Day 2 of Connections 2026 kept the momentum going with a new crop of thoughtful conversations and productive Q&As.

At first, it seemed like a massive winter storm might derail SMC3’s Jump Start 2026. But, undeterred, hundreds of attendees, navigating flight delays and cancellations, arrived January 26 at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly hotel, ready to talk LTL. 

In the second session of SMC³’s LTL 204 Hybrid Series, “Navigating Change in LTL,” industry analyst Adrian Gonzalez (president of Adelante SCM and founder and host of Talking Logistics) joined moderator Joe Tillman and co-moderator Dr. Karl Manrodt to explore how uncertainty, risk and rapid change are reshaping LTL.

In the first session of SMC³’s LTL 204 Online Education Hybrid Series, “Outside the Washington Beltway,” industry veterans Randy Mullett and Mike Kelley dug into how laws and regulations actually land on the dock. Moderated by Joe Tillman, with co-moderator Karl B. Manrodt, Ph.D., CTL, the conversation remained practical- focusing on outcomes, local engagement, and […]

Back when I managed my first dock, I assumed every piece of freight rolling through the doors would look like a glamour shot in a packaging catalog. Then the forklift dropped off a single tractor tire—no pallet, no wrap, just attitude—and my pricing world tilted. That experience is exactly why Karl Manrodt (Professor of Logistics, Georgia […]

SMC³ recently hosted an exclusive webinar delving into seismic industry shifts, offering detailed insights into tariff, impacts, the state of play in the LTL market and manufacturing outlooks.