Across North America, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s International Roadcheck will take place June 5-7. Inspectors will be looking over commercial motor vehicles’ mechanical soundness and driver operating requirements. The CVSA will inspect about 17 trucks or buses every minute during this three-day period.

Have you ever tried filling a bucket with water when there is a hole in the bottom?  No matter how much water you pour into the bucket, it will continue to drain until you plug the hole. The logistics industry faces a similar situation on a regular basis.  However, rather than water, the trucking world is struggling to keep the bucket full of a different resource: drivers. The current turnover rate for truck drivers is about 95 percent, and driver shortages are affecting supply chains across the country.

Compliance is a challenge in many industries, but it becomes particularly important — and more complex — when your company transports goods across state lines. Shippers that don’t prioritize compliance can discover too late that they’ve been breaking the law.

There are at least five good reasons to adopt a strong inbound logistics strategy—to restore the balance of power between you and your vendors; to support carrier selection and negotiation; to improve inventory management; to reduce hidden shipping costs; and to improve quality control. Let's take a close look at each: