In April, we wrote about the then-upcoming hearing before the Surface Transportation Board on the continuing deterioration in rail service. This hearing, entitled “Urgent Issues in Freight Rail Service”, was held on April 26-27, 2022, and focused on complaints about poor service on four Class I railroads – BNSF, CSX, NS, and UP. In the […]

On June 21, 2022, the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) released the 33rd Annual State of Logistics Report. This year’s report is entitled “Out of Sync”, and to a large extent, is a continuation of the discussion of the effects of the pandemic and other economic conditions affecting the supply chain.

For over 20 years, Armstrong & Associates and Penn State’s John Langley and his associates have examined the logistics service provider (LSP) industry. They have become the “go to” experts for the latest on LSP trends and innovations.

For the past three years, we have either heard and read about or experienced reduced levels of service in the trucking industry. Missed and delayed shipments have worked hardships on many firms and consumers. Many of the service deficiencies have been blamed on the pandemic, but in the motor carrier industry, a shortage of over-the-road drivers and the resulting service issues have been a continuing problem.

During the past few years, the term “last mile” has become an ingrained part of the supply chain vocabulary. Referring to the last leg of transportation from distribution point to user, it has become increasingly important as service demands have increased.

The beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Tiger on February 1 may have gone largely unnoticed, but it is beginning to look as if this Tiger year will bring some significant challenges and opportunities to the supply chain manager.

Several years ago, I wrote that the four major impacts on the supply chain during my career were deregulation of transportation, technology, globalization, and Walmart. Recently, a colleague asked me if I was ready to add a fifth, which of course would be Amazon.

As we wrote in our last blog, the weaknesses in the current supply chain have been attributed to several factors, one of which is the ongoing shortage of long-haul truck drivers. This is not a new issue. The glory days of Smokey and the Bandit and CB radios are long gone, and driver shortages have been a continuing concern since the 1980s.

Unless you have been residing on Mars for the past couple of years, you are well aware that the U.S. supply chain is in crisis mode. Fifteen years ago, the term supply chain was not a part of many of our vocabularies. Today, the term is being used by every journalist, TV personality, and news commentator, as well as average Americans that are frustrated with empty shelves, late deliveries, and/or no deliveries at all.

On November 5, the House of Representatives passed the long-awaited and long-overdue $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. (HR3684). This legislation which was approved by the Senate in August is now on its way to President Biden for signature. It is the largest public works bill since President Eisenhower created the current interstate system in 1956.