Disgraced former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert is far from putting his child-sex-abuse scandal behind him after being released from federal prison in Minnesota where he served a little over a year ...
Noël Perry Photo via FTR
" >Noël Perry Photo via FTR
" width="250" height="250">FTR and Truckstop.com have announced that Noël Perry, a partner at FTR, will lead the economic analysis for Truckstop.com, assuming the role of chief economist for the load board and technology company.
Perry specializes in risk analysis in the transportation market and focuses on the underlying fundamentals of transport demand, operations, and competition. He will continue his industry analysis with FTR as one of its experts on transportation economics and as lead author of FTR's State of Freight Insights.
“The expanded relationship between FTR and Truckstop.com opens the door for even further insights into how trucking is evolving,” said Eric Starks, CEO of FTR. “This expanded partnership will give all of us, including those in the freight marketplace, a better understanding of how the dynamic relationship between supply and demand is affecting pricing and profitability.”
FTR and Truckstop.com have partnered to provide spot market analysis through Trans4Cast.com, which provides insights on spot market conditions, including rates, market pressure, and historical trending for freight transportation professionals.
Related: FTR: The Economics of 33' Trailers Only Benefit a Few Markets
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...Read the rest of this storyPhoto: Stoughton
">Photo: Stoughton
">The final net trailer order numbers for the month of June have been published by FTR, showing a 12% increase from the previous month.
Net trailer orders totaled 18,900 units for the month, jumping 58% compared to June of last year. The June activity was above FTR's expectations with most segments of the market exceeding their May totals.
“The trailer market had a fantastic month in June. Production was the highest since July 2015,” said Don Ake, FTR vice president of commercial vehicles. “Orders did not fall all much from the respectable numbers posted in March and April. Backlogs are dropping, but that's due to the high build rates rather than lower orders.”
Trailer orders have totaled 261,000 units over the past 12 months. Production rose 5% over May, primarily in the dry and refrigerated van sector, reducing backlog by 6%.
“Medium and small fleets are ordering trailers as the spot freight market remains hot. Large fleets are taking delivery on orders placed months ago, as the expected stronger freight growth starts to happen,” said Ake. “Replacement demand for dry vans continues and flatbed demand has begun to take off. The trailer market continues to exceed expectations in 2017.”
Related: Trailers are Smarter Than Ever
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...Read the rest of this storyAmazon has been using these small orange warehouse robots for several years to make picking much faster, increasing their number every year. Photo: Amazon
">Amazon has been using these small orange warehouse robots for several years to make picking much faster, increasing their number every year. Photo: Amazon
">Peek inside the nearest warehouse and you may witness its metamorphosis from a largely static way station along the traditional supply chain into a “smart” staging area that is just one part of a digitally connected supply chain. It's part of a chain that fulfills shipments from all sorts of places holding goods, including regional warehouses, urban distribution centers, brick-and-mortar stores, and even right off assembly lines.
That's the vision of 21st century warehousing that is starting to emerge. Today to some degree, such as at Amazon, and increasingly tomorrow for all goods providers, a smart warehouse can be defined as one that deploys automation (and even robotics) alongside advanced warehousing management systems driven by big data to speed the movement and ultimate delivery of goods.
The latest State of Logistics Report, issued last month by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals and Penske Logistics, predicts that we're “moving toward a fully digital, connected, and flexible supply chain optimized for e-commerce and last-mile, last-minute delivery. The next-generation supply chain will enhance fulfillment capabilities and drive efficiencies through technologies ranging from big data and predictive analytics to artificial intelligence and robotics.”
The report, authored by consultancy A.T. Kearney, also holds that steadily rising package volumes are driving the trend toward more regional distribution centers, which will serve as “linchpins of advanced networks as retailers offering same-day delivery move goods closer to densely populated areas. Parcel carriers will follow suit with their own region-focused delivery networks.” Of course, those new distribution patterns will spawn – and already are spawning – new trucking routes, with volumes rebalanced between local and regional DCs. What's more, carriers will strive and in some cases ...Read the rest of this story
