On June 21, 2022, the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) released the 33rd Annual State of Logistics Report. As we have done in this space for the past several years, we have tried to summarize the 51-page report, but urge our readers to take a look at the entire document. This year’s […]

  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. Two years ago however, there was a new entry into the field of LSP research – […]

  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 […]

  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 last mile may be more or less than one mile, but management […]

  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. The third sign of the Zodiac, the Tiger is associated with braveness, […]

  Several years ago, I wrote that the four major impacts on the supply chain during my career were deregulation of transportation, technology, globalization, and Wal-Mart. Recently, a colleague asked me if I was ready to add a fifth, which of course would be Amazon. A good question, but I am not so sure. Let’s […]

  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 […]

    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 a 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 […]

  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 […]

  Although many outsourcing firms are becoming increasingly dependent on logistics service providers (LSP) to initiate innovations and logistics solutions, too many are still attempting to commoditize LSP services, concentrating primarily on price. This can be an unproductive, or even dangerous practice. First, let’s understand exactly what commoditization is. Wikipedia provides a succinct definition – […]