Topic: Blogs

A handful of U.S. ports could see their ratings change over the next year, according to Fitch Ratings in its latest U.S. Ports Peer Review.

While this week’s SMC3 Connections conference in Palm Beach, Florida primarily focused on all things supply chain, freight transportation and logistics, the opening keynote of the event given by Mike Walsh, CEO of Tomorrow, a global consultancy, offered up a bit of a different perspective, with themes largely applicable to the business and commerce world we live in on a daily basis.

Congressman Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) introduced bipartisan legislation last week which will create a dedicated revenue source to strengthen America’s economic competitiveness by investing in the rebuilding of our crumbling national freight infrastructure.

If you ask anyone heavily involved in the less-than-truckload (LTL) sector, what their most pressing need or concern is, there is a good chance that you will be told that five more feet of trailer space, from 28 to 33, is at the top of the wish list for a whole host of reasons.

The new Navis survey contains mixed signals among shippers who see the need for change, but may be slow to embrace it.

Nearly $14 billion deal set to not only shake up the grocery sector but also change the sector's supply chain playbook, too.

In an effort to further promote the advantages of a career in supply chain management, APICs has boldly announced the launch of a new expanded Supply Chain STEM Educational Outreach Program aimed at K-12 students.

The National Retail Federation recently condemned a proposal by House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady to phase in a Border Adjustment Tax over five years.

One of the most positive developments so far this year in the global supply chain sector has been the rebound in the fortunes of air cargo.

Maersk Line has introduced a new service for supply chain managers seeking to finance their global trade while optimizing carrier service.

With logistics accounting for nearly 8 percent of total United States GDP at $1.408 trillion, according to the 2016 State of Logistics Report, it is hardly surprising that so many well-known freight transportation and logistics companies again are in the exclusive, and important, 2017 Fortune 500 rankings.

To say this is the hot topic of the day would be a vast understatement. But we already knew that. Another thing that is quickly known and observed is that this move has raised a tremendous amount of tension and ire in an already highly-polarizing political environment.

The Port of Oakland is one outstanding example of how new mega ship trend may have positive impact on operations and the environment

Last week’s news that Uber has officially become a player in the truckload brokerage space, with the introduction of its Uber Freight app, created a ripple effect of sorts.

Brandy Christian began service as the president and CEO at the Port of New Orleans this past January after having spent two years as the port’s chief operating officer.

A Wall Street Journal report last week noted that Amazon intends to “build four massive warehouses to help it deliver bulky appliances and furniture,” as “part of a strategy to expand furniture offerings and speed up delivery times.”

That is why comments made earlier this week by President Trump in which he said he would consider raising the tax got a fair share of attention. The fact that the possibility of the tax being raised was suggested is at the least a good sign, but obviously more needs to be done than just talk about it.

We’ve stayed clear of themed issues over the years because each issue is designed to touch on all of the fundamental logistics management elements every month. But when I re-examined the editorial line up that surrounds our annual “Technology Roundtable” and Webcast this month, it seemed ideal to call this “The Technology Issue.”

While much transportation trade press attention has been given to the predicted purchase of Hamburg Sud by Maersk, the Danish mega carrier has been quietly negotiating a deal with another legendary giant in the information technology sector.

While I may have been on vacation this past week, that in no way means the rest of the industry was, not in the very least to be sure. And while I was out, there was plenty of stuff going on in the freight transportation and logistics sectors, especially as it relates to interesting and relevant data points. Freight data Q1 2017, Freight Transportation update