Articles

Transportation Management

Chris Noble

Avoid Pricing Pitfalls When Selecting a Logistics IT Solution

Q: One of the common gripes voiced by organizations implementing logistics IT solutions is that the solution ends up costing more than expected. Why does this seem to happen so frequently? A: The roots of this complaint can be traced back to improperly managed expectations during the sales process. Pricing between providers competing for the […]

Read More
Jeff Vielhaber

Communication is Key When Optimizing Logistics Networks

Within any logistics network there are vendors, warehouses, distribution centers, service operations, transportation routes and hubs, carriers, freight forwarders, importers, exporters, and more. The idea of optimizing all of it is enough to give anyone a splitting headache. The goal of optimization is to reduce costs while becoming more efficient. To do this, some companies […]

Read More
Dan Vertachnik

How to Get More From Your TMS

Q: Capacity is top-of-mind today. How can supply chain partners collaborate around Transportation Management Systems (TMS) to create capacity? A: There are many ways to collaborate to generate capacity. For example, shippers are increasingly participating in general load boards, tapping into capacity that sometimes flies under the radar. To be successful, they need a TMS […]

Read More
Tom Nightingale

Are You Ready for the Capacity Crisis? Oh, It’s Here

Funny thing, predictions. We gravitate toward them, some of us armed with a dollop of healthy skepticism. But when respected analyst John Larkin announced in 2010 that the trucking industry was facing the "mother of all capacity shortages," people listened. We haven’t quite reached the "mother" level yet, but the evidence says it’s not far […]

Read More
Mike Mulqueen

Transportation Modeling: Is There Ever an Average Day?

Most large shippers spend a great deal of time and money collecting, analyzing, and maintaining the data used to drive daily transportation planning and execution. When codified and integrated into the shipper’s transportation system, this data becomes the organization’s transportation policy. This policy is comprised of lanes, modes, rates, service levels, capacity, and a multitude […]

Read More
Jim Syfan

A National Standard for Hiring ‘Safe’ Motor Carriers

Q: Is there confusion over what constitutes a safe carrier when screening and contracting for shipments? A: Most definitely. Unfortunately, the courts are deciding safety standards for carriers, and their opinions vary widely from state to state. This puts contractors—shippers, brokers, forwarders, and receivers—in an awkward position, particularly when something goes wrong, such as a […]

Read More