My Garmin watch stopped recording my heart rate and steps. I asked ChatGPT for possible causes and fixes to this problem. Within seconds, it came back with this very useful tip: “First, check if you’re alive.”
Am I alive?
What a question to wrestle with on a Friday morning!
Yes, my heart is beating in my chest, and I am taking steps from here to there, but am I living?
[long pause]
Maybe I should just buy a new watch.
—
Moving on, here’s the supply chain and logistics news that caught my attention this week:
- Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Adjusts Imports of Automobiles and Automobile Parts into the United States
- Trade War Explodes Across World at Pace Not Seen in Decades (WSJ – sub. req’d)
- If Chinese-built containership fines take effect, ‘we’re out of business in U.S.,’ ocean carrier says (CNBC)
- Retailers Bulk Up Inventories to Blunt Tariff Impact (WSJ – sub. req’d)
- FDA Intends to Extend Compliance Date for Food Traceability Rule
- Descartes Acquires 3GTMS
- E2open Introduces Innovations in Global Trade Compliance Technology to Help Companies Address New and Evolving Challenges
- Uber Freight’s Powerloop dedicated tours unlock more ways to earn, haul, and grow business
- UPS Unveils Game-Changing UPS® Global Checkout: No More Surprise Import Fees
- Coyote Logistics founders launch cloud-based TMS (CCJ)
Like I’ve said before, I’m all tariffed out. You can click on the links above for the latest news. The bottom line is that all imported cars, trucks, and automotive parts are being hit with 25% tariffs beginning April 3. This will have a ripple effect on consumer demand, the economies of Mexico, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Germany, and the United States, and on freight activity (among many other things).
Maybe these tariffs will be short lived. Maybe they won’t. Whatever is written today could be outdated tomorrow (or later this afternoon). So, I’ll move on to something else.
Descartes, e2open, and Uber Freight in the News
Tariffs are sucking the oxygen out of everything else happening in the supply chain and logistics world. But change and innovation continue in the tech and logistics service provider realms.
All the change and uncertainty with tariffs and trade compliance is good news for vendors like e2open (a Talking Logistics sponsor) that offer global trade management (GTM) solutions. The company announced this week “the launch of artificial intelligence (AI) tools across its Global Trade technology suite designed to ease compliance and increase productivity for clients.” Here are some of the enhancements per the press release:
Automated Classifications: More than ever, customers are looking for ways to improve their overall classification process. E2open’s automated product classification replaces outdated manual processes and ensures classifications are consistently accurate even as regulations evolve, avoiding costly customs delays, penalties, and other risks. Increased accuracy and the ability to audit existing classification reduces compliance risk and increases user productivity.
Global Trade Content: With large language model (LLM) and generative AI enhancements, e2open simplifies trade content by transforming dense, jargon-heavy regulatory content into clear, easy-to-understand summaries. This application is specifically valuable for large carriers, parcel and internal company mail room transactions to minimize the impact of wrong shipments.
Enhanced Due Diligence: Customers often do not translate their source data into English, making it impossible to check foreign names against English-language lists. E2open’s AI enhances due diligence processes by providing more comprehensive screening capability, such as transliteration of localized names. It can automatically map and cross-reference these inconsistencies against global data sources, ensuring that businesses are screening all available information, even when data is in non-standard formats or different languages.
Unstructured Document Processing: This “holy grail” capability solves a major problem of global trade: time-consuming, manual documentation. Unstructured Document Processing automates the processing and mapping of transactional documentation into a structured format with high accuracy, connecting it to global trade content with a learning feedback loop. This increases efficiency for importers or their Logistics Service Provider (LSP).
So, yes, AI is being used in supply chain and logistics solutions, just not always in sexy and evident ways.
Meanwhile, in the Transportation Management Systems (TMS) realm, Descartes acquired 3GTMS this week, expanding its TMS solution footprint (Descartes is a Talking Logistics sponsor). Here’s a quote from the press release:
“3G’s solution footprint for freight in North America is highly complementary, bringing strong domestic transportation management functionality for truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), and parcel modes,” said Andrew Roszko, Chief Commercial Officer at Descartes. “The acquisition also expands our carrier reach in North America, including the addition of a network of API-integrated LTL carriers. When combined with Descartes’ existing transportation management tools and our Global Logistics Network, we see a tremendous opportunity to deliver even more value to our combined customer base.”
There is no Descartes dot in Gartner’s TMS Magic Quadrant, which came out this week (I’m sure you’ve already been bombarded by emails and social media posts by other TMS vendors celebrating their dots in a box). I don’t know if Descartes declines to participate in the Magic Quadrant evaluation or if they don’t meet Gartner’s TMS definition, but either way, the fact is that the company has proven capabilities in this space, not only for shippers but also freight forwarders that offer managed transportation services.
(For related commentary on TMS vendor selection and “thinking beyond the dots-in-a-box,” check out this recent post by Brad Forester from JBF Consulting.)
Finally, in the logistics service provider realm, Uber Freight (also a Talking Logistics sponsor) announced that it is expanding its Powerloop drop-and-hook program “to offer dedicated tours, providing even more carriers with access to reliable freight while staying in control. Unlike traditional dedicated lane programs, this expansion brings carriers consistent freight opportunities from some of the world’s largest shippers, while Uber Freight optimizes each tour to help carriers continue earning.” Here are more details from the press release:
Unlike traditional dedicated lanes that tie carriers to a fixed route, Uber Freight optimizes each tour to ensure every mile is maximized. Rather than a simple headhaul and backhaul structure, the program strings multiple loads together, reducing empty miles and increasing earning potential. It also suggests return loads that match a carrier’s route. This makes it easier to get backhaul freight, which is one of the biggest problems in dedicated programs.
Carriers in the program move preloaded trailers through Powerloop, Uber Freight’s drop-and-hook program. Powerloop combines the reliability of an extensive trailer fleet with the flexibility of one of the largest shipper-carrier ecosystems, allowing carriers to book power-only loads across Uber Freight’s network.
This is yet another example of “the power of the network” — that is, how bringing together multiple shippers and carriers onto a common platform, and leveraging network-level data, AI, and optimization, can unlock new opportunities to reduce waste, inefficiencies, and costs in transportation management.
And with that, it’s time to get up from this chair, take a few steps, and check my pulse. Have a meaningful weekend!
Song of the Week: “Ordinary” by Alex Warren
