Skip to content
Search AI Powered
Please enter at least 3 characters.

Latest Stories

fastlane

Cliff Lynch's annual letter to Santa Claus

With tens of thousands trying to buy or keep health insurance and others curious about who's reading their e-mail, you'll probably be inundated with non-supply chain requests this Christmas. Even so, I have a few things I'd like you to consider.

DEAR SANTA,

Well, this year has been frustrating for many of us. The economic recovery has been slow, and many Americans still don't have the kind of jobs they'd like or are qualified for.


With tens of thousands trying to buy or keep health insurance and others curious about who is reading their e-mail, you probably will be inundated with non-supply chain requests this Christmas. Even so, I do have a few things I would appreciate your considering.

First of all, I bet you thought you had the truck driver hours-of-service issue taken care of. The new rules took effect on July 1, and while many are still not happy with them, they have been litigated enough. However, three congressmen are trying to make an end run around the courts and have introduced legislation that would roll the restart provisions back to the pre-July 1 rules until the Government Accountability Office can review the matter. Enough is enough! Please see what you can do to put an end to this once and for all. We should be searching for ways to operate efficiently within the rules rather than trying to change them. I suspect even the reindeer are growing tired of hearing about when their rest periods should take place.

Next year, Congress will be considering a new surface transportation authorization bill, and an 11-member panel from the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee recently issued its report. Problem is, in many respects, the report just gave us a blinding glimpse of the obvious. We know that infrastructure is a problem and that the highway trust fund is almost depleted. What we still don't know is how we're going to fund the needed improvements, nor do the panel members. While in Memphis, they met with FedEx (who let them play with the simulator) and predictably recommended that "adequate funding and programmatic support" be devoted to the air-traffic control upgrade known as the Next Generation Air Transportation System. Already 10 years and billions of dollars have been spent on this program, and it seems to encounter obstacles at every turn. More budget cuts are likely, but if this panel can make this happen, it will have earned its keep. However, before Congress considers the new funding bill, it is going to need a much better plan than it has now. Your help is going to be crucial. I realize dealing with this Congress on anything is difficult, but as long as you control their toys, you can control them.

On another subject, I just returned from my 45th NCPDM/CLM/CSCMP annual conference. I have never been to a bad one, but the recent Denver meeting was quite different in one major respect—the prominence of technology and technology vendors. Of the 100-plus exhibitors, a large proportion were promoting systems of some type. A number of breakout sessions did as well. I fully realize how important technology is to the supply chain. Without TMS, WMS, and all the other sophisticated tools, supply chain management would still be in the Dark Ages. However, let's not forget our trucks, trains, and warehouses. Without them, we wouldn't need the technology. Perhaps a word to the 2014 program chair might be helpful.

Finally, I'm sure you are aware of the same-day delivery trend being nudged by Amazon, Wal-Mart, e-Bay Now, and others. I'm not sure what impact this will have on you but feel certain it will be an issue for some of the other retailers. In my decades in this industry, I have never seen a better opportunity for a logistics service provider (LSP). By establishing—in a densely populated area—a consolidation program for smaller retailers and offering same-day deliveries, an LSP can fill a major (and profitable) void. I mentioned it to a prominent LSP owner, who said," I agree. It is the wave of the future." Yet he doesn't want to jump on his surfboard. I am betting you can find someone who's willing to make an innovative move. Please see what you can do.

Be sure and tell the reindeer not to keep two logbooks. The CSA 2010 police are watching you.

Merry Christmas!

Cliff Lynch

The Latest

More Stories

photo of containers at port of montreal

Port of Montreal says activities are back to normal following 2024 strike

Container traffic is finally back to typical levels at the port of Montreal, two months after dockworkers returned to work following a strike, port officials said Thursday.

Canada’s federal government had mandated binding arbitration between workers and employers through the country’s Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) in November, following labor strikes on both coasts that shut down major facilities like the ports of Vancouver and Montreal.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

autonomous tugger vehicle
Lift Trucks, Personnel & Burden Carriers

Cyngn delivers autonomous tuggers to wheel maker COATS

photo of a cargo ship cruising

Project44 tallies supply chain impacts of a turbulent 2024

Following a year in which global logistics networks were buffeted by labor strikes, natural disasters, regional political violence, and economic turbulence, the supply chain visibility provider Project44 has compiled the impact of each of those events in a new study.

The “2024 Year in Review” report lists the various transportation delays, freight volume restrictions, and infrastructure repair costs of a long string of events. Those disruptions include labor strikes at Canadian ports and postal sites, the U.S. East and Gulf coast port strike; hurricanes Helene, Francine, and Milton; the Francis Scott key Bridge collapse in Baltimore Harbor; the CrowdStrike cyber attack; and Red Sea missile attacks on passing cargo ships.

Keep ReadingShow less
diagram of transportation modes

Shippeo gains $30 million backing for its transportation visibility platform

The French transportation visibility provider Shippeo today said it has raised $30 million in financial backing, saying the money will support its accelerated expansion across North America and APAC, while driving enhancements to its “Real-Time Transportation Visibility Platform” product.

The funding round was led by Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth fund, with participation from existing investors: Battery Ventures, Partech, NGP Capital, Bpifrance Digital Venture, LFX Venture Partners, Shift4Good and Yamaha Motor Ventures. With this round, Shippeo’s total funding exceeds $140 million.

Keep ReadingShow less
Cover image for the white paper, "The threat of resiliency and sustainability in global supply chain management: expectations for 2025."

CSCMP releases new white paper looking at potential supply chain impact of incoming Trump administration

Donald Trump has been clear that he plans to hit the ground running after his inauguration on January 20, launching ambitious plans that could have significant repercussions for global supply chains.

With a new white paper—"The threat of resiliency and sustainability in global supply chain management: Expectations for 2025”—the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) seeks to provide some guidance on what companies can expect for the first year of the second Trump Administration.

Keep ReadingShow less
grocery supply chain workers

ReposiTrak and Upshop link platforms to enable food traceability

ReposiTrak, a global food traceability network operator, will partner with Upshop, a provider of store operations technology for food retailers, to create an end-to-end grocery traceability solution that reaches from the supply chain to the retail store, the firms said today.

The partnership creates a data connection between suppliers and the retail store. It works by integrating Salt Lake City-based ReposiTrak’s network of thousands of suppliers and their traceability shipment data with Austin, Texas-based Upshop’s network of more than 450 retailers and their retail stores.

Keep ReadingShow less