Industry forecast: Technology will drive COVID-19 recovery

Richardson explains in the opening of the report, “As we look beyond the second quarter of 2020, technology will play a critically important role in business recovery. Utilizing a transportation management system to select the best freight lanes, carriers and track shipments while at the same time leveraging all available information to analyze supply networks and adjusting to changing demand patterns will be key in building a sustainable ‘supply web’ moving forward.” The report covers parcel, LTL, truckload, international, cost optimization and sourcing of indirect materials from a forward-looking perspective.

The second quarter edition of Transportation Insight’s “ChainLink 2020” industry forecast offers marketplace data and analysis to help companies of all sizes master their supply chains and drive cost-savings results through COVID-19 and into 2021.

The experts at Transportation Insight publish the “ChainLink 2020” report on a quarterly basis for existing and potential retail, distribution and manufacturing partners. Vice President of Supply Chain Analytics John Richardson says, “This is just one of the many resources we offer to share our team’s unique perspective gained from executive-level experience across multiple industries.” He adds, “We create these reports to communicate with shippers we could potentially help, as it serves as a platform to convey how our team, tools and technology can be utilized to unlock the power of a client’s supply chain so they can realize value today and drive growth tomorrow.”

ChainLink2020 includes a summary and link to the full archived presentation of Transportation Insight’s webinar on the current impacts of COVID-19. It covers the latest on transportation industry trends so viewers can protect performance and continue to serve end customers during – and after – disruption. The report also describes how retailers and e-tailers adjusting business strategy in response to changes in consumer demands should consider Amazon’s evolving role in e-commerce – and transportation.

A line chart illustrates the current state of U.S. Transportation with price index performance by quarter from 2007 to the first quarter of 2020. The custom-produced performance index chart reflects the rate of change in the Producer Price Index compared to the rate of change in transportation costs across the parcel, LTL and truckload modes. A direct reflection of conditions created by COVID-19, modes that move smaller shipments are experiencing steady pricing overall, as e-commerce usage from a largely remote-based workforce drives residential parcel delivery volumes. Meanwhile rates in the truckload market are dropping sharply.

The second quarter edition of “ChainLink 2020” additionally features stories on cost optimization, international shipping and preparing your supply chain for any storm. It also offers COVID-19 forecasts to explain the supply chain effects on the United States Postal Service, and truckload transportation networks. Other topics covered in the report include operational supply sourcing, LTL and data quality and management.

To read or download the “ChainLink 2020” Second Quarter Report, visit­­­ https://info.transportationinsight.com/q2-chainlink-2020.