Maine Pointe In The News

COVID-19 has uncovered the areas where supply chains fall short. Fixing them will take major investments, including government

View the article in Supply Chain Management Review quoting CEO Steve Bowen here.

Originally published in Supply Chain Dive

North Dakota approved legislation to pilot the freight method as a way to deal with increased demand for drivers amid high turnover rates. Mike Notarangeli discusses the challenges of "road trains" saying, "There are advantages of road trains — increased capacity, improved efficiency, better driver utilization — but there are downsides as well, including increased maintenance on equipment, increased safety risk and limited access.”

Orginally published in Chief Executive Magazine

Hundreds of challenges face American CEOs every day, but the most pressing challenge is the one that is least talked about and most misunderstood. This crisis is in a chronic shortage of long-haul truck and rail transportation which is already pushing up costs, and resulting in uncertain delivery times, shrinking margins, and profit warnings.

Originally posted in Supply Chain Dive

Green energy and technological streamlining are the future, and many companies along the supply chain with robust R&D departments and capital are pursuing various green energy options and tech advancements with gusto. Third party logistics providers (3PL) are investing in fully electric trucks or hydrogen-electric trucks, and the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate intends to reduce paper waste in the trucking industry by digitizing internal operations.

Originally posted in Supply & Demand Chain Executive

The Amazon Effect, technology, the internet and consumer expectations are driving collaboration between shippers and 3PLs.

The advent of technology, along with pressures from the globe’s largest online retailer, has forced 3PLs and 4PLs to stand up, take notice and change. 

Originally posted in Food Logistics

To see the story featured in the magazine’s print issue click here

It’s not easy, but 3PLs and transportation providers are working toward sustainable fuels.

All those trucks you see on the road? They’re carrying almost 71 percent of the freight tonnage moved in the United States. According to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), that’s 10.5 billion tons of freight annually, requiring more than 3.6 million heavy-duty Class 8 trucks and over 3.5 million truck drivers. And, the ATA reports, it also takes 39 billion gallons of diesel fuel to move all of that freight. 

Originally posted in Supply Chain Dive

Everyone’s heard the sad tale of someone who left their car unlocked with the key in the ignition just to run into the store "for a minute." When he or she comes out, either the car or its contents —or both — were gone.

The same thing happens in cargo trucks, even when the vehicle is locked.

Originally posted in Chief Executive

Hundreds of challenges face American CEOs every day, but the most pressing challenge is the one that is least talked about and most misunderstood. This crisis is in a chronic shortage of long-haul truck and rail transportation which is already pushing up costs, and resulting in uncertain delivery times, shrinking margins, and profit warnings.

Originally posted in Supply Chain Dive

Dive Brief:

• CarrierLists just updated its ongoing electronic logging device (ELD) compliance rate survey, finding compliance rates rose 10 percentage points to 92% this week, as the April 1 enforcement deadline looms.
• Long haul vans, reefers and flatbeds are currently in the high 90s, while short haul and small fleets are in the mid 80s.
• The reason for tracking compliance, according to CarrierLists, is because drivers who have not implemented the ELD by April 1 will experience a 10-hour service outage penalty and could face further penalties if they still refuse to comply.