As we move into the back half of May, the freight market is starting to show signs of an expedited rebound.   Currently, we are seeing signs of recovery. However, fluctuations are likely, and the road back to typical conditions will be bumpy.    Most states across the US have opened for business in some capacity. Even New York has taken […]

As we move into the fourth month of the US COVID-19 outbreak, businesses may begin returning to pre-pandemic operations as states begin reopening.   To effectively track each state’s progress in reopening and how freight is impacted, we will publish a market update for the coming weeks as the country eases out of lockdowns.   Currently, we are seeing […]

Following the recent consumer demand surge prompted by the threat of the pandemic, truckload volumes have fallen off a cliff, as the entire non-essential industrial economy has shut down leaving a massive capacity glut in its wake.  Panic buying took hold of US consumers in late February and March, and as a result, retailers began […]

Controlling costs in the supply chain is an excellent way for businesses in any sector to find increased profitability, but it is especially true for food ingredient shippers. In a uniquely positioned industry that is both time-sensitive and commodity-driven, suppliers must manage transportation, storage, and distribution of products to key production facilities. An effective supply […]

Food and beverage shippers have a few changes to note in the second round of 2020 NMFC updates. These classification changes are scheduled for the end of the month, as the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) has announced the updates will go into effect April 25. While the next scheduled changes are not as […]

The effects of COVID-19 have moved beyond the public health risk presented by the pandemic. Now, the outbreak is hitting businesses, taxing every sector of the United States’ economy in the process.  Even those organizations that have seen positive demand surges over the past few weeks are now exposed to new risks within their operations, […]

As the world becomes more tech-centric every day, digitization efforts are even making their way to the grocery aisle through the blockchain. Though it may sound far off, companies in the food and beverage supply chain are rapidly adopting blockchain platforms as a means of creating visibility, traceability, and efficiency. According to research from Gartner, 20 […]

Photo Credit: The Catalyst   Publix, just like many others in the industry, has begun monitoring its suppliers’ delivery performance.   The southeastern purveyor has instituted a stringent on-time compliance program for all vendors working with the grocery chain.   It measures on-time delivery performance and tracks metrics through a supplier scorecard given to all vendors working with Publix.    The retailer calculates the percentage of cases received against […]

This year is off to an atypical start as the freight market and the international economy braces for the full impact of the coronavirus.  We likely can not quantify the full impact of this disruption for some time. However, the freight market outlook, at least to start Q2, is brighter than other sectors of the domestic economy.  Notably, in the retail and grocery industry as increased demand […]

The full effect of the coronavirus has not hit the United States; however, the virus is already making waves throughout the country.   Since its arrival, it has created widespread uncertainty throughout virtually all sectors of the domestic economy.   Many industries are preparing for significant disruption as the World Health Organization has declared the virus to be a pandemic.   Even before the official designation from WHO, the coronavirus was impacting the global supply chain.   […]