Articles

Transportation Management

Jett McCandless
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Brokers Are Commoditizing LTL Carriers… And That’s a Good Thing

Much discussion in the transportation industry centers around how less-than-truckload (LTL) resellers, or brokers, are commoditizing the LTL carrier marketplace. While carriers don’t claim that brokers are packaging up their contracts and listing them on the Chicago Board of Trade to be exchanged like pork belly futures contracts, some do believe resellers are stripping the […]

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Building a Core Carrier Program

When developing a base of reliable core motor carriers, customer service and on-time success typically drive the selection process. But don’t overlook factors such as company stability and labor quality. Streamline your carrier program to a select few using the following tips. 1. Look beyond cost. When selecting partners, don’t focus solely on cost-cutting strategies. […]

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Sean Vasquez: Heard It Through the Grapevine
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Sean Vasquez: Heard It Through the Grapevine

Sean Vasquez is EDI and transportation manager at Sun-Maid Growers of California in Kingsburg, Calif. He has worked for the company since 2010, and held his current position since 2013. Responsibilities: Managing all electronic data interchange (EDI) functions; working with the IT department and trading partners to resolve EDI issues; managing transportation policies, rates, and […]

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Felecia Stratton
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All Aboard a Modal Conversion

Intermodal is crossing over. In August 2013, U.S. domestic traffic averaged 257,795 units per week, the highest weekly average ever recorded, according to the Association of American Railroads. All indications suggest intermodal growth will continue to roll. As over-the-road shippers embrace the efficiency, economy, and sustainability of shifting truck shipments to rail, a conversion is […]

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Larry Montreuil: True Blue

Larry Montreuil has been director of supply chain management at JetBlue Airways in New York since 2003. Responsibilities: Strategic sourcing, contracts and purchasing. Experience: Supervisor, materials management, New York Air; manager, logistical planning and provisioning, Continental Airlines; director of purchasing, Trump Shuttle; director of purchasing, Queens Surface Corp. Education: B.S., aeronautical industrial technology, Arizona State […]

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Kerry Loudenback
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Transportation Management: A Layered Approach

Q: Why bother managing the inbound aspect of the supply chain? A: Historically, organizations built their transportation management strategies and tactics around the outbound aspect of their supply chain. The gravity of customer revenue pulls the attention in that direction. This inattention in the supplier direction often leaves the inbound supply chain exposed to margin-draining […]

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Chuck Fattore
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How Freight Classification Changes Impact Shippers

Q: What are some of the recent and proposed changes to the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) used to determine the class for rating less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments? A: The most notable change—effective Dec. 1, 2012—was in classifying computer equipment. Under the new classification, this product type moved to a density-based rating with the lowest possible […]

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Cutting LTL Costs

Saving money on less-than-truckload (LTL) procurement is a laudable goal—except when operational problems eclipse savings gains. Shippers who prioritize securing the lowest price from carriers may actually end up paying more because of costs embedded in carrier expenses—resulting in problems such as service degradation and supply chain disruption. Danny Slaton, executive vice president of supply […]

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Transloading to Maximize Cost Savings

Transloading offers a cost-effective way to bring ocean containers inland to distribution centers. By transferring cargo without sorting the contents for shipment to a single destination, transloading services can reduce total landed costs, and—when combined with value-added services such as palletizing and shrink-wrapping—reduce handling at the destination. Jeff McCorstin, senior vice president of air and […]

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How to Find Savings Through Landed Cost Analysis
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How to Find Savings Through Landed Cost Analysis

As shippers adapt sourcing strategies to build redundancy, economy, and responsiveness into their supply chains, the complexity of drilling down total landed costs increases. Shippers often focus resources and attention on procurement, looking only at production and logistics spend. At a more granular level, a myriad of other factors can impact the total supply chain […]

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Ensuring Routing Guide Compliance

When vendors fail to comply with shippers’ routing guide instructions, all parties involved experience frustration. To improve compliance, shippers must provide clear and concise instructions about how they want their freight to move. Here is advice on ensuring routing guide compliance from Harold B. Friedman, senior vice president of global corporate development at freight payment […]

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Keeping Shipping Costs in Check

With fuel costs continually rising, and consumers demanding faster delivery—preferably for free—it is more important than ever for companies to control their shipping costs. John Haber, founder and CEO of consulting firm Spend Management Experts, offers these tips for managing freight costs. 1. Carefully analyze your current carrier base. Be sure to take into account […]

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