Topic: Blogs

While the truckload spot market finished 2020 from a position of strength, in that it hit various highs, DAT Freight and Analytics recently pointed out that spot rates have subsequently fallen 10% since the end of the year and are pegged to head down another 8%-to-10% in the coming weeks.

Higher rates, tight capacity, and a lack of empty container availability are major factors the current state of the global ocean container market.

As e-commerce demand surges and consumers continue to shop online at a record-setting pace, companies can scale packaging operations to enhance brand experiences and manage costs.

It stands to reason that when assessing the current state of many supply chain-, freight- and logistics-related trends and themes, that, in many cases, there is more uncertainty than certainty. That is somewhat of a blanket statement to be sure, but it does not lessen its credence either.

With most everyone back in the (home or actual) office after what can truly be viewed as a year for the ages, for more reasons than were even remotely conceivable a year ago at this time, it is time to buckle up for what should be an incredibly interesting 2021 in the logistics, freight transportation, and supply chain sectors.

As global logistics managers know, the world is seeing the greatest displacement of peoples for over half a century. Indeed, millions are fleeing from war, persecution and poverty, while the proliferation of crises and needs is becoming extraordinary as are the dramatic humanitarian consequences.

The lack of real movement relating to U.S. exports continues to remain a major concern for supply chain stakeholders.

Well, that has clearly changed now, given that dry ice is, and will continue to be, a key factor in keeping doses of many COVID-19 vaccinations at the required temperatures needed, in order for them to be effective.

An article in The Wall Street Journal this week explained that freight transportation and logistics bellwether UPS “imposed shipping restrictions” on a few large retailers like Gap Inc., LL Bean, Nike, and a few others should not come as a total surprise. The reason for that, as we all know, is that with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic leading to a major increase in online shopping, parcel networks have been constrained and restricted, in terms of the amount of available capacity...

With the outcome of the election all but certain, at this point, there is now a pivot to the future, in many ways, especially on the freight transportation front. One area in which this has a freight transportation-related policy tone is surface transportation infrastructure, which was the focus of a webcast hosted earlier this week by Washington, D.C.-based law firm Venable LLP.

The National Retail Federation is calling for an expected 3.6%-to-5.2% annual gain, to between $755.3 billion and $766.7 billion in total sales. In 2019, total U.S. holiday retail sales saw a 4% annual gain, to $729.1 billion, with holiday sales seeing an average annual gain of 3.5% over the last five years.

A recurring narrative related to the United States Postal Service (USPS) over the last several quarters pertains to how even though the organization continues to fight an uphill battle, as evidenced by ongoing steep quarterly losses, its Shipping and Packages Group continues to see increases. That was evident in its fiscal year 2020 results.

It goes without saying that President Donald Trump and President-Elect Joe Biden did not see eye-to-eye on pretty much anything while on the campaign trail. Now that the election is (apparently) over, some light is starting to be shed on Biden’s policy initiatives. One part of this that has already received some attention relates to the environment, with Biden indicating that after he is inaugurated in January the United States will rejoin the Paris Agreement, which the U.S....

With most everyone (assumingly) still recovering from election malaise, of one type or another, and the results of the Presidential election (seemingly) in and official, it is time to think about what may come next, specifically, in the form of a Biden Administration, effective January 2021, as it relates to all things logistics. There will be a lot to sort through, and a lot of ground will be covered by the Biden transition team between now and then, but, given current...

While we all know 2020 is truly a year unlike any other, there are many themes that are indicating that will also be the case for this year’s Peak Season. That was made clear on the “Code Red” webcast hosted last week by NASSTRAC, CSCMP, and TranzAct Technologies.

Even though parcel networks are already operating in Peak Season-like conditions—and really have been going back to last spring—when a vaccine arrives, it will take precedence, for parcel carriers, over delivering your holiday orders to your doorstep. As it should, no question about it.

This goes back to just how different 2020 is shaping up to be, from a shopping, shipping and e-commerce logistics perspective, make no mistake. As has been widely reported, shopping in malls and retail locations is really not an option for many people, for multiple reasons. And, taking that a step further, there has been more than a few examples of what may in store over the coming weeks, as it relates to what is different and what that could mean.

While the National Football League’s season is ostensibly on the brink of shuttering, due to the issues related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the game of political football inside the nation’s capital remains alive and well. That was made more than clear in late September, at the end of the fiscal year, when the White House signed a one-year continuing resolution for the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, the five-year federal surface transportation authorization, which was...

A recent blog by Vivek Vaid, Chief Technology officer, for Chicago-based FourKites, observed that consumer packaged goods (CPG), food and beverage (F&B), and retail payments are leading the way for shipments and “continue to drive overall growth in shipment volumes across the U.S., with a huge surge in less-than-truckload and parcel shipments.”

A new Mercator study notes that U.S. West Coast ports have been experiencing a loss of market share of discretionary cargo to Vancouver and Prince Rupert for well over a decade.