At the start of the new year, it’s common for freight shippers striving for an optimized supply chain to review their carrier options to make sure they use the ideal mix of freight transportation providers. In 2019, this procurement business has lasted the entire year, as shippers and 3PLs look to take advantage of a softer freight market to secure better pricing and service.

The optimal way to understand the intricacies of today’s supply chain environment is to participate in an educationally focused transportation conference. Events hosted by a reliable company with decades of industry expertise arm attendees with new supply chain ideas and transportation tools.

New technology and the introduction of innovative supply chain solutions into established processes is one way to combat transportation issues. Brian Thompson of SMC³ sees the uptick in technology adoption, and a broader adoption of transportation management systems among even the smallest transportation companies, as a sign of how shippers and 3PLs are now confronting a challenging supply chain arena.

On the second and third days of SMC³’s Connections 2019 supply chain and logistics conference, attendees spent their time learning about the ins and outs of the economy and discussing transportation infrastructure and regulations. Emory University’s Jeffrey Rosensweig fears of a recession, while the ATA’s Randy Guillot made the case for a gas tax.

It’s impossible to avoid politics at any substantive gathering of supply chain and transportation industry leaders, and during the first day of the Connections 2019 logistics conference at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, the government was front of mind, both implicitly and explicitly, during most panel conversations.

This year at Worldwide Express, Tom Madine, the company’s CEO, has been seeing logistics industry insiders operate from a position of strength and profitability. While the supply chain is humming along, there are also some signs for concerns. Madine recently spoke with SMC³ about how he sees the current logistics arena in advance of the Connections 2019 supply chain conference.