Logistics Management Magazine Archives

June 2018 Logistics Management

In this Issue:

  • Closing the Labor Gap
  • The LMS journey
  • Cross-border preparations
  • The path forward for ERP WMS
  • The Top 50 3PLs: Collaboration now paramount
  • Quarterly Transportation Market Update: Ocean Cargo, Reversal of fortune for rates?
June 7, 2018 · A tight labor market driven by the uptick in e-commerce, increased omni-channel distribution pressures, Baby Boomer attrition and the implementation of game changing technology are pushing logistics management professionals to rethink the way they hire, train and retain valued employees.
June 7, 2018 · The current labor crisis has put a new spin on how logistics professionals are leveraging their labor management systems (LMS) to work more efficiently in today’s e-commerce, omni-channel environment.
June 7, 2018 · There’s nothing static about warehouse management systems from enterprise resource planning suppliers. The user base is expanding at a notable clip, and next-generation supply chain technologies from the Cloud to data analytics and smart glasses are in their future.
June 7, 2018 · Political bluster aside, logistics professionals on all sides of the border agree that careful planning, attention to detail and good partnerships are all key to continued, efficient cross-border transit—no matter who’s in the White House.
June 6, 2018 · Over the past nine years, the number of global ocean cargo carriers operating in multiple trade lanes has dropped from 21 to 12—yet the container industry remains only marginally competitive. Shippers, meanwhile, are demanding better service in all vessel deployments.
June 6, 2018 · As the e-commerce juggernaut creates more complexity for today’s logistics managers, finding the right mix of 3PLs with the essential integrated services has never been more important. Experts agree that this is a shared journey with new rules of engagement.
June 6, 2018 · Over the past few years, we’ve used our June issue to address the importance of continuing education and the steps logistics management professionals can take to help recruit, nurture and retain the single most valuable asset of any organization—its people.
June 6, 2018 · Done right, economies of scale can lower a carrier’s average costs and the freight rates charged to their customers. Getting it right is a balance.
June 6, 2018 · Future pricing leverage worrisome
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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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