“That is so 2020.”

A friend said that to me earlier this week when I told him I had come down with Covid. I laughed because I never got Covid in 2020 (or in 2021 or 2022), even though everyone in my family had gotten it (some of them more than once). I was beginning to think I had some natural immunity to the virus until it finally wrestled me down in February 2023. I think I got it at a crowded swim meet. And now I have Covid again after attending another swim meet. I think I might pass on the next one.

So, I’m ending 2024 the same way I ended 2023: not feeling well. Except this time I know what ails me, whereas last year it took a few more weeks to find out. Between the two “C” diagnoses, the Covid one is definitely way better than the Cancer one.

I had planned to write a long recap of the supply chain and logistics highlights of this year, but I don’t have the energy (both mental and physical) to do it right now. But if you check out the top Talking Logistics posts of the year, the episodes we aired, and the topics we researched with our Indago supply chain community, you’ll get a good sense of what was top of mind for industry professionals in 2024.

Before I close my laptop and call it a year, I want to thank all of you for your continued trust and support. This month actually marks 14 years since I left the comfort of a relatively secure job and paycheck to launch Adelante. Considering that 20% of small businesses fail in their first year, 50% within five years, and 65% within 10 years, making it this far is a blessing — and it’s all thanks to you, our readers and followers, and our clients. Thank you for making this dream possible.

I’m excited for the year ahead and I hope you are too. Let’s keep creating a brighter future together.

Talking Logistics: By the Numbers

A big thank you to all of our Talking Logistics readers, subscribers, and followers for another great year of learning and conversation. The numbers speak for themselves:

18 episodes produced in 2024, totaling more than 600 minutes of conversations with thought leaders and newsmakers in the supply chain and logistics industry. 

145 posts published on a wide range of timely and important industry topics, including the most comprehensive weekly news roundup in the industry and thought-provoking and insightful guest commentaries from our sponsors.

More than 300,000 followers on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube combined, including CXOs, VPs, and Directors across many vertical industries and geographies.

200+ podcasts on iTunes of our past episodes.

Below we highlight the top posts from this past year.

Indago: Research with Purpose

Thank you also to all of the supply chain and logistics executives in our Indago research community. We completed 27 surveys this year on a wide variety of industry topics and donated $3,500 to Breakthrough T1D, American Logistics Aid Network, American Cancer Society, Feeding America, and Make-A-Wish. This brings our total charity donations to over $23,400 since 2019!

If you’re a supply chain or logistics practitioner, find out what you’re missing and Join Indago Today! You can also follow Indago on LinkedIn and join the 58,300+ executives who have subscribed to our “Be Uncommon” newsletter on LinkedIn.

Here is a list of the research topics we explored in Q4 2024. 

• Maturity Models to Assess Logistics Processes (October 2024): Have you used a maturity model to help assess and improve your logistics processes and capabilities? How helpful are these models in driving change and improvements? How would you characterize your current transportation processes and approach to communicating and collaborating with trading partners?
• Mitigating Impact of Tariff War (November 2024): Is this a concern for your company as you develop your supply chain plans and strategies for 2025? What actions will you take (or have you taken) to mitigate the cost impact?
• Revisiting Transportation Forecasting: (November 2024):  Do you currently create transportation forecasts and share them with your carriers? If so, what systems do you use to create the forecast, what data is most important, and what benefits have you achieved? If not, what are the main reasons why you haven’t? 
• Innovate or Just Execute Better? (December 2024): As it relates to transportation management, should companies focus their time, money, and resources on innovation in the coming year to achieve their objectives or should they focus more on just executing better with the systems and processes that they already have?
• Technology Capabilities of 3PLs/Freight Forwarders (December 2024): If you currently work with 3PLs/freight forwarders, how satisfied are you with their technological capabilities? If you currently don’t work with them, but were to in the future, how important would their technological capabilities be in your evaluation and selection process?
• Supply Chain & Logistics Labor Shortages (December 2024): How challenging is it to find and hire qualified people to fill your open supply chain and logistics positions? What do you believe are the primary causes of the labor shortages? What strategies is your organization using to address this problem?

See the research questions Indago explored in Q1 2024, Q2 2024, and Q3 2024. 

Logistics Leaders for T1D Cure Team

Our Logistics Leaders for T1D Cure Team was back out on the roads again this year in support of Breakthrough T1D and its vision of creating a world without type 1 diabetes. We participated in various rides this season (click on the links for photos and highlights): Burlington, VT; Coeur d’Alene, ID; a “My Ride” in Vienna, Austria; and Amelia Island, FL. 

A big thank you to our team sponsors TranzAct Technologies and Transporeon for their support, as well as Infor that sponsored me for the Amelia Island ride. And a big thank you too to all our families, friends, and colleagues who contributed to the cause — we couldn’t have done it without you!

Thanks to everyone’s support, we raised $44,000 for Breakthrough T1D this year, bringing our total to over $409,000 since 2016!

Do you enjoy cycling? Are you looking to explore new roads? Want to have fun with friends while supporting a great cause? Then join our LL4T1DCure team in 2025! Cyclists of all abilities are welcomed. If you’re interested in participating in a ride or sponsoring the team, please contact me for details.

Top Talking Logistics Posts and New Episodes

We have many exciting new things planned for 2025, so stay tuned! In the meantime, in case you missed them the first time around or want to watch/read them again, below are the most popular Talking Logistics posts we published this year and the new episodes we aired in Q4. I encourage you to share this list with your colleagues, as well students, young professionals, and others who might be interested in joining our growing community. They can sign up for our email and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and iTunes to stay informed about upcoming episodes and to read our blog posts on industry trends and news.

Again, thank you for making this another fun and rewarding year on Talking Logistics and Indago. Happy Holidays and I wish you all much health and success in 2025.

Top 10 Talking Logistics Posts in 2024

1. If An 18-Year-Old Truck Driver Comes to Pick Up Your Shipment
2. How Much Would You Pay for Drone Delivery?
3. Blue Yonder Cyberattack: How Prepared Are You If Your TMS or WMS Goes Down?
4. How Stressful Is Working in Supply Chain Management?
5. Walmart Launches Multichannel Logistics and Cross-Border Fulfillment Services
6. Why Nobody Sends Out an RFP for Supply Chain Operating Networks
7. Labor Shortages: What Are the Challenges for Supply Chain and Logistics?
8. Saturday Night Live Skit About Fast Fashion: Would You Stop Buying It?
9. Move Over 3PLs and 4PLs, the AI-PL Is Here
10. What is the Size of the Transportation Management Systems Market?

Talking Logistics Video Episodes (Q4 2024)

Note: It’s difficult for us to rank our video episodes because many of them are hosted by our sponsors and we don’t have visibility to their views. Therefore, instead of a ranked list, below are the episodes we aired during the fourth quarter of 2024. For the rest of the episodes we aired this year, see our Q1 2024, Q2 2024, and Q3 2024 posts and our episode archive.

• Reimagining Transportation Procurement: Leveraging Data and Technology for Smarter Freight Decisions
• Navigating the Big Trends in Logistics Technology: How to Position Yourself for Implementation Success
• The Dangers of Doing Nothing in Transportation Management
• Operational Resilience in Action: A Practical Guide for Supply Chain Leaders
• Omnilife: An E-commerce Fulfillment and Delivery Success Story
• Choosing A Career In Logistics

Note: Talking Logistics will be on holiday from December 23 – January 2. We will be back on January 3, refreshed and ready to go for another year of sharing insights and advice about what’s happening in the world of supply chain and logistics. Until then, here’s our final Song of the Week for 2024, “No One Is To Blame” by Howard Jones.