Transportation TIP List: Week of July 24th, 2016

Transportation TIP List: Week of July 24th, 2016

After the epic conclusion of the more than 2,000 mile Tour de France this weekend, we’ve been thinking about the intricate twists and turns of the challenging path to a more efficient global supply chain. Our TIP list this week covers the Canadian International Roadcheck, delays in the FMCSA Unified Registration System and Amazon “perches” for drone delivery. Check out the latest below!

• Canadian Results of 2016 International Roadcheck Revealed: Results of Canada’s 2016 International Roadcheck have been released and according to the numbers, nearly 82% of commercial vehicles in Canada inspected this year passed CVSA’s on-road inspection criteria. The three-day blitz took place June 7-9, 2016 across Canada, the United States and Mexico.

• “Detention is Killing Us” Say Carriers: “Detention is killing us.” That pretty much sums up how carriers feel about driver detention, as related in a recent DAT survey of 257 carriers and 50 freight brokers. Of the carriers surveyed, 84% said detention is one of the top five problems affecting their business.

• DOT Delays Online Carrier Registration System Implementation Until January: The FMCSA has delayed the final implementation of its Unified Registration System until Jan. 14, 2017. The agency is updating its IT systems and migrating existing data to new servers, which is causing the delay from the previous implementation date of Sept. 30.

• Amazon Wants to Use Lampposts, Churches as Drone ‘Perches’: Amazon has been awarded a patent for “docking stations” for its delivery drones that will be built on tall structures such as lampposts or churches and allow the unmanned machines to recharge and pick up packages.

• National Retail Federation Shares Views on Ocean Cargo Supply Chain: Just how disruptive was the SOLAS VGM amendment to global shippers? Was the Panama Canal expansion indeed the game changer it was meant to be? And have container carriers finally come up with a strategy to restore rates while still providing their promised standards of service?

• Why Risk Needs to be Top of Mind for Procurement Leaders: Managing risk is not a priority for procurement. A new report describes procurement’s role in supply chain risk management, potential risks that could affect the supply chain, and ways procurement can better manage risk.

• The 10 Evolving C’s of the Retail Industry: Retail is a buzzing arena in the business industry — one that guarantees an increase in revenue each year. Recently, it has been totally digitalized in the form of ecommerce. Have you seen the recent report on the first quarterly ecommerce sales of 2016 by U.S. Census Bureau News? If not, you are missing out on a good read.

What supply chain stories are intriguing you this week?