No matter the headlines, 3PLs keep supply chain chains humming for their shipper customers. Read all about it in this edition of Inbound Logistics. From our 2026 Top 100 3PLs to an exclusive market research report on logistics partnerships, this edition gives you the scoop on the state of outsourced logistics and the most effective strategies for today’s global supply chain.
InboundLogistics THE MAGAZINE FOR DEMAND-DRIVEN ENTERPRISES
WEATHER TODAY: Expect supply chain disruptions. TONIGHT: 3PLs bring 100% chance of visibility and efficiency. OUTLOOK: Clear skies ahead.
SPORTS In the Supply Chain World Series, 3PLs Win Big!
INBOUNDLOGISTICS.COM 3PLs ARE FRONT- PAGE NEWS! Read all about it in our annual 3PL edition
Must-Do Ecommerce Transport Strategies How brands can stay competitive
HazMat How-To’s: Ship it safe every time
14 Supply Chain Data Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
A-LISTERS: Shippers Choose The Top 10 3PLs
TOP 100 3PLS! Inbound Logistics editors reveal the 100 third-party logistics providers doing the best job for their shipper customers. news on how 3PLs and the shippers they serve navigate headline-making developments in the sector. 3PL Market Trends You Need to Know The annual 3PL Perspectives report offers late-breaking
The Inbound Logistics audience has spoken, casting thousands of ballots for their trusted third- party logistics partners. Who did they vote the best of the best? Is your 3PL on the list?
The Truth About AI in the Supply Chain
Proven Solutions. Recognized Performance. Voted #2 and in the Top 3 for the Past 8 Years. In a fast-moving industry, supply chains need more than capacity—they need a partner with the
Being voted to a top position on the prestigious Inbound Logistics Top 10 3PL list is a testament to our team’s hard work, proven solutions and decades of supply chain experience—and to the trust our customers place in us every day. Thank you to those who voted for Hub Group.
expertise, stability and solutions to keep business moving forward. Hub Group brings together an expansive North American network, robust fleet, strategic relationships and cutting-edge technology to deliver transportation and logistics management solutions that create measurable value.
hubgroup.com
INTERMODAL • DEDICATED • MANAGED TRANSPORTATION • BROKERAGE • FINAL MILE • CONSOLIDATION & FULFILLMENT
BITE SIZED SUPPLY CHAIN/LOGISTICS INFORMATION Info SNACKS PURPLE REIGN The Philippines cannot keep
up with America’s ube habit. The purple yam has risen 230% on U.S. restaurant menus over four years, according to Datassential. It logged millions of posts on TikTok after Starbucks added ube drinks to its lineup in 2025. In the Philippines,
ADD TO CART
Uber Eats added more than 1,500 Ulta Beauty locations to its marketplace, putting skincare on the same delivery infrastructure as dinner. The expansion makes products from more than 600 beauty brands available for same-day delivery nationwide. It is the latest move in Uber Eats’ push beyond food into beauty, electronics, and home improvement.
domestic production has fallen to 12,483 metric tons, down from more than 15,000 in 2021. The crop is threatened by climate change and takes 11 months to grow.
CreateMe launched the first commercially available digitally bonded t-shirt. The garment was made in the United States via a robotic assembly system. It features microadhesives instead of thread in order to eliminate sewing and work within the robots’ capabilities. The shirts are produced with Supima cotton through a partnership with UNTUCKit, with plans to scale to 50,000 shirts per year by Q3. THREAD BARE
50% of new warehouses in developed markets will be “human-optional” by 2030. Advances in AI work ows and human labor market constraints will drive the shift. -Gartner
About one third of the world’s traded fertilizer moves through the Strait of Hormuz. Since February, trac through the strait has fallen from 130 vessels daily to single digits, and urea prices have jumped roughly 50%. China, a major supplier outside the region, held its exports for months before resuming them at higher prices. Farmers who cut fertilizer application during spring planting will see lower yields at harvest, and food prices are already moving in anticipation. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations expects the eects to extend into 2027. SPREAD THIN
Warehouse vacancy in Milwaukee fell 100 basis points between Q1 2025 and Q1 2026, while inventory grew 3.7%, according to Moody’s. This is in direct opposition to the softening trend at major West Coast ports. Taris have shifted where goods enter the country, propping up markets positioned along northern and southern land corridors rather than at traditional coastal gateways. THE MIDWEST WINDOW
July 2026 • Inbound Logistics 1
CONTENTS FEATURES JULY 2026 | VOL. 45 | NO. 7
InboundLogistics THE MAGAZINE FOR DEMAND-DRIVEN ENTERPRISES
INBOUNDLOGISTICS.COM
3PLs ARE FRONTPAGE NEWS!
124 SUPPLY CHAIN DATA MISTAKES TO AVOID When supply chain data is wrong, everything downstream suers. A connected data strategy can stop mistakes before they start. 130 HAZMAT LOGISTICS: HANDLE WITH CARE
80 3PL PERSPECTIVES: MARKET RESEARCH REPORT IL ’s 21st annual 3PL market research report dives into how both third-party logistics providers and the shippers they serve navigate headline-making trends and developments in outsourced logistics. 90 TOP 100 3PLS News flash! Inbound Logistics pulls back the curtain to announce the 2026 Top 100 3PLs. These elite logistics leaders are the best of the best, oering scalable and flexible logistics, supply chain, and transportation solutions.
108 TOP 10 3PL EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Extra, extra! The tally is in: These third- party logistics providers rounded up the most votes and are the top story. 116 WHO VOTED? A sampling of the thousands of companies that voted for their favorite outsourced logistics partners. 118 3PLs SLAM VOLATILITY For today’s shippers, survival in a volatile market requires more than just a reliable delivery partner. As supply chains face evolving regulations and unpredictable consumer behavior, third-party logistics providers take on an expanded role.
Shipping dangerous goods leaves zero room for error. Both shippers and logistics providers must master regulations, prioritize safety training, and mitigate the massive risks involved.
2 Inbound Logistics • July 2026
Precision at scale. Global without gaps.
ʶoˡˡect ˇ˥aˡs˙o˥m ˆ˨ˣˣlˬ ʼˡˡo˩ate
Freight & Parcel Spend Management Honeybee TMS Supply Chain Intelligence & Insights ctsi-global.com/book-a-demo
CONTENTS 136 BUILDING THE CONNECTED WAREHOUSE Materials handling innovations help CONTENT PARTNERS
34 The New Operating Model For Warehouse Performance O ered by Capstone Logistics 36 The Retail Freight Strategy That Gives Shippers an Edge O ered by Hub Group
warehouses and distribution centers steadily move past fully manual operations, boosting speed and eciency in the process. Next, the focus shifts to integrating these disparate technologies into a single, cohesive ecosystem. 142 THE NEW GOLDEN RULES: 8 MUST-DO TRANSPORTATION STRATEGIES FOR ECOMMERCE BRANDS
37 Freight Damage: The Claim Is Only a Fraction of the Cost O ered by CRST Specialized Solutions
38 When P&L Stalls: What Your Freight Metrics Are Telling You O ered by KDL Logistics 39 Build the Capability to Respond Fast O ered by Ascent Global Logistics 40 Building a Quality-Driven Cold Chain For Temperature-Sensitive Freight O ered by Landstar 41 Your Inbound Program Works. Can It Scale? O ered by PLS Logistics Services 42 Overcoming Geopolitical Uncertainty and Turning Challenges into Opportunities O ered by The Logistix Company 43 Creating a Responsive and Scalable Rail Supply Chain O ered by RSI Logistics 44 Rethinking Supply Chain Strategy In an Era of Persistent Volatility O ered by Logistics Plus, Inc. 46 Turning a Security Challenge Into a Cost-Savings Win O ered by Barrett Distribution Centers 47 3PL Delivers Supply Chain Makeover for Beauty Company O ered by Verst Logistics
Transportation used to be an afterthought for ecommerce brands. Not anymore. The landscape has changed dramatically, and the brands out front have changed with it. 148 PROJECT LOGISTICS: STRANGER THAN FICTION 154 WAREHOUSE ROBOTS AT YOUR SERVICE Oering increased integration options and AI enhancements, warehouse automation systems give workers an even greater assist. Five tigers. 126 tons of the Berlin Wall. A military aircraft. Ripening mangoes. Project logistics handles cargo that falls outside established shipping rulebooks.
162 TABULATING AI RESULTS AI’s potential in supply chains seems boundless. But what are industry insiders seeing in terms of quantifiable eciency gains? In other words, is artificial intelligence measuring up? Short answer: in spots. 168 CLEAN FREIGHT COMES OF AGE How fleets, fuels, and automation are moving from pilot programs to everyday operations.
48 Keeping Freight Moving Through A Critical Transition O ered by Trinity Logistics
50 A Sustainable Partnership Provides a Custom Solution: Reusable Packaging O ered by MD Logistics.
4 Inbound Logistics • July 2026
COMPLEX FREIGHT DOESN’T MOVE ITSELF.
When the shipment is oversized, regulated, or time-sensitive — performance matters.
At Landstar, customers benefit from a coordinated approach built around safety-focused processes, secure practices, and service excellence. That’s how complex freight moves forward.
Safety . Security . Service.
We do the hard things well. Learn how.
solutions@landstar.com | 877-696-4507 | Landstar.com
CONTENTS
INFOCUS 1 INFO SNACKS 10 DIALOG 16 WHAT’S THE WORD? 22 NOTED 26 TAKEAWAYS 30 BEYOND THE BUZZ: AI 180 IN BRIEF 192 LAST MILE Can you find these 3PL words?
64 SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE 3 steps to improve visibility and resilience 66 GLOBAL TRADE CBP rule pushes compliance upstream 68 VISIBILITY Improving rotational inventory visibility 70 REVERSE LOGISTICS 5 ways to optimize returns handling 72 FIRST MILE Cocoa volatility exposes a blind spot in global supply chains 73 MATERIALS HANDLING Turning trends into reality 74 THE TRANSFORMER Back to the future: Deconstructing processes and reconstructing roles in an AI-native supply chain INFO 178 SUPPLY CHAIN INSIGHTS 186 CALENDAR 188 RESOURCE CENTER
180
INSIGHT 8 CHECKING IN Your best AI solution may be your 3PL 12 10 TIPS Mapping AI to resilience 14 GOOD QUESTION What’s your favorite brand name? 52 3PL LINE Flexible 3PL strategies build resiliency 54 SUPPLY CHAIN COMPLIANCE The hidden ROI of barcode verification 56 VIEWPOINT Why integrated logistics facilities matter 58 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Why intelligent supply chain execution is the next big advantage 60 GREEN LANDSCAPE How to maintain sustainability, even during disruptions 62 IT MATTERS Why growing companies wait too long to adopt a TMS (and what it costs)
14
GOOD QUESTION What’s your favorite brand name?
INPRACTICE 18 LEADERSHIP Uniting the Public and Private Sectors to Achieve High-Stakes Goals With a lifelong immersion in politics and business, Eugene Laney, president and
chain disciplines with innovation to redefine how companies connect with their customers through automated, data-driven direct mail. 175 TOOLKIT Delivering the Route to a More Efficient Fleet
CEO of the AAEI, values the art of listening, the power of public-private partnerships, and adaptability as the ultimate trade secret. 20 SUPPLY CHAIN P.O.V.
How Richard’s Building Supply Company went from a paper-based, largely manual system for managing its delivery fleet to a suite of automated solutions
Brent Hagan Puts His Stamp On Direct Mail Delivery As chief supply chain officer for Lob.com, Brent Hagan bridges traditional supply
from Descartes Systems Group.
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CHECKINGIN
Your Best AI Solution May Be Your 3PL
Vol. 46, No. 7
July 2026
THE MAGAZINE FOR DEMAND-DRIVEN ENTERPRISES www.inboundlogistics.com
STAFF
PUBLISHER Keith G. Biondo
W e are living through an AI gold rush as a massive explosion of venture capital-backed tech startups ood the logistics space. They all promise a magic-bullet AI solution or software overlay that will instantly solve your demand-driven logistics headaches. The hard truth is that these AI pop-ups lack foundational, dirt-under-the- ngernails logistics experience. They understand algorithms, but not the chaos of a crossdock at 2 a.m. when three drivers show
publisher@inboundlogistics.com
EDITOR Felecia J. Stratton
editor@inboundlogistics.com
SENIOR EDITOR Katrina C. Arabe
karabe@inboundlogistics.com
DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC CONTENT
Amy Roach amy.roach@thomasnet.com
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ashley Prince
ashley.prince@thomasnet.com
Keith Biondo, Publisher
June Allan Corrigan Tom Gresham Karen M. Kroll Rich Osborne Gary Wollenhaupt
up late and the weather is turning. They’ve never had to manually balance a yard or soothe an angry customer. In supply chain, you can’t afford to let an AI vendor practice on your dime, especially when they don’t know a crossdock from a loading dock. Technology serves your operation, not the other way around. AI isn’t a plug-and-play savior because it lacks context. It requires a “human in the loop”—someone with deep institutional knowledge and real-world domain expertise—to guide it, question it, and apply it. Who are these humans? Your 3PL is. A sophisticated third-party logistics partner doesn’t just buy tech; they live the operation. Why shoulder the nancial risk of vetting AI solutions yourself? A scaled 3PL amortizes massive technology investments across their entire network. They have the tech staff, the physical footprint, and the battle scars to know what actually drives ef ciency on the oor versus what just looks pretty on a dashboard. Partnering with them means you get cutting-edge technology, substantially de-risked. Let them use their operational footing to pressure-test the tools that will drive the next level of demand-driven logistics ef ciency. If a piece of tech can’t survive their reality check, chuck it; it doesn’t belong in your supply chain. Logistics experience gives the right AI-enabled logistics provider the vision to know the difference between Word Model AI and World Model AI. A Word Model treats your supply chain like a giant library. It is excellent at processing unstructured data—emails, contracts, and shipping manifests. It predicts the most likely next word based on historical patterns in text. A World Model treats your supply chain like a physical engine. It builds an internal digital twin of your world to understand cause and effect by learning the physics of your supply chain—lead times, weather impacts, inventory costs, customer demands, and warehouse capacity. It observes your data streams not previously in written words (language) that describe similar events. The ultimate goal isn’t to AI your enterprise, it’s to achieve supply chain nirvana—smooth, predictable, guard-railed execution. To get there, keep your eyes on innovation, but keep your boots rmly planted on the warehouse oor by leveraging the deep operational footing of a trusted, battle-tested 3PL.
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jeof Vita
jvita@inboundlogistics.com
Analia del Giorgio Arlene So
DESIGNERS
DIGITAL DESIGN MANAGER PUBLICATION MANAGER
Amy Palmisano apalmisano@inboundlogistics.com
Sonia Casiano sonia@inboundlogistics.com
SALES STAFF PUBLISHER: Keith Biondo
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Inbound Logistics supports sustainable best practices. Our mission is rooted in helping companies match demand to supply, eliminating waste from the supply chain. This magazine is printed on paper sourced from fast growth renewable timber.
Inbound Logistics welcomes submissions and comments. Email us at editorial@inboundlogistics.com; call (212) 629-1560. For advertising or subscription information, email publisher@inboundlogistics.com. Inbound Logistics is distributed without cost to those qualified around the world. Interested readers may subscribe online at bit.ly/get_il. Subscription price to others: in North America $95 per year. Unqualified subscription prices: foreign $229. Single copy price: N. America $50, foreign $100, back issues $50.
8 Inbound Logistics • July 2026
LET’S GET MOVING
www.verstlogistics.com | 859-485-1212
DIALOG @ILMagazine [ INSIGHT ]
Want to join the conversation? FOLLOW US: linkedin.com/company/inbound-logistics facebook.com/InboundLogistics x.com/ILMagazine youtube.com/user/InboundLogistics inboundlogistics.com/podcast DROP US A LINE: editorial@inboundlogistics.com demand forecasting, but the “sleeper” hit is nance automation. A managed AI layer that reconciles invoices and logistics data can recover 3-5% of total spend in recovered errors. Re: Beyond Racking and WMS: The Overlooked Site-Readiness Checklist for New Logistics Facilities ID Label Inc. Everyone plans for the racking and the WMS. But the details that make a warehouse usable on day one are often overlooked. This article highlights why signage, way nding, traf c ow, and facility readiness are important details too often overlooked.
FRAUD WATCH
Re: Inbound Logistics February 2026 edition Nick Smith, First Star Logistics
Some solid stuff in this edition of Inbound Logistics . I’m sure most of us are tracking freight fraud—or your career is in jeopardy and you don’t know it yet. This article gives some good talking points for prospective customers that might not be deep enough in the swamp to see how muddy it has gotten. WHEN RANDOM WORKS
Re: “Random Stow or the Disorganized Warehouse?” Checking In , February 2026
Random stow blows my mind. It’s a counterintuitive concept but every supporting fact is logical. As if, “why didn’t I think of that?” I didn’t because it’s very counterintuitive. A worker today told me a counterintuitive way that he handles multiple order revisions. It was simple but against our usual method, in use for years. It’s good to improve. —Danny R. Schnautz, via email Clark Freight Lines Inc
Re: Make Accurate Delivery Promises @GetOrdermatic
KEEP THE COMMENTS COMING
Totally agree. And honestly, delivery speed doesn’t even matter if the order was entered wrong in the rst place. Wrong item, wrong quantity, wrong PO— that’s where the customer experience actually breaks. Speed just gets you to the problem faster. Re: Why Supply Chain AI Fails @MunayyerGroup Getting AI to work in a controlled environment is one thing. Scaling it across real operations, multiple systems, and competing data sources is where things start to break down. Re: Freight Fraud Protection: How the Industry Is Fighting Back @Phoenix Logistics Good communication and strong collaboration are some of the best weapons the freight sector has against fraud.
hits the nail on the head: Moving past static data to true, end-to-end orchestration across the yard, dock, and transport network is exactly how we unlock hidden capacity without needing a total infrastructure overhaul.
Our posts spark discussions across all our various social media channels. We enjoy the ongoing conversation with our audience of devoted followers. Here are some of our favorite recent comments:
Re: CMA CGM / FedEx Supply Chain’s $1.4B Deal
Re: The Hidden Costs of Inef cient Warehousing
Aaron Bartholomew, Armor Freight Services For shippers, this is a reminder that transportation strategy extends well beyond rates. As providers continue to consolidate and expand capabilities, exibility and strong communication remain just as important as network size.
Snelling Staf ng Great insight here! We’re seeing similar observations across many of our warehousing and logistics clients. Diving deep into margin analysis is shining light on areas of potential improvement, like poor layout and the precise cost of every picking error.
Re: POLL: Where is AI delivering ROI in your supply chain today?
Re: 4 Trends We’re Watching From MODEX2026
Darpan Begdai, ApexBit Solutions ROI in supply chain AI is currently concentrated in freight visibility and
Jon Ong, RXO Spot on, Inbound Logistics . Point #4
10 Inbound Logistics • July 2026
10 TIPS
Giving AI a complete, real-world picture of operations—the actual decisions, constraints, exceptions, and workarounds that define how work gets done—is what enables it to identify risks and drive resilient supply chain outcomes. Mapping AI to Resilience
1 BUILD RESILIENCE ON REAL VISIBILITY INTO PROCESS, MATERIAL & DECISION FLOWS
8 KEEP BUSINESS USERS IN THE LOOP AI that surfaces an issue but doesn’t trigger a clear next action has limited value. Systems need to guide decisions in real time, before disruptions escalate, and deliver those prompts in language that frontline and functional teams can act on immediately. Ensuring AI outputs are meaningful at the point of decision and meet business users where they are, not just visible in a dashboard, drives execution. 9 OPTIMIZE ACROSS END- TO-END PROCESSES Resilience doesn’t break in one silo—it often breaks in the handoffs between them. AI must connect decisions across order management, warehousing, and logistics to prevent breakdowns at the seams. An end-to-end view of operations, linking decisions across functions, prevents fragmentation from becoming a systemic vulnerability.
Supply chains run on thousands of daily processes, but there’s often a gap between how these workflows are designed and how they actually play out. Organizations can’t use AI to respond to disruptions if they don’t understand how operations truly happen on the ground. When AI has the correct operational context it needs, it can seamlessly identify, alert, and provide solutions to potential disruptions before they occur.
2 GET A VIEW OF HIDDEN WORKFLOWS Capture and connect the full decision flow—across emails, spreadsheets, and documents—and bring it into a shared, system-level view. Without that visibility, automation remains limited and key decisions stay locked in silos. 3 TREAT AI AS A DECISION ENGINE AI should help guide decisions. Its value comes from understanding how work actually gets done and using that operational context to recommend next steps. That requires grounding AI in the data that reflects real decision making, including the constraints and judgement calls that never make it into a formal system. 4 FEED AI REAL CONSTRAINTS AI decisions are only as good as the inputs behind them. Capacity limits, pricing rules, and timing constraints define what’s possible. Without this context, AI recommendations
real users and measurable outcomes. Ground pilots in real processes where failures already occur. This approach reflects real-world variability, and provides the best foundation for scaling AI across the organization. 7 CLOSE THE PLAN-TO-REALITY GAP Supply chain plans rarely match execution. Track where operations deviate: lane changes, cost overruns, and delays. Understanding these variances—not just flagging them—allows AI to recommend meaningful corrective action. AI can only improve resilience when it is continuously learning from the difference between what was planned and what actually happened.
may be technically coherent but operationally unworkable. Connecting AI to the real constraints that govern daily execution allows it to make reliable decisions under real-world conditions. 5 PRIORITIZE HIGH-IMPACT PROCESS FAILURES Expedited orders or missed shipments expose where resilience fails and where AI can drive the greatest operational and financial impact. Focusing early efforts here builds credibility with operational teams and accelerates the path to measurable results. 6 DON’T LET PILOTS BECOME EXPERIMENTS Tie every pilot to a real business problem with
10 DESIGN FOR SCALE FROM DAY ONE
To support resilience at scale, organizations need a foundation that can expand across business units, geographies, and systems, without rebuilding from scratch each time. That means establishing common data standards, governance practices, and integration patterns early, so momentum from early wins can translate into enterprise-wide capability.
SOURCE: CJ SCHETTLER, SUPPLY CHAIN GTM, NORTH AMERICA, CELONIS
12 Inbound Logistics • July 2026
R2 Logistics' Managed Transportation Services are powered by an elite team of experts dedicated to optimizing every aspect of your supply chain. R2 delivers exceptional service, visibility, and cost savings. From strategic planning to day-to-day execution, the R2 team acts as a true extension of your business, ensuring freight moves efficiently and reliably every time. )OCU6 www.R2Logistics.com DETERMINATION EXECUTION That is The R2 Way
GOODQUESTION Readers Weigh In
What is One of Your Favorite Brand Names? Why Does it Work so Well?
F E. It became a verb—“just FedEx it”—not through marketing spend, but through intuitive service and consistent delivery. In trade and logistics, they set the standard. When customers trust the process, they focus on growth instead of contingencies. Reliability at that scale comes not from positioning, but from repeatedly delivering on commitments.
Three letters, pronounceable in any language, instantly recognizable on a van in Manchester or an aircraft in Singapore. The name doesn’t try to explain logistics—DHL feels like logistics. And after decades of consistent service, those three letters have come to simply mean international delivery, everywhere. –George Wicks-Farr Head of Operations, Pallet2Ship
–Siddharth Priyesh Head of Group Commercial, CrimsonLogic
BOXTALK.AI. The name alone tells you exactly what it does—boxes, talking, AI. No jargon, no flu. But the name isn’t even the best part. This small company is laser-focused on 3PL operations and delivers real answers: predicting stockouts, surfacing hidden transportation costs, bottom-line impact. Focused tools beat bloated platforms every time. –Brian Carlson Founding Partner, Cornerstone Edge
BUBBLE WRAP. Is there any other brand name that brings out one’s inner child from the joy of twisting plastic, while also being indispensable for the grown-up task of packing up an apartment? The name combines what the product is, its benefit, and an emotional pull. Despite knockos, the true Bubble Wrap is trademarked by Sealed Air Corporation (file that away for trivia night). –Jake Taylor Managing Director, ProcureAbility SUN DAY RED by TaylorMade and Tiger Woods leverages a legendary competitive ritual. By tapping into the iconic “red on Sundays” tradition, the brand captures a specific mindset of poise and grit, mirroring the success of Nike’s “Black Mamba” collaboration. This immediate cultural resonance drives market recognition and awareness. –Paul Brinkman President, Trans-Solutions Consulting
AMAZON, APPLE, and GOOGLE. What sets them apart is their ability to innovate ahead of the curve by anticipating their customers’ evolving needs and preferences. –Youssef Annali Chief Financial Ocer, ICAT Logistics
The idea of “murdering my thirst” somehow makes drinking water exciting again, assuming I’m drinking Liquid Death’s Mountain Water. One of my favorite brand names, Liquid Death took one of the most ordinary products on the planet and gave it the attitude and energy of a punk rock or heavy metal brand. It’s great to see how the flavored water has overtaken soda in the category. –Jon Sing Founder–Principal Dayton Management Group
14 Inbound Logistics • July 2026
GOODQUESTION
ROGUE FITNESS. In just two decades, they’ve built a reputation for high-quality, American-made products and relentless innovation. The name is memorable, the branding is strong, and they’ve become the go-to supplier in their industry—a remarkable achievement in a short period of time.
–Blake Peebles Sales Engineer, Dexco
Few brand names carry the emotional connection and staying power of the New York Knicks. Despite decades without a championship, the franchise continued to fill arenas, command attention, and inspire loyalty. Great brands retain their value through both success and adversity. –Bill Heaney Chief Commercial Ocer, Odyssey Logistics
A name that doubles as a promise explicitly tells customers the core benefit they will receive, setting an immediate expectation: • SWIFT TRANSPORTATION: Promises freight moves quickly and e ciently. • SAFEWAY: An immediate promise of safety, quality, and reliability for food. • DURACELL: Blends “durable” and “cell” as a promise of long- lasting power. –Brad Barry Director & Partner, Supply Chain Services, St. Onge Company TOYOTA with its “Toyota Production System” remains the mother (and originator) of Lean thinking. I have a great admiration for this management philosophy. It’s built on practicality, long-term sustainability, and empowerment of everyone in the organization. The result is legendary quality and value in their products. –Scott Ashbaugh CEO, DHL eCommerce Americas
COSTCO. It’s one of my favorite brand names. To me, it stands for putting the customer first. They have built an impressive supply chain that delivers great products at great prices, and customers trust that Costco is always trying to give them real value.
DISNEY. Their brand works because every detail is intentional: Service, language, and experience all align to create trust. One interaction can define a person’s entire relationship with a brand, and Disney has proven that consistent hospitality and small moments matter. –Travis West VP–Strategic Client Engagement, Evans Transportation JOULE. It’s simple, memorable, and grounded in a real concept: energy. That’s what artificial intelligence should deliver to businesses—not more complexity, but more capacity to get things done. –Hagen Heubach Chief Marketing Ocer, Supply Chain Management, SAP
–Nick Rakovsky CEO, DataDocks
SENTINEL suggests vigilance, protection, and awareness. In logistics, where safety, compliance, and risk management matter every day, the name communicates what the technology does: It stands watch over operations. –Scott Stonys Head of Sales and Customer Success, Spotter AI
It means idle time , the opposite of productivity, yet that’s exactly what it promises to give you back. It’s one syllable, verbs naturally (“I’ll Slack you”), and never described a feature, so it aged perfectly. The best brand names don’t explain what you do. They embody how you’ll feel. Slack nailed it. –Stephanie Phillips Marketing Communications Manager, Made4net
Answer upcoming Good Questions at: www.inboundlogistics.com/ good-question
July 2026 • Inbound Logistics 15
WHAT’S THE WORD
ECOMMERCE: GETTING UP TO SPEED Q-commerce
The Language of Logistics
Short for quick commerce, Q-commerce refers to ecommerce
Cushioning Cargo
deliveries that are completed in less than one hour.
CRUSH PROFILE How much compression, weight, or impact a load
Amazon, Instacart, and DoorDash lead the q-commerce flock in the United States. Meanwhile, in India, q-commerce deliveries—for everyday essentials and assorted products—often clock in at under 10 minutes. Drawing billions of dollars from global companies and investors, the q-commerce market in India is expected to soar to $50 billion by 2030, up from $8 billion in 2025, according to a report from Deloitte and Google. “Wait, how fast do you want this delivered?!”
can withstand in shipment. Shippers should determine a load’s crush pro le and work backwards from there to ensure they use the most suitable securement materials. A recent RXO study highlighted the importance of crush pro le considerations and
accounting for lane topography to calculate the burst and crush risks associated with each dunnage bag material, such as 4-Ply Kraft paper, woven polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride.
CYBER PHYSICAL DAMAGE A cyber event that causes physical cargo damage. Businesses storing temperature-sensitive goods like pharmaceuticals and food face this often overlooked insurance coverage gap. Say a cyber attack were to disrupt warehouse temperature controls and spoil inventory, neither a traditional cargo nor cyber policy would apply. Traditional cargo policies exclude cyber events, while traditional cyber policies exclude physical damage. Consider a standalone cyber physical damage cargo solution de ning triggers covering system breach scenarios. –Kelly Malynn, Senior Risk Manager, Beazley
LET’S TALK WAREHOUSE: Targeted Cost to Service A new nancial metric from warehouse performance management platform Easy Metrics. This workload- adjusted earned budget dynamically re ects the actual operational work performed. TCTS continuously recalculates targeted operational cost based on real operational conditions, including order pro le, process complexity, product mix, and work ow variability. “TCTS gives shippers a workload-adjusted view of what their operations should cost, accounting for order mix, SKU complexity, and service requirements. It puts shippers and their providers on the same factual footing.” –Dan Keto, President and CTO, Easy Metrics
Decoding AI VIBE CODING Using AI prompts to generate source code, coined by millennial computer scientist Andrej Karpathy, a co-founder of OpenAI HITL
Human in the Loop or AI/human workflows: work processes that incorporate human decision-making and judgment calls to guide AI outputs
16 Inbound Logistics • July 2026
Our history is what defines us, guides us, and inspires us. Since 1929, Evans Distribution Systems was built on integrity, passion, and pure Detroit muscle. Today we continue to follow the American dream. On the 250th Anniversary of our country, we salute the dedicated americans who paved THE path toward resilience and prosperity.
Warehousing Transportation Fulfillment Value-Added Stang 1-800-OK-EVANS SALES@EVANSDIST.COM WWW.EVANSDIST.COM
2026
LEADERSHIP Conversations with the Captains of Industry
Uniting the Public and Private Sectors to Achieve High-Stakes Goals
Eugene Laney is president and CEO of the American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI), a trade organization representing U.S. companies engaged in global trade. He brings more than 30 years of experience in public and governmental affairs to his role. Laney has been learning about the ways business, politics, and government intersect since childhood. “When I was a toddler, my mom took me to see President Nixon as he waved farewell,” he says. “I didn’t understand why I was there, but politics has always been a big part of my life.” When President Harding founded the AAEI in 1921, it was made up of small- and mid-sized exporters that had gathered to figure out ways to grow their business. Today, the organization has the same mission it had back then: finding ways to help U.S. companies grow globally and navigate the challenges that come with growth. The AAEI’s traditional constituency includes customs brokers and trade compliance professionals who get into the nitty gritty work of classifications, HTS codes, and regulations. Today, because all areas of most companies are engaged in trade, AAEI’s constituency also includes supply chain managers or CFOs who oversee the distribution of refunds or deal with tariffs. It includes government affairs experts who lobby on Capitol Hill about trade issues and pricing departments who work with tariffs. Here, Laney talks about his approach to bringing together individuals from different organizations in the public and private sectors to reach common, but often difficult, goals. IL: AAEI has members from different companies and industries, some are competitors. How do you manage the varying goals? One of the biggest challenges is finding consistency among competitors. It helps to focus on the basic idea of facilitating trade. Once everyone can agree that we all want an efficient, effective, safe, and secure trade facilitation network, it becomes easier to identify how to reach that goal while avoiding some of the competitive issues. IL: What challenges keep you up at night? The cost of compliance is a big challenge. We’ve seen a movement away from finding a balance between trade facilitation and enforcement to greater emphasis on
Eugene Laney, President and CEO, American Association of Exporters and Importers
With a lifelong immersion in politics and business, Eugene Laney, president and CEO of the AAEI, values the art of listening, the power of public-private partnerships, and adaptability as the ultimate trade secret.
by Karen Kroll
18 Inbound Logistics • July 2026
LEADERSHIP
IL: What attributes are critical for effective leaders? You have to have vision—an idea of where you’re trying to take the organization. Then you have to get alignment from everyone who follows you. A big part of this is listening. My staff meetings are more of a listening session to understand the challenges and opportunities so we can move forward. It’s the same at our AAEI trade focus committee meetings. I listen to our importers, exporters, and trade service providers talk about the issues. Then, I take a step back and work with the staff to address the concerns they raised. Another part of leadership is “cultivating the good.” Once you identify where a company or individual wants to go, you cultivate what they’re good at and press forward versus trying to be everything for everyone. AAEI has many technical experts on trade, which is different from other industry or trade associations. We can leverage their expertise when we try to advance policy or provide recommendations. IL: How do you keep AAEI innovative? I know my staff gets tired of it, but I press them to continue their education around artificial intelligence (AI). So much is changing, and we have to consistently and carefully educate ourselves outside of, as well as within, our industry. We also have to think about the next crisis. Sometimes we get so caught up in day-to-day operations that we forget two years from now we may have a new administration, a new trade policy, and be three years into new AI technology. So much is going to change. We have to start thinking about that now. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? If Eugene Laney could host a dinner party with several leaders, Henry Kissinger would top his invitation list. One of Laney’s greatest professional moments was the day he spent with Kissinger before a conference where he was speaking. Laney normally picks up conference speakers and takes them to the conference, where they speak and leave. Instead, he spent the day with Kissinger and his bodyguard. They talked about politics briefly, but then they talked about dating, marriage, and their favorite football teams. Laney learned that someone can be a huge figure and still be an everyday person. Laney would also love to sit down with Muhammad Ali. A more contemporary person on his list would be Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase, because he would love to learn about the challenges of running the largest bank in the world.
enforcement. Most companies try to be good actors, but enforcement boosts the cost of compliance. For instance, not only do companies assume the cost of tariffs, but they also take on the work of understanding the regulations to ensure they implement the tariffs correctly. One example: In 2025, the administration expanded and increased existing steel and aluminum tariffs. This impacted even dental floss companies because each container has a tiny strip of steel to cut the floss. Because of those little pieces of steel, these companies had to figure out whether and how to comply with the rules. There’s a cost associated with that. AAEI let the administration know its members needed proper guidance, as well as a way to not overly impact small businesses. The administration then made some revisions based on that feedback. Unfortunately, the changes typically happen on the back end. One of the biggest challenges is trying to create more public-private partnerships in policy formulation so we don’t have to do revisions or deal with unintended consequences. IL: What public-private partnerships have you been involved with? After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, I managed a cross-functional team and led the advocacy efforts of the National Business Travel Association on Capitol Hill. I also met with multiple federal agencies, serving as liaison to the Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and other organizations. We helped shape post-9/11 travel policies and supported the creation of TSA’s Registered Traveler Program, among other accomplishments. I was also involved with the Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) program implemented in 2018. Terrorists had been putting explosives in cargo, then sending the shipments across the globe and to the United States. We worked with the TSA and Customs to identify ways to get information on shipments prior to their arrival in the United States. ACAS requires advanced air cargo information on shipments arriving in the United States from foreign locations, replacing the previous voluntary process. It has become best practice for customs authorities across the globe. So that public-private partnership led to good policy.
July 2026 • Inbound Logistics 19
SUPPLYCHAINP.O.V. Brent Hagan Puts His Stamp On Direct Mail Delivery
as told to Karen Kroll
S uccess when joining an established organization like Lob, a technology- enabled logistics network for direct mail, requires balancing fresh perspectives with a deep respect for the people who built the business. I recognize the expertise of the team—they are the experts in our industry, our customers, and the culture that makes Lob unique. At the same time, I believe a few leadership principles must remain constant. The first is maintaining absolute clarity on what must be true for us to achieve our goals and then aligning our actions accordingly. I never want our current circumstances to become a constraint on our ambition. Instead, we should start with the outcome we want to achieve, identify the critical conditions required for success, and then systematically close the gaps between where we are today and where we need to be. It all starts with creating a shared vision and ensuring the entire team is aligned around it. I encourage my teams to continually ask: ‘What went right? What went wrong? What did we learn? What are we going to do differently? And how will we measure whether it’s working?’ ADAPTING GEMBA WALKS TO A VIRTUAL WORLD Over time, that discipline creates a culture of continuous improvement. In manufacturing and distribution environments, I’ve always been a strong believer in Gemba—the practice of
WHAT I DO Lead the end-to-end strategy and execution of Lob’s logistics, manufacturing, and operations functions, bridging traditional supply chain disciplines with innovation to redefine how companies connect with their customers through automated and data- driven direct mail
going to where the work is happening. I spend time alongside my teams observing processes, understanding challenges firsthand, and helping solve problems at their source. At Lob, I’ve had the opportunity to adapt those same principles to a very different environment. Rather than walking a factory floor, I’m leading through a virtual organization and a third-party supply chain network. The fundamentals remain the same— stay close to the work, understand the facts, solve problems at the root cause, and continuously improve. Applying those principles in a technology-enabled, distributed operating model has been challenging and incredibly rewarding. BUILDING A PROBLEM-SOLVING MINDSET Even coming out of high school, I had a general sense of what I wanted to do, thanks in large part to the influence of my older brother and my dad. Both built
“ Developing young leaders is one of the accomplishments
I am most proud of. ”
BRENT HAGAN Chief Supply Chain Officer, Lob.com
20 Inbound Logistics • July 2026
SUPPLYCHAINP.O.V.
The market response to these innovations has been incredibly encouraging. More importantly, the success we’ve had is a direct re ection of the product, engineering, operations, and network teams that brought these solutions to life. DEFINING SUCCESS There was a period in my career when I was highly effective as an individual contributor. I consistently delivered results and met the expectations placed on me, but I underestimated the impact that others could have in making both the outcome and the journey better. Today, my goal is to empower leaders to achieve exceptional results in a way that leverages their strengths and leadership style, while maintaining a relentless commitment to execution. I take tremendous pride in developing people. The leaders I help build and the impact they go on to create are the truest measure of my success.
careers in supply chain and manufacturing, and their experiences gave me an early appreciation for how businesses operate and create value. I went to Purdue with the goal of developing my own approach to problem- solving. I was fascinated by the idea of taking something complex, breaking it down to its core components, and rebuilding it into something stronger and more effective. That mindset has stayed with me throughout my career, and my education provided the foundation for the work I do today. Recently, much of my energy has been focused on the launch of PostalIQ . Its routing intelligence determines the most ef cient postal entry point for every piece of mail, helping our customers improve delivery speed while reducing cost. Another signi cant milestone was executing the rst dropship mailing—approximately 2 million pieces—through the Lob Logistics platform. asi_halfpgIL_0726_final_• 7/13/26 2:02 PM Page 1
Back flips. I learned how to do them when I was 16 or 17. There was a period of time when I couldn’t do them, because I was too heavy. Now, I’m three years into a 60-pound weight loss journey. I did one back flip last year when I was 39. I just turned 40 and would love to do back flips in my forties. I learned flips.
THE PERFECTSHIPMENT ® At Alliance Shippers Inc. , we understand each customer has unique supply chain needs. That’s why we customize your logistics plan and use our knowledge and expertise to arrange the best solution for you. To find out more: www.alliance.com 2017+2019 EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNER CERTIFIED MEMBER SINCE 2006
INTERMODAL
HIGHWAY CAPACITY TEMPERATURE CONTROL
July 2026 • Inbound Logistics 21
® denotes a registered trademark of Alliance ShippersInc.
NOTED [ IN FOCUS ]
The Supply Chain in Brief
> MILESTONES
> UP THE CHAIN
Hellmann Worldwide Logistics is marking 20 years of operations in Japan, where it has built a presence serving automotive, fashion, healthcare, and technology customers. The company has oces
Jacksonville-based logistics company AVI has promoted Adam Baltzell to Head of Brokerage Services, where he will oversee carrier partnerships, transportation capacity, and customer freight
solutions across regional and national markets. Baltzell has spent his career in freight brokerage, transportation management, and supply chain operations. AVI has provided transportation, warehousing, brokerage, distribution, and supply chain support since 1948. Asset-based 3PL Keller Logistics Group has added three senior commercial leaders across its operating af liates: Mike Whitlock as director of business development at Keller Warehousing & Co-Packing, Steve Staley in the same role at Keller Industrial Properties, and Katie Furnish as regional dedicated sales manager at Keller Trucking. The additions follow the 2025 hire of Lars Cleland as president of Keller Freight Solutions, giving the 48-year-old company more than 75 years of combined senior commercial experience across the four appointments.
in Tokyo and Osaka, with services covering airfreight, seafreight, customs brokerage, and selected specialized solutions. Under its Forward2030 strategy, Hellmann has designated Asia-Pacific as a key growth region, with Japan positioned as a stable base for further development.
Silk Way West Airlines
is marking 10 years of operations to Japan. Since its inaugural Baku– Komatsu flight in 2016, the airline has expanded its Japan network to
include Kansai and Narita, operating roughly 1,300 flights and transporting more than 145,000 tons of cargo over the decade. Japan's air cargo market grew an estimated 12% in 2025. The original Combilift C-Series multi-directional forklift was manufactured in 1998. It is still in daily operation at J.G. Kelly Supplies in Ireland, some 28 years after delivery.
MSIG USA has named Karla Scott Head of Cargo and Logistics, a new role within its Marine platform. Scott brings 25 years of experience in marine cargo, inland marine, and hull underwriting.
The machine, which moves long PVC stillages up to six meters through a four-meter doorway, has required only routine maintenance over its lifespan, with no major o-site repairs.
She most recently led logistics product strategy and marine operations for The Hartford’s Western region. She will oversee underwriting strategy, portfolio management, and broker relationships for the logistics business.
22 Inbound Logistics • July 2026
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