LOGISTICS 2030
Strategy
The volatility in the
transportation market
may leave shippers
feeling more than a
little seasick. A recent
industry report offers
suggestions for how to
make it through these
tumultuous times.
THE TRANSPORTATION MARKET HAS BEEN A VOLATILE AND STORMY ONE
these past few years, with shippers trying to weather a confluence of issues including
rising rates, shrinking capacity, driver shortages, increasing government regulation,
and greater demand for smaller, more frequent shipments.
Indeed, a recent report by researchers from Auburn University compares managing
the transportation function to “living along coastal waters in perpetual hurricane season.” The report, titled Logistics 2030: Navigating a Disruptive Decade, Year 1—Freight
Transportation, presents the findings of research on what companies are doing to
ride out the storm, according to Gail Rutkowski, executive director of the National
Shippers Strategic Transportation Council (NASSTRAC), which was one of the main
sponsors.
The report, which is part of a multiyear study on key aspects of logistics and supply
chain management, is based on survey responses from 420 industry professionals as
well as focus-group discussions and in-depth one-on-one interviews. (See sidebar for
more on the study.) Based on these discussions, the researchers concluded that for
many companies, navigating the storm will involve establishing a clear transportation
Riders on the storm
