Freight visibility is a hot topic these days. Companies are under greater pressure to know where their freight is at all time. As customer expectations for fast and low-cost shipping continue to rise, globalization is increasing, and we see ongoing fluctuations in freight capacity it’s more important than ever for companies to know where shipments […]

Transportation optimization tools enable efficient load and route plans in today’s high pressure omnichannel and ecommerce distribution environment. The best optimization tools allow companies to look at freight movements holistically, analyzing shipments, rates, and constraints, and ultimately improve decision making. In environments such as the recent capacity crunch, load optimization across all modes can help transportation managers fully load their trucks, which means fewer loads that need coverage and fewer drivers. Those who have already implemented a transportation management system (TMS) have at least one advantage

The approaching holiday season is shining a bright light on transportation operations of retail companies both large and small. The rise of ecommerce has created loftier expectations of modern consumers for faster, on-time, perfect deliveries. Managing the deluge of parcel shipments is a serious challenge and many retailers and their suppliers are already straining to […]

Final mile logistics is attracting a lot of interest for many reasons, but the most obvious is the growth in e-commerce markets. While companies have opportunities to gain new customers by offering more buying and delivery options, these often same-day home deliveries do not come without challenges. In fact, final mile deliveries can be among […]

In today’s increasingly fast-paced world, visibility and access to information are critical to supply chain management. This point is acknowledged in a recent white paper produced by The Journal of Commerce, “The Road Ahead.” One technology that is proven to increase supply chain visibility is a transportation management system (TMS), and both shippers and logistics […]

Books have been written, tools like Six Sigma have been embraced, and most people seem to agree that companies retain customers by providing good service and poor customer service results in lost business. Further, the cost of acquiring new customers is much higher than maintaining positive relationships with existing customers. Data consistently supports these theories. […]

Logistics professionals have access to tons of data. However, it may be challenging to get the exact information needed quickly so that it becomes actionable, driving strategic decision making, rather than a historical review of tactical actions and transactions. To seek a better understanding of daily transportation operations, an important first step is implementing a supply […]

America’s Infrastructure is a topic most of us don’t think about. We just expect it to work in the same way we expect the lights to come on when we flip a switch. However, there has been increasing concern by trucking companies, shippers, and even the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that the infrastructure we all […]

One of the most discussed topics in supply chain management today is the “Amazon Effect.” Clearly, the Amazon business model has affected many industries, including retail, manufacturing and distribution. Consumers now expect — and get — free next-day or second-day delivery on everything from electronics to shoes. To ask your customers to accept anything less […]

Does your business need a Transportation Management System (TMS) or an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system? For supply chain managers, the answer to this question is increasingly becoming “all of the above.” Over the last 30 years, Enterprise Resourcing Planning (ERP) systems have evolved into large-scale systems that form the foundation for most modern businesses. […]

E-commerce businesses are continuing to allocate more resources and energy into building a consumer-driven supply chain. As the work unfolds, one thing is clear – the end delivery is becoming the new handshake between consumers and brands. Today, customer experience plays as much of a vital role for consumers as product quality and price. In […]