Last month, the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals released its official annual report on supply chain trends. While trucking activity and the amount of shipments transported showed a noticeable increase in 2014, the amount spent on logistics costs grew as well. The complexity of modern shipping networks means that companies can find themselves straining their computer mainframes without a suitable mainframe terminal emulator solution, and this information demonstrates a few reasons why marshaling logistics data is important.
More than any particular data point, the report shows how successful logistics management requires weighing several different factors together in a "smart" context. For example, the report showed a drop in gasoline prices, along with more than 11 percent in gains for freight payments compared to 2013. Taken together, trends like these can help companies create a smarter fleet management strategy.
Another trend to watch out for is the shrinking number of available truck drivers, with turnover rates as high as 95 percent towards the end of the year. Managing employee data could also be a key use for dispersed mainframe legacy applications that can now run on multiple devices for accurate monitoring.
Consultant Rosalyn Wilson, the author of the report, presented on its findings at a National Press Club. Trucking Info quotes Wilson, who hinted at some of the steps necessary for optimizing shipping in the near future.
"Shippers who hold drivers for long periods of time waiting to load or unload, or who do not treat their drivers well, will fall to the bottom," Wilson said. "Maximum equipment utilization, quicker turns, and fewer empties go right to the bottom line. Shippers willing to work with carriers to accomplish this will fare better than those who neglect these issues."
Prepare for a cleaner means of managing complicated amounts of information with a mainframe modernization plan that functions equally well in every web-enabled setting.