Leveraging Logistics Blog

Weekly discussion and analysis on the trends in the intermodal spot rate market. Week of December 10, 2019:

InTek Freight & Logistics Capacity Solutions Division made the decision over a decade ago that it wanted to be the place where shippers could come to get the best service and capacity for intermodal possible.  The result of putting that stake in the ground meant that we were deciding to compete directly with the largest and best funded intermodal transportation providers, JB Hunt Intermodal, answer questions on price, service, capacity, etc.

We talk with shippers daily about LTL, truckload and truckload brokerage potential service solutions. And this should be expected with over 50% of the freight spend in the US is with these two modes of service.

One of the very first questions a transportation management software (TMS) technology buyer needs to answer is: what type of architecture do they want to operate? The importance of this question cannot be underestimated, as it drives cost, functionality and benefits.

We talk with shippers about truckload and truckload brokerage options every day throughout the year as they walk through their buying process and needs.

CFO's are demanding better performance after watching their freight budgets balloon to all-time highs. A freight RFP is one of the least favorite, although one that needs to be discussed and improved by many shippers to obtain the best results.   The days of throwing out percentage reductions or using a solve to equation to determine the spend for next year is a time tested process that needs to be challenged.  While freight is thought of as a commodity, there is more to it and the Excel spreadsheet RFP driven down from the top misses the target before the arrow is even pull from the quiver.  Today's dynamic freight and logistics cost and pricing environment requires strategic planning; execution to the strategy; measurements to the goals; analysis against industry benchmarks; and continuous improvement.   

Prepaid and add, along with collect are freight billing terms, although some confuse the subject with the transfer of ownership and liability occur between the seller and buyer. In this article we will cover prepaid & add and collect billing terms, along with their relationship to FOB and INCOTERMS. 

Definition of a Warehouse Management System (WMS) A Warehouse Management System (WMS) is essential to operating a warehouse and distribution center because of the efficiency and accuracy it brings to a shipper's supply chain.

Risk-taking and big changes can be daunting to any company.  When a change involves the company's flow of products, which is the lifeblood of the company, the importance of choosing the correct solution and having as close to a flawless an implementation as possible is amplified several times over again.

MercuryGate is a competitive cloud based SaaS transportation management software (TMS) that is proven to build a competitive advantage for today’s shippers, 3PL's, freight forwarders, freight brokers, and even carriers.