Articles
Transportation
Inbound Freight Management: 5 Roadblocks (and How to Get Around Them)
Managing inbound freight effectively can be challenging, but the obstacles don’t have to deter you from the benefits. Our experts map out detours to help you reach your goal.
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Connect and Collaborate to Better Manage Freight Spend
Q: What are the current challenges of managing freight spend? A: In today’s slow-growth economic environment, organizations are pressured to reduce costs and manage inventory well. The result is demand for frequent deliveries, which amplifies the need to control shipment costs, according to research by the Aberdeen Group. In addition, organizations operate increasingly complex supply […]
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Electronics Logistics: Tech Transport TLC
Moving delicate, high-value electronics requires choosing packaging and transport modes with tender loving care.
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Best Practices to Manage International Freight Spend
Many companies have switched operations to low cost suppliers—only to find that higher than expected transportation expenses outweighed the benefits. In fact, the logistics costs associated with operating a global supply chain can be 6 to 11 percent of revenue, roughly three to five times more than a domestic supply network. A recent AberdeenGroup report, […]
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Are You Paying Too Much for Transportation? Benchmark Carrier Activities to Find Out
If you haven’t reviewed your carrier activity in the past 12 to 18 months, there’s a good chance your transportation costs are more than what you’ve planned, higher than the rates listed in your routing guide, and, quite possibly, higher than competitive market rates. Over the past year, shippers have begun to feel the pinch […]
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Ag Logistics: Growing Pains
The success of U.S. agriculture depends on a functional transportation and logistics network that combines efficiencies and economies across all modes.
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Transportation Liability: Busting Seven Common Myths
What you don’t know about transportation liability can cost you big time. Learn fact from fiction before you tender your next load.
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Locking Down Supply Chain Security
When it comes to cargo security threats, each mode faces unique challenges. But thanks to technology and industry best practices, shippers can improve their ability to protect valuable cargo.
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Rail Intermodal: Where Rail Meets Road
Intermodal solutions gather steam as shippers track the financial and efficiency benefits of combining truck and rail transport.
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Trends—October 2012
Greyhound Races to Expand Package Delivery Greyhound Lines has long provided time-critical parcel delivery service, though its relevance over the past few decades has been largely overshadowed by the growth of expediters such as FedEx and UPS. Now, to better synchronize its PackageExpress business, the iconic intercity passenger bus company has tapped One Network’s demand-driven […]
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Global Logistics—October 2012
China Opens Door-to-Door Delivery to FedEx, UPS Federal Express officially contracted its name to FedEx in 2000 to facilitate an easier translation as it expanded the brand globally. United Parcel Service (UPS) has built similar acronym appeal and currency in the countries where it operates. So China’s recent decision to grant both couriers authority to […]
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Trading Partners Work Together to Secure Maritime Cargo
Q: How are ocean carriers and shippers addressing security standards? A: When U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) introduced the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) initiative after the Sept. 11 attacks, it gave government, shippers, carriers, port authorities, and other transportation and logistics intermediaries a platform to build better security protocol into the supply […]
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Information Access Differentiates Transportation Providers
Q: What are the most important elements of an information technology (IT) strategy for participants in the transportation chain? A: Strategically, there is only one IT goal: to differentiate your service from your competitors. Tactically, you need to figure out how to deploy mobile computing for customer- and employee-facing iPad and smartphone applications. Today, information […]
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Negotiating Ocean Contracts That Will Float Your Boat
Ocean contracts are notoriously complicated. What can shippers do to help ensure the contract they sign is win-win?
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Inbound Logistics’ 2012 Ocean Carrier Guide
The global ocean freight industry is swelling with capacity as New Panamax ships come online. But after enduring one of its worst years in 2009, container volumes continue to dip as the tides of economic recession sweep across Europe and parts of Asia. Steamship lines have been working cooperatively within alliances, and on their own, […]
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Logistics Providers Steer Auto Industry on Road to Recovery
The automotive industry is rapidly rebounding from its recession lows as consumer demand for new vehicles grows. In response, auto manufacturers and their suppliers are quickly increasing manufacturing output. While this is great news for automakers and the overall financial health of the auto industry, there is a downside: The quick spike is severely straining […]
Read MoreControlling Transportation Insurance Costs
Developing rates for cargo in-transit insurance coverage is as much an art as a science. Underwriters consider the products shipped; susceptibility to loss and damage; number of shipments; trade lanes travelled; and transportation methods and modes. But insurance premiums are also driven by a firm’s loss history. While some of these variables may be out […]
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Developing a Comprehensive Transportation Strategy
Q: What advice do you have for companies attempting to optimize their inbound freight? A: It’s worth the effort. Traditionally, companies have focused on low-hanging fruit, such as improving efficiencies and reducing outbound transportation costs. Overlooked is the more difficult task of managing inbound transportation, which can often be multi-modal, multi-leg, and international. Companies need […]
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Using Incoterms to Simplify Global Sourcing
Specifying standard trade terms in international sales contracts lets shippers take shipment transport cost and risk responsibility in hand when it benefits them most.
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Managing Inbound Transportation: All On Board FOB
Tire importer TBC Corporation converts its inbound transportation to free-on-board terms and rolls out a supply chain transformation.
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