a very special company
Re: "some very special employees" (October 2007)
When I saw Randy Lewis on television a couple of evenings ago, I wept tears of joy and tears of hope. I worked with disabled children in our local school system, first as a substitute teacher, then as a special education paraprofessional. My motto was: Don't focus on what they can't do, focus on what they can do. Walgreens has done something so needed, so morally and socially responsible. I can't state how it makes me feel.
Now, I am the disabled student. I have MS and have been trying to get a job off and on for a few years. I have a couple of friends who have distributed my resume to a few of their friends and have given me a few more names to contact on my own. I do not know whether or not their contacts were told about my illness, but every time an employer hears that I am sick, it seems to run in the other direction. I have 94 semester hours toward a BS in management with a 3.86 GPA and already have an AAS in management with a 4.0 GPA. I've decided to finish my degree with a major in management and minor in communication. But I don't know if the degree will help. It's sort of like Angie Campbell's situation, except I don't look sick.
Anyway, kudos for Walgreens. I will keep that company in my prayers the rest of my life. Thank you for your heartwarming story. Debra L. Williams, Mechanicsville, Md.
that hit the spot
Re: "a recipe for inventory control" (February 2008)
This was a great article. We are currently signed on to implement an SAP Business One software package and this article hit exactly what we are anticipating … both in efficiency and possibility of mistakes. Bill Daubmann, Senior VP, Mr. Shower Door
don't be fueled …
Re: "who's fueling who?" FastLane (February 2008)
Clifford Lynch's opinion piece took a very narrow perspective on fuel and fuel surcharges and only applied to LTL carriers. General over-the-road truckload carriers are simply not making money off their fuel surcharges. In fact, fuel surcharges are not even coming close to covering the carriers' fuel cost increases for a number of reasons, including the following:
1. Many shippers pay on shortest miles, which are considerably below actual miles.
2. Shippers rarely pay on empty miles, including those resulting from short-haul movements where trucks routinely return empty.
3. Shippers rarely pay for fuel consumed by refrigeration units.
4. Shippers seldom pay on out-of-route miles.
5. Shippers never pay for lost fuel economy due to congestion.
6. Shippers rarely pay for idling while at their docks waiting to load or unload.
As a result, fuel surcharges only cover about 75 to 80 percent of the gallons consumed by truckload carriers. The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that all too many brokers and 3PLs fail to pass on 100 percent of the fuel surcharges received from shippers to carriers and owner operators.
No wonder carriers are experiencing high bankruptcy rates, simply going out of business, or suffering low profit margins. Shippers who are "aggressive" on fuel surcharges will have only themselves to blame when they can't find capacity in the coming months. Smart shippers will exceed the carrier's expectations in regard to fuel surcharges. Lana Batts, Managing Partner, Transport Capital Partners, LLC
Editor's note: The writer served as president of the Truckload
Carriers Association from 1994 to 2000.
The number of container ships waiting outside U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports has swelled from just three vessels on Sunday to 54 on Thursday as a dockworker strike has swiftly halted bustling container traffic at some of the nation’s business facilities, according to analysis by Everstream Analytics.
As of Thursday morning, the two ports with the biggest traffic jams are Savannah (15 ships) and New York (14), followed by single-digit numbers at Mobile, Charleston, Houston, Philadelphia, Norfolk, Baltimore, and Miami, Everstream said.
The impact of that clogged flow of goods will depend on how long the strike lasts, analysts with Moody’s said. The firm’s Moody’s Analytics division estimates the strike will cause a daily hit to the U.S. economy of at least $500 million in the coming days. But that impact will jump to $2 billion per day if the strike persists for several weeks.
The immediate cost of the strike can be seen in rising surcharges and rerouting delays, which can be absorbed by most enterprise-scale companies but hit small and medium-sized businesses particularly hard, a report from Container xChange says.
“The timing of this strike is especially challenging as we are in our traditional peak season. While many pulled forward shipments earlier this year to mitigate risks, stockpiled inventories will only cushion businesses for so long. If the strike continues for an extended period, we could see significant strain on container availability and shipping schedules,” Christian Roeloffs, cofounder and CEO of Container xChange, said in a release.
“For small and medium-sized container traders, this could result in skyrocketing logistics costs and delays, making it harder to secure containers. The longer the disruption lasts, the more difficult it will be for these businesses to keep pace with market demands,” Roeloffs said.
The British logistics robot vendor Dexory this week said it has raised $80 million in venture funding to support an expansion of its artificial intelligence (AI) powered features, grow its global team, and accelerate the deployment of its autonomous robots.
A “significant focus” continues to be on expanding across the U.S. market, where Dexory is live with customers in seven states and last month opened a U.S. headquarters in Nashville. The Series B will also enhance development and production facilities at its UK headquarters, the firm said.
The “series B” funding round was led by DTCP, with participation from Latitude Ventures, Wave-X and Bootstrap Europe, along with existing investors Atomico, Lakestar, Capnamic, and several angels from the logistics industry. With the close of the round, Dexory has now raised $120 million over the past three years.
Dexory says its product, DexoryView, provides real-time visibility across warehouses of any size through its autonomous mobile robots and AI. The rolling bots use sensor and image data and continuous data collection to perform rapid warehouse scans and create digital twins of warehouse spaces, allowing for optimized performance and future scenario simulations.
Originally announced in September, the move will allow Deutsche Bahn to “fully focus on restructuring the rail infrastructure in Germany and providing climate-friendly passenger and freight transport operations in Germany and Europe,” Werner Gatzer, Chairman of the DB Supervisory Board, said in a release.
For its purchase price, DSV gains an organization with around 72,700 employees at over 1,850 locations. The new owner says it plans to investment around one billion euros in coming years to promote additional growth in German operations. Together, DSV and Schenker will have a combined workforce of approximately 147,000 employees in more than 90 countries, earning pro forma revenue of approximately $43.3 billion (based on 2023 numbers), DSV said.
After removing that unit, Deutsche Bahn retains its core business called the “Systemverbund Bahn,” which includes passenger transport activities in Germany, rail freight activities, operational service units, and railroad infrastructure companies. The DB Group, headquartered in Berlin, employs around 340,000 people.
“We have set clear goals to structurally modernize Deutsche Bahn in the areas of infrastructure, operations and profitability and focus on the core business. The proceeds from the sale will significantly reduce DB’s debt and thus make an important contribution to the financial stability of the DB Group. At the same time, DB Schenker will gain a strong strategic owner in DSV,” Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz said in a release.
Transportation industry veteran Anne Reinke will become president & CEO of trade group the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) at the end of the year, stepping into the position from her previous post leading third party logistics (3PL) trade group the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), both organizations said today.
Meanwhile, TIA today announced that insider Christopher Burroughs would fill Reinke’s shoes as president & CEO. Burroughs has been with TIA for 13 years, most recently as its vice president of Government Affairs for the past six years, during which time he oversaw all legislative and regulatory efforts before Congress and the federal agencies.
Before her four years leading TIA, Reinke spent two years as Deputy Assistant Secretary with the U.S. Department of Transportation and 16 years with CSX Corporation.
National nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) kicked off its 2024 season this week with a call for volunteers. The group, which honors U.S. military veterans through a range of civic outreach programs, is seeking trucking companies and professional drivers to help deliver wreaths to cemeteries across the country for its annual wreath-laying ceremony, December 14.
“Wreaths Across America relies on the transportation industry to move the mission. The Honor Fleet, composed of dedicated carriers, professional drivers, and other transportation partners, guarantees the delivery of millions of sponsored veterans’ wreaths to their destination each year,” Courtney George, WAA’s director of trucking and industry relations, said in a statement Tuesday. “Transportation partners benefit from driver retention and recruitment, employee engagement, positive brand exposure, and the opportunity to give back to their community’s veterans and military families.”
WAA delivers wreaths to more than 4,500 locations nationwide, and as of this week had added more than 20 loads to be delivered this season. The wreaths are donated by sponsors from across the country, delivered by truckers, and laid at the graves of veterans by WAA volunteers.
Wreaths Across America
Transportation companies interested in joining the Honor Fleet can visit the WAA website to find an open lane or contact the WAA transportation team at trucking@wreathsacrossamerica.org for more information.