Leading Third-Party Logistics Providers (3PLs) Guide

(PR Net-USA)

The 18th edition of the leading third-party logistics providers guide, Who’s Who in Logistics, has just been released. The new edition, in two volumes - The Americas and International, has been expanded with in-depth profiles of 273 3PLs.

New 3PLs added this year include: Con-way Multimodal, enVista, Fidelitone Logistics, GLOVIS, Hercules Logistics & Forwarding, IMPERIAL Logistics, ITG GmbH Internationale Spedition + Logistik, Odyssey Logistics, OOCL Logistics, Pantos Logistics, Qingdao Smart Cargo International Services, Sataria Group, Shangdong Jiayi Logistics, Topocean Group, Universal Traffic Service, Wared Logistics, and WLG.

Of the 3PLs profiled, over 73% are private versus publicly traded companies. Who’s Who in Logistics profiles individual 3PL financial information, key personnel, information technology, and service capabilities. In addition, editorial evaluations, case studies and important news events are reported. Information is presented in sufficient detail to allow companies to quickly evaluate providers for logistics outsourcing initiatives. Read more here.

Senate Bill Calls for National Freight Policy

(JOCSailings.com – William B. Cassidy)

A national multimodal freight transportation plan is the goal of a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate.Three Democratic senators are sponsoring legislation that would require the federal government to stake out a national policy for freight movement, encouraging multimodal transportation.

The bill hits Capitol Hill as the Obama administration prepares its principles for a long-term reauthorization of the surface transportation bill and Congress remains deadlocked over infrastructure funding.

A national freight transportation policy “that will meet the economic and mobility needs of the 21st century” is long overdue, said Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J., one of the bill’s sponsors. Read more here.

Transportation Rates Are On the Rise for All Modes

(Logistics Today – Dave Blanchard)

As the economy slowly inches its way back to something resembling a recovery, the logistics industry is seeing a recovery of its own, one that will see manufacturers take a modest hit to the wallets as rates for motor carriers, railroads and intermodal transportation increase over the next six months.

According to FreightPulse 18, a semi-annual survey of preferred transportation modes conducted by equity research firm Morgan Stanley with Logistics Today, it’s expected that those shippers using rail carriers to move their freight will see a 2.5% hike in their rates through the end of 2010. Even so, rail carriers will see a 2.6% increase in the amount of goods shipped this year. Rail is generally the least expensive mode of domestic transportation, and volume growth is expected to be comparable to the 2003/2004 rebound. […]

• Rail rate increase 2.5%, volume increase 2.6%
• Intermodal rate increase 0.9%, volume increase 2.1%
• Truckload rate increase 0.6%, volume increase 2.7%
• Regional LTL rate increase 0.7%, volume increase 2.1%
• National LTL rate increase 0.7%, volume increase 1.5%

Read more here.

Source: Freight Pulse 18, conducted by Morgan Stanley with Logistics Today. Forecasts reflect expectations for freight rate and volume increases in the second half of 2010.

Steps Toward a More Integrated Supply Chain

(ThomasNet – David R. Butcher)

In many respects, the practice of supply chain management has made great progress in recent years. However, few companies have yet reached high levels of integration between planning and execution, a recent report says.

By 2015, supply chain planning and execution will blur, according to a recent presentation in which Supply Chain Digest’s editor-in-chief, Dan Gilmore, discussed specific key issues that he believes receive negligible attention.

“For many years, analysts and others have offered separate models of ‘supply chain planning’ and ‘supply chain execution’ processes, and the technology vendors were generally organized in that sense as well,” Supply Chain Digest said earlier this year.

Yet, according to Gilmore, “The need for response based on market demand and other factors is outstripping current planning cycles.

“Tactical and even some operational planning become completely intertwined with execution, causing changes in organizational structures, processes and technology,” he continued. Read more here.

New Book Published on Carriage of Goods

(International Freighting Weekly – James Falkner)

TT Club has published a new transport manager’s handbook on the Conventions for the International Carriage of Goods. It replaces an earlier version and offers a guide to what conventions are in use in which countries, for all modes of freight transport.

The handbook is designed specifically for transport managers who do not have a legal background, but who have to deal with claims and insurance for their companies.