Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY

In this episode, our guest is Doug Schrier, senior vice president of strategy at Transflo. While we know that automated trucks are coming someday, many may not be aware of the behind-the-scenes automation available today to keep the trucking industry moving forward. Artificial intelligence and machine learning help companies automate many of the industry's non-driving tasks. Consumers are all...

In this episode, our guest is Ellen Voie, President, CEO, and Founder of Women in Trucking. She discusses how her organization works to attract women into the trucking industry. She shares what barriers remain and how the industry can help to overcome them to open their truck doors to more women drivers. As any shipper knows, tight capacity remains in the freight markets — and it looks like this s...

In this episode, our guest is DC Velocity Publisher Gary Master. Supply chains everywhere are experiencing disruptions. It really is a mess out there. Gary talks about the current state of supply chains and identifies some of the trouble spots. He also discusses the CSCMP EDGE conference coming up this week in Atlanta which will provide professionals with a perfect opportunity to address many of t...

In this episode, our guest is Steve Denton, CEO of Ware2Go, a UPS company. All businesses have been affected by Covid-19 during the past year and a half, but merchants and retailers have experienced more ups and downs than many. One of the more challenging problems is the rising cost of transportation for their goods. With peak season approaching,  how will merchants be able to deliver products in...

In this episode, our guest is Brad Wright, CEO of Chunker. Many small to medium sized businesses feel that they are being squeezed out of available warehouse space by much larger players. Tight capacity in industrial space is to blame. What are the alternatives for these smaller distributors to find the warehouse space they need to move their businesses forward without huge financial risk or a lon...

In this episode, our guest is Dr. Emily Tucker, assistant professor at Clemson University's Department of Industrial Engineering. Most of the medicines we rely on every day come from just two key trading partners overseas. That has created shortages and vulnerabilities in our medical supply chains and has limited our abilities to assure that we have medicines when we need them. Dr. Tucker exp...

In this episode, our guest is Scott Cornell, transportation lead and crime and theft specialist at Travelers. Cargo theft is on the rise compared to pre-pandemic levels. Cornell talks about where cargo is stolen and what types of products are most desirable to thieves. He also discusses ways that supply chain professionals can better safeguard their cargo. Because of strong consumer demand, U.S. p...

In this episode, our guest is Kathy Fulton, executive director of ALAN, the American Logistics Aid Network. Hurricanes can leave in their wake many supply chain disruptions, even for those not in the direct path of the storm. We are about to enter the heart of hurricane season. Kathy shares how companies can prepare their supply chains for when hurricanes impact the movement of goods and services....

In this episode, we discuss the whether reshoring will take hold as one way of mitigating the many supply chain disruptions we have experienced this year. Our guest, Andrew Viteritti, commerce and regulation lead at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), shares research on the likelihood that U.S. companies will bring production back to North America. Is it a feasible solution? New economic news s...

In this episode, Darren Epps, senior director of advanced vehicle technology at Ryder, shares what it will take for freight companies to transition to electric fleets. It is more than just buying electric trucks. It involves decisions on infrastructure for charging them and determining which loads are best suited for currently available technologies. Many workers spent the last year working remote...

In this episode, Spencer Shute, a consultant with the supply chain and procurement consulting firm Proxima, discusses the recent executive order from President Biden designed to encourage more competition between American companies. The goal is to increase competition to better serve consumers, but what impact will these orders have on the supply chains that we currently know and how will it affec...

In this episode, Dr. Thomas Evans, chief robotics technology officer at Honeywell, discusses how automation can help small to medium-sized distributors compete with the big guys on the block. 5G cell technology is rolling out across the nation, but it will take a while for the infrastructure to be  in fully in place to make an impact. How will it eventually affect the growth of devices using Inter...

In this episode, Gary Master, president, COO, and group publisher at Agile Business Media, discusses the current state of supply chains. He explains that new challenges arise each day - almost like playing the arcade game Whac-A-Mole. Once one problem is addressed, another comes up to challenge supply chain managers. Product and component shortages, freight bottlenecks, labor issues, tight capacit...

In this episode, Mark Manduca, the newly appointed chief investment officer of GXO Logistics, discusses the new company and its role in the logistics industry. GXO is the result of a split in the logistics and warehousing segments of the large worldwide company, XPO Logistics. GXO has been created to assume the contract warehousing business. At its launch in a few weeks, it will become the second-...

In this episode, Richard Sinkoff, the director of environmental programs and planning at the Port of Oakland, is our guest. He discusses a new initiative to have California fund $2.25 billion improvements in ports and infrastructure to create a zero-emissions distribution network. The network would aim for zero-emissions handling, including trucks that come into and out of the state's ports....

In this episode, guest Dan Gilmore, chief marketing officer at warehouse software company Softeon, discusses how today's warehouse management software systems are being developed to handle the huge surge in robotics and other warehouse automation systems. Today's WMS and WES systems must monitor and direct many warehouse functions in real time to keep products flowing. They also must be...

In this episode, guest Mark Stanton, general manager for PowerFleet for Supply Chain,  discusses the upcoming hurricane season and how we can prepare our supply chains to better handle disruptions. We all know that hurricanes are likely to happen; we just don't know where or when they will occur. But, companies can prepare their supply chains now using technology tools and collaboration to mo...

In this episode, guest Alex Wakefield, CEO of supply chain technology firm Longbow Advantage, discusses the need for better supply chain visibility. He suggests that improvements in visibility for warehouse operations can actually provide better insights into bottlenecks and challenges in the transportation of goods to and from facilities. The American Transportation Research Institute, better kno...

In this episode, guest Mike Klage, solutions director at TOC Logistics International, shares what's happening out on the water. Ports continue to be overwhelmed with cargo and backlogs are becoming the new normal for ocean shipping. Some shippers are looking at alternative ports, such as those on the East Coast and and in the Gulf region, but will that solve their problems if capacity is scar...

In this episode, guest Jim Yarbrough, global intelligence program manager at BSI, shares the major supply chain risks from around the world. BSI recently released its Supply Chain Risks Insights 2021 report. It analyzes and assesses risks to countries and businesses globally. These include product theft, fraud, labor exploitation, and political and regulatory changes. He also shares how to make su...

In this episode, guest Paul Beavers, the chief technology officer at PCS Software, discusses why he thinks touchless transactions are here to stay. During the past year, as the Covid-19 pandemic raged, many companies turned to contactless electronic transactions as a way of promoting social distancing and reducing risks to drivers. It is just another adoption trend that the pandemic accelerated, a...

In this episode, guest Matt Castle, vice president of air services at C.H. Robinson, discusses the tight air freight market. While passengers are starting to fly again  on commercial planes, that extra belly space for cargo has not really alleviated the capacity constraints on the air freight market. Is there any improvement in sight, or is this what to expect for the rest of the year? Are there g...

In this episode, guest Aaron Hageman, CEO of Delivery Drivers Inc. (DDI), discusses trends in last-mile logistics. The supply chain industry calls that final delivery to a person's home or business "the last mile" of the shipment chain. It is usually the most expensive part of logistics, as each package must be handled separately, in contrast to the aggregate handling of previous st...

In this episode, guest Brandon Coats, global product manager for robotics and vision at Material Handling Systems (MHS), discusses artificial intelligence. We have all heard of AI and its potential for improving our lives. Coats talks about some of the misconceptions about artificial intelligence and offers some practical applications where AI can improve distribution operations. We also look at t...

In this episode, guest Chris Jones, executive vice president at Decartes, discusses supply chain vulnerabilities. The Covid-19 pandemic changed everything in our lives, including the way goods are delivered to us. But the pandemic also exposed weak areas of our supply chains and revealed vulnerabilities for sourcing many critical goods, such as PPE, pharmaceuticals, batteries, and electronic compo...