Logistics Management Magazine Archives

April 2019 Logistics Management

In this Issue:

  • 35th Annual Salary Survey: Money matters
  • Air cargo picks up speed
  • YMS: Achieve high visibility
  • European Logistics: The chaos of uncertainty
  • The Top 50 Trucking Companies: Working to stay on top
April 5, 2019 · While job satisfaction remains the primary reason for today’s logistics managers to stay with one company, salaries are barely keeping pace with inflation. With the aging of the industry’s workforce, this trend will need a correction.
April 5, 2019 · This month we roll out the findings of Logistics Management’s 35th Annual Salary Survey, a research project conducted by Peerless Research Group (PRG) that serves as the foundation of our best-read editorial feature of our publishing year. And it’s no surprise that the full study is also the most downloaded PRG report.
April 4, 2019 · New types of “edge” technologies promise new options for real-time location insights. Learn how these emerging forms of data capture might supplement traditional AIDC as well as the importance of software platforms, analytics and applications that take advantage of real-time location data.
April 4, 2019 · Air cargo demand lost momentum toward the end of 2018 in the face of weakening global trade, sagging consumer confidence and geopolitical headwinds. Still, demand grew by 3.5% compared to 2017—which was also a banner year.
April 3, 2019 · Having trucks backed up in the yard waiting to be loaded or unloaded can get pretty expensive. Yard management systems (YMS) help fill the gaps and create better supply chain efficiencies.
April 3, 2019 · Various scenarios for Brexit are being discussed in advance of Britain’s departure from the EU. In the meantime, shippers, ports, and transportation and logistics providers have all launched a number of initiatives in order to prepare for the worst-case scenario: the“hard Brexit.”
April 3, 2019 · Logistics Management’s Jeff Berman recently caught up with UPS Freight President Rich McArdle on a wide variety of topics, including LTL pricing.
April 3, 2019 · A recent report issued by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) questions if the driver shortage is as bad as it’s purported to be within industry circles.
April 3, 2019 · The nation’s top carriers are making every effort to extend the trucking rally, satisfy customer needs and differentiate themselves in a cutthroat market.
April 2, 2019 · Exclusive column by Peter Moore discussing the LTL and Airfreight markets.
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Latest in Logistics Management

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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The Next Big Steps in Supply Chain Digitalization
Technology continues to advance and new developments are building on the foundation that is now in place in many supply chains. Here are five of the most significant advances shaping the next wave of digitalization.

Under-21 driver pilot program a bust with fleets as FMCSA seeks changes
The FMSCA says only 113 motor carriers have applied for its under-21 truck driver apprenticeship program since July 2022. That is a very disappointing turnout for an initiative that the government had expected to recruit up to 1,000 carriers and 3,000 drivers.

Diesel back over $4 a gallon; Mideast tensions, other worries cited
Diesel prices are back over $4 a gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) weekly, on-highway survey of prices at 73,000 service stations and 9,500 truck stops around the country. Average diesel prices rose by 6.5 cents, increasing to $4.06 per gallon as of Monday, April 8. The Western states of Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington saw the highest average price increase for the period, rising 11 cents to $4.26 per gallon.

Four U.S. railroads file challenges against FRA’s two-person crew mandate, says report
Following the issuing of a final rule by the United States Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) earlier this month, establishing establishes minimum safety requirements for train crew sizes, with the new rule requiring a second crew member on all trains, four U.S.-based railroads are calling on federal appeals courts to toss out the rule, calling it “arbitrary, capricious, and an illegal abuse of discretion,” according to an Associated Press report.

XPO opens up three new services acquired through auction of Yellow’s properties and assets
XPO opened up three of the 28 service center locations it acquired through an early December court-supervised auction, in which a dozen trucking companies bought properties that resold about three-fourths of Yellow’s properties for a total of just under $1.9 billion.

FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index weakens, due to fuel price gains
For February, the most recent month for which data is available, the TCI reading came in a -5.31, down from January’s -1.41, which was ahead of December’s -4.3.

U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are mixed, for week ending April 6, reports AAR
Rail carloads, at 209,142, were off 4.5% annually, and intermodal containers and trailers, at 241,000 units, increased 7.6% annually.


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