Re-Delivered: Final Mile Insights and Trends for Q2 2021

Welcome to Re-Delivered ✉ a newsletter with a simple promise: we cut through the noise, so you don’t have to. Brought to you by TForce Logistics.

We sort, hunt, filter through headlines, notifications, inboxes, articles, blogs and more to find the most relevant material out there in the final mile industry. A bonus is getting content from industry experts, thought leadership pieces, up to date summaries of current market trends, exclusive e-books. Shall we dive in?

ECOMMERCE: Can't Stop, Won't Stop

We’ve come full circle and beyond since lockdowns began around the globe and shopping online became an essential part of life for many. Ecommerce boasted impressive numbers in March according to the latest Adobe Digital Economy Index (ADBE) and it’s not slowing down any time soon.

Quick facts: 

• U.S. consumers spent $78 billion online in March equivalent to a 49% year-over-year increase.
• Global ecommerce sales reached $876 billion in the first quarter
• Buy now, pay later purchases were up 166% year-over-year in March

Put plainly: 

“The changes we’re seeing are things that are going to carry forward for generations. There’s just too much momentum and durability.”
     -Jason Woosley, VP of Commerce & Developer Experience at ADBE

LOGISTICS: Data Doesn't Lie

Endurance. A word to describe what all logistic networks have proved over the past year and then some. Ask any consumer on the street and they know ecommerce has increased. It may seem as though the increase in packages donning front doorsteps happens magically. Behind the scenes, however, are strained logistics networks, logistics professionals, and final mile drivers. The networks that survived have learned to depend on one thing and one thing alone.

Data.

What data doesn't lie about: 

• Where the money goes.
• Where there is waste.
• Where process fails.
• Where your network is weak. 

Put plainly: 

“Without having a stream-lined data driven supply-chain there is room for errors to be made.”
-Arjun Thaker, CEO at Trident Worldwide

FINAL MILE: Solutions for the Long Haul

Those in the long haul trucking industry are seeing numbers like never before, for the better and for the worse. While job postings for truck drivers rose above 300,000, those seeking a job in the field rose only by 70,000. You don’t need to be a math whiz to know the result can only be one thing. A shortage of truck drivers amidst an overwhelming need for freight to continue to move. The solution to such a problem?

Final Mile.

Here’s why:
Over the road truck drivers: We want more choice in routes, more home time, a clear career path, consistent pay, and did we say more home time?
Final mile: We have that.

Over the road truck drivers: We don’t want to drug test, spend the money to get a CDL or deal with DOT regulations, Federal Motor Carrier Safety standards or obtain a valid road test certificate.
Final mile: You don’t have to here.

Over the road truck drivers: Where do we sign up?
Final mile: We were hoping you’d ask.

Put plainly:

“One thing is for sure: Companies that are not willing to change their way of thinking in this industry are going to be the companies that don’t make it in the long run. There are many challenges coming from different fronts, and things are not going to get easier.”
     -David Olshansky, Co-Owner & COO of Recruiting Firm DriverSource

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Reverse Logistics, what’s all that about?

One of our very own Dean Mills VP of Sales and Marketing made it clear reverse logistics is a trend that is here to stay in his thought leadership “the mystery behind reverse logistics”. In 2020, the eCommerce industry accelerated, but what does this mean for reverse logistics? Read Here