For nearly 20 years, leaders in the logistics community have been wondering just what it would take to convince politicians that America faces an infrastructure crisis. Now we have the answer: Minneapolis.
Mitch Mac Donald has more than 30 years of experience in both the newspaper and magazine businesses. He has covered the logistics and supply chain fields since 1988. Twice named one of the Top 10 Business Journalists in the U.S., he has served in a multitude of editorial and publishing roles. The leading force behind the launch of Supply Chain Management Review, he was that brand's founding publisher and editorial director from 1997 to 2000. Additionally, he has served as news editor, chief editor, publisher and editorial director of Logistics Management, as well as publisher of Modern Materials Handling. Mitch is also the president and CEO of Agile Business Media, LLC, the parent company of DC VELOCITY and CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly.
For nearly 20 years, leaders in the logistics community have been wondering just what it would take to convince politicians that America faces an infrastructure crisis.
Now we have the answer: Minneapolis.
Too often, it takes tragedy to spur politicians into action. And on Aug. 1, that's precisely what we got. The 40-year-old I-35 West bridge in Minneapolis collapsed, killing 12 (at last count) and injuring 100. We can only hope that the public outcry will force state and federal leaders to take long-overdue steps to remediate the problem.
But it didn't have to come to this, the twisted wreckage, the loss of life, the heartache. And it likely wouldn't have if politicians had only listened to—and heeded—the warnings.
In the logistics community at least, the sorry state of the nation's roads and bridges has been well known for years. Those of us in the business press have heard endless accounts of the nation's deteriorating transportation infrastructure—buckling pavement, cavernous potholes, and, of course, crumbling bridges. We knew that nearly 160,000 bridges had been identified as needing repair or replacement.We knew that of the 40,000 highway fatalities that occur each year, as many as one-third can be attributed to structural deficiencies in the roadways.
We've reported on what we heard as well, developing news stories, feature articles, and special reports on the infrastructure crisis. True, our coverage tended to focus on the business angle, the implications for those engaged in the business of moving freight. Still, the story was there for consumer publications as well. Yet many chose to ignore it.
As for why, we can only speculate. Maybe it wasn't sexy enough. Maybe it just seemed less compelling than the dalliances of over-privileged (and over-served at the bar) teenagers in Hollywood.
Not anymore. Now, the once-boring highway maintenance and repair story has all the "right" stuff: shattered glass, twisted steel, crumpled vehicles and, of course, death, loss, and grieving survivors. To no one's surprise, the mainstream media have jumped all over the bridge collapse, which will likely turn out to be the biggest story of the summer, if not the year. It is not necessarily too little, but for those who lost their lives, it is, sadly, too late.
That's not to suggest that the mainstream press ignores transportation issues altogether. Just two days before the Minneapolis tragedy, The New York Times published an editorial in which it weighed in on the truck driver hours-of-service debate. In the opinion piece, the editorial board of the so-called "newspaper of record" for the country proved that it really didn't have a clue about the transportation industry. Among other things, it claimed that the Bush administration's attempt to reverse the court order capping the hours of consecutive driving at 10, rather than the proposed 11, was simply an attempt to pad the profits of trucking companies at the expense of motorists' safety. This is not the first time that a mainstream media outlet has offered up an uninformed opinion on a transportation issue—and it's unlikely to be the last. The trouble is, pronouncements like these often go unchallenged. Worse yet, they are read and accepted as fact by the general public and the politicians for whom they vote.
It's clear enough that the business community— and, in particular, the logistics business community—needs to do a better job of setting the record straight. We can start by challenging these assertions and shooting back with hard, cold facts.
Online merchants should consider seven key factors about American consumers in order to optimize their sales and operations this holiday season, according to a report from DHL eCommerce.
First, many of the most powerful sales platforms are marketplaces. With nearly universal appeal, 99% of U.S. shoppers buy from marketplaces, ranked in popularity from Amazon (92%) to Walmart (68%), eBay (47%), Temu (32%), Etsy (28%), and Shein (21%).
Second, they use them often, with 61% of American shoppers buying online at least once a week. Among the most popular items are online clothing and footwear (63%), followed by consumer electronics (33%) and health supplements (30%).
Third, delivery is a crucial aspect of making the sale. Fully 94% of U.S. shoppers say delivery options influence where they shop online, and 45% of consumers abandon their baskets if their preferred delivery option is not offered.
That finding meshes with another report released this week, as a white paper from FedEx Corp. and Morning Consult said that 75% of consumers prioritize free shipping over fast shipping. Over half of those surveyed (57%) prioritize free shipping when making an online purchase, even more than finding the best prices (54%). In fact, 81% of shoppers are willing to increase their spending to meet a retailer’s free shipping threshold, FedEx said.
In additional findings from DHL, the Weston, Florida-based company found:
43% of Americans have an online shopping subscription, with pet food subscriptions being particularly popular (44% compared to 25% globally). Social Media Influence:
61% of shoppers use social media for shopping inspiration, and 26% have made a purchase directly on a social platform.
37% of Americans buy from online retailers in other countries, with 70% doing so at least once a month. Of the 49% of Americans who buy from abroad, most shop from China (64%), followed by the U.K. (29%), France (23%), Canada (15%), and Germany (13%).
While 58% of shoppers say sustainability is important, they are not necessarily willing to pay more for sustainable delivery options.
Schneider says its FreightPower platform now offers owner-operators significantly more access to Schneider’s range of freight options. That can help drivers to generate revenue and strengthen their business through: increased access to freight, high drop and hook rates of over 95% of loads, and a trip planning feature that calculates road miles.
“Collaborating with owner-operators is an important component in the success of our business and the reliable service we can provide customers, which is why the network has grown tremendously in the last 25 years,” Schneider Senior Vice President and General Manager of Truckload and Mexico John Bozec said in a release. "We want to invest in tools that support owner-operators in running and growing their businesses. With Schneider FreightPower, they gain access to better load management, increasing their productivity and revenue potential.”
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but Mode Global said it will now assume Jillamy's comprehensive logistics and freight management solutions, while Jillamy's warehousing, packaging and fulfillment services remain unchanged. Under the agreement, Mode Global will gain more than 200 employees and add facilities in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Florida, Texas, Illinois, South Carolina, Maryland, and Ontario to its existing national footprint.
Chalfont, Pennsylvania-based Jillamy calls itself a 3PL provider with expertise in international freight, intermodal, less than truckload (LTL), consolidation, over the road truckload, partials, expedited, and air freight.
"We are excited to welcome the Jillamy freight team into the Mode Global family," Lance Malesh, Mode’s president and CEO, said in a release. "This acquisition represents a significant step forward in our growth strategy and aligns perfectly with Mode's strategic vision to expand our footprint, ensuring we remain at the forefront of the logistics industry. Joining forces with Jillamy enhances our service portfolio and provides our clients with more comprehensive and efficient logistics solutions."
In addition to its flagship Clorox bleach product, Oakland, California-based Clorox manages a diverse catalog of brands including Hidden Valley Ranch, Glad, Pine-Sol, Burt’s Bees, Kingsford, Scoop Away, Fresh Step, 409, Brita, Liquid Plumr, and Tilex.
British carbon emissions reduction platform provider M2030 is designed to help suppliers measure, manage and reduce carbon emissions. The new partnership aims to advance decarbonization throughout Clorox's value chain through the collection of emissions data, jointly identified and defined actions for reduction and continuous upskilling.
The program, which will record key figures on energy, will be gradually rolled out to several suppliers of the company's strategic raw materials and packaging, which collectively represents more than half of Clorox's scope 3 emissions.
M2030 enables suppliers to regularly track and share their progress with other customers using the M2030 platform. Suppliers will also be able to export relevant compatible data for submission to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a global disclosure system to manage environmental data.
"As part of Clorox's efforts to foster a cleaner world, we have a responsibility to ensure our suppliers are equipped with the capabilities necessary for forging their own sustainability journeys," said Niki King, Chief Sustainability Officer at The Clorox Company. "Climate action is a complex endeavor that requires companies to engage all parts of their supply chain in order to meaningfully reduce their environmental impact."
Supply chain risk analytics company Everstream Analytics has launched a product that can quantify the impact of leading climate indicators and project how identified risk will impact customer supply chains.
Expanding upon the weather and climate intelligence Everstream already provides, the new “Climate Risk Scores” tool enables clients to apply eight climate indicator risk projection scores to their facilities and supplier locations to forecast future climate risk and support business continuity.
The tool leverages data from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to project scores to varying locations using those eight category indicators: tropical cyclone, river flood, sea level rise, heat, fire weather, cold, drought and precipitation.
The Climate Risk Scores capability provides indicator risk projections for key natural disaster and weather risks into 2040, 2050 and 2100, offering several forecast scenarios at each juncture. The proactive planning tool can apply these insights to an organization’s systems via APIs, to directly incorporate climate projections and risk severity levels into your action systems for smarter decisions. Climate Risk scores offer insights into how these new operations may be affected, allowing organizations to make informed decisions and mitigate risks proactively.
“As temperatures and extreme weather events around the world continue to rise, businesses can no longer ignore the impact of climate change on their operations and suppliers,” Jon Davis, Chief Meteorologist at Everstream Analytics, said in a release. “We’ve consulted with the world’s largest brands on the top risk indicators impacting their operations, and we’re thrilled to bring this industry-first capability into Explore to automate access for all our clients. With pathways ranging from low to high impact, this capability further enables organizations to grasp the full spectrum of potential outcomes in real-time, make informed decisions and proactively mitigate risks.”