Sat.Oct 02, 2021 - Fri.Oct 08, 2021

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Three Logistics Imperatives for Managing Uncertainty in 2022

Logistics Viewpoints

After experiencing an incredibly challenging two years in the global logistics industry, I think we can let go of any expectation that the supply chain landscape will ever return to “normal.” By that, I mean that extreme uncertainty on both the demand and the supply sides will continue for the foreseeable future. Raw materials and component shortages, labor shortfalls, port closures, rising fuel costs and other forces will continue to exert enormous pressures on global supply chains in 2022.

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5 Benefits of Fusing 3PLs and Lean Manufacturing

Food Logistics

Manufacturers who implement these five key principles associated with lean manufacturing have a competitive edge, with increased productivity, reduced costs and continuous improvement.

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Ready, Set, Go! Getting Ready for a Busy Holiday Shipping Season

Now, That's Logistics

The transportation environment has remained challenging through much of 2021, with everything from ocean container shortages to port congestion to tight trucking capacity making life difficult for companies shipping outbound freight and receiving inbound goods. The situation may not ease much during the fourth quarter of the year, when the biggest selling holidays—Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the holiday season as a whole—all happen.

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Foothill Transit Orders 20 New Flyer Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Electric Buses

NGT News

NFI Group Inc.’s New Flyer of America Inc. subsidiary has received a new contract from Foothill Transit for 20 zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell-electric Xcelsior CHARGE H2 40-foot, heavy-duty transit buses. This order is supported by Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds. Foothill Transit is based in West Covina, Calif., operating one of the largest fleets of […].

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Rethinking warehouse work culture: Can automation create better workplaces?

Heico Sandee, CEO of Smart Robotics, explores how automation redefines warehouse culture. By shifting repetitive tasks to skill-based roles, automation improves safety, fosters collaboration, and makes warehousing more appealing to today’s workforce.

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Toilet Paper Shortages, Empty Shelves, and Panic Buying: Just How Bad Did the Grocery Supply Chain Perform in 2020?

Logistics Viewpoints

Dramtatically Reduced Service in Grocery Stores Since Pandemic was Declared. To say that the pandemic made 2020 a very challenging year would be a gross understatement. Because of service disruptions – not being able to buy toilet paper, for example – the supply chain has been more discussed than ever before. It was also a very, very tough year for supply chain professionals working in the grocery supply chain.

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FMCSA to require states to ban drivers with drug, alcohol strikes

Overdrive Online

The agency will begin requiring states to downgrade the licenses of drivers who have a positive drug or alcohol test that lands them in the Clearinghouse, while also prohibiting states from making certain CDL transactions for drivers in the database.

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Christmas at Risk as Supply Chain ‘Disaster’ Only Gets Worse

Supply Chain Brain

It’s the beginning of October, just the start of what the retail world simply calls “peak.” But the industry is already in various forms of panic that usually don’t take hold until the weeks before Christmas.

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“Why Do I have to Wait?” Supply Chain Disruption Gets Its Day

Logistics Viewpoints

Supply chain is once again front-page news in the general business media. Meanwhile, supply shortages and price inflation are getting the front page in consumer-focused publications and plenty of airtime on televised news. And rightfully so. Many consumers, including myself, become irritated by the sight of empty store shelves where our favorite consumer goods are typically stored.

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United States Trade Representative Tai offers up position on steps needed to take with China

Logistics Management

In remarks made yesterday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai provided details regarding the White House’s new approach to the United States-China bilateral trade relationship.

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Load Optimization: A Sustainable Way To Reduce Transportation Costs

Discover strategies to optimize load building and achieve significant transportation cost savings. Plus, learn how load optimization can help reduce CO 2 emissions and align with climate regulations and consumer expectations. Finally, discover best practices for sustainable load optimization.

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Can truck drivers use CBD? All you need to know about cannabis, hemp, testing and the clearinghouse

Overdrive Online

CBD has been hailed as a miracle treatment for everything from sleep disorders to chronic pain, but unfortunately for truck drivers, the substance remains a risky bet and a good way to fail a drug test.

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Top Global Chipmakers Resist Biden Bid for Supply Chain Data

Supply Chain Brain

A Biden administration effort to untangle global chip supply snarls is facing resistance from lawmakers and executives in Taiwan and South Korea, complicating attempts to resolve the bottlenecks hurting industries from automobiles to consumer electronics.

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ERP ROI for the manufacturing and distribution CEO

SYSPRO Smarter ERP

The pandemic pushed manufacturers and distributors to rapidly shift gears, from addressing work-from-home policies to managing extreme swings in demand and uncertain supply chains. A 2020 SYSPRO survey showed that 60% of manufacturing and distribution businesses were impacted by supply chain disruptions during the pandemic. In fact, 29% of businesses stated they would explore initiatives to address immediate needs and accelerate digital transformation.

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Little ‘wiggle room’ in distracted driving laws

Truck News

Distracted driving laws have emerged in several jurisdictions to discourage people from using handheld cellphones when behind the wheel – and this can include disabled devices or devices that are not physically in your hands. Recent court rulings in British Columbia demonstrate how such laws can be interpreted. In June 2020, the British Columbia Court […].

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Autonomous AI Agents Are the Future of Procurement and Supply Chain Operations

As early as next year, procurement and supply chain operations will begin to adopt AI agents, often called “agentic AI,” to work alongside employees to make and execute decisions with precision across procurement and even the most complex global supply chains. Unlike LLM-based generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, these AI agents do not require prompts from humans.

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DHL Express rolls out a 5.9% general rate increase for 2022, for U.S. shippers

Logistics Management

2022, and it added that some optional services and surcharges will also head up. Specific details, regarding the pending rate hike, were not made available, with the company saying that a guide to the 2022 rates will be published when it is made available.

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Descartes Unveils AI and Machine-Learning Enhancements to Routing, Mobile and Telematics Suite

Supply Chain Brain

Descartes Systems Group, a provider of on-demand, software-as-a-service solutions, unveiled artificial intelligence (AI)- and machine learning (ML)-based enhancements to its Routing Mobile and Telematics suite.

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Make the Most of Your Time: Eliminate Manual Processes with a TMS

Trinity Logistics

No one likes spending their valuable time working on manual tasks that take forever. Streamlining operations with automation is the dream for every business, yet many companies still rely on spreadsheets and manual interactions. One way to drastically reduce your manual processes is by implementing a transportation management system (TMS). Many companies use a TMS for their logistics management, like e-commerce companies, retail businesses, manufacturers, and distributors.

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The future of manufacturing: trends and innovation for growth

SYSPRO Smarter ERP

Before COVID, new technologies in manufacturing took years, sometimes decades, to become fully accepted. The pandemic, however, has speeded up those transitions by years. If you want to argue that these changes are in technology only, there was a recent Bloomberg article which noted that: “companies from noodle makers to semi-conductor giants are spending on new plants and machinery in ways they haven’t done for years.” Currently, much of the industrial world is like the consumer wor

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Freight Procurement Simplified: Bids from Hours to Minutes

Speaker: Eric Berdinis, Ran Sun, & Chris Chmielewski

Procuring freight can be cumbersome, time-consuming, and error-prone. If you’re frustrated with the complex and manual processes for obtaining bids for your contract and spot freight, you’re not alone. In today’s fast-moving supply chain environment, optimizing these processes is critical to staying competitive and cutting costs. Join this exclusive webinar with experts from Uber Freight to learn how the latest digital tools and automation can transform your freight procurement strategy by strea

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Pilot Freight Services announces acquisition of new franchise locations

Logistics Management

The new Pilot Franchise stations are based in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Oklahoma. The company said that these locations are all attractive assets because of their strong historical growth and operational performance.

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Watch: Will Supply Chains Be Secure in a Post-Pandemic World?

Supply Chain Brain

Tom Garrison, vice president and general manager of client security strategy with Intel Corp., assesses the current state of supply chain security, and discusses what companies must do to become more resilient to cyberattack.

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Supply Chain Group Promotes From Within

Food Logistics

Brielle Jaekel, Food Logistics' associate editor, was promoted to managing editor.

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Diversification: The secret to growth, stability for Silver Creek Transportation

Overdrive Online

Henderson, Kentucky-based Silver Creek Transportation, in just a few years, has gone from a local aggregates hauler to a diversified carrier hauling across the lower 48 states with 24 power units. Longtime owner Jason Cowan leads the team with two sons.

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How to Drive Cost Savings, Efficiency Gains, and Sustainability Wins with MES

Speaker: Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions

Is your manufacturing operation reaching its efficiency potential? A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) could be the game-changer, helping you reduce waste, cut costs, and lower your carbon footprint. Join Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions, in this value-packed webinar as he breaks down how MES can drive operational excellence and sustainability.

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Port Tracker shows import growth but supply chain challenges are looming

Logistics Management

United States retail container import levels are expected to remain elevated but may be in line for a decline, due to port congestion, according to the most recent edition of the Global Port Tracker report, which was issued today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.

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Unlocking Opportunity in the Post-Purchase Ecosystem

Supply Chain Brain

Understanding customer expectations, improving their experience and implementing the right reverse logistics systems will increase shopper loyalty and prevent profit-margin erosion.

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Can the Futuristic Hyperloop Be Utilized for Containerized Transportation?

MTS Logistics

Elon Musk’s Hyperloop transportation technology is being worked on by multiple companies. One of those companies, Virgin Hyperloop just tested that theory back in November 2020. Project Pegasus successfully carried two passengers within the capsule pod. According to their video, Virgin Hyperloop will be able to transport “tens of thousands of passengers per hour, per direction.” Since pods are not physically connected like train cars, and will travel in convoys, this means they

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China-US freight rates plunge, but China manufacturing woes create new headaches for shippers

Shipping and Freight Resource

Spot freight rates are plummeting. Chinese factory output is throttled by power shortages, exacerbating trade imbalances, and distorting demand for shipping containers. Freight forwarders are left holding the bag as demand for space falls along with prices. Suffern, NY, October 06, 2021 —Shippers might finally be catching a break, as China-US spot freight rates plunge in the first week of October.

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The Ultimate Guide to Transportation and Load Building Optimization

Enhance your transportation and load building efficiency with our comprehensive guide. Learn to tackle today's supply chain challenges and optimize your approach with advanced planning strategies. This guide covers: Supply Chain Challenges: Discover how transportation planning can address critical issues and improve efficiency. Load Building Benefits: Understand how effective load building can enhance your transportation processes.

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Political dysfunction remains a step ahead of making progress on an infrastructure bill

Logistics Management

It is really hard to act surprised that political dysfunction, yet, once again, has pushed what was viewed as strong momentum for new national infrastructure bill off the tracks. The reasons for it are things we have all seen before, way too often, so the time for being caught off guard is again over.

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Watch: The Infrastructure Bill: A ‘Game Changer’ for Electric Vehicles?

Supply Chain Brain

Paul DeCotis, senior director in the energy and utilities practice of West Monroe, says the money set aside by the infrastructure bill for electric vehicle development will have a huge impact on the future of that technology.

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The big-bunk ‘Low Budget Lounge’ of Missouri-based SPB Trucking

Overdrive Online

Missouri-based Gary Jones' latest working show truck – a big-bunk 2007 Peterbilt 379 that features airbrushed stylings building on the look of his previous rigs.

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