readers' choice

Thank you for putting out such an excellent magazine. Month after month I'm impressed by the depth of the articles contained in DC VELOCITY and the breadth of topics that are covered. I especially want to compliment you on the Lean articles that appeared in the March 2006 issue.

Going forward, I think it would be great to see articles on the following subjects:

• The driver shortage. I have created (and filed a provisional patent on) a process called Driver & Trailer Share, whereby carriers would join a marketplace whose members would share drivers amongst all of the equipment. In essence, carriers would no longer be constrained by having to return the same driver back in the same truck; any driver could drive any truck; any carrier could haul any trailer; and drivers could return home in days, not weeks. I'd like to find out what other companies are doing to address the problem.
• Innovative distribution models. Before being recruited by Dell, I worked at Michaels Stores, the arts and crafts retailer. There, we created a hybrid distribution model based on the model used by Woolworth's in Australia. Tesco, the British retailer, also has a unique distribution model. I think your readers would like to learn more about Tesco and Woolworth's as well as about ES3 (an innovative justin-time food distribution and delivery service).
• Collaborative shipping. I think your readers would be interested in learning more about what companies and industries are the best at shipping collaboratively—i.e., moving products on the same truck even if they're competitors.

Brittain Ladd, Dell Inc.

Editor's note: Reader input is critical to DC VELOCITY's efforts to keep its content timely and relevant. Please don't hesitate to let us know what stories you'd like us to cover.