In this Issue:
- 2021 Rate Outlook: Higher rates ahead
- Freight Payment 2021: Data analysis for all
- Key trade topics for 2021?
- Is now the time for robotic lift trucks?
- Special Report: Implementing "touchless" DCs
- Virtual Summit wrap up
Logistics Management Magazine Archives
January 2020 Logistics Management
January 11, 2021 · While rate hikes are a certainty in 2021, Burnson adds that all parties need to keep their eyes peeled on the oil and fuel markets in the near future as the Biden administration steps into the White House.
January 8, 2021 · Shippers who are current on the global trade landscape are assets to their service partners and clients. Our global trade expert provides us with a review of the key trade topics that should be top of mind as we enter 2021.
January 8, 2021 · Though robotic industrial trucks are still a small slice of the market, expectations are growing for them as operations seek to speed up their processes while lessening the struggle of trying to find enough operators.
January 7, 2021 · Freight payment providers are upbeat heading into recovery, offering a diverse menu of solutions designed to take cost out of freight transportation by helping shippers of all sizes to “think strategically, not transactionally.”
January 7, 2021 · Freight transportation providers responded to COVID-19 pressures heroically, becoming leaner, more collaborative and efficient. Patrick Burnson reports that while this is good news for the nation’s freight network, shippers should expect significantly higher rates across all modes in the months ahead as the world moves through recovery.
January 6, 2021 · The ability to automate DC operations by employing AI technologies that include a closer convergence of WCS, WES and WMS solutions is on the horizon. Designing touchless operations that reduce the dependence on traditional labor sources will better position supply chains in their quest to provide an uninterrupted flow of goods and improved resiliency.
January 6, 2021 · With the right actions, supply chain leaders can turn supply chain disruption into meaningful change and build long-term resilience to outmaneuver uncertainty and achieve growth. Those that do will achieve competitive advantage now and in the future.
January 6, 2021 · My humble advice to all logistics professionals: Pay attention to blockchain
December 14, 2020 · Group News Editor Jeff Berman believes that these are the stories that best summarize the wild ride of 2020 in logistics and transportation management.
December 14, 2020 · Forget the new normal. Think instead of a new beginning to transform supply chains.
December 14, 2020 · These are just a few things we’ll be watching over the course of what we hope will be a much more uplifting and positive 2021.
November 18, 2020 · Wanting to offset capacity shortages, rising freight rates and other roadblocks, more companies are turning to technology and collaborating with their partners across the entire freight management continuum.
November 16, 2020 · This marks the 10th year that we’ve devoted the lion’s share of our November pages to perhaps the most dominant—and by far the most complex—mode of transportation: motor freight.
November 16, 2020 · NorthShore Care Supply is using AMRs to automate pick-to-cart processes, while still using the cart.
November 13, 2020 · As warehouse and DC operators find new ways to manage the impacts of the global pandemic, automatic identification and data capture solutions continue to play an important role in their digital transformation journeys.
November 13, 2020 · While the Trump administration has ushered in a more relaxed regulatory atmosphere, the trucking industry understands that can quickly flip if power in the White House and Congress change hands.
November 13, 2020 · Specialty packaged food company leverages load matching app to meet 100% volume growth during the pandemic—and saves thousands in the process.
November 11, 2020 · Hemispheric trade got a big boost when a new cross-border agreement was crafted and signed, but now U.S. shippers must turn their attention
to ongoing tensions in Asia and the looming impact made by Brexit.
November 11, 2020 · Trucking is seeing a big bounce back in demand, and tight capacity puts TL carriers in control of rates—but longer-term issues remain. Who will supply the necessary pool of drivers? And will a new spike in the pandemic drive another slowdown?
November 11, 2020 · The pace of change wrought by e-commerce on warehousing/DC operations has been increasing for several years, but now the pandemic has kicked it into overdrive.
November 9, 2020 · The current regulatory philosophy is to be “hands off” on market entry and pricing.
November 9, 2020 · There are more questions than answers, but it’s fourth and long, and the punt team is coming out onto the field….again.
November 9, 2020 · Scaling these solutions is no longer an option—it’s a competitive necessity.
November 9, 2020 · This growing source of competition for valuable discretionary cargo is yet another wake-up call, especially for the Ports of LA, Long Beach, Seattle and Tacoma.
October 7, 2020 · Three leading intermodal analysts take a deep dive into how the sector has turned the corner, as service levels and volumes are now showing strong signs of recovery.
October 6, 2020 · The shiny new technology may be autonomous lift trucks, but the driverless truck is far from the only trend—and may not be the best step for some operations. Other technologies, including fleet management and telematics, cameras and virtual reality training present a spectrum of technologies that can make lift truck operations more efficient.
October 6, 2020 · 2020 marks the 15th year that we’re offering our readers a line up of educational sessions (going live on Dec. 10) designed to prepare logistics and supply chain operations for the year to come.
October 6, 2020 · Although a fleet’s power source is often taken for granted, the benefits of adding, changing or replacing power sources can have far-reaching operational impacts.
October 5, 2020 · While shippers work to overcome the challenges introduced by COVID-19 and settle into this new world, a focused approach bridged by digital capabilities will help bring some semblance of order out of the uncertainty. Here are three areas to consider on your way to stabilization.
October 5, 2020 · RTLS technology combined with the continued evolution of WMS user interfaces promises to take inventory management to a new level by allowing improved visibility and control. Here’s how RTLS may end up helping inventory management, alongside proven methods like vigorous bar code data collection and validation of moves within WMS.
October 5, 2020 · By utilizing foreign trade zones this year, U.S. shippers can save time, money and lower their risk window when doing business with manufacturers in Mexico and Canada.
October 5, 2020 · Industry experts maintain that ocean carriers may have finally figured out how to make money this year, as sluggish demand last summer made sustainable pricing more important than ever. Shippers now can’t afford to miss vital bookings this peak
season, thereby committing to contracts early.
October 5, 2020 · Make the business case for transportation management.
September 18, 2020 · One tradition that will continue this year regardless of the pandemic is the release of the “Annual Study of Logistics and Transportation Trends,” a study that Logistics Management refers to as “The Masters of Logistics.”
September 16, 2020 · While technology is a key part of digital transformation in logistics and transportation, strategy, structure and processes must be aligned accordingly to create value for the company and its supply chain partners.
September 16, 2020 · That was the goal of Scandinavian retailer Varner. The result is a most highly automated, omni-channel retail distribution center that is also flexible, cost-effective, ergonomic and sustainable.
September 16, 2020 · Now more than ever, the international cold chain community feels a need to come together to evaluate the lessons learned from the pandemic. At the same time, stakeholders are rethinking industry fundamentals and examining the role digitalization, automation and other technology innovations will play in the future.
September 15, 2020 · A mobile technology “arms race” is underway as companies re-imagine their supply chains, incorporate more mobility solutions into those networks, and work harder to future-proof their business models.
September 15, 2020 · The future of the third-party domestic transportation management market is now centered on creating digital experiences, workflow automation, and optimizing customer and carrier focused service performance. Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening in what many call the most dynamic segment in logistics.
September 14, 2020 · How Software-as-a-Service (Saas) took over the supply chain software market, where it stands now and how far we have to go before the supply chain is truly autonomous.
September 14, 2020 · When discussing the current state of freight forwarding, industry analysts say we might as well table the merger and acquisition talk that dominated 2019. This year, it’s all about global resiliency as the pandemic continues to disrupt—and sometimes destroy—the most carefully laid plans.
September 14, 2020 · We’ll begin to see a new postal service that balances its current dedication to delivery everywhere, every day with a level of efficiency that makes it sustainable without an annual labor cost supplement.
September 14, 2020 · Fast and free delivery is a race to the top. And it’s one that retailers and parcel delivery organizations must join—now.
August 12, 2020 · The staff of Logistics Management (LM) is honored to present the logistics and transportation community with the results of our 37th Annual Quest for Quality Survey
August 12, 2020 · When demand heads up, trucking will be there, moving goods through the bloodstream of the American economy.
August 12, 2020 · It would be in the best interest of all parties to speed up the adoption of digital standards and platforms for demand planning, tracking and settlement for all modes of transport.
August 12, 2020 · During the interim, shippers can expect ample capacity for moving product at rates not seen for quite some time.
August 12, 2020 · Multinational distribution firm shares how its ERP/WMS integration helped to streamline its quick-turnaround fulfillment process, reduce human touches on every order and create an exceptional workplace for its employees.
August 12, 2020 · If there’s one lesson to learn, it’s that supply chains must now become more resilient. And as more companies consider reshoring to the United States, there are many things to consider beyond just making the economics work.
August 11, 2020 · With the e-commerce boom during the pandemic, there’s very little available warehouse/DC space—consequently, developers continue to build at a bullish pace.
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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.
