Rail Freight Growth Trends Stymied by Tariff Implementation

Rail Freight Growth Trends
Rail Freight Growth Trends

When other uncontrollable factors play a role in your success, bringing in infallible machinery can help the wheels of progress continue rolling smoothly. Without a safeguard against the unknowns, the unexpected can wreak havoc on your business plan.

For some businesses, the state of the economy is a definite profit-maker. For others, getting on board the money-making train is not so simple a feat. Inserting technologically sound solutions into the railroad business, like the addition of a railcar mover, helps you leave worry back at the station.

Are Tariffs Bringing Freight to a Screeching Halt?

After the recent trade tensions and tariff implementations, the bridge to a brighter future for rail freight growth may be suffering under the weight. A railcar mover can bridge the gap between safety and efficiency and provide a buffer against rising concerns. Investing in durability, and products that facilitate a better work environment can assuage many of your worries.

Update your workplace with numerous time-saving machinery solutions and watch other costly expenditures ease. A budget boost can do wonders for those who depend on the transportation industry to take them where they want to go. No matter what the newest industry news brings, you can rest assured that the right preparation allows for a cushion against the unexpected.

The Business in Boxcars

A railcar mover may seem like a simple solution in the grand scheme of things, but simple solutions can solve seemingly insurmountable mysteries. In the railroad industry, every day is a journey! Using a railcar mover and a process that facilitates success, your business won’t be caught up in the economic maelstrom for long. Escape the numbers and the uncertainty by using ingenuity to offset any upset you experience!

Livestock Haulers Look to New ELD Exemption

Looking for an ELD Exemption
Looking for an ELD Exemption

Here’s to lookin’ at the cargo staring back at you from your powered trailer dolly:

A hot-button issue, the Senate Appropriations Committee is seeking electronic logging device (ELD) exemptions for livestock and insect haulers, set to be required by law October 1st. Though the issue isn’t specifically addressed in the 2019 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) bill, report language encourages the Department of Transportation to further consider ELD rules and exemptions for this segment.

MOO-ve Over

The unique challenges presented by transporting live animals and insects, such as bees, critical to the agriculture industry for pollination, fall hard on the trucking industry. Hauling live organisms, far different from inanimate objects, requires the ability to keep the animals and insects safe from exposure and environmental stressors. If the ELD exemptions are not granted, drivers transporting live organisms more than 150-air-miles from their loading point will be required to turn on the devices, and prohibited from driving more than 11-hours at a time.

Buzz-Off

A top issue among ranchers and farmers who want to expand the exemption radius to 300-air-miles, the future of ELD exemptions for livestock and insect haulers remains in question. It will likely be ironed out between the House and Senate, and potentially used as a negotiation tool.

Critics against the exemption argue safety, the known consequences of tired truckers, and the industry’s continued problems surrounding compliance with hours of service regulations, with segments are already shirking requirements. Truckload Carriers Association Vice President of Government Affairs David Heller agrees that exempting parts of the industry from complying with rules and regulations is not the answer. He advocates further engagement in discussions to find alternative ways to improve compliance and safety.

Make safety an integral facet of your organization. Uncover the benefits of a powered trailer dolly from DJ Products today.

Amazon Automation Moves Into Inventory and Planning

How is Amazon Changing the Face of Logistics?
How is Amazon Changing the Face of Logistics?

Thanks to innovations such as our battery-powered tugger carts, supply chain technology has improved the physical efficiency of warehouse and logistics workers. Today, Amazon is once again in front of the industry with using technology to refine inventory management, a job long considered the exclusive domain of human retailing experts.

Amazon Expands Its “Marketplace”

During Amazon’s infancy, when they began to branch out beyond books, the company struggled to convince companies to sell their products through the online platform. Amazon decided to recruit the best and brightest of business-school graduates and retailing veterans to build their own retail team.

Spurred by that success, Amazon started developing their marketplace concept, spearheaded by Fulfillment by Amazon. With independent merchants able to sell their products on a completely self-service basis, the retail team became less valuable.

By 2015, marketplace sales exceeded retail sales while also generating twice the operating profit margin. While retail vendors once enjoyed preferred status, the playing field leveled as marketplace vendors began receiving the same perks and benefits.

Reaching New Heights of Data Accuracy

At the same time, Amazon rolled out an initiative known as “Hands Off the Wheel” in which demand forecasting, ordering and other inventory-related tasks were moved to algorithms. Initially, humans had the power to override the software, but that changed as the system achieved unprecedented levels of precision.

In what seems to be an inevitable move, the retail and marketplace teams are now merging. As customer demands continue to grow, less reliance on humans keeps Amazon far ahead of competitors such as Walmart and Target.

Optimize Manpower with Tugger Carts from DJ Products

Are you allocating your workforce for maximum efficiency? Contact us to learn how our electric tugger carts can save time and money.