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The use of technology is no longer a novelty but a necessity in the trucking business — for carriers of all sizes.

Shippers are demanding more precise information about the location and status of their shipments, and transportation and logistics providers said they are using multiple load-tracking platforms to collect and share that information.

Load boards have changed a lot from their humble beginnings about 40 years ago. Long gone are written notes tacked up on truck stop bulletin boards to help drivers find freight, or using telephones at truck stop restaurant tables and paying expensive long-distance rates to get loads lined up.

Cybersecurity threats are growing in both number and sophis­tication, forcing transportation companies to take additional steps to prevent these attacks from crippling their information technology systems, compromising proprietary data or potentially even disrupting trucks’ electronic controls.

Carriers and shippers are adjusting to an environment where rising freight rates and a driver shortage are bumping up against an expected drop in capacity now that soft enforcement for truck drivers to record their on-duty status using ELDs has ended, compelling the industry to work hard to prevent disruption in the movement of goods.

With the recent departure of Don Burnette, all four co-founders of driverless-trucking company Otto have left Uber Technologies Inc., about 18 months after Uber’s purchase of the startup.

How are technology and innovation trends changing the logistics business? We explore the changes that helped shape the 2018 Top 50 Logistics Companies rankings.

The Federal Highway Administration has made $60 million in grant money available for states and cities that are leading transportation-related technology projects.