Coronavirus

The March NMI came in at 52.5 in March, down 4.8% from February’s 57.3 reading (a reading of 50 or higher indicates growth is occurring), which marks the highest reading over the last year. The NMI headed up for the 122nd consecutive month, and the March NMI is 2.5% below the 12-month average of 55.0 and is the lowest reading over that span.

In this podcast, Roberto Michel, senior editor with Modern Materials Handling, welcomes Brett Wood, president and CEO of Toyota Material Handling North America, and senior executive officer, Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO), who shares insights on digitization from a broader industry perspective.

If there’s any bright spot coming out of the COVID-pandemic, it’s that the nation might finally benefit from a healthy boost of infrastructure spending.

Pricing across the transportation modes

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) and the Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association Foundation (OOIDA Foundation) have been inundated with responses in conducting a joint research study to understand the numerous impacts that the Coronavirus pandemic is having on trucking operations. The research focuses heavily on a survey that solicits critical input from truck drivers and motor carrier staff who are encountering COVID-19 impacts such as limited shipper access, changing distribution patterns and traffic-related issues. The survey will close April 8. Results...

Software vendors advised to prepare for a tough year where very little new business will be won, especially for software companies selling into industries like non-food retail, insurance, travel and tourism, and real estate.

Atlanta-based global freight transportation and logistics bellwether UPS said today it is taking a fully measured approach in its companywide efforts to sync up its resources with various organizations and agencies, including the President’s Coronavirus Taskforce, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and various state health agencies.

On the trucking side, Avery Vise, FTR Vice President of Trucking, explained that, unlike other sectors of the economy, trucking has some near-term pressure, in the form of increased activity, saying it is actually surging. Looking at other modes, FTR Vice President of Rail and Intermodal Todd Tranausky said on the webcast that intermodal is going to be under more pressure than originally anticipated coming into 2020.

In recent conversations I had with two leading parcel express and last mile logistics experts, there was no shortage of talking points to touch upon, as they relate to the ongoing coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic.

For January, the most recent month for which data is available, the SCI came in at 3.7. down nearly a full percentage point from December’s 4.6, which was off 2.4% compared to November’s 7.0 reading. This marks the third consecutive month of declines, with January representing the lowest SCI reading going back to October 2018.

The maritime industry has been deeply affected as a result of the upheaval caused by the coronavirus and its impacts to Chinese manufacturing and logistics services.

The role of trucking during the coronavirus pandemic cannot be overstated, and that really comes to light when looking at data issued by the American Trucking Association’s (ATA) not-for-profit research subsidiary, the American Transportation Research Institute, more commonly known as ATRI.

Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently caught up with Ross Spanier, Senior Vice President of Solutions at GlobalTranz, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based full-service 3PL focused on freight brokerage and technology services provider. In a wide-ranging conversation, Berman and Spanier discussed the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic on supply chains, as well as capacity conditions, rates, and intermodal, among others.

In the report, entitled, “On-Demand Warehousing: Opportunity in a Period of Uncertainty,” CBRE explained that this interest is characterized by short-term leases for relatively small size segments, coupled with the uncertainty caused by coronavirus related to retailers’ ability to maintain necessary inventory levels is a major driver as to why on-demand warehousing has the potential to become more prevalent in the future.

We will remain diligent in our endeavors to reduce exposure but will remain in operation as scheduled.