Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY

Today we're repeating our March 18 episode on postal reform for those who might have missed it. We'll be back next week with a new episode. We'll talk about relief efforts for Ukraine and the many refugees that are crossing into Poland and other nations with Kathy Fulton of the American Logistics Aid Network.

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Our guest in this week's episode is former Kansas congressman Kevin Yoder. He is the executive director of Keep US Posted, an organization that has been working to keep the United States Postal Service fiscally sound and operating efficiently. Last week Congress passed postal reform legislation designed to set a path for the postal service for years to come. What are the major provisions of this legislation, and how will it change postal operations in the United States?

The White House is working once again to improve supply chain bottlenecks. Its latest initiative is called FLOW (Freight Logistics Optimization Works) and partners with major retailers and logistics providers to better share supply chain data. What are the details, and will it help alleviate supply chain congestion?

Commercial real estate is bouncing back nicely from its pandemic lows. Warehousing is a strong segment, pushing overall numbers higher. Some regions are finding warehouse space difficult to locate. What are the new numbers, and will the trends continue?

 DC Velocity's sister publication CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly  offers a new series of podcast called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane. Co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, this new series first focuses on an eight-part look at the State of Logistics. Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe.


Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:

• Keep US Posted
• White House says shared supply chain data would break inventory logjams
• Commercial investment bounces back from Covid lows
• Logistics real estate sees record rent growth
• Visit DCVelocity.com for the latest news. 
• Visit Supply Chain Quarterly
• Listen to Supply Chain Quarterly's Top 10 Supply Chain Threats podcast
• Listen to CSCMP and Supply Chain Quarterly's Supply Chain in the Fast Lane podcast
• Send feedback about this podcast to [email protected].

Podcast sponsored by: Beckoff

Other links

• About DC VELOCITY
• Subscribe to DC VELOCITY
• Sign up for our FREE newsletters
• Advertise with DC VELOCITY
• Top 10 Supply Chain Management Podcasts

Our guest in this week's episode is Mary Murphy, senior director of managed logistics strategy for BlueGrace Logistics. She discusses the rise in fuel prices caused by supply chain issues, inflation, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. How will these rising prices affect supply chains and is there any end in sight?

The food and beverage industry is especially susceptible to supply chain bottlenecks. Not only does it slow processes, but much food can spoil if delayed in transit. A new report looks at what the industry is doing to mitigate risks. It also discusses what food and beverage managers feel are their main supply chain concerns.

First we got the infrastructure bill and then postal reform. What's the next supply chain area that Congress will address? It looks like it will be maritime operations. The Ocean Reform Act just made it out of a Senate committee and will soon be presented to the full Senate after having passed the House earlier. What does it do and how will it help shippers?

 DC Velocity's sister publication CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly  offers a new series of podcast called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane. Co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, this new series first focuses on an eight-part look at the State of Logistics. Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe.


Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:

• BlueGrace Logistics
• Food industry seeks to mitigate supply risks
• Ocean shipping reform act could become law by springtime
• Visit DCVelocity.com for the latest news. 
• Visit Supply Chain Quarterly
• Listen to Supply Chain Quarterly's Top 10 Supply Chain Threats podcast
• Listen to CSCMP and Supply Chain Quarterly's Supply Chain in the Fast Lane podcast
• Send feedback about this podcast to [email protected].

Podcast sponsored by: Beckoff

Other links

• About DC VELOCITY
• Subscribe to DC VELOCITY
• Sign up for our FREE newsletters
• Advertise with DC VELOCITY
• Top 10 Supply Chain Management Podcasts

Our guest in this week's episode is former Kansas congressman Kevin Yoder. He is the executive director of Keep US Posted, an organization that has been working to keep the United States Postal Service fiscally sound and operating efficiently. Last week Congress passed postal reform legislation designed to set a path for the postal service for years to come. What are the major provisions of this legislation, and how will it change postal operations in the United States?

The White House is working once again to improve supply chain bottlenecks. Its latest initiative is called FLOW (Freight Logistics Optimization Works) and partners with major retailers and logistics providers to better share supply chain data. What are the details, and will it help alleviate supply chain congestion?

Commercial real estate is bouncing back nicely from its pandemic lows. Warehousing is a strong segment, pushing overall numbers higher. Some regions are finding warehouse space difficult to locate. What are the new numbers, and will the trends continue?

 DC Velocity's sister publication CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly  offers a new series of podcast called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane. Co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, this new series first focuses on an eight-part look at the State of Logistics. Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe.


Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:

• Keep US Posted
• White House says shared supply chain data would break inventory logjams
• Commercial investment bounces back from Covid lows
• Logistics real estate sees record rent growth
• Visit DCVelocity.com for the latest news. 
• Visit Supply Chain Quarterly
• Listen to Supply Chain Quarterly's Top 10 Supply Chain Threats podcast
• Listen to CSCMP and Supply Chain Quarterly's Supply Chain in the Fast Lane podcast
• Send feedback about this podcast to [email protected].

Podcast sponsored by: Beckoff

Other links

• About DC VELOCITY
• Subscribe to DC VELOCITY
• Sign up for our FREE newsletters
• Advertise with DC VELOCITY
• Top 10 Supply Chain Management Podcasts

Our guest in this week's episode is Lindsey Trent, president of the Next Generation in Trucking Association, an organization that works to attract young people to the trucking profession. Truck drivers are hard to find and many more are needed to drive our nation's trucks, as well as the maintenance people who make sure vehicles keep running well. Trent discusses what this industry association is doing to make the profession attractive to young people just about to enter the workforce.

Several trucking companies are implementing autonomous trucking systems and testing the benefits of the technologies. A driver is present, of course, but the autonomous systems operate the trucks along established routes. What are these companies saying about their experiences so far?

Postal reform legislation has passed Congress and is now awaiting President Biden's signature for the reforms to become law. Will the reforms put the USPS on the right financial footing to allow the agency to maintain current services while also  increasing parcel volume capabilities?

 DC Velocity's sister publication CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly  offers a new series of podcast called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane. Co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, this new series first focuses on an eight-part look at the State of Logistics. Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe.


Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:

• Next Generation in Trucking Association
• Ceva Logistics and Kodiak Robotics launch autonomous freight deliveries.
• Senate passes postal reform bill in bid to overhaul agency's finances
• Visit DCVelocity.com for the latest news. 
• Visit Supply Chain Quarterly
• Listen to Supply Chain Quarterly's Top 10 Supply Chain Threats podcast
• Send feedback about this podcast to [email protected].

Podcast sponsored by: Beckoff

Other links

• About DC VELOCITY
• Subscribe to DC VELOCITY
• Sign up for our FREE newsletters
• Advertise with DC VELOCITY
• Top 10 Supply Chain Management Podcasts

Our guest in this week's episode is Koray Köse, senior director analyst at Gartner Supply Chain and Research Advisory. He shares the impact that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is having on supply chains. Those impacts include raw materials sourced from the region, rerouting transportation around the war zone, and impacts on the costs associated with fuel. How long will these impacts continue to affect the world's supply networks?

New efforts are underway to add additional capacity to the trucking market. They include a new apprenticeship program designed to bring more drivers into the industry.

With the Russian war affecting oil prices, supply chain costs continue to surge, according to this month's Logistics Managers Index. While prices remain high it does not seem to impact demand for supply chain services, as they continue to grow at historic rates.

 DC Velocity's sister publication CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly  offers a new series of podcast called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane. Co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, this new series first focuses on an eight-part look at the State of Logistics. Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe.


Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:

• Gartner Supply Chain Research
• ATA says federal apprenticeship program will boost supply of truck drivers
• Automakers lack supply chain muscle to meet raging truck demand
• Logistics economy grew in February
• Logistics pros warn of business impact from Russia-Ukraine war
• Visit DCVelocity.com for the latest news. 
• Visit Supply Chain Quarterly
• Listen to Supply Chain Quarterly's Top 10 Supply Chain Threats podcast
• Send feedback about this podcast to [email protected].

Podcast sponsored by: Beckoff

Other links

• About DC VELOCITY
• Subscribe to DC VELOCITY
• Sign up for our FREE newsletters
• Advertise with DC VELOCITY
• Top 10 Supply Chain Management Podcasts

Our guest in this week's episode is Josefina (Josie) Blanco, legal and compliance lead with Nuvocargo. She discusses current cross-border trade issues, including whether the recent protests against vaccine mandates at the Canadian border could spread to our Southern border with Mexico. She also shares her views on other compliance issues affecting trade and border crossings between the United States and Mexico.

Retailers are taking environmental and sustainability issues very seriously. We discuss some of these trends and other retail issues that were front and center this week at the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) LINK conference held this past week in Texas.

Ransomware and other cyberattacks are on the rise. More than a third of organizations fear they could be vulnerable. How can logistics managers protect their supply chains from these threats?

 DC Velocity's sister publication CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly  has  produced an 11-episode limited podcast series called Top 10 Supply Chain Threats. Each week, a different threat to our supply chains is discussed, including capacity constraints, labor shortages, inflation and economics, weather-related issues, component and product shortages, digitalization, automation, and much more. Subscribe at your favorite podcast platform. Search "Top 10 Supply Chain Threats."


Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:

• Nuvocargo
• Nuvocargo's vaccine checker for Mexican truck drivers
• RILA show retailers make climate progress through discrete solutions
• Ransomware attacks on networks soared in 2021
• Visit DCVelocity.com for the latest news. 
• Visit Supply Chain Quarterly
• Listen to Supply Chain Quarterly's Top 10 Supply Chain Threats podcast
• Send feedback about this podcast to [email protected].

Podcast sponsored by: Hyster

Other links

• About DC VELOCITY
• Subscribe to DC VELOCITY
• Sign up for our FREE newsletters
• Advertise with DC VELOCITY
• Top 10 Supply Chain Management Podcasts

The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and DC Velocity's sister publication, CSCMP’s Supply Chain Quarterly , bring you a new podcast filled with deep industry discussions. The editors of Supply Chain Quarterly talk to today’s top thought innovators, spanning topics across the entire supply chain. Supply Chain in the Fast Lane fast tracks topics you need to know from leaders you want to know.

Links

• Learn more about CSCMP
• Join the CSCMP community
• CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly
• Subscribe to CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly 
• Sign up for our FREE newsletters
• Listen to our sister podcast, Top 10 Supply Chain Threats 
• Advertise with CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly

Our guest in this week's episode is Kyle Rice, chief technology officer at SAP NS2. He is an expert on cyber security and is here to discuss ways to assure supply chain security. He shares how bad actors and opposing governments are using vulnerabilities in our technologies to further disrupt our supply chains beyond those delays directly attributed to the pandemic. He also offers some best practices for making certain that our supply chains are less vulnerable to attack.

Containers continue to stack up at West Coast ports awaiting trucks to clear them. Now there are  new efforts to move the containers to temporary holding areas near the ports. The results are that some of the backlog has been cleared and room has been created to offload ships faster. Will these efforts affect the congestion long term, or are they just temporary measures?

New research is being conducted into autonomous truck technologies. Several partnerships between technology developers, trucking firms, and vehicle manufacturers are allowing self-driving technologies to be tested safely on roadways. What progress has been made, and what are the latest tests hoping to accomplish?

 DC Velocity's sister publication CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly  has  produced an 11-episode limited podcast series called Top 10 Supply Chain Threats. Each week, a different threat to our supply chains is discussed, including capacity constraints, labor shortages, inflation and economics, weather-related issues, component and product shortages, digitalization, automation, and much more. Subscribe at your favorite podcast platform. Search "Top 10 Supply Chain Threats."


Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:

• SAP NS2
• California seeks to ease port congestion by leasing six container storage sites
• CH Robinson and Waymo partner to advance autonomous trucking for logistics
• Embark to equip Knight Swift trucks with autonomous software
• Visit DCVelocity.com for the latest news. 
• Visit Supply Chain Quarterly
• Listen to Supply Chain Quarterly's Top 10 Supply Chain Threats podcast
• Send feedback about this podcast to [email protected].

Podcast sponsored by: Hyster

Other links

• About DC VELOCITY
• Subscribe to DC VELOCITY
• Sign up for our FREE newsletters
• Advertise with DC VELOCITY
• Top 10 Supply Chain Management Podcasts

Our guest in this week's episode is Udo Lange, president and CEO of FedEx Logistics. Lange is a member of the White House Task Force on Supply Chain Disruptions. He shares about the work of the task force and what remains to be done to clear the bottlenecks and other disruptions that cause delays in supply chains. He also discusses what FedEx Logistics has been doing to cope with the worldwide supply chain congestion.

Protesters against vaccine mandates in Canada have blocked key arteries for goods flowing between Canada and the United States. Protesting truckers have blocked border bridges that are used to supply auto plants and other key industrial operations. Is there an end in sight to the standoffs, and what are supply chain managers doing to work around the congested and blocked areas?

It looks like Congress is about to act on legislation to enable the U.S. Postal Service to operate with fewer financial constraints. The goal is to make the service  able to better fund its operations without incurring the billions of dollars it has lost in recent years as it attempts to be more competitive in a changing mail and shipping environment.

DC Velocity's sister publication CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly  has  produced an 11-episode limited podcast series called Top 10 Supply Chain Threats. Each week, a different threat to our supply chains is discussed, including capacity constraints, labor shortages, inflation and economics, weather-related issues, component and product shortages, digitalization, automation, and much more. Subscribe at your favorite podcast platform. Search "Top 10 Supply Chain Threats."


Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:

• FedEx Logistics
• Supply chain disruptions continue along U.S.-Canada border
• House passes postal reform bill in bid to cut USPS financial losses
• USPS blames rising losses on high fuel costs and e-commerce boom
• Visit DCVelocity.com for the latest news. 
• Visit Supply Chain Quarterly
• Listen to Supply Chain Quarterly's Top 10 Supply Chain Threats podcast
• Send feedback about this podcast to [email protected].

Podcast sponsored by: Hyster

Other links

• About DC VELOCITY
• Subscribe to DC VELOCITY
• Sign up for our FREE newsletters
• Advertise with DC VELOCITY
• Top 10 Supply Chain Management Podcasts

Our guest in this week's episode is Ron Greene, vice president of business development at Overhaul. Cargo theft is on the rise as more goods are being shipped than ever before, making them vulnerable to thieves. Most of our reports in the past have covered goods being stolen from warehouses and parked trucks, but now there has been a rise in cargo being stolen from idle train cars. What can be done to secure goods on the rails?

New efforts are being made to help clear the bottlenecks at our nation's ports. Several ports have opened pop-up container yards to move the containers away from the immediate port areas to places where the cargo can be more easily handled, while relieving congestion at the main terminals. Will this approach work to cargo move faster?

The latest Logistics Managers Index report shows a surging supply chain industry, with strong demand for transportation services and warehouse space. The index has shown growth for many months. Is this a trend that will continue and what do these numbers show about the strength of our supply chains?

 DC Velocity's sister publication CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly  has  produced an 11-episode limited podcast series called the Top 10 Supply Chain Threats. Each week, a different threat to our supply chains is discussed, including capacity constraints, labor shortages, inflation and economics, weather-related issues, component and product shortages, digitalization, automation, and much more. Subscribe at your favorite podcast platform. Search "Top 10 Supply Chain Threats."


Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:

• Overhaul
• Cargo ports say new container depots could help clear backlogs
• Logistics economy expanded in January
• Visit DCVelocity.com for the latest news. 
• Visit Supply Chain Quarterly
• Listen to Supply Chain Quarterly's Top 10 Supply Chain Threats podcast
• Send feedback about this podcast to [email protected].

Podcast sponsored by: Hyster

Other links

• About DC VELOCITY
• Subscribe to DC VELOCITY
• Sign up for our FREE newsletters
• Advertise with DC VELOCITY
• Top 10 Supply Chain Management Podcasts