inbound
In the course of our reporting,
we often come across developments that pique our interest or are worthy of note but
don’t fit into the articles we’re
working on. To bring these and
other interesting stories to our
readers, DCV’s editors have
launched “Dispatches,” a new
blog.
Every week, “Dispatches” will
feature a new post on something
we’ve seen, heard, or read about
that we consider vital or just
plain interesting. Contributors
to the new blog, along with their
initial posts, include:
b Editorial Director Peter
Bradley, on why we launched
“Dispatches”
b Associate Managing Editor
Susan Lacefield, on the mate-
rial handling industry and U.S.
manufacturing
b Senior Editor David
Maloney, on preparing the
material handling and ware-
house work force of the future
b Senior Editor Mark Solomon,
on the Surface Transportation
Board’s inaction on a proposal
that would benefit “captive” rail
shippers
b Group Editorial Director
Mitch Mac Donald, on why
social media and online research
can’t compare with face-to-face
communication.
The editors will post weekly
on a rotating basis, so check
back frequently—and be sure
to share your own comments in
the field below each post. You
can find the blog at http://blogs.
dcvelocity.com/dispatches/.
Howard Bernstein wants your money. Not
for himself, mind you; the founder and
former chairman of Atlas Companies, a
group of material handling equipment distributors, is seeking people or companies willing to invest in higher education for students of material handling,
industrial engineering, logistics, and supply chain management. He’s set a
good example for potential donors to follow: In 2012, he put up $125,000
to establish the Howard Bernstein Material Handling Industrial Distribution
Scholarship Fund.
The fund provides $5,000 scholarships to juniors and seniors at prequalified
schools who have committed to studying and working in one of those fields.
Bernstein is currently challenging companies to give anywhere from $500
to $5,000 before year’s end (although donations are welcome at any time).
In return for their contribution—or really, as Bernstein points out, their
investment in the future of the industry—donors gain direct access to university programs, faculty, and students, including opportunities to meet with
potential future employees. Donors will also be invited to meet with over 200
students at a reception on Classroom Day at ProMat 2015 and to lead a group
of students on a tour of the show.
The nonprofit Material Handling Education Foundation Inc. (MHEFI)
manages the fund in partnership with the material handling industry associa-
tions MHI and MHEDA. Want to help? Send your contribution, marked for
the Howard Bernstein Scholarship Fund, to Donna Varner at MHEFI, 8720
Red Oak Blvd., Suite 201, Charlotte, NC 28217. Contact her at dvarner@mhi.
org or (704) 714-8731 with any questions.
And if you know a deserving student who is majoring in an appropriate
field, encourage him or her to apply for a scholarship. The online application
is available at www.mhefi.net.
Scholarship donations will
be money well spent “Dispatches” from the editorial front
It seems the romanticized image of truck drivers as iconoclastic loners who are
happiest out on the open road for weeks at a time is fast becoming outdated.
During a recent chat with DC VELOCITY, Bradley S. Jacobs, chairman, pres-
ident, and CEO of the fast-growing broker, expeditor, and forwarder XPO
Logistics Inc., mentioned that long-haul truckload rates were rising faster
than rates on shorter hauls. The reason, Jacobs said, is a shortage of drivers
who are willing to drive long distances and be away from home for extended
stretches. This, in turn, has reduced truck supply and driven up rates, he said.
We queried Jacobs on the long-haul distance he was referring to: 1,500
miles? 1,000 miles? “No, I’m talking 600 miles,” he said.
It’s a striking reflection of how much has changed in the world we work in.
For those who’ve spent a few years in the field, it requires some mental adjust-
ment to think of a 600-mile road trip as a long haul. But that is where we are,
or at least where we’re headed.
Those “good buddies” are actually homebodies
