I come from a long line of lottery players, and an even longer line of lottery losers. The Powerball jackpot was $258.5 million earlier this week. I bought a ticket at the gas station that I drive by every morning on my way to work. I never check my numbers the day after the drawing. I know that if I see balloons and banners when I drive by the gas station, then there’s a chance I have the winning ticket folded up in my wallet. But if I don’t see any balloons, I just keep on driving. And so here I am today, with another week’s worth of logistics news.

Ryder results for the Q1 2010 were as expected: a mixed bag. Total revenue was up 4 percent for the quarter, while operating revenue was flat. Comparable EPS from continuing operations (which excludes restructuring charges and other items) for the first quarter of 2010 were down 20 percent from the same period of 2009. The Fleet Management Solutions segment was the main drag on comparable earnings, which were offset by stronger Supply Chain Solutions results and improved used vehicle sales. Regarding the outlook for the balance of 2010, here is what Ryder Chairman and CEO Greg Swienton said, “We have begun to see some improvement in customer demand, primarily in our transactional Fleet Management Solutions products. We expect to see improving demand and pricing for our transactional commercial rental product throughout the year, as well as the benefit of actions taken to right-size the fleet in 2009. Used vehicle results should continue to improve due to lower inventory levels and better pricing. However, customers still remain cautious about making long-term financial commitments in the current business environment. Therefore, we have not yet seen a similar improvement in our contractual full service lease product, which historically lags our transactional services during a recovery. In our Supply Chain Solutions business, we expect the improvement of automotive volumes to continue to contribute to our performance through the remainder of the year. Lastly, our strong balance sheet positions us very well to pursue organic growth, acquisition opportunities, and stock repurchases.”

Manhattan Associates rebounded nicely from last year’s disappointing Q1 results. Consolidated revenue in the quarter was $73.9 million compared to $60.8 million in Q1’09. License revenues were also up significantly this quarter ($14.2 million versus $4.9 million in Q1’09) and non-GAAP adjusted diluted earnings per share was $0.36 compared to $0.07 the previous year. Manhattan also recognized four contracts in the quarter of $1.0 million or more in license revenue. These results are encouraging for both Manhattan and the supply chain and logistics software industry in general. It’s important to note, however, that there’s still more room for improvement. Compared to first quarter 2008 results, Manhattan’s consolidated revenues this quarter were down 16.3 percent and license revenues were down 22.4 percent.

Descartes acquired yet another vendor in the global trade management space (just last week the company finalized its acquisition of Porthus). Imanet provides enterprise and on-demand technology solutions used by customs brokers, freight forwarders, exporters and self-clearing importers to communicate with Canada Border & Security Agency (CBSA). Simply put, Descartes is looking to dominate this market by rolling up niche players in various geographic regions. I didn’t realize there were this many vendors to acquire, but it won’t surprise me if the company make more acquisitions in the weeks ahead.

Finally, we’ve written a few postings in recent weeks about Coca-Cola and direct store delivery (see “Coca-Cola Enterprises: Better Trucks, Happy Drivers, Lower Costs” and “Direct Store Deliveries and Lowest Total Supply Chain Costs” and “Coca-Cola and PepsiCo: $20 Billion for Distribution Flexibility”). So, the news this week that the Teamsters union is concerned about Coke’s moves to improve its distribution processes caught our attention. The union is particularly concerned about a pilot project Coca-Cola Enterprises is conducting with 7-Eleven and Costco. According to a Reuters article, “Under Coke’s current direct-store delivery model, drinks are shipped from the bottling facility to an adjacent warehouse, where they await shipment to a distribution center. They are then shipped to individual stores. Under the test program, drinks will be shipped to a Costco business center, where a third-party logistics company will pick them up and deliver them to a warehouse. Then, when 7-Eleven stores need replenishment, the drinks will ship to the stores with other products as well.”

Apparently, 7-Eleven has been the catalyst for change. According to a Convenience Store News article, 7-Eleven CEO Joseph DePinto told the publication in 2008: “The convenience channel’s distribution system was built for the grocery industry, and the way product is delivered today is basically the same as 30 years ago—but costs are higher—labor, credit card fees, distribution costs, fuel.”

This is yet another classic battle between labor and management, a tug of war between preserving jobs and maintaining the status quo at one end versus improving productivity and driving innovation at the other. Which side do you stand on?

Have a great weekend!

(Note: Ryder, Manhattan Associates, and Descartes are ARC clients).

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