Logistics Management Magazine Archives

June 2014 Logistics Management

2014 Rail/Intermodal Roundtable: Riding High

Through record-high investments and a keen focus on service, rail and intermodal providers are still delivering on their service promise to shippers—and doing it with improved efficiency. Our panel of top analysts takes a deep dive into what railroads are doing to stay lean and powerful during these still uncertain times.

5 ways to handle peak demand

The rise of e-commerce, more frequent promotions, and competitive service- level agreements are creating more peak periods than ever in the DC. Here’s a look at five strategies companies are using to handle peak demand.

Software Users Survey: Caution lingers

Our new reader survey reveals a cautious approach to supply chain software investment and some lingering uncertainty over the place cloud computing will hold in the greater supply chain solution hierarchy.

2014 Cross-Border Roundtable:
Building the future of hemispheric trade

Trade volumes between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico are massive and growing due in no small part to the fact that manufacturers now treat the continent as one seamless market for production and distribution. Our panelists offer insight into the bright outlook for hemispheric trade.

RFID and the Supply Chain: Measured progress

The RFID market is showing signs of steady growth as companies work to achieve a meaningful return on investment in specific areas of given processes. We chart the technology’s current and future progress.

June 1, 2014 · Through record-high investments and a keen focus on service, rail and intermodal providers are still delivering on their service promise to shippers—and doing it with improved efficiency. Our panel of top analysts takes a deep dive into what railroads are doing to stay lean and powerful during these still uncertain times.
June 1, 2014 · The rise of e-commerce, more frequent promotions, and competitive service-level agreements are creating more peak periods than ever in the DC. Here’s a look at five strategies companies are using to handle peak demand.
June 1, 2014 · Our new reader survey reveals a cautious approach to supply chain software investment and some lingering uncertainty over the place cloud computing will hold in the greater supply chain solution hierarchy.
June 1, 2014 · Trade volumes between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico are massive and growing due in no small part to the fact that manufacturers now treat the continent as one seamless market for production and distribution. Our panelists offer insight into the bright outlook for hemispheric trade.
June 1, 2014 · The RFID market is showing signs of steady growth as companies work to achieve a meaningful return on investment in specific areas of given processes.
June 1, 2014 · Finding the right third-party logistics provider (3PL) always involves considerable due diligence, contend industry experts. But it may also mean leaving an existing partner for a set of collaborators that can deliver on the promise of a seamless global network.
June 1, 2014 · Our team of market leading consultants offers global shippers a strategic approach for optimizing air freight expenditures in a way that simultaneously improves service and capacity.
June 1, 2014 ·
June 1, 2014 ·
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Latest in Logistics

Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger application is filed with the Surface Transportation Board
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.


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