If you’ve ever seen a kids’ soccer match, you know how adorable yet ineffective these games can be. The kids still haven’t learned how to communicate and pass the ball well enough to get it in the right goal. When they do score, it’s at least partly due to luck.

In the world of shipping, anything short of perfection can make your company look a little too much like 5-year-olds sporting their first pair of cleats. Even relatively minor problems with deliveries can throw off schedules and disrupt the availability of goods. These issues cause major problems when trying to please customers.

The holiday season always brings a sense of urgency to the shipping industry, but this year’s normal rush has been exacerbated by the impending Dec. 18 deadline for mandatory electronic logging devices.

Fleets and trucks found to be skirting the law will face fines through April 2018, but they eventually will be forced to adhere to the regulations or cease operations. Without a doubt, the fate of shippers is linked directly to the trucks and trucking companies that serve them. Consequently, they have more skin in the game than it might seem at first blush.

Sheer Logistics announced today that they have joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA). 

BiTA (www.bita.studio) believes blockchain is one of the most significant developments for the logistics industry since the creation of the internet. By providing more clarity and standards around blockchain through education and promotion of the technology, BiTA intends to be the leading blockchain voice for the industry.

 Omnichannel supply chains provide a variety of well-integrated order fulfillment and distribution channels to efficiently reach and serve consumers in the digital age. While multichannel supply chains also provide a number of channels, they are not nearly as well-integrated and well-coordinated as they are under the omnichannel approach. Thanks in part to the rapid rise of e-commerce, omnichannel supply chains are changing the landscape of the logistics industry while strongly impacting consumers, shippers and third-party logistics (3PL) providers.

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:

The creation of even simple products involves huge numbers of participants who don't know each other. Leonard Read's classic essay, “I, Pencil,” illustrates this point eloquently, showing that nobody in the world knows everything about making the pencil you buy in a store. He notes the “absence of a master mind” in its creation. People who live far away from each other and don't know each other play roles in the supply chain.

According to a survey from the Harvard Business School, outsourcing key components of business operations has increased in recent years.  Almost half of respondents to that survey said they preferred outsourcing to hiring new, full-time employees.  Only 1 in 4 felt that hiring new employees was preferable to outsourcing.

Sustainability in logistics, and shipping in particular, is of vital importance to a sustainable economy as a whole. However, the shipping industry has received less attention from advocates for change than other sectors of the economy, such as the airline industry. So let's take the time now to turn our attention toward "green shipping" and four ways we can move toward it:

St. Louis, MO – Sheer Logistics (www.sheerlogistics.com) recently announced that Tim Young has joined the company as Vice President of Sales to further develop its growing portfolio of regional and national accounts. An industry veteran with more than 20 years’ experience, Young spent the last two years as Vice President of Logistics at Knight Transportation, where he built and led a team focused on new business development for Knight’s logistics division.  

Tim joins Sheer to continue the company’s recent success providing transportation and logistics services to some of America’s top shippers. “The internal culture at Sheer truly reflects the company’s commitment to honesty, integrity and loyalty,” said Tim. “I’m also impressed with Sheer’s focus on innovation and service, and I look forward to collaborating with the team to build and execute an enhanced sales strategy.”