SMC3

The 34th Annual Study of Logistics and Transportation Trends reveals a growing disconnect in the industry, as logistics professionals recognize challenges from AI adoption, workforce shortages, and tariff disruptions but struggle to take effective action. This year’s findings highlight gaps in technology implementation, workforce development, and operational strategies, offering critical insights for shippers aiming to bridge the knowing-doing gap.

LM Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently spoke with Tim Hotze, Senior Vice President Operations Planning, Network Steering and Optimization, for Target, at the SMC3 Connections conference in Salt Lake City last month. Hotze provided a detailed overview of key facets of Target's supply chain and logistics operations, including: sourcing, tariffs, AI, and Peak Season, among other topics.

With the NMFC classification changes coming up, is your team prepared to face the impacts?

This study was conducted by Peerless Research Group on behalf of Logistics Management . The purpose of this research is to continue to better understand LTL shipping practices and the importance managing various aspects of LTL shipments and transportation.

This year’s Supply Chain Outlook Virtual Summit gives attendees the strategies, technologies, and automation tools required for ongoing success in modern logistics, transportation, and supply chain management environments.

The webinar provides insights from freight industry experts on the U.S. freight economy, rate and capacity forecasts across major transport modes, and strategies to help shippers budget effectively amidst ongoing market volatility.

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.

In a wide-ranging presentation at the SMC3 Connections conference, which was recently held in Colorado Springs, Co., Satish Jindel, principal of Pittsburgh-based SJ Consulting Group, took a deep dive into the current state of the less-than-truckload (LTL) market. Jindel addressed various aspects of the LTL market, including the impact of Yellow’s exit roughly a year ago, industry supply and demand, and opportunities for shippers, carriers, other stakeholders to work together, and changes in the parcel sector posing a threat...

Amid a mixed economic outlook, three less-than-truckload (LTL) executives examined various business drivers, in terms of how they are impacting LTL market and economic conditions, at SMC3 Connections conference, which was recently held in Colorado Springs, Co. The session’s panelists included: Dennis Anderson, Chief Strategy Officer, ArcBest; John Luciani, COO, LTL Solutions, A. Duie Pyle; and Kent Williams, EVP, Sales and Marketing, Averitt.

When looking at inventory-to-sales ratios, Prather stressed that they are typically viewed at a “high level,” for things like total business, manufacturing, retailers, or wholesale trade. But he cautioned that is not enough, because one needs to take a deeper look at individual sector indices, especially when it comes to the less-than-truckload (LTL) sector.

The 2024 Less-than-Truckload (LTL) survey explores how shippers collaborate with LTL carriers to secure necessary capacity while addressing new challenges, with insights into contract rate trends, e-commerce impacts, management strategies, spot contract usage, shipment volumes, and respondent demographics.

When posed the question of if there is really strong product consumption, coupled with consumers spending, why is that not being felt in the freight market, Prather explained that based on looking at data going back multiple decades, at time, freight transportation and the general economy get disconnected from one another.

Get ahead of the game with our panel of analysts, discussing freight transportation rates and capacity fluctuations for the coming year. Join us now!

In the LTL world, that first freight quote doesn’t always reflect the final cost of moving goods from origin to destination.

Company is offering five courses with once-a-week sessions and on-demand components