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May-June 2018
Last month, I was in Atlanta at the Modex trade show. In one sense, it is a tribute to the automation technologies managing today’s distribution networks. And, I’m not only talking about automated materials handling systems, but also the software and NextGen technologies such as robotics, wearable technologies, including smart glasses and augmented reality solutions and sensors enabling the Internet of Things. In another sense, all of these solutions are coming together to drive fulfillment. With the increase in e-commerce, getting the right product to the right customer at the right time has never been more important. Browse this issue archive.Need Help? Contact customer service 847-559-7581 More options
Freight markets come in highly predictable waves. Unfortunately for shippers, the wave they’re being hit with now contains a tsunami of higher rates, as truckers make up ground lost by the long slog back to normalcy following the Great Recession of 2008-2009.
In fact, this current cycle might as well be called the roaring freight market of 2017-2018. Freight is overflowing, even in the first quarter - traditionally the slowest quarter of the year. Carriers, hampered by a lack of drivers and faced with new time constraints due to mandatory electronic logging devices (ELDs), are increasingly being choosy in picking the best-yielding freight for their bottom lines.
As Logistics Management discloses in its annual examination of the Top 25 trucking companies, nearly all of the Top 50 carriers are profitable, some with eye-popping efficiencies, such as Old Dominion Freight Line’s (ODFL) industry-leading 82.5 operating ratios for last year. Keep in mind ODFL is posting that impressive ratio while growing annual revenue 10% to more than $3 billion last year.
It’s this combination of growth and profitability that nearly all members of Logistics Management’s Top 50 strive for in the dog-eat-dog, pennies-on-the-dollar, deregulated trucking environment. Let’s examine some moves that the Top 50 are making to maximize profitability and growth in this booming freight environment.
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Sorry, but your login has failed. Please recheck your login information and resubmit. If your subscription has expired, renew here.
May-June 2018
Last month, I was in Atlanta at the Modex trade show. In one sense, it is a tribute to the automation technologies managing today’s distribution networks. And, I’m not only talking about automated materials… Browse this issue archive. Access your online digital edition. Download a PDF file of the May-June 2018 issue.Freight markets come in highly predictable waves. Unfortunately for shippers, the wave they’re being hit with now contains a tsunami of higher rates, as truckers make up ground lost by the long slog back to normalcy following the Great Recession of 2008-2009.
In fact, this current cycle might as well be called the roaring freight market of 2017-2018. Freight is overflowing, even in the first quarter - traditionally the slowest quarter of the year. Carriers, hampered by a lack of drivers and faced with new time constraints due to mandatory electronic logging devices (ELDs), are increasingly being choosy in picking the best-yielding freight for their bottom lines.
As Logistics Management discloses in its annual examination of the Top 25 trucking companies, nearly all of the Top 50 carriers are profitable, some with eye-popping efficiencies, such as Old Dominion Freight Line’s (ODFL) industry-leading 82.5 operating ratios for last year. Keep in mind ODFL is posting that impressive ratio while growing annual revenue 10% to more than $3 billion last year.
It’s this combination of growth and profitability that nearly all members of Logistics Management’s Top 50 strive for in the dog-eat-dog, pennies-on-the-dollar, deregulated trucking environment. Let’s examine some moves that the Top 50 are making to maximize profitability and growth in this booming freight environment.
SC
MR
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About the Author
John D. Schulz, Contributing Editor, SCMR
John D. Schulz has been a transportation journalist for more than 20 years, specializing in the trucking industry. John is on a first-name basis with scores of top-level trucking executives who are able to give shippers their latest insights on the industry on a regular basis.
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