The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) has launched an accreditation initiative for the truckload segment of the motor carrier industry. According to TCA, the program will create a community of individuals who are dedicated to their professional development within the truckload industry, help truckload carriers attract new people to their companies, and create career paths as a retention tool.
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...Read the rest of this storyIt's far easier to get your will in order than it will be for your family to figure out your wishes after your gone without a will. Photo by Jim Park
" >It's far easier to get your will in order than it will be for your family to figure out your wishes after your gone without a will. Photo by Jim Park
" width="296" height="395">I hope this doesn't come across like an admonishment from a reformed smoker, but I just lost my father, and I'm happy to say he died with a will. That will make the next few months much easier on me and my sister. Dad had it all in place, right down to phone numbers, and email addresses for those that held his important papers. Unfortunately, statistics suggest that anywhere from one-half to two-thirds of Americans do not have a will or even any written instructions or last wishes to guide their next of kin.
Dad was in his mid-eighties and had terminal brain cancer, so he knew the end was inevitable. However, he put his affairs in order when he was in his thirties. That's just the kind of man he was. He didn't want my mother to have to deal with the problems associated with his passing while keeping the mortgage paid and food on the table. My grandfather, too, was pretty well organized in this regard. It took me a while longer to get my affairs in order. It was not until my daughter was nine that my wife finally convinced me to visit the lawyer and have something drawn up.
A story in USA Today from June 2015, notes that according to a 2015 Rocket Lawyer estate-planning survey by Harris Poll, 64% of Americans don't have a will. Of those without a plan, about 27% said there isn't an urgent need for them to make one — and 15% said they don't need one at all.
A poll conducted by Gallup in May of 2016, just ...Read the rest of this story
To highlight its new “Master Solutions” work van program unveiled last summer, Mercedes-Benz Vans is unveiling a concept “Toolbox Van” at this year's Chicago Auto Show. Built by RENNtech, the Metris Master Solutions “Toolbox Van,” which is based on the Metris Worker cargo van platform, is touted as the “ultimate toolbox” for any number of jobs.
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...Read the rest of this storyGraphic courtesy TMW
">Are you investing in “BI?” You undoubtedly recognize the acronym for “Business Intelligence” and, like most transportation professionals, agree it is a crucial strategic tool for any asset-, non-asset-based or blended operation.
But how you and your industry peers define and leverage BI might vary dramatically. For some, it represents little more than visual replications of an established set of KPIs. For many, BI remains largely a backend process through which data is aggregated and retrieved for reporting purposes. For a growing number of transportation enterprises, however, business intelligence represents an exciting new pathway to increased understanding of potentially thousands of variables that help determine an organization's competitiveness and profitability.
Even the industry's BI thought leaders would likely agree they are still in the very early stages of a journey that could ultimately revolutionize their businesses. In a sense, therefore, the progress made in this journey by any fleet, 3PL or broker can determine how “intelligent” they really are in an age of ever-rising data volume, variety and velocity.
“Like most transportation companies, we have access to tons of data that is not being analyzed in an interactive manner."
“Like most transportation companies, we have access to tons of data that is not being analyzed in an interactive manner,” says Kent Parkinson, chief information officer for Royal Trucking, West Point, Mississippi. “But we're now on a path to move beyond spreadsheets as we apply modern tools that will help provide a much deeper understanding of our business.”
Royal, like thousands of carriers, is still comparatively early in its BI journey, perhaps just two or three steps into what author and consultant James E. Cates calls the “Ladder of Business Intelligence.” Cates' BI maturity model comprises six levels of organizational resources and fluency in managing information:
Level 1 - Facts: Disorganized, largely irretrievable data points
Level 2 - ...Read the rest of this story
The Cass Truckload Linehaul Index shows while freight rates weren't as good last year as they were in 2015, they were mostly better than in 2014 and appear to be heading higher this year. Source: Cass Information Systems Inc., and Avondale Partners
">The Cass Truckload Linehaul Index shows while freight rates weren't as good last year as they were in 2015, they were mostly better than in 2014 and appear to be heading higher this year. Source: Cass Information Systems Inc., and Avondale Partners
">There are real hopes that freight rates for truckload linehaul and intermodal movements may finally be headed higher, after being frozen in lower territory the last couple of years.
The most recent Cass Truckload Linehaul Index, which tracks monthly changes in linehaul rates, fell 0.9% in December, marking 10 straight monthly declines. But analysts at the investment firm Avondale Partners said there is cause for optimism.
That's because the December reading improved 2.6% compared to the month before. That marked the index's biggest month-over-month gain of 2016 and its highest reading since December 2015.
“The current strength being reported in spot rates is leading us to believe that our current -3% to 1% truckload pricing forecast may need to be improved or moved to a slightly more positive outlook,” Avondale said.
The intermodal sector, which suffered much of last year and the year before, at least compared to 2014, is expected to see some improvements as well. The Cass Intermodal Price Index, which measures changes in total intermodal per-mile costs (including fuel), increased 1.5% in December compared to a year earlier. That's after rising 0.3% and 0.4% in November and October, respectively, while posting a 2.8% December hike from November. December marked the third consecutive year-over-year gain after 21 straight months of declines.
The good news is Avondale expects intermodal pricing to improve year-over-year until late into 2017. The bad news is pricing isn't expected to reach the high levels of three years earlier.
On top of this, the Cass Freight Index, which measures monthly expenditures for shipments across multiple modes, was down far less ...Read the rest of this story
