Some KPIs to Monitor the Transportation Industry

Some KPIs to Monitor the Transportation Industry

9 years ago

There are a host of economic indicators that provide economists, academics and transportation professionals with insights into how the general economy is performing. Data on gross domestic product, imports, exports, housing starts, stock market trends, consumer confidence and unemployment levels are barometers of the level of economic activity in a particular country. These indicators, while […]

The Shadow of the Economic Crisis Lingers in Canada

10 years ago

In President Obama’s State of the Union message that he delivered to a joint session of congress on Tuesday, January 20, he stated that the “shadow of the (economic) crisis has passed” in the United States. The very next day, the Governor of the Bank of Canada dropped interest rates by 0.25 percent “to stave […]

Time to Face the New Reality of Freight Transportation

11 years ago

Thankfully, the first quarter of 2014 is behind us. The challenging winter across Canada and the northeastern USA and capacity shortages, brought on, in part by the weather, created a difficult environment for both carriers and shippers. Are we in the clear now? With the winter behind us and with the economy improving, can we […]

What have you failed at today?

11 years ago

On Sunday morning, I had the pleasure of listening to a great interview conducted by Fareed Zakaria, the host of GPS (Global Public Square) on CNN. Mr. Zakaria interviewed Sara Blakely, the youngest self-made female billionaire in the United States. Her story is one of personal achievement and success but it is rooted in dealing […]

State of Logistics Report Highlights “New Normal” in Freight Transportation

12 years ago

Last week the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals released its 24th annual State of Logistics Report. Last year, business logistics costs were once again 8.5 percent of U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the same level they hit in 2011, the new report says. That means freight logistics was growing at about the same rate […]

A U.S. Manufacturing Renaissance in 2014 to 2016 will Boost Freight Volumes

12 years ago

Every year at this time, RBC Dominion Securities Inc. assembles a group of investors and invites Jim Allworth, Co-Chair and Portfolio Strategist to address the group. This year’s session was particularly noteworthy in that Mr. Allworth painted a rather optimistic picture of the medium term prospects for the US and Canadian economies. The Saturday Globe […]

Understanding Consumer Behavior and How to Think in New Boxes – More from FCPC’s Supply Chain Symposium

12 years ago

The two final presenters at last week’s FCPC (Food and Consumer Products of Canada) Supply Chain Symposium provided the attendees with some interesting insights into the minds of Canadian consumers and how to successfully bring new products and services to market. Here is what they had to say. Carman Allison, Director Consumer Insight, Nielsen entitled […]

Is President Obama Now Ready to Lead America’s Economic Recovery?

12 years ago

The economic forecast for this year and for the balance of the decade is rather glum. Many economists have projected a two percent growth in GDP will become the norm for the next several years. This scenario is supported by the fact that 24 million Americans are out of work and millions more are underemployed […]

Business and Government need to align their Strategies to Speed up the Growth of the U.S. Economy

12 years ago

For four years the U.S. has been in a slow motion economic recovery. Unemployment remains chronically high with little sign of improvement. Annual GDP growth is below 2 percent and is expected to remain at that level for some time. This week, the U.S. Federal Reserve had to undertake its third quantitative easing initiative in […]