Despite the negative connotations of the terms ‘broker’ and ‘outsourced’, third-party logistics companies have gained popularity and are employed by nearly every industry in the U.S. How did this happen?

Last mile logistics refers to the movement of goods from a warehouse or distribution center to its final destination. To create customer loyalty, the last leg of transportation needs to be flawless.

Despite the rapid evolution of today’s supply chain and the proven cost-saving ability of a transportation management system (TMS), few shippers are using TMS software. In fact, only around 35% of shippers have a TMS.

History of the Panama Canal During the 1800s, businessmen didn’t have an efficient or quick way to ship goods between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The British proposed a canal through Nicaragua that was never built and the French attempted to build a canal through Panama but evacuated the project due to fatal diseases. Despite the unsuccessful attempts, Americans were undeterred. In 1914, the United States began to build a canal in Panama.

Wal-Mart Testing Grocery Delivery + Drones. To compete with Amazon, Wal-Mart stores are testing a grocery-delivery service with Uber (in the Phoenix market) and Lyft (in the Denver market). Once a customer places a grocery order online, it will be filled and packaged by employees, then sent in an Uber or Lyft to the customer’s location. The retailer is also testing drone use at its warehouses. Drones capture real-time images and spot missing inventory. A drone can complete this task in about 1 day, but it would take a full month if done manually.

With industry experts predicting an increase in freight rates later this year, the pressure is growing for shippers to reduce transportation spend. But, if a electronic-logging-devices.jpgshipper pays lower freight rates than their peers, will it negatively affect the carrier’s performance? A recent study set out to answer this question.

Supply chain efficiency is top of mind for companies in all sectors – efficiency means reduced costs and increased output. Today, tech advancements like drone delivery, autonomous vehicles and the Internet of Things enable supply chains to increase efficiency and productivity by connecting to smart components in the supply chain.

Shippers and trucking companies alike could learn a few things from the ways rail companies, especially Union Pacific (UP), are implementing real-time, big data technology to overcome supply chain obstacles.

As of June 2016, the U.S. economic outlook is uncertain. There are hopeful signs: employers are still hiring new workers, more jobs and cheaper gas have led to a small bump in consumer spending, and home builders are in full swing. MarketWatch predicts 2.5% GDP growth in the second quarter of 2016.

Shippers are enthusiastic about drone technology because the devices could greatly cut delivery times and costs. The drone revolution will disrupt an assortment of industries, from agriculture and filmmaking to transportation and healthcare. Logistics will have to adapt to changes as more retailers experiment with drones and the technology evolves to be cheap and efficient. The transportation industry will be transformed by drones, especially in terms of last-mile service.

Loading and unloading freight plays a crucial part in the overall transportation process. Inefficient dock procedures can lead to higher transportation costs, slower delivery times and customer dissatisfaction. It doesn’t matter the volume of freight you ship, efficiency at your facility is important.

Parcel freight shipping refers to small package shipments. Parcel shippers face hidden fees and complex processes, leaving them with limited visibility of overall freight spend.

The price of diesel fuel will play a heightened role in transportation rates in the next couple of years. Fuel costs are always an important indicator of over-the-road (OTR) shipping costs, but a perfect storm of events will make diesel prices more important than ever before.

Over the last 30 years, the American population has increased 35%. It’s expected that 70% of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050. These facts amplify the pressure to correct infrastructure in order to support the movement of goods and people, and minimize related environmental impacts.