We are officially into 2018, the year of opportunity and change. 2017 laid out the foundations for what is to come. In today’s , we break down what you can expect to see throughout the year in the realm of logistics and transportation. It’s going to be quite the busy year!

Everything You Need to Know: Spot Market Freight: Have you ever wondered about how the product you buy from a store ended up there? The complexities of a supply chain and the steps for moving freight to its end location are often overlooked. But, for manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers, logistics is a top priority to business operations. Accurately planning for efficient transportation routes and potential delays comes with many challenges, which is why many shippers turn to a freight broker to ship goods.

We understand why it might often be assumed that an asset-based carrier has more advantages than a 3PL. Quite often, shippers don’t feel comfortable working with non-asset based 3PLs and end up limiting, and thus hurting, their supply chain.

Still searching online last-minute holiday gifts? Well, you are one of the millions this holiday season to use an e-commerce site to do their shopping. Whether you ordered something for your home, business, or a loved one, expect to see some delays in delivery.

Earlier last month, President Trump announced that he was going to unveil his long-awaited infrastructure plan for the nation sometime this January. The proposal is a 70-page memo, that is on track to be submitted to Congress next month, will be the stepping stone for the creation of the legislation. During his 2016 election campaign, Trump vowed to invest $1 trillion to rebuild America’s crumbling infrastructure. This could mean major changes within the expanding transportation industry.

No one likes damaged freight. Not only does it cost money and relationship with your customers, but also adds more stress and pressure to your daily operations. Freight claims are usually time-consuming and, honestly, quite unpleasant to deal with.

What Does Tesla’s Automated Truck Mean for Truckers? Semi_Front_Profile.0.jpg Tesla unveiled their latest addition to the automated fleet, the Tesla Truck. The truck is a fully electric truck capable of automated transportation up to a significant 500 miles between charges while carrying 80,000 pounds of cargo. This is a historical moment in the trucking industry as Elon Musk enters with his technology. The entrance of the truck could help road safety but hit the job market in a negative route. Read more on the Tesla Truck here.

As we have mentioned in an earlier post, one of the traits of a successful 3PL is having established processes in place, or in other words, standard operating procedures (SOP’s). It’s hard to overestimate the importance of SOP’s in general, but even more so in logistics operations. This is not only applicable for 3PL’s – any supply chain/warehousing operations will benefit greatly from implementing SOP’s into their day-to-day.

Blockchain has been a very popular subject over the past few months. Recently, Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) had its first meeting in Atlanta, GA. They conducted an informational seminar to help others understand blockchain. It’s no simple topic though, even broken down it is still a complicated technical system.

We have previously covered a couple of useful tips for pre-screening your options and choosing the perfect Freight Broker – today, we’re going to dig a little deeper! Ideally, a relationship between a shipper and their 3PL should be a long-term stable alliance striving on mutual respect, support and understanding. The whole idea of partnering up with a successful 3PL is about working with someone you can truly rely on.

Elon Musk announced the Tesla’s electric tractor-trailer undertaking last summer, and it turned out to be a subject of heated debates and anticipation ever since. Originally scheduled for October 26th, the big reveal got pushed back to November 16, 2017.

It’s 2017, technology is practically everywhere and everyone is digitally connected. Most businesses have adapted to the changes in tech, yet some are still behind.

What is a freight broker? Shippers use freight brokers for managing their transportation needs. A good freight broker offers access to an extensive carrier network and provides quality service you can rely on. Having a go-to freight broker is an easy way to boost up the capacity for your loads without the daunting task of qualifying and managing lots and lots of carrier partners – this is especially beneficial in times of the current load-to-truck ratio.

The Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Mandate is happening whether your company likes it or not. There are critics, and there are supporters – no matter the side you’re on, your company needs to prepare for the inevitable. To help, we’ve laid out 4 tips for you to prepare for the ELD Mandate.