Articles
Legislation, Public Policy, Regulations
Four Steps to Mitigate Risk
Supply chain regulations are in constant flux. In March 2024, the SEC announced new rules regarding climate-related disclosures, and there have been calls to strengthen the enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. Meanwhile, the EU is also enhancing regulations regarding corporate sustainability, deforestation, ambient air quality, waste, and forced labor.
Read More
Global Trade Compliance: How to Play by the Rules
Complex government requirements will create new impacts for many shippers in 2024. Which rules and regulations affect your business, and what steps should you take right now to comply?
Read More
Preventing Another Supply Chain Groundhog Day
Rising prices, long delays, and mounting backlogs are factors reminiscent of the 2020 shipping crisis. But businesses still experience some of the same challenges, which are, unfortunately, tracking well ahead of where we were during the pandemic. It’s imperative that we prevent another supply chain Groundhog Day.
Read MoreThe Independent Contractors Rule Raises More Questions than Answers
Employee or independent contractor? The answer to that question under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) relies in great part on the Department of Labor rule on evaluating the relationship. That rule changes yet again on March 11, 2024.
Read More
Top Supply Chain Challenges for Dangerous Goods and Other HazMat Shipping Updates
Dangerous goods professionals share insights on infrastructure, investments, regulatory updates, sustainability concerns and other top supply chain challenges. PLUS: More news from the DG/Hazmat supply chain sector.
Read More
Are You Prepared for New Regulations?
Those of us who hoped we’d quickly get back on track after the notoriously shaky supply chains of 2020 and 2021 have been left wanting. A confluence of factors has come together to create further disruption across global supply chains, with some poised to only get worse.
Read More
President Biden Launches Council on Supply Chain Resilience
President Biden and his administration have introduced an ambitious array of strategies, acknowledging the vital role that strong supply chains play in stabilizing the economy.
Read More
FMCSA – Safety Is in Your Name. Stay in Your Lane.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s decision to further regulate freight rates, building upon a piece of 1980s regulation that requires brokers to share a copy of the pricing for each transaction with their carriers, is anti-free market and anti-business—and does nothing to solve real problems that impact everyone from carriers to consumers.
Read More
Reshoring? Not So Fast
Reshoring might sound like the solution to the United States’ supply chain woes, but here’s why it is not a cure-all for current and future disruptions.
Read More
Driver Shortage: Don’t Fall For It
The talking point that states the trucking industry is facing a driver shortage to explain the state of supply chain is a lie. Don’t fall for it. There has been a “shortage” of drivers for well over 20 years so be sure you are getting honest answers when digging into your supply chain issues.
Read More
Unleash Short Sea?
The ports around the Great Lakes would love to help offset some of the pain of the horror show called the "shipping crisis." Guess what. They can’t by law. Thank the Harbor Maintenance Fee (HMF), a well-intended policy perfect for the 1980s, along with related regulations, for sidelining port capacity around the Great Lakes. The […]
Read More
Preparing for the Next Big Disruption
Supply chains are rarely at the forefront of everyday discourse—until a problem arises. Empty shelves that normally hold ample supplies of toilet paper, cleaning products, or even meat and poultry, provide just a glimpse of the massive impact the pandemic had on international supply chains.
Read More10 Tips for Ensuring Trade Compliance
Many companies do not prioritize regular trade compliance check-ins until they’re dealing with a problem. Here’s how to manage and improve your international trade processes so you can catch a problem before it arises and remain compliant.
Read More
Incentives Brighten Site Selection Decisions
Tax, energy, and land incentives can turn a good location into a great one. Here’s what companies and the logistics providers who serve them need to consider as they explore locating, relocating, or expanding their businesses.
Read More
The President’s 2021 Trade Policy
The Biden Administration’s new trade policy report is filled with laudable goals such as beating COVID-19, American family relief, and the Build Back Better initiative. But should these goals be the basis of U.S. trade policy or negotiating position with other countries? Do our economic competitors enter into trade negotiations with the United States with […]
Read More
Rail Price Controls? Ridicule the Thought
In 1980, CNN, fax machines, and camcorders made their debut, and for the first time since 1887, the rail industry was deregulated. Today CNN has many competitors, fax machines have been surpassed and their technology incorporated into other products, and camcorders are not only cheaper, almost all of us carry a better quality one in our pockets. Also, rail rates are 44% lower, and the market is flourishing.
Read More
Should the Emergency Suspension of Hours-of-Service Rules be Extended?
Yes, the Hours-of-Service exemption should be extended until the country removes the emergency declarations for the pandemic and the CDC no longer declares the United States under a pandemic.
Read More
Leveraging the Benefits of New Industrial Printers for Compliance
Q: What are the benefits of investing in the latest industrial printers? A: The latest industrial printers offer a new set of features and advantages, so end users will not be upgrading just to ensure continued performance and support—they will enable new productivity and efficiency benefits. This includes higher image resolutions, improved feeds-and-speeds, and user-replaceable […]
Read More
3 Critical Questions About Oversize/Overweight Shipments
Although your supply chain may not require oversize/overweight shipments on a regular basis, there will likely be a time when the need arises. If this level of specialized shipping is not within your comfort zone, you should turn to the expertise of a heavy haul carrier to guide you rather than trying to handle it […]
Read MoreLeveraging USMCA
After two years in the making, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, is officially a reality. Here’s how to use the new rules to your advantage.
Read More