Logistics Management Magazine Archives

June 2023 Logistics Management

In this Issue:

  • Logistics Labor: Increasing retention
  • Private fleet growth soars
  • Improving productivity with LMS
  • Cross-border business booms
  • Top 50 3PLs: Ripe market conditions
  • Transportation Market Update: Ocean shipping returns to per-pandemic status
June 5, 2023 · To better manage through the constrained labor market, logistics operations are courting more women and other diverse job candidates; ramping up their training programs; investing in automation; and ensuring that positions offer the work-life balance that many new recruits are seeking.
June 5, 2023 · Voice-directed solutions do more than translate pick lists in voice instructions. These solutions are multi-modal, using wearable scanners and Android device screens when appropriate, and have evolved to handle work execution functions and integrate with mobile robots.
June 5, 2023 · There were hordes of robots at ProMat 2023, but what are they doing for operations in terms of high-value applications, and how do they integrate to help material flow? To find out, we asked a few exhibitors about the top warehouse robotic apps and trends.
June 5, 2023 · We take a deeper dive behind the numbers to examine why private fleets have had eight consecutive years of consistent growth in four key metrics—shipments, volume, value, and miles-run.
June 5, 2023 · Companies of all sizes are leveraging labor management systems to detect workforce issues, improve asset utilization, and incentivize employees across a distributed network.
June 5, 2023 · What has been called “phenomenal” growth in near-shoring will only increase cross-border trade as manufacturers seek sites closer to their markets. While freight transportation providers are streamlining cross-border moves with strong data, partnerships, and expertise, there’s still a lot shippers need to understand before setting up a long-term strategy.
June 5, 2023 · This is a game-changing transformation for transportation, with much the same impact of the jump from sail to steam power and steam to diesel propulsion.
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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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