, according to a report from UK-based maritime technology research firm Thetius. The report found that SoftBank’s $1 billion investment in…

Lanehub claims to have helped shippers match freight with 180,000 lanes. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Transplace, a third-party logistics provider (3PL), is taking aim at empty miles in shipper and trucking networks by acquiring Lanehub, a cloud-based collaborative transportation platform that matches freight not with trucks, but with freight lanes, on a recurring basis. The goal is better utilization of tractor-trailers and shipping networks, with increased efficiency and lower costs for…