Logistics Management Magazine Archives

June 2021 Logistics Management

In this Issue:

  • Logistics Labor: Solving the talent gap
  • Creating competitive advantage with private fleets
  • Making sense of cross-border options
  • Optimize your WMS investment
  • Top 50 3PLs: 3PLs to take to a rapid clip
  • Quarterly Transportation Market Update: Ocean
June 7, 2021 · A perfect storm of factors is making employee recruitment and retention particularly difficult in 2021. Here’s how warehouse and distribution centers can position themselves as “employersof choice” in this challenging environment.
June 7, 2021 · The days of LMS being used as a narrow measuring stick are over. Today’s warehouse labor management software is highly mobile and provides metrics to change performance as work unfolds. The integration of LMS and WES is nascent and may vary by solution specifics, but it is a frontier to watch.
June 7, 2021 · “Today we’re seeing LMS being integrated with enterprise systems through mobile user interfaces that create more advanced analytics"
June 7, 2021 · While not cheap, top-flight customer service is driving more companies toward private fleets in a tight trucking capacity market, while shrewd operators learn to adapt and improvise on the fly to create value for their organizations.
June 7, 2021 · North American shippers are producing considerable volume of cross-border freight. How shippers navigate the complexities revolving around border delays, near-shoring demands and Customs documentation will determine their transport efficiency.
June 2, 2021 · Many shippers are only scratching the surface of their warehouse management system capabilities. Here are six ways to buck the trend and start eking out more value from this critical software investment.
June 2, 2021 · It’s important to take note of the rapid adaptation by ocean carriers to the elastic demand in international freight in 2020. The owners and operators went from famine to feast in a few months.
June 2, 2021 · The global pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges. Yet, third-party logistics operators have demonstrated resiliency and strength.
June 2, 2021 · Long “the sick man” of the transportation ecosystem, the container-shipping industry stands on the brink of a new era of sustainable profitability. But can carriers now step off the boom-and-bust treadmill and continue to balance capacity against demand?
June 1, 2021 · Private fleet creation and expansion are career make-or-break initiatives, so make sure to check out what others have experienced before you go private.
June 1, 2021 · Today the lifeblood of business is data. How companies leverage data is what separates leaders from laggards.
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Latest in Logistics Management

FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index falls to lowest level since last September
For March, the most recent month for which data is available, the TCI came in at- 7.25, following February’s -5.31 reading.

U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are mixed, for week ending May 11, reports AAR
Rail carloads, at 209,319, fell 7.0% annually, and intermodal containers and trailers, at 254,429 units, rose 7.7% annually.

Cass Freight Index points to annual shipments and expenditures declines
April’s shipment reading, at 1.098, decreased 4.0% annually, and expenditures, at 3.227, were off 16.8% annually.

ALAN opens up its nominations for 2024 Humanitarian Logistics Awards
The American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) has officially opened nominations for its eighth annual Humanitarian Logistics Awards.

U.S.-bound import growth remains intact in April, reports Descartes
From March to April, the report found that U.S.-bound container import volumes were up 3.0% compared to March and were up 9.3% annually, coming in at 2,208,849 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). Descartes explained that the 3.0% gain was downwardly impacted by the effects of the Chinese Lunar Year, adding that when compared to pre-pandemic April 2019, volumes increased 15.1%.

Looking at a reshoring history lesson
A three-decade expert in supply chain, the Reshoring Institute’s Rosemary Coates explains how the reshoring trend has progressed.

NTSB: Ship lost power twice before slamming into Baltimore bridge, closing port
Twice the huge container ship Dali lost power and slammed into one of the bridge's support columns, causing the Francis Scott Key Bridge to fall into the waters outside Baltimore, killing six and causing the closing to maritime traffic of one of the busiest ports on the East Coast.

ISM May Semiannual Report points to growth in 2024, at a reduced rate
As was the case in its previous edition in December, the manufacturing and services sectors remain on diverging paths, to a certain extent, in May. One common theme the sectors share, according to the Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) May 2024 Semiannual Economic Forecast, which was issued today, is that growth is expected over the balance of the year, albeit at reduced rates.

April retail sales are mixed, reports Commerce and NRF
Commerce reported that April retail trade sales were up 0.4% over March and were up 2.7% annually. And the National Retail Federation reported that NRF reported that February’s core retail sales, which it bases on Census data and excludes automobile dealers, gasoline stations, and restaurants, fell 0.2% on a seasonally-adjusted basis compared to March and were up 3.9% on an unadjusted basis annually.

LM Podcast Series: S&P Global Market Intelligence’s Rogers assesses 2024 import landscape
In this podcast, Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman interviews Chris Rogers, Head of Supply Chain Research for S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Following USTR review, White House announces tariff increases on certain U.S.-bound imports from China
The impetus for the increase in tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 on $18 billion worth of imports from China is due to various actions China has taken, according to the White House, including unfair trade practices concerning technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation threatening American workers and flooding global markets with artificially low-priced exports.

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Inflation continues to have a wide-ranging impact on supply chains, notes Blue Yonder survey
Blue Yonder’s annual survey finds cost of materials and transportation being impacted; disruptions remain.

National diesel average decreases for the fifth consecutive week, reports EIA
The national average, at $3.848 per gallon, dropped 4.6 cents from the $3.894 average, for the week of May 6, which was off 5.3 cents from the $3.947 average, for the week of April 29.

New Union Pacific service connects Southern California and Chicago
New route promises three-day delivery, enhancing supply chain efficiency


Latest Resources

2024 Transportation Rate Outlook: More of the same?
2024 Transportation Rate Outlook: More of the same?
Get ahead of the game with our panel of analysts, discussing freight transportation rates and capacity fluctuations for the coming year. Join...
Bypassing the Bottleneck: Solutions for Avoiding Freight Congestion at the U.S.-Mexico Border
Bypassing the Bottleneck: Solutions for Avoiding Freight Congestion at the U.S.-Mexico Border
Find out how you can navigate this congestion more effectively with new strategies that can help your business avoid delays, optimize operations,...

Driving ROI with Better Routing, Scheduling and Fleet Management
Driving ROI with Better Routing, Scheduling and Fleet Management
Improve efficiency and drive ROI with better vehicle routing, scheduling and fleet management solutions. Download our report to find out how.
Your Road Guide to Worry-Free Shipping Between the U.S. and Canada
Your Road Guide to Worry-Free Shipping Between the U.S. and Canada
Get expert guidance and best practices to help you navigate the cross-border shipping process with ease. Download our free white paper today!
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Warehouse/DC Automation & Technology: It’s “go time” for investment
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