In this Issue:
- 33rd Annual Study of Logistics and Transportation Trends: Puzzling path forward
- Cold chain’s complex dance
- Optimize your yard
- Boscov’s DC modernization
- Supply chain management software
- Top 25 Freight Forwarders
Logistics Management Magazine Archives
September 2024 Logistics Management
September 1, 2024 · FitFlop’s global expansion strategy required a different logistics approach to maximize its growing popularity in the United States. Through its new 3PL partnership, it created an innovative footwear force to be reckoned with.
September 1, 2024 · Supply chain management applications have helped transform how companies operate and promise to be even more transformative in the coming years.
September 1, 2024 · The world’s top freight forwarders apply technology at break-neck speed to help navigate through continued global economic bumps—and get ready for a likely return to growth.
September 1, 2024 · Labor market woes and changing customer demands continue to push food and beverage companies to explore new solutions, including automation and robotics.
September 1, 2024 · Ready to ditch the manual operation? Here’s a look at the increasingly important role that yard management systems play in the smooth, efficient running of overall logistics operations.
September 1, 2024 · A complete modernization of the sortation and conveyance at Boscov’s DC, along with updated software and a new order processing area, have transformed the ability of the department store chain’s DC to move more cartons in less time, while permitting more frequent replenishment shipment for stores.
September 1, 2024 · The article discusses the rapid evolution of digital supply chains, highlighting how technological advancements and AI are transforming supply chain performance by enabling real-time data utilization, connected networks, and optimized decision-making.
September 1, 2024 · Logistics professionals navigating their path forward face challenging market conditions, an evolving regulatory environment, a rapidly changing technology landscape, and an increasingly competitive labor market. Our research team puts context around this year’s findings and offers insight to help shippers fit the pieces together.
September 1, 2024 · The Annual Study of Logistics and Transportation Trends highlights the growing importance of technology adoption, talent management, and automation in logistics operations while emphasizing the need for continuous training and addressing the ongoing labor crisis.
Not a subscriber? Apply online today.
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.
