Experts' commentary on the hot issues and topics of the Canadian Transportation Industry

The subject of Shipper-Carrier Collaboration and Freight Bids came up in at least three tracks at this week’s Supply Chain Canada Annual Conference, presented by SCL and Canadian Industrial Transportation Association. The subject was discussed at length during a panel discussion entitled, “Shipper-Trucker Relations” led by Lou Smyrlis, Editorial Director, Transportation Media, Business Information Group.

Two weeks ago I wrote about two exciting young companies (PostBidShip and Buytruckload.com) that are applying Innovation and Technology to the automated freight brokerage/freight portal space (http://www.dantranscon.com/index.php/blog/entry/innovation-and-technology-come-to-the-freight-brokerage-industry). Subsequent to that blog, I was made aware of two more interesting companies that have entered this space, QuoteMyTruckload.com and Freightopolis. I contacted each of these companies to

E-commerce has emerged from its “more hype than substance beginnings” in the 90s to grow into a critical segment of the Canadian economy. Our digital economy accounts for more than $50 billion or about 3.0% of the Canadian economy. An international study, conducted for Google by Boston Consulting Group, forecast the digital economy would account

Paying top dollar for an employment agency to find talent can be a drain on already tight budgets.  Plus — and make that a big plus —  there is a very good chance top talent is already employed.   So how do you identify top performers with proven talent and how do you entice them to

The two final presenters at last week’s FCPC Supply Chan Symposium provided the attendees with some interesting insights into the minds of Canadian consumers and how to successfully bring new products and services to market. Here is what they had to say. Carman Allison, Director Consumer Insight, Nielsen entitled his presentation, The Cautious Consumer. He

On April 17, Food & Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC) held their annual Supply Chain Symposium. It was an excellent event that attracted many of the top food and consumer products manufacturers in Canada. I have attended a number of very good supply chain educational events over the years. This one ranks up there with

What can I do to save money on freight? The same question comes up with every shipper I meet. This is a legitimate concern. Freight rates are on the rise. The economy is improving slowly and this is pushing up costs. Motor carriers are experiencing cost increase pressures from higher fleet purchase prices, the shortage

The fourth quarter 2012 financial results for America’s leading truckload carriers tell a story of an industry going through transformation and change. The most dramatic poster boy of this change can be seen at the largest carrier in the group, JB Hunt. Basic point to point truckload carriage has fallen so far that it is

A significant portion of Canada’s growth industries rely on for-hire trucking for cost-effective and timely inbound and outbound transportation. Whether they can continue to do so has been called into question by a recently-released Conference Board of Canada study. The study takes a hard look at the unfavorable demographic reality for-hire carriers face when it

The economic crisis we’ve gone through has distorted the workforce marketplace.  There has been a lot of evaluation of resources, ROI, utilization and efficiency — all good things which often are not thought out during good economic times.  A trimming of the hedge, more often than not, is good for the long term.  On the