CSA 2010 was created by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to remove unsafe commercial drivers from the America’s roads. CSA, short for “Compliance, Safety and Accountability,” uses a complex methodology to rate motor carriers on safety. It incorporates a “Safety Measurement System,” or SMS, that assesses a trucker’s on-road […]
The Impact of CSA on Shippers and Freight Management Companies
Much has been said and written about the Great Recession and its impact on the freight market. The question on the minds of many shippers, carriers and consultants as we approach the end of quarter 1, 2012 is what is the current state of the freight recovery and where are freight rates going? When one […]
Over the past week, there has been a barrage of comments posted in one of the Procurement groups in LinkedIn on the topic of why so many of these activities fail. For those of you interested in this topic, please sign in to the group or read the following blog prepared by Tony Colwell, Executive […]
2010 – 2020 – Intermodal’s “Transformational“ Decade
13 years ago
I have written about intermodal transportation several times over the years that I have been preparing this blog. I became a big fan of intermodalism during the 90’s when I ran Canada’s largest IMC (Intermodal Marketing Company). Each time I wrote a blog on this topic, I felt that the service was on the brink […]
I have been writing a blog on the transportation industry for five years. During this period I have received hundreds of postings and e mails from readers. Every now and then I receive an e mail that stands out. This week I received a thoughtful and interesting e mail and article from a truck driver, […]
Over the past two months Stephen Harper has presented a clear and compelling vision of where he wishes to take Canada during his tenure as Prime Minister. First there was the border Security and Trade Agreement with the United States that he and President Obama announced to the world in December. He followed this announcement […]
Social Media in Transportation in 2012
13 years ago
It is hard to believe that a year has gone by since I sat in on a presentation on Social Media in Transportation at the 2011 SMC3 Winter Conference. This past week David Tuttle, VP, Digital Strategy at TMP Worldwide (who spoke last year) was back again and joined by Bobby Harris, President and CEO […]
Innovation in Freight Transportation – Paper Pallets
13 years ago
As I reach my 30th anniversary in the freight transportation industry, I continue to be struck by the lack of innovation in this business. While we have had some changes over the past three decades (e.g. transition from 48 to 53 foot trailers and containers, scheduled train service, the rise of international freight transportation, speed […]
What will the new U.S. / Canada Border Security and Trade Agreement do for Shippers and Truckers?
13 years ago
For the past decade, the Canada-U.S. model of economic integration has been deteriorating – – a victim of a border chocked with traffic, an overreaction to the 9/11 attacks, steep fees and erratic regulation. FAST trade has become thick trade. Canada – U.S. trade peaked in 2000 and has stagnated since. Between 2001 and 2010, […]
We enter 2012 with a lot of unknowns. Will the European debt crisis be resolved effectively and expeditiously or will it lead to another recession? Will the American economy that is showing some signs of improvement, be able to strengthen during a U.S. election year that will likely produce more political gridlock? Will the expected […]
