The TNX Blog

Our views into trucking, transport procurement, and technology trends.

  • The Doubtful Value of Predicting Spot Rates for Bid Tendering

    Is there any value in predicting spot rates in any sophisticated fashion to bid on spot work? How much better is the advanced model from the naïve default assumption that spot rates will remain constant over the very short term.

    Published March 07, 2019, by Alex Hoffmann

  • 99% of AI projects add value (really)

    AI adoption is growing, proving massive value, and demanding more staff than can be found.

    Published November 22, 2018, by Jonah McIntire

  • How profitable is European Road Transport?

    The big European road transport operators are earning EBIT margins between 1-4%. These levels are not peak-efficiency, and also well below their aspirations.

    Published March 15, 2018, by Alex Hoffmann

  • Seamless Time Horizons: Annual Procurement and Daily Dispatching

    Transport planning happens on two different time horizons: annual procurement and daily dispatching. Breaking the divide between them requires the right tools.

    Published February 26, 2018, by Alex Hoffmann

  • Hybrid Transport Procurement Strategies

    Mixing different transport procurement strategies to achieve optimal outcomes. What's the best mix between private fleet, long-term contracts, and spot market procurement?

    Published January 17, 2018, by Alex Hoffmann

  • Basic forms of transport procurement

    The characteristics of private fleets, spot contracts, and long-term contracts. What are risks and rewards of different strategies?

    Published January 15, 2018, by Alex Hoffmann

  • Smart Tender Automation: Making It Work

    TNX makes Smart Tender Automation work. Out of the box, and better than anything that is available from leading TMS providers.

    Published December 20, 2017, by Jonah McIntire

  • Smart Tender Automation: What's Available?

    The world’s leading TMS solutions approach Tender Automation as rote execution, not as smart decisions

    Published December 18, 2017, by Jonah McIntire

  • Smart Tender Automation: An introduction

    Smart Tender Automation requires a dynamic process that takes into account aggregate transport demand, carrier behavior, and market factors.

    Published December 14, 2017, by Jonah McIntire

  • Transport Procurement Strategies

    When, how, and why to look for new transport providers? That was the topic of a procurement event run by TNX Logistics and KPMG.

    Published November 30, 2017, by Jonah McIntire

  • What to make of the new Tesla truck?

    Tesla's new truck is the talk of the town. The truck offers some impressive specs, but does it make sense for potential buyers?

    Published November 21, 2017, by Alex Hoffmann

  • Amazon & New Zealand

    Amazon's first warehouse in Australia opened today. Not too long, and Australian and New Zealand retailers will feel the competitive pressure, and the change in customer expectations.

    Published November 03, 2017, by Jonah McIntire

  • What Does the Future Hold for Trucking?

    Three trends will have a significant impact on trucking going forward: More intense asset use, better asset utilisation, and self-driving technology

    Published April 26, 2017, by Jonah McIntire

  • The Bargain: Low Hanging Fruit in Trucking Contracts

    Today’s article looks at two failures in transport contracting, and a common solution. It may be challenging to read. It might trigger a natural defensiveness from those responsible for negotiating trucking contracts. Or pique at national pride, because in part this article is about what can be learned from other trucking markets. And the article looks at complexities of pricing and contracting in general, something that is abstract and requires deep attention to detail.

    Published November 22, 2016, by Jonah McIntire

  • Roman Poop: From Solution to Infrastructure

    The Uber of Ancient Rome

    Published September 20, 2016, by Jonah McIntire

  • Curated Spot: A New Way

    Transport services have typically been procured as true spot contracts, or in the form of multi-year RFQ type contract. TNX introduces a middle ground between these two extremes, called Curated Spot. It combines advantages from both extremes: Full control over the group of hauliers, agreed service and price boundaries, and dynamic price setting based on actual market factors.

    Published August 15, 2016, by Jonah McIntire

  • Benchmarking: Cargo Imbalances

    New Zealand’s economy has structural imbalances in how much freight moves into and out of each region. These imbalances, taking into consideration aspects like co-loading limits by product type, tell us the realistic maximum on how full trucks can run in New Zealand. The national average load factor usage is ~60%, but the ceiling on possible utilization may be ~80%.

    Published August 08, 2016, by Jonah McIntire