In this Issue:
- 38th Annual Quest for Quality Awards: World-class service wins the day
- 2021 Ocean Cargo Roundtable: New normal settles in
- ERP's expansive scope
- Lift Truck Series: Part 3
- Special Report: Industrial real estate in short supply
Logistics Management Magazine Archives
August 2021 Logistics Management
August 31, 2021 · Our annual survey reveals that logistics is no longer just a cost of doing business. Today, it’s the source of strategic innovation and an essential part of how organizations are competing and preparing for an unpredictable tomorrow.
August 31, 2021 · While most of the focus on cold chain logistics has been primarily on pharmaceuticals and medical goods during the pandemic, the food logistics industry is now under increasing scrutiny and enormous pressure to improve performance.
August 31, 2021 · Why all companies should be paying more attention to what’s going on in their yards and how they can leverage technology to orchestrate this essential link in their supply chains.
August 31, 2021 · The retail leader gave new life to an existing facility that sets the standard for e-fulfillment at Gap Inc. What’s more, it brought the 1.2-million-square-foot facility online two months ahead of schedule during a pandemic.
August 31, 2021 · Known for supporting higher levels of visibility, supply chain software is taking center stage as companies adjust to a “new normal” operating environment and plan for the future.
August 30, 2021 · Despite the high hurdles facing the freight forwarding industry, positive indicators point to continued growth especially for forwarders with the resources, capability, and the culture to adapt.
August 30, 2021 · This year on the transportation performance side, many of the findings support the fact that, while disruptive, the pandemic has greatly amplified the importance of logistics operations.
August 30, 2021 · With the invention of refrigeration in the last century came new options for faster, lighter construction materials and more options for shippers both domestically and internationally.
August 16, 2021 · Which carriers, third-party logistics providers and U.S. ports reached the pinnacle of service excellence during the most complex period in modern history? Our readers have cast their votes and now it’s time to introduce this year’s winners of the coveted Quest for Quality Awards.
August 15, 2021 · Volumes and service soar to record highs.
August 15, 2021 · Resiliency now vital in keeping service levels high
August 15, 2021 · Balance achieved, service delivered.
August 15, 2021 · World-class service amid booming volumes.
August 15, 2021 · Rewarding top service as volumes get back on track.
August 15, 2021 · Exceptional service in a tough environment.
August 15, 2021 · Equal to the e-commerce challenge
August 11, 2021 · This marks the 11th year we’ve devoted a majority of our August issue to the lift truck, the steadfast workhorse of the materials handling market and the consummate backbone of nearly every warehouse and DC on the planet—no matter the level of automation being put to work inside the four walls.
August 9, 2021 · Shippers might as well forget about planning for a peak season, industry analysts contend. Due to ongoing pressures from e-commerce and post-pandemic demand, ocean carriers are operating at crisis-driven velocity for the foreseeable future.
August 9, 2021 · Enterprise resource planning software suites are sometimes referred to as “back office” solutions because they unite financials and other corporate processes. But, for small- to mid-sized businesses, ERP is much more.
August 5, 2021 · Faced with product shortages, today not only are shippers looking to replenish shelves, but the movement from just-in-time inventory management to safety stock arrangements is causing an uptick in storage needs.
August 5, 2021 · The pandemic put chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) in the vanguard of change and has empowered them to redefine resiliency and lead transformation in a responsible and sustainable way.
August 5, 2021 · In the 1980s, it was the granting of 48 state authorities by the ICC that opened the trucking and airline industry to competition. This could work for rail—not just local reciprocal switching, but national reciprocal trackage rights might enable competition over shared lines. Let’s reimagine rail.
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Latest in Logistics
Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger application is filed with the Surface Transportation Board
December 19, 2025
When the merger agreement was initially announced, the rail carriers said it would create the nation’s first transcontinental railroad—which will connect more than 50,000 route miles across 43 states from the East Coast to the West Coast and connect around 100 ports as well.
FedEx posts fiscal first quarter earnings growth
December 19, 2025
Quarterly revenue, at $23.5 billion, increased 7% annually, and operating income, at $1.38 billion, was up 31%. Earnings per share, at $4.82, beat Wall Street expectations, at $4.02.
U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are down, for week ending December 15, reports AAR
December 19, 2025
Rail carloads, at 224,620, fell 1.7% annually, and intermodal containers and trailer volume, at 294,284 units, decreased 1.2% annually.
DAT’s November Truckload Volume Index sees more mixed results
December 19, 2025
November’s TVI dry van freight reading—at 197—fell 18% compared to October, while falling 12% annually. The November refrigerated (reefer) TVI—at 172—was down 11% sequentially and off 6.0% annually. And the flatbed TVI—at 243—was down 22% sequentially and posted a 3% annual gain.
November intermodal volumes see annual decline, reports IANA
December 19, 2025
Total November volume, at 1,456,259 units, fell 4.1% annually, following a 2.0% annual decline in October and respective 2.4% and 1.6% annual gains seen in September and August, respectively. Which was preceded by July’s 4.4% annual gain, which saw higher volumes due to the pulling-forward of goods being imported during the previous pause on the White House’s reciprocal tariffs.
Teamsters Rail Conference makes its case for the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern proposed merger to not be approved by the STB
December 18, 2025
With a merger application for the proposed $85 billion historic merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern expected to be filed with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) this week, more than half of union employees at the railroads indicated they are not in favor of the merger. That is the word from the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen (BLET) and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees, whom collectively account for 53% of UP and NS union employees, with the two unions...
USPS bets on last-mile expansion to drive revenue and enable faster delivery for retailers and logistics providers
December 18, 2025
With a focus on expanding access to its last mile delivery network, the United States Postal Service (USPS) said this week that shippers of all sizes will now be able to access more than 18,000 USPS delivery destination units (DDU) across the country.
Cass Freight Index sees annual declines in November
December 17, 2025
The November shipments reading, at 1.004, fell 7.6% annually, in line with October’s 7.8% annual decline, and November expenditures, at 3.163, decreased 1.2% annually and were down 0.2% compared to October.
Zebra Technologies is looking at strategic options for its robotics automation business
December 17, 2025
Acquired in 2021 and enhanced since, Zebra's mobile robot collaborative order picking solution may be sold off.
ISM forecast sees a manufacturing rebound in 2026 as services maintain steady expansion
December 16, 2025
While economic conditions for the manufacturing and services sectors are mixed, both are expected to see growth in 2026, at different paces, according to the new edition of the Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) Supply Chain Planning Forecast.
PwC report indicates transportation and logistics dealmaking activity is focused on strategy, not scale
December 16, 2025
The report observed that T&L dealmaking activity gained renewed traction over the second half of this year, with buyers prioritizing strategic alignment over scale. And it added that acquirers focused on subsectors offering defensible growth, operating efficiency, and exposure to high-barrier markets, with activity across what the firm called the full value chain, ranging from infrastructure to asset-light platforms, coupled with capital allocated for things like technology modernization, resilient supply chains, and specialized logistics services.
ShipMatrix reports strong Cyber Week delivery performance results
December 16, 2025
For Cyber Week, which ShipMatrix defines as the week of December 1-7‑and a period in which more than 100 million parcels per day are handled, with more than 80% of these parcels being holiday gifts and delivered to residences—the firm reported very strong performance results for FedEx, UPS, and the United States Postal Service (USPS).
National diesel average falls for the fourth straight week, reports EIA
December 16, 2025
With a 5.8-cent decline, the national average, for the week of December 15, came in at $3.607, following a 9.3-cent decline, to $3.758, for the week of December 1.
FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index shows modest growth
December 15, 2025
For October, the most recent month for which data is available, the SCI reading rose to 0.3, after September’s -0.5.
Trucking executives are set to anxiously welcome in New Year amid uncertainty regarding freight demand
December 15, 2025
Top trucking industry executives are hoping 2026 will—finally—be the year when pent-up demand translates into higher freight rates and a return to profitability in both the truckload and less-than-truckload (LTL) sectors.
