Logistics Management Magazine Archives

November 2020 Logistics Management

In this Issue:

  • The Future of Freight Management
  • Trucking Regulations Update: How much is too much?
  • Hatch Chile Co.'s load matching
  • Uncertain global scenarios to watch
  • 2020 Warehouse/DC Operations Survey: Pandemic hits, operations respond
  • Quarterly Transportation Market Update: Strong demand, tight capacity, rising rates
November 18, 2020 · Wanting to offset capacity shortages, rising freight rates and other roadblocks, more companies are turning to technology and collaborating with their partners across the entire freight management continuum.
November 16, 2020 · This marks the 10th year that we’ve devoted the lion’s share of our November pages to perhaps the most dominant—and by far the most complex—mode of transportation: motor freight.
November 16, 2020 · NorthShore Care Supply is using AMRs to automate pick-to-cart processes, while still using the cart.
November 13, 2020 · As warehouse and DC operators find new ways to manage the impacts of the global pandemic, automatic identification and data capture solutions continue to play an important role in their digital transformation journeys.
November 13, 2020 · While the Trump administration has ushered in a more relaxed regulatory atmosphere, the trucking industry understands that can quickly flip if power in the White House and Congress change hands.
November 13, 2020 · Specialty packaged food company leverages load matching app to meet 100% volume growth during the pandemic—and saves thousands in the process.
November 11, 2020 · Hemispheric trade got a big boost when a new cross-border agreement was crafted and signed, but now U.S. shippers must turn their attention to ongoing tensions in Asia and the looming impact made by Brexit.
November 11, 2020 · Trucking is seeing a big bounce back in demand, and tight capacity puts TL carriers in control of rates—but longer-term issues remain. Who will supply the necessary pool of drivers? And will a new spike in the pandemic drive another slowdown?
November 11, 2020 · The pace of change wrought by e-commerce on warehousing/DC operations has been increasing for several years, but now the pandemic has kicked it into overdrive.
November 9, 2020 · The current regulatory philosophy is to be “hands off” on market entry and pricing.
November 9, 2020 · There are more questions than answers, but it’s fourth and long, and the punt team is coming out onto the field….again.
November 9, 2020 · Scaling these solutions is no longer an option—it’s a competitive necessity.
November 9, 2020 · This growing source of competition for valuable discretionary cargo is yet another wake-up call, especially for the Ports of LA, Long Beach, Seattle and Tacoma.
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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.

Sponsored Content
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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