Ken Blazer

Cargo theft spikes 46% YoY, creating a crisis for shippers & freight transport carriers. As goods move faster through supply chains, thieves are striking with speed and agility. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gp3N9Wwf #cargo #shipping #freight #cargotheft #supplychain

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Dive into the latest buzz from the logistics world - Prime takes flight in Arizona, warehouse demand dips, and the bridge collapse in Baltimore reveals crucial gaps in port protection. Read more below! 🚛🗞 #SciensLogistics #logisticsindustry #logisticsnews

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Many of you know I’ve long argued that FreightWaves Contract Load Acceptance Volume (CLAV.USA) metric is not a good representation of for-hire truckload freight volumes in the USA. The recent article Craig Fuller published (https://lnkd.in/gpa4CexE) lends support for my concerns. I want to draw attention to this quote: “Contracted load accepted volumes, another SONAR index measuring contracted load demand, tell us that the market has grown since January 2023. As of April 15, 2024, year-over-year contracted volumes are up 9%.” Here are two facts that raise serious validity concerns (in my professional academic opinion) that make me believe CLAV isn’t nationally representative: [1]: It doesn’t align with Q1 public truckload carrier financial results. When you look at the chart provided in the article, CLAV has been up throughout 2024 relative to 2023. Yet, you have carriers like JB Hunt hauling fewer loads (-6.8% YoY for dedicated and -5.2% for truckload) in Q1 2024 than Q1 2023. That decline can’t represent JBH turning down that much contractual business due to low rates from contractual customers. [2]: Other indexes such as Cass Shipments and For-Hire Trucking Ton-Miles aren’t showing strong YoY gains; they are showing the opposite in YoY declines of 2-4%. The trucking ton-mile index is nationally representative because it is constructed from the Commodity Flow Survey and various government data sources. Implication: while I really like FreightWaves’ Outbound Tender Rejection Index (OTRI.USA), which I believe is a good indicator of the current balance of supply and demand in the truckload sector, too many other data points result in me concluding that the underlying tender volume data are not representative of truckload freight demand. For anyone who wants to argue differently, ask yourself this: are you or most of the other carriers/brokers you know seeing 9% year-over-year increases in truckload freight volumes? JBH and Knight-Swift certainly aren’t. #supplychain #supplychainmanagement #freight #trucking #truckload #logistics

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I have long suspected FreightWaves data on truckload tender volumes and accepted loads are strongly weighted towards consumer-centric freight, especially containerized imports. Their most recent market update provides more evidence for my claim. Consider the following: •Accepted tenders have been up ~7% in 2024 from 2023. Do you know what else has been up by a similar amount in 2024 from 2023? Metric tonnage of containerized waterborne imports from Asia, which are up 14.5% year-over-year for 2024 from 2023 on a year-to-date basis. •The article mentions that tender volumes are up 15.8% today than in 2019. As tender rejection rates in 2019 and today are similar, tender volumes and load volumes would result in similar conclusions. I'm very confident that this isn't the case when you look at all of trucking freight (my trucking ton-mile index's most recent readings are within 2% of 2019 levels). However, containerized imports have steadily increased since 2019 and are following the pre-COVID trendline (and are up by roughly the amount FW's is reporting for their trucking volume data). Implication: you need to look closely at different data sources for trucking freight volumes to try and infer what industries receive the most weight. I've long felt Cass is industrial-heavy. FreightWaves appears to be the opposite. My own trucking ton-mile index is heavily slanted towards domestic manufacturing (specifically food, chemicals ex pharma, nonmetallic mineral products, paper, and primary metals) because of the Commodity Flow Survey. Things to keep in mind as you select which indexes to give more weight when undertaking strategic planning (e.g., if you are a carrier with lots of exposure to containerized imports, FreightWaves' data would likely be your preferred metric). #supplychain #supplychainmanagement #shipsandshipping #freight #trucking https://lnkd.in/giQiCCHf

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Have you seen the Endeavor Plugged-In page? One of the real advantages of Endeavor Business Media is scope: 100 or so B2B titles and events across numerous industry verticals. And, since the real world doesn't operate in a silo, neither do our editors. We get together for some cross-pollinating with subject-based Think Tanks: #EVs, #Manufacturing, #Infrastructure, #AI, #Workforce, and #Energy, to name a few. The ad hoc EV team handles the Plugged In page here, and several of us virtually get together to compare notes in a monthly video chat. So sign up to the LI Plugged-In page for insight that might fall outside of your segmented newsfeed, and subscribe to the bi-weekly Market Moves Electric Vehicles newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/euNiT5MS

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Join us today for a great discussion on how to optimize your food & beverage supply chain!

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In case you missed it, Sheer Logistics had a fantastic session at Freight Week STL 2024 yesterday! Sheer's CTO, Rob Cook had a great discussion with Mary Lamie on enhancing supply chain visibility. At Sheer, we're proud to pioneer technology that revolutionizes supply chain operations nationwide. Our 4PL/managed transportation services, coupled with cutting-edge tech solutions, enhance visibility and empower mid-market shippers to analyze CO2 emissions, manage freight costs, and track shipments seamlessly. By centralizing data and insights, we're enabling businesses to generate actionable intelligence, driving efficiency and sustainability. Cheers to advancing logistics excellence! Watch the full interview here: https://hubs.li/Q02x1m4v0 #SupplyChain #Logistics #Innovation

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I have an opinion piece in Transport Topics this month - it discusses what TL carriers need to know about how shippers look at transportation procurement. Specifically, I address the importance of monitoring the Spot Premium Ratio and the New Rate Differential in the markets. Enjoy the short read! #TL #transportation #procurement #spotpremiumratio #newratedifferential https://lnkd.in/esxiuvdP

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Sneak Peak of our Newest Logistics Insights Module for AgiSight! From transportation modeling to planning and visibility, AgiSight now empowers all your critical logistics and transportation decisions from our single unified platform. Whether collaborating with freight forwarders, parcel providers, common or dedicated carriers, or managing your private fleet, AgiSight enables you to leverage your data for quicker, more informed decisions that directly impact your supply chain. Check it out; would love your feedback! AgiSight is the only platform to allow you to manage the entire end-to-end supply chain in one place. From taking an order, to the receiving dock, to the shop floor, on the road, and into the store. Providing the full life cycle of a purchase order, sales order, shipment, product while helping you plan the resources, assets, and people to execute unparalleled service. #supplychain #supplychaindata #logistics #transportation #distribution #networkoptimization #datascience #dataanalytics #AgiSight

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Check out Founder & CEO Bill Catania's interview with Kerim Kfuri and Richard Crawford at the #SupplyandDemandShow during Home Delivery World USA last week, where we announced the acquisition of Orderbot Software Inc.! 💡 Bill shares how OneRail is looking to solve problems for customers by finding the most dependable and lowest cost fulfillment solution possible for retailers and product distributors. This recent acquisition helps brands decide which store to pick from and help minimize the fulfillment cost sot hat retailers don't lose the sale or have to do split orders. Listen in! #inventorymanagement #ordermanagement #triangulate #transportation #innovation #acquisition #podcast #orderflow #lastmiledelivery #omnichannel

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According to a new report, U.S. port and import performance was strong in May. Container import volumes rose by 6.2% from April and by 11.9% year-over-year. For the most part, growth was driven by increased imports from China, Japan, and Taiwan. But there are some concerns that lingering global supply chain disruptions—conditions at the Panama and Suez Canals, the Middle East conflict, and labor negotiations—could still have an impact this year. #thefreightarchitects #jaguarfreight #logistics

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#Interesting and very #DESPERATE times ... if some carriers have embraced the concept of a "Loss Leader" just to keep the doors open. The concept of ... "Yea, we lose a $1 on every sale, but we'll make it up in volume" has #NEVER worked in retail and it definitely won't work here in trucking where it's #NOT $1 per load, but hundreds of dollars per load. I get it that there are some carriers that are just barely staying alive and hoping and praying the #CashFlow will keep them alive to fight another day. But losing money on loads, is #NEVER a good idea, especially when you are struggling. I personally know of one such TL carrier with over 400 trucks out of the Northwest that may not survive the month. I hope and pray that they do, for the sake of the drivers and employees. But when #Leadership is too proud to admit their mistakes, and unwilling to accept the recommendations of those wanting and willing to assist to help the carrier survive ... and even provide those services on a Pro Bono basis (for some that may not know the term, that's for #No #Charge) ... there's not much that friends or associates can do. Anyhow, enough about that ... read the article and I'm sure you'll walk away scratching your head. https://lnkd.in/gsvQDjCb

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🌍 The ever-expanding #SupplyChain means carbon emissions are also on the rise. So what can #Logistics and #LastMile companies do to reduce the environmental impact of deliveries? John Forslund, our Senior Director of Product Marketing, shares with SupplyChain Strategy 4 ways to optimize inventory for greater efficiency and sustainability: 📦 Optimize last-mile delivery routes and vehicle capacity 🔒 Embrace efficient delivery methods like parcel lockers 🔄 Improve reverse logistics to handle returns better 📊 Leverage tech for real-time inventory tracking Read the article here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dmYUvPXR #SmartDataCapture #Sustainability

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"Two years ago, when Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) was first introduced, the White House said its key objectives were to address what it labeled “supply chain vulnerabilities and congestion,” in tandem with addressing “the longer-term weakness in our nation’s supply chains,” coupled with decades of underinvestment, outsourcing, and offshoring. The White House’s DOT laid out some examples of the progress FLOW has made, including: publishing data on inland freight hubs, including rail terminal and warehouse end destination data to help FLOW members in having an enhanced view of future container import volumes and traffic. Have you or your business seen any significant changes since FLOW was introduced? Is Policy and Government seeking enough advice from the Industry? #flow #publicpolicy #flow #sustainability #emissions #Trucking #SafetyFirst #Transportation #hiring #employment #fleet #fleetmanagement #logistics #trucking #ltl #driving #gig #ltl #driving #supplychain #courier

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🎯 Are your Warehouse Operations staying ahead of your strategic initiatives? 📊 Do you know and do you have a plan to achieve your KPI's to deliver on Goals and SLA's? 📈 Are you considering adding another DC or additional shift(s)? 🚦 Is your dock a traffic jam? 📦 Are your DC's FULL?! 🔄 Are you being asked to take on new handling, storage, processing, and shipping requirements? 💸 Is your Cost per Case or SGA growing faster than your YOY Revenue? Enable your DC operations to support profitable growth, new operating requirements/demands, and corporate growth strategies by participating in our Engineering the Warehouse course led by industry thought leader Dima Nazzal and based on research from top-ranked Georgia Tech supply chain and logistics faculty. Our optimization, productivity, and performance-focused course will give you the understanding, tools, training, and plan to ensure your costs are maintained, managed, and reduced. 📅 We kick off the course in 7 weeks (Aug 13-16). Learn more and reserve your spot! https://lnkd.in/e2jdwtCa.

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Glad to have National Retail Federation join with 170 other trade organizations on the Americans for Free Trade's statement for the record in advance of this week's hearings with Ambassador Tai on the Administration's 2024 Trade Policy Agenda. The statement discusses the continuing impact of the harmful Section 301 China tariffs. https://lnkd.in/eNeXzzxi #trade #TariffsHurt #TariffsareTaxes #tradepolicy

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Early freight orders for peak season are showing a modest increase, according to the CNBC Supply Chain Survey. However, consumer spending is predicted to be relatively conservative compared to previous years. #supplychain #supplychainmanagement #cnbc #yahoo #yahoofinance #logistics #logisticsindustry Vance Zahorski, John Mills, Denny Smolinski, Luba Ilyasova, Oleksandr Nyezhnyk

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Supply Chain resiliency ramps up in the US as their trade war with China continues. https://okt.to/PmwTg5 #SupplyChainExpertise #Resilience #IndustrialCompetitiveness

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Container freight rates have continued to rise, with the Drewry World Container Index (WCI) increasing by 10% week-on-week to $5,868 per feu, marking a 298% year-on-year increase. Although still below the pandemic peak, the ongoing spike in rates raises questions about how much further they will rise. Factors such as the Red Sea crisis, high demand, and port congestion are contributing to the sustained increase. #redseacrisis #redsea #freight #freightindustry #freightbroker #freightcontainer #supplychain #supplychainmanagement

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