Startup TuSimple has introduced a network of autonomous trucks that it plans to use to carry freight nationwide by 2024, with foodservice distributor McLane as one of four initial partners. TuSimple has raised $298 million and is seeking $250 million more.

Amazon will open two more Go cashierless grocery locations as part of a continued expansion of its grocery platform. The two stores will be located in Redmond, Wash., and Washington, D.C., while conventional stores are being planned for Los Angeles' North Hollywood neighborhood and three sites in the Chicago suburbs.

Startups providing warehouse robotics technology attracted $381 million in investment in the first quarter of this year, or 57% more than a year earlier, according to a PitchBook report. Supply chain technology companies received $1 billion in venture capital funding, but that was down $400 million from a year earlier.

GPS tracking and image-capturing technology are among tools that help fleets operate more efficiently; control labor, fuel and maintenance costs; and improve driver performance, Natalie Forster writes.

This infographic from ClickMeeting displays how business-to-business marketers are using webinars to engage and convert prospects across the buying journey. Insights include 73% of B2B marketers think webinars are the most effective lead generation tactic, 48% of B2B prospects say webinars are the most valuable mid-journey content and the visual also offers advice on using webinars to retain and delight customers.

Gavin O'Malley writes that brands are missing a viable marketing opportunity when they do not use Instagram Stories, given its strength in terms of reach and viewership. He points to Conviva research that notes brands can boost their odds for success when utilizing more individual pages and tapping available stickers for service offers.

Forty-four percent of marketing leaders are retaining planned budgets and 42% plan to invest more in marketing technology, per Click Z's Pulse Survey 2020. Search engine optimization and email are the top areas for martech spending, and an Invoca study finds a 38% spike in North American email open rates in April from February, with "How to do business with us" emails experiencing higher click-thru and open rates.

A survey by Human Resources Director found 72% of employers have increased work from home opportunities, with 66% offering remote working options as long as the pandemic lasts. Other policies that have changed include implementing social distancing in the workplace -- 38% -- and restricting travel, 26%.

Block out time in your schedule to deal with work that feels "urgent" to avoid feeling controlled by your calendar, writes Jory MacKay. "Break your large projects or difficult tasks down into easy steps and then set a short deadline for each," MacKay writes.

NAW's new project, "How Technology Will Transform Wholesale Distribution," will help forward-thinking distributors to develop successful marketplace strategies, form new methods of differentiation, and survive and thrive through the digital transformation and disruption before us. To ensure that our research includes the advanced technology distributors are using or contemplating to use, please take 7-9 minutes to complete this survey by Monday, July 13. All answers will be kept confidential.

Subscribe to the new NAW Podcast Series: INNOVATE TO DOMINATE, sponsored by PROS so you don't miss a single episode. In episode 1, listeners will learn about INNOVATE TO DOMINATE and what it means in the context of COVID-19. This podcast series is centered around the findings in NAW's "Innovate to Dominate: The 12th Edition in the Facing the Forces of Change Series," which helps distributors connect the dots between the forces of change, the things that are reshaping how customers buy, and how businesses operate.