Retailers are expecting a record number of holiday shoppers on Thanksgiving weekend placing parcel delivery companies in the spotlight to meet consumers' holiday expectations.

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Explosive e-commerce growth during the pandemic coupled with last-mile deliveries has made it necessary for fleet managers to turn to companies like Penske Truck Rental for additional equipment.

Penske, which has one of the largest rental fleets in North America, works with parcel delivery companies throughout the year to anticipate rental truck needs heading into the holiday season.

"We meet with our providers and vendors in the first quarter of the year to evaluate the previous year. And then, we meet several times throughout the year to discuss preparations for the upcoming holiday package season. We have a great working relationship with the delivery companies and value our partnership." said Jeff Werner, director of commercial rental sales for Penske Truck Rental.

Chances are during peak holiday delivery periods a Penske rental truck will be there to help your favorite parcel company deliver during the holidays.

Holiday Shopping List

The National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts holiday sales in November and December will increase to between $843.3 billion and $859 billion, an increase over 2020. Consumers are expected to spend an average of $997.73 during the holidays.

The holiday shopping period – Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday – will feature nearly 2 million more shoppers than last year, according to the results of a survey by the NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics.

"We're expecting another record-breaking holiday season this year, and Thanksgiving weekend will play a major role as it always has," said Matthew Shay NRF president and CEO.

Two-thirds of holiday shoppers surveyed plan to shop on Thanksgiving weekend, with more than 30 million planning to shop in-store or online on Thanksgiving Day.

Black Friday remains the most popular shopping day with 108 million consumers planning to make purchases followed by Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday.

Meeting the Need

In previous years, late October and November have been months when rental truck requests from parcel carriers and others would start to increase. This year, the increase has occurred much sooner.

"Customers are purchasing items earlier to ensure they have them for the holiday season, which is causing the delivery companies to pick-up the trucks earlier than in past years. This will also ensure they have the necessary equipment for the last-minute holiday rush."

In addition to parcel delivery companies, Penske also supports the needs of small and medium-sized businesses that experience similar spikes in holiday demand.

"There are businesses (large and small), that are in need of extra equipment over the holiday season." Werner said. "With Penske's large fleet, we are able to work with the customers to provide equipment."

Penske draws on years of holiday rental demand experience to balance the needs of large parcel carriers and regional and local businesses. "Our teams are working hard to ensure there is equipment available for every type of business," Werner said.

While the holiday shopping season is in full swing, Werner advises businesses seeking rental trucks to act now.

"We constantly have new trucks coming in and customers returning trucks, so there is constantly an inventory turn around," Werner said. "Our teams do a great job of positioning equipment to take care of all of our customers."

Preparation is key.

"Customers need to plan ahead and give us a call at the earliest time they think they will need equipment," Werner said.

Penske offers a wide variety of rental trucks from large commercial semi-tractors and trailers to small box trucks. Penske encourages retailers and businesses to make reservations by calling its hotline for business rentals, 1-800-PENSKE1.

By Bernie Mixon

Penske Logistics was recently recognized with a North America Supplier award from Novelis, the world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling. As a leading provider of dedicated transportation to Novelis North America, Penske is an essential component of its closed-loop aluminum supply chain serving top automakers.

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The Novelis North America Supplier award was given to Penske Logistics for demonstrating an outstanding performance in overall logistics while receiving the best score from Novelis' key carriers throughout North America in 2020. This is Penske's second time receiving the North America Supplier award, accepting its first in 2019.

Penske Logistics executives receiving Supplier Excellence Award from Novelis

"Delivering performance and innovation is guided by a deep sense of responsibility at Penske," explained Jeff Jackson, executive vice president of operations for Penske Logistics. "With Novelis, we are committed to providing quality, reliability and a true partnership which resonates through the North America Supplier award."

Penske's dedicated trucking operation utilizes Novelis' closed loop recycling system and shuttles aluminum coils from Oswego, New York, to automotive stamping plants in Michigan. The aluminum scrap from the stamping process is then transported back to Oswego to be recycled and formed into new coils. This process runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – with a loaded Penske truck heading out on the road every 40 minutes.

"We are inspired by the work and passion Novelis has for a circular economy and are grateful to partner with them and receive the North American Supplier award for the second time," said Marc Althen, president of Penske Logistics. "Leading our success is our dedicated team of safe, professional drivers and well-trained staff. I would like to send my appreciation to that team for their focus and commitment to the network's infrastructure and procedures."

Novelis joins technology and strength innovation in the automotive industry. Due to fuel efficiency requirements, light weighting demands and the evolving mobility ecosystem, automakers enlist Novelis aluminum for sustainable solutions that enable the next generation of vehicles.

"At Novelis, our purpose is shaping a sustainable world together, and our supplier award winners demonstrate that commitment every day," said Tom Boney, executive vice president and president, Novelis North America. "We congratulate Penske Logistics on this accomplishment and look forward to an even more successful partnership in the years to come."

Novelis selects suppliers across 10 award categories each year that support its 16 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Penske Logistics provides dedicated contract carriage services through its expansive network in North America with safe, professional drivers, and a modern truck fleet integrated with advanced safety systems, transportation management and real-time freight tracking systems. Penske Logistics handles deliveries for a variety of leading companies in industries including automotive, CPG, food, grocery, beverage, manufacturing, quick-service restaurants, healthcare, and convenience store chains among them. Penske is currently hiring truck drivers nationwide. Visit https://driver.penske.jobs/ for available positions.

By Tana Korpics

The National Private Truck Council 2021 Benchmarking Survey Report provides fleets with new industry standards to evaluate performance and identify opportunities for improvement.

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"Information is power," explained Jim Lager, senior vice president for Penske Truck Leasing. "Fleet operators need real-time data to make informed decisions about their business. They want to know if what they are doing is best-in-class or underperforming, and how they can improve. Being able to see that information helps them identify areas of opportunity within their operations."

Lager added that every aspect of the supply chain is stressed right now. "I think it is even more critical to have good information and good partners to talk to about it," he said.

The 2021 NPTC Benchmarking Survey Report, which is sponsored by Penske, captures critical metrics from the 2020 calendar year, which was a time like no other.

"The purpose of this report is not to critique any fleet's performance, but rather to give them the tools so when they need the answers and the metrics in their continuous improvement efforts that they can grab onto those metrics in the report and move on," said Tom Moore, executive vice president of NPTC.

Even with the challenges, private fleets performed well and used their advantages to navigate supply chain challenges, hauling more shipments and volume than they did in the previous year.

Moore continued: "The thing that really impresses me, despite everything that is going on in the pandemic, is the stability that occurred in our private fleet management. We didn't see extreme swings in terms of equipment buying or a lot of change in the driver hours, even though the DOT extended those hours. Those folks stuck right in that core business. I thought that was a telling statement for how private fleets position themselves for success."

Supply chain challenges have helped private fleets raise the awareness and importance of transportation generally within their companies.

"In the last three to four years, companies have decided to start their own private fleet from scratch because of the vulnerability in finding transportation," said Gary Petty, CEO of NPTC. "I think a lot of companies are saying, 'We can manufacture the greatest product around, but if we can't get it in a way that has no damage and no loss that is timely, it doesn't matter.'"

Many private fleets shined during COVID disruptions and were able to navigate capacity constraints and surging costs others faced within the transportation market, strengthening the case for having a private fleet.

"Private fleets are resilient and flexible," Lager said, adding that more and more companies are considering and transitioning to private fleets. "That is a result of the spot market and the carrier situation driving them toward that so they could control their destiny. They don't want to trust that to a carrier. They want to do it with a partner like Penske."

Petty stated 75% of the private fleets in the study are operating as cost centers or, as he calls them, contribution centers. "They're in it to provide outstanding customer cost in the most effective and efficient manner possible. Whatever financial model, the goal is to deliver exceptional levels of customer service in the most efficient manner possible," he said.

As in years past, the primary reason companies report operating a private fleet is to provide exceptional levels of customer service that are unavailable on the open market, especially at a time when transportation and logistics capacity has been relatively constrained.

In the latest study, more than 92% of the respondents, in response to the open-ended question, 'What is the primary reason your company operates a private fleet?,' answered customer service.

Measuring on-time performance remains the primary means of tracking customer service, although other metrics are growing in acceptance.

This year 68% of the fleets report measuring on-time performance as opposed to 82% last year.

This erosion in on-time deliveries makes room for a bevy of other metrics, according to the NPTC report, most notably safety scores, tracked by 56% of respondents (53% last year); cost-per-mile, tracked by 55% of the respondents (35% last year); and customer comment, tracked by 32% of the population.

Shipments for private fleets were up from last year by 9.7%, and volume was up by 5.6%. This growth is supported by an overall mileage increase of 5.7%, which means that fleet respondents accomplished these gains rather efficiently, according to the report.

Even still, private fleets do face challenges, with driver-related issues being the No. 1 challenge listed. Driver-related issues are cited by nearly every respondent, often more than once. Rounding out the list of issues cited by fleets are: Cost-related issues; equipment and maintenance; customer service; regulatory and safety.

While driver issues remain top-of-mind, private fleets perform better than the for-hire population. "While everybody is feeling the driver shortage, it is less at private fleets," Penske's Lager said.

This year's survey found that driver turnover fell to 15.8%, nearly three full percentage points down from last year's 18.5% turnover rate and much lower when compared to the for-hire segment. Private fleet's average driver turnover is 14.25% over the 15-year history of the survey, and the average driver in the NPTC survey stays with a carrier for more than ten years. "That is extraordinary," Petty said.

NPTC started tracking metrics surrounding the time to hire and the hiring process for the first time. NPTC found that the average fleet has to review, screen and/or interview 19.7 candidates to fill one driver's seat, and the average time to hire a driver candidate is 34 days.

"Private fleets understand you get what you pay for," Moore stated. "They changed the mentality from speed-to-hire because they want to hire the right person.

The three top reasons for turnover are discipline issues, drivers leaving for another job, or retirement.

Moore noted: "For those leaving for another job or discipline issues, that tells me a private fleet can do a better job in the hiring process. If you're asking the right questions in the interview, you can identify what drivers are more likely to leave or will have discipline issues."

For the first time, NPTC asked fleets how much it cost to bring a driver on board. It is about $7,500 for the typical heavy-duty operation, and $3,400 for medium-duty fleets.

The survey also examined which freight movements private fleets haul and which they contract out. Private fleets typically handle about 2/3 of the outbound flow of goods and work with third-party carriers to handle the rest.

For-hire motor carriers handle 17% of all outbound freight movements, while dedicated contract carriers perform 12%. When deciding how to position the private fleet, survey respondents mention numerous inter-related and overlapping factors. The most frequently highlighted are cost, service, geography, and proximity to customers, and backhaul loads.

Empty mileage rates decreased, with an empty mileage of 26% down from last year's 33.3% and the previous year's 28.4%. NPTC found that 28% of respondents reported improved empty mileage, and Lager said reducing empty miles is top-of-mind for carriers. "There is not the luxury of being inefficient right now."

Penske Truck Leasing helps customers analyze their network to determine the best lanes to handle internally and the best to outsource.

"We have the engineering capability and capacity to analyze a customer's entire operation and make a recommendation," Lager said. "We can process the data and optimize it in several ways. It isn't always about cost; it is about delivery windows and meeting schedules. We can display all of that and help them make those decisions."

Use of on-board safety technology continues to increase, and not one respondent indicated not using on-board safety technology.

"If you're not safe, you're not going to be efficient, and the rest of the metrics don't matter," Moore said. "The safety record continued to get better and stronger and was one of the best years we ever had."

Survey participants can request customized data pulls that compares data of peer or like-kind fleets in the same market.

Petty: "It is apples-to-apples numbers they can use. This is powerful information internally. We have found once companies get on the track of scoring themselves against peers, it gives the whole benchmarking exercise a powerful boost of credibility."

By "Move Ahead" Staff

Penske Truck Leasing customers who have not done so already are encouraged to transfer their fleet telematics systems to 4G or 5G networks, as 3G networks will be retired in the coming months by major U.S. mobile carriers.

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The providers are expected to disconnect their 3G networks as early as February and as late as the end of 2022.

Here are the planned 2022 disconnect dates for the following carriers, according to the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA): AT&T 3G, February 22; Sprint 3G (T-Mobile), March 31; Sprint LTE (T-Mobile), June 30; T-Mobile 3G, July 1; Verizon 3G, December 31.

For Penske customers who are not yet using telematics, Penske can aid fleets in evaluating service providers. The connected fleet team provides consulting services at no charge. Contact Penske at success@penskeconnectedfleet.com or dial 844-426-4555.

By "Move Ahead" Staff

Penske Logistics celebrated 22 winners virtually today during its second annual Freight Management Carrier Awards program. Category winners were selected from among Penske's expansive base of trucking carriers operating within its freight management operations. There are several award qualifications: A Penske Logistics enterprise scorecard combined with customer, operations and sourcing feedback.

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"It is my pleasure to hand out these deserving honors to our 2021 winners," explained LeAnne Coulter, vice president of freight management for Penske Logistics. "These transportation leaders are especially impressive in supporting our freight management customers by going above and beyond during these challenging times."

These are the 2021 Penske Logistics Freight Management Carrier Award recipients:

U.S. Less-Than-Truckload National Carrier Award

• Estes

U.S. Less-Than-Truckload Regional Carrier Award

• Dayton Freight +
• PITT-OHIO

U.S. Truckload National Carrier Award

• Crane Transport +
• Mercer Transportation

U.S. Truckload Regional Carrier Award

• A.D. Transport Express
• Carter Express
• GSA International +
• Pete & Sons Association
• Select Dedicated Solutions +

Canada Truckload Award

• Charger Logistics
• Hunter Express
• Lion Force Transport

Broker Services Provider Award

• Kirsch Transportation Services
• Spot +

Flatbed Services Provider Award

• Buchanan Hauling and Rigging +
• Keim TS +

Liquid Bulk Services Provider Award

• American PetroLog
• Andrews Logistics +

Refrigerated Services Provider Award

• Southland Transportation +

Intermodal Provider Award (new category)

• Alliance Shippers Inc.
• Hub Group

+ indicates a two-time winner

Penske Logistics has more than $6.1 billion in freight under management. When there are supplemental freight needs, customers want to know that their freight will reach its destination safely while on time and on budget. Penske Logistics offers award-winning freight management and brokerage solutions to help manage transportation networks, and handle seasonal needs, capacity surges and challenging lanes.

Please click here to learn more about joining Penske's carrier network.

By "Move Ahead" Staff

 Here is just a quick summary of some things I am looking at this week and also some things which just make you go ... hmmmmmm:

1. California Ports 24-Hour Operation is Going Unused - WSJ).  So far the 24 hour out gate at the ports of LA/LB are considered a total bust.  Unfortunately, those making these rules don't understand the "chain" in supply chain.  It is not just about time available.  It is about trucks, drivers, port space, all sorts of workers, chassis and a myriad of other things.  If nothing is done on those fronts, the chain breaks and no amount of extra "open" time will fix it.  More to come but so far I rate the 24 hour port plan a F-.  
   
   
2. Driving up and down the highways at night allows you to see a big part of the problem.  Trucks parked all over the highway as they run out of hours and there is no parking for them.  Is anyone addressing this issue?  Does anyone think that parking on the side of the road, with no facilities and with no safety will attract people to the trucking industry?  Remember, for in trucking for every "machine" you employ you have to employ at least one person.  It is not like manufacturing where a "machine" eliminates the need for a number of people.  In trucking the capital employed to human is 1:1.  Treatment of Drivers: F.
   
   
3. Anyone been to Costco lately?  I have been in one in Michigan and one in Georgia recently and guess what?  The toilet paper shortage appears to be coming back.  This time I think it is more about lack of trucking capacity than anything.  Come on Costco, you can get restocked!
   
   
4. Inventory to Sales Ratios both total and just retail show little to no improvement.  This means my "when will this get better" meter is moving to the beginning of 2023 when I had it pegged at mid year 2022.  Still not coming off of the 2022 but the likelihood of it going into 2023 is getting more real. Likelihood of a quick resolution to the supply chain issues in America ending soon - D
   
   Total Inventory to Sales:
   
   
   
   
   

   Retail Inventory to Sales:
   
   

   

   
   
   
   
5. Port of Savannah is still the best port out there by far however it has been "found" by some big retailers who are slow to move their boxes off the port.  This has meant some ocean carriers have cancelled calls to Savannah and added the Ports of Jacksonville and Charleston.  I think just about everyone is starting to look at "over the water" movements to the East Coast versus getting into the mess of LA/LB then trying to move it over ground. Port of Savannah is an A
   
   
6. JB Hunt  (Stock information: JBHT)is the best run trucking company in America by far.  They knocked their quarter out of the park and they have even better days ahead.  They have transformed from an old school, irregular route trucking company to a high tech, well disciplined supply chain company.  And, the market is rewarding them for it as they have a P/E that values it like a tech company and just about everyone upgraded their stock this week.  YTD J.B. Hunt is up 44.64% as compared to Schneider (SNDR) who is up 19.7%.  (See comparison chart here).  JB Hunt is an A+
   
   
7. Costs continue to rise in all facets of the supply chain:  Various data sources tell us that yes Virginia, there is inflation, and a lot of it. 

On 1 September 2021, Sony’s ‘Vita’ trade mark lost out in genuine use revocation proceedings in the EU General Court (see case T‑561/20). The trade mark Vita had been registered by Sony for a variety of class 9 items, including “data carriers containing programs” and “audio and/or image carriers (not of paper).” Vieta Audio applied...

In 18 June 2021, a Full bench of the Federal Court of Australia (Middleton, Nicholas, and Burley JJ) unanimously upheld a decision of a single judge of the court (Beach J), finding that a method of detecting cell-free foetal DNA (cffDNA) in maternal blood serum comprises patent-eligible subject matter (i.e. a ‘manner of manufacture’) under Australian law: Ariosa Diagnostics, Inc v Sequenom, Inc [2021] FCAFC 101.  The patent at issue is Australian patent no. 727,919, covering an invention originally developed by Oxford University researchers, and subsequently transferred to Sequenom Inc.  The patent expired in March 2018, however a live dispute remains because Ariosa Diagnostics licensed its ‘Harmony Test’ – which Sequenom says (and the Full Court has agreed) infringes the patent – for use in Australia since at least September 2015.

To my mind, the result in this case is neither particularly surprising nor contentious.  The patent claims are directed to a method of detecting cffDNA.  While the method is underpinned by the naturally occurring fact – not known until its discovery by the inventors prior to March 1997 – that cffDNA is present in maternal blood serum, a useful method of detecting a previously unknown natural phenomenon, having a practical application, has long been considered patentable.  Ariosa’s arguments that Sequenom’s claims were in substance directed to the ‘mere’ discovery itself, resulted only in the production of ‘information’, and therefore unpatentable, were unsuccessful.  And while the broad scope of the main claim in this case might raise other issues, such as obviousness or sufficiency of description, these matters have also been addressed at first instance and/or on appeal, and are separate from the question of subject matter eligibility. 

Nonetheless, this case will generate some interest, if only because the result in Australia is opposed to the outcome of equivalent litigation between Sequenom and Ariosa involving a corresponding patent in the United States.  In that case, a narrower claim than in Australia was found to be directed to an unpatentable natural phenomenon.  The result was controversial, not least because a number of judges on the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) – including Judge Linn on the original panel (Ariosa Diagnostics, Inc.v. Sequenom, Inc. (Fed. Cir. 2015)) and Judges Lourie and Dyk in a decision refusing en banc rehearing – indicated that they felt bound by the Supreme Court precedents, but did not agree with the outcome.  There was therefore great disappointment when the US Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal.

The outcome of the Australian appeal is not all bad news for Ariosa, however, with the finding of the primary judge on infringement being partially reversed.  In particular, there were periods during which the Harmony Test was not carried out in Australia, but instead samples were sent to the US for testing by Ariosa, which the primary judge found also to be infringing actions.  The Full Court has disagreed, finding that ‘importing’ the information resulting from the tests into Australia did not comprise a relevant ‘exploitation’ of the claimed method, as it might have done were the product of the method a physical article.

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In supply chain operations, manual operations such as end-to-end time and cost calculations, checking routes on maps, comparing freight quotes, and searching for freight availability can take up a lot of time. Quickly changing information will make this process not only manual, but also inaccurate and hence extremely resource intensive. With more and more customers […]

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Last-mile logistics is arguably the most important stage in the entire supply chain. This generally includes receiving an order from a warehouse and delivering it on time to the right customer, store, or a specific pick-up point, without any damages. However, customer expectations have changed tremendously over the past few years. Customers now want visibility […]

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Effect could be exploited to boost conductivity in nanowires

The post Disorder enhances transport in 1D systems, calculations reveal appeared first on Physics World.

Reading Time: 6 minutes Introduction Duck Creek Technologies (NASDAQ: DCT) is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider to the Property & Casualty (P&C) insurance industry. Its mission is (broadly) to empower insurance carriers to transform their business by embracing its technology. The Boston-based company was founded in 2000 and initially provided on premise solutions to the P&C industry. It was acquired …

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