Happy fall from your friends at Buchheit Logistics
It is the season where the weather cools, leaves change their hue, and thoughts go to our fall and winter events. There was a tremendous surge in business meetings, bids and activities at our organization following summer vacations and family time. It’s been busy here, as I’m sure it has been at your office as well.
The bidding process has been robust, shippers examining their budgets and revised lane analysis. I’m heartened by those shippers who understand the macro view of the industry, where long-standing service and relationships matter. That’s our philosophy at Buchheit – relationships matter; with our customers, our operators and our entire team. According to an economic forum I attended on transportation, the tightening of the truck market is near. While capacity is sufficient right now, it will not take much to swing the pendulum to a tightened state. A recent example was Roadcheck 2016 in June. The spurt of available freight was dramatic, as certain carriers and operators “took vacation.”
Several of us recently attended the Wreaths Across America Gala. Those who follow Buchheit know we are very supportive of Veterans and various programs honoring their service. I wanted to share a brief highlight of WAA. The goal is to “Remember our fallen, Honor those who serve, and Teach our children the value of freedom.” All of us involved strive to place a wreath on the headstone of every Veteran here at home, and even those overseas. With support from all their partners, and many carriers from across this land, WAA will deliver 1,200,000 wreaths this year. That’s a 20% increase from 2015. Buchheit Logistics is doubling our contribution this year, pulling loads from their Maine assembly center to Missouri Veterans cemeteries. You can see some of last year’s photos at http://www.buchheitlogistics.com/events/wreaths-across-america/
So, if you feel so inclined, buy a wreath. Those who have given all, can use your support.
http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/#join-us
Wanted: 1.4 million new supply chain workers by 2018
Article featured on Fortune.com by Anne Fisher
FORTUNE — How can a $1.3 trillion industry, getting bigger every year, be hidden in plain sight?
Easy. The vast U.S. logistics business, which delivers 48 million tons of freight (worth about $48 billion) daily and already employs roughly 6 million people, operates mostly behind the scenes. The logistics industry has a recruiting problem. It’s huge, making up 8.5% of GDP, and growing fast. But to most job seekers, it’s misunderstood — or invisible.
“When you order something from, say, Amazon, you know it arrives on your doorstep in two days, but most people don’t think about how,” observes George Prest, CEO of logistics trade group Material Handling Industry (MHI). He adds that the field gets overlooked by new grads in particular, who think of supply-chain work — if they think of it at all — as “a guy driving a forklift in a dusty old factory.”
To view this story in Fortune Magazine,
http://fortune.com/2014/05/01/wanted-1-4-million-new-supply-chain-workers-by-2018/
Industry News
Among the oddest articles I read lately, was the one on using dandelions to make tires. I remember laughing years ago when I heard that there was a line of tires out the had citrus bi-products as an ingredient. I wondered if a blowout smelled of oranges. This latest article says that Continental Tire is preparing to manufacture consumer tires made of dandelion rubber in five to ten years. They state that those roots contain natural rubber latex. Shoot, these researchers need to come over to my house. I have enough dandelions for an 18-wheeler.
This and That
Now that’s more like it. Autonomous shopping carts. I’ll take that over autonomous trucks, any day. Much like Uber or Lyft, a big box store (left un-named in deference to my Buchheit retail friends) is testing smart shopping carts that come to you when you use your smart phone. They will take you to the aisle you need, and even return to the corral after you’re done.
