The seventh annual State of the North American Supply Chain Survey was conducted in late 2021. The goal of the survey was to gauge the challenges that shippers faced in 2021 and to gain a better understanding of their outlook heading into the new year. More than 1,800 shippers across a wide range of industries shared their input and experiences.

Every year, carriers around the nation encourage shippers and the general public to celebrate National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (NDAW).

One of the primary driving forces behind supply chain disruptions in 2020 was international trade. In previous years, ongoing trade negotiations and back-and-forth tariff fights were the major topic of tensions among international shippers. However, it was the pandemic that led to large-scale challenges for cargo moving by sea and air.

If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that we can never fully rely on predictions to make all our decisions. The emergence of the pandemic was an invisible enemy that forced shippers and service providers to adapt and change plans without hesitation.

This will certainly go down in history as one of the most challenging years shippers have ever faced.  However, it is the events that may unfold in the months ahead that will be written about in articles and industry textbooks for years and even decades to come.

It would be fair to say that Yukon Outfitters has always had a knack for “adaptation.” For proof, you don’t have to look any further than the story of how the company got its start.

It's a story as American as apple pie: A lighting salesman begins tinkering with manufacturing designs of his own, using nights and weekends to build lamps in his garage. Over time, he starts selling them to mom-and-pop lighting stores, until he can afford to buy a space in a popular industry trade show.

The first half of 2020 was one of the most challenging periods in modern history for communities and shippers. While planning for supply chain disruptions has always been a standard practice for shippers, it is fair to say that no one could have anticipated the dilemmas that came as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the early part of 2020, many businesses across the globe were temporarily shut down due to local
mandates and precautionary measures. As a result, sales across many different industries significantly
slowed.