Students predict future of transportation industry

Here's a deceptively simple question: What is your vision for the future of delivery, and how must transportation management systems (TMS) evolve to keep up?

TMS provider MercuryGate International Inc. recently posed that puzzler to graduate and undergraduate supply chain students at more than 60 colleges and universities, offering prizes to top finishers in its "University Future of Delivery" essay contest. The contest was open to students at schools that participate in the MercuryGate University (MGU) program, an initiative that provides colleges and universities with free access to MercuryGate's software for classroom and research purposes.

When all the entries were in, Danielle Hadre, a Maine Maritime Academy graduate student, was declared the winner, claiming the top prize of $5,000. Brittany Gardner of Texas A&M was named runner-up and took home $3,000. Both authors were lauded for their answers to the essay question, which also asked them to include an analysis of the forces and technologies that are likely to shape the supply chain, logistics, and transportation fields over the next 10-plus years.

"[The winners'] essays and the many others we received exemplify the next generation's profound understanding of the speed at which technology is evolving and how our world is changing," MercuryGate CEO and co-founder Monica Wooden said in a statement. "Autonomous vehicles, drones, 3-D printing, and the Amazon effect on the supply chain were all dominant topics in the work that was submitted, reflecting the students' awareness of key factors shaping the future."