Logistics Management Magazine Archives

October 2018 Logistics Management

In this Issue:

  • 8th Annual Rail/Intermodal Roundtable: Work in Progress
  • Breakbulk sector poised for a rebound
  • Find a balanced 3PL provider
  • Top 35 Ocean Carriers: Turnaround Time?
  • European Logistics Update: Despite headwinds, opportunity thrives
October 30, 2018 ·
October 30, 2018 · Carriers say Washington is now listening to the industry, and they believe the winds of regulatory change are finally blowing in favor of trucking. However, balancing industry needs with safety reforms remains an ongoing challenge.
October 30, 2018 · Softening the impact of tariffs by utilizing Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs) has long been an attractive option for savvy shippers. But in today’s world of sudden changes in trade policies, the practice may need to be more widely embraced.
October 30, 2018 · The wave of laws and regulatory sunsetting that marked the 1980s seems like obscure history to the current crop of transportation managers and analysts.
October 4, 2018 · Volumes are strong and steady, service is improving, yet our panel of the nation’s foremost rail experts says that there’s still plenty of work to be done on the nation’s rails to help shippers fill what’s now a massive capacity need.
October 4, 2018 · Planning for the inevitable will ensure low costs, high productivity and improved safety across your lift truck fleet.
October 4, 2018 · Carrying excess inventory comes at a high cost, but so too do stock-outs and lost customers. Here’s how inventory management software is helping shippers bridge the inventory gap and come out ahead.
October 3, 2018 · The growing driver shortage, capacity imbalances, federal government regulations, meteoric e-commerce growth and overall robust economic conditions are all wreaking havoc on ground transportation costs and causing multiple pain points for nearly everyone moving freight domestically or internationally.
October 3, 2018 · As more vessels are scrapped and new ships are launched, industry analysts are forecasting a long overdue rebound in the breakbulk sector.
October 3, 2018 · When the “3PL Value Creation/North America Summit 2018” convenes in Chicago this month, shippers will hear from a diverse group of industry experts on how to drive the best deals with their lead providers in both the global and domestic arenas.
October 3, 2018 · The continued rise in fuel prices and chartering rates had a negative impact on the earnings of the top tier carriers for most of 2018. But as new alliances mature, industry experts are forecasting a modest improvement by next year.
October 3, 2018 · The evolution of autonomous vessels and the need for improved liquid natural gas (LNG) transport and delivery are shaping the future of European logistics—and opening new doors for cooperation between the EU and the United States. Stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic say that it’s time for more collaboration, not confrontation.
October 3, 2018 · Peter Moore on Ocean Carrier breakbulk upgrades
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Latest in Logistics Management

Understanding the FTC’s ban on noncompetes
Crowell & Moring law partner Stefan Meisner discussed the recent decision by the Federal Trade Commission to ban noncompete agreements.

UPS rolls out fuel surcharge increases
Earlier this week, Atlanta-based global freight transportation and logistics services provider UPS announced it is increasing fuel surcharges for various service offerings, including UPS Ground Domestic, UPS SurePost, and UPS Domestic Air

U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes, for week of April 20, are mixed, reports AAR
Rail carloads, at 216,945, fell 6.7% annually, and intermodal containers and trailers, at 257,599 units, rose 8.2% annually.

Baltimore suing ship that crashed into bridge, closing port, costing jobs
The city of Baltimore is suing the owners of the cargo ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse and closing the Port of Baltimore for months.

Intermodal growth volume remains intact in March, reports IANA
Total March volume, at 1,464,782 units, increased 6.7% annually, below February’s 14.6% annual increase, while topping November, December, and January, which saw gains of 3.8%, 6.4%, and 5.5%, respectively.   

Descartes announces acquisition of Dublin, Ireland-based Aerospace Software Developments
Earlier this week, Waterloo, Ontario-based Descartes, a provider of logistics based on-demand, software-as-a-service offerings, continued to flex its M&A muscle, acquiring Dublin, Ireland-based Aerospace Software Developments, a provider of customs and regulatory compliance service.

Amid ongoing unexpected events, supply chains continue to readjust and adapt
Expecting the unexpected going back to the onset of the pandemic in March 2020 has really been a part of supply chain and logistics lexicon. As we know, there were many logistics and supply chain “lessons learned” coming out of the pandemic, which clearly still remain intact today, especially including the need for supply chain resiliency and preparedness, as well as flexible and nimble deployment of labor, assets, and technology, among others.

Shipment and expenditure decreases trend down, notes Cass Freight Index
March’s shipment reading, at 1.113, fell 3.6% annually, down from February’s 4.5% decrease and January’s 7.6% decline.

March trucking tonnage trends down, reports ATA
The ATA’s advanced Seasonally Adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index fell 2%, to 113.4 (2015=100), following a 4% February gain, to 115.7, and a 3.2% January decline.

FTR Shippers Conditions Index enters negative territory
For February, the most recent month for which data is available, the SCI reading came in at -1.4, below January’s 3.4, which was 3% below December’s 6.4 reading and also below November’s 6.3.

DAT March Truckload Volume Index sees modest March gains
From February to March, the the van TVI, at 260, was up 4%, with the refrigerated TVI, at 200, up 2.6%, and the flatbed TVI, at 242, up 4.4%.

National diesel average, for week of April 22, is down for the second straight week
For the week of April 22, the national average fell 2.3 cents, to $3.922. This followed a 2.3-cent decrease, to $4.015 per gallon, for the week of April 15, which was preceded by a 6.5-cent increase, to $4.004, for the week of April 8.

UPS reports first quarter earnings decline
Quarterly consolidated revenue, at $21.7 billion, fell 5.3% annually, and adjusted earnings per share, at $1.43, saw a 35.0% annual decline. Consolidated quarterly operating profit came in at $1.6 billion, which was off 36.5% annually.

LM Podcast Series: Assessing the freight transportation and logistics markets with Tom Nightingale, AFS Logistics
During this podcast, Nightingale provided a detailed overview of the new Cowen/AFS Freight Index report and variuous market issues.

Investor expectations continue to influence supply chain decision-making
More shareholders are expecting supply chains to become resilient to protect the bottom line.


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