By 24/7 Staff / www.supplychain247.com / April 27th, 2018
John Wiehoff, CEO of C.H. Robinson recently spoke with SMC³ about emerging technologies in the industry, unique supply chain opportunities, and how C.H. Robinson uses technology to optimize its business.
John Wiehoff, CEO of C.H. Robinson, is one of the keynote speakers for the Connections 2018 supply chain conference, which will take place June 25-27 at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia.
He recently spoke with SMC³, which has served as one of the 3PL’s long-time partners, about emerging technologies in the industry, unique supply chain opportunities, and how C.H. Robinson uses technology to optimize its business.
What are some of the major trends you’re currently seeing in the LTL marketplace?
Demand for LTL is higher than we’ve seen it in nearly 10 years. This shift is an especially significant change when paired with supply changes. Both manufacturing and e-commerce are extremely strong right now, and both have close ties to LTL.
Online orders are driving smaller shipments to the LTL space, not just in the final-mile area. Smaller orders are becoming more common for the middle mile – from one distribution center to another.
LTL capacity is tight because carriers have not added a significant amount of equipment to their fleets in recent years. But even if there was an influx of tractors, there aren’t enough drivers available.
Historically, the driver shortages that affected the truckload market remained mostly out of the LTL space, but even that is changing. Growth in other sectors that have a shared labor force with truck drivers means more LTL drivers are leaving for options that are more lucrative.
As LTL carriers look to be more productive, we are seeing them place a large emphasis on optimizing their networks. With the data, analytics, and tools like dimensionalizers available to them, LTL carriers are paying more attention to accepting the right freight in the right lanes at the right time. More isn’t absolutely better anymore.
How has the ELD mandate impacted the domestic transportation market?
Drivers are reaching their hours of service in shorter timeframes, especially given the tight capacity. Organized and efficient loading/unloading times will become even more important. Reducing driver wait time at either the origin or destination can have a significant impact in a driver’s hours of service.
Both carriers and shippers may rely more heavily on 3PLs. A 3PL can help identify and solve capacity shortages, handle potential rate increases and address other issues from the mandate.
How does C.H. Robinson use new technology to optimize its business, and are there any emerging technologies that will be game changers for the supply chain industry?
We are using technology to reinvent what it means to be a leading 3PL for this industry, our customers, and carriers.
Our technology offering is at the center of what we do and is embedded in our services and solutions every day.
You can see the importance technology has within C.H. Robinson by the number of IT staff and investments we have made and continue to make – we’ve added more than 800 IT staff and invested over $1B in the last decade.
As our business grows – now to more than 120,000 customers who worked with us on more than 19 million global shipments last year – we increasingly rely on technology.
Technology backed by data is critical to the success of our business. As one of the largest 3PLs, we have arguably more first-party data than anyone else in the industry. But, that data doesn’t matter if we don’t use it to our and our customers’ (shippers and carriers) advantage.
That’s why we are continuing to invest in and build tools that leverage the amount of data we have available to us.
The Connections 2018 supply chain conference is perfectly positioned at the midpoint of the year, giving speakers a chance, to sum up, the first half of 2018. What themes have defined the first half of the year, and what will define the transportation market during the second half?
For the first half of the year, we saw efficiencies in utilizing capacity, as truckload utilization climbed to more than 95 percent, according to FTR Transportation Intelligence. At the same time, new trucks increasingly entered the market to replace retiring trucks.
For the second half, these factors will combine for a focus on hyper-efficiency and the most effective use of capacity. We’ll be able to see if the strong truck sales of the first half of the year will add capacity or primarily serve as replacement capacity. We’ll also be able to put our finger on the real effects of ELD.
How can shippers and 3PLs better position themselves to take advantage of supply chain opportunities in the marketplace?
As supply chains grow in both size and complexity, transportation management technology will be an important way for 3PLs to help shippers gain a competitive advantage and exceed their customers’ expectations. That’s why we are invested in delivering and implementing flexible, efficient and integrated technology solutions that connect all aspects of the supply chain.
Read: Transportation Management Systems Market 2018
It is not so much what changes are coming to the industry; it’s more important to focus on what the innovative supply chain of the future will look like and recognize that it will take people, processes, and technology to bring positive change.
Digitalization of supply chains is our opportunity to continue bringing technology to our customers and their supply chains that make them smarter and more efficient. The technology we are able to bring today and into the future has to go beyond freight matching to encompass the complexities of today’s and tomorrow’s supply chains.
An algorithm can do amazing things, but when a truck gets delayed or a delivery window changes, people are still able to provide the most effective solution.
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