Will freight brokerage pricing evolve toward a discounted, transparent fee model like stock brokerage pricing? To answer that question, let’s examine some of the similarities between the two industries. The Evolution from Full-Service to Discount Stock Brokers Back in the 70’s and 80’s full-service stock brokerages dominated the industry. The industry leaders, like Merrill Lynch, [...]
“3PLs bundle services to better serve their clients. The logistics industry is huge and the service offerings are very diverse. There are 5 major categories of logistics services: warehousing, transportation, special services, technology and logistics management.” Ultimate Guide to 3PL Services Have you ever nodded your head cluelessly and pretended to know what those [...]
Highly effective 3PLs have developed the right habits, culture and processes to deliver excellent service to their clients. Innovation and new technology are obviously important, but when evaluating a 3PL, go with the one that excels at blocking and tackling. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective 3PLs Habit 1 - Excellent Communication The best 3PLs [...]
Please check out the most popular blog posts of 2012. Five Lessons from Military Logistics Military folks excel in logistics because they focus on the five areas below and we would all be wise to do the same. Core Values / Culture Regardless of which branch of the military or specific job responsibilities, the military instills core [...]
[pullquote align="left|center|right" textalign="left|center|right" width="30%"]If you think the price of fuel is the only element driving freight costs higher – Think again! [/pullquote] Introduction The latest Master of Logistics 20th Annual Study of Transportation and Trends Study reports that in 2011 the highest percent of transportation costs was ground freight at 76.1%, of which US long haul [...]
Highly Effective Shippers Highly effective shippers are successful because they have developed the right attitude and habits regarding shipping. Below is a list of the 7 habits of highly effective shippers: 1. Strategic view of shipping Highly effective shippers see a well-run shipping function as a competitive advantage. With this in mind, they hire the [...]
When evaluating a 3PL, the culture should definitely be considered. Every company has a culture, sometimes called organizational culture or corporate culture. The culture refers to the values and attitudes of employees in the business or organization. Each company has it’s own unique culture that can be a great benefit to or a big detriment to [...]
Cut out the middle man and save! Who could possibly disagree with that wisdom? Me! As a middle man, I say not all middle men are created equal. In fact, some middlemen (like me) will actually save you money. Middleman definition I represent a company that buys freight from Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) carriers and resells it [...]
The Second Worst Phone Call in Logistics There are some phone calls that you just don't want to make. In the logistics world, those phone calls typically involve shipments that are late, lost or costing much more than originally quoted. The natural tendency is to avoid that phone call like the plague You can hope [...]
This is an LTL shipping improvement guide written for Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) shippers who want to dramatically improve their on time performance, and billing accuracy while reducing cost and damaged shipments. The guide highlights metrics and key process indicators (KPI) used to measure LTL performance. For those of you interested in complexity, jargon or theoretical approaches, you came [...]
Logistics Guest Bloggers wanted for the Logistics of Logistics. Do you have something to say about logistics? Dying to rant about some freight injustice? Hoping to impress that special someone with your knowledge of warehousing? Well, look no further, The Logistics of Logistics wants to add a few good bloggers. The content must be solid [...]
An LTL carrier scorecard is essential if you are managing a lot of LTL shipments. In a perfect world, LTL carriers would pick up freight and deliver it on the agreed upon day for a fair price. Of course, all the freight would arrive undamaged and the invoice would always match the quoted price. Unfortunately, [...]
