There has been a lot of excitement in the country during the past couple of weeks. The summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the presidential campaign have provided entertainment for a major portion of the population whether they are sports fans or political junkies. But both events have been marred by accusations of, or […]
The industry continues to be plagued of cargo thefts; and many of these, including the theft of entire trailer loads, have occurred on distribution center property. The mysterious disappearances are becoming more sophisticated, and often from what are thought to be secure facilities. In many other cases however, they are from warehouses that do not […]
During the past four years, the theft of food products has increased significantly, and food is now the favorite target of cargo thieves, surpassing thefts of electronics, pharmaceuticals, and tobacco products – the former “Big 3”. The reason of course, is that food products have become much more valuable. Drought and unusual weather in much […]
The outsourcing of warehouse logistics services is not a new concept by any means. Although it has become more sophisticated and gained renewed emphasis over the past several years, the practice can be traced back almost as far as one would care to research it. In Europe, a number of warehouse service providers can trace […]
Everyone who knows who Horatio Nelson Jackson is, please raise your hand. If we were all in a room together and could count the hands, I dare say there would be very few; but Jackson could be legitimately described as one of the pioneers in our industry. He was a 31 year-old medical doctor from […]
J. Paul Getty said, “Without the element of uncertainty, the bringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be dull, routine, and eminently unsatisfying.” If you believe this, then there is no danger of becoming bored in your supply chain role. These words are particularly applicable in managing supply chains in the current uncertain […]
Last week, the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) released the “27th Annual State of Logistics Report”. This year’s report was entitled Logistics in Transition: New Drivers at the Wheel, partially due to the fact that it was authored by a new researcher, A.T. Kearney. The SOL report was launched in 1988, by the […]
In 1984, Congress enacted the Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA) which prohibited discharging, disciplining, or discriminating against an employee who refused to operate a commercial motor vehicle if doing so would violate a regulation, etc. related to CMV safety, health, or security. This regulation was typically enforced (or not) under the OSHA provisions of the […]
This Memorial Day week it only seems fitting that we say a few words about veterans, and I believe that one of my favorite “courageous veteran” stories is worth repeating. In April 0f 1942, 80 airmen, under the command of Lt. Col. James Doolittle, took off on a mission to bomb Tokyo in retaliation for […]
Those who are students of ancient history (Before I Phones)) may recall the “carriers’ market” of 2004, when capacity was tight and freight rate increases were the order of the day. It was a good time to be in the trucking business. For 10 truckload carriers tracked by BB&T Capital Markets, earnings rose an average […]