So the 25th annual State of Logistics report got unveiled at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. yesterday and my oh my does it contain some good portents for trucking.
Authored by Rosalyn Wilson (at far right in photo at right), a senior business analyst for Parsons, under the auspices of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and sponsored by Penske Logistics, the report’s main theme focused on the often contradictory paths indicated by past and current economic and freight patterns.
While the report contains a detailed look at the many challenges facing the trucking industry – especially where the subject of the driver shortage is concerned – there are also a lot of positive projections to contemplate as well, particularly in terms of the opportunity now being presented to motor carriers to win rate increases.
If you want to read in more detail about the report’s findings, go here – and then here for photos. For those of you who would rather watch and listen to Roz Wilson’s excellent analysis of the industry’s challenges and opportunities, you’ll find video clips to peruse below.
First up is a review of how things went in trucking, logistics, and transportation as a whole 2013:
Next up is a deeper look at trucking’s current challenges and potential prospects for the rest of 2014:
Here’s a broader look at how the U.S. economy should fare for the rest of 2014 and how freight will be affected:
Finally, here’s Wilson’s forecast for the rest of 2014, which is quite positive overall:
That’s some very good stuff. Let’s hope most of it comes to fruition as predicted.
