Articles
Commentary
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 […]
Read MoreIt’s Time for Freight Classification Reform
If the volatile economy hasn’t made the case, demographics might. The motor carrier pricing structure needs an overhaul.
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Drawing Value from Managed Drayage Solutions
Many shippers view drayage (the service offered by a motor carrier for pickup and delivery of ocean or rail containers) as a necessity and a fixed cost. But new approaches to drayage can bring significant savings and benefits to both shippers and drayage carriers. Traditionally, shippers have either relied on steamship lines to secure drayage […]
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Inventory Intelligence: The Key to Unlocking Omni-channel Retailing
Omni-channel retailing–providing shoppers a seamless experience through all channels–combines the flexibility of cross-channel and mobile shopping with the revenue- and loyalty-building capabilities of a face-to-face retail experience. Because keeping availability promises is vital to omni-channel success, retailers depend on integrated IT systems. Retailers who succeed at integrating their inventory intelligence can cut costs, accelerate turns, […]
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A Career That’s Never Boring
Supply chain professionals are increasingly being asked to drive change outside their daily responsibilities of expanding to new countries, overcoming current economic challenges, and satisfying customers while keeping inventory and transportation costs low. Here are two examples. A recent article described the closing of Chrysler Plant 6 in Windsor, Ontario. This could be one more […]
Read MoreResponding to the Past
We may need to remove all the mirrors in Washington, D.C.—not to shrink the egos of lawmakers and regulators, but to keep them from looking back and solving the problems of the past.
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Cloudy Days Ahead for Global Logistics
Cloud-based systems are innovating the way businesses connect by optimizing functionality and establishing networks that serve as global business process hubs. They bring order to the chaos created by the hundreds of processes that occur within a supply chain each day, coordinating real-time information being shared across relevant trading partners. Without a standard business-to-business communications […]
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Managing the Three V’s of Logistics
As the logistics sector’s impact continues to broaden across geographies and industries, a variety of factors are adding pressure on companies to improve logistics efficiencies. Three of the most prevalent supply chain challenges are: Timed temperature control. With goods now being transferred across greater distances than ever before, temperature control is a growing industry concern. […]
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Enjoying the Perks of 3PL Order Management
All too often, the third-party logistics (3PL) sector views order management as an operations tool—a method of capturing and processing customer orders, optimizing them through the distribution network, and, finally, delivering goods to the customer. A more holistic view of this procedure includes client-side order processing, which presents opportunities to add value and profit, and […]
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Using a 3PL: Are You Getting Your Money’s Worth?
If you are using a 3PL for truck brokerage alone, you could be leaving money on the table. Why? Because logistics providers have evolved and developed an array of solutions that bring extra value to their customers. Fuel price increases, stringent regulations, higher taxes, sustainability issues, and government labor intervention add costs to transportation. All […]
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Close Encounters of the Third-Party Kind
There is no other issue in the transportation and logistics trade press that gets as up close and personal with the 3PL industry as Inbound Logistics’ annual July issue. Our yearly compendium of outsourcing case studies, thought leadership, market research, and 3PL awards presents a thorough representation of the market from both shipper and service […]
Read MoreLean on Me
Analyzing economic forecasts is like untangling spaghetti. But one thing is certain—recent economic trends are putting more pressure on supply chains.
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Putting Safety First: Proven Strategies for Every Workplace
In 2009, more than 4,300 workplace fatalities and nearly one million workplace injuries or illnesses involving missed work days occurred. These numbers are improving, but even one accident is one too many. To help mitigate workplace incidents, it pays to have the right plan in place—one that starts with the hiring process, and includes training […]
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Maximizing TMS Resources Helps Achieve Sustainable ROI
These days, logistics managers need to achieve higher productivity levels and deliver better customer service at a lower cost, faster than their competition. Some wonder if they can achieve their goals with the resources available to them. Many organizations turn to a transportation management system (TMS) for the answer. Thanks to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technology, shippers […]
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Embracing Interstate 2.0: A Rail-based Transportation Vision
The United States is finally beginning to realize that we must develop a new transportation policy that meets the dynamic market demands of both domestic and global trade. The Interstate Highway System of the previous century, created during a 40-year era of “cheap fuel” and serving primarily U.S. highways and airlines, performed well. But today, […]
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Switching to Emissions-reducing Fuel Technologies
As diesel prices continue to rise, optimizing fuel economy challenges shipping and logistics professionals everywhere. For many, the urgency to deliver fuel savings or manage escalating fuel costs is increasing as rapidly as the average price of diesel—which has climbed nearly one dollar from last year. It remains up nearly 25 percent year over year, […]
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Technology Powers New Supply Chain Security Systems
In a speech at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology in March 2011, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano said, “Innovation is critical to economic growth, international competitiveness, and national security. We must expand government’s collaboration with the science and engineering communities in industry and academia to include a deeper, broader partnership on homeland […]
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For the Love of the Green
Everyone wants to be green. But no one wants to let go of their own green. The cost of living in a more sustainable way when the cost of living continues to rise is inevitably changing consumer buying habits. Walfried Lassar, director of the Ryder Center at Florida International University, raised an intriguing question at […]
Read MoreFor Carriers, Time is of the Essence
A subtle but dramatic shift is taking place in motor freight carriage. Distance still matters, but carriers are focusing on time.
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Does Your 3PL Provide ‘Golden Rule’ Customer Service?
Outsourcing logistics can be hectic and stressful, especially if you deal with a provider more interested in the next shipment than the one en route right now. Imagine a third-party logistics provider (3PL) that does whatever it takes to fix shipping problems, believes there is no such thing as “just a transaction,” and whose drivers […]
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