Shippers and 3PLs use PRO numbers to track goods through the supply chain, but when carriers pick up shipments, these identification tags haven’t historically been automatically generated at the point of dispatch. Consumers have been demanding greater visibility into their shipments, and real-time visibility accessibility has become job number one for transportation providers. But the timely transfer of PRO numbers from carriers to shippers has constrained visibility growth.

While carrier pricing is stable for the time being, there are signs that the rest of 2019 could bring about a different reality. Even a perceived loosening of freight rates is a signal to transportation buyers throughout the supply chain. If Old Dominion customers are currently finding carriers willing to use higher discounts to attract business, other carriers are also seeing the same from LTL shippers, and this means a significant trend might emerge. SMC³ has also witnessed an increase in LTL bid activity generated through its Bid$ense product.

Volume LTL is a valuable feature of today’s supply chain because it fills the gap between LTL and truckload transportation. It can really be looked at as a mutually beneficial arrangement among shippers and carriers. These shipments can move in a carrier’s backhaul or chronic empty lanes, helping to balance the carrier’s network. The pricing is derived from transactional spot-market rates, which are often lower than contractual rates, saving shippers money.

During the final two days of the SMC³ Jump Start 2019 supply chain conference, attendees heard from a duo of economic experts that presented a survey of the global economy and its impact on the logistics business as well as an array of transportation analysts and supply chain technology specialists.

During the opening day of the Jump Start supply chain conference, panelists discussed transportation infrastructure, logistics collaboration and the ever-present trucking capacity crunch. The more than 550 attendees included shippers, 3PLs, carriers and technology providers who assembled to explore the latest trends in supply chain visibility and AI’s expanding role in the industry, among other topics.

The SMC³ educational supply chain conference Jump Start 2019 is chock full of panels that provide the information shippers, 3PLs and other members of the transportation and logistics arena need to start 2019 on the right foot. During the three-day event, industry stakeholders will be exposed to a wealth of knowledge from logistics technology leaders, supply chain analysts and transportation experts.