Articles
News
Switching On The Smart Grid
A radical new charging technology that overcomes the challenge of simultaneously recharging an entire fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) without the need for an expensive upgrade to the power supply grid has been deployed in London by a UPS-led consortium. The breakthrough signals the beginning of the end of a reliance on traditional combustion engine […]
Read MoreAlibaba Ties Thailand To Online Commerce
Thailand and Alibaba have signed a letter of intent to cooperate on initiatives to develop e-commerce in the country—from providing training to small and mid-sized companies and individuals to exploring ways to enhance the country’s logistics capabilities to support Thailand 4.0 and Digital Economy strategies. The agreement covers four key areas. First is e-commerce training […]
Read MoreIndia Loses GDP To Poor Logistics
India is losing 14 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) due to inefficient logistics, which impacts the competitiveness of the country’s products, according to CR Chaudhry, Minister of State for Commerce & Industry. "Logistics is an important sector and it is clear that the government is giving importance to the development of better connectivity […]
Read MoreNoted: The Supply Chain in Brief-May 2018
In Memoriam D. Allen Lund, founder of truck brokerage firm Allen Lund Company, passed away on April 7, 2018. He was 77. In 1976, with $1,000 in his bank account, Lund founded the Allen Lund Company, now headquartered in La Cañada, California. Over the past 42 years, he saw the company grow to offices in […]
Read MoreHow to Manage Supply Risk in Uncertain Times
Although disruptions are inevitable, transportation management teams are often not prepared to respond. Organizations that can quickly anticipate, diagnose, and resolve supply disruptions will be in the best position to weather future storms. Case in point, as shippers geared up for the 2016 holiday season, most had no way to anticipate the massive breakdown in […]
Read MoreProduct Spotlight: Warehouse Workhorses
Raymond High-Capacity Reach-Fork® Truck This new, integrated high-capacity reach truck from the Raymond Corporation lifts up to 4,500 pounds and reaches 542 inches. Applicable for cold storage and freezer usage, the high-capacity truck allows pallet storage from eight to 10 levels for potentially 25-percent more warehouse storage. The truck offers integrated telematics capabilities to increase […]
Read More
XPO Logistics Taps Mobile Technology in Europe
XPO Logistics, a global provider of transportation and logistics solutions, will expand its Drive XPO mobile technology to Europe in spring 2018, following a successful launch in North America. The app, designed for carriers, supports real-time visibility across transportation modes, and integrates carrier operations with daily productivity tools in one technology. The company’s proprietary Freight […]
Read More
Vertical Focus: The Agriculture Supply Chain
FARM AID The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will make disaster payments of up to $2.36 billion, as provided by Congress, to help America’s farmers and ranchers recover from hurricanes and wildfires. The funds are available as part of the new 2017 Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program. The USDA’s Farm Service Agency will make these […]
Read More
Turn Up the Volume on Omnichannel Fulfillment
Customers are changing the way manufacturers, transportation and logistics firms, and retailers operate, finds the Future of Fulfillment Vision Study conducted by Zebra Technologies with research partner Qualtrics. Among the study’s key findings are these three factors to consider when preparing your company for omnichannel fulfillment: Omnichannel is difficult to attain. If you feel like […]
Read More
Reshoring + FDI = U.S. Jobs
Combined reshoring and related foreign direct investment (FDI) added more than 171,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs in 2017, up 2,800 percent from 2010, according to the Reshoring Initiative’s 2017 Reshoring Report. The total number of manufacturing jobs brought to the United States from offshore is more than 576,000 since 2010. The reshoring and FDI jobs equal […]
Read More
In Brief: New Services & Solutions
Services Supply chain solutions provider Bolloré Logistics USA opened a FTZ facility in Miami. The 200,000-square-foot site consolidates freight forwarding and contract logistics activities previously housed at two different locations, improving cargo turnaround time for shippers with time-critical logistics requirements. DHL relocated its Ontario, California, service center to a larger, $7-million facility to accommodate increased […]
Read More
Lufthansa Expands Access to Capacity, Rates
Speed and reliability play a major role in transportation even when cargo is not in transit. For instance, during the booking request, sometimes every second counts. To address this need, Lufthansa Cargo now offers shippers two new programming apps: GetCapacity and GetRates, which provide direct access to capacity and rate data. Companies can use the […]
Read MoreFinder’s Keepers
Seventy-six percent of transportation industry professionals responding to HireRight’s 2018 Annual Employment Screening Benchmark survey expect to grow their workforce this year, despite the challenges of recruiting and retaining qualified candidates. The survey also reveals planned strategies to overcome these challenges: Respondents plan to invest in developing retention programs (40 percent) as well as training […]
Read MoreDriver Pay and Benefits Rise
Driver pay has climbed as rising demand for freight transportation services raises competition for increasingly scarce drivers, according to data gathered from more than 100,000 drivers in the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) latest Driver Compensation study. "Fleets are reacting to an increasingly tight market for drivers by boosting pay, improving benefit packages, and offering other […]
Read MoreBlockchain Solution Passes the Test
A BLOCKCHAIN SOLUTION that can eliminate the need for printed shipping documents and save the transportation and logistics sectors hundreds of millions of dollars annually has been tested successfully by a consortium comprising AB InBev, Accenture, APL, Kuehne + Nagel, and a European customs organization. The consortium tested a solution where documents are no longer […]
Read More
Rolling on the River
To establish and grow an alliance designed to generate new business by promoting international and inland trade routes at strategic locations along the Mississippi River is the intent of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recently signed by The St. Louis Regional Freightway, Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District located in the State of Louisiana, and […]
Read More
U.S. Imports: It’s a Steel
While the Trump administration introduced tariffs of 25 percent on the import of steel and 10 percent on aluminum, many of the United States’ most important steel trading partners were granted exemptions, at least temporarily. These exemptions apply to the selected major steel exporters shown in the chart below, including the European Union, Brazil, Canada, […]
Read MoreTruck Driver Shortage: When Will Autonomous Trucks Fill the Gap?
Not that long ago, San Francisco-based Embark announced its first cross-country trip by a self-driving truck. Along with Uber, Tu Simple, and Starsky Robotics, Embark is working on the autopilot technology for long-haul trucks. Self-driving trucks will result in disruption; the question is “When?” Given that the economic benefits are enormous, the self-driving revolution is […]
Read MoreSupply Chain Commentary: How to Overcome Technology Roadblocks
The shipping industry has hit a roadblock and can’t expand without overcoming numerous challenges. Talent shortages, increased competition from outside the industry, and slow acceptance of technological advances are just a few of the hurdles that have stagnated one of the most important segments of American commerce. The only way to overcome these challenges and […]
Read More