In my more than four decades in the logistics industry, I’ve learned that transportation never sits still. Business models may shift slower or faster at times, but they are never static. This is no business for the complacent. But it’s the constant challenges of a changing industry that fuel the passion of the team at Old Dominion.
In the last few years, shippers and carriers have been tested like never before. Some bore up under the strain while others buckled. As the most flexible portion of the logistics sector, the LTL market tends to pick up the slack when there is disruption, so we’ve seen these changes from the front lines as labor markets shift, maps are redrawn, and technology drives new innovations.
It’s been an intense time, but we’d like to think this stress test has taught us a lot. Ultimately if we take its lessons, we will emerge as a stronger industry as we reevaluate operations, pioneer new models, and find ever-better ways to serve our customers. It’s human nature to want things to be easy, but in logistics we welcome the challenges that make us stronger.
As a result of these extraordinary times, the industry is in the midst of reorganization on several levels. Rules are being rewritten, assumptions are being challenged, and there is a tremendous possibility for positive change. This is a chance to remake the world’s supply chains, embedding intelligence, efficiency, and resilience so that the next set of challenges we face can be met with simple adjustments and little to no disruption.
Actively preparing ourselves for the next few years ensures we’re not only prepared for tomorrow, we’re solving the problems of today. In our latest white paper – Managing Complexity in a Changing World – we outline some of the key issues in logistics today, and the ways manufacturers, retailers, and logistics companies can improve their performance to both win in the short term and build resilience over the long haul.
A remade world requires remade thinking. We hope to do some of that thinking with you.