• September 30 - October 2, 2024
  • Inland Distribution
  • September 29 - October 1, 2025 | The Westin Chicago River North

William B. Cassidy

Journal of Commerce by S&P Global

Senior Editor, Trucking, and Domestic Transportation

Bill Cassidy is senior editor of trucking for the JOC, where he leads coverage and analysis of trucking and North American transportation. He joined the publication in 2009, after 13 years at Traffic World magazine where he served as executive editor, managing editor, and associate editor. Based in Washington, DC, Cassidy has been reporting on trucking since 1984, when he joined Fleet Owner magazine in New York. He also has covered logistics management and supply chain technology, the rail and maritime industries, Congress, and federal agencies. Cassidy speaks regularly to industry groups, is a regular participant on SiriusXM radio's "Road Dog Trucking" program, and co-chairs the programming committee for the annual JOC Inland Distribution Conference.

Sessions With William B. Cassidy

Monday, 30 September

Tuesday, 1 October

  • 08:15am - 08:30am (CST) / 01/oct/2024 01:15 pm - 01/oct/2024 01:30 pm

    Welcome Remarks
  • 08:30am - 09:30am (CST) / 01/oct/2024 01:30 pm - 01/oct/2024 02:30 pm

    North American Freight and Economic Outlook

    The US economy avoided a much-rumored recession in 2023 and expanded more than expected as inflation subsided. The freight economy took longer to begin to recover than expected after bottoming out last year. The outlook as we draw closer to 2025 remains as uncertain as ever. External events and the presidential election cloud the overall picture. This panel will discuss:

    • The outlook for the US economy and freight demand.

    • Trends in manufacturing and retail markets and inventories.

    • The likely impact on transportation modes, capacity and pricing.

    • Detailed forecasts for trucking and for intermodal rail. 

  • 12:00pm - 12:30pm (CST) / 01/oct/2024 05:00 pm - 01/oct/2024 05:30 pm

    Inland Market Report: The Growing Inland Network

    Freight volumes at inland ports have exploded in recent years, and port authorities are engaged in expansion and planning for more. From the Southeast to the West Coast, potential sites are being explored and developed, and that’s shifting how goods move in North America. The Southwest plays a role, too, as more freight moves north from Mexico, and as border crossings such as Laredo become increasingly crowded. This session will address the following questions and more:

    • Which inland ports are hottest in terms of freight volume and demand?

    • Where are new facilities being built, and how tight is capacity?

    • How is the growth of new distribution hotspots changing freight flows?

    • What regions will see the most investment in 2025 and beyond? 

  • 01:45pm - 02:30pm (CST) / 01/oct/2024 06:45 pm - 01/oct/2024 07:30 pm

    Trucking I: Truckload Contracting: Walk vs. Talk

    The past several freight cycles have seen changes in how shippers and their truckload carrier partners approach the market, with transactional and strategic perspectives rising and falling as pricing cycles spin. The past few years have seen mini bids rise and fall, more tactical approaches to RFPs and contract talks, and changing spot market purchasing patterns. Everyone wants long-term partners, but are shippers and carriers really “walking the walk” together, or are “partners of choice” more talk than walk? In this panel, both sides will discuss how contracting is changing and what to expect in 2025. 

  • 03:50pm - 04:20pm (CST) / 01/oct/2024 08:50 pm - 01/oct/2024 09:20 pm

    Trucking III: The Emerging LTL Market — How the Sector is Changing Post-Yellow

    The collapse of Yellow in July 2023 reshaped the less-than-truckload sector, almost immediately pulling the surviving LTL carriers out of a freight recession and increasing LTL costs — especially for former customers of Yellow, then the third-largest LTL provider. Today the LTL sector is seeking out capacity in an unprecedented land rush, not only restoring former Yellow terminals but also building new facilities as carriers plan for more freight. A combination of new technology, changing customer demands and the need for growth are pulling LTL trucking companies in new directions, often deeper into customer supply chains and toward non-traditional markets and services, such as warehousing and transloading ocean freight. This session will examine:

    • The new lineup of top LTL carriers.

    • How shipper demands are changing the sector.

    • How and where LTL carriers are adding capacity.

    • Regional and national growth.

    • The role of third parties within LTL.

    • Why LTL and FTL are on different routes.

    • Top shipper concerns with LTL carriers.  

Wednesday, 2 October

  • 09:10am - 09:45am (CST) / 02/oct/2024 02:10 pm - 02/oct/2024 02:45 pm

    Cargo Crime I: Fighting Fraudulent Pickups
    Identity theft and freight theft are more closely linked than ever, as thieves steal motor carrier identities to book freight with brokers or shippers, and then steal the freight. Reports of fraudulent or fictitious pickups have soared. CargoNet, a Verisk company, says fictitious pickups led to more than $61 million in losses in 2023, and the number of reported incidents increased by more than 300% from 2022. This session is one of three at this year’s Inland conference dedicated to cargo crime. We will delve deep into the growth in fraudulent pickups in trucking, examining how and why this crime has surged in recent years. We’ll offer practical advice on how shippers, brokers and carriers can combat this fraud and protect their supply chains as we head toward 2025.
  • 10:50am - 11:30am (CST) / 02/oct/2024 03:50 pm - 02/oct/2024 04:30 pm

    Cargo Crime III: Fighting Cargo Crime with Technology

    Advances in technology have made the flow of goods through supply chains more visible to shippers and their customers, but also to thieves. Logistics managers are in a technology “arms race” with criminals' intent on plunder and extortion. This panel of experts will look at how shippers and their partners can use technology to prevent fraud, cybercrime and theft and protect themselves, their partners and customers. We’ll cover the gamut from carrier (and shipper) identity theft to cyberattacks and security breaches. 

  • 01:50pm - 02:30pm (CST) / 02/oct/2024 06:50 pm - 02/oct/2024 07:30 pm

    Trucking IV: Mexico Trucking: Looking Beyond the Border

    Cross-border truck traffic between Mexico and the US is rising as nearshoring plans progress, and that’s putting pressure on border crossings as well as shippers, trucking companies and logistics providers on both sides of the border. This panel will examine how cross-border trucking is evolving under that pressure, when major crossing points can quickly become chokepoints. We’ll learn about challenges shippers face at major border crossings, how supply chains and services are changing to meet rising demand, and how shippers can better manage the flow of cross-border freight heading north and south. 

  • 02:35pm - 03:15pm (CST) / 02/oct/2024 07:35 pm - 02/oct/2024 08:15 pm

    Where We're Heading: 2025 and Beyond

    As we come to the end of Inland24, we summarize what we’ve learned and pull the challenges we face in the near-term future into tighter focus. And there will be plenty of challenges, including an uncertain economy, a national election, and further down the road challenges related to sustainability and electrification. Speakers in this final on-stage discussion will review findings from the past three days and draw attention to what they see as prime upcoming challenges for shippers and their supply chain partners. We’ll leave this session better prepared for those challenges, whenever they will arise. 

  • 03:15pm - 03:20pm (CST) / 02/oct/2024 08:15 pm - 02/oct/2024 08:20 pm

    Closing Remarks
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