Archive: Dec 2003

Adapting to Hours of Service Rules

On Jan. 4, 2004, the Hours of Service (HOS) rules, adopted in 1939, are changing. The idea behind the changes is to permit commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers more time and opportunities for quality rest and restorative sleep, and to reduce the number of crashes caused by drowsy, tired, or fatigued CMV drivers. Dave Bouchard, […]

Read More

Preparing for the New Hours of Service Rules

Jan. 4, 2004, marks the beginning of a huge wake-up call for the entire transportation industry. No segment of the industry is immune from some element of the change in the Department of Transportation’s revised Hours-of-Service (HOS) ruling. How great an impact the change will have remains to be seen. Those who have successfully planned […]

Read More

Where’s My Stuff?

Supply chain managers responding to a recent Aberdeen Group survey highlight the following items as their top three supply chain challenges: Identifying shipping delays, errors, and exceptions. Providing shipment visibility for supply chain partners. Integrating with other units and processes of the enterprise. These challenges mirror the growing complexity of today’s supply chains. Networks of […]

Read More

Integrating Multi-Channel Retail Systems

Many multi-channel retailers didn’t start out that way. As new channels grow, it becomes necessary to integrate them to provide a unified customer experience. Unfortunately, this integration effort often encounters organizational, technological, and process problems that are the result of single-channel-focused solutions, or companies never imagining that they would serve more than one channel. Most […]

Read More

Making a List

Shippers/consignees, forwarders, NVOs, carriers and 3PLs BEWARE : “persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction are prohibited from engaging in economic transactions with persons/organizations on these lists.” What list? The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has compiled a list of more than 8,000 “persons or organizations” that those under U.S. jurisdiction are forbidden to trade with. […]

Read More

Forward Thinking: Forecasting Logistics for the Year Ahead

The ever-present logistical challenges of matching supply to demand, meeting customer service levels, and combating pricing pressures continue to plague logistics service providers as they plan their business strategy for 2004. Add a troubled economy and the complexity of an increasingly global marketplace, and it is easy to see why the past year has presented […]

Read More

Mark Davis: Logistics at the Speed of Flight

Like many logistics professionals, Mark Davis spends nearly every day racing the clock. At Tracer Corporation, his department rushes aircraft parts to meet airlines’ just-in-time requirements, or to get grounded planes back in the air. Along with time, though, Davis’ department faces another sort of pressure: they have to maintain precise records on every part […]

Read More

Are Your Goods in Transit Safeguarded?

Q: The supply chain in the United States can be long and involve a number of carriers, railheads, truck depots and container yards. How can I reduce the risk of disruption to my goods during transit? Which criteria do you suggest I use in checking my suppliers’ facilities along the supply chain? A: Transit delays […]

Read More