In this Issue:
- 2023 Rate Outlook: Will shippers catch a break?
- Top 2023 TMS trends
- Global labor rates
- Lift Truck Series Part 1
- Scaling mobile robots
- 2022 Virtual Summit
Logistics Management Magazine Archives
January 2023 Logistics Management
January 9, 2023 · Our annual gathering of freight transportation industry analysts reveals some common themes, largely around the notion that rates are not likely to increase much—if at all—in some modes and will continue declining in others. Does this mean things are stabilizing?
January 7, 2023 · My favorite Logistics Management (LM) tradition is our Annual Rate Outlook cover story that becomes a live webcast (Jan. 26)—the ultimate one-two punch for shippers looking to gain clarity on costs in the year ahead.
January 5, 2023 · With worldwide shortages and supply chain disruptions, companies have changed how they source and manufacture parts and finished products. The Reshoring Institute studied and compared global labor rates around the world—and what follows are the high-level results of a study comparing labor rates in 13 different countries.
January 5, 2023 · The NextGen Supply Chain Awards recognized 10 industry leaders, leading solution providers, startups and supply chain visionaries who are leading the way in the adoption of NextGen technologies.
January 5, 2023 · As the transportation environment becomes increasingly complex, transportation management systems are being called upon more than ever to meet shippers’ needs. Industry analysts contend that TMS “just keeps getting better,” with much of that momentum being driven by end users that are continually asking vendors to fold more capabilities and functionalities into their software portfolios.
January 5, 2023 · With the “old guard” leaving the sector, new blood is moving into the freight payment industry. They are more data-driven, faster, and more international—and savvy shippers are benefiting by realizing lower, better-managed freight bills.
January 5, 2023 · It’s a profitable and sustainable solution to SDD and NDD that can help retailers remain competitive in today’s demanding environment.
January 5, 2023 · Service providers who can enable shippers and receivers to quickly assess their own supply chain networks, and gain insights into customer demand and order patterns, will be setting themselves up for success.
January 5, 2023 · Operational priorities and infrastructure constraints should guide motive power choice, though lithium is seen as gaining ground in the long term. Every option has its strong points, so it comes down to using the goals of each operation to guide it down the best motive power path.
January 5, 2023 · AMR deployments have been gaining ground to address labor availability issues. Fleets often start small in pilots and add robots over time, but how do you get to a better system? Success factors include proper solution scoping, RaaS options, integration platforms, and may involve software to orchestrate multiple AMR fleets.
January 5, 2023 · Here’s how companies can use automation, technology and other advanced tools to support and nurture their evolving workforces in today’s competitive business environment.
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Latest in Logistics Management
Port Tracker report is bullish on import growth over the balance of 2024
May 8, 2024
For March, the most recent month for which data is available, Port Tracker reported that import volume, for the ports covered in the report, came in at 1.93 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU), down 1.4% compared to February and up 18.7% annually, a period when Asian export activity was slow on the heels of Lunar New Year shutdowns, it noted.
Varying opinions on the tracks regarding STB’s adopted reciprocal switching rule
May 8, 2024
Feedback regarding the recent adoption of the reciprocal switching rule by the Washington, D.C.-based Surface Transportation Board (STB), an independent adjudicatory and economic-regulatory agency charged by Congress with resolving railroad rate and service disputes and reviewing proposed railroad mergers, could be viewed as mixed.
National diesel average falls for the fourth consecutive week, reports EIA
May 8, 2024
The national average, at $3.894 per gallon, fell 5.3 cents, below the $3.947 national average, for the week of April 29.
New Descartes’ study examines consumer preferences, changes, and shifts in e-commerce home delivery preferences
May 7, 2024
A new study issued today by Waterloo, Ontario-based Descartes, a provider of logistics based on-demand, software-as-a-service offerings, showed some disparities in the intersection of online buying and home delivery processes. The study, entitled “Online Buying Grows But Too Many Customers Still Experiencing Delivery Woes,” was based on feedback from 8,000 consumers surveyed by Descartes and SAPIO Research, across Europe and North America over the first quarter. This is the third annual edition of Descartes’ e-commerce home delivery report.
Potential Canadian rail strike could damage the country’s economy
May 7, 2024
Over 9,000 rail workers poised to walk off job, disrupting critical transportation routes used by various industries.
C.H. Robinson highlights progress of its AI-focused offerings with a focus on automating shipping processes
May 7, 2024
Taking steps to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) in order to automate various types of shipping transactions conducted over e-mail, Minneapolis, Minn.-based global third-party logistics (3PL) services provider and freight forwarder C.H. Robinson (CHR) today heralded the progress it has made on that front, calling the utilization a key step in breaking “a long-standing barrier to automation.
UPS announces CFO Newman to leave company, effective June 1
May 6, 2024
Atlanta-based global freight transportation and logistics services provider UPS said that effective June 1, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Brian Newman will leave the company.
Preliminary April North American Class 8 net orders are mixed
May 6, 2024
FTR reported that preliminary April net orders, at 14,400 units, were off 25% compared to March and 12.5% annually. And it added that over the last 12 months, total Class 8 orders were at 267,700 units. ACT reported that April Class 8 orders, art 15,600 units, were off 1,800 units compared to March, while posting a 30% annual gain, in what it called a very easy year-ago comparison.
Senators take a close look at Amazon with Warehouse Worker Protection Act
May 6, 2024
The proposed legislation aims to regulate the use of productivity quotas and improve safety for workers.
Despite American political environment, global geopolitical risks could be easing
May 6, 2024
While there is plenty of danger around the world, the reality of interconnected supply chains may be prevailing.
Maryland DOT: $1.9 billion and up to four years to rebuild bridge sunk near Baltimore port
May 6, 2024
It will take just over four years and up to $1.9 billion to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge after it was hit by a cargo ship and fell into the Patapsco River, according to an estimate by the Maryland Department of Transportation. The state plans to build a new span by the fall of 2028, spokesman David Broughton said. He also said it will likely cost anywhere from $1.7 billion-to-$1.9 billion to rebuild the span after the container ship Dali lost power...
April Services PMI contracts after 15 months of growth, reports ISM
May 3, 2024
The Services PMI, at 49.4 (a reading of 50 or higher signals growth) fell 2.0%. The last time the index contracted was in December 2022, when it came in at 49 and prior to that the last month seeing contraction was in May 2020, when it came in at 45.4.
2023 industrial big-box leasing activity heads down but remains on a steady path, notes CBRE report
May 3, 2024
In the report, entitled “2024 North America Industrial Big-Box Review & Outlook,” CBRE said that Food & Beverage was the third most active occupier for big-box leasing activity, at 8.6%, with Automobiles, Tires & Parts, E-commerce Only, and Building Materials & Construction rounding out the top six, at 7.0%, 5.4%, and 5.3%, respectively.
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U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are mixed in April, reports AAR
May 3, 2024
Rail carloads, at 848,882, were down 6.5%, or 58,751 carloads, annually. Intermodal containers and trailers, at 1,018,569 units, increased 8.6%, or 80,471 units, annually.
