Transportation TIP List: Week of March 10th, 2019
Posted - March 13, 2019
This weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration brings both the Irish and the Irish-at-heart together in the form of parades, festivals and the wearing of green attire! And in honor of the shamrock-themed holiday, take a look at some of the treasured stories highlighted in this week’s TIP List – including 3PL providers adding AI technology to improve supply chain activities and retailers further increasing their delivery requirements for suppliers.
- Walmart Toughens Delivery Demands for Suppliers: Walmart is raising its delivery goal posts for suppliers, asking them to deliver more goods on time as it competes for Amazon shoppers online and in stores. The retailer wants suppliers that ship full trucks of products to deliver orders within a specified two-day window 87% of the time, up from the previous 85% rate.
- 3PLs Look to AI for Supply Chain Efficiency: 3PL providers Transplace and NFI Industries are bolstering their tech portfolios by partnering with Noodle.ai by adding AI capabilities to their transportation and distribution activities, helping to deliver enhanced logistics services and technology to shippers.
- Improving Infrastructure Could Save Trucking Billions of Gallons of Fuel: Improvements to highway infrastructure can help conserve fuel and reduce emissions, according to a recent case study from ATRI. Nationally, congestion is estimated to have increased the trucking industry’s fuel consumption by 6.87 billion gallons in 2016; adding $15.74 billion to fuel costs.
- U.S. Posts Record Annual Trade Deficit: According to recent data from the Commerce Department, the U.S. trade deficit in goods hit a record high in 2018; growing 10% to $891.3 billion. In addition, the U.S. trade gaps with China and Mexico, already the nation’s largest, reached new records.
- ISM Manufacturing Index Hits Lowest Level Since November 2016: U.S. manufacturing activity expanded at a slower-than-expected pace last month and reached its lowest level in more than two years. The ISM Manufacturing Index was 54.2 in February compared to 56.6 in January.
What are you doing to help meet increasing delivery demands from retailers?
