One of the first campaign promises that President Trump made was the renegotiation or outright termination of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). First conceived in 1987, during the Reagan administration it was signed into law in 1994, by president Bill Clinton. Simply stated, NAFTA eliminated most tariffs among the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, […]
Two years ago, several LTL and parcel carriers urged Congress to pass legislation that would have allowed the use of 33 foot twin trailers on the nation’s highways. Although the proposal had a fair amount of backing in Congress, the legislation did not make it to the President’s desk. The new law, had it been […]
Prior to President Trump’s speech to Congress, many of us were looking forward to hearing more about his plans for improving the infrastructure. Unfortunately, he simply restated what he had said before, “I will be asking Congress to approve legislation that produces a $1 trillion investment in the infrastructure of the United States – financed […]
Just the other day, I learned of a startup company that was developing a vehicle for trading derivatives and futures in the domestic transportation market. A similar idea was advanced ten years ago when capacity was short in the industry, and the presumption then was that a firm could lock in future pricing and capacity. […]
For several years, and particularly recently, we have been hearing or reading about “disruptive technology” or “disruptive innovation” in the supply chain. To many, the word disruption suggests some negative event. I can recall several notes from elementary school teachers informing my parents I was disruptive in class. It was not interpreted as a positive […]
There was plenty of excitement in the country last week. We now know that Atlanta and New England will meet in Super Bowl LI, and Amazon was awarded yet another patent, this time for a network that will manage a unique aspect of autonomous cars and trucks – how to navigate reversible lanes. Donald Trump […]
Last week, many trade publication web sites, as well as the Wall Street Journal, contained news about the BNSF Railway and J. B. Hunt entering into arbitration over revenue sharing. The negotiations relate to a 28-year-old agreement between the two carriers whereby J.B. Hunt transports containers to BNSF for intermodal transportation, and the parties split […]
As we approach a new year, many supply chain writers begin to float their predictions for the future, projecting what might happen to carriers, shippers, and other links in the supply chain. Accurate prediction always becomes problematic in presidential years; but this year it is a real challenge. After such a contentious campaign and surprising […]
As seems to happen more and more frequently, on December 9, 2016, only minutes before they adjourned, The House and Senate passed a continuing resolution that would avert the shutdown of the Federal government, at least until April 28, 2017. The bill extended the funding for most of the federal agencies and programs, ensuring that […]
Several months ago, I came across a Hewlett Packard Enterprise advertisement that opened with the following statements. “Tomorrow belongs to the fast. Winners and losers will be decided by how quickly they move from what they are now to what they need to become.” The concept being advanced of course, was technology; but these phrases […]