Parcel

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The new edition of the TD Cowen/AFS Freight Index, which was recently released by New York-based investment firm TD Cowen Inc. and Shreveport, La.-based 3PL and freight audit and payment company AFS Logistics LLC, highlighted the impact of muted demand for truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), and parcel activity, from the third quarter to the fourth quarter.

Quarterly revenue, at $21.1 billion, saw a 12.8% annual decrease, and adjusted earnings per share, at $1.57, were off 47.5%. Consolidated quarterly operating profit came in at $1.3 billion, which was off 48.7% annually on an adjusted basis.

A trio of well-known logistics services providers, Dallas-based privately held freight brokerage and authorized UPS reseller Worldwide Express, Phoenix-based GlobalTranz, a full-service 3PL focused on freight brokerage and technology, GlobalTranz, and Dallas-based Unishippers, the second-largest privately held freight brokerage in the country, announced today they are collaborating on what they called a new “corporate identity,” entitled WWEX Group.

The ongoing push towards online shopping, which was accelerated through the pandemic, was evident in the report’s findings, with 60% of U.S. consumers, and 57% globally, indicating they plan to do most of their 2023 holiday shopping online, coupled with increasingly adopting omnichannel behaviors.

A sure sign that the holiday season getting closer each day are the respective announcements made by carriers, transportation and logistics services providers, and shippers alike, announcing their “help wanted” signs have been hung, as they look for seasonal workers.

While the United Auto Workers (UAW) union strike against the "Big Three" of General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis has been ongoing since September 15, coupled with the number of employee walk-outs continuing to rise, the supply chain impacts and ramifications are likely to increase the longer the situation goes on, according various industry stakeholders.

The USPS cited various investments it has made, in advance of the 2023 Peak Season, including: hiring 10,000 seasonal employees; utilizing 348 new package sorting machines; increasing daily processing capacity to approximately 70 million; moving 95% of volume via more reliable ground transportation, for First Class Mail and more than 95% of First-Class packages; and its new USPS Ground Advantage Shipping Service

In this podcast, Jeff Berman, Logistics Management and Peerless Media Supply Chain Group News Editor Jeff Berman interviews Rick Watson, Founder and CEO, RMW Commerce Consulting.

Keeping in line with recently announced rate increases made by its chief rival FedEx, Atlanta-based global freight transportation and logistics services provider UPS this week announced its own 2024 rate increases this week, which are set to go into effect on December 26.

Third-party logistics company iForce deployed an automated packaging solution to provide the speed and labor efficiencies needed to keep up with new picking automation, while the solution’s carton right-sizing also improves the customer experience.

By leveraging a team of industry experts, the Last Mile Solution Center will support parcel and distribution businesses in automating last mile operations to improve processes, increase productivity and reduce costs.

Memphis-based global freight transportation and logistics services provider FedEx announced rate increases today for its FedEx Express, FedEx Freight, and FedEx Ground subsidiaries, which will take effect on January 1, 2024. The company also said that, effective September 4, it will officially rebrand “peak” surcharges to “demand” surcharges,

Various reports published late last week indicated that Seattle-based global e-commerce giant Amazon is in the process of rebooting its Amazon Shipping service, which is designed to compete with the parcel duopoly of UPS and FedEx, that it halted at the onset of the pandemic.

Engineered equipment leader Duravant, whose operating companies includes FMH Conveyors, expands material handling equipment portfolio with acquisition of NPI.