November 2012

American Trucking Associations (ATA) President and CEO Bill Graves is named NITL Executive of the Year for his leadership in shaping the nation’s ground freight transportation system and his affable, endearing management style.

The foremost truckload analysts re-convene to update shippers on current supply & demand, the looming driver crisis, increasing diesel prices, the seemingly endless shifting of government regulations, and what all these issues mean for rates heading into 2013.

Analysts report that cloud-based adoption increased 40 percent this year in the supply chain software sector. Our technology correspondent shares the upsides/downsides of this deployment model—and how vendors are gearing up to meet growing shipper demand.

In today’s dynamic, global marketplace, shippers need to execute a checklist of essential action items in order to get the most out of their third-party logistics partnership.

A record response reveals that readership is divided in terms of investment: one side remains cautious, while the other is on the verge of making significant changes to their warehouse/DC operations. How have your operations emerged from the Great Recession?

In anticipation of the Panama Canal expansion in 2014, the fight for market share of inbound cargo remains fierce among top U.S. ports.

After being battered by three years of recession that decimated profits, LTL carriers are now focusing on improving yields and profitability in order to recapitalize their rolling stock. Now shippers need to cope with a new era of tighter capacity, higher rates, and tougher carrier negotiations.

I’m pleased to announce that the National Industrial Transportation League (NITL) and Logistics Management (LM) magazine are presenting Bill Graves, former Governor of Kansas and current president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations, with the 2012 McCullough/NITL Executive of the Year Award.

If you hate paying extra for baggage on flights, you will be unhappy with this news. The Commodity Classification Standards Board (CCSB), a voluntary rules committee representing 845 motor carriers, has passed a ruling that classifies pallets as a commodity subject to density rules and therefore potentially higher rates.

One hallmark in the era of permanent volatility is fluctuating commodity prices: everything from aluminum (variations up to 30 percent in 2012) to zinc (variations up to 25 percent in 2012). The result is endless headaches for people and departments in virtually every industry: the procurement folks buying materials; the logistics and transportation staff moving it; the finance guys forecasting expenses; and even the sales and marketing staff struggling to pass unanticipated cost increases on to customers.

With the presidential election just around the corner, divisive and intentionally misleading partisan talking points on energy have come to dominate the media.

An article in our local newspaper lamented the plight of individuals who live in the suburbs and rely upon bus service to get them to work, often at odd hours. Poor ridership has caused some towns to question the need for increased taxes to subsidize the service, while the metro transit authority cites insufficient revenue.