Transportation TIP List: Week of September 2nd, 2018

Are you ready for some football? As the NFL season officially kicks off, we know that game planning, strategy and preparation are also important to supply chain success. This week, our TIP List takes to the field with a blitz of logistic trends, including 2019 transportation budget predictions and the impact of hours-of-service rules on drivers in Mexico. Tackle the full lineup of industry stories below!

• U.S. Truck Shippers Prep for Higher 2019 Spending: As the calendar turns to September, company executives are already talking with their transportation managers about their 2019 budgets – especially as trucking rates are expected to climb again.
• Maersk Tanker Tests Wind Power to Cut Soaring Fuel Costs: As marine fuel prices continue to soar, the shipping industry is looking for ways to harness ocean winds to power oceangoing vessels and potentially cut vessel fuel bills by up to 10%.
• Mexico Truck Shippers Brace for Rule-Driven Capacity Tightening: New rules that are expected to further stretch the already-tight capacity of Mexico’s trucking sector by limiting the hours that a driver can be at the wheel have prompted a major business group to seek their suspension. The group claims there are too few rest stops to enable truckers to fully comply.
• Capacity Loosens as Supply Balances with Trucking Demand: The latest numbers from ACT Research’s For-Hire Trucking Index show that the supply and demand balance improved in July. The July index rose to 58 seasonally-adjusted, up from a 54 reading in June.
• A Trucker Shortage Is Forcing Restaurants to Buy Local: Local ingredients are trendy among upscale restaurants. But, as the cost to ship ingredients has jumped 14% in past year, sandwich and salad shops are also shopping closer to home in order to avoid passing higher prices to customers.

Which industry trend is having the biggest impact on your supply chain team?