In this Issue:
- 2022 Rate Outlook: Up,Up, and Away
- Freight payments: All systems go
- TMS proves its worth
- Staying current on global trade
- Robotics' second wave
- 2021 Virtual Summit Recap
Logistics Management Magazine Archives
January 2021 Logistics Management
January 13, 2022 · Irrespective of mode, rates will be escalating, with carriers controlling capacity and exercising leverage like never before. Given the shortage of manpower and labor pools across the spectrum of global logistics, managers will be struggling this year.
January 12, 2022 · The 17th year that Logistics Management has produced our Rate Outlook print feature and follow-up webcast (Jan. 27) combination.
January 11, 2022 · Amid shortages and disruptions, e-commerce orders are on fire at the same time as brick-and-mortar sales are heating up. Retailers are looking to technology and innovative strategies to keep up.
January 10, 2022 · Getting more out of lift truck telematics involves looking beyond basics and starting to incorporate analytics fed by integration with other systems. By marrying up telematics data from the trucks with operations data, or with real-time location feeds, users stand to benefit.
January 6, 2022 · Ongoing pandemic effects, data utilization and changing logistics patterns are driving an industry that’s quickly adapting and anticipating shipper needs. The state of freight payment is healthy and growing with an emphasis on global trends, better data utilization and micro-logistics.
January 6, 2022 · Managing transportation just got harder. Here’s how TMS is proving its worth in an otherwise challenging environment.
January 6, 2022 · Shippers who are current on the global trade landscape are assets to their service partners and customers. Our global trade expert provides us with a review of the key trade topics that should be top of mind as we enter 2022.
January 6, 2022 · Identifying the strategies, technology and automated tools necessary for continued logistics and supply chain management success.
January 6, 2022 · As robotics become more widely deployed and some operations begin to use fleets from multiple vendors, more of the talk is about software-related issues like integration and less on the workings of the robot hardware itself.
January 6, 2022 · We’re in a perfect storm with the global supply chain—and 2022 is shaping up to be even more challenging.
January 5, 2022 · Shippers of all sizes should be reviewing their freight payment process. If you’re not getting routine data automatically with each paperless freight transaction, you’re doing freight payment and not freight settlement. What stage are you in?
December 2, 2021 · For it is here that the most glaring examples of port congestion are evident, with container vessels visible for miles anchored offshore waiting to enter major Pacific Rim cargo gateways.
November 30, 2021 · The last year and a half has pushed many logistics and supply chain operations to the brink, ushering in capacity, pricing, inventory, fulfillment, labor and global trade challenges that many have never seen before.
November 8, 2021 · As shippers and carriers work to adjust to the “new abnormal,” some of the industry’s top experts share their insights on what’s around the next corner for freight management—and what new trends may emerge by 2030.
November 8, 2021 · After a fire destroyed its warehouse, Mount Adams Fruit came back with one of the few automated facilities in the industry, including AS/RS and robotic palletizing.
November 8, 2021 · Economic recovery and pandemic relief upstage harsher rules on truckers, as the overall industry applauds productivity goals. In the meantime, big environmental rules loom at EPA, while one large TL carrier wants to speed up the process to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License.
November 8, 2021 · This marks the 11th year that we’ve devoted the majority of our November pages to the most dominant—and most complex—mode of transportation: motor freight.
November 8, 2021 · Constraints on capacity and bullish demand send truckload carriers rolling into 2022 with “very robust” market conditions. However, carriers remain concerned about finding drivers, higher equipment costs, tight supplies, and infrastructure delays. Times are good for carriers, but challenges remain.
November 4, 2021 · With capacity tight and trucking volumes steady, DFM continues to make inroads for shippers looking for much needed service.
November 4, 2021 · To better deal with growing protectionism and the need for higher agility, logistics managers must incorporate regional designs into their global networks without diluting the cost or competitive advantages of existing relationships.
November 2, 2021 · Capex budgets and headcount are both up amid signs of expansion. But underneath those positives are strains, led by concerns about labor and inventory turns. Applying more technology, say respondents, is the path forward.
November 2, 2021 · Historically, transportation regulations were focused on pricing. For about 90 years the U.S. government monitored, and occasionally enforced, rate reasonableness. Starting with rail, and later expanding on to highway and air modes, the government tried to ensure national coverage and fair pricing.
November 2, 2021 · In a post-pandemic world, supply chains must be embedded with transparency, resilience and sustainability— or brands risk their own longevity.
October 13, 2021 · Four of the nation’s top market analysts examine the current state of the freight railroad and intermodal markets, including the ongoing impact of the pandemic as well as visibility into pricing and service levels over the next year.
October 13, 2021 · A common thread to technology such as telematics and fleet software, operator assist features, and motive power advancements is the positive impact these technologies have on getting more work done, in a safer manner, for the operator.
October 13, 2021 · As the fulfillment environment becomes increasingly connected, the lift truck battery has become a new focal point for companies that want to get the longest life and usage out of their investments.
October 12, 2021 · How to prepare a flexible response framework for the next disaster.
October 12, 2021 · E-commerce fulfillment is changing—fast. Not only are consumer buying patterns evolving, but digital platforms are accelerating online consumption and redefining business models across the globe.
October 12, 2021 · The global pandemic turned supply chains on end. Here are five inventory management strategies organizations can use now to both manage current volatility and optimize for the future.
October 12, 2021 · If your company is still not utilizing the FTZ program, now is a good time to consider how it can benefit your company and your local economy.
October 12, 2021 · Shippers relying on maritime operators to get their goods to market have been slammed in recent months. Meanwhile container carriers are looking at 50%-plus percentage gains in revenue.
October 11, 2021 · Supply chain executives should reflect on past challenges to identify potential areas of weakness and continue innovating for the future, with a resilient supply chain top of mind.
October 11, 2021 · While there’s no designated theme in October, one can’t help but notice that our feature stories this month highlight the ongoing ripple effect of the pandemic and how the challenges that unfolded in its wake still persist at every link in the supply chain.
October 11, 2021 · The convenience of getting products delivered quickly will be greatly enhanced by the ideal of supporting local businesses and workers like Sam.
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
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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.
