LOGISTIC CHAINS BRACE FOR US SUPPLY CHAINS STRESS

Resilience of supply chains will be tested as US imports are on course for volumes at a height not seen over the past two years. Even without work stoppages and multitudinous disruptions, logistics providers are preparing themselves for the worst. According to the Global Port Tracker, published by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates, “box traffic pouring into US ports will climb to its highest level in two years in the coming weeks, and the authors predict a seven-month run of monthly import volumes north of 2m teu, fuelled by consumer spending and retailers stocking up.” Read more

PGT TRUCKING HONORS SAFE TRUCK DRIVERS

PGT Trucking Inc. recently recognized over 150 safe drivers during the company’s annual awards event, held at the Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. PGT has hosted the ceremony for over twenty years to honor the company’s drivers, office staff and their guests. Included amongst the honorees were “46 Million-Mile Drivers, 104 Safe Drivers and 24 Premier Professionals.” Read more

LOGISTICS GIANT IN ARIZONA TO LAY OFF MORE WORKERS

Swiss logistics firm Kuehne + Nagel Inc. is planning to lay off 227 Valley workers “after one of its customers, Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, decided to insource roles at two Valley facilities.” Kuehne + Nagel informed the Arizona Department of Economic Development about the position separations in an April 22 Workforce Adjustment and Retraining Notification letter. The positions span a multitude of roles in contract logistics and the cutbacks are set to happen on July 31. Read more

1300 LAYOFFS HIT LOGISTICS COMPANIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY

Layoffs across the freight and logistics industry continue “with companies in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan and Texas announcing job reductions and facility closures over the past two weeks.” One example is that of Warren, Michigian-based Universal Logistics, which is permanently closing two of its subsidiaries and laying off a total of 677 employees, according to notices recently filed with the state. Read more

AUTONOMOUS SEMI-TRUCKS ARE COMING

The advent of self-driving trucks could have an enormous impact on America’s supply chain, exponentially cutting the time it takes to transport goods from place to place and unfettering the trucking industry from the costs and physical limitations of the human workforce. The technology’s advancements have “sparked concerns about highway safety, job loss, a lack of federal regulation and a patchwork of state laws regarding where and how autonomous trucks can operate.” Read more…

LOGISTICS COMPANY DOOR MAKER CREATING 130 JOBS IN VIRGINIA


Tucker Door & Trim will invest $10 million to create its first logistics facility in Virginia. The company’s brand new manufacturing and assembly operation for fiberboard and fiberglass doors and windows will open THEIR doors in Henrico County by April 1, 2024: “The expansion, which will create 50 new jobs, will increase capacity and provide the company the ability to serve the northeastern market.” Read more…

LOGISTICS RESTRUCTURING AT SUPERMARKET MORRISONS WILL CUT UP TO 300 JOBS

Supermarket Morrisons is planning to restructure its supply chain and logistics operations, with warehouse manager roles at all seven distribution sites set to be truncated with a five-over-seven working week reinstated from last April. Documents seen by The Grocer show how Morrisons plans “to consolidate the number of warehouse manager roles at each site to a single operations manager role. It will also remove team manager roles in its ambient supply chain, reduce roles in its chilled chamber and reduce the number of managers and coordinators working within canteen teams.” Read more

TRUCKER JOBS PORTRAYED ON STAGE IN FLORIDA

Dramatist David Proctor’s new one-person play, “Grabbing the Hammer Lane: a Trucker narrative,” is Proctor’s newest stage drama about a truck driver’s life on the road. The Orlando Performer, a website devoted to theater in Central Florida, exults: “Patrons of this show should be prepared to feel a wide range of emotions. In the beginning, there is gentle humor and subtle light jokes scattered throughout. [Later], emotions soar between anger and sadness. It is genuinely moving. This show deals with addiction, forgiveness and loss and has a moral of ‘Tell the ones you are close to, that you love them.’” Read more

110 LOGISTIC JOBS LOST IN INDIANA

A third-party logistics firm headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee announced they are planning to shutter its facility on the west side of Indianapolis. In a WARN notice recently filed with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, “Kenco Logistic Services LLC said the closure will result in the layoffs of 110 employees.” The company gave no reason for the closure, but “the affected workers have been notified of the move, and the layoffs are scheduled to occur on March 19.” Read more