This year, more than ever, heading into your annual truckload request for proposal (RFP) process can be daunting. As we face unprecedented market volatility, it is increasingly challenging to forecast and plan your truckload procurement strategies. In talking with customers, we often get questions like “When is the best time to do a truckload RFP? […]

The impact of COVID-19 and restarting of the economy influences all our lives and businesses. For-hire trucking—in both the spot and contract/committed markets—is also impacted in these times by the shifting forces of supply and demand.

As we begin 2020, we can anticipate more balance in the transportation marketplace, according to industry sources. When looking at the classic cycle of the U.S. truckload market, the next six to nine months will be a transitional phase. We just hit the bottom of the market after experiencing oversupply, and now we’re near an […]

As we wrap up 2019, it’s not too late to prepare for the conditions of the changing transportation market and review expectations for the coming year. Here’s a brief update about the transportation market in the final quarter of 2019.

For many in the supply chain industry, a cyclical pattern of tension and slack is a familiar occurrence. While freight volumes and the supply of trucks and drivers constantly strive for equal balance, they often fall short. Here are the five key freight trends worth watching in late 2019.

Our industry’s cyclical pattern of tension and slack has become familiar to many of us. Freight volumes (demand) and active supply (trucks, drivers, trains, and containers) seek balance, but often fall somewhere across the balance spectrum. Currently, we are early in a shift from high tension to low. As such, there are several new trends […]

It’s been nearly a year since the electronic logging device (ELDs) mandate went into effect. Some had predicted that the industry would see mass carrier bankruptcies or a flurry of acquisitions of smaller carriers by larger ones, but that hasn’t been the case. Instead, thanks to the strongest truckload shipping market since deregulation in 1980, […]

Wanting to know how your supply chain compares to others in your industry (or the market at large) is natural. After all, knowing where you stand can influence your goals, planning, and strategies in the future.

Many would argue that the role of transportation services within business has been changing over the past few years. I agree. But I also ask: is transportation what has really changed? Or is transportation only becoming increasingly important because of everything else that has changed?

  It’s been my privilege to work with MIT graduate students as they research service and pricing in the truckload market. Now, it’s time to see how your truckload strategy compares to the practices Leaders use to get the best performance and pricing.