Steven Moelk

𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆: 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 A prominent carpet retailer in South Hampton, NY, was routinely shipping product samples to NYC via overnight delivery. Unfortunately, this method came with two major issues: each shipment cost over $30, and deliveries were often late, frustrating both the client and their customers. Using our parcel management technology, we uncovered a critical inefficiency in their shipping process: their overnight shipments were actually being transported via ground trucks. We presented this insight to the client, recommending a simple yet impactful switch to ground shipping. They implemented the change immediately and saw the same delivery times—without the hefty overnight costs. The result? A 33% reduction in shipping expenses for those shipments. This single adjustment led to significant savings and improved delivery consistency, a win they wouldn’t have discovered without ProfitTrust. Ship small parcel and need help with routing or packaging optimization? Reach out to us! We offer a free assessment to uncover cost-saving opportunities and operational improvements. #Retail #ShippingAudit #3PL #DTC #Shipping #Packaging #Savings

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The recent closure of Pitney Bowes global #eCommerce unit has been a hot topic in the industry. We’ve had a lot of conversations with #brands and #shippers about how PopCapacity® can help in this time of need. Here is a quick summary… 1. ORDER FULFILLMENT - We have the largest fulfillment network in North America; with every detail conveniently located in our digital marketplace. (Airbnb for Warehouse Space) 2. DELIVERY SERVICES - Our network of 3PL fulfillment centers offers ever mode of delivery service (first, middle and last mile) Often times with their own delivery assets! Consolidate the distribution with delivery! 3. RETURNS - With high volume fulfillments centers comes amazing reverse logistics and returns processes, people and tech. We’ve identified over 100+ returns focused facilities. 4. CROSS-BORDER ECOMM - Some of the biggest brands in the world trust PopCapacity® with there cross border iniatives. We have capacity in every border town to our north and south! Our marketplace has become the most connected, dynamic eco-system the industry as ever seen. Take advantage of all our hard work and put us to the test today!! Contact me or any member of our team! Derek Loftus Kirubel “Daniel Girma Taylor Harris Aaron Tewksbury Barron P. Karen Thompson #PopCapacity #PitneyBowes #HeretoHelp #Airbnb #FulfillmentCenters #AI #VirtualTouring #Marketplace #SupplyChain #Logistics #Tech #Innovation #Startup

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"Carrier Diversification" Is Only A Small Piece Of Your Strategy Unpopular opinion coming in. I just came across another "new" article talking about the last mile parcel network. While the subheading makes sense "The nation’s leading parcel carriers are struggling to evolve as costs rise, the market fragments, competition intensifies, and consumers trade down to slower, lower-revenue delivery services" The actual advice is the same as everyone else. Diversifying carrier bases and adapting supply chain strategies Exploring regional providers for better rates and service Utilizing more technology to manage multiple providers effectively 🤮 If you haven't seen that 'wisdom' every year for the last 5 years you've been living under a rock. No last mile carrier is actually innovating right now. Using canned APIs for route optimization Taking pictures at delivery Package tracking .... These are table stakes A real shipper strategy that wins (and for carriers as well) is understanding how delivery fits within the customer journey. Basic fulfillment is something that EVERYONE can do. You need to know your volume. You need to know your customers. Transactional execution vs experiential execution Basic fulfillment vs value enhancing fulfillment See things differently? Think there is a lot of innovation happening? Change my mind.

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One partially controllable cost for over-the-road dry van truckload carriers is truck driver turnover. While I’ve published research documenting that turnover rates at large TL carriers are strongly procyclical with industry employment dynamics (e.g., when industry-level payrolls expand, we see driver turnover increase because it’s easier for drivers to hope from one carrier to another, coupled with industry expansion bringing more quit-prone new drivers into the fold), many turnover events are caused by carriers’ actions. One key set of individuals in this discussion are dispatchers. Multiple academic studies have documented persistent differences in driver turnover rates across dispatchers. I bring this up because dispatcher-driver relationships require management. Successful relationships are characterized by reciprocity and understanding, whereas unhealthy ones tend to be characterized by conflict. From a carrier standpoint, each good driver who voluntarily quits generates several thousand dollars of cost for a carrier in terms of recruiting a replacement driver, onboarding that driver, and lost revenues from having unseated trucks (not all inclusive, just providing a flavor). Consequently, small investments to reduce driver turnover can quickly pay for themselves. I bring this up because I’ve come to believe that a product created by my wife, Paula Panagouleas Miller and her team at Karmascore, while originally designed in the context of interpersonal relationships (https://lnkd.in/gghHYcG5), may have immense application to carriers as a tool for drivers and dispatchers to better manage their frequent exchanges. Some example applications: •A dispatcher notices by scoring interactions with that a driver that this individual appears increasingly “checked out.” This is a red flag that a turnover event may occur soon, providing a chance for intervention (especially if this is a good driver). •If a group of drivers is all noticing that they are having poor relations with a dispatcher, this provides an actionable signal to management that action may be taken. Implication: though conceived in a different context, I have to give my wife’s company a shout out for creating a product that may help carriers better manage the dispatcher-driver interface. A premium plan allowing for the tracking of unlimited relationships costs just $60 annually, which would make for an incredible ROI if just one turnover event was averted. #supplychain #supplychainmanagement #freight #trucking #truckload #transportation

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Your 2024 warehouse wrapped is here! Move over Spotify and Taylor, we want to know what happened with warehouses. With 1.2 billion square feet of warehouse space under management, who better to give us insights on the past year and the year to come than Prologis! Hunter HeLal and Parth Pethani from Prologis Essentials joined me last week live here on LinkedIn to discuss some of the top trends in warehousing for 2024 and what they expect will happen in the warehousing industry in 2025. You can check out the replay on The New Warehouse podcast feed and let us know your thoughts in the comments as well. Here are some of their thoughts: 💡 Cube is king 💡 Used racking was hot 💡 Big project investments coming Q2/Q3 of 25 What do you think were some of the stand out warehousing trends in 2024? Listen here: https://lnkd.in/euJUPjCy

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Big transportation policy news yesterday, LinkedIn peeps, as in a Lucy-pulls-the-football moment, New York Governor Kathy Hochul pulled the plug on congestion pricing in New York City, weeks before it was to begin. Dan Vock had an early report in Route Fifty yesterday (https://lnkd.in/gGH5Ahw6), quoting the Governor, “The goals of congestion pricing in terms of reducing traffic and pollution are important, but hard-working New Yorkers are getting hammered on costs, and they—and the economic vitality of our city—must be protected,” she said. “The idea behind congestion pricing is that it will encourage many current drivers to shift to public transit. But there is a third possibility that now poses a greater threat than it did at the program’s inception: Drivers can now choose to stay home altogether.” The office of Brooklyn Democrat and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries denied multiple reports that he had pressured the Governor into ending the program, professing neutrality. The office further stated, somewhat less neutrally, “To the extent immediate implementation of congestion pricing is being reconsidered, Leader Jeffries supports a temporary pause of limited duration to better understand the financial impact on working class New Yorkers who have confronted a challenging inflationary environment as a result of the pandemic. We will continue to find ways to lower costs for everyday Americans and strengthen mass transportation in New York State.” The Governor pledged to find a way to backfill the $1 billion annual revenues raised by the congestion pricing that would have supported MTA transit needs. MTA had already spent $500 million preparing the toll collection and back office systems to support the pricing plan. The New York Times story below also links to related stories including extensive criticism of this decision by supporters of this plan, the first of its kind in North America. I suspect this will swamp all other discussions among attendees of the IBTTA’s Finance and Road Usage Charging Summit in Baltimore next week (https://lnkd.in/gkVMebpx). #RUC #congestion #congestionpricing

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📊 Too many warehouses still rely on outdated processes that waste thousands of hours annually. Is yours keeping up? As supply chains grow more complex, operational efficiency isn’t just a goal—it’s a necessity. But here’s the challenge: many warehouses are still grappling with outdated systems and fragmented data, leaving managers to piece together insights manually. This leads to: ❌ Inefficient labor allocation. ❌ Missed opportunities to optimize workflows. ❌ Increased costs and delayed decision-making. So, how do you close the gap? Start by focusing on three key areas: 1️⃣ Visibility: Do you have a real-time view of your operations? Start tracking metrics that matter, like throughput and inventory accuracy. 2️⃣ Collaboration: Break down silos by fostering communication between departments. Everyone benefits when the right hand knows what the left hand is doing. 3️⃣ Process Optimization: Regularly audit your workflows. What worked last year may not be effective today, especially with changing customer demands. Efficiency doesn’t happen by accident—it’s the result of intentional, data-driven decisions. Take the time to assess where your warehouse stands and make the adjustments needed to stay ahead of the curve. What’s your biggest challenge in driving warehouse efficiency?

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So back to the question: "what does the US trucking market look like?" Sources vary on the total for-hire firms - is it 800K, 1.1MM? No one knows for sure - too dynamic to report on for any. But the left end of the distribution is pretty well known via Transport Topics as well as other sources focused on publicly traded companies using Top "x"00 surveys. ATA has always published great intel on the right end of the distribution, most recently 95.7% at 10 or less trucks. I am sure OOIDA could add some color to this as well. Below is an estimation of the density of the US trucking market using fleet size data vs. number of firms. Fleet size on Y-axis, firm count on the X. Carrier types are the callouts based on fleet size. Many say trucking is a unique market, is there any other market in the global economy that is so lopsided on each end? Soybeans? Pork bellies? I don't think so... Somehow it all works in transportation...it's crazy if you stop and really think about it... Given all the hoopla in the tech/logistics market for the last 7 years or so, my biggest takeaway is that when anyone in this industry says they are in trucking and they want to either help you, or just transform the entire industry, the first thing you must know is what side of this curve they are most familiar with. It's not Mars v Venus, it's Mercury v Pluto. Cheers!

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Great perspective from Cory E. O'Brien on how flexible trailer solutions like Trailers as a Service (TaaS) enable shippers, carriers and 3PLs to keep pace with a dynamic freight market

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The New York Times report aligns with what we’ve already been observing at Leverage AI: our customers are shifting their purchasing strategies to account for observed and forecasted shipment timeline delays. While the article covers the direct impacts on the transportation and logistics industry, I’ve found you often have to go upstream to de-risk the issue. There is a looming double bullwhip effect on the horizon, and we have been sprinting to further enable our customers with actionable insights and risk mitigation levers to maintain their positions as industry leaders.

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Your warehouse is working hard. But it’s not working smart. Still relying on manual labor? It’s slower, costlier and full of errors. Automation isn’t just faster. It’s precision at scale. But is it always better? Not necessarily. In this guide, we break down: - when to automate - when manual labor makes sense - how to balance both for maximum efficiency Then check the link in the comments section to read the full article. Because your operations shouldn’t just keep up. They should set the pace. #warehousing #fulfillmentservices #logistics #ecommercesolutions #3pl #ecommercesuccess #inventorymanagement #automation #robotics 

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One word: Resilience That’s the cornerstone of effective supply chain organizations, striving to ensure they deliver to their customers on-time and in-full. Even when confronted with new and unique hurdles like Chain Store Age and Marianne Wilson reported, effective and efficient supply chain teams find a way. Why? Perhaps supply chain teams are gluttons for punishment; however, it’s their relentless pursuit of excellence that truly sets them apart. As we move into the second half of the year and look toward the holiday season, Leverage AI continues to collaborate with our customers to execute on their ambitious executive and supply chain strategic initiatives. Interested in learning how we help supply chain organizations like yours? Drop me a DM. https://hubs.ly/Q02GS6yX0

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📉 Current Challenges in the U.S. Transportation Industry: Lessons from Major Bankruptcies For the last year, several large U.S. transportation companies, including Yellow Corp., Convoy, and Star Transportation PA Inc., have ceased operations. These companies had fleets of hundreds of trucks, extensive industry experience, and played significant roles in the market. However, even these giants faced immense pressure due to high costs, decreased demand, and challenges with debt obligations. What led to the bankruptcies? 1. Debt and operational expenses — rising costs for fuel, insurance, and maintenance. 2. Demand instability — a sharp drop in demand following the pandemic-driven freight boom. 3. Lack of adaptability — challenges in shifting business models and the need for technological upgrades. These bankruptcies serve as a reminder of the importance of adapting to changing conditions. To ensure a sustainable future, companies must invest in technology, increase operational efficiency, and reduce reliance on traditional transportation models. 💡 Question for colleagues: In your view, how should the industry adapt to these challenges, and what innovations could be key in the coming years? #Transportation #Logistics #Bankruptcy #Technology #TransportationIndustry #LinkedIn

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CROSS DOCKING RE-STACKING NY In the fast-paced world of logistics, efficiency is paramount, especially in a bustling city like New York. Businesses are constantly seeking ways to streamline their operations, and one strategy that has emerged as a game-changer is Cross Docking. This innovative approach to handling goods is transforming the way products move through the supply chain, particularly in urban centers like New York City. Cross Dock Service Long Island Cross Dock NY facilities are strategically located hubs where incoming shipments are quickly unloaded from trucks or containers and then immediately reloaded onto outbound vehicles with minimal storage in between. This process, known as Cross Docking re-stacking NY, eliminates the need for traditional warehousing and storage, reducing handling costs and transit times. Restack Skids NYC Restack Skids New York centers play a vital role in the city’s logistics ecosystem, serving as central points where goods from various suppliers are consolidated, sorted, and redistributed to their final destinations. By optimizing space and minimizing handling time, these facilities ensure that products flow seamlessly through the supply chain, from manufacturer to retailer. Cross Dock Facility NY At Cross Dock NY facilities, skilled workers meticulously re-stack skids of goods, maximizing efficiency and minimizing the risk of damage during transit. This meticulous attention to detail ensures that each shipment is loaded onto outgoing trucks in the most efficient manner possible, reducing the time it takes for products to reach their intended recipients. In addition to Cross Docking re-stacking, these facilities also offer value-added services such as rebuilding skids to meet specific customer requirements. This flexibility allows businesses to customize their shipments according to varying demands, further enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the supply chain. Cross Docking re-stacking is not only revolutionizing logistics in New York City but also driving innovation in the broader industry. By leveraging strategically located facilities and embracing cutting-edge technology, businesses can optimize their supply chain operations, reduce costs, and deliver superior service to their customers. In conclusion, Cross Docking re-stacking NY is a powerful tool for businesses operating in the fast-paced environment of New York City. By embracing this innovative approach to logistics, companies can navigate the complexities of urban transportation networks with ease, ensuring that products move swiftly and efficiently from supplier to customer. As the demands of the modern marketplace continue to evolve, Cross Docking re-stacking stands at the forefront of innovation, driving efficiency and reliability in the movement of goods across the bustling streets of New York.

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Today, we're addressing a contentious issue: truck parking, especially the domain of paid truck parking. While this topic ignites heated debates on FreightX, many industry stakeholders recognize the urgent demand for more truck parking spaces. Also, the May Logistics Managers Index (LMI) results are in, and we're going head first into what the numbers mean and if they tell us any more about the on-going recession. Spoiler alert: the numbers appear promising. 📍Thank you to our sponsors, CarrierSource and FreshX for sponsoring today's newsletter! 💬 More in freight: ⚫️ Replacing Guesstimates With Real-Time Freight Pricing Data With Andrew Cohen, Farelanes LLC ⚫️ Carrier Review Of The Week Presented By CarrierSource ⚫️ Flexport Expands Convoy Platform To Brokers 🎧 Watch the entire podcast episode with Andrew Cohen: https://lnkd.in/gZVVkHus 🌎 Subscribe to read today's newsletter (it's free): www.ThinkFreight.io

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The reality is that the customers generally dictate delivery schedules. Trucking companies in many cases would prefer to deliver in off-peak periods. The problem is that many customers want to have staff there to receive deliveries. Various stores and businesses already have difficulty obtaining and retaining staff for normal business hours and require deliveries during the day. The fact is that the trucking operator is the middle man in the arrangement between the shipper and receiver. More attention needs to be focused on the customers in these discusssions as to finding ways to receive shipments in off-peak period.

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