The biggest shopping weekend of the year is right around the corner, and retailers have been planning for the increase in sales for months. Most retailers have adopted to the omni-channel environment, merging numerous shopping channels for the convenience of the customer. Modern shoppers avoid the long lines and huge crowds associated with Black Friday to buy from online vendors who offer the same markdowns, plus free shipping and various return options. ShippingDisruption.jpg

There are an array of challenges when it comes to successfully applying an outsourced transportation management strategy. Companies want to make freight moves as efficient as possible, which means centralized systems, qualified carriers, managed schedules and visibility. Realizing opportunities for transportation efficiency starts with identifying challenges. Below, we examine different challenges from 3 companies and how PLS solutions created and maintain notable results.

Investing in a robust transportation management strategy can significantly improve your overall business by decreasing costs and satisfying customers.

Moving over dimensional machinery, hazardous products, and required equipment to natural gas processing plants and compressor stations on- or off-highway can present safety problems. Every shipment is a large risk for midstream oil companies because the penalty for an accident or non-compliance is enormous.

It’s easy to confuse the various services of third-party logistics companies. The confusion may be because of the many service offerings, or because companies don’t want to waste time worrying about transportation, or it may be due to a general unfamiliarity with the logistics industry. Either way, it’s important for shippers to understand the difference between transportation management systems (TMS) and managed transportation services (MTS).

PLS Logistics is partners with a consumer goods manufacturer which has multiple locations. The client sells products to major retailers such as Walmart, Ace Hardware and Lowe’s. The company’s annual freight spend is a few million dollars.

Operating costs are rising for LTL carriers due to a number of factors – the driver shortage, rising pay, and aging equipment. Spot market and contract rates have both risen to compensate for these extra costs, however, contract rates rose higher than spot market rates and remain higher. Knowing how to get and negotiate the lower LTL freight rates is important if you want to save costs.

Lean supply chains gained popularity in the manufacturing sector because substantial improvements can be made to eliminate waste and non-value added activity. Today, a lean supply chain refers to best-in-class supply chain execution; a process that produces what’s needed, when it’s needed, and where it’s needed with minimal waste in time or capital. In addition, lean strategies work for businesses who want to simplify and improve operational processes.

Implementing transportation management software (TMS) can be a long and difficult process for some companies. Shippers usually choose software that will provide them with the fastest ROI, but this may not be the best answer long-term. Most shippers overlook one crucial area of TMS implementation: carrier connectivity. Because of this, shippers are prone to make some TMS mistakes.

Here’s a look at news stories from the supply chain, logistics and transportation industries from November 2015: Bigger Trucks Shot Down. After a long battle, the call for increased truck size was shot down by the House. However, the motion only denies language about bigger trucks in the highway bill, they could still become a reality someday.

As the New Year approaches, the logistics industry can look forward to advances. New technology continues to develop, supply chains will be even more influenced by consumers, and shipping costs will increase. Logistics operations have changed dramatically in the last few years and 2016 will bring even more changes.

It has been another tough year for consumer packaged goods (CPG) shippers. In 2015, CPG shippers were hurt by the same trends that affected the industry last year, despite increased efforts to cut logistics costs and improve service. Data collected from 2014 sheds light on what affected CPG shippers in 2015. Here are 5 trends that continue to affect consumer packaged goods shippers:

Technology has made supply chains and transportation more competitive, more convenient and more profitable. Technology’s biggest gain for shippers is actionable data. Shippers who examine transportation data develop strong operative initiatives, identify inefficiencies and improve inventory management.

The holiday season is upon us, and retailers must be prepared to avoid seasonal challenges. One major obstacle facing retailers: the rising number of e-commerce returns.