March is the month we celebrate Women's History, so here's a timeline of some major accomplishments and impactful inventions brought to you by women. These little known facts have shaped the trucking industry and paved the way for women in the industry today.

When it comes to transportation, pricing plays a crucial role for shippers.  Understanding how shippers get pricing and the different types of pricing events in transportation is essential for successful logistics management. 

It is important for all roles across the supply chain to understand the various types of pricing events as well as the factors and trends that affect their timing and frequency.

These pricing events, such as RFPs, RFIs, and RFQs, play a crucial role in determining the pricing, service levels, and contractual terms between shippers and carriers. By understanding these events, shippers can effectively gather vital information about carriers' capabilities and services, negotiate pricing for specific shipments, and strategically select their OTR partners based on cost, service quality, and other key factors. This knowledge ensures smooth and efficient operations throughout the supply chain, leading to successful transportation logistics management.

After all, there's no chance of sticking to a transportation budget without pricing... 

Hint: It isn't some fancy new tracking tool.

Our most recent customer survey indicated that customers want more tracking visibility, yet few are diving into the details of tracking among their carrier network. About 70% of respondents do not look at the number of tracking updates or pings, and just over 80% don't look at the source of tracking (mobile device, TMS, v. GPS or ELD). Still, tracking compliance is commonly used to score carrier performance.

So, why aren't shippers doing a deep dive into tracking? We have some ideas.

Shifts in the global supply chain are taking place simultaneously as the Panama Canal's operations strain due to drought. What does this mean for shippers in the drayage market? Grains might be down, but East Coast and Gulf Ports of the United States are in a  favorable position to minimize the impact thanks to some seemingly unrelated shifts in the global supply chain. So, what does grain, electric vehicles, and China's national security have to do with it? Read on to find out. 

So, what's the big deal with the Panama Canal?

Did you know that a staggering 40% of all containers originating from the United States travel through the iconic Panama Canal? This engineering marvel connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This is a critical point for U.S. imports and exports, so shippers need to pay attention as the drought will likely affect operations through the end of 2023.

U.s. transit & panama canal facts to know

• The U.S. accounts for just over 73% of traffic for the Panama Canal.

It wasn’t just drivers who entered the industry during the peak of the pandemic. The role of logistician was booming. The pandemic created demand for supply chain talent giving rise to a new generation of logisticians, the “pandemic logistician.” Many came to the industry to join the logistics circus, prompting us to question:

Don't take shipping containers for granted. They are one of the top inventions to revolutionize the trucking industry. Shipping containers streamline transport between different modes by providing a standardized yet extremely versatile solution. These containers can be seamlessly transferred from ships to trucks to trains without the need for unloading and reloading cargo.

What would freight coordination be like without them?

Without the invention of shipping containers, the transportation and logistics industry would still rely on labor-intensive and inefficient methods of handling cargo. Goods would need to be individually loaded and unloaded. Imagine the amount of lumpers that would need to be paid on every load between the different modes of transportation. Think about that the next time you are pricing out drayage or planning imports/exports.

It's time we delve into the evolution of containerized shipping and the inventions that paved the way for the rise of shipping containers and their impact on trucking.

Have you caught yourself wondering about one of the latest buzz words in the industry,
“reshoring”? Maybe you’ve heard that we need to “bring business back to America” or something along those lines. Bringing business back means companies are transporting products and manufacturing back to America, which is why it can greatly impact the ports and drayage market.

Shippers today need dedicated transportation solutions to conduct business effectively and improve driver profitability. For example, shifting from a relatively soft market in previous years to one of tight capacity necessitates being part of a more comprehensive network. Shippers must take advantage of technology trends and expand beyond their network of carriers and brokers. This way, they can further expedite the supply chain process and, in turn, generate more business for themselves and their new partners. Here are a few best practices of logistics outsourcing that will benefit shippers and help them run their business much smoother and generate more new business through dedicated transportation solutions.

The AMX Atlanta team has a unique problem. So does the AMX Savannah team. Both sites have doubled in size in the past year — and that means trying to remember the names of twice as many customers and coworkers.