January 2015

The global economic recovery moves sluggishly forward, while the domestic picture has brightened considerably. Our leading market analysts explain how shippers should ready themselves for sustainable demand and plan for incremental rate hikes.

The explosive growth of e-commerce and the impact it has had on small package and LTL deliveries has forced carriers to turn the tables and push the inefficiency penalty back to the shipper. Bottom line: It’s time to re-think your packaging—or get ready to cut a bigger check.

With transportation networks becoming increasingly global and complex in nature, why aren’t more shippers investing in transportation management systems (TMS)? We attempt to answer this age-old question and reveal how TMS providers aim to turn the tide on adoption.

A spate of new, proposed, and pending free-trade agreements will create greater opportunities for U.S. shippers—but only those who know the rules. Analysts advise going over the small print before plunging in.

The quest to improve worker productivity and enhance order accuracy in an omni-channel distribution environment is pushing more warehouse and DC managers to increase investment in warehouse mobility solutions. According to market thought leaders, not only has mobility arrived, but users are pushing for the next generation.

Increased visibility into every lift truck’s costs is promoting accountability for operators, managers, and service providers.

As is tradition, our annual Rate Outlook and subsequent webcast highlight Logistics Management’s (LM) January offerings. For the past 10 years, we’ve rounded up top economists and freight transportation analysts in each mode—trucking, air, ocean, rail, and intermodal—to offer this comprehensive snapshot on what shippers can expect in terms of rates and capacity in the coming year.

Shippers are about to experience a change in how carriers calculate domestic less-than-truckload (LTL) freight bills. Starting with a few carriers in the spot market in January, contract shippers will increasingly be approached by more carriers to start disclosing freight dimensions and weight with LTL freight tenders.

In a recent white paper, Cisco stated that “the Internet of Everything represents $14.4 trillion in ‘value at stake’—the combination of increased revenues and lower costs that is created or will migrate among companies and industries from 2013 to 2022.”

Over the past 20 years, we’ve heard extensive discussion about the “Railroad Renaissance,” a historical metaphor referring to the period between the Middle Ages and the Modern Era.