where speed is a priority, it’s imperative that C-level executives acknowledge the key role played by transportation and
include it in corporate strategic planning efforts.
4. Adopt 21st-century technology. Companies can no longer base key decisions on spreadsheets and instinct; instead,
they need sophisticated analytics capabilities and tools that
can provide visibility and insight into what’s happening in
the supply chain right now.
5. Show transportation professionals the money (and
respect). To attract and retain people with the right skills,
companies must commit to recruiting, developing, and
properly compensating top transportation talent.
The way forward may be tough going, but if anyone
knows how to ride out a storm, it’s transportation and distribution professionals. As corporate leadership wakes up to
the critical nature of transportation, the function will likely
command the resources and attention it needs to address
these challenges.
“One happy takeaway [from the study] is that companies
are finally allowing the transportation functions a seat at the
table and are including them in their supply chain strategy,”
Rutkowski says. “Too often in the past, transportation was
left out or brought in too late to be an active contributor.
The recent ‘perfect storm’ or transportation disruption was
one of the catalysts for this change.”
About the study …
Logistics 2030: Navigating a Disruptive Decade is a
multiyear study conducted by the Center for Supply
Chain Innovation at Auburn University’s Harbert
College of Business, the National Shippers Strategic
Transportation Council (NASSTRAC), the Council of
Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP),
CSCMP’s Supply Chain Quarterly, and DC VELOCITY, and
sponsored by the transportation spend management
company TranzAct Technologies Inc. The goal of the
study is to “assess the strategies, requirements, and
tools that will shape supply chains and drive success
over the next decade.” In 2018, the first year of the
study, the researchers looked at freight transportation. Next year’s study will address warehousing and
distribution. The report can be downloaded from DC
VELOCITY’s website, https://www.dcvelocity.com/white-
papers/?wid=169, or purchased in hard-copy form for
$25 at NASSTRAC’s website, www.nasstrac.org.
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