Today's consumers may be more demanding than ever. They know what they want, and moreover, they want it fast. Sometimes I wonder if they really need it that fast or is it simply the mindset of the new generation of consumer. In an extensive career in the expedited freight market I was surprised to find how many receivers were not in a hurry at all for the product that their suppliers spent triple the money to ship expedited. In fact, I rented a box truck and personally delivered a few skids to a major account after an unavoidable traffic accident sidelined the original truck. After a 5-hour white knuckle drive, I was told it would be a couple hours until they could unload me. Turned out, they were in no hurry at all. The takeaway from all this personal wisdom is to be certain of the consignees' requirements before panicking about production delays and transit times. When you’re sick you call a doctor, in a legal matter you consult a lawyer. The same expertise is just as beneficial when managing your supply chain. If you do not currently have a relationship with a 3PL, think about starting one. It's a tremendous resource, particularly in a time of need. If you do have a current 3PL relationship, here are some tips to make the best of that relationship.

Think Long-Term Commitment

Like in all relationships, when an organization and its 3PL both have committed to mutual success, challenges can be overcome and the relationship can blossom. Service failures are part of our business. When you consider the vast amount of freight that travels thousands of miles across this country every week one must expect it can’t all go right. The true measure of 3PL customer service is how we react to service failures. There are fire alarms daily. A short-term mindset only creates short-term solutions. Your 3PL is invested in the long-term success of your logistics operation, so you should be too. Work together to devise long-term strategies that will improve practices and result in mutual success.

KPI's; A Staple At Land Link Traffic Systems

Many years ago, the founder of Land-Link Traffic Systems Inc. stressed the following. “What does not get measured, does not get fixed”. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for any rational person to repudiate this thought-provoking statement and important underlying principle of business. Yet, many companies do just that. Most companies, in fact, do not have the proper measurements and KPIs in place necessary to drive intelligent business decisions and to serve as support to the policies that are relied upon to drive day to day business activities.

Do not be one of those companies. Land-Link can help you support your business and gain and maintain competitive advantage through effective performance measurements. 

No one would argue that there is little to be thankful for in 2020. Let’s consider it a bit further. The COVID-19 pandemic has been stressful and isolating for many people. Gatherings during the upcoming holidays can be an opportunity to reconnect with family and friends. But this holiday season, consider how your plans can be modified to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to keep your friends, families, and communities healthy and safe. Looking ahead, let’s examine the Biden economic recovery plan highlights.

When your focusing on your logistics and transportation spend, the very first thing that you need is freight and transportation data. Without hard data, you can’t take action. What doesn’t get measured cannot be fixed. When enterprises try to act in the absence of data, they are usually guessing and won’t get the results they need. Data is the new precious metal and it is becoming more essential than ever before. Technological leaps like blockchain, artificial intelligence and machine learning run on data. They’re already beginning to transform supply chain operations across many sectors.

In the months since the corona virus prompted shelter-in-place orders around the world, entire companies, industries, and economies have been decimated. One market that appeared poised to escape the impact was autonomous vehicles, particularly in the case of companies whose cars can be used to transport supplies to health care workers. But it seems even they are not immune. While limited continued testing of autonomous vehicles will still be possible via virtual simulation tools, AV technology, within the context of the corona virus pandemic, may still present the possibility of addressing critical needs and providing essential services through the use of driver-less delivery vehicles.   The combination of the need to minimize health risks presented to and by human drivers who deliver vital supplies and materials to the public, and the ability of AVs, equipped with disinfection tools, to deliver such items, may incentivize public authorities to authorize expanded testing and use of AV throughout the U.S.

Much like personal relationships, the relationship between an organization and its third-party logistics provider requires effort from both parties to stay productive, healthy, and strong. A 3PL cannot expect to provide services without catering them specifically to their client’s needs, and an organization cannot expect to run their logistics operation hands-free. It takes communication and constant collaboration to run a smooth, successful supply chain and promote positive growth for the client’s business as a whole.  It will take a long-term commitment from both parties to create a successful partnership.

Supply chain professionals are looking forward to a much-deserved extended weekend during the Fourth of July holiday. However, CargoNet, an industry cargo security firm, reports that extended business closures can create an advantageous operating environment for cargo thieves. For the past five years, the firm has analyzed cargo theft data in the United States and Canada from July 1 to July 7and found 130 cargo theft events in 27 different states, with theft most common in Texas, California, and Florida.

Technology is affecting transportation modes through the roads, sky and water. Advancements in speed and efficiency may come at some cost.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit global trade and investment at an unprecedented speed and scale. Multinational companies faced an initial supply shock, then a demand shock as more and more countries ordered people to stay at home. Governments, businesses and individual consumers suddenly struggled to procure basic products and materials, and were forced to confront the fragility of the modern supply chain. The urgent need to design smarter, stronger and more diverse supply chains has been one of the main lessons of this crisis.

Limited 5G network deployments had begun in some markets in 2019, with widespread rollout expected to take place through the 2020s. The 5G wireless technology promises to accelerate data speeds, improve quality, and reduce latency in the world’s mobile networks all of which means higher performance than today’s broadband wired networks.  “5G will be a game changer because it’s 100 times faster and will support 100 times more devices than current 4G networks,” according to the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association.  This week we take a look at the specific impact on the Logistics industry.

Massive unemployment and a nearly desperate need to rebuild our infrastructure could entice the presidential administration to copy a plan designed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930’s.  The New Deal was a series of programs and projects instituted during the Great Depression by President Franklin D. Roosevelt that aimed to restore prosperity to Americans. When Roosevelt took office in 1933, he acted swiftly to stabilize the economy and provide jobs and relief to those who were suffering. Over the next eight years, the government instituted a series of experimental New Deal projects and programs, such as the CCC, the WPA, the TVA, the SEC and others. Roosevelt’s New Deal fundamentally and permanently changed the U.S. federal government by expanding its size and scope—especially its role in the economy.  Although it took our entry into World War II to lift the U.S. economy out of the depression, the New Deal provided many jobs to willing Americans in a time of great need.  While I don’t believe we’re in as bad a shape as the 1930’s we are faced with a jobs crisis.  To add to the issue, the recent civil unrest has compounded many small businesses problems in getting re-opened.