The highly contagious virus known as COVID-19, which originated in Wuhan, China, has now been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. With hundreds of thousands of people infected globally, the coronavirus revealed itself as a huge threat not just for the health industry, but also to the global economy. Supply chains, in particular, are being affected by coronavirus.

Changing market demands and technological advancements are driving many transformative processes to the supply chains. There is a lot of noise and buzzwords when it comes to trends and technologies that will influence the way supply chains operate. Not all of them can make a huge impact, but there are a couple of supply chain management trends that will actually reshape modern supply chains.

There were many new and exciting transportation updates in the shipping industry last month. Check out some of the top stories and transportation updates in February 2020!

Less than truckload (LTL) is a beneficial and cost-efficient option for shipping goods. However, it’s often challenging for the shippers to manage it in the right way. It can be complicated to recognize the opportunities for better LTL freight performance. If you often face shipment delays, disruptions, or spend too much on LTL freight, you probably want to improve the effectiveness of the process. There are several useful practices you can implement to improve LTL efficiency.

In truckload shipping, capacity for a fair price is what companies and logistics providers are searching for. Sometimes it can be easy to find, but most of the time it can be a challenge. Even with all the available trucks in the U.S., almost two-thirds of them are already driving, loading or unloading someone else’s freight, which can complicate finding a truck for a good price. There are several factors that define your success in getting the required capacity on-time, and one of them is truckload lead time in shipping.

Properly organized inbound shipments are vital to successfully operating supply chains. The retailers, distributors and customers heavily rely on the performance of inbound deliveries. For the businesses, the most important concern is the ultimate cost of inbound shipping, which is almost in every case higher than it’s supposed to be. Normally due to the lack of control and visibility, these shipments can consume up to 40 percent of overall freight costs. Apart from that, maintaining good relationships with vendors and ensuring on-time, high-performing deliveries can be quite a challenge. To make inbound transportation as efficient as possible and cut off unnecessary costs, you can try several practices for effective vendor management.

Shipping is the last, and probably one of the most important steps, in customer satisfaction. Today, a customers experience defines how they perceive brands, products or services. With the viral expansion of e-commerce, more small businesses now have access to the market. However, more possibilities means more competition. To succeed in this dynamic and fast-paced market, you don’t just have to meet expectations, but exceed them. Good products and quality service will always remain key components of a successful business, but a polished shipping strategy can go a long way. Every day, the world is changing, and it is crucial to notice and adapt to new trends. Here are a few key small business shipping trends that can act as a direction for many small businesses in 2020 and beyond.

One of the most common challenges in the trucking industry, both for carriers and shippers, is understanding and having more transparency into government regulations. The FMCSA has had updates in policies recently, and many of these changes can substantially impact the current state of trucking in many ways. It is crucial to recognize the key trucking regulations that will come into play, and how can they affect your business.

As tensions between the US and China started to escalate, the retail industry was probably the first to experience the unpleasant consequences of a trade war. With the US eventually putting $250 billion of Chinese goods under 25 percent tariffs, retailers now have to deal with higher prices and difficulties in adjusting to economic updates. Considering that enlisted goods that fall under the tariffs include clothes, shoes, and electronics, it will be quite challenging for some companies to manage international shipping and commerce between the US, Canada, and other countries with the new rules of the market.

The past decade felt like everything has sped up. The economy, technology, and development of many industries have experienced a substantial jump in growth. For logistics and transportation, it has been a decade of huge and really significant shifts. Mainly driven by the steady invasion of technology, the industry was reshaped in many ways, including safety regulations, operations, and other important transformations.

The start of the new decade marks many significant shifts in the logistics and transportation industry. The past few years in the logistics and transportation industry brought the most contradictory and fast-growing trends to the spotlight. Digital revolution, industry automation, self-driven trucks, robotic devices, blockchain-enabled supply chains, and many more topics have brought heated discussions in the industry. Whether these shifts will take 10 or 50 years, the process has already started. 2020 logistics outlook forecasts some big and fresh trends in the logistics and transportation industry.

Almost 90 percent of goods and food are shipped to us on overseas journeys. Ocean freight shipping lets manufacturers and suppliers move an enormous amount of freight to opposite parts of the world.

2019 is coming to an end, which means it’s time to wrap up the year and define key trends for the oil and gas industry in 2020. Last year was a tense period for the oil and gas industry, and for the U.S. economy in general. Ongoing tension with the U.S. – China trade war, disrupting political situations in the country and beyond, and weakening global markets altogether have brought significant shifts to the oil and gas market. Let’s take a look at the key outtakes from a Deloitte Report.

Just like any other industry, healthcare and pharmacy institutions require fast and reliable shipping solutions. For the health industry, compliance and shipping speed are critical factors. Whether it’s prescription drugs delivery or urgent hospital supply shipping, time and organization matter. Any disruption or delay can lead to serious consequences, so companies are under the pressure of accurate and well-planned organization of healthcare shipping.