Logistics Management Magazine Archives

March 2023 Logistics Management

In this Issue:

  • E-commerce & Freight: Balancing new patterns of demand
  • 2023 Parcel Express Roundtable
  • The Evolution of WMS
  • WDC Equipment Survey: Tighter budgets prompt targeted spend
  • LTL volumes down, yields up
  • U.S. Ports: Challenges persist, volumes dip
March 14, 2023 · We speak with a number of logistics experts to capture their views on the overall impact that e-commerce is having on moving the nation’s freight. One thing is for certain: The current level and speed of churn has irrevocably altered the pattern so many had become accustomed to managing.
March 14, 2023 · Two of the trends making an impact on reverse logistics besides the increase of e-commerce and the increased focus on customer centricity—are the circular economy and robotics. Here are some suggestions for transforming your reverse process to meet today’s pressing demands.
March 13, 2023 · Three of our top parcel industry sources offer their respective takes on the most consumer-facing segment of freight transportation and logistics parcel and last-mile delivery. Even though pandemic-related conditionshave changed, high pricing remains, which is increasingly putting shippers in the position of carefully considering their options.
March 13, 2023 · A long-time mainstay in productive warehouse environments, WMS is more than proving its value in today’s resource constrained business environment.
March 13, 2023 · After a banner year for materials handling automation indicators last year, our annual equipment outlook survey reveals a more conservative approach to spending on automation, equipment and related software—however, the indicators didn’t decline drastically.
March 13, 2023 · Once again, we’re using the March issue of Logistics Management to take a closer look at how the ongoing growth of e-commerce continues to influence the various modes, services and operations practices that make our logistics and freight transportation networks function.
March 12, 2023 · After the pricing and service roller coaster ride is done, what will we do differently before the next black swan arrives?
March 12, 2023 · The LTL market’s surprising profitability and ability to not only exist, but to become the most lucrative and well-managed niche of the overall $830 billion trucking industry, is astounding to even veteran leaders in the sector. How is this happening?
March 12, 2023 · The long litany of headaches now includes ongoing labor negotiations on the West Coast that could quickly shift priorities of ports in the region. While the East Coast may continue to benefit from the uncertainty, the overall forecast for volumes in 2023 remains foggy.
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Latest in Logistics Management

Preliminary April North American Class 8 net orders are mixed
FTR reported that preliminary April net orders, at 14,400 units, were off 25% compared to March and 12.5% annually. And it added that over the last 12 months, total Class 8 orders were at 267,700 units. ACT reported that April Class 8 orders, art 15,600 units, were off 1,800 units compared to March, while posting a 30% annual gain, in what it called a very easy year-ago comparison.

Senators take a close look at Amazon with Warehouse Worker Protection Act
The proposed legislation aims to regulate the use of productivity quotas and improve safety for workers.

Despite American political environment, global geopolitical risks could be easing
While there is plenty of danger around the world, the reality of interconnected supply chains may be prevailing.

Maryland DOT: $1.9 billion and up to four years to rebuild bridge sunk near Baltimore port
It will take just over four years and up to $1.9 billion to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge after it was hit by a cargo ship and fell into the Patapsco River, according to an estimate by the Maryland Department of Transportation. The state plans to build a new span by the fall of 2028, spokesman David Broughton said. He also said it will likely cost anywhere from $1.7 billion-to-$1.9 billion to rebuild the span after the container ship Dali lost power...

April Services PMI contracts after 15 months of growth, reports ISM
The Services PMI, at 49.4 (a reading of 50 or higher signals growth) fell 2.0%. The last time the index contracted was in December 2022, when it came in at 49 and prior to that the last month seeing contraction was in May 2020, when it came in at 45.4.

2023 industrial big-box leasing activity heads down but remains on a steady path, notes CBRE report
In the report, entitled “2024 North America Industrial Big-Box Review & Outlook,” CBRE said that Food & Beverage was the third most active occupier for big-box leasing activity, at 8.6%, with Automobiles, Tires & Parts, E-commerce Only, and Building Materials & Construction rounding out the top six, at 7.0%, 5.4%, and 5.3%, respectively.

Sponsored Content
Comau’s Advanced Solutions Drive The Benefits Of Automation For Diversified Industries
Over the years, Comau has increasingly focused on implementing key technology enablers that transform conventional robotics into advanced robotics.

U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are mixed in April, reports AAR
Rail carloads, at 848,882, were down 6.5%, or 58,751 carloads, annually. Intermodal containers and trailers, at 1,018,569 units, increased 8.6%, or 80,471 units, annually.

Q1 U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index sees shipment and spending declines
The report’s first quarter shipment index value, at 87.5, was off 7.8% compared to the fourth quarter and down 21.6% annually.On the spend side, the report observed that the first quarter reading, at 194.7, fell 27.9% annually and was down 16.8%, from the third fourth quarter to the first quarter.

Pitt Ohio exec warns Congress to go slow on truck electrification mandates
Taki Darakos, Pitt Ohio’s fleet manager who oversees the acquisition and maintenance of 1,550 company-owned tractors and box trucks, testified before Congress on the technological, operational and financial challenges fleets face as federal and state regulations mandate the adoption of battery-electric trucks.

Q1 intermodal volumes are up for second straight quarter, reports IANA
In its “Intermodal Quarterly,” IANA reported that total first quarter intermodal volume, at 4,286,600 units, rose 8.8% annually, growing for the second consecutive quarter, following eight straight quarters of annual declines.

Supply Chain Management Software: Build the foundation, deliver the value
As the days of slow, invisible supply chains that “worked behind the scenes” continue to fade in the rearview mirror, companies are improving their demand forecasting, gaining real-time visibility across their networks and streamlining their operations—and its software that makes that all possible.

2024 State of Freight Forwarders: What’s next is happening now
Technological solutions and platforms are being rapidly developed and are catapulting the freight forwarding industry into a new era. Today, the forwarding industry is undergoing a digital revolution, and analysts surmise that companies that fail to keep pace with these advancements risk falling behind—and fast.

Ryder opens up El Paso-based multi-client facility logistics facility
The company said earlier this week it opened up a second multiclient facility logistics facility located in El Paso, Texas, which is in close proximity to the Ysleta Port of Entry, which it said is the largest commercial port in the El Paso district, as well as a critical trade corridor for northbound goods out of Juarez, Mexico.

Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) on a mission to automate
Autonomous mobile robots are the current leading figure in the move to mobile automation. Their mission is quite simple: Reduce the cost of shipping everything.


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