Articles
“Dan Goodwill is a well known consultant in the transportation sector and a published and prolific writer on current topics related to the industry. Dan's associates also contribute on a regular basis.”
10 key trends to watch for in 2013
America is facing a number of economic headwinds and tailwinds. Should America’s leadership come to a good understanding on tax increases and spending cuts, this will place the US – and probably Canada – on a more solid path to an economic recovery, even if 2013 is not expected to be a year of robust growth. This will help shippers and carriers in all sectors of the economy. Failure to reach agreement will put a damper on discretionary spending, consumer confidence and possibly shove North America and much of the world into recession.10 key trends in 2013
Creating a Productive Sales Organization
A recent Harvard Business Review article (“CEOs Need to Get Serious About Sales” by Ram Trichur, Maria Valdivieso de Uster, and Jon Vander Ark, July 10, 2012), argues that effective sales management is still overlooked by many CEOs – including trucking company CEOs. Here are a few thoughts on how to increase the productivity of a freight sales team.
From Offshoring to Reshoring
- Over the past several decades, offshoring has become a very popular supply chain strategy. The low costs of production in many Asian countries, combined with enhanced ocean shipping and improved North American intermodal services, have made this sourcing option very attractive to many manufacturers and retailers. The offshoring movement accelerated as companies in a variety of industries followed their competitors abroad and moved manufacturing jobs to other countries. The Great Recession was a further tipping point in the reduction of North American manufacturing jobs. Recent economic data suggest that manufacturing is slumping in the US and Canada, pulled down by drops in new orders and shipments.From Offshoring to Reshoring
Three Trends You Must Deal With Now
The world of freight transportation is changing rapidly. The signs are there and they are unmistakable. Recognizing and responding effectively to these signals may help determine which shippers and carriers will survive in the years ahead. Let’s examine the components of the new paradigm of freight transportation.Three Trends You Must Deal With Now
Intermodal’s ‘transformational’ decade
- I became a big fan of intermodalism during the 1990s when I ran Canada’s largest IMC (intermodal marketing company). Each time I wrote about this topic, I felt that the service was on the brink of making a major breakthrough in customer acceptance and market penetration. While intermodal activity has shown steady growth over the past 10 to 15 years, this mode of transport is still viewed as a niche market by some folks or a slow and unreliable mode by others.Intermodal’s ‘transformational’ decade
