In January 2017, we informed our readers about the warning signs that signaled an impending truckload capacity crunch. As the year progressed, the forecasted storm developed into reality, and capacity constraint has been reported as the primary issue faced by many shippers last year. 

ELDS Are Coming To A Truck Near You

As we approach the end of 2017, the transportation industry and shippers alike are focused on the impending arrival of the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate. Set to take effect on Dec. 18, the ELD mandate will mark one of the biggest regulatory changes to impact carriers and drivers since the passing of the hours of service (HOS) regulations in 2011.

A Once-In-A-Lifetime Experience

For many people in the U.S., the 2017 solar eclipse will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Solar eclipses occur regularly around the globe, but what makes this year's event significant is that it is the first time since 1918 that the path of a solar eclipse has spanned across the entire U.S.

The event, which will occur on August 21st, is expected to draw thousands of visitors from across North America and around the world to the U.S. 

The American Transportation Research Institute recently published a new report titled "Cost of Congestion to the Trucking Industry: 2017 Update. According to the group's findings, traffic congestion throughout the United States resulted in a staggering cost of $63.4 billion to the transportation industry in 2015 due to lost productivity. The majority of the costs associated with congestion occurred in metropolitan areas.

Lessons learned in 2016 from Hanjin

When we asked shippers what their biggest challenges were in our 2017 State of The North American Supply Chain Survey, only 11 percent said they had issues with capacity. That number marked a 1 percent decrease from the prior year. On a graph, those numbers would appear to bode well for shippers as a sign of easing fears that a capacity crunch will not occur in the foreseeable future. 

However, there are a growing number of indicators that truckload capacity will tighten in 2017. More concerning, though, these warning signs may even suggest that shippers and carriers will experience a significant truckload capacity crunch that could last for several years. 

As we approached the end of 2016, we conducted our second annual supply chain survey with shippers throughout the country and North America. By the end of our survey period, we had approximately 2,200 participants!

Can you believe that another year is coming to a close? 2016 was full of surprises for shippers and supply chain professionals. Many of the stories that dominated headlines this year will impact us all in different ways. From the future of international trade to promises to fix U.S. infrastructure, the year was certainly one that will go down in the transportation management history books. Let's take a look at four of the top stories that 2016 will be remembered for.

Back in 2010, Walmart sent shockwaves through retail supply chains when it rolled out Must Arrive By Date (MABD) compliance standards to the thousands of suppliers that keep its shelves stocked year-round. An effort to increase productivity and performance via strict delivery windows and guidelines its stores and distribution centers, the "Big-Box" retailer managed to rewrite the supply chain playbook basically overnight as other vendors soon adopted similar policies.