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Strong consumer demand, continued supply chain bottlenecks and tight carrier capacity sent air, ground and ocean transportation rates soaring to historic levels in 2021 as shippers leaned on third-party logistics providers to bolster inventories and avoid product stockouts.

The past two years have been difficult ones for shippers to move their freight. But times like these are when logistics providers can most clearly demonstrate the value they bring to their business partners.

Third-party logistics companies are facing a changing environment and an evolving relationship with shippers, according to a new study.

While the freight transportation industry has struggled for years to recruit and retain truck drivers and maintenance technicians, many companies are facing another labor challenge — a shortage of entry-level office workers.

Choptank, a third-party logistics service provider, says it recently incorporated a wider array of Trucker Tools, a system of applications, to more rapidly “shed” manual processes such as phone calls. Trucker Tools helps drivers and brokers track freight and bid on jobs.

Artificial intelligence-powered chatbots are often not even known as such by the user. Instead, they are often packaged among the automated features of enterprise resource planning systems increasingly used by shipping firms as AI and data science continue to evolve.

The JZ Expedited Companies, a full-service asset-based 3PL, has announced the promotion of Chris Sloope from vice president of sales and international operations to COO.