Transportation TIP List: Week of March 13th, 2016

Transportation TIP List: Week of March 13th, 2016

As March Madness is sweeping the nation, basketball fans everywhere are filling out brackets in the hope of picking the perfect champion. Likewise, this week’s TIP List features some sure winners in logistics and supply chain news, including new FMCSA training standards and strategies for omni-channel fulfillment success. Read on to find out which topics are a slam dunk!

• FMCSA Seeks Training Standards for Entry-Level Truck Drivers: The FMCSA is proposing a set of comprehensive national prerequisite training standards for those seeking a commercial driver’s license (CDL). Under the proposal, applicants seeking a “Class A” CDL would be required to obtain a minimum of 30 hours of behind-the-wheel training.

• Two Important Questions About the Future of Freight Moves: Freight tons moving on the nation’s transportation network will grow 40 percent in the next three decades while the value of the freight will almost double, increasing by 92 percent, according to the latest projections by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s BTS and FHWA.

• 10 Ways A 3PL Can Help Multichannel Companies Operate Profitably: In the past five years, some large companies have entered the market with extremely competitive services and costs. This article discusses 10 ways that multichannel businesses have used and benefited from 3PLs.

• Free Trade Loses Political Favor: After decades in which successive presidents have pushed to open U.S. and global markets, resentment toward free trade now appears to have the upper hand in both parties, making passage this year of a sweeping Pacific trade deal far less likely and clouding the longer-term outlook for international economic exchange.

• U.S. Services Firms Show Resilience From Manufacturing Recession: The U.S. service economy, while slowing, is avoiding the contraction seen across the nation’s industrial sector. Total revenue across a dozen broad categories of service industries rose an estimated 2.1% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier.

• Omni-Channel Fulfillment: Strategies for Success: This article outlines key strategies for success in the omni-channel fulfillment market. These strategies serve as a guide for both practitioners and software suppliers to continue to grow in the market, and evolve to meet the changing nature of business to consumer commerce.

• What Is New in Sustainability Reporting?: As a variety of companies in an industry tackle sustainability issues, it is natural for them to look for industry trade groups and sustainability associations to help in their efforts. More recently we have seen industry groups offering industry-level materiality assessments. But what exactly does that mean?

What logistics trends are you keeping an eye on this week?