Every year at this time, RBC Dominion Securities Inc. assembles a group of investors and invites Jim Allworth, Co-Chair and Portfolio Strategist to address the group. This year’s session was particularly noteworthy in that Mr. Allworth painted a rather optimistic picture of the medium term prospects for the US and Canadian economies. The Saturday Globe

As we approach the mid-point of 2013, here is a peek at some of the major trends that are having an impact on freight transportation. Economic Growth to remain Modest and Uneven The economy continues to deliver mixed signals. In the past week, the US and Canada reported strong growth in employment. In fact, the

Social media has become one of the hottest marketing tools over the past five years. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and a host of new sites are now a major part of our daily lives. Since I began blogging in 2005, I have become an active participant in this new world. I have learned a great deal

In last week’s blog, I shared some ideas from the recent SCL – CITA annual conference on how to improve shipper- carrier collaboration. Various suggestions were proposed by a panel consisting of two leading shippers and two major Canadian carriers. Some other thoughts were expressed during other tracks that day. The panelists presented some suggestions

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

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