Chris Beck, VP of Finance and Administration Profiled
Chris Beck, our VP of Finance and Administration was profiled in an article by the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP). You can read the original article here: http://www.garp.org/risk-news-and-resources/2012/april/an-intersection-of-finance-and-risk.aspx?altTemplate=PrintStory Or see it below after the jump: Read more →
Five Fundamentals for Fiscal Freedom from Fuel
By Dave Sullivan, Senior Consultant, Professional Services with Alex Rose.
Fill up your car lately? How much did you pay? $40? $50? $60? All over the country, the price of fuel is skyrocketing. Some analysts are predicting that the national average will be above $5 a gallon before Memorial Day. There is a perfect storm brewing, with closing refineries, Wall Street speculation, and Middle-Eastern turmoil causing the price of fuel — and especially diesel — to go through the roof.
This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise; a similar scenario has played out over the last few summers. Like many shippers, you may have resigned yourself to the idea that, like death and taxes, fuel increases are just another cost you will have absorb. If you’re smart, however, you will act to mitigate fuel cost increases in other ways.
Here are five fundamental rules that every shipper should follow: Read more →
Market Swings Out of Shippers’ Control
A look at the Market Demand Index (MDI) reveals more bad news for shippers. The Index has fluctuated between a 10.3 and 16.2 on the scale, this past year, putting the market squarely in the hands of the carriers. We don’t foresee the MDI scales tipping in the favor of shippers any time soon so strong relationships with carriers and brokers are more important than ever. Read more →
LTL – A Great Service Option, But Buyer Beware – Stop Buying Transportation. Procure it!
We’ve all been there: trying to get out a shipment that’s too large for your parcel carrier, yet too small to take up an entire truck. If you’re in this situation, shipping the load via Less-than-Truckload (LTL) may be the best solution. The carriers servicing this space, such as Estes, Old Dominion, and Vitran have made impressive investments in their infrastructure, including strategically placed terminals, driver communication equipment, and even customer facing technology to facilitate manifesting and tracking shipments. Fortunately, for shippers like you, it is a relatively competitive market between the various regional and national carriers, with 80% of US volume being managed by the top 20 carriers. That said, approaching LTL without a well planned procurement strategy and the necessary resources can cost you dearly. Read more →