July 31, 2014

Fuel Surcharge: How is it calculated?

Conflicts in the Middle East, as well as general shortages of petroleum and natural gas, are all factors in the rising cost of gasoline and diesel fuel over the past several years.

July 29, 2014

Understanding Standard Pallet and Truck Dimensions in Freight Shipping

Understanding the standard pallet and truck dimensions, namely trucks and vans, can make it easier when a customer has to select a transportation option to best fit their needs.

July 24, 2014

Proposed Amendment to Hours of Service Rule: What Does it Mean?

On June 5th, the United States Senate Appropriations Committee voted 21-9 to suspend the current 34-hour restart provision of the hours of service rule to allow the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) time to study its impact.

July 22, 2014

How Parcel Shippers Avoid Dimensional Pricing

FedEx and UPS have switched to a dimensional pricing program for ground shipments. This new system specifically applies to packages under 3 cubic feet, as both carriers already use dimensional pricing for packages bigger than 3 cubic feet.

July 17, 2014

Alibaba Will Strain Freight Industry

Alibaba, a Chinese e-commerce powerhouse who owns two online marketplaces that are larger than Amazon and eBay combined, has just launched a new U.S.-based online marketplace called ‘11 Main.’

July 8, 2014

A Quick Guide: How much inventory should you carry?

Although they are closely connected, transportation and finance often hold opposing views when it comes to transportation costs. While the Finance department mainly focuses on ways to become more profitable, logistics managers are more interested in analyzing their department’s budgets and metrics.

June 26, 2014

4 Services to Look for in an LTL Freight Carrier

Since the federal deregulation of the transportation industry in the late 1970’s, LTL transportation has morphed from a heavily unionized group of carriers operating in a largely non-competitive environment into a high tech, cost-effective and service-oriented transportation industry.

June 19, 2014

PLS Logistics attends NASSTRAC 2014 Shippers Conference & Transportation Expo

PLS Logistics attended the NASSTRAC 2014 Shippers Conference & Transportation Expo on April 13-16 in Orlando, Florida at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel. NASSTRAC, the National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council, provides education, advocacy, and provider relations opportunities. The conference was attended by numerous Fortune 500 companies, the government sector and all modes of transportation.

June 16, 2014

Turmoil in Iraq is causing crude oil prices to spike

The recent turmoil in Iraq caused world oil prices to increase by about 4% last week. Iraq is the second biggest exporter of oil in the world, recently hitting a 30-year-high in production. World oil demand is increasing, oil production from Iraq is vulnerable to attack, and nobody has the reserves to pick up the slack. Oil price increases will drive the price of unleaded gasoline up 5 to 10 cents a gallon in the next couple of days. Read the full story here.

June 12, 2014

Liquefied Natural Gas: Not the Final Fuel Solution

There are benefits for those using LNG, but there are also setbacks. LNG, or Liquefied Natural Gas, is a type of natural gas that the trucking industry has slowly resorted to using for fuel. While many are hopping on the LNG bandwagon, others are taking a more cautious approach. The future of LNG is unclear; however, it seems to only be a short-term solution for those in the freight industry.

June 11, 2014

Retailers are Questioning Everything about Omni-Channel

Omnichannel defines the way in which customers use several different methods to buy products (i.e. mobile devices, tablets, and computers). Retailers are heavily focused on creating a seamless consumer experience on any platform. It is not an easy task.

June 10, 2014

How Many Lives Will Truck Regulations Save?

There’s been a lot of negative talk about the latest Safety Regulations in the motor freight industry: they’re too strict, too many, too much. But what nobody seems to be talking about is that they’re saving lives.

June 3, 2014

LTL Freight Carriers announce General Rate Increases: 5 Reasons Why

In April, less than truckload (LTL) freight carriers announced 4-6% general rate increases for non-contract shipments. General rate increases are typically announced anywhere from late May to early July. The April announcement came much earlier than usual. What does this mean to shippers and why did this occur? GRI, or general rate increase, is the average amount by which carriers’ tariff rates increase applied to base rates. It is extremely difficult for an individual shipper to calculate how this rate increase will impact their bottom line. The percentage increase will vary based on shipping region, weight breaks, zip codes and freight classes. Working with a logistics broker can help shippers understand the rate increase and even help keep their costs down.

May 1, 2013

5 Ways to Drive LTL Freight Savings

Many companies today are working in an environment of fierce competition and razor-sharp profit margins, and trying to achieve LTL freight savings.

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