Articles
Commentary
Shipper’s Choice: One Freight Forwarder or Many?
Many shippers rely on forwarders as key building blocks in creating and implementing a logistics program. Some use a single forwarder or third-party logistics provider to forge and maintain supply chain links. Others choose a multi-forwarder approach. Which is best for your team? GOING SOLO Advantages of using a single forwarder include: Accountability. Mistakes can […]
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RFID and Supply Chain Visibility: You Can’t Manage What You Can’t See
Smart companies are striving to reduce costs, improve service, and increase return on investment throughout the supply chain. Automation-based solutions can play a crucial role in meeting those goals, and many organizations consider radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology a major force in transforming global supply chain automation and visibility. It’s hard to manage what you can’t […]
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Strengthening International Cargo Security
The global supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Shippers and service providers face a dynamic security landscape subject to government regulations and evolving risks. They need to focus on identity verification as a key first step to strengthening cargo security. Positively identifying who is sending a package provides vital data. Not […]
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Intermodal: A Means, Not an End
Intermodal transportation has always been an integral part of the supply chain. Around U.S. ports, it’s a capacity aggregator and transshipment accelerator for imports and exports flowing through congested hubs. On the domestic side, intermodal is a freight economizer, reducing transport costs by rationalizing long-haul bulk moves between road, barge, rail—and occasionally air. For many […]
Read MoreReading the Signs
When forecasting the future, it’s easy to be distracted by external indicators that sound significant. In supply chain management, indicators external to your enterprise, but internal to your supply chain, deserve your attention
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Rails Give Agricultural Industry Seeds to Grow
Freight railroads represent a critical supply chain link for agricultural product shippers. It’s not enough that railroads haul a ton of freight nearly 500 miles on a single gallon of diesel fuel—the equivalent of a standard mid-sized car getting 200 miles per gallon. To provide agricultural product shippers with the best value and service, freight […]
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Is Intermodal Right For You?
Capacity and driver shortages plague the over-the-road (OTR) trucking sector, prompting shippers to consider the merits of other transportation modes. Intermodal freight shipping combines the resources of different transportation modes, such as trucking and rail, to move products from manufacturing site to final destination. Offering economic and environmental benefits, intermodal freight shipping provides an attractive […]
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Building Operational Excellence Through EDI
While many companies leverage EDI (electronic data interchange) to comply with trading partner requirements, few take advantage of EDI to drive operational excellence. Limiting EDI use to fundamental transactions, such as purchase orders and invoices, leaves money on the table and misses an opportunity to strengthen customer service and overall competitiveness. Companies achieve the greatest […]
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Refrigerated Trucks Haul More Than Just Perishables
It may come as a surprise that “perishable goods” include items more diverse than fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, frozen foods, and dairy products. Today’s truck and trailer refrigeration systems, known as reefers, also keep other high-value loads at ideal temperatures and humidity levels so they arrive safely at their final destinations. Prompted by regulations […]
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Freight at Rest is Freight at Risk
Today’s stressful economic conditions are driving thieves to steal everything that’s not nailed down—from railroad tracks to copper wiring. Truckers and their customers have had to deal with the cargo security issue for as long as the five-finger discount has been around. As part of our special Trucking Safety issue, we asked motor freight carriers […]
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