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 […]
While information technology has been a fixture in the business community for a number of years, as the years have passed, new innovations have appeared, and technological advances have been made, good technology has become even more critical. In some respects, it is a self-fulfilling prophecy in that the more information we have, the more […]
Some logistics service providers claim they can do anything; and while this may be a bit of a stretch, when called upon to do so, some can rise to some interesting occasions. In 1903, when William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson built their first motorcycle, they probably had no idea of what they were starting. […]
On June 26, after several construction delays and cost overruns, the new lane of the Panama Canal will be opened, introducing a new era in international shipping. The canal has a colorful history dating back to 1882, when a Frenchman, Ferdinand de Lesseps, began work on a sea level canal across Panama. At that time […]
On December 4, 2015, President Obama signed into law, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation, or “FAST” Act. After ten years and dozens of extensions and delays, Congress finally had provided long term funding for new surface transportation projects and improvements. While Congress and DOT praised the legislation, Congress had continued to take a hard line […]
……….continue in Congress. This time they are considering legislation that will impact all of us from both a personal and a business perspective. The funding for the Federal Aviation Administration runs out at the end of this month. As was the case with the highway reauthorization bill, the new FAA reauthorization being considered, the Aviation, […]
February 8 marked the beginning of the Chinese lunar Year of the Monkey – a year during which we will probably see more supply chain changes than we have in any of the last fifty. Monkeys are by nature intellectual and creative, but often have trouble exhibiting these qualities. When that happens, monkeys seem confused. […]
As supply chain management becomes more sophisticated and new technologies and techniques surface almost daily, the literature is loaded with information about logistics service providers, i.e. how to identify, select, manage, vest them, and motivate them. Yet, alarmingly little space seems to be devoted to what I feel is arguably one of the most significant […]
As supply chains have gotten more complex, and logistics service providers (LSP) have become more sophisticated and experienced, an increasing number of firms has turned to outsourcing some or all of their logistics functions. This is a major step, and for those new to outsourcing, it is important to understand that the decision will be […]
The outsourcing of logistics services is not a new concept by any means. While it has gained renewed emphasis over the past several decades, the practice can be traced back almost as far as one would care to research it. In Europe, a number of logistics service providers can trace their origins back to the […]