PLS Logistics attended the NASSTRAC 2014 Shippers Conference & Transportation Expo on April 13-16 in Orlando, Florida at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel. NASSTRAC, the National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council, provides education, advocacy, and provider relations opportunities. The conference was attended by numerous Fortune 500 companies, the government sector and all modes of transportation.

The recent turmoil in Iraq caused world oil prices to increase by about 4% last week. Iraq is the second biggest exporter of oil in the world, recently hitting a 30-year-high in production. World oil demand is increasing, oil production from Iraq is vulnerable to attack, and nobody has the reserves to pick up the slack. Oil price increases will drive the price of unleaded gasoline up 5 to 10 cents a gallon in the next couple of days. Read the full story here.

Omnichannel defines the way in which customers use several different methods to buy products (i.e. mobile devices, tablets, and computers). Retailers are heavily focused on creating a seamless consumer experience on any platform. It is not an easy task.

There’s been a lot of negative talk about the latest Safety Regulations in the motor freight industry: they’re too strict, too many, too much. But what nobody seems to be talking about is that they’re saving lives.

In April, less than truckload (LTL) freight carriers announced 4-6% general rate increases for non-contract shipments. General rate increases are typically announced anywhere from late May to early July. The April announcement came much earlier than usual. What does this mean to shippers and why did this occur? GRI, or general rate increase, is the average amount by which carriers’ tariff rates increase applied to base rates. It is extremely difficult for an individual shipper to calculate how this rate increase will impact their bottom line. The percentage increase will vary based on shipping region, weight breaks, zip codes and freight classes. Working with a logistics broker can help shippers understand the rate increase and even help keep their costs down.

Many companies today are working in an environment of fierce competition and razor-sharp profit margins, and trying to achieve LTL freight savings.

Over the years since federal deregulation in the late 1970s, LTL transportation has morphed from a heavily unionized group of carriers operating in a largely non- competitive environment into today’s high tech, cost-effective and service-oriented transportation industry. Today’s national, regional, and inter-modal providers must vie for their share of a 30 billion dollar market.

The two weeks of summer that everyone has been waiting for are finally here – The Olympic Games. Taking place in London, England this year, the Olympics is one of the most watched sporting events on the planet. With this much national attention, a copious amount of detail and planning must go into the preparation of the Games. This entails a huge logistical challenge in how to overcome the mass transportation of products, athletes, workers and attendees to the London Olympics. We have provided you with some Summer Olympics logistical

Suppliers, manufacturing plants, distribution centers, and customers all make up a supply chain network. When optimizing your supply chain network, customer demand must be satisfied while keeping logistics costs steady and under control. According to Optimum Profit Consulting, “Strategic Network Optimization calculates the most optimal (highest profit or lowest cost) way to source supplies, production, and distribution across the network.”

Transportation requirements in the oil & gas industry can be unique and complex, such as stringing services for line pipe delivery. Higher safety standards and the need for specialized equipment limit the base of qualified carriers, making it harder for suppliers to quickly and economically manage freight to project sites.