In these tough economic times, many companies are reducing or suspending their spending. Even companies that are doing well are trying to reduce spending so that they continue doing well. Reducing cost... View More

The famous psychologist Carl Rogers wrote, "Man's inability to communicate is a result of his failure to listen effectively.•bCrLf When I teach leadership workshops, one of the exercises is to ask... View More

The current economic climate has affected everyone, and parcel shippers are no exception. While fuel prices have been a pleasant surprise in 2009 and provided some relief, we are all still feeling the... View More

We have often heard Canadians interested in purchasing goods from the US ask what the total duties and taxes payable are on the item. Four elements -- (1) country of origin, (2) classification, (3) duties,... View More

I believe if you look hard enough you can find a silver lining in almost any troubling event. Call me an optimist. Color me crazy, but I think some good may be coming out of the economic slowdown as it... View More

In the January issue of PARCEL, we discussed the topic of late payment penalties. There we gave an example of an LTL carrier whose tariff contained a provision for a loss of discount when an invoice was... View More

Our nation and many of its institutions are facing a bit of trouble. This is certainly true of our Postal Service. Huge budget deficits call for tough decisions – to cut delivery, raise postage,... View More

In last month’s article, I touched upon a couple points on saving opportunities in parcel packaging. In this article, I’ll try to list some of the most commonly used cushioning and void fill... View More

According to a report from the U.S. Small Business Administration, small, diverse businesses, such as women- and minority-owned businesses, account for more than 10.6 million of the businesses worldwide... View More

February and March are often cold and dreary in much of the country, but there are a few days of sunshine that let you know brighter days are on their way. I utilize this “slow season” for... View More

With the collapse of DHL and a significant reduction in orders, both UPS and FedEx have again raised their rates, increasing the cost pressures for shippers. What options do shippers have? 1. Don’t... View More

In 1991, President George H. W. Bush had a problem. He was unclear about the power of the “vision thing.” Some say he lost the election to Bill Clinton because he didn’t share his vision.... View More

If I didn’t know better, I would swear the author of this popular idiom was referring to small parcel contract negotiations. The days of simplified, five page parcel contracts are over, and today’s... View More

Whenever you want to arrange an international shipment for anything other than documents (when shipping documents, the country of origin is not important), the forms require that you identify the country... View More

In the movie The Cable Guy, Chip Douglas refers to cable television as the “information superhighway.” “There’s no end to the possibilities!” Chip says. I... View More

The business of transporting, warehousing and delivering freight and packages generates $3.5 trillion in annual revenue worldwide. Competition is very much alive and well in every sector; no carrier has... View More

Can you remember a more troubling economic time for our country? Our economy is spiraling out of control. Home foreclosures, bilked investors and massive job loss tops every headline and touches someone... View More

The rush is over, the adrenaline levels are going back to normal; no more “get it out the door.” No more sleepless nights due to endless phone calls throughout the night, not to mention getting... View More

During times of economic slowdown, the need to understand the laws affecting transportation and the supply chain becomes even greater. When sales are down and profit margins are under pressure, there is... View More

Is Packaging That Important? Packaging is an often overlooked aspect of total transportation cost management. The balance between labor, packaging material cost and transportation cost is unique for each... View More