For the past ten years there has been a considerable amount of discussion regarding the Over the road (OTR) truck driver shortage in the industry. The American Trucking Associations has released four major analyses of the issue, the latest on October 6. By now, you probably have read the prediction of a shortage of OTR […]
In this month’s DC Velocity, you will find an excellent read in Group Editorial Director Mitch Macdonald’s Outbound column. Under the title, “Misdirected Anger”, he discusses the lack of anger about the Congressional handling of highway funding when there is so much anger about everything else. I highly recommend it. As I have written here […]
U.S. employment fell to 5.1% last month – a 7 year low which the government says is consistent with a healthy economy. The number of jobs added however, was only 173,000, the lowest number since December of last year. The manufacturing sector actually decreased by 17,000. At the same time, according to the government, we […]
As the so-called omnichannel trend swiftly marches on, an increasing number of retailers are trying to position themselves to compete in the last—mile delivery race. Most are quite competent in traditional delivery methods, but are finding themselves noncompetitive in the rapid delivery of items purchased through the internet. So far, Amazon seems to be the […]
Several months ago, I went shopping for a digital camera, only to come home empty handed. The problem wasn’t that I couldn’t find a camera. Rather, it was that I found too many. There are hundreds of models on the market today, and I was a little overwhelmed. A camera-savvy friend counseled me not to […]
Three months ago, much of the industry was anxiously awaiting some Congressional solution for the almost depleted Highway Trust Fund and the longer term problem of critically needed infrastructure repair. The then current funding was set to expire May 31, when the extension of the previous extension was due to expire. Unable to agree on […]
Recently, I was asked by someone new to the industry for a list of “best practices.” “A ‘no-brainer,’” I said to myself. So many supply chain practitioners talk about best practices, I knew it would be relatively easy to find a list. And I was correct. The problem was not a lack of lists, but […]
My first real job began when I was 12 years old. The exalted position was in a local neighborhood grocery store, long before the proliferation of supermarkets in the country. “On-line” ordering was very popular then, and my primarily responsibility was to take orders over the telephone, laboriously record them in a ticket book, take […]
June 23 marked the release of the 26th Annual State of Logistics Report. Authored by Rosalyn Wilson, and sponsored by CSCMP and Penske Logistics, this report has been the “gospel” for costs, developments, and predictions in the supply chain industry for a quarter of a century. The new report shows a total logistics cost for […]
Fifty years ago, when you wanted to expand your distribution network and build a new distribution center, you didn’t call an industrial real estate broker; you called a railroad. Most large companies shipped their product – whether it was boxes of cereal or rolls of carpet – by rail, which meant they needed access to […]