Addressing the risk in trucking

Boise, Idaho-based TruckStop.com, the umbrella brand for multiple logistics technology and support software companies, recently named Noël Perry as its chief economist, though he will continue to provide independent consulting services and remains a managing partner with research firm FTR Transportation Intelligence.

“The job title, could just as well be Chief Risk Management Officer,” he says. “As an economist, it’s my job to evaluate all the possible risks posed in each forecast,” adds Perry. “This is particularly true as it relates to Big Data.”

Thanks to recent advances in information technology, there’s never been such a wealth of facts and analytics captured by today’s research firms. But the sheer volume of these numbers can easily overwhelm logistics managers, Perry contends.

“I am a great believer in the Peter Drucker maxim that one must know where one stands today before speculating on the future,” he says. “Drucker was a management visionary who used common sense rather than becoming too reliant on numerical abstractions.”

To that effect, Truckstop.com is charged with giving shippers information in real-time so that they can mitigate risk by addressing contractual rate structures and plans for extended service.

“And the important thing to remember,” says Perry, “is to examine regional trends rather than just what is happening in the national picture. Market strength of certain short-haul regions can mean constrained capacity and higher rates.”

Indeed, Perry has predicted that rates will finally strengthen to sustainable levels in several supply chain corridors.

“The prevailing wisdom up until now, has been that rates would remain soft everywhere,” he says. “But we are seeing finally seeing a correction in that trend.”

In the wide-ranging risk scenario, it’s worth noting that Truckstop.com also serves as one of the largest credit reporting entity in the transportation industry, helping logistics managers guard against fraud and choose the right partners for their business.