When it comes to e-commerce retailers, one of the most overlooked operational investments is the packaging process for outbound parcel shipments. Many of today’s retailers are pushing their orders... View More
On December 13, the US Senate passed the FY 2015 Omnibus Spending Bill that included an amendment introduced by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine that is aimed at suspending some of the HOS rules that went into... View More
According to the Urban Dictionary when someone tells you to get real, they want you to get a reality check and to stop behaving as though you're living in a fantasy world. The Pew Research Center said... View More
I am not in the freight audit business. I do however spend hours upon hours each week wading through a myriad of shippers’ parcel invoices, studying patterns and looking for ways and means to either... View More
Barely a week in, 2015 may well have proven itself as the most interesting year in the history of parcel shipping (What a triumph!). During the home stretch of 2014, tryptophan wasn't the only source of... View More
The price of crude oil is down from $100 last year to $66 in December 2014, and to $45 in January 2015. The reduction in crude is reflected in diesel and kerosene prices, albeit with a slight delay. This... View More
Neopost USA, a provider of business communication management and shipping solutions, predicts a growth in shipping industry revenues in 2015 that will be driven by innovation and consumer expectations.... View More
The parcel (and flats) delivery landscape is undergoing major changes. Online retailers, fulfillment houses, direct marketers, and others that utilize the USPS for last-mile delivery of low-weight articles... View More
Effective Purchasing is far more than just getting a low price, and today it requires recognition of every cost involved in an acquisition – a concept known as Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). A good... View More
There was no press release, there was no notice to shippers that I am aware of. FedEx did as I predicted and changed the tables by which they calculate their fuel surcharge and it will be effective February... View More
Have you noticed that the price of fuel has been going down? Here is the history of the last 5 years. Up until April of 2011 Both FedEx and UPS charged the same fuel surcharge. Obviously as the cost of... View More
A recent survey of global supply chain professionals by Transport Intelligence and Kewill has identified supply chain risk is an increasingly important issue for both LSPs and shippers. The survey examined... View More
Stitch Labs revealed today that, despite falling short of expectations, Black Friday does not define the entire holiday season for small retailers. Black Friday only accounts for about twice the sales... View More
Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone, and the holiday shopping season is in full swing. But as shoppers and shippers review their long gift lists, they shouldn’t have short memories about... View More
What do Macy’s, Toys“R”Us, Walmart and Gap have in common? All have them have begun expanding into the world of ship-from-store. Now brick-and-mortar businesses are using their stores... View More
In the September/October issue, we started a Top Ten list that’s not at all funny! Having met with thousands of parcel shippers over the past 25 years, I’ve compiled a list of recurring mistakes... View More
Automation is about more than just replacing a human workforce with a mechanical one. There are many factors that must be given adequate consideration when assessing the value an automated system stands... View More
The holiday rush is about to start, and the ubiquitous use of technology to purchase gifts, in addition to consumers' desire to get what they want, when they want it and how they want it, pushes retail/ecommerce... View More
Parcel carriers, through early adaptation of barcodes, have been conducting micro-analysis of data collected on package, shipper, and network operations for more than 20 years, and are experts on cost... View More
In February, you will start to see your parcel expense budgets to be out line if you did not plan for the recent rate increases and dimensional weight policy changes. The two main drivers to the increases... View More
