Talking Logistics

What did I miss? I’ve been “off the grid” the past two weeks – the first one on vacation, the second one moving my youngest daughter into her dorm room at the University of Maryland as she begins her college experience. After driving close to 11 hours back to Boston yesterday — through thunderstorms, rush hour traffic, accidents, construction, and more — I am back in the office today. Well, my body is back. I’m not so sure about my mind. My wife and I woke up this morning as empty nesters.

Note: Today’s post is part of our “Editor’s Pick” series where we highlight posts published by our sponsors that provide practical knowledge and advice on timely and important supply chain and logistics topics. This post, published by Transporeon, is a guest commentary written by Adrian Gonzalez sharing the key themes and takeaways from a webinar conversation he moderated with industry executives on the impact of AI on logistics and transportation operations.

A year ago tomorrow, I rode my bicycle up Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. It’s 7.6 miles to the summit — 4,678 feet of climbing, a 12% average grade, extended sections at 18%, and a crushing 22% over the final 50 yards. There are no flat sections to catch your breath.

Artificial intelligence is dominating conversations in supply chain today. Every software vendor seems to have an AI story, and every executive is being asked about their AI strategy. But amid all the excitement, many organizations are discovering that implementing AI is much harder than simply plugging a large language model into an ERP or supply chain application.

Last Saturday, my wife and I cycled 55 miles. The distance was intentional: 55 miles for my last day being 55 years old. The next day, for my birthday, we spent the day at the beach — the perfect way to rest my sore legs. I’m still relatively young, but the truth is that every year I’m a little slower on the bike and a little slower to recover from long rides.

As the U.S. federal government continues to modernize operations through digital transformation, regulatory enforcement is evolving in step. Fraud detection, global trade compliance, and investigations into sanctions violations are increasingly centered around shared data intelligence and the use of advanced technology to expedite and simplify enforcement activity.

Are you still skeptical about the business value of digital twins?

What do you want for your birthday? My answer today is very different from when I was a kid, or even a young adult. All I want for my birthday this year is to spend the day at the beach with my wife and kids, and for another year of health. Is that too much to ask for? If not, then can I also get some soft serve ice cream, chocolate and vanilla twist, in a cone?

For many companies, saying fleet safety is important is a lot like saying people are our most important asset. It sounds good, but it seldom matches reality. That may be changing. For a growing number of forward-thinking companies, fleet safety has become about more than simply responding to accidents after they occur or focusing on compliance. They are using data, technology, and AI to identify potential risks, improve driver performance, and prevent incidents before they happen.

There were two developments last week that caught my attention because they relate to the two most consequential trends shaping supply chains today: tariffs and AI. Yesterday, I wrote about tariffs — specifically, the new levies imposed by the Trump administration on more than 80 countries based on Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (see “The Trump Tariffs Strike Back”).