7-Eleven, the world's largest convenience store, has partnered up with a tech startup company called Flirtey, and is now delivering the first order ever by drone to a customer’s home in Reno, Nevada. Industry watchers would have assumed that Amazon would be the first to make a drone delivery, however, they announced this week that they are moving their drone delivery operations to the UK to avoid the restrictive regulations of the United States. Given the feasibility, demand and safety precautions of U.S. regulations are expected to ease at the pace of Congress. 

The evolution of the supply chain is morphing into, what is referred to as, "Always-On" Supply Chain. This evolution is defined as “an integrated set of supply networks characterized by a continuous, high-velocity flow of information and analytics, creating predictive, actionable decisions that better serve the customer.” 

A TMS System is Crucial 

In today's information based logistics environment, a Transportation Management System (TMS) is essential. A TMS can be used for more than just booking loads; it provides historical and real-time data for visibility into the supply chain, which is necessary before any profitable changes can be made. It is impossible to effectively manage inbound and outbound shipments if data is decentralized and fragmented. Information on several different computers must be co hosted in one system to have any real interpretive value.

In the ultra-competitive retail world, Target is looking to supplier costs to improve supply chain efficiencies similar to the demands Wal-Mart placed on suppliers last year. According to several sources, Target plans to reduce windows for deliveries to its warehouses, increase penalties for late deliveries, and potentially institute penalties of up to $10,000 for inaccuracies in product information.

New rules governing the transportation and distribution of food began to take effect in June this year. There is profound concern among industry experts that many food haulers still are not ready to implement these new rules. During a panel discussion at the 2015 Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, lack of carrier preparedness was a major concern. Contamination incidents and outbreaks of food borne illness have a significant impact on public health.

Today's supply chains are under enormous pressure to manage their supply chain faster and more efficiently. Technology officers are looking to applications to meet efficiency demands from both customers and management. The rate at which technology is expanding its capabilities seems to make what was an impossible idea just a few short years ago now a plausible solution.

The inaccuracy of cargo containers, as well as individual skids, gaylords and crates, is a major safety issue that shippers need to be aware of. Generally, freight cost is directly related to weight.  It is not unusual for shippers to innocently estimate the weight of a particular shipment below the actual.  For example, it is very common for shippers to calculate their shipment size from their product data and neglect to include the weight of the shipping packaging.  Usually, a benign issue but multiplied by several shipments per container the bulk shipment could be significantly overweight causing unsafe trucks, ocean vessels and airplanes.  The safety issues are significant; reduced braking distance for a truck, buoyancy issues for a sea going vessel and lift problems for an airplane.  Most carriers have an entire department to re-weigh freight and confirm their NMFC classification to ensure a transportation vessel is safely loaded. 

At a popular Supply Chain Summit, several prominent economists presented their findings for the Logistics Economic Outlook for 2016 and beyond. We’ve summarized some of their findings and forecasts in order that our clients and followers might be armed with expert advice on what to expect in the coming years and how to plan on what’s ahead.

People, process, and technology; these are three elements that leaders focus on when looking to make impactful changes in their organization.  Regardless of what department you are looking to improve, it is vital to hire the logistics firm with the appropriate leadership and industry experience and record of success.

Over the past 3 years, the National Transportation Safety Board has investigated nine rear-end accidents involving passenger or commercial vehicles striking the rear of another vehicle, the result of which was 28 fatalities and 90 injured people. In 2012, rear-end crashes resulted in 1,705 fatalities and represented almost half of all two-vehicle crashes.